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2017-02-01T11:22:49Z

Iro Daijoubu: test

LMS: Volume 17 Chapter 1

This chapter was brought to you by AnmesicCat, Grisia, Haikai, Masadeer, and Lei.

Chapter 1 : Weed’s Notoriety

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A huge crowd had gathered when Weed reached Morata’s square through the movement portal. People were buying and selling goods in the square as well as recruiting party members. With the Northern part of the Versailles Continent being showcased as an adventure region, Morata was flourishing into an even larger city.

“Please look this way!”

“Weed, Weed! Come hunt with us.”

“Are you really Weed from the Continent of Magic?”

There we many people who were trying to get close to him, causing a commotion, asking questions about the River of Lamentation quest, or if he really was Weed from CoM. People even went up onto the castle walls to wave and cheer at Weed.

They welcomed Weed’s return like a hero coming home after winning a war.

This was different from the time when he sold cheap sculptures in Rosenheim Kingdom. Weed folded his arms, raised his chin along with his gaze, and emanated arrogance.

“Heh, there are a lot more people here now.”

He had to act unconcerned and completely unalarmed, as though the amount of people gathered were a natural course of events.

Abruptly, Weed yelled with Lion’s Roar, “I went. I fought. I earned!”

“WHOOOOAAA!”

Cheers loud enough to shake Morata Square to its foundations erupted at once.

“He said he earned a ton!”

“Imoogi! Please show us the items from the Imoogi you hunted!”

“WEED! WEED! WEED!”

His popularity was greater than that of a pseudo-religious cult leader, and the crowd was at the peak of uncontrollable delight. The hopes and dreams of the ordinary people in the Versailles Continent! After all, Weed had returned after hunting monsters others weren’t able to kill, and accomplished a quest no one had ever experienced before.

Morata’s Soldiers and the Freya Church’s Knights mobilized to contain the situation. Only then was the uproar narrowly suppressed.

The Freya Church’s Knights bowed their heads towards Weed politely.

“We would like to thank you for defeating the evil Embinyu Church. It is an honor to meet the adventurer who will go down in history as the benefactor of the Freya Church.”

Weed replied with dignity. “It was nothing. I did not suffer in the slightest. The fight against the Embinyu Church was extremely dull. It was easier than going into a bank to take a nap on a scorching summer day.”

He would take a nap in a bank and read comics in a large bookstore. Those were the excellent cultural facilities that had allowed Weed to spend his youth in peace. Since there were several banks in his neighborhood, they were places where he could go in at any time and comfortably utilize. They even arranged the latest magazines categorically for their customers.

The people at the banks would sometimes gossip, but he simply ignored such things! Weed was someone who had even shared deep conversations about today’s youths over a cup of coffee, with one of the older guardsmen he had become friends with.

“He’s talking with the Knights.”
“They’re talking to him really politely.”

The crowd broke into whispers. The sight of Paladins speaking to Weed was enough to make their stomachs burn with jealousy.

That a portal would suddenly form and Weed would come out of it, was something the Merchants or Warriors doing business in the square had never expected.

“I think this is the first time I’ve seen the Knights of Freya acting this friendly.”

“It must be because they’re talking to Weed, right?”

“Of course it is.”

With the Knights of Freya arranged in the plaza, there was no one who tried to carelessly approached him.

“Hmm.”

As the ruckus calmed down a little, Weed glanced around the square. The crowd in the square was packed in tightly, like a bag of sprouts.

‘The number of players here has really grown.’

The thought of taxes occurred to him as he looked at the Merchants sitting in the stalls they had opened in the plaza!

‘Should I raise the taxes or not? Even if I only raise the income tax by 1%, the revenue would be enormous…’

Weed invested all his energy into performing calculations. He was bad at math, but when it came to adding and subtracting money, he had never once made a mistake.

‘No, not yet. It’s still too early. If give off the impression of being desperate for tax collection this early, I won’t be able to unleash a tax bomb later.’

His face paled, and even his expression became agonized.

He needed a clever scheme that would make people feel like he wasn’t raising the taxes even when he was.

At the sight of Weed’s deeply tormented face, the players gradually quieted as well. Looking at his expression alone, it appeared as if he was tackling a truly enormous problem. When he occasionally grimaced, the players’ hearts would drop in alarm.

There were people who had previously met Weed, as well as those who had only heard of him here.

“Was his clinging to coppers while selling sculptures all an act?”

“His incognito skills aren’t normal. He went around hiding his identity like that even though he’s a player with a high enough level to hunt the King Hydra, y’know.”

“Wargod Weed. Look at his expression, is he gonna wipe us all out because his mood soured?”

“They say that in the Continent of Magic, he was a solitary Warrior who didn’t welcome even a little fuss or hassle…”

Once the excitement subsided, the people were struck with an eerie mood.

It was because the Weed from the Continent of Magic was a figure with extreme notoriety!

* * *

In a corner of the square, Merchants were chattering thoughtlessly. They were discussing Weed’s misdeeds from the Continent of Magic!

“Soo-il, did he really kill people ever so often?”

“Yeah. Weed’s nasty deeds were crazy. I was killed five times myself.”

“Why were you killed? Were you enemies with Weed then?”

Weed could also hear the conversation between the young Merchants. Since they were discussing his history during his Continent of Magic days, he was deeply interested. it was an important conversation because, depending on the crowd’s opinion, he could change the taxes as well.

“There was no particular reason. Once for making him wait because I was taking a long time to buy goods at a shop, once for meeting him by a stream, and once for going into a dungeon he was hunting in. The remaining two times were because I couldn’t take his misdeeds anymore, so I joined a coalition and died while fighting as a group.”

“He killed people for reasons like that?”

“He didn’t just kill people, either. It was literally a massacre. He didn’t leave anyone alive, even the unarmed or wounded.”

In the Continent of Magic, Weed’s notoriety was not limited to monsters alone. Even to players, he was merciless slaughter embodied. With his extremely overwhelming level, amazing skill management, and unique items, he was the strongest player. He trampled on those who challenged him to the point where they couldn’t recover, and he simply killed those who were eyesores.

‘I didn’t differentiate humans from monsters.’

Weed briefly recalled his Continent of Magic days. He killed so much that it was difficult to remember all his opponents separately. He had found absolutely no reason to leave humans alive just because they were players, when he was already killing monsters. He even purposefully sought those who put on airs because they were high leveled players, started a fight, and killed them.

The force of a large guild? He didn’t care.

‘No matter how well organized they were, everything worked out once I killed them three or four times.’

He used one guild as an example and thoroughly destroyed them. After that, the criticism against him became harsh, and the public opinion of him plummeted. Then he thrashed them again. Without any reserve, he tore them all apart.

After numerous repetitions of thrashing, other guilds also took heed and cowered.

Although coalitions against him were formed several times, he lured them into dungeons and annihilated them one by one.

Weed fought cleverly.

Fighting a group single-handedly was actually an extremely difficult task. He was a demon who took advantage of his surroundings, used items without reserved, and killed his enemies one by one!

The Merchant asked, “Even so, it seems like they don’t think too badly of Weed. There aren’t many players from the Continent of Magic who would curse Weed.”

The Merchant who had been explaining nodded his head in agreement. “Because it was when the Continent of Magic was gradually losing popularity, something new was necessary. Who wouldn’t feel satisfied watching him complete unsolved quests, breakthrough labyrinths, uncover the secrets of mysterious dungeons, and slaying extremely powerful monsters?”

People did not hate Weed.

Even in Royal Road, Weed hunted and quested with unmatched recklessness. Though in truth, he couldn’t help but receive requests because of his high Fame. He barely finished them by suffering to near death, but others could only give up in the middle without making any progress.

For guilds raising excitement with power expansion or players tired of repetitive hunting, Weed was like a fresh beam of light. Even guilds or players who were completely hostile towards Weed could not help but acknowledge that, at least.

“Even the highbrow guilds completely avoided him because they were afraid of getting in a fight with Weed.”

“Was it that bad?”

“He was someone who everyone wanted to become friendly with, even while staying away from him and dying. Someone you wanted to at least imprint your name onto.”

“He must’ve emitted an incredible atmosphere.”

“If you were hunting in a hunting ground and heard Weed had appeared nearby, you’d get a feeling of goosebumps prickling all over your skin. You wouldn’t know how it feels unless you’ve experienced it.”

You’re getting pumped up while hunting with your teammates as you share a peaceful conversation. Then, Weed appears in the vicinity.

A silent and frightening atmosphere.

The problem was not the quest nor the monsters, you’d want to leave your party and go there because you were curious about what Weed was doing.

In actuality, it was to the point where it was difficult to count every individual who had been interested in Weed’s actions and had died while following him.

“You’d hear about Weed challenging the quests in the Continent of Magic that looked absolutely impossible, and going into places no one had ever gone to before without even a shred of fear.”

“But there must’ve been times when he failed, right?”

“Of course. He probably failed a ton of times. But eventually, he succeeded. Only monster remains were left in dungeons Weed had gone through, the most awesome moments must’ve occurred.”

The records Weed had established in the Continent of Magic continued to spread for a long time.

“So that was Weed.”

“The more I hear, the more surprising and awesome it is. It’s definitely fun to hear it from a person who experienced it firsthand.”

“The strongest in the Continent of Magic, Weed. That person is the one standing right there; Morata’s Lord.”

The crowd’s eyes were filled with respect!

* * *

Weed folded his arms and looked up. As the movement portal quietly emitted blue light, suspense filled the air.

After excruciating agony and inner conflict, he had won over his temptations.

“Not yet. Taxes have to be raised stealthily. So that people can’t feel it…”

If he suddenly raised the taxes just because there were more people, he would meet great resistance.

‘It also needs justification. To make them think the taxes really had to be raised, that there was no helping it, I need a justification they can understand! Without it, they won’t even accept a tax increase.’

Having overcome his greed, Weed put his rucksack onto the ground and sat down. Weed was the type of person who placed no value on luxuries. Unlike others, he had never gone to a fancy restaurant or bought a meal for female players. He obtained carving tools or even blacksmithing goods through hunting or gathering and used them self-sufficiently.

The sum he had to invest in Morata to reap a huge profit later was enormous, so he needed lots of money.

MOOOOO!

With a cry, a gentle-looking cow emerged from the portal.

Yellowy was being used as a luggage carrier. Even his back was strapped with countless backpacks filled with japtem, acquired from hunting near the River of Lamentations.

The backpacks he had prepared ahead of time had been filled to the brim, and the large bags he had made with his Tailoring skill were also full.

“It should be somewhere around here…”

Weed rummaged through his backpacks and pulled out a sword.

A sword sharpened to a keen edge!

“This is not ordinary japtem! I’m selling japtem, as well as clothes, armor, and weapons in small quantities!”

The start of his japtem sale!

It only took an instant for the heavy atmosphere in the square to dissipate.

“Ehh, what the hell, he’s selling goods.”
“I was alarmed for no reason.”

Because Weed had accumulated such enormous notoriety, even Morata’s Soldiers and Knights had appeared, creating a rigid atmosphere. When Weed pulled out a sword on top of it all, the crowd held their breaths in alarm.

Now, although their interest in Weed was just as great as before, the grimness had disappeared and the square’s characteristic noisy and carefree atmosphere returned.

“Excuse me.”

A Merchant who had been doing business nearby bravely spoke up. In front of the movement portal, Weed and Yellowy were positioned in the very middle of the square.

“Yes?”
“Are you really the Wargod Weed?”
“Heh, I’ll leave it to your imagination.”

Weed did not deny it. However, the Merchant who had asked nodded his head.

“Looks like you aren’t him.”
“He says he’s not, right?”
“Yeah. He’s not him.”
“…”

That was the judgement the Merchants made on their own. On the other hand, there were quite a few people who believed Weed was the Continent of Magic’s Wargod. The people who personally watched Weed’s adventure through the broadcast thought differently, and they were also divided based on their judgements of his level or profession. However, the majority of people couldn’t decide which side was right and were still on the fence.

The Merchants looked greedily at Weed and Yellowy’s backpacks.

“But, ah, you have quite a lot of japtem.”

“That’s because I hunted diligently.” Weed replied indifferently as he laid out his japtem. Customers hadn’t arrived yet, and he was preparing to do business.

As he gazed avariciously at the laid out japtem, the Merchant proposed, “Would you be willing to sell all that japtem to me? I’ll give you a good price for them.”

Weed shook his head. “I will sell them myself.”

“But it’ll be better for me, a Merchant, to take care of them. Business is not so easy.”

The Merchant gave him advice, but Weed didn’t need to pay attention to him. He had become skilled at business since he was 10 years old. His learning had started by following a grandma selling vegetables in the marketplace!

“Caltrop Antennas! Black Wild Boar Fangs! I don’t sell to just anyone. Since they’re not cheap japtem, you can just take a look and go.”

Weed began advertising his goods to the gathered players.

“Antennas? Fangs? What kind of japtem are they to be so expensive?”

The prices they reaped when sold at a general goods store were fantastic.

Weed had hunted and gathered japtem exclusive to the River of Lamentations. Since there wasn’t anyone else who had gone to the River of Lamentations through the movement portal yet, it was not an exaggeration to say that these products were first-rate specialties right now.

There were truly many things the crowd had wanted to ask while looking at Weed after he appeared through the movement portal.

About the quest and the Wargod Weed!

However, once he started putting out japtem, the people wanting to buy goods rushed in before the curious crowd could start asking.

Both Merchants and Wizards were greatly amazed when they Identified the antennas. It was a material for a magic staff that could amplify lightning. If it was taken to an Enchanter, the antennas could receive a value greater than their weight in gold.

A Magician shouted out the greatest value that he could offer as soon as he checked the information. “I’ll buy them! I can buy the antennas for 350 Gold each. All of them!”

“I’ll purchase for 533 Gold.”
“539 Gold!”
“I’ll buy for 540 Gold.”
“I’ll purchase with all the money I have, 555 Gold.”

The values of japtem were usually fixed. However, Merchants could use their Accounting skills to sell goods they had purchased from players for a better price in stores. They could even receive better offers depending on their Intimacy, public contribution, and the donations they had made for the village’s development. Magicians could personally process them before handing them over to a Blacksmith.

“Buy for 570 Gold!” shouted a cheeky-looking Merchant with a huge potbelly.

“580 Gold!”
“I’ll buy all of them for 600 Gold.”

There was great profit in being the first to sell rare japtem to a store. A sale for the sake of raising Accounting skill and Fame!

Weed ripped off even the Merchants. He successfully sold off all the antennas he had for 620 Gold each, and 320 Gold for the fangs. He was satisfied since it was higher than what he could get from selling at a store.

It was also pricey for the Merchants, but since they could raise their skills and Fame without even selling a specialty item, it was a profit for them.

Weed pulled out another backpack.

“Now, this here is the Embinyu Church Headband. Trophies obtained while doing the Alliance of the Deliverers quest! Those of you who want it as a souvenir, please stand in line. I am selling them for 15 Gold apiece.”

They were headbands embellished with the Embinyu Church’s mark. Besides +3 Defense, they had almost no other bonuses. However, they were relatively cheap goods compared to the expensive japtem he had been selling just before.

“That looks good.”
“I’ll buy one.”
“Please give me one as well.”

Weed sold the headbands like souvenirs to the crowd. ‘As expected, I have to sell them off when the crowd is excited.’

He made discounts and a buy five, get one free deal under the pretext of a special customer appreciation sale.

The headbands also sold out in an instant!

“Then the next thing is…”

The goods Weed put out one after another were japtem that fell greatly in importance! The spoils he had earned from hunting Undead were bones, tattered clothing, and weapons like rusty longswords. Rusted weapons had lowered maximum durability, and they became exponentially weaker if used by Undead.

The Merchants who had been doing business near Weed could only look on in envy at the sight of his goods selling like hotcakes.

“Please wait just one moment, sir.”

Weed tidily used his sword sharpening skill and armor cleaning skill to make the exteriors all glossy and smooth.

“These are souvenirs that will draw luck to their owners! This isn’t a chance that comes day in and day out. These goods will not be sold after I run out of stock today.”

He was selling off items that would never, ever be used as equipment. The leg bone of a Skeleton sold for a whopping 1 Gold!

With the emptied backpacks on his back, Yellowy stealthily left. Then he entered a secluded alley in Morata Square for a secret rendezvous.

His face covered by a robe, a sly man was waiting in the alley.

“You must be Yellowy. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Moooooooo!

“Here are the goods. Please tell Weed the profit will be divided exactly 6 to 4.”

Yellowy understood and nodded. Then his empty backpacks were filled to the brim with japtem.

The man waiting in the alleyway. His identity was Mapan.

“We can’t miss the opportunity to sell off japtem at high prices.”

The strategy was to disguise even normal japtem as souvenirs in order to sell and earn more!

Weed even inscribed his name into the bones with his carving knife.

Be happy. Weed.

I wish you happy hunting. Weed.

Remember the fierce battle against the Lord of the Undead; Balkan Demoph, Weed.

To be honest, he hadn’t even fought against Balkan. He had only taken the barbarians to subdue a small portion that had broken off from the vast group of Undead!

* * *

Topics about the Wargod Weed were posted on Royal Road’s forum.

There were a few people showing him respect for having solved the quests on the Continent of Magic. However, there were more people reporting his wrongdoings.

– He killed me for asking how much he bought his equipment for!

– He killed me for cutting in front of him in line at a store.

– At least there was a reason why the two of you were killed. I was killed for being in a dungeon that he was going to hunt in.

– He killed me for yawning.

– He killed me just for being a man.

– I died twelve times. In town, in the square, in the hunting ground, no matter where we met. Later, feeling wronged, I asked him why and he told me it was because he didn’t like my name.

– What was your name?

– ShittyIdiotWeed.

– You deserved to be killed.

An enormous amount of Weed’s misdeeds emerged.

The forum was centered around Weed. Topics that had always been of interest were buried.

– I was killed over thirty times by Weed. I went at him viciously, you see.

– Thirty times? You’re speaking out over that amount? I died over fifty times. There are probably many people who remember the player who bothered Weed until the end; Chestnutty.

– Mr. Chestnutty. You probably never got within a knife’s length of him, right?

– Heh. People above, don’t fight. No matter how much you all died, is it as bad as me? As for me, I was a ranking player within the top 50 in the Continent of Magic. I even had the rare item Apejan’s Circlet. After killing me, Weed took that Apejan’s Circlet and equipped it.

– I’m jealous.

– To have gotten an item taken from you by Weed… did Weed use that item for long?

– It was an item he equipped even when he was hunting the Black Dragon. Waah!

Misplaced pride!

Because Weed was such a famous player, there were also many high level players related to him. Players who didn’t often reveal their whereabouts in Royal Road made comments. Even players who had risen to the Hall of Fame, posted their experiences from their past days in the Continent of Magic, adding to the legends about Weed.

The record of a former Thief who had followed Weed, undiscovered through dungeon exploration until he died was the highlight.

– Dungeon clearing of the very fastest speed! The sight of him clearing away groups of monsters that surrounded him without fear was enough to give me the creeps. He certainly had fighting ability, but I had never before seen anyone with such efficiency, they didn’t even have any superfluous movements. Even while wounded and falling into traps, Weed pressed onward endlessly.

– What dungeon was that?

– What boss monster appeared?

– I don’t know it either. I died in the middle of it because I got discovered by Weed.

While wandering lonesomely through hunting grounds, Weed did not bother with right or wrongs. He would simply kill them if they were an eyesore. He even killed guilds that attacked him, and killed those who annoyed him.

His ruthless infamy had accumulated extensively.

* * *

In CTS Media, massive amounts of funding were lay out an information gathering system in the Versailles Continent.

“We can’t fall behind in the news. News is far more important than broadcasts about celebrities.”

The number of people playing Royal Road was growing exponentially. Not only in the Republic of Korea, but all over the world. People who did not enjoy Royal Road were treated as savages. In Africa, the Middle East, and in South America, the craze was amazing. There was nothing more to be said since even the royals of the Arabian lands and Brazil’s drug dealers were addicted to Royal Road!

It would seem as though the international players pouring in all at once would cause a considerable amount of confusion, but they quietly enjoyed the new world. Only a portion of the populace clung to extreme growth, like leveling up or item gathering. They settled in the northern, western, and central parts of the Continent. There were many players who possessed no aversion to experiencing the new wealth of experience known as monsters or different races.

‘Heroes of the Versailles Continent,’ CTS Media’s primary program, was even translated and broadcasted in countries all over the world. As Royal Road grew, the sales of the related broadcasts were also expanding rapidly.

“Nothing draws attention like news. A leading program can only become news!”

CTS Media made contracts with foreign broadcasters before their competitors and even had much better terms. They used the fact that their parent company was a global multinational corporation, to pull the strings with their personal connections.

Enormous sums of money flowed in through copyright contracts, and depending on the sales, they even received royalties at regular intervals.

It wasn’t just the capsules that international players bought and utilization fees; as the broadcast industry expanded, Royal Road was about to become the Republic of Korea’s greatest source of income.

Because CTS was decidedly foremost in commercial marketing, they reinvested the money they had earned into Royal Road. They wouldn’t even dare to dream of influencing the board of directors by increasing their Unicorn stock share. Not only CTS, but even their whole company couldn’t compare to Unicorn in sales or cash income.

Unicorn’s status in the worldwide economy was increasing with time, so only those who had held stocks in the early stages had been struck with sudden wealth.

CTS Media dispatched reports and invested in players for acquiring Royal Road information. Including castle lords, they persuaded key players using lots of money.

“It would be nice if you did exclusive coverage for our broadcast station alone.”

Most users were easily swayed in front money.

“Is it really okay… for us to take this much money?”

“Of course. And please supply us with information about things that happen within the territory you govern, and please block the actions of personnel from other stations, if possible.”

For guilds that handled regions, they weren’t hard requests. It was too much for them to completely blockade the movements of reporters from other broadcasting stations, who moved under hidden identities. However, public coverage acquisition for another station was something that could certainly be stopped. The guilds were only spoken badly for a few days, so it wasn’t really a problem.

“We understand, please treat us well.”

CTS Media entered agreements with many lesser lords on the Versailles Continent. However, negotiations did not proceed easily with guilds that had greater power.

One area’s rulers had many sources of income. Taxes, bribe money from minor guilds, hunting ground fees, and weapon and armor sales were producing much profit. Prestigious guilds were already steeped in commercial activities, so they were actually managing rather sizeable businesses.

“The contract sum is small, I see.”
“We do not move for sums of this size.”

They had grown to the point where they even ignored calls from station directors. Even though it was a virtual reality, the big lords of the Versailles Continent held enough authority and power. Even broadcasting stations couldn’t deal with such lords carelessly. If they were rubbed the wrong way, coverage wouldn’t proceed well, so they had to deal with being in the shoes of the weak. They couldn’t even report the misdeeds of huge guilds heedlessly.

“We contacted just about everyone in the Central Continent… how is it going with the South and West?”

“The casting will end for players we have contact information for sometime between today and tomorrow.”

“How are their responses?”

“Perhaps it’s because there were rumors about trade in the central continent, but they are deciding quickly. I think the casting will end soon because they are many large guilds.”

“That’s not bad news.”

There were many differences between the Western Versailles Continent and the other regions. Powerful centralized nations were positioned in the Central Continent. They were nations that boasted rich lands, mines, and populations. Emerging nations with outstanding potential were positioned in the East, and the South developed magic. There was vigorous pioneering and adventuring in the North. Because the Versailles Continent’s area was so large, there were still places where people had yet to set foot in, even in the Central Continent.

The West had a strong nationalist disposition, so it was mostly settled by guilds that recruited native people. In other regions, even if you started in a specific city or village, you could escape the region’s influence simply by moving your hunting ground. However, you could not do so in the West, which had many grasslands and deserts. There were many strong Warriors who were tied by blood to nomadic people, so they boasted strong cohesion. Excluding wanderers in the Central Continent. For the most part, guild issues were decided by the native people. Their strength was inferior in comparison to the Central Continent, but the size and numbers of individual guild territories were not small.

“That’s a relief. Who are we contacting in the North?”

The Executive Director was personally heading a meeting in the CTS Media conference room.

“The representative of the North would be Weed’s Morata. In the past, we had a business relationship.”

“Who contacted him? Who was the person in charge?”

“The President’s Secretary, Yoon Na-hee.”

“Oh? Why did the President’s Secretary herself contact him?”

“There was the matter of the President personally deciding to purchase the Continent of Magic account. The casting for the 8 Heroes program was also entrusted to her.”

“It’s really such a shame. If we had just kept broadcasting, it would have been a big hit…”

The 8 Heroes had managed to bring in decent ratings. However, they had stopped starring Weed because the initial response hadn’t been good. After that, Weed had then won the battles against the True Blood Vampires, the Undead Legion, and the Bone Dragon.

Because their competitor KMC Media had gotten to broadcast those instead, there had even been an incident where PD in charge had written a letter of resignation. CTS Media’s President had inevitably noticed.

“For now, we’ll have Ms. Yoon Na-hee contact Weed.”
“I will take the steps to do so.”

LMS: Volume 17 Chapter 2

This chapter was brought to you by AnmesicCat, Grisia, Haikai, Lastear, and Lei.

Blacksmith of Magic Swords

Kuruso, the city of Dwarven craftsmen, had become famous because of Weed and was being visited by many players. They were impressed when they saw Kendellev’s restored water sculptures and went around looking at the cool weapons and armor.

“Hah, I could buy it if I had a little more money… Mister Dwarf, can’t you cut the price down a little?”

“Not even one copper.”

Haggling players and Dwarves could easily be found. The goods sold by the Dwarves in Kuruso were extremely expensive, even for accessories. People couldn’t easily decide to buy. For Merchants, accessories were more valuable trade goods than jewels or gold. They could be sold in any village, and they were good since one could receive a higher price by treating the residents well.

There were Dwarves who liked that Kuruso had become a bustling village, but some Dwarves didn’t leave the smithy and were engrossed in their craft.

“Hmmm.”

Fabio sharpened the completed sword on the grindstone.

Raasp raasp

The sword has been sharpened to a keen edge.
Sword Grinding skill activated!
Damage has increased by 41%

The Sword Grinding skill!

It wasn’t a skill only Weed could use, but a technique that could be grasped by any Intermediate Blacksmith. Of course, since Fabio had never learned Tailoring, he didn’t know techniques such as Ironing and Hand Washing.

“It has become quite sharply honed.”

Fabio turned the sword back and forth, trying to find flaws. The blade was slick enough to perfectly reflect the bearded Dwarf’s face!

The most famous player on the Versailles Continent among Blacksmiths was Fabio. His specialty was perceived as armor and shield production, but he was concealing the fact that he actually made swords.

Whenever one of his swords occasionally went out into the world, they created a sensation. They were to the point where people engaged in searches to find the Blacksmith who made the sword.

Weaponry of an entirely different level from the works of ordinary Blacksmiths!

It was normal to acquire weapons through hunting once you reached a certain high level, but the swords made with Fabio’s devotion were enough to incite wars between countless players. Having an excellent blade changed the hunting speed. The obsession for weapons and armor in Royal Road was fearsome.

Fabio made swords and occasionally released them into the world for fun, but he thoroughly hid the fact that they were of his make. He moved so secretly that he could be mistaken for a Blacksmith in retirement.

“The Sword Grinding skill is really quite good.”

Fabio set down the sword, satisfied.

It was only temporary, but the skill raised damage. At Advanced Blacksmithing 8 and Advanced Sword Grinding 6, he could even bring up a sword’s damage by a maximum of 85%. However, the side effects were severe.

“If the sharpness is raised excessively, the sword’s durability falls quickly and it goes bad easily.”

Used conservatively, there was no problem with 40% damage or so.

“A finished sword is truly beautiful.”

Previously an ordinary salary-man in real life, as soon as Royal Road appeared, he had been immediately captivated. There were many professions, but the one that had moved him was Blacksmithing.

One could say that, in the very beginning, Royal Road was chaos. The majority of the players didn’t even know how to fight Rabbits well. The appearance of a single Orc would send them fleeing all the way to the village gates, and instances where scores of players died together were not uncommon.

It was a time when one ordinary longsword brought enormous envy and jealousy.

Fabio decided to choose the Blacksmith.

“It was a good choice.”

He couldn’t leap into the fray of battle, but he didn’t regret his choice. He improved his Blacksmithing skill through concentration after making a decision faster than others.

After becoming the most outstanding Blacksmith in the Dwarven village, there was no end to his work opportunities. As his name spread to the city, customers sought him from afar to entrust work to him.

There was always more demand than supply in the field of Blacksmithing. For the best Blacksmith, there was nothing more to be said. He accumulated money while taking enormous service fees, which he then reinvested into acquiring ores to make armor.

A profession that handled and hammered red-hot iron in front of a blazing furnace! Though it was lonely work, he endured and continued to forge.

With the best materials as a basis, he made contracts with upper tier players and supplied armor to them. As he made appearances on television, his supporters increased enormously. He was an idol figure for beginner Blacksmiths.

It wasn’t publicly known, but Fabio was the true leader of the guild called “Iron Road.” He managed his guild while making them equipment. With more friends than enemies, he even wielded both tangible and intangible influence. Among players of the Dwarven race, there weren’t many who could refuse a single word of his.

“Still, the worth of a Blacksmith is in making good weapons.”

CLANG!

Fabio roughly tossed the sword he had just crafted aside. Swords were piled up like mountains around him.

“This time, again, the sword fell short of my expectations. The ultimate sword that can cut through anything, no matter what it is. I must make a sword befitting of being called the best in the Versailles Continent.”

A Blacksmith’s hidden skill set!

While walking the path of a Blacksmith, Fabio had learned unique techniques.

Mineral Smelting Advanced 3 (25%): A technique where ores made of various materials can be completely refined without impurities for use.

Can be called a technique that forms the basis of a Blacksmith. Must understand the will of fire, air, and metal.

Among Blacksmith’s hidden skills, Mineral Smelting was the very first one he acquired. It was a technique Fabio had learned when he changed his profession to Ironblood Blacksmith.

“Aahh, it makes me shudder even now to think about that process of changing profession.”

In order to change professions as a Blacksmith, he had suffered to death in the smithy. Though he could have gone to the Blacksmith Guild like other players did and made a few weapons or armor to change professions, he did not do so.

Wanting to see it with his own eyes and hammer with his own hands before changing profession, he spent more than a month of his precious time doing chores in the smithy during the initial stages of Royal Road.

The profession changing quest he came to obtain through gruesome process!

“I’ll never be able to forget the ‘Joys, Sorrows, and Tears of a Blacksmith’ quest for the rest of my life.”

In order to change his profession, he had to busily run between several villages with his short and stubby Dwarven legs to successfully complete requests. Then, he had to be formally employed by the smithy to receive the quests at last.

A Blacksmith could fulfil quests not only in the guild, but also in the smithy. He tried making not just one type, but many different kinds of equipment. He accumulated Fame as he completed quests as they came in and also made money. Through such quests, he acquired the Equipment Enhancement skill.

Equipment Enhancement Advanced 1 (16%): The potential of equipment can be drawn out in the hands of a Blacksmith.

Through countless failures, equipment can be modified.

The skill that made Fabio famous!

He learned this skill around the time when he reached Intermediate Blacksmithing.

There was a saying: “Never show all your cards.” If one were to recklessly publicize their full skill on the Versailles Continent, where there were never-ending wars for supremacy, they could easily get dragged into a dispute or lose their life.

Fabio intentionally hid the fact that he could also strengthen swords in addition to armors through Equipment Enhancement. If he had also strengthened swords, he could have made money by the buckets at the time. He made more money in one day than he previously did in one month through armor enhancement alone. Even considering the fact that, besides Merchants, Blacksmiths enjoyed the most lucrative profession, it was an enormous profit.

However, if it was known that Blacksmiths had abilities to that extent, more people would choose to be Blacksmiths.

“My competitors would increase, and they would never let me be.”

Fabio only enhanced armor to a sufficient level. After all, what he wanted was not money, but reaching the peak in his Blacksmithing skills and making the best weapons and armor.

After making money with the Equipment Enhancement skill, he was able to use minerals without limit. He went as far as to purchase the Thor Kingdom’s mithril, iron, and silver ores in bulk.

His Blacksmithing skill reached Advanced.

And a hidden Blacksmithing skill he acquired through quests and his connections!

Ego Sword Production Beginner 8 (49%): Can infuse a soul into equipment. However, it requires a large amount of Mana and a special soul.

Results improve if made in a graveyard.

Ego swords.

Fabio experimentally tried imparting souls into the swords he had.

Ding!

All the Mana you possess has been used.

An ego has been granted to the sword. The sword’s properties have changed.

17% reduction in damage. 65% reduction in durability.

It now has magical properties.

Depending on the Ego Sword Production skill level and the Blacksmith’s magic prowess, the reduction to damage and durability will decrease and more magical properties will be granted.

Training Sword

Durability: 25/25.
Damage: 31-46.

A basic longsword. It is well balanced and made from tempering high-quality iron. As a crafted weapon, it possesses characteristics that can only be seen in a weapon made by a Blacksmith with advanced skill.

A work made by Blacksmith Fabio.

Ego Sword. A goblin’s soul is sealed within. The soul is in an unawakened state.

Restriction: Level 180

Limited to Swordsmen, Knights, and Warrior professions.

Options: Lightning Attribute Damage +2. Luck +15.

He had great expectations as it was an ego sword. He had expected something amazing, something impressive to come out!

“It’s a huge failure.” Fabio scowled.

An ego sword possessed its own self awareness and was a weapon that steadily grew through hunting. For example, a sword with a damage of 40 could increase to 70 or 80 with hunting. It could also unleash certain defensive magic on its own initiative.

A skill that exceeded the limitations of a weapon!

However, there were severe downfalls. Compared to a normally made sword, the damage and durability were too greatly reduced.

“The magical property is nothing much either.”

As a pure Blacksmith, Fabio invested most of his stats into Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Concentration, since it was important to be able to hammer strongly and accurately. Perhaps because his Wisdom and Intelligence were low, he had an insignificant amount of Mana, and he didn’t even learn any magic. Maybe that was why, but a completed ego sword could only unleash basic magic, and possessed a low amount of Mana as well.

And most importantly, the ego couldn’t talk or remember previous battles.

That was because his Ego Sword Production skill was low leveled and he lacked magical prowess.

“Still, since you never know…”

As an experiment, Fabio made his daughter sell the created ego sword in secret so he could keep track of the ego sword’s growth. However, the sword met the fate of being thrown away after being used to some extent by beginner or intermediate players. Even if it was an ego sword, from the exterior it only appeared to be a magic item with one or two defensive options attached.

One person thought something was strange and posted on the forum.

– Something amazing has happened.

This weapon, which I picked up on the road, has the power of lightning. It has a maximum damage of 31 to 46. It’s an item with lightning damage +2, but when I identified it to repair it after hunting for a week, the minimum and maximum damages had both increase by 1, and the lightning damaged increased to 3.

I’m now thinking of switching to another sword, but… what do you think?

The replies to his post:

– Short term memory loss.

– Don’t drink too much alcohol.

– That sword, can you show it to me once? I’m not asking you to just give it to me, I’ll be sure to return it.

– I’m a beginner without a sword, please sell it for 300 Gold.

“It’ll be hard for Ego Sword Production to show any satisfying results if it’s not at Intermediate or Advanced level.”

Although the Dwarves were a race that naturally excelled at Blacksmithing techniques, he did think the skill didn’t suit him since his magical ability was poor. An Elf or Human Blacksmith would have been able to make a slightly better ego sword.

It was really a shame, but Fabio was giving up on Ego Sword Production.

Magic Sword Production Beginner 1 (3%): You can create a magic sword.

The completed magic sword can show a special ability depending on the characteristics of the material. Can only be used if it is imprinted with magic.

The skill Fabio currently had the most expectations for!

“I’ll make the sword imprinted with the best magic.”

It wasn’t impossible. Materials with magic power could be acquired in small amounts from places deep within dungeons or by hunting high-leveled monsters. He was striving to make the ultimate magic sword with those materials.

“A true magic sword is made by a Blacksmith, not a Magician.”

A Magician could invest all their Mana into a sword to grant magic that could be used a few times. However, a Blacksmith created a sword imprinted with such magic.

It was a secret skill Fabio had earned after clearing a request he had discovered after finishing a fearsome number of Blacksmithing quests.

Blacksmith of Magic Swords

The secret art of a Dwarven Blacksmith who hated Akryong (Evil Dragon) Kaybern.

Normal swords cannot wound Akryong Kaybern’s hide, and it is foolhardy to fight a Dragon with magic. The Dwarven Blacksmith believed the sole way to hunt Akryong Kaybern was to blast him with magic after piercing him with a sword.

In order to acquire the method of producing a magic sword, a Dwarven Blacksmith must explore the vanished dungeon.

Difficulty: Blacksmith Profession Quest

Restriction: Limited to Dwarven Blacksmiths

It was a profession quest he cleared by secretly leading his guild there.

A magic sword had greater damage than a regular sword, and it also grew by gaining bloodlust every time it absorbed blood. Since it had fewer ego sword-like uses, it could actually be a better method for creating a sword to be used as a weapon.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!

Fabio silently hammered the steel.

“An absolute weapon, nearly perfect armor; only with such works will a Blacksmith be able to stand at the center of the Versailles Continent.”

Since other Blacksmiths on the Versailles Continent were hard at work, even at this very moment, he could not rest.

On the extensive Versailles Continent, Fabio was a great figure who was restraining and concealing his true self.

* * *

The Crimson Mercenary Guild.

A guild proudly showing off its force on the Versailles Continent. Only Mercenaries over level 280 were permitted to join. They operated Mercenary guild branches in every kingdom, and the entirety of the wealthy Nemere Lakeside basin area was under their control. They were the rulers of a vast region, possessing 5 castles and 28 villages.

The Crimson Mercenary Guild was meeting in Haryun Castle, the closest castle to the Nemere Lakeside.

“It’s Wargod Weed.”

“Guild master, shouldn’t we subjugate him?

The Crimson Mercenary Guild’s chief, Maren, nodded.

“There’s plenty of reasons to subjugate Weed.”

The glory of fighting the Wargod Weed and winning!

For the Crimson Mercenary Guild, which sought dominance over the entire Versailles Continent, it was something to be desired.

However, there were some Mercenaries who opposed it while shaking their heads.

“Since the Continent of Magic, he is an idol-like figure for Mercenaries. It’s too much for us, the representatives of Mercenaries, to subjugate him.”

“There needs to be a justification. If we attack him with no reason at all, how is it any different from thieves who steals from another?”

“How is a justification important? Think about the fame! It’s a chance to gain the fame of having won a fight against the Wargod Weed.”

“Only time will tell if it’ll become fame or dishonor.”

20 top ranking Mercenaries were arguing, without budging an inch from their opinions.

Maren, the Chief of the Mercenary guild, had been greedily considering subjugating Weed at first. But, after hearing the opposing viewpoints, he was a little hesitant.

There was glory in it. The title of being the player who had killed the Wargod Weed was very charismatic. On the other hand, they would earn the hostility of the players who revered Weed.

Even former Continent of Magic players didn’t dislike Weed. His fame on Royal Road was reaching a peak among general players. As far as fame went, Weed had risen to the ranks of Bardray, whose Hermes Guild was officially the strongest. There was no knowing if striking Weed, who succeeded in impossible quests and was becoming an idol for players, would be profitable for their guild or not.

Naphgel, one of the top Mercenaries, said, “How in the world can you say that bringing out our whole guild and trampling Weed is a chance to gain fame? Is there anyone among us who is confident they can win a one on one fight against Weed?”

“…”

At that, the entire gathering fell silent. Even Maren couldn’t say anything in response to that.

Weed had never publicized his level or skills before.

“It’ll be tough if we assume he’s a normal Sculptor. Who can fight like Weed in the Palrangka battle?”

“…”

No matter how you looked at it, his ability to swing his sword in a battle, with only a meager chance of success, was due to his mental fortitude. Regular players revered Weed because of his courage to throw down everything and take up the challenge.

“Just considering his fighting ability, there aren’t many people here who are confident they can win against him. And his real profession may not be a Sculptor.”

“Naphgel, you mean…?”

“We can’t be off-guard just because he’s a Sculptor. With his use of Necromancer magic and the physical fighting prowess he’s shown, there’s really no telling what his profession is.”

Maren was also a ranker within the top 50 of all of Royal Road, but he didn’t know his opponents’ abilities at all. Considering the fighting ability Weed had shown when fighting the Bone Dragon and the quests he had completed, it was, honestly, daunting.

‘We fight as a guild. But honestly… I have no confidence in being able to do a quest alone like that. And, apart from level, his battle sense is at least several times greater than mine.’

There wasn’t much information known about Weed.

Being defeated in a one on one fight with many variables would be very damaging. If a ranker of Maren’s level died, it would be extremely difficult to regain the lost level and proficiency. He could even be culled from the breathlessly tight competition between rankers. Moreover, a fight with Weed would definitely be put on broadcast, and videos would be posted as well. If he was defeated in such a fight, he had to bear the knowledge that he could also lose his fame.

The image was being drawn in Maren’s head!

‘He’d tear our guild members apart like tissue paper, and the Ice Dragon, Phoenix, Wyvern… and if he used that uber rare Necromancer magic too, it’d be a big pain in the ass.’

The might of Necromancer magic was publicly acknowledged. There were fierce complaints from the people who actually tried raising a Necromancer about how the class’s Stamina was low and that they were hard to raise, but because of the terrifying sight Weed had shown in the broadcast, it was a profession many people aspired to be.

‘A Necromancer’s magic… his fighting ability is truly nothing short of being called a God of War.’

Weed, laughing brutally and slicing Maren’s throat apart in the public eye…

“Ahem.”

Maren couldn’t take action recklessly.

“I’ve no thought of losing, but it’s a difficult issue, since we can’t ignore the ‘what if’ either.”

“And, if we send an expedition all the way to the North, we could be giving the other guilds, who are waiting to pounce on us, a good opportunity.”

As powerful as the Crimson Mercenary Guild was, they had as many enemies. They were in a position where they couldn’t send out their main force indefinitely.

“Are you saying our guild could be attacked while trying to catch Weed?”

“It’s a definite possibility. Our territory will inevitably become vulnerable while our attack force is all the way in the North. From the viewpoint of other guilds, don’t you think it’s more reasonable to aim for our large, profitable territory than the fame of catching Weed?”

They had many Mercenary guild competitors, and there was no law preventing them from joining forces to attack.

It was an issue with all sorts of worries for the Crimson Mercenary Guild.

* * *

Weed was left with just a few things after he disposed of all the japtem. He planned to find owners for the Sophia’s Greatspear, Large Crystal Gemstone, Jorudia’s Signet, the diamonds, and Isuren’s Magic Weapon elsewhere.

“It’ll be good to sell off the Large Crystal Gemstone to nobles after I process it with sculpting and make it a large ornament… it wouldn’t be bad to use it when I’m Light Sculpting, either. I’ll have to sell the other items through the auction site or the Dark Gamer’s Union.”

A dresser and dining table made with the large crystal! They would be hard to sell in the North, but they were luxury goods he could sell at extremely high prices in a Central Continent kingdom.

After selling the miscellaneous items, Weed walked along the streets of Morata with Yellowy.

The residents recognized him and greeted him first.

“Welcome, my Lord.”

“My Lord, they say you have successfully completed an impressive request once again… Please be sure to tell us the story later. My son says he wants to be just like you when he grows up.”

“Count of Morata, I am a Merchant from Rintle Kingdom. It is an honor to meet such a famous man.”

Because of the enormous Fame he had accumulated in the River of Lamentations, even NPCs from the Central Continent responded to him warmly.

“The apples have ripened beautifully in our front-yard. We’ve saved the most delicious apples for you, my Lord, so please be sure to try them.”

A woman handed him apples by the basketful! It was a fruit basket she had taken out to sell to the market, but when she saw the Lord, she had given it to him on the spot.

Weed received the fruit basket and took a big bite out of a ripe, red apple.

“Yellowy, you eat one too.”

He threw Yellowy a worm-eaten apple. The bull stuck out his tongue to lick it, then opened his mouth wide and crunched into it.

Weed solemnly proceeded to give it a lesson.

“Yellowy, the way people are, they help each other when times are tough. Don’t you think things like these are all because of our daily actions?”

Yellowy didn’t believe him at all, but he just nodded; he was busy eating the apples in the basket.

Morata had become very different from the last time he had come. Mystical figures were sculpted on the sturdy bridge on the crossway to the Lord’s castle. Sculptors, Artists, and Painters had come to Morata and were enriching the city.

“We’re building a shopping district!”

“I’m a Painter, please take me with you.”

“A Sculptor is participating, leave the ceiling to me!”

When a construction quest appeared, all the artists joined in to construct a beautiful building.

With its crystal clear river and lake, Morata’s attractions continued to increase.

There was even a sizeable ornament hanging from Morata’s spire, visible from the square.

Adventurer Spenson’s hair ornament of Ankia!

Lady Ankia’s Hair Ornament, City Ornament

Durability: 80/80.

A gold ornament with outstanding archaeological value.

Options:
The entire village’s commercial development speed increases by 2%.
Adventure related experience increases by 1.5%.

Spenson was a very distinguished adventurer in Royal Road; the hair ornament he had excavated after coming to the North was displayed in Morata.

Adventurers could arrange or publicize a special kind of excavated item in a town. They sometimes sold such items for very high prices, but the adventurer received a massive increase in Fame if they donated it to a town. There was also the effect of their intimacy with the townspeople increasing instantaneously, and they could also buy goods very cheaply — at much better prices than an average Merchant would get. Moreover, their popularity with the employees at a tavern was the best! The residents would also go out of their way to find the adventurer in order to offer them quests.

Spenson had predicted that the future Morata would grow into the central city of the North and had left his excavated item here.

Returning to Morata after a long time, Weed could feel the vivid liveliness of adventure.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Aren’t you glad we came here?”

“Yeah. The ambience is good.”

One of the changes was the sight of many couples swarming like cockroaches in the vicinity of the bridge and buildings, which boasted great views. Ever since beginners began starting in Morata, many couples had formed. Love, which sprouted while hunting rabbits and foxes!

The consumption and sale of lots of goods by beginners became the pivot of Morata’s economic development. There was no main cause for the influx of beginners that rivaled that of Versailles Continent’s eastern Rosenheim Kingdom, and made Morata overflow with liveliness. It was a common sight to see beginners with their starting equipment and a wooden sword eating 10 pieces of barley bread sparingly while doing quests in the village.

Morata, a delightful city full of vitality!

The growth in Morata while Weed had been away was dazzling. As beginners appeared, the shops also multiplied quickly. They weren’t sellers of cheap baubles, but decent, high class stores.

Merchants and people who wanted to build a house had been stingy with artwork at first.

“What help would such a thing be…”

“Just build it quickly, quickly. Make the warehouse a little wider as well.”

However, buildings with outstandingly artistic design boasted much better business. Even if they were the same general store, people gathered in the beautiful building, and so in Morata, investing in sculptures and paintings was no longer just a luxury.

Sculptors, Painters, and Architects gathered to make the city incomparably colorful.

“The song that will be played today is called ‘A Night in a Goblin Dungeon’.”

Every street corner was decked out with a small stage for performances. In a narrow space, about five steps wide, Bards sang songs and played instruments. It was a sight that could normally only be found in the City of Artists, Rhodium.

In Morata, Artists, Bards, and Architects were respected.

It was the result of the haphazard investment of the money Weed had shed blood and tears for into art by the Village Elder. Other cities or castles spent 0%, or maybe just 1%, on cultural development, but Morata was committing several times as many funds.

There were many beginner Bards, and with the visits of Bards whose names were well-known throughout the Versailles Continent, the lively music became one of Morata’s charms.

The tavern, smithery, weapon shop, and armor shop were crowded with beginners and players. There were many players in the streets, as though there was a festival.

“I wonder how much has changed while I away away. Region Information Window!”

Ding!

Morata Region

An area that once belonged to the Niflheim Empire.

This region is the most prosperous in the Northern Versailles Continent and continues to develop. Merchants actively carry out trade, and there are many customers in the stores. Art is spread throughout, attracting tourists. Due to culture, there is an influx of population and the creation of new jobs. The newly arriving population is showing boosts in all jobs.

Military

47

Economy

821

Culture

1,130

Technology

310

Religious Influence

89

Regional Politics

22

Influence on nearby regions

41%

The former Niflheim Empire’s influence: 3.6% (Deeply influences areas related to military, economy, culture, technology, religion, population, and quests)

City Development

106

Sanitation

41

Security

69%

The water facilities have been cleaned, and new houses built. However, they are still inadequate to fulfil the needs of the explosively increasing residents.

New residents want a greater investment in security. They want to expand the village’s territory to a wider region and increase the number of monster subjugations.

There are residents who vaguely remember the festival that took place a long time ago.

The large number of sculptures are bringing happiness to the lives of the residents. There is a slight insufficiency of paintings. The endless trust and support for Artists is heightening the village’s dignity. The residents have become proud of having more artworks than other villages and want to continue to invest in related guilds.

The tailoring industry’s techniques continue to be passed down. With the appearance of many new Tailors, the prospects for the future are bright.

Techniques for handling iron are still basic; Blacksmiths producing weapons or armor are very inexperienced.

The region believes in the Faith of Freya. The residents’ faith is firm and will not sway easily. Moderate hedonism and fertility are increased as a result of the Church of Freya’s influence; the people show a diligent nature.

Specialities

Leather and cloth. Art.

Territory’s Total Population

168,101

Monthly Tax Revenue

178,045 Gold

Village Operating Expenditure Breakdown:

Military 5%
Economic Development 32%
Cultural Investment Costs 14%
Requests and Monster Subjugations 9%
Town Maintenance 31%
Freya Church Offerings 9%

The explosive increase in tax revenue as a consequence of the population increase, commercial development, and the influx of Mercenaries and Adventurers!

“Heh.”

Weed made a straight face. The corners of his mouth threatened to rise, and the muscles in his face spasmed as he tried to hold back a smile. He was so happy he wanted to roll around on the ground, but he had to maintain his lordly image, especially in times like this, to save face.

“It’s nothing much. Tsk, tsk… It’s such a primitive and rural village.”

Weed, who was rejoicing with furrowed brows and quivering cheeks, revealed a rotten expression!

It was particularly good that the monthly offerings to the Church of Freya had been reduced from 15% to 9%.

“Seems like it was automatically adjusted as the income sum increased.”

More was spent on offerings, but the percentage had decreased with the increase in income.

As the budget increased, there were steady investments into culture, military power, economic development, and village maintenance. Since there was also an explosive increase in beginners, Morata could now be called a respectable, mid-size city.

“Granted, I’m still not getting much tax money compared to the number of people…”

Even on the street Weed was on, 86 out of 100 people were beginners.

Low taxes, adventure, free hunting grounds, and the Tower of Light sculpture. Beginner players were skyrocketing thanks to the positive feel Morata radiated.

“The more these beginners raise their levels, the greater the tremendous growth in taxes!”

He had rosy hopes for the future. They were happy thoughts only a Lord could harbor.

Of course, Morata also had many disadvantages.

There were no other churches besides the Church of Freya. It was very unfortunate that players who wanted to become Clerics had a narrow selection.

Technological development was low, and the quality of weapons and armor was low because there weren’t many Blacksmiths. Since the amount produced each day was also limited, all the weapon and armor stores were sold out by morning. The beginners had a lot of complaints because even the beginner weapons in stores had to be sold at premium prices. Mapan aimed for that niche market and was mostly importing weapons to earn big bucks.

Weed didn’t worry too much. “To deal with the scarcity, Blacksmiths will probably increase later.”

To do things like adjust weapons, maintain armor, or reinforce gear, a Blacksmith’s existence was necessary! Since Blacksmiths were receiving as much respect as Clerics, there would gradually be more of them.

Despite many shortcomings, the beginners, who loved adventures, were growing while helping each other out.

Weed also stepped outside the village boundaries. In the breadbasket, wheat and barley were growing rapidly. The wheat, blessed with fertility by the Church of Freya Priests, had so many grains that their stems started to bend. There was also a significant number of people who held pickaxes and were going off to mine in the nearby mountains.

“I’ve got to earn at least a copper.”

“We need money to live, dear.”

“We can’t even hunt as much as we want with the weapon prices this expensive.”

“The weapon prices are still better — the armor prices are really unspeakable.”

“Phew, maybe it wasn’t a good idea for me to choose the defensive Warrior. I’m gonna be hunting with a Freya Church Priest anyways.”

Even beginners were carrying pickaxes and were on their way to the mines. Even if one weren’t a miner, pickaxing could be done by anyone, especially by Warrior, Swordsmen, or Knight wannabes with robust physiques. Beginners were going to the mines with slumped shoulders in order to earn money.

“This is a highly desirable sight.”

The corners of Weed’s mouth rose at last. The flawless re-emergence of that rotten smile!

That the exploitation was rolling smoothly was no different from evidence that Morata’s economy was healthy.

LMS: Volume 17 Chapter 3

This chapter was brought to you by AnmesicCat, Grisia, Lastear, and Lei.

The Lord of Morata

Yoon Na-hee was buoyant with expectation. “It’s an opportunity to meet with him in person.”

A meeting with Lee Hyun!

They couldn’t make a contract with just three phone calls, so this time she was going to take the contract form herself after making an appointment.

Even though she was an employee at the level of working in a President’s secretary office, she had never met someone who had made as strong of an impression as Lee Hyun had. Simply thinking of Lee Hyun was enough to make her heart tremble.

“He is someone who thinks of 3 billion (~3 million dollars) as chump change on the street.”

In their first phone call, he had brusquely hung up even when he was told his account had been auctioned at a sum of 3 billion, 9 million Won.

Wasn’t he truly the ideal specimen of a man that Yoon Na-hee had always dreamt of?! She still couldn’t forget the refreshing shock she’d gotten then.

They had shared short conversations together as she took charge of the casting for the 8 Heroes program as well. At that time, Lee Hyun’s level had only been 219. Yoon Na-hee was a player of Royal Road as well, and she had actually been at a higher level than him.

But even making light of him lasted for only a moment. The True Blood Vampire quest, the quest with the Immortal Legion battle, hunting the Bone Dragon, and even seizing the Embinyu Fortress!

Yoon Na-hee only saw him through the videos of another broadcaster — the manly, so very dashing sight of him commanding all the Orcs and Dark Elves as the Orc Karichwi! She was such an avid fan that she printed out an enlarged picture of Orc Karichwi and pasted it on her wall.

“Hmm, would it be okay to call him out of the blue?”

Yoon Na-hee abruptly decided to call him offhandedly. She did so because her position in the President’s secretary office and looks of her caliber made her welcome to anyone and everyone. However, once she was actually about to have a phone call with Lee Hyun, she was so nervous that it was hard to speak.

Yoon Na-hee prepared herself and dialed in Lee Hyun’s phone number. The receiver picked up the call before the bell rang twice.

Click!

“Hello, this is Yoon Na-hee. You remember me, right?”

She began speaking with an intimate, yet meltingly honeyed voice. She worried for a moment about what she would do if the person on the other end wasn’t Lee Hyun, but fortunately it was the right person.

Who is it?

Lee Hyun’s curt voice came through the call. The already tense Yoon Na-hee could not help but be overwhelmed.

“That, I am Yoon Na-hee.”

Since this was their third call, there was an understanding that he would at least remember her name.

So what?
“……”

I’m busy so please don’t keep calling.

— Beeeeeeeep —

Lee Hyun had hung up.

* * *

On the hill where Weed had sculpted the Tower of Light in the past, was crowded with visitors even in broad daylight. There were tourists who were looking at the Tower of Light, while going as far as to wait for the evening to come. There were several sculptures Weed had made on the hill, and beginner Sculptors also brandished their skills to make works of art in the empty spaces.

It was worthy of being called an excellent sculpture park. This hill had already become quite famous in the Versailles Continent as the Light Park. Moreover, a fabulous view of Morata village and the Lord’s Castle could be seen from the hill! The pretty buildings and the Goddess Freya Statue were visible from above.

Weed went up to that place with Yellowy.

“It’s the Lord of Morata.”

“Lord? Then he’s the Sculptor who sculpted the Tower of Light.”

“It’s the Wargod Weed.”

As Weed went up the hill, the tourists who recognized him shouted out. Weed went right past them, took a position on the hill of sculptures, and pulled out his sculpting knife.

‘I have to make something necessary for the quest.’

He had felt his limitations even while doing the Alliance of the Deliverer quest. His stats were higher than others because he was a Sculptor, but his fighting ability fell somewhat short. Even if he were to make up for it with Sculpting Blade or other skills, he was in a shaky situation considering the quest he had in front of him.

‘I can’t even use the Power of the Deliverer anymore, and if another enemy like Balkan or the King Hydra shows up, I’ll lose for sure.’

It was a battle Weed had used all his cards to fight in. He had entirely used up the Power of the Deliverer that had been in the wand, and the Copper Plate of Rest’s durability had fallen, so he couldn’t issue the Sentence of Death. He had to complete the 2nd and 3rd steps of the quest as well, but all his cards were exhausted.

He had suffered to death completing the 1st step of the S difficulty quest, so there would be nothing more mortifying than failing the 2nd and 3rd steps.

Slice, slice.

Rocks were cut with every movement of the sculpting knife.

There were many sculptures Weed had thought of making. The Church of Freya did not shun other religions. Therefore, he was planning on making a statue of the God of Lugh, who matched well with Freya. The Church of Lugh revered brightness and was the natural enemy of monsters that attacked under the cover of darkness. It wouldn’t be bad to have an Idol of Lugh, even if only to improve public security.
[T/N: Lugh is pronounced as “Lu”, he is the Celtic hero of the Sun God.]

‘Durability has to be good for a huge statue, so I’ve gotta make the foundation with stone.’

Weed quickly cut the rock that would become the sculpture’s foundation. A sculpture similar in size to the Tower of Light was being made! Statues of Lugh were set up all across the Versailles Continent. Lugh wasn’t vague in appearance like Goddess Freya, so it did not take long to sculpt.

“The really important part starts from this moment onwards.”

Weed took a deep breath. The materials were so precious that they made him bead up with cold sweat, but an investment in the sculpture was necessary.

He was at Advanced Sculpting 6. If he made just a few more sculptures, he would soon reach level 7.

“It’s really a shame, but…”

Weed sorted the metal fragments he had acquired at the Embinyu Fortress. Excluding the blacksmithing materials with high solidity, he melted the broken metal shards.

“Aahhh, precious things…”

Glowing yellow, the molten gold was completed.

When a Blacksmith improved their skill, they could paint on a thin layer of gold. In technical terms, gilt!

“I won’t even be able to paint half of it with this much…” Even after melting all the metal shards in Weed’s possession, it was slightly insufficient to paint the entirety of the huge statue. “Should I try mixing in a few impurities?”

Weed shook his head. It would deal a blow to the sculpture if the gold’s purity was lowered.

“The gold has to be 24k no matter what.”

Weed melted in the ancient gold coins and the gold bars he had acquired from hunting.

“Aaahh, these precious things.”

Every time he stirred with a rod, the molten gold was mixed as it let off an indescribable luster. For Weed, who had only ever stirred watery soup, it was a luxury among luxuries.

The tourists couldn’t repress their astonishment.

“Is Sculptor Weed making an enormous statue right now?”

“It looks like he’s gonna cover it all in gold.”

They were curious about how the idol of Lugh would turn out. That was the way things were; no matter what it was, the expectant mentality would amplify right before something was finished.

As it was Weed, the tourists kept on increasing.

“How much tax did he scrape from Morata to be able to invest in a sculpture like that?”

“As expected, Lords must have a ton of money.”

“I’m telling you, they’re all scammers and thieves. How much money do you think he earned as players gathered in the North?”

There was even the appearance of those who saw him as a millionaire and envied him. However, Weed’s fame was enormous.

“Do not criticize our Lord!”

“That’s right, our Lord is maintaining a really low tax rate.”

“He’s the one who emptied his own pockets to make sculptures and raise buildings in the ruin that was once Morata. To such an awesome Lord…”

“You don’t even know the reason why he was trying to squeeze out every last Copper when he was selling goods to everyone in the market, right? Sob, sob!”

The female beginners who saw him as kind even showed tears at the criticism directed at Weed as they defended him.

“He’s trying to get just one more Copper to invest it in Morata. All for our sakes!”

The players who defended him while calling him a living saint; an excellent Lord who treasured his residents and players!

Weed was so taut with tension that he couldn’t even give a shit about the the tourists’ dispute.

“I can’t spill even a single drop.”

He poured all his attention into the business of gold gilding.

He had a background of papering the walls in his house since he was little. They had lasted a winter by pasting the newspapers left from his delivery onto the walls, layer by layer.

“Papering must be done quickly! It absolutely must not overlap. It’ll be tough if there are bumpy raised parts or crooked portions.”

He revived the experience of papering to perform the gilding. Of course, there was a considerable difference between the two. In gilding, gold had to be spread thinly and brushed on, so it had a far greater difficulty.

However, he received assistance from his skills to make up for what he was lacking. He had shitty drawing ability, but thanks to raising his Drawing skill beforehand, there was even a slight effect on his brushing.

At last, the head part was all painted on, and the idol of Lugh’s head reflected the sunshine, sparkling golden. He put in blue jewels for the eyes. They were azure eyes gazing far into the distance on a golden head that looked like it would sparkle away at any moment.

The statue of the proud Sun God was being made steadily from the head down.

“Oooh.”

“It’s so cool.”

The sight of the statue being completed was broadcasted real-time on the Internet through the tourists. The golden idol of Lugh made by Weed!

It was completed with a majestic appearance and was even holding a huge bow and arrows. For a normal Sculptor, it would have been too daunting to make just the idol, but Weed had a history of making huge sculptures now. He had kept some spare materials on hand, even when making such a large sculpture, and had even sculpted Lu’s equipment.

Ding!

You have completed the Idol of the Church of Lugh!

Yet another major work brought into the world by the great leader in sculpturing, the pious Sculptor Weed.

One of the Gods on the Versailles Continent, the idol of Lugh, who symbolizes the sun, has been completed. Covered in pure gold, this work will be regarded as precious by the Church of Lugh.

Artistic value: A work by the master Sculptor Weed. 9,112.

Special options:

* Those who have seen the Idol of Lugh, will have 23% increased Health and Mana recovery speed for a day when in a bright place.

* The divine power of Lugh Clerics is increased by 12% for a day.

* Reduces the failure rate of holy magic.

* By the power of their faith, the morale of Lugh Paladins will not falter, and Courage will increased to the maximum value.

* Strength increased by 12.
* Maximum Vitality increased by 20%.
* Maximum Health increased by 25%.
* Item drop rate while hunting increased by 7% for a day.

Effects do not stack with other sculptures.

Number of religious sculptures completed until now: 1

– Sculpting skill proficiency has improved.

– The Advanced Handicraft skill has become level 7. Abilities that utilize hands or tools are further increased by 8%, and a variety of different areas will be influenced.

– Fame has risen by 499.

– Art stat has increased by 35.

– Strength has increased by 3.

– You have made a religious sculpture. Intimacy with the Church of Lugh has increased, and you will receive their favor. The probability of Lugh Priests visiting Morata has increased.

– For making a religious sculpture, All Stats have increased by an additional 2 points.

He had succeeded in making a religious sculpture!

There was only about 17% until Weed’s Sculpting skill proficiency reached level 7.

“A magnum opus or two should be enough.”

Sculpting growth became slower the more it grew, but the situation was more than enough to make him ambitious. However, since he had sculpted Goddess Freya and the Idol of Lugh, he couldn’t make other sculptures of Gods that didn’t align well.

“This is enough for a huge stone sculpture.”

An idol of Night, the Thief, or the Barbarian would took a long time to sculpt, and they didn’t fit Morata. If he sculpted an idol for Thieves that ended up making the public safety fall and increasing the number of Thieves, it would inevitably be a big problem. An idol of the Barbarian was also out since their robust physiques scared residents unless it was a place where individuals of the Barbarian race lived.

“It doesn’t matter. There’s lots of things to sculpt.”

Weed reversed his grip on the sculpting knife. Since many tourists were gathering to look at the Idol of Lugh, it was now time to cook before it got too late.

* * *

“Weed is the Lord of Morata!”

Among the players who enjoyed hunting and adventuring in Morata, a considerable number of the hunting parties had a great interest in Weed. They had come to the North from the Central of the Continent for stronger monsters and quests.

Tourists or beginners, who had just started, did not care much about the Wargod Weed. They knew Weed was a famous person, but they didn’t have much interest in him.

However, for warriors, Weed was a subject of respect or a rival they wanted to overcome.

“Let’s go see Weed.”

“Do you happen to know where Weed is?”

The news got out early, but they were late to return because they had gone out on an expedition in a hunting ground that was quite far away, even for the North. A fighting party that had just returned from the hunting ground asked around about Weed’s whereabouts in the village.

There was a Merchant who knew about Weed.

“Lord Weed?”

“Yes, that Weed.”

“Ah, so you came to sightsee. He is making a sculpture on the rocky mountain over there.”

“A sculpture?”

“Yes, it’s an extremely time consuming and tedious process, so try going over there the day after tomorrow if you can.”

At the Merchant’s words, the Warrior, Hon, tilted his head. “He’s making a sculpture?”

The Paladin, Billeo, replied in a slightly tense voice. “There is talk that his profession is a Sculptor.”

“I heard that the Lord of Morata was a Sculptor too. But him being a Sculptor is ridiculous. At least, the Weed we saw didn’t have such a personality.”

They had died quite a few times at the hands of Weed in the Continent of Magic. Of course, their levels in the Continent of Magic had been a little over the medium range, so they could at least keep up when fighting with their guild.

The sight of Weed, who had slaughtered enemies with unparalleled efficiency!

Hon spoke in disbelief. “To say he’s a Sculptor… unlike the rumors, maybe he’s not Wargod Weed?”

The Warrior, Garrick, stepped forward first. “We’ll know when we see him. Isn’t it useless for us to be talking here like this?”

A hunting party of 7, including Hon, Billeo, and Garrick, left for the rocky mountain.

It was a party that gathered the players at the peak of even Morata! Even the Cleric’s level was over 300, and his robes fluttered as he ran.

They had been in Morata for quite a while, so they knew easily the location of the rocky mountain where the sculptures were. Since the Tower of Light was there, even they always went there when they came to Morata.

“For the Lord of the village that we have been using as a base to be the Wargod Weed, it’s really above our imaginations.”

“More than that, for us to have hunted while looking at sculptures he made, should we be thankful or something?”

It was as confusing as being smashed by a blunt weapon from afar.

There were many tourists and beginner players on the road towards the rocky mountain. The beginner players were moving towards the mountain with laughter blossoming on their faces!

“Wow, this is really the best.”

“Man, it was a really, really good idea to start in Morata. It’s probably just us who can hunt while looking at sculptures such as these.”

They could fully understand the beginner players’ feelings. The village Hon had started in, was a desolate mining town. He had purposefully chosen the sparse mining town in order to grow faster than others. He did go to a big city later, but even there, he had no real memories of seeing artworks. After hearing the rumor that the Pyramid sculpture had been made in the Rosenheim Kingdom, he had even been a little jealous. For beginners who had lots of insufficiencies, how great of a help would it have been to have the awe of the sculptures at their backs?

“The Tower of Light alone is incredible.”

The party, which included Hon, followed behind the procession that was climbing up the rocky mountain. There were many people going up the mountain, and it just happened to be when the sun was about to set. Since the Tower of Light at night could be called the king of specialties, players in Morata never failed to seek it. Magicians didn’t stand in line and used flying magic to soar past and incite envy.

Garrick suggested, “Why don’t we also fly instead of going like this?”

“Shall we?”

The Magician Easton cast flying magic and the party members floated into midair. At that, players swarmed over.

“Magician sir, can’t you give me a little flying magic too?”

“Please float us up too! Magician sir, we beg you.”

“Magician sir!”

Easton became popular with flying magic alone. His popularity was no less than a famous celebrities’! Seeing that countless players had gathered around Easton from midair, Hon nodded.

“We’ll be going first.” They had cleanly given up on Easton. “He’ll probably come after us on his own, since he’s a Magician.”

The party members went up the mountain in midair with the flying magic.

Besides the Tower of Light, yet another enormous sculpture had been completed on the rocky mountain.

One of the party members, a Cleric of Lugh named Hines, couldn’t hold back his deeply touched feelings.

“An idol of Lugh is here…”

The sculpture’s effects!

Because of the effect that greatly increased Faith and holy magic, Hines’ hunting efficiency in Morata would greatly improve. Clerics of the Church of Freya were already enjoying this benefit. Using blessings or healing magic around the Goddess Statue increased the effect to far greater than normal.

The Goddess Freya Party, the League of Male Priests, the Guild of Abundance. It was enough to make many related guilds and parties form within Morata.

“Lots of Lugh Clerics will be coming to Morata.”

If the number of Clerics and Paladins increased, it wouldn’t be long until a formal temple was erected.

“Where is Weed?”

Hon scanned the vicinity of the Tower of Light. On top of being the shadowy night, there were so many visitors or Morata players that it was hard to distinguish anything.

Billeo pointed his finger over in a direction.

“Isn’t he over there?”

Oddly enough, only a place where people were standing in line to eat something was lit up with torchlight.

“Let’s go see for now.”

Billeo, Hon, and the others flew through the sky and landed there.

A large banner showing food menus was hung up in an eye-catching place.

“Just look at that.”
“Huh?”

Dragon Soup

120 Gold

King Hydra Black Bean Noodles

100 Gold

Skeleton Bone Hangover Soup

13 Gold

Grilled Dragon (150g for 1 serving)

380 Gold

Grilled King Hydra (100g for 1 serving

80 Gold

Place of Origin: River of Lamentations Basin. We handle fresh meat only.

“Whoa!”

Extravagant as prices may be, but the contents of the menu was what threw the party into shock.

“Come, come! It’s cheap, cheap! Everyone, you have never eaten meat like this. Dragon meat! This is a spicy soup made with Dragon meat. ”

They heard the words of the chef who was advertising.

“But it’s too expensive.”

“Still, when will you get to eat meat like this?”

“Yeah, it’s killer ’cause it’s a frickin’ Dragon soup. Right?”

Customers were standing in line to receive the cooking. There were no tables so it was a substandard business that ladled soup into bowls brought by the customers.

“Could Weed really be here?”

Hon shook his head to and fro, but unfortunately that speculation was the truth. After Billeo asked some customers waiting in line, he had told them the truth.

“They say that the chef is Weed.”

“Wargod… Weed?”

“I dunno about that, but he’s Morata’s Lord Weed.”

“Are you sure?”

“There’s a lot of people who knows about Weed.”

The residents of Morata had been employed as labor for making the enormous sculpture called the Goddess of Freya. If you put it in good terms, they had participated in the quest, and, because of that, Weed’s face was well known.

“He was supposed to be making a sculpture, so why the food?”

“Apparently a shit ton of tourists gathered while he was completing the Idol of Lugh. Morata residents and players came up here to look at Weed too. Isn’t it true that an enormous number of players have gathered on the rocky mountain?”

Hon nodded. Even in his eyes, a crowd of this extent couldn’t be beaten by a metropolis like the capital of a Kingdom. If there was a throng of people like this in the northern part of Morata, then it really was an incredible deal.

“So they said he’s cooking from today onwards to ‘receive’ the people who came.”

“Cooking… who the hell can buy cooking this expensive?”

“Weed tried to sell it cheap, but it seems like players said that he had to charge prices of this extent, at least. Don’t be surprised. If you eat 1 kg of Dragon Meat, your Vitality will rise by a whoppin’ 20, maximum Health by 120, and Strength by 7.”

Hon’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you bullshitting me? Is something like that even possible with cooking?”

“Apparently there are a lot of people who’ve already seen the effects.”

“If it’s the meat of a King Hydra or a Dragon, then you can’t call spending this much Gold expensive.”

Hon, Garrick, and the others thought it was reasonable. Rather, it was a chance for them to be able to eat precious food. If it raises their stats, they would be able to benefit from it for a long time afterwards.

“Shall we try standing in line too, for the time being?”

“Yeah. When else will we able to try eating Dragon meat? They said it also raises stats, so if we don’t take a chance like this we’re gonna regret it forever.”

Hon, Garrick, Billeo, and the others stood in line. The greed for stats was intense no matter what your profession was. Intelligence and Wisdom were the most important for Magicians, but they would never hesitate to take a chance to improve their physical strength or Agility. Everyone was the same regarding their bodily well-being, regardless of profession, gender, or age!

In such a fashion, the customers waiting to eat the food were steadily increasing.

A soup that literally had a Dragon swum in it and left! Black bean noodles with sauce made using the King Hydra’s incredible meat and noodles made of flour! There was barely any meat in the Skeleton Bone Hangover Soup, but it still raised stats like Strength, Agility, or Vitality by 1 or 2. It was because the effect possessed by the ultimate cooking ingredients, the Hydra and Imoogi meat, were supplemented by the Cooking skill.

Weed reaped excessive profits as he produced an enormous amount of food. It was such an amount that an army chef would be emotionally touched if they came and saw it.

“As expected, business is hard at first. Once it starts doing well, it’s crazy because of the customers pressing in.”

The greatest trouble for a business was taxes! But in Morata, even if he technically paid the taxes, it would all return to Weed’s pocket in the end.

Weed employed Morata’s residents to help him with the kitchen tasks. A jackpot restaurant that drew in the customers didn’t make food, it made money. As long as it was popular, there weren’t many enterprises as profitable as the food business. Especially if you could totally rip everyone off like now!

– Cooking skill proficiency has increased.

His Cooking skill had also gone up twice from Intermediate level 6 to 8. He had worked hard to brew liquor at the River of Lamentation to accumulate proficiency. That had already put him at level 7, but because the King Hydra and Imoogi meat were fundamentally good food ingredients and so precious, his Cooking skill proficiency was still surging up.

The Imoogi meat was even causing a panic, hoarding phenomenon. Because the amount of meat was already fixed, there was an uproar of people trying to buy.

“Weed-nim, please give me just 7 servings.”

“I’m buying 12 servings.”

The meat frozen by Bingryong was being imported via Yellowy! The meat sold like hotcakes as soon as it thawed. The smoke of grilling meat was everywhere on the rocky mountain because of those who were personally grilling their meat by setting bonfires.

“We also sell Imoogi Bone Broth.”

The lightning fast sale of bone broth that didn’t even give off anymore grease, as it had been steeped a whole twelve times!

Drinks, which couldn’t be left out when selling meat, were also prepared.

“Wangisul at 30 Gold, Baeknyunju at 80 Gold. Quantities are limited, so buy them quickly.”
[T/N: Wangisul is a spoof of the popular soju Chamisul, and Baeknyunju is a rewritten form of Baekseju, a rice-based fermented wine.]

The flower girl, who had been captured by the Vampire Torido and turned to stone, Prina, was selling alcohol.

Weed was even selling off all the alcohol he had brewed in this occasion. Because he could get a higher price for restaurant sale than individual sale.

* * *

Adventurers arrived at the destroyed Embinyu Fortress.

“Hmm, so this was the ferocious battlefield.”

“It has an eerie feeling, as if something is going to come out.”

Hon, Billeo, Garrick, and the others had moved to the River of Lamentations basin towards the evening. They had emptied their pockets of even their change until their stats stopped rising from eating the Hydra and Imoogi meat.

“I see you are eating a lot. I will specially give you a 20 Silver discount for each plate of meat. Since it is very precious meat, please enjoy.”

When they heard Weed’s words, they were, of course, so thankful that they were moved to tears. It’s not like they didn’t think he was cheap, but he was the one holding the knife!

After eating the food, they went to use the movement portal. However, Morata’s Soldiers and Paladins were blocking their way.

“You cannot use the portal.”

Hon asked politely, “What kind of request must we take? Is there a quest, by any chance?”

At their question that was aimed towards getting permission to use the movement portal, the Soldiers shook their heads.

“You must pay a usage fee.”
“A fee?”
“Each person is 350 gold.”

Having used all the money they had to eat meat, Hon and the group fell into an embarrassing situation.

Looking at the group, Hon asked, “What to do?”

“What else? We’ve gotta get the money.”

The Magician Easton rummaged through his pockets one by one. He had always had the pleasure of making lots of money through the production of magic goods, but thanks to drinking alcohol while eating meat, his pockets were completely empty.

“There’s no helping it. Let’s take this chance to get rid of things we aren’t using.”

“Shall we?”

“Yeah, we might as well organize our packs now.”

In Morata, the group sold off things like swords and armor they had used in the past, and ores they had stored separately. They were scraping up the funds for hunting by selling the items they had treasured in remembrance. It was true that the movement portal fee was a bit expensive, but the sum was more than worth a better hunting ground.

Like that, they moved to the Matallost Church’s temple and sought out the Embinyu Fortress.

The collapsed castle walls and tower, piles of skeletons that looked like they would rise at any moment. It was an eerie night since the riverside was foggy, too, but there were over 80 players who had come through the movement portal like Hon’s group. With the excitement of starting a new and dangerous adventure, plenty of adventurers had come to the River of Lamentations, and were looking around the Embinyu Fortress battlefield they had seen in the broadcast.

“Selling goods necessary for hunting. Purchasing all kinds of japtem at high prices.”

The Merchant Mapan had come to the Embinyu Fortress entrance and set up shop at some point. Since it was business that only dealt with high leveled players, the margin would be considerable.

“Anyone who’ll take a Soldier? I’ll fight without sparing myself physically.”

“I’m Vittese. Only people who know me, please take me along.”

Players who had come alone were seeking parties here. Hon’s group didn’t need another party member, so they were going to hunt with just their group.

Just then, Weed walked in from the plains. His black mantle fluttered as he walked straight to the Embinyu Fortress. Weed arrived and spoke to those who were looking around inside the ruined fortress.

“Everyone… do you perhaps need a quest?”

“…?”

“I will share the quest I’ve received. It’s a B difficulty request.”

It was a difficulty Weed may or may not be able to do. It was underground, so he couldn’t drag a bunch of his sculptured life-forms along with him, and there was a labyrinth inside, so it would drain a lot of time.

“What quest is it?” A blond-haired female Elementalist asked in curiosity.

The Wargod Weed. Opinions on him were still divided, but it was the quest of a figure who was believed as a Wargod by many.

“It is the Rescue the Matallost Church’s Prisoners quest. It’s a part of the linked quest I am doing.”

“Really?”

Even if Weed shared the linked quest, the people who joined in the middle wouldn’t be able to receive the follow-up quest since they hadn’t started from the beginning. If this one quest was finished, it would end with that. But despite that, it was an offer they could not help but be drawn to.

The majority of those who had come here had heard rumors before about the Matallost Church, which was related to the Resurrection Army.

“That’s a place related to the Resurrection Army and Daymond, right?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

While Weed was stopping the Embinyu Church’s plot, the Resurrection Priests had become unable to raise Demonic Spirits with dead ghosts. It wasn’t just a fight against the Embinyu Church, but it had been a chance for Weed to grow even more famous as an adventurer. Because of that, the Resurrection Army was currently unable to increase their forces and were maintaining their siege at Fort Odin.

“Where is the quest location?”

“Right here, it is an underground prison.”

“Really?”

The players at the Embinyu Fortress, including the Elementalists, hurried to approach Weed. They were going to receive the shared quest since it was a very good quest!

“Please share with me, Weed-nim!”

“Thank you. Please share the quest you worked hard to receive.”

Weed smiled as he spoke to those who were thanking him. “However, I will take a fixed participation fee. It’s 800 Gold.”

“…”

A B rank difficulty quest related to the Matallost Church! Even if the linked quest didn’t continue for them, they could receive the reward of other quests, along with EXP and Fame.

Weed, who was making money off endless rip-offs and scam fees!

LMS: Volume 17 Chapter 4

This chapter was brought to you by AnmesicCat, Grisia, Haikai, Inousha, Lastear, and Lei.

1 Deeply Touching Copper

While the expedition was dealing with the Matallost Church quest, Weed made sculptures. Because the basement of the Embinyu Fortress had turned into an enormous dungeon, it wasn’t something that could be resolved in a day.

“There’s no end to the world of Sculpting.”

Sculpting had developed and changed over thousands of years. Along with drawing, it could be called the foundation of art.

Weed casually created sculptures of animals such as deer, rabbits, sheep, wolves, and foxes.

“They’re guys I’ve made so much that I’m sick of ’em.”

He vividly remembered the times when he sold them for just a few Coppers as souvenirs in Rosenheim Kingdom. Those were his beginner days, when he dreamt of making a mountain of Coppers and having fun. Back then, he had just taken the main features and had sculpted them cutely with his basic level of Sculpting.

“The simpler and more adorable they were, the better the souvenirs sold.”

It was necessary for them to be light, so the weight wouldn’t be burdensome. However, the deer and wolf Weed was making now were different.

“Now I have to try making a real wolf and deer.”

Weed shaped the deer into a form three times its real-life size. What’s more, he used precious stone materials such as granite and peridot. He sculpted the deer’s simple, innocent bright eyes, round nose, slender body and legs realistically over two days.

Ding!

You have completed the Spotted Deer Statue.

A work imbued with the passion of a Sculptor.

An ordinary animal was sculpted, but it was made with a Sculptor’s skilled techniques and sincerity.

It is somewhat regretful that it does not represent a creative idea or a new challenge. However, it is definitely worthy of being called the most outstanding deer among the countless number of deers in the continent. It is such a realistically portrayed work, that wolves will mistaken it for a real deer from far away and come running.

Artistic Value: A work by the Master Sculptor Weed. 72.

Special Options:
Those who see the Spotted Deer Statue will have Luck increased by 27% for a day. Increases the breeding rate of deer in the vicinity by 350%. Also increases the breeding rate of wolves by 230%. Improves the quality of leather and food ingredients from deer. The intelligence of deer has been improved and can not be easily hunted by monsters. Increases the likelihood of the appearance of large deer herds.

Sculpting skill proficiency has improved.

Fame has increased by 6.

Art stat has increased by 2.

The artistic value of the deer figurine wasn’t great because he had sculpted it many times before and it was common. Still, the options were what Weed had aimed for.

“There was nothing easier to hunt than deers during those beginner days.”

Deer would stay still even if you got close since they didn’t have a fear of people, and it was a beneficial animal that you could even get meat and leather from.

Weed paid a little more attention when he carved the fox and black bear. He portrayed the black bear extremely fiercely thrashing a tree with its front paws, and the fox was a 9-tailed fox.

The fertility of the black bears roaming around Morata has increased.

The foxes have become more clever and numerous.

The monsters for beginner hunting have abundantly increased.

“The leather and meat will come back to better Morata’s livelihood.”

With Morata possessing outstanding Tailoring skills, the leather of characteristic animals fetched a high price. That was a very positive development for tight-budgeted beginners!

“Shall I call it a happiness that grows the more it is shared?”

The wealthier the players in Morata became, the more there was to exploit. Weed set up the animal sculptures with that line of thinking. By making full use of the Sculptor profession, he was bringing about an immense change to the city.

Mooooooo!

The number of cows had increased, all thanks to Yellowy.

Back when Morata was occupied by the Vampires, there weren’t even any cows. Far from being able to raise cattle, the food situation was so poor that the Village Elder had to eat by digging up sweet potatoes. Later, the few cows brought by Merchants were raised by players who had chosen professions like Farmer, Shepherd, and Animal Handler. Barns were built, and there was a change in the cows who had grown up eating fresh grass. At night, the cows would mate in the barns. Moreover, if Yellowy went in and out of the barn, the heifers inside would get pregnant 100% of the time! Sturdy and excellent calves were born.

The cows that had roamed the North formed herds and even pressed into Morata. Yellowy was truly the Emperor of Bulls! The prey also increased because the bison and water buffalos multiplied.

However, the sculpture Weed was going to make with his true care and attention was not the animals.

“I have to make special sculptures.”

A gigantic sculpture made out of bronze, copper, or mixed metals!

With his Intermediate Blacksmithing skills, he could easily extract raw materials by putting japtem or dirt-cheap weapons into a furnace.

Weed sent a whisper.

Mapan.

Yes.

There is something I want you to procure for me.

What is it, please speak.

Please purchase an unlimited number of weapons, armor, and metal japtem, worth less than 1 Gold each.

That’s not difficult at all. But is it really okay for me to get as much as possible?

Yes.

And ah, what about the commission fee?

Mapan brought up the sensitive issue. Though they were on close relations, he couldn’t do business for free! However, Mapan was well aware it was not easy to extort money from Weed.

For the fee, I will give you information you can earn money from.

Good information was sometimes more valuable than gold for a Merchant. There was no doubt about it if it was information given by Weed, who even scammed little kids to extract money.

Okay. You can count on me.

Mapan used the stores in his possession to purchase metal japtem. Since japtem could be sold comfortably at a decent price, the beginners welcomed it.

“But why is that Merchant buying this many cheap weapons and armor?”

“Apparently it’s a request from the Lord of Morata. The Lord of Morata is doing it for the sake of the beginners.”

“As expected. Morata’s got low taxes and no territoriality about the hunting grounds. It’s really worth calling it heaven, compared to the Central Continent.”

Favorable responses towards to the Lord continued to increase.

Mapan piled up the japtem he gathered like that near the Goddess Freya statue at the artificial lake. The japtem was piled up like a mountain, on such an impressive scale that it was enough to remind one of a junkyard or scrapyard from reality.

Weed mobilized Morata’s blacksmiths to produce a huge furnace.

Abusing his power as a Lord!

Although there were bound to be quite a lot of production requests for weapons and armor by players, there were no complaints at the rumour that it was for the construction of a sculpture. It was because they knew how helpful a sculpture was once it was finished. There were even a considerable number of people who made requests to make a sculpture relating to their profession.

However, Weed had already decided what kind of sculpture to create.

“I’m going to need a ton of molten metal.”

He employed the Blacksmiths to extract the raw materials of the various minerals. Among the raw materials Weed pulled out, he decided to use the brass.

With its low price and nice color, it was a widely favored material for beginner weapons! Actually, it was normal to sell brass weapons at a general store or throw them away when you got to level 20. That was because they had poor durability and damage, so they would often break in the middle of a fight.

“But as far as sculpting materials go, it’s a blessing.”

Durability wasn’t particularly important for a sculpture. A huge sculpture was extremely thick, so there was almost no worry about durability or damage. It was actually better if the color was more beautiful, like brass.

“Dirtman.”

“Hail Weed, the man of absolute charisma! I have come at thy call, Master.”

As its creator, the earth spirit followed Weed with extreme faith!

“There’s something I need your help for.”

“Simply command it, anything. Even if this body of mine is broken, I shall follow thee.”

The Dirtman had received thorough mental training.

Weed ordered the Dirtman. “Collect mud.”

“…”

“You have to get a lot.”

The task he summoned the earth spirit for was just to gather mud.

“Yes, Master.”

Dirtman acquired an enormous amount of dirt instantaneously. It was mud that was mixed from finely grained dirt and the lake’s clear water. The mud it gathered could even be called a swamp.

Weed went forth with rolled up sleeves.

“Then let’s make it.”

“How would you like me to make it?”

“We should build up from the bottom. We must properly lay a foundation.”

Mud was the material he was most confident about. As a child, he would use dirt to make a house or a dam and play whenever it rained. Playing with dirt could be called child’s play for him!

‘It doesn’t even take any money, I could play with it as much as I wanted as long as it rained.’

The boy who silently played in the mud while getting hit by rain in the rainy season grew up and became Weed.

That work experience also proved its worth in the construction site. He had excellent ratio control when mixing cement, sand, and water! He was able to smoothly apply silicone into the bathroom cracks. They were experiences he had earned through playing in the mud.

“Humans develop all their potential when they’re young after all.”

Weed revived his experience to create an enormous mold with the mud. Its height was at the level of a 12 story apartment! It was a form that was made by building up the dirt through Dirtman, packing it in with a trowel, and smoothing it out with the sculpting knife.

The problem was that no matter how cheap the brass was, it would take an enormous amount of money to fill up the entire thing.

“Dirtman.”

“Yes, Master!”

“Do you like saunas?”

“What is a sauna?”

“There’s something called a clay sauna. And since you’re an earth spirit, you won’t die from the heat anyway… There’s a first for everything, experience is important. Take your friends in there.”

Weed threatened Dirtman, and instructed it to fill up the inside of the enormous mold. Then he poured in the brass material.

Pang, pang, pang!

The enormous brass sculpture that emerged once the mud was broken off! It was a sculpture made through the sacrifice of Dirtman.

It was in the shape of a gigantic and nimble lizard. A Black Imoogi with small, atrophied feet!

Since it wasn’t complete yet, he had to make the form more detailed.

“It’ll be a breeze to sculpt the head.”

He sculpted the head delicately while looking at the Imoogi head that he had looted.

“Identify!”

Head of the Black Imoogi, Freykis
Durability 1,671/3,200.

The head of an Imoogi. Retains an unknown power.

It seems difficult to handle carelessly.

Options: Can respond to a special production.

In truth, he didn’t know what the Imoogi’s head was for yet.

“Because a high level monster like this has almost never been caught before.”

It was hard to guarantee victory even when an entire guild went after a level 400 boss class monster. Even if they won, they would incur an enormous loss!

Even the likes of the King Hydra had never been hunted down before, so Weed was the first to have killed a Black Imoogi.

Weed finished sculpting the Imoogi’s head, wings, torso, and even the toes with great detail.

An opponent that Weed had personally fought before, he even gave it a vicious and mean appearance. With its wings spread wide open, the Imoogi was twisting up its long neck.

A sculpture that looked down on those below it with its realistic eyes and snout!

Ding!

– Please set the name of the sculpture you’ve made.

“Hm.”

Weed looked at the sculpture for a moment.

The sculpture felt so alive that it made him perfectly recall the fight with the Black Imoogi.

“Very Strong Imoogi.”

– Is ‘Very Strong Imoogi’ correct?

“Yes.”

Ding!

A sublime monster sculpture, the Magnum Opus ‘Very Strong Imoogi’ has been completed!

A Magnum Opus made by an Eternal Sculptor!

A sculpture created using metal. This is a work that will be an excellent example for Sculptors who learn the Blacksmithing skill in order to make sculptures with broader approaches.

The Black Imoogi, Freykis, that was hunted in the River of Lamentation, was sculpted. A work that perfectly restores the appearance of Freykis in life, the Imoogi that exerted its great wickedness on the Versailles Continent is now left as a sculpture. The sculpture will be a reminder of the Black Imoogi Freykis’s might.

Artistic Value:
The work of one who is walking the path of genuine works. 10,921.

Special Options:
Those who have seen the Very Strong Imoogi statue will have their Health and Mana regeneration increased by 31% for a day.

All Stats increased by 15.

Wisdom and Intelligence stats rise by 54.

Spiked increase in the emergence of snake type monsters.

Reduces monster aggression by half.

Reduces the footstep sound of Thieves and Assassins in dungeons by 37% and heightens the effect of the Stealth skill.

Effects do not stack with other sculptures.

Number of Magnum Opuses completed until now: 6

Sculpting skill proficiency has been improved.

Handicraft skill proficiency has been improved.

Sculptural Understanding skill level has risen by 1.

Fame has increased by 912.

Art stat has increased by 17.

Endurance has increased by 3.

Perseverance has increased by 19.

Wisdom has increased by 7.

For creating a Magnum Opus sculpture, All Stats have increased by an additional 3.

“Check Sculpting skill!”

Advanced Sculpting 6 (99%): Can sculpt. A beautiful sculpture will also sell for a high price.

You can spread your name on the Continent by making glorious sculptures.

Good for buying a woman’s affection.

There was only 1% proficiency left until the Sculpting skill went up a level.

“A Fine or a Masterpiece sculpture will be enough to raise it.”

Even though the Sculpting skill didn’t rise quickly, he calculated that one more would be plenty. When his Sculpting skill, which was very difficult to raise, reached level 7, he would only have 3 more to go until he reached Master.

Weed made a sculpture of the King Hydra using cheap, common copper. A magnificently sized Fine King Hydra was made. Made next to the Goddess Freya statue, it felt distinctive.

A pet of the charming Goddess, it was a guardian creature that looked like it would save her from danger. Or it was a vile King Hydra that was threatening the life of the Goddess! The Black Imoogi sculpture was made on her left, and on her right was the 9-headed King Hydra.

Morata’s specialties were further increasing as Weed’s Sculpting skill level went up.

Advanced Sculpting skill has risen to level 7. Your sculpting will become surprisingly detailed and delicate.

As your eye for art develops, Wisdom and Intelligence stats increase by 52. Charm has increased by 39.

Sculpting was a skill that had never betrayed him. As he approached Master level, he gained considerable increases every time his skill went up a level. Besides the obvious changes, there were various effects in every field, like his color palette growing more diverse when using Moonlight Sculpting.

“Well, I guess I should just use the remaining metals.”

Since they were already melted materials, Weed decided to make huge armors while he was at it. They were armors that could go over the King Hydra and Black Imoogi’s torsos.

“I’ve got to make new attempts for the Blacksmithing skill.”

His proficiency wouldn’t rise much at all even if he made a simple longsword from the raw materials he’d made from melting the mixed metals. Rather than that, he made armors that huge monsters could use.

“If I need money later, it’s convenient to melt it again and sell it.”

This was actually a method frequently used by those among the Blacksmiths who were short on cash. They would make a sword or armor and melt it again. Though it seems like a waste of their effort and hard work, it was a way to get rid of something when they couldn’t find a buyer or had made a disappointing product with precious materials.

Enormously Sized Armor

Durability 2,060/2,060.
Defense 269.

A work created by a Blacksmith of outstanding talent.

A product made by one with artistic sense. Though it possesses tremendous defense, it’s too big and heavy so it doesn’t seem like it’ll be very useful.

With Silver and Mithril mixed in, it has slight magic resistance.

Restrictions:
1,980 Strength. Large monsters only. Torso circumference of at least 170 meters.

Options:
-210 Agility. Almost indestructible. Absolute defense against small weapons. +3% Magic Resistance.

– Blacksmithing skill has increased to Intermediate level 4. The attack and defense of created items will be increased by a set value. Siege weapons will have improved accuracy and range.

– While hammering, Strength has risen by 2.

– For making special armor, Fame has risen by 13.

The Blacksmithing skill had finally become Intermediate level 4.

After the King Hydra’s armor, Weed made the Imoogi’s armor thin.

“The thickness can’t exceed 1 centimeter.”

It was still thick and heavy even then, but it was for conserving the raw materials.

The mountainous pile of materials that Mapan had purchased was almost completely exhausted. The decreasing pile of japtem was enough to make the beginners, Clerics, and Paladins who came every day to watch him make the sculptures in front of the Goddess statue lose their nerve.

“He used all that japtem.”

“A monster, he’s really a monster. They say Morata’s Lord is the embodiment of hard work; it really is true.”

Beginners starting in Morata became determined as they looked at the Goddess statue and the two giant monster statues overlooking the castle walls. The sculptures that had been made using japtem were becoming examples of hard work for the beginners.

Now Weed had finished all the sculptures he’d planned on making in Morata. It was a refreshing feeling, as if he’d done away with the laundry that was piling up. However, he still hadn’t gotten a task completion report from the expedition that had gone into the Embinyu Fortress’ underground prison. It was a very complex labyrinth and there were many traps, so there were many casualties.

“Then, I guess I’ll resolve the request I put off.”

The request to make sculpture of a daughter for 1 Copper.

He had paid a whopping 4,000 Gold to the Dark Gamer Union to complete an investigation on the Ritten Kingdom’s Mandol and his wife for this request.

“Even if the request fee is 1 Copper, I can’t cut corners for this.”

Weed planned to sculpt their child with the best materials. The material was the Imoogi and Hydra’s leather!

“I won’t be able to make armor or a robes with them because of the blemishes anyways.”

He used an intact part of the leather to make an adorable girl’s doll.

Blacksmithing skills weren’t the only ones he used in Sculpting. He made life-like dolls using Tailoring.

There is no limit to sculpting. The source of sculpting was endless imagination.

“I’ll put my pride as a Sculptor on the line and make a Magnum Opus sculpture at the very least.”

Honestly, there was something else he was expecting.

“The 1 Copper request fee. Huehuehuehue!”

Mandol was a bourgeois player who had even been wearing Mithril boots. That meant he was originally from a wealthy family or had an enormously high level.

“It could even be both. Even if you have the money to buy Mithril boots, it’s an item that can’t be equipped unless your level is sufficient.”

He was also a family guy who loved his wife and family dearly. Although he had only asked for 1 Copper, there was no way that was all he was going to receive!

If you do good deeds and humble actions, good fortune will come.

Weed was greedy for Mandol’s Mithril boots.

LMS: Volume 17 Chapter 5

This chapter was brought to you by AnmesicCat, Grisia, Inousha, Kirito, Lastear, and Lei.

Seo-yoon’s Home Visit

The everyday life of Half Sauce Half Fried.

Clu-clu-cluck.

His comb had grown with dignity and he had the great presence of a Korean chicken. He strolled around the yard catching earthworms as a delicacy.

“Seo-yoon, your meal is here.”

His life of peacefully living without any threats to his life while sharing Seo-yoon’s meal was utterly joyful. The joy of sitting between well cultivated bonsai and drowsing off! With his belly full and his back warm, there was nothing more to wish for in his daily life. As Seo-yoon stroked him affectionately, he even rubbed himself against her.

He was living as happily as a chicken can live.

However, Seo-yoon was always sorry for him.

‘I’m sorry I can’t be here with you.’

That was because Half Sauce Half Fried was alone when she was in the capsule or at school.

Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck.

Half Sauce Half Fried shook his head back and forth as he walked around in the hospital’s yard.

Seo-yoon thought, ‘I will bring… a friend for you.’

* * *

Midterms, the festival, and the sports meet had ended, and now there were just a little over 2 weeks until summer vacation.

Lee Hyun grumbled endless complaints. “What kind of university is like this. Can’t university be shortened to 3 years, or 2 years, like with military service time?”

Seeing as he had to keep paying the expensive tuition for another three and a half years, his future was dark. A convict’s feelings about reducing jail time in a concentration camp or prison would be like this.

“Even if I graduate university, it’s not like I get graduation pension, it won’t guarantee me employment by a foreign company, and it won’t provide me with free lifetime medical insurance either…”

An endless reflection on the impracticalities of university was unfolding.

As he looked at the bars, capsule rooms, and the restaurants on the main street in front of the university, he became worried about the education world and the even the nation’s future.

“There should only be farmland or a tidal flat in front of a school. When you’re hungry, you can help with the elders’ rice planting and get a snack to eat, and in the fall you can help with the harvesting as well. A tidal flat… is always valuable food storage. You can hitch a ride on a boat and go pull up the net, too.”

On a tidal flat, a single shovel would secure food. You could catch things like fresh oyster and octopus and eat them dipped in chili paste. Since you could also catch fish by casting a net utilizing the ebb and flow, it was killing two birds with one stone!

“There would be no need to build a separate cafeteria…”

It could be called a symbol of rural education. College students enjoying fishing while reading, and friendships that blossomed while boiling spicy fish stew. In front of the university, instead of bars, salons, clothing stores, and nail art stores, a fishing discount mart would do.

As usual, Lee Hyun went to the grass plaza during lunch time and ate the lunch lying on his seat. Seo-yoon was sitting next to him, eating lunch together.

Lee Hyun picked up a side dish with chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

‘Yep, it’s delicious.’

The lunch that had started from kimbap had extended into sushi, and today it was grilled short rib patties.

‘It’s warm. It hasn’t even cooled yet.’

Lee Hyun didn’t even know about the lunchbox being installed with heat rays for keeping the food warm. He was just happy that he could try eating ribs without expense.

‘So this is the taste of short rib patties.’

In his middle school and high school days, he couldn’t use the school cafeteria because he didn’t pay the lunch fee. Even so, of course he couldn’t go without eating, so he secretly snuck in and took in a lunch tray. He had passed his school days surreptitiously eating the stealth food that didn’t go down comfortably.

How envious he was when his classmates were tearing into lunches that their parents had made with their utmost.

“…”

Seo-yoon slightly bit her lips as she was watched Lee Hyun eating happily. It seemed like she would briefly smile. Her smiling face could make a person happy, but the chance to see it was truly rare. Still, Seo-yoon’s cold and frozen expression, like when he had made the first Goddess Freya statue, had almost vanished.

Seo-yoon had even brought barley tea; she poured it into a cup and handed it to Lee Hyun.

“Mm, thanks.”

After taking one sip of the barley tea, Lee Hyun spoke begrudgingly, “Don’t just eat vegetables; do you want to eat 1 patty too?”

Nothing is given for free. She wickedly calculated to pretend kindness by pouring him barley tea because she wanted to eat the patties too!

‘Though it seems she’s become a little nicer recently…’

Unaware that the person secretly leaving the lunches was Seo-yoon, Lee Hyun acted like a person given an enormous power.

Seo-yoon shook her head to and fro. She was full just watching him eat.

Lee Hyun asked once again. “Then two patties…?”

“…”

“Should I give you th-three?”

Just how much was she aiming to squeeze out of him with a single cup of barley tea, she was frowning!

There was once a time when he had shared lunch with Seo-yoon and she had eaten his kimbap at random.

Memories of that time kept popping into his head.

Lee Hyun sighed. ‘I’m not a petty person. I should give sometimes too.’

When he was a kid, he had once gone to his friends holding just a spoon and had gotten a meal. As he recalled that plaintive feeling, he was able to understand Seo-yoon’s perspective.

“Just eat comfortably. Since I’ve never eaten much meat… I mean, because I don’t like it that much. Eat as much as you want.”

Lee Hyun picked up one of the patties and put it in on top of Seo-yoon’s rice box.

Seo-yoon carefully opened her mouth and ate it.

It was such a lovely sight that it could snatch one’s senses away.

After staring at that sight for a moment, Lee Hyun ate the patties too.

Munch munch.

He couldn’t give her much of a side dish as tasty as these patties.

“Why is this so delicious? What kind of meat melts in the mouth, it melts.”

The sight of him holding the ribs in both hands and tearing into them after telling her to eat as she wished!

Lee hyun emptied the lunch box cleanly, leaving not even a single grain of rice behind. Of course, he even left behind Seo-yoon’s share of one patty at the end. He had finished it off so cleanly that he was pleased with himself.

‘She’ll have no complaints if she eats three patties.’

Then, as usual, he pulled out the note that had come with the lunch to read it.

“Will she tell me thanks for eating happily today too? Even if I don’t know who it is, she is a truly warmhearted lady.”

But the were words written on the note Lee Hyun pulled out were different from the usual ones.

I have a request.

Do you have time today after class?

It was the summons of the veiled mystery angel who made him lunch.

How tastily had he eaten the food she had cooked. His mouth filled with saliva when lunch time rolled around. Thankfully enough, he had even gotten to eat short rib patties today.

Seo-yoon was observing Lee Hyun’s reaction with bright eyes.

“I was curious about who it is, this is good.”

With a thankful heart, Lee Hyun wrote his reply.

My class in the business hall on the 3rd floor, room B07, ends at 4. Please come if you can.

* * *

When class time neared its end, Lee Hyun became a little wary.

“What kind of woman is she really?”

Looking at her cooking skill, she was impressive.

“Her faults are that she uses luxury ingredients too unsparingly and that she only uses a brand-name lunchbox, but I don’t think she’ll be a bad woman.”

Lee Hyun had already created his mystery angel in his imagination.

“Huhu.”

Including Choi Sang-jun, Park Soon-jo, and Lee Yoo-jung, others had heard of the mystery angel who packed Lee Hyun lunch. Since she would finally appear today, it was a prime chance to resolve their curiosity.

Choi Sang-jun shook his head knowingly. “C’mon, hyung! Can’t you tell at a glance? There’s no way a girl who brings lunch like that is decent. That’s not normal in the world these days. Yoo-jung, aren’t I right?”

“To be honest… it is strange that she hasn’t shown herself until now even while putting a lunch box in the same place for over a month. Don’t expect too much, oppa.”

“Hyung, you heard what Yoo-jung said, right? A mystery angel is something that only shows up in fantasy stories. She could even be a spinster professor or someone who came from a social service community.”

Even so, the smile on Lee Hyun’s lips did not go away.

That she would make a meal for him had great meaning to him.

“A person who put her all into making a meal for someone else… there’s no way that she’s a bad girl.”

Lee Hyun’s personal relations weren’t all that normal either. Give as much as you receive. Since she had packed him lunch, he had simply come to the obvious conclusion that she was a good kid!

“Then, good work today. Come back with all your assignments finished.”

The professor left the classroom and the students organized their bags one by one. However, there were still students gathered in the area around Lee Hyun.

“What kind of person do you think will really come?”

“Just watch it be an old person. It might even be a student from the physical education department.”

That referred to the martial arts students from the PE department who bowed to Lee Hyun whenever they saw him.

The students who were about to leave the area around the classroom door stopped stock still in their positions, as if frozen.

“Hot damn! It’s senior Seo-Yoon.”

“Huh, does she take her next class here?”

University of Korea’s official goddess!

Seo-yoon was entering the classroom. Wearing an extremely gorgeous green dress, she was carrying a lunch box in one hand.

“It can’t be…”

The face muscles of the students twisted. They knew that the person who had packed Lee Hyun lunch was coming today.

“Was the Goddess-nim’s lunch mercilessly going into that hyung’s mouth?”

“This tragedy!”

The shocked and distressed male students!

Lee Hyun also felt like he had been greatly fooled. While frequently meeting Seo-yoon here and there, much of his initial awkwardness and wariness had decreased. They had gone through the MT (membership training) and the festival, and he could even say that they had become friends of a sort while eating lunch together. Seo-yoon did often hit him on the back of the head, but now he could even let that slide with a laugh.

However, for Seo-yoon to be the owner of the lunchbox, he was inevitably tense.

‘With what kind of secret design did she…’

Lee Hyun was suspicious from the get-go. He was guilty for not putting up his guard and being defenseless while eating lunch.

‘That’s right! That was no good. It was foolish, no different from being fooled by a loan company that says it’ll let you borrow money for ten days with no interest.’

A fierce self-reflection on his careless blunder!

Seo-yoon approached and extended the note.

You’ll listen to my request, right?

Lee Hyun trembled like an aspen. ‘So she was aiming for this moment! And for over 1 month…’

Pigs are also slaughtered after feeding them well. She had made him eat many lunches planned on making an excessive request by seizing that vulnerability!

However, Lee Hyun did not want to live with a debt. Interest would grow on the debt, and eventually it would be a quagmire he could never escape.

“If it’s a suitable request within feasibility… I’ll listen to it.”

As if relieved, she pulled out a note she had prepared beforehand.

Half Sauce Half Fried needs a friend.

“Half Sauce Half Fried?” Lee Hyun tilted his head.

Wasn’t that distinctive name passed down from the chickens he raised at home?

He soon realized that she was talking about the chicken she had taken at the MT.

“You need a chicken?”

Seo-yoon nodded.

Lee Hyun didn’t hide his breath-choking tension and asked again. “A female that can lay eggs?”

Seo-yoon had just wanted to bring him a friend. She hadn’t thought of the gender divide in advance. However, since Half Sauce was a male, if it came down to it, bringing a female would be better. Seo-yoon nodded again.

At that, Lee Hyun’s eyes trembled. He was forcing himself to resist an incomparably anguished expression.

‘A laying female is more expensive… the one we’re raising right now in particular is the whelp that ate up half the balloon flower root I picked up in the mountain last time.’
[T/N: Balloon flower root is a common medicinal herb.]

Even so, if he calculated the price of the lunches, a single chicken could be considered fairly inexpensive.

Lee Hyun answered in the affirmative. “Alright. Well… I will bring her tomorrow.”

But Seo-yoon was shaking her head.

I want to bring her after seeing her myself.

At the contents of the note that she had prepared beforehand, Lee Hyun thought for a moment and agreed.

“Fine. You can pick her yourself.”

He was under the illusion that their relationship lacked trust.

‘It seems she wants to pick the best chicken since she’s packed many lunches. The most nutritious and expensive chicken.’

The chickens had been raised well to an extremely high caliber. The laying females would even fly around flapping their wings soon after laying an egg. Since they all had about the same value as the market price, he had permitted her to come to his house.

* * *

Lee Hyun walked with Seo-yoon all the way to his house.

The men who saw her on the street stood dumbly and rubbed their eyes several times before staring at her again. Both men and women were unable to take their eyes of them. They looked like they couldn’t believe their eyes as they stared at the far too beautiful Seo-yoon. Their gazes stolen by Seo-yoon, they couldn’t overcome their curiosity and studied the man who was walking by her side.

‘Just what kind of lucky person is walking around with a woman like that?’

Lee Hyun was extremely normal, and was wearing a well worn t-shirt and faded blue jeans.

‘Why is a bastard like that… did he seize some kind of vulnerability?!’

‘He’s rich! His family is definitely rich. He’s either a wealthy person with thousands of millions of Won at a young age or his inheritance is enormous.’

‘The power of love is great.’

Looks of jealousy and envy shot at him, but Lee Hyun stood firm whenever that happened. “Appearance isn’t everything in the world. The heart is important.” He knew Seo-yoon’s true identity. She was vicious, violent, and even underhanded. The worst, as far as her humanity went!

Even if her face was so pretty that it made breathing difficult, it was absolutely no good if you fell for her because of that.

“Even if a woman can cook pretty well, has a lot of money, is skinny, has a good figure, and is pretty, wears some pretty good clothing, and is smart, it’s not necessarily good.”

If she was bright enough to get into the University of Korea, then she had to be considered brilliant. Even though they took math together, Seo-yoon solved the practice problems in the workbook way too easily. She was even quick to understand and solve parts that the class was going nowhere with.

“In some ways, it’s more regrettable for me.” Lee Hyun walked with his head held high.

Seo-yoon was unexpectedly following him well. That she wasn’t wearing high heels was part of the reason, but her stride was also quite fast. At the simple thrill of going to Lee Hyun’s house, her face was flushed to the point where it was obvious. It was her first time visiting a man’s house, and she had happy expectations on what kind of chicken she should bring as a friend.

“We’re here.”

Lee Hyun went into a secluded neighborhood opened his own house’s door lock by lock. There were a whole 7 locks on the front door! A separate password and even a card key were required.

As Seo-yoon approached the doorway, Lee Hyun blocked the entrance with his body.

“I’ll say this in advance, but you can’t go into my house and just touch things. I know where everything is, okay?”

Lee Hyun was suspicious and even treated her like a thief! That was primarily because outsiders didn’t often come into his house. Choi Ji-hoon had sometimes visited while meeting Lee Hye-yeon, but she didn’t bring him that often after the electronics repairs ended.

Lee Hyun was on full guard.

Seo-yoon nodded. “…”

“Come in for now.”

Seo-yoon walked through the door.

Woof, woof, woof!

A big dog the size of a calf swiftly ran over, lay on his belly, and barked cutely. His adorable bark didn’t match his large physique.

The charm of Dogmeat, the name that Lee Hye-yeon had given him himself!

Lee Hyun explained hurriedly, “He’s a dog we’re raising. He’s an extremely dangerous fellow, so it’s safer to stay back.”

When Seo-yoon extended a lovely hand, Dogmeat even wagged his tail fiercely.

A dog’s sense of smell is 10,000 better than a human’s. He smelled the subdued fragrance of the short rib patties and the smell of the previously departed Half Sauce Half Fried on Seo-yoon and was going to be friendly with her.

Just like when dogs become instinctively wary when they see a dog meat trader, when he saw Seo-yoon, he came running in at the good feeling she gave off and was writhing in welcome. He was prancing around Seo-yoon wagging his tail as he enthusiastically marked his greeting of welcome.

Lee Hyun shouted, “Hey, hey! Stop that, Dogmeat, you’re gonna bite someone again, right? Just last week you bit someone and hospitalized them. No. Go away!”

Woof, woof.

Dogmeat just wagged his tail and quietly returned to his doghouse. Even after being falsely accused of having bit someone, Dogmeat was utterly docile.

‘A chicken is a few thousand Won at the market, but you can get 200 thousand Won ($~200) for a dog! Not on your life!’

Dogmeat had extraordinarily plump flesh and was exercised, so his muscles were good. They hadn’t even sold him when a dog meat dealer came and offered 350 thousand Won (~$350), so there was way too much of a shame to give him to Seo-yoon.

“…”

Seo-yoon approached a wire meshed enclosure with hasty steps. Within the wire mesh, rabbits were hopping around.

Seo-yoon quickly wrote on a note with a pencil.

Can I touch them? This is my first time being this close to a rabbit.

“Go ahead. Ah yeah, be careful ’cause it hasn’t been long since the rabbits gave birth to babies.”

Babies? Where?

“They’re inside the pen.”

Seo-yoon looked at the rabbits in fascination, like a kid eating a hamburger for the first time.

Lee Hyun was OCD about sanitation, so the inside of the mesh was very clean and in good shape. There was a generous heap of grasses for the rabbits to eat, and baby bunnies with bodies about 2 or 3 fingers wide were wriggling in a shaded corner. Even though they were just babies, they had long ears and their hind legs were moving as if to hop around on the ground!

“Aahhhh.”

As if she were singing, an exclamation flowed from Seo-yoon’s lips! It was like a pretty and clear whisper.

She clung to the rabbit hutch, peering in with sparkling eyes. Unable to touch the babies because they might get scared, her expression was one of extreme regret.

“You can touch them.”

“…”

However, Seo-yoon was unable to readily touch them.

“It’s okay. They’re babies who haven’t even opened their eyes yet.”

That wasn’t why Seo-yoon was worried, but Lee Hyun put his hand through the mesh and pulled out a baby.

“Here.”

When he lowered it onto the back of Seo-yoon’s hand, the baby bunny kicked weakly as it wriggled. Seo-yoon embraced the baby bunny as if it were precious and stroked it. But she soon put it back into the rabbit hutch, because the baby bunny might feel anxious.

Even afterwards, Seo-yoon didn’t leave the rabbit hutch and squatted there to no end.

‘Surely she won’t ask me to give her one!’ Lee Hyun became increasingly alarmed. His little sister hadn’t returned from school yet. ‘Alone at home with a girl… I absolutely must be careful!’

A guy and a girl.

It was a preposterous situation.

Lee Hyun said firmly, “Let’s hurry and go see the chickens!” He did his utmost to make his intention to pull her away from the rabbits clear.

Seo-yoon wanted to keep looking at the baby bunnies that hadn’t even opened their eyes yet. She had fallen in love with the adorable sight of them curled up with the mommy rabbit. The sight of nonchalant mommy rabbit with its cheeks stuffed with carrots! However, Seo-yoon left behind her great regret in order to let the rabbits rest comfortably and went to the backyard where the chickens were.

Clu-clu-cluck.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

The Korean chickens were going up trees and flying around like birds. Chicks were toddling about on the ground.

As soon as Lee Hyun and the never before seen Seo-yoon came, they rapidly fled into a corner or above the trees. It was a sight of wholehearted wariness. As they hid in the corners, poked out their heads, and examined the movements of the humans, they didn’t intend to come out.

However, through Half Sauce Half Fried, Seo-yoon was familiar with the habits of the chickens. She tore the short rib patty she’d prepared into small pieces and sprinkled it on the ground.

Clu-clu-clu-clu-cluck!

The chickens leapt out of the trees and from the woods like savage beasts and pecked down the pieces. Even the chicks dove in with their small beaks and were tearing into the ribs.

Seo-yoon patted the chickens and chicks. Despite the fact that she was a stranger, they had quickly became friendly through the patties and stuck to her side like burrs.

‘They’re taking a liking to me.’

Not knowing what to do, Seo-yoon petted the chickens with joyful eyes.

Lee Hyun was distressed. ‘The same short rib patties that was in the lunch I ate…’

A life where he had come to eat the same food as a chicken! Even so, at the sight of the nearly expressionless Seo-yoon really having fun being with the chickens, he followed suit and felt good.

She, a girl who had silently stared without being able to approach, was being touched so deeply while being with the chickens that tears were welling in her eyes.

Even Lee Hyun was getting choked up for nothing. ‘This feels even stranger than the first time I fried a chicken for my little sis.’

He knew that Seo-yoon wasn’t a very bad person. However, that was not easy for him to acknowledge. ‘Whether she’s a bad person or a good person… she can’t be close to me.’

Realistically speaking, they were living in circumstances that were too different. Lee Hyun could roughly estimate how expensive one of the clothes she wore was well enough. ‘Even the brand name clothes that show up on television are over 100 thousand Won ($~100)… with fabric that good, a brand called Dior, and the design, it must be at least 150 thousand Won!’

There was too big a difference in their household situations. A girl like Seo-yoon would like a great guy who Lee Hyun couldn’t even compare to. ‘A qualified guy will show up.’ It was the same with Jung Hyo-rin and other girls.

Lee Hyun made a big decision. “Just pick one. And if there’s one you like… you can pick two.”

Having been petting the chickens in bliss, Seo-yoon looked back at him with happy eyes. Eyes that asked if he really meant it!

Lee Hyun gazed far off into the distance as he spoke. “Something like a chicken… two or three are nothing.”

Unusually enough, Lee Hyun was showing great generosity. That was because trying to make up for the lunch price with a single chicken still made him feel indebted.

Seo-yoon chose three chickens.

Every time she picked a chicken, Lee Hyun’s face became bloodlessly pale. ‘That one’s a laying hen… and Boiled Chicken, and even the plump chick that shows promise for a great disposition later!’

A laying hen was of course a valuable creature. He intended on catching it when his little sister married and brought home a husband in the future. But the chickens would keep reproducing until then, and there were two other laying hens left, so it was okay… Even so, the moment Seo-yoon chose the laying hen, he felt a sadness and pain that broke off a piece of his heart.

Lee Hyun spoke mournfully. “I’ll… package them for you.”

To make it convenient for Seo-yoon to take them, he tied the chickens’ legs and necks with string and connected them to each other. Looking like a chicken sled, it couldn’t be any weirder, but Seo-yoon took the string.

She wrote on a note.

I’m truly grateful. Thank you so much for listening to my request even though it was excessive.

“It’s nothing. This much is meh. If necessary, one more…” Lee Hyun hastily revised his words. “Next time you can take one more chick.”

Really?

“…”

Seo-yoon, who wanted to take one right away when he said she could!

As Lee Hyun conversed via notes, he thought it was a little strange. ‘Why doesn’t she speak?’ He’d originally thought that she was hiding the fact she could speak on purpose to fool with him, but she wasn’t. In the MT and the festival, he hadn’t heard her speak even once. Even as they ate lunch together, she didn’t speak. To be honest, that they conversed through notes after she left a note in the lunch box could be called a tremendous advancement.

‘She spoke just one word in Royal Road, but her voice was extremely nice on the ears… it’s probably something like her actual voice is really dry, right?’

When Lee Hyun was about to leave the backyard to see Seo-yoon off, Dogmeat approached while whining. Seo-yoon also seemed to think Dogmeat was cute because she wasn’t able to move away.

Lee Hyun spoke with a trembling voice. “D-do you happen to like this dog?”

“…?”

“Do you want to… take Dogmeat too?”

Lee Hyun’s shocking transformation! He would even give Seo-yoon Dogmeat, who he had cherished and raised for the days of summer.
[T/N: Summer is a popular time for eating dog meat, which is said to energize and revitalize. As a reminder, this is a cultural difference we hope everyone will understand.]

Can I really take him to keep?

“You can. Because it seems like this dog likes you.”

More than anything else, Seo-yoon looked delighted beyond measure at the words that it seemed the dog liked her. Surprised and touched, she went as far as to drip tears.

Lee Hyun spoke in a low voice. “This rascal eats a lot, so it’s good to feed him often. He’ll overturn a food bowl that’s too small, so prepare a big one for him, and let him go play in the backyard on rainy days. Don’t tie him up at night. He hunts things like mice and weasels. He takes about a 2 hour nap, but if you want to play with him just call his name. He’ll wake up. He likes radish and carrots, so give him some now and then…”

Every single word of his explanation was like sending off his lover.

‘It feels like my heart is being ripped out.’

Even as he suffered intense agony, Lee Hyun didn’t retract his decision.

When giving a gift, you mustn’t show a reluctant face. Giving properly was the way to bribe!

‘The second and third S-rank difficulty quests… honestly, I think it’ll be almost impossible for me to complete them.’

He was grinding to raise his Sculpting skill. However, he couldn’t guarantee quest success.

‘With the alliance with the barbarians, the Power of the Deliverer, and the Sentence of Death, and also a lot of luck, I was able to finish the 1st step of the quest.’ He couldn’t hope to have always such luck in the quest. ‘The 2nd and 3rd steps will be even harder.’

From here onwards, he would be in a desperate and lonely position where he had to go up against the quests with nothing.

‘If we could do it together…’

If Seo-yoon participated in the quest with him, it would be much more reassuring for him.

Thank you very much.

Luxury foreign cars had parked in a line in front of Lee Hyun’s house at some point, unbeknownst to him. Seo-yoon’s bodyguards had come and had been on standby. Bodyguards wearing black suits opened a car’s back door. The chickens and Dogmeat boarded the back seat. The chickens and dog were enjoying the luxury of boarding a car worth hundreds of millions of Won that even came with escorts and a chauffeur!

Lee Hyun put a false smile on his lips that concealed his bitter inner feelings as he saw her off. “See you. Come play again next time.”

At that, Seo-yoon halted from getting in the car, hesitated for a moment, and wrote something on a note.

Can I really come play again?

“…”

Lee Hyun realized that this was exactly what it meant to be ‘lost for words.’ Didn’t that mean she still wanted more even though he had given her so much!

‘Surely she won’t come again. It’s probably just something she’s saying out of politeness, like a common saying.’

Lee Hyun nodded. “If you have time, come whenever you want.”

Thank you. See you next time.

Seo-yoon got into the car and left with her bodyguards. Lee Hyun, who had been standing still in front of the door, blew out a sigh after the cars left.

He recalled the feeling he’d gotten when he met his wicked bosses while doing various jobs after dropping out of high school.

“Those who have the means are really too much.” He had gained a valuable lesson. “Meeting women is really no good.”

The expenses of dating! When you meet a woman, money is spent doing this and that. He hadn’t bought Seo-yoon a meal or coffee, and it wasn’t like they went to the amusement park together. However, there was the price of the chickens and dog!

“A woman is the enemy of saving money. Enemy.”

Lee Hyun ground his teeth. Animosity towards her was kindling again.

* * *

Seo-yoon’s hospital room was reminiscent of an animal farm. Dogmeat was stretched out after eating warm food and meat, and the chickens were freely flying around as they crowed. Even the yellow chick went around the room cheeping.

“…”

Seo-yoon sat on a chair and read books.

“Food Dogs Like”
“A Dog’s Lot is the Life of Comfort”
“A Dog Barks for a Reason”

They were guides for raising a pet dog.

Not only did Seo-yoon’s hospital room have a private exercise room attached, but it also had 4 rooms, a study, and was even equipped with a home bar where she could drink simple beverages. For Dogmeat and the chickens, it was no different from heaven.

Bark bark!

Dogmeat even barked while looking out the window. Though it wasn’t big, he had lived in a house with a backyard, so he needed the fresh air outside.

Seo-yoon prepared to go out. ‘The book ‘A Dog’s Lot is the Life of Comfort,’ said you have to walk the dog regularly.’

Seo-yoon put a dog leash around Dogmeat’s neck. Dogmeat obediently stayed still as he stuck out his tongue and licked her hand. He was promising his faithfulness to the owner who had dramatically changed his fate as a summer meal!

The nurses looked at Seo-yoon as if it was hard to believe.

“It seems like… she’s become much brighter than before.”

“Indeed. It feels like her complexion has really blossomed, huh? She was truly beautiful before, but now she could even make a girl fall for her.”

The nurses hadn’t known that Seo-yoon, who had been closing the doors to her heart despite their countless efforts, would suddenly become better like this.

Cha Eun-hee also had to acknowledge Lee Hyun’s qualities on that point. “He’s a truly kind man.”

The teammates she hunted with in Royal Road didn’t spare praises of him.

“His warm heartedness probably thawed Seo-yoon’s frozen heart, right?”

She had also heard a lot about Lee Hyun from Jung Il-hun. How many men were there in the world who would be so dedicated to their families! That was why the fact that he spent his life engrossed in Royal Road couldn’t be seen as only a fault.

“Seo-yoon forced herself to go to school, but now she’s enjoying it. She’s really much better.”

That she was raising chickens and a puppy was a very positive sign. Cha Eun-hee guessed that if she was pouring out love while raising pets, the day her heart would completely open up wasn’t far. Now Seo-yoon had risen to the level of readily expressing herself with notes. There just needed to be a decisive opportunity that would spring open the gates of speech.

“Is it finally time to report to the chairman?”

Cha Eun-hee had to contact Seo-yoon’s father. He was always receiving reports about his daughter through her bodyguards. If he heard news that Seo-yoon’s heart would soon be healed and that she would even be able to speak, he would definitely be happy.

LMS: Volume 17 Chapter 6

This chapter was brought to you by AnmesicCat, Grisia, Haikai, Inousha, and Lei.

Sculpture of a Child

“Weed-nim is truly a genius!”

Mapan was driving 20 large wagons past the River of Lamentation basin. He was moving the wagons to trade in the Barbarian village.

“Kyaaaao.”

“Fresh human. You are prey.”

Even though a great number of monsters followed the wagons, they were annihilated by Bingryong and Phoenix.

Mapan dragged the carts and safely arrived in the village of the Vejague Tribe. Vejague tribesmen and women of all ages gathered.

“Hurry up and buy! Cheap and reasonably priced goods for sale. Nothing will left if you are late. Buy lots when they’re going cheap!”

The goods that Mapan had brought were weapons, armors, leather goods, and foods that had been made in Morata!

A young Vejague Tribe girl grabbed copper earrings that she seemed to like. “How much is this?”

Mapan made a severe expression. “That is very expensive.”

“I know. It seems expensive. I only have leather. Or fangs …”

The fangs and leather of the Black Wild Boar– they were goods that could net a good several hundred Gold in Morata.

Mapan shook his head as if it were preposterous. “But you can obtain those any time if you hunt in this area.”

Mapan, who was showing an example of a wicked Merchant!

The sparsely haired Vejague Tribe lass was on the verge of tears. “Hnng, but I really want to buy it…”

“Then, I will sell it to you for 3 leathers.”

“Thank you, Merchant oppa!”

Mapan traded with the uncivilized barbarians to buy up leathers and material. As the first person to trade with them, he was reaping an enormous profit.

The method of extorting the uncivilized barbarians that he learned from Weed!

The leathers he obtained here were a very precious material. They would be treated as a speciality back in Morata because they were leathers that came from the around the River of Lamentation. In addition, splendid robes and armor would be crafted once they were processed by Morata’s excellent techniques.

* * *

Weed sewed in his private room in the Lord’s Castle in order to make a sculpture for the 1 Copper request. He bleached Imoogi leather white and made a child’s body.

“Though a person’s skin isn’t white…”

He was stressed starting from making the skin color itself because of its dull color!

It was too much to consider Weed a real tailor, because although his ability to handle leather or cloth was quite outstanding, he had paid almost no attention to dyeing.

“Before, it was fine as long as the utility was good. Because color isn’t that necessary!”

Even though the design was an important element for clothing, it sold quickly as long as the defense or a different option was good. Dyeing could also be done by buying the clothing and taking it to another dyer.

Because of that, it was difficult starting from the task of making the child’s skin color.

“I don’t have to make her too young.”

A newborn. A child not even a hundred days old would just make them recall their sadness more easily.

“Some time must’ve passed, so let’s make her two or three years old.”

It was the age when they would start making trouble.

“Just seeing their face will make you want to give them a rap with your knuckles, and you also regret having the child, only to suffer… even so, it’s the time when you love them most.”

Since this was a sculpture he was making for the parents to sort out their feelings and say their final farewell to the child, a cheerful expression would be good.

Not a sculpture that had simply artistic value, but one that could move the heart. It should have a warm feeling rather than detailed expression. He needed a sculpture that could show warmth.

“Even though I don’t have that kind of skill…”

Weed had learned by experience that in the end, something he wanted to forget or sadness were all made into memories by time.

To Weed, it was too much to expect a marvelous sculpture that would embrace all their pain and longing. He may be a truly remarkable sculptor, but even though he could express beauty, he couldn’t erase sadness.

“What I can do is pave the way for them.”

Weed attached eyes made from crafting obsidian onto the doll.

When his sister was little, she had enough toys to not be envious of others because of the dolls he made in the factory. If she were a little boy, she would have wanted all sorts of toys like planes, boats, cars, and robots, but she had cute tastes since she was a little sister. She was boundlessly happy when she saw a stuffed animal.

“She liked teddy bears to an extraordinary degree.”

Children liked dolls because there was something about them that stimulated their minds.

“Not only a sculpture of child … I’ll have to make more dolls. ”

Weed thought it was lonely for the child to be alone. He planned on making a Magnum Opus sculpture at the very least, but something would really feel missing with that alone.

They would have to share an eternal farewell parting, so if there was just a doll of a child, the parents’ hearts would be torn with sadness.

“A sculpture that’ll be rimmed with plenty of children’s dolls. Looks like I’ll have to make all sorts of things as long as children like them.”

He would make all the things that a little girl would like. He would decorate it prettily with candles and could somehow even make a snowman.

“I can just peel off a bit of Bingryong’s skin dust!”

Sculptors were surprisingly capable of doing many different jobs.

Imoogi Leather : Durability 30/30.

An item related to the production skill, Tailoring.

The ultimate Tailoring material, it is an exceedingly valuable item for making clothes or equipment. Imbued with the power of Mana, it grants resistance to poison and amplifies darkness related powers.

Imoogi Leather can not be handled with ordinary Tailoring skills or tools.

Only a Tailor who has risen to the ranks of a Master Craftsman will be granted an incomparably precious experience and the opportunity to create a masterpiece.

Traces of battle are left on the leather, so its value has been slightly compromised. In order to manufacture it into a product, it requires additional repair.

It is a top-grade Tailoring item.

Options: Amplifies darkness related powers. Increases maximum Mana by 20,000. Has poison resistance, so will not be easily poisoned.

Very light material.

He was using an ultimate Tailoring item to make a mere doll. A material that could net tens of thousands of Gold despite their holes and blemishes if it was made into a tunic for an Adventurer or a Magician’s robe was cut without hesitation and reborn as a doll.

Ding!

You have created Rabbit Plushie.

A new challenge by a Sculptor, who brings out beauty with his hands!

Rare leather was used as a material to make a rabbit doll.

Weed, the creator of a new revolution in the field of sculpturing, will not stop his challenge.

Artistic Value: A work by the great master Sculptor Weed. 309.

Special Options:
Possessing the Rabbit Plushie increases jumping ability by 5%.

Showing the plushie to children is enough to raise intimacy.

Can increase friendship with the Giant Rabbits.

– Sculpting skill proficiency has been improved.

– Tailoring skill proficiency has been improved.

– Fame has increased by 12.

– Art stat has increased by 3.

– Luck has increased by 1.

The Giant Rabbits hadn’t been discovered yet. Like the Yetis that were said to live in the snowy region, they were a tribe that only existed in the legends passed down the generations!

By making a sculpture with a plushie, his Sculpting skill proficiency went up by a whole 0.9%.

“I didn’t think I’d be able to get this much proficiency even by making a Fine piece after my Sculpting skill level rose to 7…”

It seemed like concentrating on large sculptures or stone sculptures was a mistake. Sculpting could only develop by constantly attempting new changes. Themes or works you wanted to make would pile up so much that you’d have to make them without rest– such was the world of Sculpting!

As a human, the sculptures Weed made were determined, to some extent. He tended to make sculptures he was familiar with, and he was gradually straying away from making new attempts. After making Seo-yoon sculptures for a while, he had switched to large sculptures, but there were limits to sculptures made out of habit.

Weed completed about 30 stuffed animals with tender and friendly expressions and laid them out neatly. Wild beast plushies like lions, elephants, bears, cheetahs, and rhinos were in cute poses.

“Though a doll is best made with evil looks and gleaming eyes…”

They were severely mismatched with Weed’s tastes, but they were for children anyways.

Out of the dolls he made from leather, 5 Fine pieces emerged. As dolls made by attaching cloth and leather with the involvement of the Tailoring skill, the degree of completeness was considerable.

Weed’s craftsmanship boasted tremendous durability. He created plushies that would remain fluffy even if a real elephant were to come and trample them; they would even be perfectly fine if they were burnt with fire magic. They were at a level where children playing with them unawares would be rendered agape with astonishment upon seeing the plushies that remained unscathed even as they burned in a fire!

“The bias that a doll shouldn’t be sturdy has to be disposed of!”

As Weed made even more stuffed animals, he learned the basics of doll production. He also displayed imagination that truly went outside of the box. Leather squirrel plushies were turning a millstone to crush a big acorn– they were going to make acorn jelly to eat. Rabbits made carrot soup and were swimming around in it.

“For the piece name, ‘Squirrel and Rabbit Cooks’ will suit it.”

It was a Fine piece. If he used his Cooking skill later to make real acorn jelly and carrot soup and added it, it would be perfect.

Monkey plushies were peeling bananas, singing, and dancing in a group. They lit a bonfire and cavorted in a dizzying and sensual dance that would seduce monkey lovers. He even staged the comical scene of the playful monkeys falling over and slipping on the banana peels below them.

“The piece name will be ‘Cheeky Monkey Festival.'”

This time, it turned out to be a Masterpiece. The sight of the monkeys handling instruments carved out of wood was adorable.

“Next will be…”

Animals, animals, animals.

If it was for a little boy, he would be able to make sculptures like cars, boats, and planes. However, they had to be sculptures for a female child.

“Because little girls like stuffed animals!”

He made so many stuffed animals that it was ridiculous. He had an immunity to hard work, so he didn’t tire even after making hundreds of them.

“So I can completely fill up one room with dolls… I have to make it so the child will feel that she was happy and never unfortunate.”

The dolls he was making right now were merely side accessories. He had to make a special doll for his ultimate work, a greater magnum opus than any other works Weed had made. He had to make a true masterpiece.

* * *

Trivan, a village close to Morata, was recorded as a territory that had been ruled by a viscount in the days of the Niflheim Empire. It had been a blessed domain that produced a lot of silk and cinnamon, and had even possessed an expansive granary region.

However, after the harsh winter of the North passed by it, all that was left was a wasteland and ruins. There were also many monsters, so the village was often plundered. After an attack by the likes of wild dogs, there was hardly any food supplies left in the village.

The Styrene Guild settled down here.

“Dig up the ground! We have to take out the rocks and plant the seeds, so we’ve gotta hurry.”

30 guild members under the command of Styrene were working with pickaxes. It was so they could clear the earth and plant seeds.

“Dammit, at least in Norman Kingdom, even beginners recognized you if you said you were part of Styrene Guild… what the hell is this.”

“There’s no helping it since there aren’t any residents to do the work. They’re all earning in Morata right now.”

Styrene Guild had settled in Trivan Village about 5 months ago in Versailles Continent time! Around the time when the North’s pioneering was booming, Styrene Guild had moved their base early.

The villages and territories in the North were currently being governed for the players and guilds that were migrating over extensively.

When the Styrene Guild was choosing a village to settle, their conditions hadn’t really been that picky.

“Real estate is all about location. Fertile land? Broad fields? Or terrain next to a mountain? They’re all unnecessary. It just has to be close to Morata.”

At that time, Morata had been rising as the North’s famous village. Its future looked bright, even to Styrene.

“The benefit of being the center of the northern continent… Merchant trade is flourishing and players are gathering. In the future, Morata will become the North’s hub.”

It was as Styrene predicted. Morata developed at a frightening speed from the Lord’s bold investment and the influx of people. Every time the Styrene Guild went to Morata Village to purchase goods they needed, they saw a world of differences in the changes.

Where there had only been the Tower of Light and a few sculptures, the ruin that had been Morata Village was paved with roads nice enough that a carriage could speed along on them and new buildings were built. Though it wasn’t fancy, a wide central square with a fountain also formed. In the square, Warriors, Magicians, Knights, and Adventurers sought party members to quest and hunt with. As they looked at the Merchants who packed around the fountain doing business, Styrene was so envious that tears sprang to his eyes.

“Our Trivan Village will… definitely also become like this later.”

Since the Lord of Morata’s profession was Sculptor, there was hope.

“The sculptures will have the effect of drawing in people at first. But once our Styrene Guild publicizes the hunting ground information and stuff, they’ll all come to our side.”

Styrene Guild excavated a dungeon and publicized monster information. They meant for many players to come hunt and settle in Trivan.

“Wow, so this is Trivan Village? We found it properly.”

“Let’s hunt!”

Fighting parties visited in swarms. They were able to come quickly on horses because Trivan wasn’t that far away from Morata. However, once night fell, they returned to Morata.

“Let’s go look at the Tower of Light.”

“I’m a bit hungry. Let’s go to Morata and eat.”

That was the nearby city’s limit. The players made money from the dungeon and hunting ground and went to spend it back in Morata.

“Let’s sell our japtem in Morata, too.”

“Yeah, there are lots of Merchants in Morata so we can get a good price.”

They didn’t even sell off their japtem in Trivan Village.

Styrene’s village operation suffered a loss, but they weren’t frustrated and didn’t give up. “It’s the development of a village, so… we expected this much difficulty at the beginning anyways.”

They spent an additional 100 thousand Gold to invest. They built new houses and even made a square so that there were no discomforts. However, players still didn’t come, so it was no different from a ghost town.

“It’s probably because it’s not known. Let’s go to Morata in person and try advertising there.”

Styrene went to Morata Village with Duma, a guild member.

“Seeking people to live in Trivan Village. It is a village that the Styrene Guild is peacefully governing. We will support you with various conveniences and even provide you with a fixed resettlement fund.”

They found other guilds that seemed to be in similar circumstances, as they were tearfully advertising.

“We welcome adventurers to come to Home Village. It still has many inadequacies, but our Faroe Guild will…”

“We invite everyone to Keatu Village!”

When Trivan Village had improved a little, Morata had grown in the number of buildings and people. The Goddess Freya Statue was completed, and an artificial lake appeared. The Lord personally expanded the tavern and even set up battle guilds. As it even became a starting city, the Morata region was growing bigger day by day. The expansion speed was so tremendous that the shops and houses were built on the empty lots beyond the Lord’s Castle, village, and the stone castle walls. It was a shantytown that overwhelmed them on their first visit to Morata!

“Eurgh, it’s really incredible.”

Even then, Styrene was optimistic. The fact that Morata was developing meant that people’s interest in the North was also growing! If Morata was getting better, Trivan Village would also gradually grow in residents.

“That’s how a city’s development is. If one place is intensively developed, the areas around it will also benefit.”

Having learned things like city organization and administration before, Styrene decided to think positively.

Morata wasn’t only a village with a Lord’s Castle, but also an extremely large land that included the neighboring regions.

“The Lord doesn’t even rule the region himself and he entrusted it to the elder, so that lack will probably show up somewhere.”

Through Styrene’s personal connections, he was clear to some extent on the situations of other guilds ruling castles and villages. The town’s representative didn’t leave his position unless there was a serious issue. That was because if you entrusted the administration to the elder or another noble, the expenses on useless aspects were severe. Morata’s expenses in the field of cultural art were great enough that they were unimaginable in the central continent.

“Good. Even Morata has a hole to it. If it’s investing in cultural art, then the waste will be severe and it’ll collapse soon.”

Styrene pulled together the guild’s astronomical funds to increase the number of smithies and develop the related techniques, investing a whopping 780 thousand Gold. He was developing the town tremendously as a city for Blacksmiths. Building a battle guild and even a magic guild, he strove to draw in players.

“There’s no place in the North that has a higher technological development level than Trivan Village. In time, this place will also become as big as Morata and grow in people.”

Styrene and his guild mates simply waited for that day to come. They were so excited that they couldn’t even sleep properly at night. While they were waiting, as culture developed in Morata, people began to enjoy the town. People tired from hunting, sightseeing, adventure, and quests comfortably enjoyed songs, sculptures, drawings, and art.

Culture didn’t even take much money. There were keepers making bunnies act cutely, performers, and even players who displayed their japtem and boasted. Morata’s players were happy.

Ding!

– 35 residents from Trivan Village are moving to Morata.

The complaints of the residents are intense.

The residents came complaining to Styrene.

“Why is our village failing to thrive like Morata, my Lord?”

“There’s nothing for the village children to play with.”

“Even after finishing hard work, I have no enthusiasm for life. I think this town is too desolate.”

The residents were deeply dissatisfied over the lack in culture. Morata’s residents were continuously growing, but Trivan Village’s population of just 3,000 was continuously falling. The loyalty of the town soldiers also fell, and work efficiency didn’t rise, either. As the residents decreased in number, silk production fell and the fields they had cleared with difficulty remained empty; they couldn’t even collect resources from the mine. Following the decline in residents, there were even cases where quests naturally disappeared. Players would come after struggling to finish a quest, but the store owner who was supposed to give them the reward had gone and disappeared. Plunged into a shocking situation, the players asked the residents but the reply was really the last straw.

“The weapon shop mister? He moved to Morata the other day. It won’t be easy to set up a new shop there, but they say it’s a village that people really want to live in. Me? I’m going to Morata soon, too. If you want to fulfil the work that was entrusted to you, go to Morata.”

Ding!

– 23 Trivan Village residents are moving to Morata.

The residents want a religious establishment.

“I want to see Goddess Freya. Thankfully there’s a goddess statue in the village next door, so we will spend the rest of our lives there.”

“How happy must our Morata friends be as they receive the blessing of faith? Going to Morata will bring one closer to the goddess!”

The residents continued to leave. Wanderers visiting the North had been settled in Trivan Village by giving them money and food, but they moved away. As a result, the village’s population was just barely 3,000 and didn’t grow.

Until now, Lords had worried over economy, technology, and military power. They viewed culture with scorn and paid no attention to it. If many Bards visited, they were even treated poorly for being noisy and annoying. What use was a rise in culture! Investing the maintenance fees or construction costs of culture-related facilities in other places was considered far more profitable.

There was no change in that way of thinking in other places in the continent, but Styrene was currently feeling an acute lack of culture. To make matters worse, he even received news of the issue he had worried most about.

“Guild master, they say Morata’s Lord Weed has returned.”

At the guild member’s report, Styrene’s head began to throb painfully.

“You’re saying he returned without going off somewhere and dying?”

“Yes. Apparently he’s making a Statue of Lugh now.”

“Ugh…making another sculpture!”

Styrene shook his head. No matter how he thought of it, there was nothing as reckless as competing with a Sculptor in city development. But even if he were given a fortune, there was no other alternative. There were just no Sculptors as outstanding as Weed in the Versailles Continent; the whole area was impacted every time he made a sculpture. As a neighboring Lord, it was like hell for Styrene.

“But there’s also a recent piece of news.”

“What news?”

“The Lord of Morata’s true identity is Wargod Weed.”

“What?!”

Wargod Weed!

It was such a feared name that it sent shivers down their spines.

Styrene was also a player who had grown up in the Continent of Magic. He had personally experienced the Continent of Magic Weed’s wicked charisma. He killed, stole, and was absolutely ruthless. Like looking at a mountain that could not be climbed, Wargod Weed had filled him with despair.

“Are you saying he’s really Wargod Weed?”

“We can’t be certain, but they say that possibility is sufficient.”

“Did he say it himself?”

“Apparently so.”

“…”

“Several news channels on broadcast are saying there’s an almost 100% possibility that Wargod Weed is Morata’s Lord.”

Styrene was silent for a while.

Wargod Weed’s nature was extremely brutal, and he didn’t condone those who challenged him. He was a figure who would be furious even after razing everything to the ground by the simple fact that there was a territory in Morata’s vicinity.

Styrene had fled the rough wolves in the central continent, but he ended up next to a tiger’s den.

He was about to recall nightmares from the Continent of Magic. However, his guild member said something that was somewhat comforting.

“A rumor isn’t always true. And there are also many opposing opinions.”

“What are they?”

“First of all, he does have quite a few connections to Wargod Weed, like the evidence of the Ice Dragon and his relationship with the Freya Church. However, it’s not certain whether it’s actually him or not.”

“Then…”

“Even if he’s really Wargod Weed, there’s not much he can do. Could he dare to challenge our guild alone?”

They were the welcome words Styrene had been waiting for.

“Right. There’s nothing to fear even if he’s Wargod Weed. And if his profession is really Sculptor, then we could even see it as a blessing and a stroke of luck, right?”

“There’s a chance for us.”

Styrene harbored grand ambitions concerning Morata. He would develop Trivan Village, draft soldiers, and seize Morata by force with his guild members! Styrene Guild had over 600 high-level players settled in the North altogether. If they acquired mercenaries from the central continent, they could field an army of about 2,000.

They were planning to take everything Morata had.

“Even if it’s Weed… this time, it won’t go as he pleases. His record from the Continent of Magic will end here. And if he isn’t Wargod Weed, then it’ll really be over for him.”

“That’s right, guild master!”

“Then hurry and go to Morata to lure in some residents so we can enact the plan.”

“…”

* * *

Weed developed his Tailoring and Sculpting skills as he immersed himself in making dolls.

“Dolls can also be called a field of expertise, after all.”

He could earn a lot of proficiency or Fame if a work he made for the first time exceeded a certain level. However, he accumulated professional experience after making several of them, so the effect on his skill level or proficiency grew as well.

It was like how it was awkward for a Swordsman to use magic, and how Blacksmiths couldn’t make tons of different kinds of weapons. Of course, a Sculptor was the profession at the very peak of hybrid characters that could combine all of those.

“A doll of a child…”

Weed tasted failure dozens of times. He couldn’t make a perfect magnum opus, a work that looked like it was carved from the light of the heavens. He could only dream of it because he knew his own humble skills well. However, it wouldn’t do if there was an aspect that he found lacking.

“A young little girl. A doll of a lovable, bright, and peaceful child.”

Weed tore at his hair. The King Hydra and Imoogi leather that had been stacked like a mountain was shrinking. If bronze or iron had been used as materials, then he could melt them down again and reuse them, but for the most part, he couldn’t recycle the leather materials and had to discard them.

“It’s hard enough making a child that’s flawlessly bright, but darkness follows brightness.”

In the eyes of the parents who couldn’t have the child, such brightness would be pain that would chip away at their hearts. Even so, their sadness would be infinitely greater if he made a child that was shrieking as it cried.

“Magnum opus. I need to create a magnum opus…”

Weed fell into confusion. His worries on what kind of work he should to make were growing even more severe.

“Should I guess how Seo-yoon looked when she was young and make that?”

Escaping from reality!

He thought it’d be easy to sculpt Hwaryeong or Irene in their youths. However, Weed soon saw the error of his ways and shook his head.

“The player named Mandol believed in me and entrusted this to me. I can’t just do a rough job.”

It seemed like doing the quest would be way easier than agonizing over something that was so difficult to resolve.

The proficiency he accumulated while making dolls also amounted to 36% of level 7. Even if his skill level and expressiveness grew with experience, it was no good if he couldn’t decide on the right subject.

“I’m not being too greedy… I just want to sculpt the best little girl that I can.”

Weed’s worries kept deepening.

Since there was no word from the expedition that had gotten the shared quest and had left for the Embinyu underground prison, he just kept sewing dolls. As he repeatedly experienced countless failures, he was trying to make that something.

Dolls, dolls, dolls, dolls!

“Gaaaaah!” Lee Hyun kicked away his blanket and stood. It was such a big issue that he couldn’t sleep. “I thought I’d never have to suffer because of a doll again.”

The dolls of young girls wouldn’t leave his mind.

“Should I just make it as a bronze statue? If I make it using gold or silver, then…”

He came up with ways to escape, but he didn’t want to run away from it like that. Such an action would be completely betraying the trust he had gathered in sculptures thus far.

“I can’t just forget about it without even being able to make the requested sculpture.”

It wasn’t his way to give up because it was hard. No matter what, he just had to find the method!

Lee Hyun went to the market to cool his head. The dawn market was overflowing with liveliness from the people buying and selling things like vegetables and meat. But even within that liveliness, he couldn’t think of the right sculpture for the young little girl.

“Should I try going to the maternity ward or a preschool?”

He could see little kids there, but it wasn’t like he didn’t know what a child looked like.

“They’re sleepy little devils that get hungry and you have to frequently change their diapers.”

No matter what kind of little girl doll he made, he wasn’t pleased.

On his way home, Lee Hyun passed a photo studio. Photographs for the first birthday celebrations of little kids and wedded couples were on display.

As he looked at those photos for a long time, Lee Hyun gained enlightenment.

“For a sculptor, the subject can be felt and seen in the finished work alone. That’s probably very different from a parent’s perspective.”

There was a life to a child even in an ordinary photo, and to a parent, that one photo would be a truly precious work.

Lee Hyun tried thinking of saying farewell to a little girl from a parent’s shoes.

Just what was he supposed to do about a parent’s breaking heart as they parted with a doll of a newborn baby!

“Making a doll of a child was wrong from the very beginning!” Lee Hyun suddenly shouted.

If he thought about it from a parent’s perspective, then he already had the most definite answer.

LMS: Volume 17 Chapter 7

This chapter was brought to you by AnmesicCat, Grisia, Haikai, and Lei.

A Girl’s Life

Weed brought out the King Hydra and Imoogi leathers. Even after making stuffed animals and failed dolls of children, there was still quite a lot left. The very best of the leather was left, too.

For works of art, the first one made wasn’t always the best, and the last one didn’t necessarily have a high degree of finishing. However, a sculpture that didn’t move the emotions wouldn’t be able to impart any emotions to the opposite party.

He had saved the best materials in case he came up with a sculpture that he really had to make!

“I should be able to make 40 dolls. It’s a shame, but this should be more than enough.”

Weed cut the leather and started from making a sculpture of a newborn baby. It was a little girl who had just been born. Her skin was wrinkled, and she looked like she was about to cry, as if she had truly come into the world for the first time. She was small enough to be held in one hand.

“A living being within a few hours of being born. This is a baby that has made her first contact with the world after coming out of her mother’s womb.”

Having already received information about Mandol and his wife, Weed took a little of their features when making the doll. Even so, however, there wasn’t a particular characteristic to the newborn babe.

“Alright. The first one is done.”

Weed laid down the baby doll and raised the leather again. He needed to make the second doll now.

As he made the doll, Weed’s hands were very careful. “It’s a newborn baby. In her first year, she’ll start toddling, and changing her diapers will be awful then, too. From a parent’s perspective, it’ll be a time when they can’t help but be worried all the time.”

Imagining the future of the little girl that Mandol’s wife would have given birth to, Weed made the doll very tensely.

“She needs clothes, too.”

He had covered the newborn baby doll with clean cloth, but now he used Tailoring to clothe her in baby clothes.

He completed the doll of a little girl gurgling into a laugh at her first birthday party!

“Now she knows her mom and dad… it’s the time when she’s growing up like that.”

The doll he made next had grown a little more. She was taller, and her fingers and toes had grown longer. She also had hair in cute pigtails.

“The age when she’ll learn how to speak and start acting mischievous.”

He clothed the fourth doll he made in a kindergarten uniform. It was a doll of a young student wearing adorable clothes and even a backpack.

The fifth doll had grown up quickly; it was time for her to go to elementary school.

She had just been a baby-faced and cute kid until now, but from the sixth, she began to have a slightly feminine charm.

“The neighborhood boys will really want to flip up her skirt, and she’ll have grown into a girl with a pretty smile.”

The little girl who made mischief and ran around like the queen of the neighborhood would grow up charmingly. Her eyes would be as playful as before, but brighter, and she would be taller.

Every doll he completed after that was taller and had longer hair. The hairstyles also changed several times, ranging from long straight hair men preferred to a lively pixie cut.

“This is also pretty hard work.”

He had to go buy hair from the sculpting material shop and sew them all in; even so, he didn’t tire because his efforts were making something.

From the fourteenth doll, she had already graduated high school and had become an adult.

She had grown into a woman who seemed very energetic and talkative. As if she was going to suddenly bring her boyfriend over to introduce him to her parents, she had rosy cheeks and charming expressions. He even made pretty accessories like a hairband and necklace with through crafting. She only needed a book bag and a uniform in her high school years, but she was now a college girl. He had to make her a bag and heels, which were like the lifeblood of a woman.

“But luxury is still a no!”

He compromised with reasonably priced rabbit leather for the goods she carried around. Even so, she still gave off the feeling of a refined college girl. They were accessories that suited her expression, clothes, overall feel, and perfume. Like how a parent treasured their child, they were crafted with his utmost; the female student was as lovable as a real person.

It took an extremely long time to make the sculpture, but Weed was concentrating so much with every ounce of his effort that he didn’t realize it.

From the seventeenth doll, as if no one could capture the passage of time, the small newborn baby that had to be cared for had found a job.

The eighteenth doll even went into volunteer work to help people in difficult situations.

In the nineteenth, she brought home a boyfriend, and in the twenty-first, she finally got married. He even made a reliable and thoughtful husband with her; they were a couple that matched each other like lovebirds. He made the wedding guests with materials like deer or rabbit leather, and they celebrated the couple’s future.

The twenty-third doll even had a child, and she lived in a happy home. She did the dishes with her husband, the laundry and cleaning, and went to work as she lived happily.

Every time a doll was completed, the woman would age, and the passage of time became apparent as wrinkles appeared in her lovely visage.

Dolls that raised children and lived with her husband.

“It’s too fast; they say that a person’s life goes past as quickly as a growing sprout and can’t be turned back, but even so, it’s too regretful.”

Past the young and immature days that had sparkled like jewels, the time that the doll experienced accelerated. From the thirty-sixth one onwards, the doll spent more time alone; her children had grown up, found jobs, and married. She became a grandmother and took naps, read books, and made yarn scarves for her grandson and granddaughter.

The Imoogi and Hydra leather that had been so abundant began to run out.

The forty-first doll happily and quietly closed her eyes. She was in a place with her family.

After making all the dolls, Weed sat still in deep despondency. The leather had completely run dry, and there was nothing more that he could do.

– Please set a name for the sculpture you’ve made.

The message window popped up when Weed stood still without moving his sculpting knife.

The sculpture that covered the lifetime of a doll was finished.

Weed weakly shook his head. “I will not set a name.”

He didn’t want to attach any name to the sculpture right now.

– If a name is not specified, then the name of the Sculptor might not be known and it may also be left as an unfinished work. Is that alright?

“It doesn’t matter. This was a work that I was not qualified to make.”

Ding!

Unnamed Mythical Sculpture

A gift thrown into the world by a Sculptor possessing talent and effort at the level of amazing a God!

The entire process of a human’s life, from birth to death, has been expressed in a sculpture.

The Sculptor’s perfect skills can even be felt in the meticulous needlework– absolutely perfect needlework, without even a single loose stitch or missing hair.

It is not known what Sculptor was able to make such a magical work of art.

Artistic Value: A blessing to sculpting. It will become an opportunity to develop the continent’s sculpting a step higher. 24,610.

Special Options:
Those who have seen the Unnamed Mythical Sculpture will have their Health and Mana regeneration speed increased by 32% for a day. Increases maximum Health and Mana by 30% for a day.

Strengthens the effects of blessing magic for a day.

Increases All Stats by 20.

Increases Agility and Courage by an additional 7%.

Increases movement speed by 30%. Can shorten the time taken because the farther one goes, the faster movement speed becomes.

Increases birth rate of the city or region where the statue is located by 100%. Reduces the violent tendencies of residents. It will be a very big help to security, but the natural increase of warriors and soldiers will decrease.

Permanently increases Health by 500.

Permanently increases the Wisdom and Intelligence of the Human race by a maximum of 15.

Effects do not stack with other sculptures.

An unfinished Mythical work.

– Sculpting skill proficiency has greatly improved.

– Handicraft skill proficiency has greatly improved.

– Sculpture Comprehension skill level has increased by 1.

– Because the artist who made the work was set to be unknown, Fame has increased by 2.

– Art stat has risen by 89.

– Perseverance has risen by 41.

– Charm has risen by 26.

– Wisdom has risen by 10.

In return for creating an unfinished mythical sculpture, All Stats rise by an additional 5 points.

A blessing to sculpting. For making a work about birth and death, stats related to combat will increase by 8% for one week. Maximum Mana and recovery rate will be increased by 65%.

The reward was enough to make Weed’s mind go blank. It seemed that he would have to completely throw away the prejudice that a Sculptor wasn’t as good as a Swordsman or another profession now.

“Check Sculpting skill!”

Advanced Sculpting 7 (65%): Can sculpt. A beautiful sculpture will also sell for a high price.

You can spread your name on the continent by making glorious sculptures.

Good for buying a woman’s affection.

At the level of being able to lead the Versailles Continent’s artistic community. It is regretful that there is no successor who can match the skills of this unique Sculptor.

His Sculpting skill proficiency had increased by a whopping 29%.

Thanks to putting in his utmost, Weed had ended up making a work that even he couldn’t understand.

“I just made dolls…”

Weed came to a deep realization. There was a reason why children and women liked dolls.

It was their instinct to find goods with value!

He had made the dolls for a request barely worth 1 Copper, but there was still a fault. The number of completed dolls was considerable. He had made them inside the roomy space he was using as a workroom in the Lord’s Castle, but he had to move them to another place so that Mandol and his wife could look at it comfortably. He could use an empty room in Morata Castle, but he didn’t want to do so.

“There has to be a separate space for the child.”

Weed mumbled quietly. “Whisper, turn off chatting restriction.”

Ding!

– Whisper restrictions have been released.
– Guild chat restrictions have been released.

He opened up the whisper and chat functions that he had shut off while returning to Morata. With the restrictions turned on, he didn’t see or hear the guild chat, and when someone whispered him, he could only hear them if he gave permission. It was a measure that he’d set up because there were so many people looking for Weed.

Sabrina: Hurry and hit it!

Edwin: It hasn’t been hit quite enough.

Pin: It’s resisting a lot, how annoying.

Edwin: But I think we’ve almost got it.

It seemed the Travelers of the Wilderness Guild was in a special hunting ground.

Weed ignored most of the guild’s talk, because although the chatting restriction had been turned off, there were still as many lurkers as ever.

– Mister Pavo.

He sent a whisper to the Architect Pavo, who he’d met in the Northern Expedition. It had been a really long time, but he never forgot players that he could use.

‘He was of a considerable level as an Architect.’

Pavo was the Architect who had been busy making even the stairs that were good for viewing for the Goddess Freya Statue in Morata.

– Weed! Is it you?

Pavo hadn’t forgotten Weed either. Since he was the Lord of Morata, of course he couldn’t forget.

– Where are you?

– I’m in Morata. I heard the rumor that you returned and are making a statue. I couldn’t go see you because I was setting up a store in the square.

– Are you almost done with your work?

– I just need to put up a door for them. If I hurry, I think can finish in an hour.

– What about Mister Gaston?

– He’s working with me. Right now he’s painting a ceiling fresco; he’s finishing it.

– That’s good. I have a request to make; I would like you to build me a house.

– The Lord of Morata needs a house?

Pavo looked like he didn’t understand it very well. There was no reason for Weed, who had the Lord’s Castle, to need a house. For things like item storage or resting in a bedroom, he could just use the Lord’s Castle, after all.

– Actually… I need a space to leave a sculpture.

– Really? Then can it be a house with a large warehouse attached?

– Rather than a warehouse, I’d like you to build a house that isn’t shabby so it can be displayed in a room.

– That’s not hard, where are the sculptures?

– They’re at the Lord’s Castle. I will instruct the guards to allow you to enter the place where the sculptures are.

– Got it. I’ll go there tonight at around evening. We’ll decide on the request fee after I see the work.

– Thank you.

Around the time when Weed finished his conversation with Pavo, he received a whisper from a player named Hon.

– This is Hon of the underground prison expedition. The dungeon exploration is almost complete.

– Have you found the prisoners of the Matallost Church?

– Yes. We’ve found one for now, and the other prisoners are said to be in the vicinity.

– You’ve worked hard. I will also go there soon.

It was time for Weed to go to the underground prison for the quest.

* * *

The River of Lamentation basin that was connected to Morata by the movement portal! The second S-rank difficulty quest and the Rescue the Prisoners of the Matallost Church would take place there. When Weed returned to the River of Lamentation again with Yellowy, he could see people gathered in groups nearby.

“That person is Weed…”

“He’s the person called the God of War?”

“Shh! Talk quietly. He might hear, so be careful!”

They were people who had heard the news that Weed had stopped making sculptures and was leaving for the River of Lamentation from their friends in Morata and had been waiting in advance to look at him.

A considerable number of high leveled players in the North paid the toll fee and were hunting near the River of Lamentation. Considering its distance from Morata and the level of the monsters, it could be said that there was no better hunting ground. There were occasional cases where a party bravely ventured deep into the North, but instances where the entire party was annihilated from a slight mistake were numerous. Since help could be found from the surroundings at any time, the River of Lamentation was a fine hunting ground.

Weed looked around at the players with cold and frosty eyes. ‘There are lots of people.’

In Morata, he had been a simple Lord who had sold food and japtem, but he couldn’t be that way in the hunting ground, too. There were already quite a few figures who were staring at Weed with challenging eyes. If these high leveled players came at him all at once, then even Weed wouldn’t be able to avoid death. He was even more sensitive because he had ultimate Unique items like the Necromancer’s Magic Tome, Talrock’s Armor, Ancient Shield, and Kolderim’s Daemon Sword.

‘This isn’t Morata.’

In Morata, people couldn’t even dream of challenging Weed because of the Soldiers or Knights. If someone raised a sword at the Lord, then they would either be subjugated by the Soldiers or the Freya Church’s Knights would thoroughly destroy them. However, anything could happen in a hunting ground. He could meet murderers and even drop an item.

In order to not be looked down on, Weed feigned nonchalance as he looked at the people.

“Pieces of trash everywhere.”

“…”

The crowd was silent.

The Wargod Weed they had imagined— it was an arrogance befitting of the strongest player in the Continent of Magic.

“Did they wait here without hunting to look at me? Though there are monsters everywhere… tsk tsk.”

Weed tsked as he insulted them outright. Even people who had purchased food or sculptures from Weed in Morata couldn’t conceal their shock at his completely different attitude.

The thoughts that occurred to them then!

‘This might be the true Weed…’

‘Is he acting politely to beginners or individuals alone? We’re gathered in a group and he’s actually criticising us… he might be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.’

There were over 200 high leveled players gathered here, yet he disdained them all outright. A player’s pride originally went sky high once they passed level 300. Their personal connections built from various places and the force they showed while hunting would become the object of envy. The number of players was immense because the Versailles Continent was expansive, but the higher you went up the ranks, the less players there were. A level 300 was at a level where they wouldn’t be disdained anywhere. At that position, they could join a prestigious guild and speak out some in a smaller to medium guild. The pride and ego of high level players was as high as a mountain, but there was no one here who would dare to interfere with Weed. They might attack him if they were alone, but it wasn’t a mood they could go forth in because the other people were staying put. Weed had dominated the atmosphere with a few composed words.

“How pathetic.”

“…”

The people couldn’t even say a single word in reply. At some point, it had become natural for Weed to speak like this. He was friendly in Morata, but he revealed his extremely arrogant nature before the gathered high level players. It was the might of the absolute strongest, something they had dreamed of since who knows when.

However, a few people harbored resentment towards the continuing disdain. Having become stronger while wandering the hunting grounds, their competitive spirit flared at Weed, who was acting like an almighty maverick. It would be an honor even if they died, and they felt like wanting to challenge him.

A subtle change in mood was flowing in the repressed crowd.

Just then, Weed burst out with Lion’s Roar, “Bingryong! Phoenix! Why haven’t you come to greet me even though I’ve come!”

A sound spread like lightning!

At Weed’s call, Bingryong and Phoenix spread their wings wide and flew over from far away. With a size that rivaled a Dragon with his torso alone, Bingryong was fearsome enough to give people who were seeing him for the first time get goosebumps. Bingryong and Phoenix let loose a round of cries into the sky before coming down to sit on the rocky mountain.

ROOAAAR!

SCREEECH!

Cracks formed on the mountain’s stone and sand was falling.

“Master, I came at your call.”
“Master, I have come.”

Bingryong was good-looking– he had heft like a Dragon, refined eyes, and a deft snout! With an air of indifference characteristic of a bird, Phoenix was cold, yet explosive power that seemed like it would burn everything lay dormant within. That Bingryong and Phoenix courteously lowered their heads to Weed.

“Ooh.”
“Incredible.”

The crowd felt some kind of wall separating them from Weed, who had tamed and was pushing around those two seemingly wild divine beasts. The constantly complaining, timid and fearful Bingryong and Phoenix, who was so very stupid that it caused accidents! Unaware of their relationship with Weed, who enslaved them with frustration and bullying, the people could only see it as amazing. There would be no one who could challenge Weed even after seeing Bingryong and Phoenix bowing their heads to him.

“You idiots. I get angry just seeing you guys.” Weed furrowed his brow.

Bingryong and Phoenix looked like they were accepting it without any resistance.

‘What kind of dirty tantrum is he going to throw now…’

‘Let’s just ignore it. There’s probably something we did wrong.’

Weed said, “Incompetent and useless bastards.”

Bingryong and Phoenix rolled their eyes in pointless guilt and sorriness as they looked around. Every time Weed insulted them, there was some kind of decisive reason. If they talked back and snapped at him, this frustration and insulting would go on for much longer, so they didn’t ask for the reason or argue. They decided to do the same this time, too, and just waited.

Weed shook his head towards Bingryong and Phoenix as if it was annoying. “I don’t even want to see you pieces of crap, so fuck off!”

Thinking it was their liberation, Bingryong and Phoenix unfurled their wings and flew away. They had to get far away from him before Weed changed his mind. They fled so quickly that the rocky mountain shook and harsh winds blew.

The crowd’s spirits sank even further. They were giving him looks of envy and respect rather than competitive or fighting spirit. With this much disdain towards Bingryong and Phoenix, whose matches were hard found even in the Versailles Continent, they were thinking that the disdain directed at them was somewhat natural.

Weed strode towards the direction of the Embinyu Fortress. The Rescue the Prisoners of the Matallost Church– monsters were gathered in hordes along with an enormous labyrinth in the underground the Embinyu Fortress.

‘Two people are better than one for clearing a dungeon like this.’

Because of concerns regarding poisoning or curse magic, it was beneficial to have one or two teammates.

* * *

Holding a shovel, Pavo walked to the black castle with Gaston.

“Have you come to fulfil the Lord’s request?” asked the guard watching over the Lord’s Caste with a spear.

Pavo came to the Lord’s Castle quite often because of his Architect license and had accumulated intimacy, so the guard had recognized him.

“Yes, I have.”

“The Lord has asked you to build a house to store a work. I will guide you to the place where the sculptures are located.”

“Thank you.”

Pavo and Gaston followed the guard into the Lord’s Castle. It was the Lord’s private space, where people normally couldn’t enter. Not even a single simple decoration was hung on the walls, and they couldn’t even look at things like the valuables.

“There’s nothing special,” said Gaston with disappointment.

As a Painter, his Art stat or insight would rise if he appreciated impressive artwork. It was due to their natural ambition that art professions wanted to appreciate many works.

“This is the room.”

The guard opened one of the Lord’s closed chambers.

At that moment!

A brilliant light poured out from within the room.

You have discovered a Mythical sculpture.

Birth and death!

For the first time, you have discovered a work whose craftsmanship will be envied by Dwarves and kings will want to acquire even by going to war.

The Sculptor who made the work did not reveal his name.

– For a discovery that will cause a sensation in the world, Fame has increased by 1,290.

-You have acquired the title of Mythical Sculpture Discoverer. If you tell the story of discovering the sculpture in a tavern, you will be able to drink and eat unlimited food and alcohol for free. Nobles and royals who love beauty will welcome your visit, and they will want to hear your story in detail.

As soon as the door was opened, the Fame that was so hard to raise went up by over 1,000.

That was before Pavo and Gaston were able to come to their senses.

You have seen Unnamed Mythical Sculpture.

The flower of artistry, this work is worth being called a marvelous work of art.

An unknown Sculptor made the sculpture with birth and death as the theme to demonstrate his skills. Those who see his sculpture and understand will celebrate life with him.

Health, Mana, and Stamina regeneration have increased by 32%.

Maximum Health and Mana have increased by 30%.

All Stats increased by 20.

Agility and Courage have been further increased.

Movement speed has quickened by 30%. The effect will be even greater when moving long distances.

Having enjoyed the joy of being alive, Health has permanently increased by 500.

It is difficult to understand this work due to low Wisdom. Wisdom and Intelligence have permanently increased by 2.

You need to look carefully and frequently in order to understand this work.

Architects were a profession that required surprisingly high Wisdom. That was because they needed to know how to use simple magic in order to construct a building. However, even his Wisdom and Intelligence were insufficient to understand this work.

That was it for Pavo, but Gaston was as shocked as if he’d been hit by a lightning bolt.

– For appreciating a Mythical sculpture, Art stat has risen by 47.

A massive increase in the Art stat!

In the case of magicians, an apprentice who learned from a teacher could grow much faster. However, artists could only prove themselves with their works alone!

The dolls displayed in the light looked so realistic that it was unbelievable that they were leather dolls. The clothes they were wearing, especially the buttons, were made precisely; not a single thing was out of place.

“To think that these sculptures are Weed’s true skills…”

The Sculptor who made the dolls was unknown, but who else could have made them but the Lord of Morata, Weed? They were sure of it because Weed had asked them to build a house for works that were in the Lord’s Castle.

Pavo sent a whisper to Weed with a trembling voice.

– A-are you are busy right now?

Weed’s answer returned quickly.

– It’s okay. Please speak.

– There’s one thing I’m curious about.

– What is it?

– Why didn’t you publicize your name after making this sculpture? Though we were able to get discoverer’s fame thanks to that…

It was something that Pavo and Gaston really couldn’t understand, despite being grateful for it. If he had made a sculpture like this, of course he should boast and let it be known.

If Gaston had painted a Mythical work, he would have gone around running his mouth everywhere.

– Because I was ashamed.

– Ashamed of what?!

– I was too embarrassed to reveal my name because my skill was too lacking and faulty…

– *Choke*

He was too embarrassed to attach his name after making a Mythical sculpture like this!

Weed’s modesty was enough to make them choke.

LMS: Volume 17 Chapter 8

This chapter was brought to you by AnmesicCat, Grisia, and Lei.

Encounter with Da’in

Pavo had great ambitions as an Architect. He was now skillful at constructing houses and buildings for business.

There was quite the variety of preferences for houses in Morata. In other affluent kingdoms, you had to be a high leveled player or have a lot of money in order to own your own house. That’s because they had to build a villa or some luxury residence in order to not be inferior to others. But in Morata, there was a representative style of house.

The shack!

It could be built easily, and it cost almost no construction and maintenance fees. The shoddy shack could only block the rain and wind, but there were so many of them that there was no reason to feel ashamed all alone.

Since even beginners could build one if they acquired lumber, they would prepare a house at just level 20 or 30. They could easily realize the precious dream of having their own house. After preparing a house, the beginners would leave equipment or goods they weren’t using inside their houses and even call their friends to throw parties. Morata was their hometown and they even had a house; that was the main reason why beginners couldn’t leave Morata even after growing.

Normally, permission to construct shacks wasn’t often given because public safety and health would drop severely if many of them were built. The price of land was also high in other cities, so building a house took tons of money. But Morata’s land was on the cheap side, and public safety and health were quite good as well. The Lord had made an expensive waterway and established a vigilance corps, and relief for the poor went on smoothly due to the Freya Church’s influence, so there were hardly any thieves.

“No village idealizes the shack more than this one does.”

Pavo had built a considerable number of shacks. The shacks he built were popular because they were sturdy and the inside space was also well designed. A shack that had just been built had a charm of its own. It would deteriorate after a long time, rotting or breaking and leaking, but it was more or less worth living in a shack that was like new.

Adventurers, Merchants, and wealthy players who crossed over from the Central Continent wanted high-class residences.

“Please build me a house on a place that looks down on Morata. You have to make the warehouse big, and please use expensive materials, too.”

There was also a lot of demand for high-class houses or business buildings, so Pavo worked hard. The thousands of shacks, hundreds of luxury villas, Morata’s bridge, and business buildings that he had personally built became landmarks.

“The Designing and Construction skill haven’t been growing well these days.”

The proficiency from shacks was paltry. The Fame he acquired and his proficiency growth from completing a business building or villa were also decreasing.

“I’ll have to make a really awesome work.”

Pavo’s affection towards Morata was extremely high. Since he had built many buildings that were being used by Merchants and residents, as an Architect, he was as fond of it as if it were his own city.

“Let’s try making a proper building.”

With perfect timing, Weed’s request set the fire of challenge blazing in him, as an Architect. He needed to make a work of construction for the sculpture about birth and death, as well as the countless dolls.

“Intermediate Designing!”

Ding!

– Designing is underway.

The blueprint popped up as a translucent 3D image in front of Pavo.

By using Mana, he could try setting up walls, columns, and even decorate the interior, as if he were actually making a house. The beginner Designing skill had a limit to the overall size, and you couldn’t use diverse materials either.

The Construction and Designing skill were inseparable. The materials and new styles that were applied in Construction were able to instantly influence the Designing skill and develop it. Things like the arrangement of furniture and the structure of the house were completed through Designing. After making a blueprint, you could even give instructions to laborers.

Pavo’s Designing skill was Intermediate level 3. It wasn’t at the level of being able to construct a castle, but he could certainly make a fairly large building and garden.

“They’re the skills that made 3 deluxe villas at once.”

Pavo made the blueprint with an enormous structure.

Weed said he had made the dolls for some child.

“That noble aim… I can’t disappoint it.”

Weed had permitted a budget of 1,980 Gold! It was just enough money to barely make one house. However, Pavo planned to invest in materials unsparingly for the construction.

“Let’s bring in good trees and flowers from the continent to decorate the garden. We’ll make the garden about one and a half acres, and the area of the building has to be at least 8 acres.”

Envisioning the ultimate landmark building, it had a size and design that he had never made before. He intended to make use of his fortune as an Architect, the profession that was said to have the most money after a Merchant, to try making a building that was worthy of emblemizing Morata.

“As an artist, it’s ridiculous that Weed didn’t have a single space worthy enough to display his sculptures.”

He would make it so that Weed’s sculptures could be put on display, allowing the residents and adventurers to see them.

Pavo began construction. He dove right into production because the work was so tremendous.

* * *

Pale was in the middle of hunting with his party in a dungeon when a whisper came from Weed.

– I have to hunt in an underground prison. It might be a little dangerous, but please send me one person or so.

The Embinyu Fortress underground prison was very complex. There were parties hunting and countless monsters everywhere. Since there was apparently a monster that used poison as well, it was tough to fight recklessly.

– I understand.

After ending the whisper, Pale spoke to his party. “Weed asked that we send one person.”

“Shall I go?” Hwaryeong stepped forward at once, as if she’d been waiting for it. There was no way she would miss an opportunity to be with Weed for the first time in a while.

“Of course Weed would welcome you, Hwaryeong, but he says he needs someone who can cure poison. Irene, do you want to go too?”

“What’ll you do here if I go?”

“We’ll figure it out somehow. It’s fine since we have Da’in, too.”

Pale’s party fulfilled very many requests from Morata. They were hunting and doing quests side-by-side while getting the book possessing the ‘Secret of Manufacturing Ancient Breastplate.’ Even though the quest they were currently doing had a difficulty of C, it was dangerous dungeon hunting where they were attacked by monsters with very high damage.

“Won’t it be dangerous for the people left behind if both Hwaryeong and I go?”

“Maybe. It depends on how long Zephyr can hold on, but it’ll definitely be a bit dangerous, huh?”

As a party that lacked a Warrior or Knight, it was true that they were uneasy whenever they did a dungeon exploration. Even though Zephyr took charge of defense, it was tough when there were a lot of monsters rushing in. Hwaryeong harassed the monsters with her Confusion Dance or Seduction Dance, so if both she and Irene were gone at the same time, it would greatly impede the exploration.

“I will go.” Holding a cudgel, Da’in stepped forward.

Shaman was the profession that could be called the jack of all trades! She had striking power, but it was also her specialty to soundly beat up the monsters when they went crazy.

As she swung her cudgel, Da’in occasionally murmured to herself. “Flogging has to be done by hand after all. There’s no fun in hunting without the taste of giving a beating.”

The most popular Shaman in Morata, she had been helping out in Pale’s party.

Zephyr nodded. “Miss Da’in can be relied on since she can detoxify and even cure. Looks like Hwaryeong and Da’in can go together and help him.”

After they decided on the people who would go to the underground prison, Yurin drew a picture based on Weed’s explanation. In the picture, Yurin, Da’in, and Hwaryeong were standing next to Weed at the entrance of a dark prison. The advantage of Picture Teleportation was that multiple people could be moved at once. Granted, the teleportation of an absurd number of people was impossible since everyone had to be drawn on one sheet. They also couldn’t teleport too deep underground due to the Mana limitation.

“Picture Teleportation!”

Yurin, Hwaryeong, and Da’in disappeared, as if they were sucked into the drawing. Then, as if swaying into being, they suddenly appeared in the place where Weed was waiting, the entrance to the underground prison.

MOOOOO!

Yellowy greeted them with a gentle face, as if glad to see them. He was a male, and as the special characteristic of an art creature, he liked beautiful people.

“Ohh, what a handsome and dashing bull.”

Hwaryeong gently stroked Yellow’s neck. It was a happy moment for Yellowy, who went slack-jawed with a naive expression.

“Oppa, how much does this fella weigh?”

“He’s a top of the line Korean cow. I added a little more to the special parts, like ribeye.”

“He looks tasty. Oughta be pretty good if you slow-cooked him and ate the bone broth mixed with rice.”

Yurin, who was joking because she was in front of Weed! Yellowy’s complexion lost all color.

In the meantime, Weed and Da’in saw each other.

Da’in’s face had become hard to recognize due to the aftermath of the curse she had received in Morata. She could get rid of the curse, but she had left it in order to see how Weed was getting along.

Da’in bowed lightly at the waist first as she greeted him. “Hello. I heard much about you.”

She greeted him while hiding her complex feelings from meeting him after a long time.

Weed introduced himself briefly. “I’m Sculptor Weed. So you’re the Shaman introduced by Pale.”

“I’m Da’in.”

A spark flashed through Weed’s eyes. Ever since he heard that there was a Shaman named Da’in in Pale’s party, he’d thought it was a strange coincidence.

“Da’in… and you say you’re a Shaman.”

“Why?”

Weed shook his head as if to clear something from his mind. “It’s nothing. It’s just that I recalled an old memory for a bit.”

“What kind of memory was it?”

“It’s just… a memory I keep to myself. Now is not the time to share a long story.” Weed spoke coldly because he had remembered the bittersweet memory from Lavias.

Lots of people were gathering in order to sightsee after hearing the news that he had arrived at the entrance to the underground prison. There were also people who had followed him from the Matallost Church’s temple. It would be better to take the mercenary Smith and get to the objective quickly.

“Let’s go into the underground prison first and chat later.”

Weed pulled out his sword and advanced. He had used Sword Grind and Armor Polish in advance, so there was nothing holding him back.

Da’in swung her cudgel as she chanted a spell. Weed was encased in the effects of a spell that amplified Strength, increased Agility, movement speed, and attack speed, and even hardened his skin. The effect was to the extent that it was unbelievable that she was a normal Shaman. Weed’s Strength increased by over 230, and his movement speed also became very fast. His whole body overflowed with strength, like he had dropped off heavy luggage. With his Stamina and Agility increased, he felt like he could run like the wind and leap from cliff to cliff. He felt as if he could run like a cheetah!

‘She’s an incredible Shaman,’ Weed thought to himself.

One of the finest Shamans in Morata, the proficiency of her skills was far from average.

* * *

“What a tremendous underground dungeon. I didn’t think it’d be this deep.”

The Warrior Hon looked around himself. The Embinyu’s underground prison boasted a massive size, as well as a complex labyrinth and various test subjects. The level of the monsters was also on the high side, and the traps were numerous too. The Thief players in the party tried to disable all the traps, but it still took them over twenty-five days of struggling on the path to the place where the priests of the Matallost Church were tied up.

There were over 40 players who had received the ‘Rescue the Prisoners of the Matallost Church’ quest together, and their levels were fairly high as well. They were only able to comb this vast dungeon all the way to this point because they had the help of players like the Explorer and Elementalist.

The Paladin Billeo said, “Because it’s an underground prison underneath the Embinyu Fortress… it truly wasn’t a normal dungeon. About when do you think Weed will come?”

The Magician Easton lit a bonfire idly as he replied. “We heard he left Morata, so won’t it take him about five days or so?”

Gallic looked unconvinced. “That fast?” He meant that was too quick compared to how much they themselves had suffered.

“We told him the path. Since we also got rid of all the traps, he should easily be able to get here in four or five days. Though it might take longer, y’know.”

Hon made a decision as the party’s leader. “Then since we can’t waste our time either, let’s hunt in the area while we wait.”

“Shall we?”

“Look around you. The others are all hunting too.”

There was a considerable number of monsters in the underground prison. Because it was a place where light didn’t shine in, it was inhabited by hideous demons or creatures that had been cursed by the Embinyu. They were also at a pretty high level. For the most part, level 350 monsters emerged.

“He should be able to get here within five days if he hurries.”

* * *

Weed closed in on the Dark Knights guarding the entrance to the underground prison. Since he was appreciating the effects from making a legendary sculpture and also had the Shaman’s skill on him, he moved as fast as if he were flying.

“The enemy we have to face is fifteen Dark Knights.”

They were the gatekeepers of the Embinyu Church. An excommunicated priest of the Demeter Church was also helping the Dark Knights, but they absolutely had to be taken down in order to enter the underground prison. It had only been a short amount of time, but it was common for people to fight the gatekeepers when a certain number of parties hunting in the River of Lamentation basin gathered. They needed at least 20 people in order to fight the Dark Knights at ease!

Weed was going to fight them with Hwaryeong, Da’in, and Yurin.

‘It’ll just be cumbersome if there are too many people.’

There were a lot of times when he also hunted alone, so he thought this many teammates was more than enough. If there were more people, he even had to distribute the japtem; the agony he would feel then would be indescribable!

“What, is he going to go hunt with just those people? Is he crazy?”

“You saw in the broadcast. He’s super strong.”

“He succeeded in the quest because there were a lot of barbarians who helped him.”

“He’ll only be able to go into the underground prison if we fight with him…”

“Let’s just wait and see for now. He’ll probably ask us to help if he needs it.”

The God of War Weed. Without concealing their excitement at being able to become his teammate, the watchers looked on from afar.

Of course, they would leap up right away to help him if he called and would be able to show off their strength. That was because being in the same party as Weed was a tremendous honor.

Hwaryeong spoke as if worried, “Around what level are the knights?”

“In the early 330s. The Elite Dark Knights are about 380.” There weren’t any Elite Dark Knights here, but Weed explained for now. “If the knights have firm wills, the Seduction Dance probably won’t work well on them.”

Hwaryeong’s Charm was enough to make Yellow wag his tail. Besides the Charm skill that was vital for her as a Dancer, with the combination of her clothes and accessories, there was no man who wouldn’t fall over if she flirted with her flashy and evocative dance.

“It’s just that my Health is low. I’ll die pretty quick if I take a hit from a monster at the level of a Dark Knight; do you think it’ll be okay?”

“I’ll draw their aggro first, so please dance after that.”

“I’ll only believe in you, Weed.”

The Dark Knights recognized Weed and reacted.

“Our church’s enemy!”

“He’s the conspirator who destroyed our religion’s headquarters and caused the High Priest’s death.”

“The vicious guy who lured in the uncivilized barbarians with his cunning tongue and challenged us, the followers of a sacred purpose, has come.”

The Dark Knights charged with fierce rage.

The charge of knights!

There were many cases where knights insisted on single combat. Because they had honor and pride, knights did offer to fight one to one. However, such a regulation didn’t didn’t apply to Weed. He had become an enemy who could not coexist with the Embinyu Church.

Clink clink clink.

Rushing in with the sound of their armor joints clattering, the charge of the Dark Knights was tremendous. A charge of the knights had been enough to deal a wound even on the former King Hydra’s thick body. Because they carried the weight of their great armor, Vitality and Health would fall even if the charge was blocked with a shield. Cases where you were paralyzed from the impact were also numerous.

But Weed had a defense skill as well.

Close Eyes Tightly!

It was a Warrior technique that raised Perseverance and Toughness through the restriction of vision.

That wasn’t all; he hardly used it, but the Moonlight Sculpting Blade was a skill that integrated attack and defense. When he used it as an attack skill alone, he could ignore the enemy’s defense and deal a lot of damage. It was thanks to the characteristic of a Sculptor, who carved into actual materials, and the technique that was capable of handling light. It was also possible to use light to blind the enemy’s eyes or to surround himself completely in light to use it for defensive purposes. There were the disadvantages that it couldn’t block a physical blow as well as a magic attack and consumed Mana quickly, but the results Weed had gotten from experimenting with it had been fearsome.

His entire body covered in light and his wings spread out, he had penetrated the clump of monsters. A precise swordsmanship directed at the monsters that were approaching at rollercoaster-like speeds! He could have also shot out light and hit them, but the Mana consumption was too severe if he did that. Even when he tore them apart by swinging his sword himself, it only took a moment to reduce the monsters to ashes. 7 Caltrops! A battle against them would have taken a while if he fought normally, but they had been annihilated boringly in just 30-40 seconds with the Moonlight Sculpting Blade. Granted, he had to rest for a long time after ending the battle since he used up almost all his Vitality and Mana.

He could also use the Wings of Light that had been granted life to bypass monsters or assault them from behind. The fighting methods he could use were endless.

However, there was almost no occasion where he had to fight to the best of his ability. The biggest fighting opportunity had been when he was seizing the Embinyu Fortress, but the summoned Balkan, King Hydra, and Imoogi had fought better than he had expected. He tried to reveal his true skills for a bit when cutting the King Hydra’s necks all at once, but he was so tired that it had ended all too blandly.

“I’m fed up with hunting, it’s boring.”

Following his own growth, Weed was at the point where he was bored of most battles. He couldn’t raise Perseverance or Toughness in a fight where he had to do his best. For the ultimate hunting efficiency, there were things he needed to sacrifice out of necessity.

The underground prison was said to have monsters everywhere. Since he expected that the fighting would go on continuously, he couldn’t rely on a skill that consumed Mana.

“Dirtman, turn the ground around me into mud.”

The earth spirit was summoned in the blink of an eye. It was fresh since Weed had made it himself, took little Mana besides the summoning, and it was an obedient spirit. In his current state of very accelerated Mana recovery, he could use as many spirits as he wanted.

“I came because I received the command of Weed-nim, the most handsome man in the Versailles Continent. I will make the earth into mud right away.”

Other spirits were arrogant and wasted a lot of time in responding to a summoning. Even with high intimacy with the Elementalist, it was rare for them to be obedient. However, Dirtman popped out as soon as it was called.

The ground the knights were charging on soon transformed into a mire that came up to the ankles. The armor wearing knights scattered and struggled on the place that had become bog-like.

“What’s that spirit?”

“Is it an earth spirit? It appeared so quickly!”

That was the surprised reaction of the people who saw Dirtman.

“Hooray for Weed-nim, the being of absolute charisma! I have completed thy command. Do you have any more work for me? Please call me for anything.”

Weed spoke as if being generous. “You may fight with us too.”

“Thank you, Master. I shall not forget this kindness. I will treasure it deep inside my earth.”

Dirtman raised a mound of dirt and attacked the Dark Knights. There wasn’t much damage to speak of since it was dirt, but rocks were cleverly hidden inside so the Dark Knights had no choice but to fight it. Dirtman also didn’t use much Mana, considering it was a spirit. Since Weed currently had overflowing Mana, there was no need to be stingy.

“Dirtman, you may use as much of my Mana as you want.”

“I am honored, Master.”

BOOOOM!

Lines of dirt flew into the sky like arrows.

Weed ran into the bog that where the Dark Knights were in mud up to their thighs and being harassed. The ground before his feet became firm, so there was no discomfort to walking.

“The foe of the Embinyu Church!”

“It’s good you came; I shall rip you apart.”

Even while being very preoccupied due to the mire, the Dark Knights swung their swords at Weed.

They were big knights, but their heights were about the same as Weed’s because their legs were sunken in the mud.

The Dark Knights madly swung their dirtied swords. The sword Weed swung rang out with a beautiful sound as it flowed on the swords of the Dark Knights in succession.

Claaaaassh!

As if a blizzard was being split, a path was cut through the flock of Dark Knights.

“Bone Cutter!”
“Sharpness Blade!”
“Illusion Sword!”

The swords of the Dark Knights shined as spells were cast. A damage amplifying skill that cut through the opponent’s bones! A skill that penetrated by concentrating strength into sharpness! The Dark Knights even used a skill that divided a sword, turning it into five.

The Dark Knights surrounded Weed and unleashed their attacks. Weed turned violently . He avoided the Bone Cutter that would deal a fatal wound if he took a direct blow to his bare body, and he twisted to the side to avoid the sword that came straight his way. After narrowly dodging them, the sword that was divided into five attacked him.

Weed’s eyes flashed. ‘There’s always a weak point to skills like this.’

The decisive disadvantage that strength and damage would be dispersed!

“Sword Dance.”

Weed agiley moved his feet as he swung his sword to parry all five of the attacks.

“Arghh!”

It seemed the Dark Knights felt great shame that their attacks had failed. That was because even though they had put away their high pride to try a combined attack, they hadn’t been able to kill Weed.

“Bone Cutter!”

“Keep attacking!”

Among the Dark Knights, Weed sped about like a bog eel. After leaping into their midst, he used his enemies so they couldn’t use their skills and moved in a range that was close enough for their skin to touch.

‘Close combat can be called the ultimate fight.’

Swordsmen used their skills from the very beginning. They unleashed their swordsmanship without hesitation, and even used long-ranged attack skills like lunges. With flashy effects, they displayed as much might. The Swordsman was a profession that had more awesome damage the more high leveled they became. There was a reason why they took the center stage in hunting.

On the other hand, Weed believed in the single Sculpting Blade and made do with his body for most of his fighting. With the least Mana consumption, he had grown through close combat, which could improve his skills and Toughness. Though the knights were quick and sharp, he was experienced and could avoid them fairly well.

‘And… they’re much slower than the sahyungs or master’s sword.’

One could roughly predict where an attack would land just by looking at the foot movements. Weed stored the placement of the Dark Knights and their attack directions in his head and moved amongst them.

‘If you’re fast and smooth, you won’t fall apart even when fighting greater numbers.’

His sword flowed and burrowed in while parrying.

The Sword Mastery skill that had risen to Intermediate 7 became Weed’s foundation in battle. As his Sword Mastery skill was higher than the Dark Knights’, there were many cases where his opponent’s attack skills were nulled when he beat them at a precise strike point.

“Triple!”

Weed used only the bare minimum of skills as he sliced past the Dark Knights as if sweeping through. He hid his Sculpting Blade, which could be called his patented move, in order to avoid the attention of the onlookers. That was because not showing a considerable portion of his skills would be helpful in a nasty situation. Sculpting Blade was effective when facing a monster that was much stronger than a normal one and it was particularly optimal for tearing apart Knights or Warriors.

“Ack!”

“He got through.”

The Dark Knights groaned heavily, but they didn’t fall. That was because they had immense defense and Health from wearing full plate armor, the reason why knights were so tricky to face. However, the damage didn’t end with small wounds, due to Weed’s sword, the Daemon Sword that was said to have cleaved the devil.

– Daemon Sword’s Freezing Curse.

A part of the body has frozen, so Strength and Agility will fall greatly.

Will reduce Health by 35 every second due to the damage of the ice attribute.

– Daemon Sword Cracked Rock Curse.

A crack has formed in the equipped armor, causing the durability to fall continuously.

Decreases defense.

– Daemon Sword’s Nightmare Curse.

Evil spirits will rush in to cause optical illusions; after willpower has been weakened, they will rapidly disintegrate the body.

The Dark Knights fell into chaos from Weed’s intrusion. Hwaryeong used the instantaneously created opening to push into the knights.

“Seduction Dance!”

The sensual bubi bubi, which could only be seen in a club or a night stage!
[T/N: For those who may have forgotten, this is a dance that involves grinding and generally sexy movements, leading to the name, bubi bubi, which translates literally to “rub rub” — it is not derived from “booby booby”.]

When Hwaryeong’s body grazed past, the Dark Knights froze in their tracks. They drooled with hazy eyes and even lost their minds. Hwaryeong had grown enormously in the time while they had been apart, so as she danced, a butterfly flew around and flowers were strewn about.

“A dancer must always be graceful!”

She was even using the Flower Scattering skill!

As Hwaryeong danced, she left an inviting fragrance in her wake. Over 10 Dark Knights were charmed and lost their will to fight for an instant.

“Arrrghhh!”

Weed easily hunted down the Priest with weak defense first. Killing Priests didn’t take long since their Health was low even if they were high leveled. By the time he got rid of the Priest, the Dark Knights attacking Weed had decreased by three thanks to Hwaryeong’s work.

“Too easy.”

Weed and Hwaryeong were perfectly in sync.

Weed slipped past the attacks of three Dark Knights with ease as he unfurled an aggressive counterattack.

– A fatal blow has been dealt.

The accurate blows that fell every time he did so!

Weed effectively used Kolderim’s Daemon Sword, cleaver of the devil. The Daemon Sword allowed his skills to take flight. It was important to land fatal blows with Strength and damage, but he dealt many small wounds. He killed the Dark Knights after weakening them severely through the 7 overlapping curses of the Daemon Sword. Weed was moving so fantastically that even the armor he was wearing felt like a uselessly heavy load.

The jaws of the onlookers fell open.

“What the hell?”

“How can a person move like that? Is he seeing the attacks of the Dark Knights?”

“That’s not something you can do just by seeing the attacks. He’s striking the sword he’s swinging in the center to change their directions.”

Scenes they couldn’t believe even after rubbing their eyes were cropping up one after another.

Beginner Warriors or Knights fought while getting hit by most of the attacks, trusting their Toughness, skills, and armor. Even if they accumulated a certain amount of skill, they were only at the level of using their shields or putting their weapons up front to block. Weed dodged the enemy’s attacks by a finger’s width, pierced the vital points, and slipped out. If they had known that Weed was restraining a lot of his skills, the people might have even fallen into severe self-doubt and frustration.

“Even the videos of famous Swordsmen on the Versailles Continent weren’t at this level.”

“Still, does he have no sense of fear at all? How can he run in front in a situation like that?”

“I recognized him when he fought riding the wyvern. A fight like that is really too natural for Weed!”

A battle on par with what the onlookers had thought of was unfolding before their eyes. They could only be fascinated by Weed’s natural movements alone. They wouldn’t have been this surprised if he had a high level or fought while using skills, but the movement of his body itself was a work of art.

Scenes of a fight that looked as if he was enjoying battle and controlling every movement!

The players knew how incredible Weed’s current actions were.

“His stats and skills, all of it is optimized.”

“He’s putting everything he has into battle.”

The ordinary standard for high leveled players was using their character’s techniques well. They decided on various attack skills to match the situation and fought to win.

In comparison, like a person born for battle, Weed showed precise judgement and movements.

Even if the characters were the same, their performance in battle could only be different based on how they fought. In a brawling game, it was like the difference between heaven and earth even if characters with the same ability were used to fight.

A normal human wouldn’t leap right into the middle of the Dark Knights swinging swords, and they wouldn’t even try to strike those swords to slip past. No, they wouldn’t overdo it by fighting the Dark Knights in the first place and would choose to safely gather more teammates.

When onlookers who had rushed over without reserve saw Weed’s battle, there was something that made their blood boil. It drew them into wild excitement, and they were absorbed in the battle.

“There were over 10 Dark Knights, but he’s really hunting them with 4 people. It ought to be possible if they were a party in the late 300s, but…”

“Just look at that Painter over there! She’s wearing a tunic with a level 30 requirement.”

“Is she really under level 50?”

“Her profession is a Painter. She’s not even joining in the battle, just doodling.”

Yurin was drawing the overpowering Dark Knights wearing the formal, solemn armor as no-good cavemen. With bushy beards and nose hairs sticking out, they were wearing elastic tights rather than armor.

“The weapon the Shaman has equipped isn’t good either?”

“She’s an extremely famous Shaman in Morata. I was in the same party as her once before, but… she’s not even level 250.”

“You mean she’s hunting Dark Knights even so? It’s ridiculous even if Weed is there.”

“The Shaman is impressive too, and I’ve never seen a Dancer getting so aggressively involved in a battle. If only I could also dance with a charming Dancer like her…”

When the onlookers were spewing praise, Weed’s expression was apathetic.

‘This is boring.’

The ability of the Dark Knights was impressive. They were knights, and they rained down heavy and substantial attacks, so you couldn’t be careless. If he was level 300 like before, he would have hunted with great excitement since they were monsters that were objectively stronger than himself. But since Weed was now level 370, he could defeat them fairly comfortably. Having grown while struggling in disadvantageous situations, opponents that were perfect for others merely made Weed sleepy.

‘Too weak.’

Even after hunting several Dark Knights at once, he thought of this much as insignificant.

Even after entering the underground prison, Weed easily slaughtered the monsters. He was able to hunt the monsters so simply that it was futile since Hwaryeong put them to sleep. That was also because he couldn’t take hits from the Dark Knights on purpose in order to raise his Toughness since there were many onlookers. Because this was after he made the sculpture, his Health and Mana recovery speeds were at a tremendous level, so he would be slow to tire even after fighting and fighting.

Monks of the Embinyu Church appeared before Weed. They were a very strong and rather quick mob that used punches or kicks as their main arsenals.

Weed overlapped another skill onto Sculpting Blade. It was a possible attack because Sculpting Blade was a technique that applied purely to Sword Mastery itself.

“15 Chain Strike.”

Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-bam!

He ran in without reserve and mercilessly beat them up with his sword. He had absolutely no mercy, and made no allowance for generosity, either.

“Hammer Fist!”

When the Monks were barely able to extend their fists, he stood and took that much. Weed’s equips were considerable, so taking a few hits from the Monks’ hits was fine.

“Did you hit me just now?”

Weed’s eyes twitched. His Perseverance or Toughness didn’t even rise from taking those fumbling hits. He didn’t really need to bear it and get hit when his stats didn’t even go up!

“15 Chain Strike!”

Pa-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-bam!

He violently beat up the Monks. He beat them here, beat them there, chased and beat them, and beat them once more because it was a waste to use a skill right before they died. His sword rampaged as he mercilessly thrashed the Monks. It was to the extent that the onlookers felt sorry for the Monks of the Embinyu Church.

His Mana recovery speed was so fast that it quickly refilled again even if he used a skill.

“Weed! For you to come this far…! I heard much about your dirty crimes. I will take the Embinyu Church’s revenge.”

The Elite Dark Knight approached him in the underground prison with his mantle fluttering. If it were someone other than Weed, an exciting and tense atmosphere might have formed.

“Elite Dark Knight, you did well to show up as well. Sword Kaiser!”

He dodged the Elite Dark Knight’s attack and activated his ultimate attack skill head on!

“Argh!”

The Elite Dark Knight was flung to the opposite wall insignificantly.

– The Elite Dark Knight has fallen into a state of panic from a great shock.

Weed raised his sword and thrashed it.

“Then why’d you show up, hurry and die. Die! Die!”

The Elite Dark Knight dropped a shoulder guard and lost its life in vain.

“Equipment!”

Weed licked his lower lip with his tongue. This was a situation where he was wetting his lips with greed and thirst was rising in his throat.

“While you’re like this, I guess I’ll gather some Sword Mastery and attack skill proficiency!”

Babaaam!

Crunch! Boom! Whaam!

“EEEK!”

Powowowow!

Engrossing himself in just hunting without thinking of raising his stats for defense, all that was left were the gruesome remains of monsters.

The onlookers following him from behind drifted further and further away.

“Euu…”

“So this is why they say the places where Weed has gone through are sucked dry of monsters.

“To think his personality was this dirty. He isn’t saving even a single one and just beating them again and again and again.”

“Did you see just now? He hit a monster that already died another three times before it hit the ground.”

“I’ve never seen a hunting method that kills monsters like that.”

“His notoriety wasn’t just false rumors.”

The onlookers backed off quickly, fearing the human who was hunting with such a dirty nature! Even though they backed off a distance, they could still hear Weed’s words. It was a conversation he was having after wiping out five mobs of Dark Knights and disciples of the Embinyu Church.

“Let’s fight faster.”

“How?”

“Angry Pebbles, come out.”

Eight premium fire spirits were summoned with his overflowing Mana. The spirits with blazing, red-hot bodies went on their hands and knees before Weed and raised a fiery show as they acted charmingly. It appeared that Weed’s control over the spirits had reached it’s height.

“Did you call, our creator who is the most outstanding being under this sky!”

“You guys, go play with fire a bit. From the end of the passage on this side, set everything on fire in order.”

“Understood, Master.”

Weed knew about the blocked paths of the complicated underground prison from the expedition. There were traps in the passages and monsters were teeming as well.

“Make sure that you check and only choose the places without people to set on fire,” Weed warned. If a place where parties were hunting was set on fire and they happened to die, he could become a murderer.

“We shall devote our lives to fulfil thy command. It is a great honor that you did not forget us and entrusted this task.”

Dark Knights and monsters were piled up in the blocked passages of the underground prison.

“Rawr.”

“Kekeke.”

The dry air in the passages where the monsters were became hotter and hotter.

“RAAAGGHH!”

Spittle went flying as the monsters suffered! Once the flames rose explosively from the blocked passages, they screamed in anguish as they scrambled out.

“It’s the harvest. 15 Chain Strikes!”

Weed killed every flaming monster that emerged.

Like a skilled farmer wielding a sickle, he precisely aimed for the throats, heads, and vital points of the monsters.

“This is the taste of hunting.”

Monsters fell in swathes in front of Weed. When japtem and equips dropped as monsters turned to grey light, Weed sorted the expensive ones and put them onto Yellowy’s back even in the middle of fighting. His hands moved with unparalleled business.

“Wah! That’s really ridiculous.”

“Is it even possible to hunt like this?”

The onlookers had never seen hunting like this. A normal hunting party would hunt camped out in one corner of the passage or clearing. They would also chat, make food to eat, and take breaks. If the speed of the monster appearances was slow, they would move while doing more hunting. When they did so, the party leader would entrust matters to a Thief, Adventurer, or Assassin, since they had to look for traces of monsters and chase them. Finding monsters well while considering the party members’ states was the leader’s responsibility. Therefore, knowing the geography and being aware of the characteristics of monsters while raising hunting efficiency was the standard.

However, Weed was different. His hunting range wasn’t fixed in a narrow passage or a single spot. He took the characteristic of this enormous underground prison, this dungeon, into consideration and put the entire area around him into his hunting range.

“His EXP must be rising really damn well.”

“Just look at the japtem. His hunting speed is fast so tons of items are also being dropped.”

The onlookers could only be extremely jealous!

This was a hunting method that Weed could only show because his Mana recovery speed had quickened. It was Weed’s way to fight while managing his Vitality and Mana well, but there was still an obvious limit. It was also comfortable since he took care of the tricky monsters that were daunting to deal with after Hwaryeong put them to sleep with her Seduction Dance. Thanks to Da’in having impressive skills as a Shaman, she gave very effective support in battle. His Agility increased and his Strength grew as well, enabling him to nullify the attacks of the Dark Knights more precisely. The fighting became comfortable and much easier thanks to Da’in.

* * *

One of the parties that had been hunting in the underground prison was taking a break.

“Phew.”

A Warrior wiped the sweat dripping on his forehead. “The level of the monsters here is enormous.”

The Cleric also plopped down without even thinking of smoothing his crumpled robe. “I’ve got to boast to my friends when we get back to Morata. We’re seriously hunting in this underground prison.”

“We oughta be able to hunt even better if we brought teammates…”

“Pft. Don’t even say that, ’cause there shouldn’t be many people who are hunting while raising their EXP as nicely as we are.”

“We fought a whole seven times in 2 hours. That’s an incredible combat record.”

“It’s the fastest battling I’ve had all year. Lots of monsters come out, so it’s a really good spot for hunting.”

“It is a bit lacking since we only have 7 party members this time. Next time, let’s add another high damage Swordsman and Magician each and try a proper hunt.”

They were chatting while taking a break when 11 vicious Heretic Hunters of the Embinyu Church approached them from the passage.

The party members took up their weapons and rose from their seats.

“They’re not giving us a chance to rest.”

“What should we do? There’s still some distance between us, so should we run?”

Just when they were worriedly sharing their opinions, a huge creature and people approached the location of the Heretic Hunters. A man equipped with jet-black Talrok’s Armor, helmet, and gloves ran in speedily. After him, an old mercenary and three ladies came riding in on a large and brawny black cow.

“Seductive Dance!”

A Dancer who got off the cow distracted the Heretic Hunters as she danced. The Shaman used magic.

“Wavering eyes, amplify horror to make them see what they do not want to see most.”

The willpower of the Heretic Hunters was very vulnerable, and they were men, so their gazes were easily stolen by Hwaryeong’s dance. Da’in’s high-proficiency magic was invoked in that opening. Da’in didn’t even come down from Yellowy’s back.

“Embinyu God, hast thou forsaken me?”

“I am a heretic. Judge me!”

While the Heretic Hunters were screaming, Weed brandished his sword. “15 Chain Strikes!”

His swordsmanship didn’t back away or halt. With swordsmanship that added to his strength as he advanced, he precisely sliced only the weak points of the Heretic Hunters. His Strength, Agility, and overall fighting ability were amplified due to Dain’s buff magic.

“15 Chain Strikes!”

He used effective skills for group hunting without reserve as he bore down on the Heretic Hunters. The Heretic Hunters braced for battle and swung their weapons, but they were helpless. They were cursed every time Weed’s sword sliced past, and their bodies burned in flames, insects crawled over them, or their hair turned into stringy snakes. At the end of the battle, Yurin got down from Yellowy and simply picked up the japtem.

“Run!”

Having cleared the Heretic Hunters in an instant, they ran off to their next destination. The party’s appearance, hunting, and movement happened like a flash of lightning! Monsters collided with each other as they were ran over from afar with a wave of heat. The party headed towards that group of monsters, fought them in an instant, and went off to yet another location.

The people who had been hunting there originally muttered dazedly.

“What the hell is this?”

“For them to defeat the Heretic Hunters so fast… did you see the swordsman’s footwork? Even if it’s a skill, how can he run in at the enemy at that angle? He went around to the enemy’s back way too easily and knifed ’em, though he did get hit a few times.”

“Didn’t it really seem like he was just letting himself get hit because it was annoying to dodge?”

Not 5 minutes since they had left, a swarm of people tumbled in from the passage in the direction where Weed, Yellowy, and the others had appeared. They were the onlookers who had been following since the River of Lamentation vicinity.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“Did Weed and his teammates pass through here?”

“Weed?”

“Wargod Weed. He didn’t come this way?”

A young Warrior spoke urgently and anxiously, as if he had missed something important!

“I don’t know such a person… Ah, a party that came in riding a black cow did kill Heretic Hunters and went past.”

“Heretic Hunters!” The other onlookers who had also come asked, “How many were there?”

“11 of them.”

“11 of them! How many minutes did it take to defeat them?”

“Huh, how should I say how long it took… it really happened in a brief moment.”

“Please tell us anyway.”

“Roughly about 2 to 3 minutes?”

“So fast!”

The spectators cheered as they ran off to where Weed and Yellowy had disappeared.

“What was that just now?”

“Maybe… was Weed that Weed? Wargod Weed! He’s hunting in the underground prison!”

* * *

As she breathlessly followed Weed, Da’in was able to feel it.

‘He’s really… grown a lot.’

She had offered to party together with the Sculptor she’d met in Lavias because the sight of him hunting alone without teammates had been pitiful. Despite the limitations to the Sculptor profession, she had been able to feel a strong will from him as he fought monsters with all his might. The Sculptor who had raised his Perseverance by going as far as to take hits from monsters on purpose now wielded Blacksmithing and Tailoring skills. He had made food for her in Lavias as well, but his Cooking skill had also risen to Intermediate in their time apart. He even dragged a bull named Yellowy along with him.

“This slow-witted cow.”

Moooooooooo!

“Yurin, if you have any paint left over, paint him yellow.”

Moooooooooooo!

While they were resting for a bit after repeated battling, the sight of them squabbling with the sculpture lifeform named Yellowy was also cheerful. Yurin and even Hwaryeong played while chiming in.

“Oppa, he’s gonna be eaten anyways, so why dye him?”

“They say the black pigs of Jeju are very nutritious and tasty; just leave him black.”
[T/N: Jeju is Korea’s largest island, known for its tourism, scenery, and apparently its pigs.]

MOOO!

Yellowy wailed sorrowfully and pitifully. However, he wasn’t always treated unkindly. When mealtime rolled around, Weed gave him very nutritious hay, even though there was no knowing when he had gotten it. Yurin fed him herbs that she had on hand, and kind Hwaryeong got water and washed his face and body.

* * *

The second day of hunting in the underground prison!

In the wee hours of the day, when others had gone to sleep, Weed woke up early and was logged in. As he moved deeper into the dungeon and logged off, the spectators weren’t able to follow him any longer. Weed was practicing the handling of a light sculpture using the time away from the people. Da’in had also logged in early, so it was just the two of them.

Weed was silently engrossed in the light sculpture. There was a heavy mood between the two of them.

‘This is a chance to talk with him.’

Da’in started speaking first, with difficulty. “Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

Weed’s response was blunt and rather guarded. He had been the same way when she had met him for the first time in Lavias. He was suspicious from the start, as if wondering if she was going to steal his japtem even though they had simply met by chance in the dungeon.

“What sculpture are you making now?”

Colorful lights matched every movement of Weed’s hand. He wasn’t using just one light, but diverse colors intertwined and mixed as they brought about countless changes. They grew when he flicked his arm, and the lights scattered brilliantly when he bent his wrist.

“It is nothing, just for practice.”

The sculpture Weed was making was gradually taking the form of a person, like a mannequin. Da’in sat still next to him and only spectated the use of light sculpting. Since Weed was trying to make a shape by utilizing strands of light, it was no easy matter. There were countless colors, so it was also try to make them suit each other.

Da’in couldn’t handle the heavy silence that followed the halt in the conversation and spoke up again.

“Is there a girl that you like?”

After asking that, she worried inwardly. She had asked something that she’d always been curious about after seeing that he had made the Goddess Freya Statue in Morata based on Hwaryeong’s face. Da’in hoped that he would say that he still liked her.

Weed shook his head. “There isn’t.”

Stifling her disappointment with effort, Da’in replied, “Ah, is that so. Please excuse me for asking something unnecessary.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Weed absorbed himself in the sculpture again. Though his concentration was strong and he made a sculpture even in his break time, his attitude was strangely different from usual. When there was another person with him, he had never ignored someone who tried to have a conversation. However, distressed by the words Weed had spoken, Da’in didn’t realize that.

‘We’ve already said goodbye once, so it’s fine if he doesn’t like me.’

Da’in contained her pounding heart and spoke up again. “Then… is there a girl you liked in the past?”

Though she sometimes acted unexpectedly and had many strange sides to her to the extent of healing monsters like Ghouls, she mustered an immense amount of courage to ask that question.

Weed’s fingers stopped for a moment, trembling a little and tense. However, he soon suppressed it and replied.

“There’s no girl that I used to like.”

“Goodness!” Da’in smiled with an effort. “Then you’ve never told anyone that you liked them, not even once?”

“Yes, because there was no one I liked.”

Da’in bit her lip. To think there was a guy who would discourage a lass so coldheartedly.

“I see. There’s something I have to do for a bit, so I’ll be leaving now.”

Weed didn’t even look at her when replying. “Please do so.”

“Then…”

Da’in logged out.

“Phew.”

Weed collected the light sculpting. The lights that had dazzled his eyes disappeared, and the dungeon became dark. There was only the crackling of the bonfire he had lit to boil water and prepare the food as it burned.

“Yellowy.”

Mooooooo!

Sitting on the bare ground, Yellow raised his head and replied.

“Do you know who the girl was just now?”

Moooo!

Yellowy slapped his short tail on the ground as he tilted his ears. He might get a ton of nagging if he pretended to ignore Weed.

Weed spoke calmly. “My first love.”

The first love that a man could never forget. He couldn’t forget the memories made with his first love even with the passage of time.

“Her name is Da’in… her profession is Shaman. I first met her in Lavias.”

He hadn’t been able to recognize her at first sight, as her appearance had changed greatly due to the curse. However, she was the one who listened to the other person well and had been so enjoyable to talk to that he had spoken to her about everything. He got the feeling of her from just her greeting and the few words she spoke. As a Shaman, the skill proficiency that could be called unequaled and the order by which she used various support magics were the same. She had simply cast her support magic in the order that was comfortable for her, like a habit. But from the perspective of Weed on the receiving end, he was able to distinctly realize who she was in the instant that she used the support magic.

“Da’in. It was her. How could I have forgotten someone so important?”

Those were Weed’s inner feelings, which he hadn’t betrayed when the girls had been present.

“I was glad to see her since it’s been a while. Just that she is alive is… but does she want to forget the past since she finished the surgery and is living a new life? I don’t know why she pretended to not know me, but there must be some situation or reason.”

Yellowy stared at Weed with clear, large eyes. Reflected in his innocent eyes was the sight of one man being sad with his shoulders slumped.

LMS: Volume 17 Chapter 9

This chapter was brought to you by AnmesicCat, Grisia, Haikai, Lastear, and Lei.

Lonely Wanderer

The SwordNoobs separated and were employed as Training Hall instructors for the Orc Village and Rosenheim Kingdom. The salary was low, so they were able to easily get the position because no one wanted to work there. After getting employed, the SwordNoobs were completely entrusted with the Training Hall’s management.

“Those who want to learn the sword, come to the Training Hall!”

However, the majority of the players reacted indifferently.

“Training Hall? That’s just a place to hit scarecrows.”

“Why would you do something so annoying to learn Sword Mastery? If you just go out and fight, you’ll learn it anyways.”

The SwordNoobs were sneered at by even the beginners! Still, there were quite a few curious beginner players who sought out the Training Hall. They had visited the Training Hall because they couldn’t leave the city and village for 4 weeks when they first started.

“You hold the sword like this, and… rather than swinging it powerfully, you must swing it accurately. Don’t just blindly put your sword in front of you; you must watch the monster’s actions and attack their gaps in their defense.”

As they had a lot of experience from the dojo, the SwordNoobs taught the beginners with ease.

“If you go to the Training Hall, they teach you how to fight.”

“Is there a need to learn?”

“It’s definitely better if you do. People who’ve learned are completely different from people who haven’t in hunting.”

It was enough to change the cries for recruiting party members in the square.

“Recruiting Swordsman. Only taking a person who has learned from the Training Hall for at least a day.”

It was true that the combat ability of the majority of the beginning players was lacking. There was no reason for them to have experienced intense physical activity or fighting, and it was easy for them to panic at speedy monsters. Once they learned how to use the sword from the SwordNoobs, hunting was definitely easier. Since the SwordNoobs taught them how to deal with facing different kinds of monsters, players even sought them from other kingdoms as well and waited in line.

Every time the SwordNoobs held a lesson, people gathered in swarms. There was news that 500 to 1,000 beginner players would sit and watch the demonstration of the SwordNoobs.

“The sword is sharp, isn’t it? You don’t have to be afraid of it, because a properly learned sword will protect you and your teammates.”

SwordNoob501’s lesson was smooth. He had his own charm because he was nearly the youngest in the dojo,and he knew how to serve his older brothers properly. To adults, he was like a nephew, and to the young students, he was as friendly as an older brother.

“So cool.”

“He looks a bit intimidating, but I think he’s a good person.”

A man looked the coolest whent he was devoting himself to his work!

As they committed themselves to swordsmanship while soaked in sweat in the dojo, the masters and disciples were sufficiently attractive. It was just that the women hadn’t had a chance to see that.

Working as an instructor in the Orc Village, SwordNoob419 showed a demonstration as he swung his sword. He had to move slowly so that the beginners could follow him.

“Chwiik. I can’t do it right, instructor.”

The movements weren’t easy for the Orc females due to their characteristic sloshing stomach fat and rumps. Whenever that happened, the trainee instructors went right to work.

“This part like this…”

They would lightly grip a waist or hold a wrist and draw out the trajectory of the sword. Naturally occurring skinship! Satisfied smiles appeared on the lips of the SwordNoob disciples who were acting as instructors.

“Instructor, you’re so reliable.”

“If you have time, could you come hunt with us? Chwi chwit.”

They readily accepted requests from female Orcs.

“Of course.”

As they fought together, the instructors taught them how to fight.

“I’m Leiachwi. Chwik. Could we learn again next time?”

“I’m SwordNoob419.”

Even the friend requests that the SwordNoobs had wanted so dearly came along smoothly.

“Can we come visit the dojo while you’re on break?”

“Let’s, have a date at an amusement park.”

Due to the aggressive female players, there was even the birth of disciples who went and had their first meetings. Having bravely finished their dates, the disciples spoke of their heroic exploits.

“I went to the amusement park with her, and… huhu. Sahyungs, colleagues, don’t be surprised! I grabbed her hand first.”
[T/N: Sahyung is the polite way to address an older brother in training.]

“Noob419! You crazy? What’ll you do if you get slapped for that…”

“Do you think I would have done that on purpose? We were looking at the fountain when our hands somehow touched, and she stayed still so I held it.”

“She stayed still?”

“How should I say it, it was like I got the strange feeling from her that it was okay if I took her hand.”

“There’s something like that? It’s not that you get slapped for just holding a girl’s hand?”

“It’s like, a feeling you can only know once you’ve experienced it.”

The masters and disciples burned with their dreams of dating as they received the teachings of their dating seniors.

Female players weren’t the only ones who learned swordsmanship from them. There were as many men as women who learned how to use the sword from them in masses. Women and men of all ages crowded into the Training Hall. It was because ever since their Sword Mastery skill rose to Advanced, there was a change in their ability as instructors. If they taught while showing swordsmanship demonstrations, the beginners would copy that swordsmanship. Even with that alone, the beginners’ Sword Mastery proficiency grew rather quickly.

Beginner players who thought of themselves as disciples flocked over.

“Please teach me, instructor!”

“I want to hunt. Please lead us to the right path.”

“At what time is today’s lesson?”

* * *

At the news that the SwordNoobs would raise your Sword Mastery skill, tons of people gathered. Even people who had left the village after 4 weeks and had been hunting returned to the Training Hall. There were also a considerable number of middle-range players who were over level 200. The Training Hall where scarecrows were set up was changed into a learning ground for actual martial arts by the SwordNoobs. It was annoying for the disciples because there were more people, but they received people as their students as long as there was an enthusiasm to learn. Even though the complete beginners had no money, they were taken in as students.

“The admission fee to become an official disciple is 9 pieces of barley bread.”

“Ack!”

“You cannot become a true fighter if you do not know hunger. Hunger awakens the fundamental strength of a human being.”

The students of the SwordNoobs, men and women of all ages, were spreading throughout the Versailles Continent.

Their robust shoulders and piercing eyes, as well as the tacit conversations they held amongst themselves, circulated through Rosenheim Kingdom and the Yurokina Mountains.

A group with a sword inscribed on the left sides of their chests looked for teammates in the square.

“It’s a pleasure.”
[T/N: The speech from here on out is in a very manly, archaic style.]

“Long time no see. I believe I saw you once at the Training Hall. Shall we go hunting?”

“Sounds good. But how old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

“We’re the same age. What is your lineage?”

“My master is SwordNoob385-nim.”

“I received the teachings of SwordNoob417-nim, sahyung.”

The SwordNoobs were being called teachers of the sword in Rosenheim Kingdom and the Yurokina Mountains.

The SwordNoobs didn’t forget their aspiration of hunting the strongest monsters on the Versailles Continent, either.

“We have honor to upkeep, too. Shouldn’t we catch something like a Bone Dragon or Imoogi within one month?”

They occasionally hunted even while instructing, and they also strove to raise their Sword Mastery skill. The Sword Mastery skill could be raised pretty quickly if you fought and overcame monsters stronger than yourself. The SwordNoobs didn’t even pay any attention to weak monsters that they could easily kill. Most of their Fame went up purely through hunting. Even a steep cliff was absurdly turned into a flatland if just two SwordNoobs got together.

“Sahyung, I’m bored; would you like to go up here?”

“Looks fun.”

The SwordNoobs heightened their concentration as they climbed up the cliffs of the Yurokina Mountains. It was a chance for them to gain the precious experience of going through difficult, dangerous terrain on purpose. SwordNoob4 and SwordNoob5 went up along the ridge of the cliff, where it was difficult to take even one stride.

“Noob5.”

“Yes, sahyung?”

“Would we die if we fell from here?”

They were so dizzyingly high up that there were clouds on the mountainside. SwordNoob5 looked down from the ridge and shook his head.

“We would live. We could grab the branches of trees growing out while falling and use the rebound to bounce up. Then should be able to lodge a short sword in the rock and slide down.”

“Hm, we wouldn’t die from this much after all, eh?”

“Of course.”

“I’m bored, so do you want to try jumping down from here?”

They readily said words that would astonish others if they were to hear. Even though their skill proficiency would be reduced, their level would fall, and they could even lose equipment they were wearing on the one in ten thousand chance that they died, they had no qualms. SwordNoob5 took it in as if it was nothing as well.

“That seems like it’d be fun?”

“I’ll jump first.”

It was a short distance to the edge, but SwordNoob4 leapt off the ridge at full speed.

They were living as freely as the wind while having tastes of challenges.

* * *

After entering the underground prison, Weed arrived at the place where the prisoners of the Matallost Church were being held within four days. He would have been able to shorten the time far more if he had focused solely on breaking through. However, he sucked the area dry of monsters as he advanced, so it took longer.

It would have taken a little longer to destroy that many monsters with Weed’s damage alone, but Yellow’s participation in battle was a big help, too. When they were on the plains, there were many times when Weed mounted him and used him mostly like a horse because it was the innocent Yellowy. If he fought while speeding about like a horse, that alone would raise EXP and running proficiency. In a dungeon where there wasn’t much space to run, Weed used Yellowy mostly for gathering japtem. But this time, Yellowy found a valuable use for himself. He would unleash a powerful kick with his hind legs on the Dark Knights that Hwaryeong had put to sleep with Seduction Dance.

A bull’s back kick!

When he kicked them powerfully with his tremendous strength, the Dark Knights went flying brutally. It was as good as a Sword Kaiser attack. Having received an enormous blow, it was powerful enough to make the Dark Knights die in an instant if Da’in and Hwaryeong just stabbed with a cudgel or shortsword. As the girls started taking care of the Heretic Hunters, Disciples, and other monsters with Yellowy, their hunting efficiency improved even more.

Mooooooo!

Like a fighting bull, Yellowy savored his victory whenever he struck monsters with his hind legs.

“Well done, Yellowy.”

When Da’in stroked his head, Yellowy enjoyed it while slapping his short tail. Weed had spoken a little of his sad woes regarding Da’in, but Yellowy didn’t pay any attention to that and got along well with Da’in. There wasn’t a proverb saying that speaking into a cow’s ear was like knocking at a deaf man’s door for nothing.

Weed briefly assessed that the battle speed had become faster.

“He’s finally worth the cost of his grass.” Weed was infinitely stingy with his praise! Since Yellowy was earnestly carrying around a bag and even taking part in battle, even slightly positive words came from Weed. “What’s the market price of Korean cows these days? Before a person who’ll buy meat at a high price shows up, it’ll be better not to sell him.”

Breaking through the underground prison! It was a very large labyrinth, but Weed didn’t even struggle in the middle of it. It was a dungeon that others had already explored, so he had determined the overall path through Dirtman and had run over with precision.

The priests of the Matallost Church were emaciated and wearing robes black with dirt.

“Who are you?”

“I defeated the Embinyu Church and came to bring you back.” Weed showed them a relic of the Matallost Church. Only then did the priests believe him.

“Why have you come only now to save us?”

“Dang, I thought us old guys would be locked up here forever and just die.”

They were actually irritated that he hadn’t saved them quickly. If you didn’t go through a quest earnestly, these kinds of complaints would come up.

Weed also had much to complain about. ‘I came here as fast as I could after making sculptures, selling japtem, and selling off the quest. I did the best that I could.’

He had pride that allowed him to justify himself in any situation! Other players would lack the patience and could’ve even gotten angry at the old priests for being so unscrupulous, but Weed wasn’t like that.

“I apologize. It was because I was trying to convey you safely, as remnants of the Embinyu Church may have been hiding. For now, please come out with us.” Since the old priests were also his clients, he didn’t forget to put on a friendly smile.

“In any case, thank you for coming to rescue us.”

The priests rose from their seats. Weed was able to easily release them from the shackle-like apparatuses on their ankles even though he wasn’t a Thief. He used his Blacksmithing skill to get rid of them altogether. There was no way he would miss out on a chance to get good iron material.

“Please release us, too!”

Many other prisoners were tied up in the place where the priests of the Matallost Church had been held. There were 35 people from Dwarf, Elf, Barbarian, and hunter races who were scattered in the North on a small scale. Weed released all of them as well.

At around that time, the people who had received the Rescue the Prisoners of the Matallost Church quest and had been hunting in the area gathered.

“What, he’s here already?”

“How did he come so quickly?”

The participants of the quest that had dumbfounded them hadn’t thought he would arrive so quickly, even if he was Weed.

It was now time to leave the underground prison. The path out of the prison wasn’t very difficult– they were able to leave quickly because the spectators who had followed Weed in were hunting in the important points of the underground prison and the players who were participating in the quest cleaned up the monsters.

“We give you our thanks for saving us.”

“I simply did what I had to do.”

“There is something we must do as soon as possible, so would you wait for a moment?”

“Yes. If it is a righteous deed, I will wait however long it takes.”

Under the watchful gaze of Weed and the quest participants, the Matallost Church’s priests went to the temple, cleaned, and lit torches. Then they performed a ritual that appeased the vengeful spirits of the River of Lamentation.

SWOOSH!

Then the stagnant and murky waters of the River of Lamentation flowed smoothly downstream.

Ding!

Rescue the Prisoners of the Matallost Church

The River of Lamentation has been revived.

The river that flows with the tears of the souls who suffered unfair deaths!

The priests of the Matallost Church will repent their errors that sprung from greed and resume the work of guiding souls.

– Contribution to the Matallost Church has increased by 2,700.

– Level has increased.

– With the purification of the River of Lamentation, Fame has increased by 320.

– Faith has increased by 37.

– Luck has increased by 4.

It was quite a considerable compensation. The reward was from the Matallost Church that guided with death becoming active again.

Weed hadn’t explored the underground prison to save the prisoners. He had left most of the annoying tasks to other players, but even so, his level went up by 1.

Yurin, Da’in, and the other players went up 10 to 20 levels thanks to the huge EXP they earned as a reward.

“Yahoo!”

“This quest is the best!”

To those who had participated, it was a quest that had given them a big reward that was tough to swap with any kind of treasure.

Weed didn’t get butthurt over the level ups of the others. Naturally, you would get stronger if your level went up. However, stats or skill proficiency were more important than that. If you only raised your level quickly, then in the end, your stats would fall short of your raised level. That would make your growth lag, so it was actually faster to backtrack quite a bit.

As the change from the completion of the quest, the contaminated River of Lamentation that had been murky with yellowness slowly became clearer.

– As the River of Lamentation has gradually come to perform its role, the seed of unrest in the Versailles Continent has decreased.

Health will decline due to death and the chance of misfortune decreases by 13%. When raising Undeads, Necromancers will need a little more Mana.

The old mercenary Smith spoke heavily. “So this is what happened. The Matallost Church… I thought it was a church that had only harmed the Versailles Continent…”

Ding!

Old Smith’s Second Curiosity Completed

The old drunkard Smith has come to know the truth about the Count Savoid’s true identity and the Matallost Church.

The very curious old mercenary was able to resolve one of the not-quite-right memories of his past.

– Fame has increased by 260.

– The prerequisites for the Agent of the Niflheim Empire quest have been completed.

The A-rank difficulty quest was resolved. He had taken Smith and had proceeded with the River of Lamentation purification and the fight with the pursuers of the Embinyu Church. It wasn’t just the resolution of Smith’s curiosity about Count Savoid; it had to be regarded as the resolution of a part of the entire chain quest as well.

The old Mercenary Smith said, “Then come anytime to the tavern where I was. Since it’s you who gave me lots of alcohol, I should be able to buy you a drink. I know quite a lot, so ask if there’s anything you’re curious about anytime.”

That was the poor Mercenary Smith’s absurdly scanty reward. How much wine and brandy had he gulped up until now… However, Weed didn’t argue. He had received many unreasonable quests because of his uncontrollably high Fame. There were times when the reward was big, but there were also times when it was small.

He tried to be understanding with an open mind. ‘Looks like I’ll have a nightmare tonight.’

In exchange, he resolved to write a ton of insults about Smith in his journal.

“I gained many experiences because I was able to do this with you, elder. It is a pity that we cannot travel the Versailles Continent together anymore.”

The Mercenary Smith laughed, revealing the gaps in his sparse teeth. “It’s time for the old me to return to the tavern. It’s enough that I did adventures when I was young. Even if I do have a curiosity, I don’t think I’ll be able to move in person anymore. That’s right, I shouldn’t need my mercenary card anymore, either. I’ll give it to you.”

– You have acquired an S-rank Mercenary Card of the Proam Alliance Guild.

Weed wasn’t one to refuse a gift or bribe given to him.

“Identify!”

Proam Alliance Guild Mercenary Card:
Durability: 30/30.

A mercenary card made with bronze.

Grade: S

Option: Can carry out all Mercenary guild quests as desired. Can receive 200% more for request fees.

It was a mercenary card, which could be called a precious treasure for Mercenaries; even if they weren’t Mercenaries, many people used the Mercenary guild to receive quests.

‘It should be good if I sell it off.’

Considering the scarcity of mercenary cards on top of that, he would be able to get an enormous price for it. He could tell from the just fact that the players who had gone through the Rescue the Prisoners of the Matallost Church quest with him were all astir over it.

The old Mercenary Smith gave him another gift. “Take this as well.”

Weed took it as he was told again.

It was an antique seal that had a stamp made of jade and a golden dragon crafted with gold that could be used as a handle. A very old item, its color wasn’t like that of goods these days. A part of the jade stamp was also broken.

“Identify!”

Unknown Seal:
Durability 3/20.

This is a very precious object made by an extremely exceptional sculptor.

It is an item that the old Mercenary Smith didn’t sell despite his alcohol tabs that accumulated.

Having gone through war and a long period of time, there is slight damage to it.

Option: Grants special good luck.

Weed raised his head. It occurred to him that this was a remarkable item.

“What is this?”

“It’s something I picked up in Count Savoid’s mansion, back in my Mercenary days. I’ve been treasuring this seal because it seemed like good luck was coming my way after getting it, but… you can use it now.”

“I will receive it gratefully.”

Weed put the seal into his pocket.

Ding!

– You have obtained an imperial treasure of the Niflheim Empire.

It was as he expected beforehand. ‘Looks like the Agent of the Niflheim Empire quest will happen with this.’

If he wanted to find out the exact origins of the item, he needed a slightly more powerful identification.

‘There’s something I have to take care of first.’

Weed looked around. There were many players who were fascinated while watching the transformation of the River of Lamentation. Since it would cause a historical change on the Versailles Continent, it also wasn’t hard to see someone busily sending a whisper.

“My level went up by 4. I got a lot of Fame, too.”

“Really? Damn. I should’ve taken the quest too. I heard the hunting in the underground prison was pretty good?”

He could also see the players who had gotten the Rescue the Prisoners of the Matallost Church quest being happy.

Weed spoke to them. “Everyone.”

“…?”

“The quest did not end with the rescue of the Matallost Church prisoners.”

“It was a chain quest?”

“Then will you share another quest?”

Like a generous man from the countryside, Weed put a big smile on his face as he nodded. “Of course. It’s a quest we started together, so shouldn’t we see it to the end together?”

Matallost Church’s chain quest!

The priests of the Matallost Church were walking towards Weed.

“Though we have been relieved of a great anxiety, there are too many things that must still be done. We also have to pick out new devotees in order to right the church…”

“I get the anxious feeling that there are still those who follow the Embinyu Church in this area.”

The Destruction of the Embinyu Church 11th Sect and the Matallost Church’s Long-Cherished Wish requests were still left.

‘The remnants of the Embinyu– there ought to be quite a powerful group left over, so they’ll probably have to be completely defeated. And for the Matallost Church’s Long-Cherished Wish, they’ll likely want to take in a lot of devotees and prosper as much as any other church.’

He could roughly tell what kind of requests were left from their names alone.

It wasn’t bad for Morata, either. The Matallost Church was a militant group with considerable holy power! With the heal, blessing, and holy offensive magic they had shown when escaping from the underground prison, there would be quite a lot of people who would want to become devotees. If he allowed beginners to use the movement portal to the River of Lamentation as well, the revival of the Matallost Church would be good for Morata, at least! Even if it was a chain quest, the sweetness of the quest had been sucked dry after destroying the Embinyu Fortress and even rescuing the Matallost Church prisoners. Weed planned on sharing the quests to the others here instead of fulfilling them himself.

“WOAH!”

“The Lord of Morata, Wargod Weed will share the chained quest.”

“Hooray for Morata’s Lord!

The people who had been unable to hide their jealousy while looking at the River of Lamentation gathered quickly.

“Please share it with me!”

“Me! Me first!”

They were like baby chicks who were opening their beaks to receive a worm that the momma bird had caught!

Weed spoke. “However, a fixed participation fee of 998 Gold…”

“…”

“…”

There was a calm silence.

Weed’s words just spread far and wide. “This is a chance that comes few and far in between. I will cut 30 Gold for those who have brought at least 2 friends or teammates. If at least 7 people apply, I will even give a group discount.”

This was unmistakably a rip off.

Like making excessive profits at a beach in the summer holiday season, it was a rip off they really couldn’t refuse!

Only Hwaryeong was smiling prettily as she rejoiced. “How awesome! Weed-nim is even sharing a quest that he got with difficulty to others; he is kind to a fault.”

LMS: Volume 17 Chapter 10

This chapter was brought to you by AnmesicCat, Fei, Grisia, and Lei.

Ill-Fated Relationship With Bardray

Destruction of the Embinyu Church 11th Sect was a B-rank quest.

“Woaah!”

“Are we gonna fight the Embinyu Church’s fighting force?”

“Won’t it be too dangerous?”

“Seems really fun.”

Weed sold off the quest and made a whopping 130,000 Gold. He sold to the people who got word from Morata and came late until evening. An exhaustive cash business!

Yellow swayed his pendulous rump happily.

Moooooooooooo!

If his Master was rich, Yellowy hoped that Weed would allow him to chew a stalk of mugwort.
[T/N: Mugwort is an herb used as an ingredient in many dishes.]

However, Weed was heartless. “Even barley bread is expensive, so you’d only be able to pick up some crumbs on a holiday or something… but mugwort? I can’t afford to give it to you. I’ll mix it with your meat later. Korean cow with mugwort, veggie bibimbap!”

Yellow blinked his big eyes sorrowfully, but that happened every day. Even so, Weed always prepared hay for him, and he got fed herbs from Yurin or Hwaryeong, too. He had no other complaint, but purposefully acted limp, as if he was hungry and had no strength from hunger. He’d been forced to do so much work with his robust physique and strength right after gaining life. Even Yellowy was gaining wisdom about life.

“Looks like it’s time to identify this now.”

Weed pulled out the seal he had received from Mercenary Smith. He could basically tell its use from the appearance. It was probably a seal that verified Lords or Nobles as themselves, like Jorudia’s Signet. Weed rubbed the dragon part as he examined the unique points of the sculpture.

“Identify!”

Unknown Emperor’s Royal Seal
Durability 3/20.

A precious royal seal that has weathered the history of the Versailles Continent.

It was made by a sculptor whose limit of skill is hard to estimate.

It is damaged and not in perfect condition.

Artistic Value: 39,600

Options: Dignity +60. Charisma +25.

50% resistance to all magic harmful to the owner’s body.

Can intimidate nobles and knights.

Ding!

For examining the Unknown Emperor’s Royal Seal in detail, Art stat has risen by 49.

Weed was also a skilled Sculptor who had made many Masterpieces and Magnum Opuses. Every time a sculpture of his was completed, it noisily shook the Versailles Continent.

“Cough!”

A work so incredible that it could even make such a Weed go into convulsions!

The broad stamp made of jade and the golden dragon that looked like it was flying in the sky possessed liveliness and beauty.

“It’s old… and feels worn because it’s been touched very much, but it’s an extremely outstanding work.”

The parts that hands could reach were severely grimy, and much of the pattern had also disappeared. With the long passage of time, its natural dignity had grown.

Jade and gold. The seal had been made with a perfect understanding of the characteristics of the material.

The parts that weren’t damaged were detailed and made with a level of skill that even Weed wouldn’t have been able to achieve. It looked like a dirty golden dragon from afar, but up close, it felt as if it would come to life and move at any moment.

“I knew it wasn’t a normal work, but who could really make such a sculpture?”

There was one person who vaguely came to mind.

If it was an emperor’s royal seal, then it didn’t need to be said more than once that it would be treasured preciously. Even so, the royal seal had endured so much time that it had become this worn.

A video of some kind began to play for Weed– it was a memory kept within the sculpture.

An old man wearing ordinary cloth attire was sculpting.

In a huge royal palace, knights and magicians were lying prostrate with extreme politeness.

Slice, slice.

The form of a dragon was being made under the old man’s sculpting knife. The knife moved slowly, as if time itself was holding its breath.

He shaved the places needing to be shaved and added to the places needing to be added. Only normal movements of the hand could be seen, but the golden dragon that was being created possessed such nobility that one could not tear their eyes away from it.

Whenever the sculpting knife moved, there was a worry that he might possibly make a mistake that would ruin this great work. However, when the sculpting knife sliced past, the figure was transforming into statue steadily nearing completion with such surety that the nervousness was laughable.

A treasure! A golden dragon and stamp that seemed as if they would heighten even his dignity with their radiant beauty!

It was the birth of the royal seal.

“May this be the item that symbolizes me,” declared the old man who made the seal.

The knights and magicians then cried out. “We accept the will of His Majesty!”

It didn’t end there. There were countless sculptures across the royal palace! They were similar to the humans, but the sculptures with superior physical conditions, the animal sculptures, the bird sculptures, and sculptures that looked like monsters all opened their mouths at the same time.

“We accept the will of our Master!”

* * *

SwordNoob let out a deep sigh.

“I’m really too old. Even meeting a woman is difficult because I’m old.”

The instructors and disciples were meeting Orcs, Dark Elves, or Humans and more or less getting along. They made girlfriends and also hunted in parties.

“I heard even SwordNoob16 held hands with his girlfriend.”

“When?”

“Within thirty-seven days, apparently.”

“Woah, that’s fast! Is it okay to progress so quickly?”

“The truly fast one is someone else. SwordNoob401 already went arm-in-arm to the movie theatre.”

“Damn, all the way to the movie theatre! He’s a fellow who unusually disliked things like movies, isn’t he. Didn’t he fall asleep snoring while watching the movie?”

“I’m told he watched an action movie. After the movie ended, he showed his girlfriend brick smashing and a two-tiered roundhouse kick and she liked it, calling him reliable.”

The legend-like love stories that came from among the disciples gave them hope, though there were also many cases where couples didn’t meet very many times and dropped contact, friend registration was cancelled, or were sent a text that said sorry.

“Phew, those things all happen when you’re young.”

SwordNoob envied the passion of the disciples. If he had just been at the age of the instructors or so, he would’ve been able to meet a woman somehow. After all, becoming an oppa from a mister took no time at all these days.
[T/N: Oppa is an informal way to call an older male, used for both familial and external relationships. “Oppa” indicates a lot more closeness than “mister.”]

However, because SwordNoob was a seasoned middle-aged man, he was very awkward with young girls and women. Granted, his fighting ability was fearsome, so despite being only in the late 200s for level, he was welcome in any party. If SwordNoob just went to the square, everyone tried to recruit him.

Only, it was just that the atmosphere was difficult in the hunting ground.

“Um, SwordNoob-nim.”

“…”

They would regularly use honorifics with him. The young and youthful party members used informal speech with each other and got along intimately, but it wasn’t easy for SwordNoob to fit in with them. SwordNoob tried to find a woman in the same age group as him.

“It shouldn’t be hard since all kinds of people gather in the world of Royal Road.”

There were many in their early 30s or 40s, of course. They were very commonly seen in a city or village. If the men fished, the ones that looked like their wives would make spicy seafood stew for them.

“Honey, please eat some spicy stew before continuing.”

It was a very heartwarming sight.

There were also cases where they set up a shop and conducted business, but their young children would occasionally come to buy a weapon, armor, or miscellania.

“Son, can you buy arrows from us for 20 Gold?”

“Mom, what kind of harsh joke is that?”

“Honey, our son says he’s leaving the house.”

“Alright. As his parents, it’s probably our duty to at least call over a mover, right?”

There were affectionate scenes of children getting daringly ripped off by their parents.

SwordNoob went around cities and towns as he roamed. He massacred monsters that came at him in the wilderness, and also leapt into nests of monsters whilst holding one sword.

“When I was young, I did things like this so often.”

He held a sword in his mouth and leapt into the river water. When he got hungry, he skewered fish in a deep part of the clear river. It was truly difficult to overcome the water’s flow and strength and swing his sword to catch fish. However, SwordNoob actually succeeded easily. That was because he didn’t push forcefully, but followed the current’s flow to catch fish.

Ding!

Sword Mastery skill proficiency has improved.

His Sword Mastery skill went up even while catching fish. They weren’t high leveled monsters, but it seemed he could gain Sword Mastery as a characteristic of the location. Like Sculpting, the Sword Mastery skill grew on diverse experiences.

“While I’m like this…”

SwordNoob floated to the top of the water, took in a big breath, and went into the river again.

Swiiiisshh!

The sword he swung in a single breath slid past the body of a fish.

Swordsmanship that was thinly slicing sashimi!

The fish was become sashimi while blinking its eyes, alive. And while underwater, as well!

Sorriness filled SwordNoob’s eyes. ‘Looks like I can’t do this because it’s cruel.’

It had been a long time since he had properly shown off his swordsmanship skills. After that time when life and death had been separated by a second, he had never done his best. Even Royal Road was simply entertainment. It was so that he could try testing his still-honed swordsmanship, but he was sorry for the fish. SwordNoob almost never even hunted herbivores like rabbits, squirrels, or deer in the Versailles Continent, either.

‘Something I can’t even eat… there’s no need to take their lives pointlessly.’

Feeling sorry, SwordNoob wrapped the fish in bandages. They were still alive, due to his marvelous swordsmanship.

“Gasp!”

Then he rose to the top of the water and moved downstream. It wasn’t that he determined his destination, he was just wandering randomly.

There were people downstream the river. He heard a conversation of a middle-aged man raising a fishing pole and his wife.

“D-dear.”

“Hm?”

“We just… caught sashimi!”

A live catfish with its bandages almost fallen off had bitten their fishing pole’s bait and was coming up.

“The world is truly difficult.”

SwordNoob sat down under a large old tree.

His Sword Mastery skill was Advanced level 6 at 89%. With growth at an unbelievable speed, it was at a stage where Master level of Sword Mastery was not far. But what worth was there in raising his level and polishing his Sword Mastery skill?

“This is the vice of an old dog. Might there not be a middle-aged woman wandering around alone?”

Even trying to start a conversation with pretended friendliness with a woman he’d never seen before was awkward. A husband coming to take her away while he was observing and agonizing over whether it was fine to talk to her had happened to him a couple times, so he didn’t even have the will to try anymore.

When SwordNoob was condemning himself, a girl who looked to be in her late teens approached him.

“Mister, what are you doing here?”

“…”

SwordNoob didn’t reply and flicked his hand as if to shoo her away. Looking like a player, the human girl was considerably cute and pretty.

‘She’ll probably just ask me about the hunting ground.’

Normally he would answer her kindly. It wasn’t because he wanted to do something bad to the adorable and young girl, but so that he could give her at least a little help.

‘Zephyr also gave advice. It’s important to have lots of conversations with women.’

Actually, a girl starting a conversation with him only numbered a few times in SwordNoob’s life. He was big, so his appearance was one that women couldn’t easily approach. But more than that, his eyes and spirit were on a different level from normal people, so even gangsters avoided him.

Right now, he wanted to be alone because he felt like wanting to quit it all. However, the girl sat down in front of SwordNoob with no intention of leaving.

“Hey mister, are you alone?”

SwordNoob only slightly nodded his head. ‘Seeing as she’s intentionally asking on, is she a merchant who’s trying to sell something? Or does she want help? Guess I should give her a roughly useful weapon if I’ve got one left.’

The girl hesitated for a moment before asking again. “Would you like to hunt with us?”

At the words that differed from his expectations, SwordNoob was a little curious. “Are you inviting me to your party right now?”

Towards his disciples, he stuck to a short and stern way of talking. He tried not to alarm the girl, but his voice was even more low and grave because he didn’t have much experience with talking to the opposite sex.

Spurred on by his not-adverse reaction, the girl’s voice gained strength. “Let’s hunt together, okay?”

“Maybe. It’s a pain… if you’d like a hunting ground recommendation, I can do that much for you.”

“We came all the way here from Rosenheim Kingdom. It’s a little too much for us to hunt on our own, you see.”

“Huh.” In the end, SwordNoob couldn’t refuse this cute girl’s request and rose from his seat. ‘Alright. I’ve got nothing else to do, so it won’t be bad to hunt with them for a bit.’

Even if the girl had come acting friendly on purpose because she wanted help, he planned to let that much go.

SwordNoob asked without much thought, “Your other companions are?”

“There are two people, my mom and youngest aunt. Mom’s profession is Elementalist and Aunt’s profession is Summoner.”

Women often picked those professions because the spirits or summoned creatures were cute.

‘Elementalist, Summoner. And is this child a Magician? I guess it would be hard for the three of them to hunt.’

Even as they walked to the party, the girl kept chattering. “Dad is busy from work, so he can’t play with us. My youngest aunt still doesn’t have a boyfriend from graduating from college and studying abroad.” For some reason, the girl was describing the youngest aunt in detail. “She’s an accountant. She’s thirty-two this year, but she’s never dated ’cause she drowned herself in studying. She’s pretty, skinny, and also has a good personality. There’s a big age gap between her and my mom, so she also played with me like a sister since I was young.”

“I see.”

“But her standards are high, so… she went on a few blind dates, but she said she didn’t even see most men as men and left right away.”

“Her standards must be high.”

SwordNoob listened to her words impassively. Then they reached the location of the girl’s party. There was a calm-looking, middle-aged woman with a big dog-like spirit, and a lady with a graceful face in her early 30s.

The girl grinned as she said, “My aunt likes macho men. She also likes martial arts.”

“…!”

* * *

The Assassin Steer was in charge of information gathering for the Hermes Guild. Using contact groups spread extensively, his task was to keep an eye on the trends of the Versailles Continent.

“There’s a high possibility that the Lord of the North’s Morata is Wargod Weed…”

Steer considered this a matter that needed to be reported to his superior.

Bardray was currently in the Ziubellin Dungeon of Haven Kingdom. It was not an exaggeration to say that the hunting ground poured out monsters. Not only in Haven Kingdom, but no matter where you went on the Versailles Continent, it was among the worst hunting grounds for players. Turning off his whispers and even the guild chatting window, Bardray had declared that he wouldn’t come out before he hunted the formidable sorcerer named Ziubellin.

“What should we we do, Steer-nim?” asked his subordinate in information.

Bardray spent most of his time inside dungeons with his teammates. Nobody knew when their hunt would end.

Steer sighed. “We have no choice but go ourselves. Send a request to the guild corps. We’ll enter the dungeon in order to meet guild master Bardray-nim.”

Steer and 30 members of the Hermes Guild entered the dungeon. They were all over level 360, but the level of the monsters was too high in Ziubellin Dungeon, so they couldn’t help but shrink back. After many complications, they finally reached the place where Bardray was at.

Bardray was resting and maintaining his weapons with his 12 Elite Guard. Monster corpses were lying around the place where they were resting, exuding a foul smell.

“Bardray-nim.”

“For what matter did you come all the way here, Steer?”

“There is something I must report.”

Bardray looked interested. As befitting of him, who dominated as the strongest in the Versailles Continent and was completely equipped with ultimate items, he had overflowing composure.

“It’s about Wargod Weed.”

“Weed, you say…”

Bardray nodded his head. “If it’s about him, then it would be worthwhile for you to come find me all the way here.”

“Weed’s identity has been exposed. I believe he is the Lord of Morata. Though of course, there are still many parts about him that I still cannot understand.”

“And those are?”

“It’s estimated that he’s a player who started in Rosenheim Kingdom, but it’s that it hasn’t even been a year and six months since he started Royal Road. That doesn’t make much sense. And the more shocking thing is that he is sculpting as a side job.”

“Side job?”

“Considering his fighting ability, you’d think that he wasn’t actually a Sculptor. Even so, he made a Magnum Opus with the sculpting he did as a hobby, and he’s good enough to shake the continent.”

He had judged that the Pyramid, Light Tower, and the Goddess Statue were sculptures made as a hobby!

“Ohh, isn’t that amazing?”

“Sculpting was a side job? Yikes! I was completely in awe after seeing a sculpture made by him.”

Bardray’s teammates all said a few words each.

“Come to think of it, if it’s Weed, we could even call him our junior.”

“Ah, in the Continent of Magic?”

“Since he became the best about 6 months after we left, y’know.”

“We were once the best in the Continent of Magic. And for quite a long time, too.”

The Elite Guard conversed gladly. They had known each other since the Continent of Magic. They had been noble lords ruling over famous castles in the Continent of Magic! Bardray had also been the best lord in the Continent of Magic.

“I do miss those times.”

“Well. I don’t really wanna go back; I don’t want to lose the merit of this Versailles Continent’s clear air and being able to fight while directly moving your body.”

“I don’t want to go back either, but… they were still really fun times.”

The castle lords who gone through thick and thin with small wars and dispute heard of the creation of Royal Road and gathered in one spot. The popularity of Continent of Magic had passed its peak and was obviously in decline. As rulers of one region, they felt that very distinctly. An enormous amount of items and gold actually funneled to the castle lords. They earned sums that normal employees wouldn’t even be able to imagine. Most of the lords were Dark Gamers who were raising their profits while maintaining their organization. They came to a conclusion through a meeting.

They would move to Royal Road.

The lords took their forces directly into Royal Road. That was the inside story of the birth of Hermes Guild.

“Weed became extremely famous after we left.”

“He conquered quests and dungeons that even we gave up on, right? You don’t know how surprised I was after hearing the news that he’d even gotten through Ivan Porte Island’s labyrinth.”

“He’s a truly incredible player. Though of course, if Bardray had stayed in the Continent of Magic, he wouldn’t have given up his spot so easily.”

Bardray only smiled as he listened to the conversation of the Elite Guard.

The system of command that accompanied Hermes Guild’s pecking order was strict, but it didn’t apply to the Elite Guard. Bardray and the former castle lords, the Elite Guard, were the founding members of the Hermes Guild. Through their agreement, they decided that the very strongest among them would be the leader and govern the others. Their law was that if someone among the Elite Guard became stronger than Bardray at any time, they would then become the leader.

As such, the leader of Hermes Guild had changed a few times in the early stages of Royal Road. For both Bardray and the Elite Guard, it became an opportunity to become stronger faster through well-intentioned competition. Of course, there were also castle lords who completely fell behind during the competition. In Royal Road, you must directly move your body and possess very fast judgement and keen senses. The lords who became stragglers maintained the influence of the guild through deputies.

Hermes Guild was the best guild that originated from the Continent of Magic. They were also acquiring information about Weed through various pathways.

“The Continent of Magic and Weed…”

Bardray’s face became lost in thought. Such an expression could not be found on him often.

“Steer.”

“Yes, Leader-nim.”

“Continue keeping an eye on the North.”

“Understood.”

“But there is no need to make it a bigger deal than necessary.”

“That means–?” Steer’s head jerked up.

Hermes Guild normally gruesomely crushed any opponents who showed even a little speck of defiance. They dispatched assassins to either kill or bribe the key people. They also didn’t hesitate to commit cruel acts, like sending out the battle forces and setting a village or castle on fire.

“There’s no need. Even before we step forward, he’ll be caught and eaten by hyenas seeking prey first.”

Steer thought for a moment and nodded. “You’re right, Leader-nim. The Resurrection Army led by Daymond will also go North soon.”

The Resurrection Army’s force was greatly weakened. They weren’t able to take Odin Fortress in the end and decided to retreat; their territory in the Central Continent was rapidly shrinking. The Resurrection Army wasn’t able to hold out in the Central Continent any longer. There was no strong kingdom in the North yet, so they were were withdrawing to aim for there instead. They also had a hostile relationship with Weed, because through the quest of the Matallost Church, it was he who achieved the great service that stopped the Resurrection Army.

Bardray said, “Weed is indeed famous. However, once he suffers a defeat, his fame will disappear as quickly as it came. Ruin takes but a moment.”

The increase in skill and level through hunting, as well as power expansion! Bardray thought of those as the only things that should be shown in quests and broadcast appearances. That was because a high level and power made other players fearful and submissive to his commands.

After finishing the hunt with the Elite Guard, Bardray became deep in thought about the subject during his break time.

“The Continent of Magic, hm.”

He had left the Continent of Magic with the lords who were of the same mind as him. They had to make their characters and prepare in advance while acquiring information about Royal Road early on. However, sometimes he secretly logged into the Continent of Magic as a pastime. It wasn’t hard, since his character was still right there.

The Continent of Magic was the game that he had dedicated his youth to. It was on the decline, but he was deeply fond of it, so he couldn’t quit. Then he encountered rumors about Weed in the game, a rumor that he had ascended to the position of the strongest after Bardray left.

“The God of War Weed. That Weed is currently the best on the Continent of Magic.”

“Is he just having an easy time ’cause Bardray isn’t logging in?”

“It’s the opposite. We’ve got to see him as being way more outstanding than Bardray. Not only did he single-handledly catch a dragon that Bardray couldn’t hunt, but he also explores dungeons alone.”

“You mean by himself without anyone’s help?”

“It’s something Bardray could never have done.”

Bardray’s pride was wounded. He let it pass since he wasn’t one to just believe a rumor, but it still felt nasty. And then, not long afterwards, he met Weed while hunting alone in a dungeon, like a joke of fate. When Bardray saw his equipment and name, he had a hunch that it was the Weed of the rumors.

In the Continent of Magic, speaking had to be done by typing on a keyboard.

“Are you We—”

Even before Bardray finished typing his question of whether he was Weed or not, his opponent activated an attack skill. Because it was Weed, who attacked ruthlessly if he met someone in a dungeon!

Bardray had to hastily use defensive skills and flee. He was barely able to escape with only about 300 Health left.

That was a day of shame that could absolutely never be washed away for Bardray, who had reigned as the strongest.

After fully recovering his Health and Mana and even cleaning his best equipment, Bardray challenged Weed again.

“I am Bardray. Weed, I shall cut your throat.”

He quickly inserted the speech he had typed up beforehand, but there was no reaction from his opponent. That was because he didn’t know who Bardray was, nor did he even care.

Weed just activated an attack skill, as per usual.

In the fight that started in that manner, Bardray felt a wall he couldn’t put into words. It felt like facing a fortress that was so tall and thick that the current him would never be able to defeat.

Weed slipped past all the chain skills he used. There wasn’t a big difference between their equipment and level, but the skill management decided it. No matter what kind of attack Bardray tried, he responded rapidly and unleashed a counter attack. Amidst despair that was like facing a boundless ocean, Bardray experienced defeat.

Bardray couldn’t accept this fact.

His pride as the strongest on the Continent of Magic had been shattered. Even though he’d taken a brief break, with his history in the Continent of Magic, he had thought that there was no way he could lose.

Bardray secretly chased Weed and fought him again five times.

But the result was the same every time. Even when he changed his skill management or fighting method, he was destroyed so very easily.

Weed’s level gradually went up, and his equipment was better every time they met, even though hunting monsters with severe differences in level gave you almost no EXP.

He surpassed the level that Bardray had considered the limit and pioneered hunting grounds on his own to achieve the ultimate stage.

“I will completely stamp you down. Not just you, but everyone you know as well, so that you can’t even get a foothold again in the Versailles Continent!”

User:Iro Daijoubu

2017-01-27T04:24:15Z

Iro Daijoubu: test

User:Iro Daijoubu

2017-01-27T03:33:29Z

Iro Daijoubu: test

Chapter 1 : Skeleton Soldier Weed

Royal Road's website came up again and again. The first movie posted by the Cold Roses guild started.

"Look! It's the battle of the Northern Expedition."

After going into the Valley of Death from the white snowy fields, the fight started! The expedition had been fighting evil soldiers and servants, as well as Lizard Kings. The battle royal was going on in real time, uploaded by Oberon, a registered Hall of Fame user, but the responses were doubtful.

"Will we actually see some battling in the valley this time?"

"With nothing to hit, what are they even doing there?"

People had abandoned the expedition, only few lingered. The expedition was subjected to ridicule because for more than two months in Versailles Continent time, the only thing they did was wander around. However, people's reactions changed after the video progressed a little more. From the moment they entered the depth of the Valley of Death, the number of monsters that appeared increased exponentially. The identity of the expedition was still unknown, yet the Embinyu Priests stood before them, filled with feelings of rage, and casted their magic.

"So worth it ......"

"Fighting like that while whistling, as expected of the expedition led by a prestigious guild."

"Great tune."

As the expedition reached its end, surrounded by white snow and ice in the Valley of Death, the exciting last-ditch breakthrough attempt unfolded. Seeing real people fight in a thrilling action movie, you feel as though you have become one of them. While watching the video, the rumours people heard increased rapidly. The Hall of Fame's audience was always growing because it only takes a single moment to get people's attention.

"You mean you think it's related to the atmosphere?"

"Hey, wake up."

"Monster levels appear quite high. In the north, it's not uncommon for such strong monsters to appear in groups, this doesn't look good ......"

"Will it go right this time?"

People were dubious, yet they held their emerging hopes on the expedition.

"It's not the first time a courageous expedition has left to explore the northern continent. Let's wait and believe."

"I hope you have a successful expedition."

"Its way too hot, I'm dying here. It's hard to move, sweat's even flowing from my forehead. Stamina is consumed too quickly."

"We can't go to places like cool dungeons or mountain-rivers because of the prestigious guilds occupying the areas."

"It's better for wizards and clerics to move less, they can't really survive like warriors."

The Versailles Continent was harder and hotter since the failure of the last A rank quest.

The value of hunting in dungeons and mountains skyrocketed. Stamina became much more difficult to preserve, and guilds fiercely fought wars to expand their area.

Meanwhile, people of course had to enjoy themselves and so tailors had a never before seen rush of bikini orders.

Muscular men removed their black body armour and burned their clothes while enjoying the glamour of tanned women.

The scene in Royal Road changed.

As the festivities ended, there was a significant increase in people swimming in rivers as people struggled to forget the summer heat by hitting the beach! Normally, if you wanted to relax and enjoy yourself, places could be found anywhere, but because of the crazy heat, they were rare. Crowds all gathered in river towns and seaside castles for the eye candy.

Even at the rivers, by noon you could no longer swim because of them.

Most people were forced to endure the heat. They were bound to be a little annoyed.

"I hope this expedition is successful."

"I really hope for the best too."

"Please make it ......"

People began to cheer for a successful expedition and a home return.

"But if they really succeed, what will happen?"

"Well, the Cold Roses guild will gain tremendous fame. They will also gather massive wealth and power from the new users flocking to join them."

"Will it really end that way? Oberon is a benevolent guy and trusts his guild, but I imagine they are growing way too daring. Think of how reckless a challenge this is ......"

"They could jump into the top 5 of the guild rankings though."

Below the video in the Hall of Fame, users posted their views.

Then someone posted an article.

It was a user with the nickname Chase. People knew him as a celebrity in Royal Road.

"About one month ago, in the middle of a quest, I heard the story from a pub owner."

Everyone focused on what Chase wrote.

"Chase-nim?"

"The high-level user ranked in the top 100? He normally doesn't write here, what the hell is going on?"

After stimulating the curiosity of a bunch of relaxed viewers, he finally posted:
I heard a simple story.

'To create the continent's cool weather again, you must acquire the things the Witch presented to the altar of the God.'

Edereune God's altar. I investigated by reading the history of the Versailles continent for information about witches. As a result, I found the records of the Serbian Ice Witch.

The Broken Beads of the Witch.

Through the information I learned from the history of the Versailles continent, the beads are in an unknown location in a valley... and from what I have heard, it seems that the expedition is probably battling around that place.

Chase's article was like pouring oil onto a roaring fire.

"The expedition is at the place where the broken beads of the Serbian Witch can be found!"

"Chase said the expedition's battle is associated with the heat in the Versailles continent!"

"The quest to blow the heat away from the Versailles continent is finally in progress?"

The Broken Beads of the Serbian Witch was a kind of item that corresponds to accessories.

It is known for its special power of manipulating the surrounding climate, but it constantly eats away your life. Unless you are a master wizard specializing in ice, just touching the cursed item will freeze your body.

The spotlight was focused on the Hall of Fame as the video came up.

All professional stations -including KMC Media and CTS Media- interrupted regular news broadcasts to show the video. The real-time news was not to be missed; its purpose was to tell exactly what the big issue in the Versailles continent was.

The TV screen showed the expedition finally venturing deep into the Valley of Death.

Then something gigantic emerged.

One of the most powerful undead creatures, the Bone Dragon!

With every roar of the Bone Dragon, the earth underneath already shaking feet trembled.

Kuah ahang!

"Damn! Run!"

"Divide the party!"

"Don't stick close to the wall! Ice blocks will fall from above!"

The expedition fell into disarray.

Bone Dragons have never once appeared before, let alone been hunted.

It is usually much easier to fight in the plains. You can put your feet on the life filled earth and stay steady until the enemy is defeated.

But here, the ground is made of slippery ice, making it very unstable. To make matters worse, whenever the Bone Dragon moved, the earth shook.

"Knights, please clear the rocks!"

"Damn it! It's so difficult to keep balance!"

Swordsmen, knights and warriors ran off with their swords, dislodging the ice every time they slipped and fell. No matter how strong the thrust was, it could be easily stopped by a twisted foot.

Complaints burst out across the expedition.

"Stand united, together we will have a better shot at killing it. Wizards, attack with magic!"

"Damn it ... can't use magic! The body's not listening due to the Bone Dragon's roar."

Roar of the Bone Dragon.Dragons are peerless.They inflict psychological pressure on inferior creatures!
Even if thousands of animals such as foxes gathered, they would end up lying on the ground, dead.

The mentality of the magicians got disturbed with fear of the Bone Dragon.

Magic failed. Mana reflux.

A number of hands started shaking. Words did not come out properly. More than nine tries failed in succession.

"Fireball wave! Keuaaag!"

While trying to attack, the wizard's magic failed and his body caught on fire, burning him afterwards.

Such a sight made the mouths of wizards freeze.

"Oh my god. What in the world......"

"Never seen that monster before."

The Bone Dragon's level was known to be in the late 400s.

Many users in the expedition had a level in the late 300s. It had incredible strength for a difference of only about 100 levels.

Significantly higher levels reveal greater gaps in power.

Furthermore, the Bone Dragon was one of the large boss monsters able to fly and use magic!

Because of these reasons it was an even more difficult opponent.

"Stupid human race!"

The Bone Dragon was communicating.

A body made only of bones.

The area where eyes should be shined a dark blue glow.

"This will be everyone’s grave!"

Whenever the Bone Dragon roared, the ice spontaneously ruptured.

"Behold your sanctuary!"

The wings folded over the large body spread wide out.

Parararak!

The Bone Dragon unfolded its bony wings.

Its broad wings completely covered the Valley of Death.

The Bone Dragon majestically soared into the sky. It reversed directions and descended, all the while using its feet to pick people up and its head to swallow them.

"Oh shit."

"We’re trapped. We're all going to die!"

Despair filled the eyes of the young users that believed in the Cold Roses guild and followed the expedition.

Bone Dragon!

They were legendary mythical creatures fought against in ages past.

But Cold Roses was a rather ambitious guild and went straight into the fire without a glance at the frying pan. The guild alliance had not lost any of their will to fight.

"It is a Bone Dragon."

"A golden opportunity to hunt one."

Bone Dragons have not yet once been hunted.

The reason was not because they were invincible, but rather Bone Dragons were never seen in the continent until now. They are very rare in nature, making them hard to encounter.

Usually, as soon as boss monsters over level 400 appeared in dungeons, guilds joined together into hunting groups to dominate.

In the end, the Bone Dragon is just a monster!

"Forward!"

"Sacrifices are necessary to take him out! Otherwise, it is pointless for us to be here."

The expedition led by Oberon marched towards the Bone Dragon and tackled it.

Kureureureung - kwangkwang!

The Bone Dragon used a fire spell and exploded the ice. Swordsmen, knights, warriors and paladins bravely rushed right through it.

"Keuaaaa!"

Roar of the Bone Dragon.

Unhindered landslides of snow and ice occurred on the hills of the Valley of Death.

"Wizard forces, attack with magic! Use whatever's necessary to take down the Bone Dragon!"

Following Oberon's command wizards put their lives on the line.

"I collect all the mana here ......”

"Bright burning fire shall ......"

"Rage against the enemy and strike."

"Mana burn!"

Wizards used all their mana at once for their magic attacks.

After mana depletion, you would take a long break before using magic again, but the situation was urgent.

The ground of ice was divided and snow and ice poured down from the cliffs on either side. In this confusing situation, there was a need for a strong blow to the Bone Dragon.

Pillars of light generated by wizards flew in unison toward the Bone Dragon and exploded.

Many wizards lost their lives due to their magic failing, but it was a necessary sacrifice.

Kkwaahahang!

The Bone Dragon flying in the sky crashed to the ground, shattering the ice ground significantly as it got stuck upside down at its destination.

"Now."

"Now is our chance."

"Before it is able to fly again."

"Attack!"

The warriors of the expedition rushed toward the fallen Bone Dragon.

"Keuoooo ......!"

The Bone Dragon brandished its tail to protect itself.

"Strike!"

-Cried Oberon as he bravely jumped with his stocky body. With 2 sharp rotations in the air, he slammed the body of the Bone Dragon with his hammer.

That single strong pound attack was filled with the power of Oberon.

"Wing Smash!"

Only great warrior skills create enough damage for a chance at stunning the opponent!

As a large monster, the Bone Dragon was nearly immune to physical stun attacks.

Nevertheless, the damage went beyond its threshold.

Other swordsmen, warriors, knights, and paladins approached the Bone Dragon and began hacking away.

"Straight cut!"

"Smite!"

"Holy Attack!"

Nearly 200 high-level users held on to attack. Rain had soaked their clothes, forcing them to go step by step to strike the Bone Dragon as it moved its huge body, but the warriors at the forefront resisted the attack from its body.

Priests with poor Stamina were busy repeating their cycle of restoring declining health.

The spirit of the other members of the expedition started to rise up.

Non allied guilds stood alongside the Cold Roses guild, nevertheless, those courageous enough to come along to the north fought with as much strength possible.

"Killing the Bone Dragon will be hard, but we can handle the rest of the monsters after it."

"The evil priests, soldiers and followers are our responsibility."

The expedition started to eradicate some of the monsters, starting a melee inside the Valley of Death.
Oberon shouted.

"Drum!"

"Yes, sir!"

"How much more do we have to hit?"

"I'll check it out."

Drum swiftly slid straight down the ice to the bottom while trying to cast magic at regular intervals.

"Bursting with vitality, show me everything. View Life Force!"

The magic revealed the monster's status and remaining life.

In front of Drum, the Bone Dragon's status was displayed.

Tiring!

Bone Dragon KurenbereuSinister spirit could not forsake the power of hatred and was revived as an undead. Originally a savage Red Dragon, since turning into an undead it became even more berserk.
Health: 74%
Mana: 12%

"Keoeog!"

Drum was breathtakingly surprised.

While hitting the Bone Dragon, Oberon excitedly asked.

"How much left?"

"Still 74% left."

"What?"

"The Bone Dragon's life is tremendous. We've got a long way to go before it dies."

Until now, only about one quarter of its health was decimated!

As expected of a large monster, the Bone Dragon took pride in its enormous life force.

***

Weed struggled free to find something out of place. He was both energetic and light in his body and legs.

"This is?"

Weed was shocked after looking down at his body. Bony skeleton ribs with neither flesh nor muscle attached anywhere.

"Did I turn into a skeleton?"

Skeleton soldier.

After being fed to the boss and dying, he turned into an Origin of the Skeleton.

Weed recalled the past.

When he completed the quest to destroy the Undead Legion, he gained the power to reject death.

The Bone Dragon's breath blew away all his health and he was reborn as a skeleton.

"I have more urgent matters."

Weed took comfort in confirming that Alveron and Seoyoon were still alive.

The Bone Dragon's breath, despite sweeping throughout the cave, did not spread to Seoyoon because she had already decided to wait and save her energy to fight monsters later.

Alveron was also fortunately still all right.

Priests, merchants and other production jobs gathered together to see if they could accomplish anything.

Every time Alveron elevated his skill levels, the Church of Freya's public values rose. Through his blessing and treatment of the expedition at the place where priests gathered, he was able to obtain many thanks.

Weed whispered to Alveron through the created party.

"Alveron."

Alveron was busy treating the injured people around him yet he immediately reacted to Weed due to their familiarity and listened closely.

"Hi Weed, you're alive. I thought you were dead."

"Thank to Goddess Freya that I was able to rise again due to the ability of the Necromancer. This could not have been possible without having the blessings of the Goddess."

"All according to the will of the Goddess of harmony."

"All according to the will of the Goddess of harmony."

They splashed flattery at each other to establish a sense of respect. To be the target of flattery meant you were useful.

Flattery came out spontaneously from Weed to compensate for his disadvantage.

After being changed into an undead, it was pointed out that his familiarity with Alveron, the priest from the Order of Freya, would be reduced.

As his familiarity with Alveron was below a certain level and he had turned into a skeleton, confidence in him was low. Alveron, however, accepted Weed as he was.

"Rather Alveron, I command you. In the Valley of Death, stop all treatment and support activities."

"Yes, I shall follow your words Weed."

"First, carefully come to the back unnoticed."

In the midst of the battle, Alveron left from the back of the group.

Even for clerics and wizards that took a lot of breaks separately to replenish mana though meditation, it was the picture of suspicion.

Weed spent some time whispering to Geumini.

"Geumini."

"Master. Golgolgol!"

"Come with Wyvern 1 and take Alveron to the hiding place."

"Understood master!"

Weed mobilized Geumini and a Wyvern to take Alveron to a safe location.

'Cause I turned into a skeleton, divine power no longer works on me.'

In addition, he wanted to drop Alveron in a place safe enough from the fighting.

"Keuag!"

"Block their magic curses!"

"Start taking care of the priests."

The priests and monsters of the Embinyu Church.

Due to the roar of the Bone Dragon, they took control of the Valley of Death.

Alveron might be endangered from the blindly executed attacks. If Alveron died, not only would the quest fail, but worst would be the loss of friendship with the Church of Freya. The risk of losing experience and skill levels was also tremendous.

Not until Alveron was safe in the rear could Weed finally afford to breathe.

"Stats Window!"

Character Name: Weed Status: Undead
Level: 319 Job: Origin of the Skeleton
Health: 35,080 Mana: 28,210
Strength: 1050 Agility: 969
Vitality: 713 Wisdom: 663
Intellect: 655 Fighting Spirit: 598
Stamina: 497 Endurance: 406
Charisma: 387
*Power to reject death is currently enabled.

Skills usable in the undead state are dependent on the skill level of the power to reject death.

However, for the first eight beginner levels, skills will be given.

Stats were changed.

Health, mana, strength and agility had increased abnormally.

"It's a characteristic of the job."

As Weed spoke, his jaw was seen moving.

Art, leadership, luck and faith were lost, and instead the basic combat stats went up significantly.

-Holy natured Tallock’s Armor made by the Church of Freya is best not worn in an undead state. The created body is rather weak to it.

"Items off."

Weed took off Tallock’s Armor and put it in his backpack. He then removed all the other equipment the undead couldn’t wear as well.

Although his well-trained intermediate blacksmith skill lowered the limit to equip things, they needed a status other than undead in the first place.

"It's better not to use things with the good properties."

There were not many particular things to wear besides the armour of the Church of Freya. Weed instead rummaged through his backpack for some other things.

Saint's Staff!

One of the things dropped by the Lich Shire.

Tiring!

Saint's Staff equipped.The property of the staff changes according to the undead property. The real power of the staff shall be revealed. You can use black magic.

After equipping the Saint's Staff, dark energy spread rapidly through the remaining bones in Weed's body.

"Identification!"

Saint Taranhan's Staff

Durability 90/90. Damage 79-98.

The great saint revered by humans received a dawn ring with a hidden secret, demons could be heard from within. Saint Taranhan enjoyed blood, carnage and corruption! Nestled among his bribes was a powerful magical staff.
Restrictions: Dark series job.
If worn by a priest or paladin, power of the staff varies.
Options:
-600 Faith
-200 Charm. +100 Stamina.
+80 Intellect. +100 Wisdom
35% increase in spell damage.
Reduced stamina consumption in rugged terrain.
Notoriety rises by 30 for every human killed.
Devoted living sacrifice can restore health and mana.
Black magic is available.
In the hands of the wicked, evil forces will further ascend.

The undead status awakened the real power of the Fallen Saint's Staff!

Weed was significantly satisfied.

"Too bad the world's about eating and living well. When various good young men are being used by others, hatred is destined to accumulate."

He who strikes first wins.

Hit even more with devious tricks.

Especially if they are sleepless.

Guys wealthier than most!

Non applicable gem like sayings.

The world is too fast to live straight up.

Weed had a few more wearable items.

"Identification!"

Necromancer tome directly written by Bar-Kahn

:

Durability 30/30

The second written tome dealing with the difficult discipline of black magic that manufactures undead. All undead recipes ranging from basic level to advanced level are listed.Written directly by the genius wizard Bar-Kahn, it is not difficult to understand.
Dealing with the creation of undead requires a huge mana supply and cannot be carelessly used.
Restrictions:
Wizard Job. Level 300. Wisdom 500. Mana 8000
Only available to Necromancer job.
Options:
Resistance to black magic +25.
Ability to manufacture undead +2.
Can make undead bosses with intelligence.
Vitality of the undead will improve and immunity to divine power will be built up.

"Not bad."

Origin of the Skeleton.

Thanks to the balanced characteristics of Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Mages, Necromancer magic could be equipped and read.

Numerous spells were written in red.

It contained a bunch of Necromancer magic. In addition to undead manufacturing magic, many magic attacks were also written.

Weed first read about Bone Dragon manufacturing magic.

Easy undead recipes directly written by Bar-Kahn.
Bone Dragon:The ultimate undead all wizards want to see and create.
Dead body of a Dragon is required and many magical reagents must be committed. In contrast to zombie or ghoul like monsters that instantly appear, one hundred time-consuming days are required to generate it. Magic defence and intellectual ability are significantly dropped compared to a normal Dragon, but the bodily ability to take advantage of is the health increase. However, the weaknesses of the Bone include...

Weed zealously read the magical book.

Volume 10 Chapter 2
Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Origin of the Skeleton

KMC Media told the story of the Versailles continent.

Shin HyeMin and Oh Juwan's job in the program broadcast was to tell the latest information.

"Mr. Oh Juwan, you told me that if certain conditions are met and special quests are done, something specific would happen?"

"Yes. Unicorn Company reportedly said: ‘in the case of production jobs, after their skills reached a certain state, they can embark upon a unique generated quest’."

"The quest isn't like the primary 3?"

"It's a little different from them, for example, in the case of blacksmiths they can operate their own studios as a reward."

"Even jewellery workshops?"

"Yes, on the basis of accumulated technology, their own studios can be opened. It is also possible to employ operators."

Until now, blacksmiths were only able to erect castles for kings, lords and nobles. The blacksmith was a form of employment run by others.

After acquiring skills to a certain extent, blacksmiths can forge under their own name and create their own story.

"In the future, towns and countries will want more workshops to improve the speed of technological development. Production jobs appear to be the hope of the future."

"It's a positive thing. Many people with production jobs can now go out and dream."

"Returning back to the story about job quests ... we do not know specifically what will happen with the generated quests. For example, I have heard of the blacksmith quest that allows for the creation of studios as well. There are just so many alternatives for job related quests that I advise people to never give up."

Oh Juwan explained while sweating. He had been reading from the script for nearly two hours.

"That's right, what would happen if those job skills are mastered Mr. Oh Juwan?"

"Unicorn Company, in a private interview, reportedly said people are close to crossing that line. Such a person has yet to appear though. Royal Road is a game very large in nature. Furthermore, it is based on the physicality of reality. When you think about it, mastering a skill is very difficult."

"But if they master job skills, will they get something?"

"Great fame, and if they belong to a kingdom, I would guess that they get a title."

Oh Juwan tried to proceed with an ordinary expected remark, but Shin HyeMin did not miss his expression change.

"We have been broadcasting together for over a year Oh Juwan, do you know you have a habit of blinking whenever you try to hide something."

"Haha, yeah?"

"Please let us know what's going on right now."

"Here's the truth. Well ......"

Oh Juwan smiled albeit embarrassed and quietly talked.

"It doesn't end when they master their profession."

"It's not the end? Once skills have been mastered, they have reached the final stage of the production process, is that not it?"

"No. It is said that at that time, there will be a new beginning. Their given skills will be used for something related to the continent. For those jobs to carry out their master quests, they must form parties able to break information reminiscent of the main story of Versailles continent. As far as I can tell, quests have had no association with races ... until now. I really do not know any more than this."

"It's a lot more fun when things just come out."

"I'm sure you would think that. I'm still a while away from mastering my job; I still make mistakes with it."

"Job skills during the high growth period are very difficult to level. Thank you for telling me."

"I had the honour of talking to the beautiful Ms. Shin HyeMin; I am the one who should be thankful."

"Oh, I appreciate the compliment. That reminds me, today I ate the fruit you brought for me."

"I will have to buy more fruit when I go home today then."

Shin HyeMin and Oh Juwan were now ready to shut down the broadcast. Part 1 was inviting people from the panel to talk to. Part 2 was telling them the information they had. The broadcast that lasted for over two hours was finally ending and it was time to rest.

'I should go out with Pale-nim and have fun.'

Shin HyeMin followed the scenario and prepared for the moment to shut down the broadcast. Suddenly, the PD signature for a broadcast extension shined.

'Isn't now time to end this thing?'

The appearance of the TV screens mirrored the sudden fight of the expedition in the Valley of Death. Battle of the Northern Expedition was linked in real time.

Oh Juwan was in a panic, but Shin HyeMin quickly responded.

"Viewers, it is our pleasure to try and give you the stories of Versailles Continent. Timely and accurate broadcasts! Without ending the broadcast, we will send you the news as soon as it comes in."

Oh Juwan had learned how to adapt to fast-paced situations. By looking at the contents of the illuminated TV screen, he guessed it was related to the expedition so he quickly gave an explanation.

"Before the people in the audience, what we will tell you is never before heard information about the expedition in the north. The expedition led by Oberon, its Captain, seems to have finally entered the Valley of Death."

Oh Juwan boasted of an extensive network in Royal Road.

Through good fortune, he was acquainted with the prestigious Oberon, allowing him to hear news about the expedition directly from him.

Shin HyeMin and Oh Juwan read what was written in the PD just then and told the story through their headphones.

"Chase told me the news. Currently in the valley where the expedition entered, there is a very high probability that the Broken Beads of the Serbian Witch are there! The Serbian Witch's Broken Beads will blow away the current heat in the main continent."

Shin HyeMin and Oh Juwan's fatigue from the 2 hour long broadcast was gone.

Like anyone else that liked Royal Road, giving new information to viewers filled the two with a sense of pride.
Shin HyeMin opened fire first.

"The expedition is on an adventure to find the Serbian Witch's Broken Beads! It's currently being streamed in real time. Regardless of the broadcast time, the story of the expedition's adventures in Versailles continent will continue until the end for our committed viewers."

The broadcast was to last till dawn to show the viewers what they wanted. The story about the Versailles continent had already become the top priority in the timetable in the station. If necessary, hours of the show would be extended on top of any other program!

Shin HyeMin and Oh Juwan saw the base of the Valley of Death on the viewing screen created from the chunky dwarf Oberon's adventure.

The bloody fight of the expedition.

As they battled against evil looking Priests of the Embinyu Church and hordes of monsters, the Bone Dragon was flying around in the sky eating the expedition.

All these things appeared through the dwarf Oberon's vision.

Shin HyeMin thought to herself.

'Pale-nim's gotta see this.'

All users were sensitive to information about Royal Road. The very rare quest occurrence that could quickly lead to the outbreak of war, millions of people were watching. Within just a few minutes, there was an explosive growth in ratings, crowds of tens of thousands gathered on the street in front of large television screens.

In fact, for Shin HyeMin and Oh Juwan, it did not matter how long the broadcast took. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves because it was about Royal Road!

Shin HyeMin said her expectations.

"Well, I hope the expedition takes out the Bone Dragon and acquires the Broken Beads of the Serbian Witch."

Oh Juwan nodded.

"Seems possible. The Cold Roses guild is not alone and there are a lot of outstanding users in the expedition."

"I am guessing that the expedition primarily formed for the reward. But Mr Oh Juwan..."

"Yes?"

"How powerful is the Bone Dragon?"

"The Bone Dragon is a very powerful monster. Only guilds that dared to enter dangerous monster zones would be able to tolerate it. When walking alone at night, if you meet it, run right away."

"I can only imagine how terrible it would be to meet a Bone Dragon at night."

At night in the Versailles continent, monsters grow stronger by 50%, therefore reducing the number of emerging monsters that people were capable of hunting. People usually tended to take a break from monster hunting at night.

In the first place, hunting a boss class monster at night was no different from a suicidal act. The items and experience rewarded were not necessary, considering all the risk present.

Then on the screen, they listened as it showed the Bone Dragon's torso on the ground, studded with axes.
Dwarves threw them like firewood with an unrelenting hand!

Shin HyeMin excitedly made two fists.

"Hopefully, the efforts of those who struggled in the expedition will end in success."

"Yes. Wizards are getting ready to cast large spells again. They appear to be targeting the body of the Bone Dragon."

"I think it’s a massive Fire Field."

"The kamikaze attack led by the wizard Drum has been launched!"

And so Shin HyeMin and Oh Juwan explained the fight like a football game broadcast.

***

Weed was also watching the expedition fighting the Bone Dragon.

'A Bone Dragon. Certainly stronger than Tori.'

Tori was a Vampire Lord. The Vampire power of transforming someone into stone was a very strong and destructive magical attack.

But the Bone Dragon, as a large monster, literally trampled over numerous members of the expedition. It was relative to an elephant versus a group of ants.

"They will be used to the fullest, keukeukeu."

Weed scored a wicked smile.

He won much when the expedition perfectly ignored him as his job was a sculptor!

‘The misfortune of others is my happiness!’

Although Oberon recruited a few other people including Weed, he gave preferential treatment to his guild.

Most of the terrible battles were won, but the expedition ignored the sculptor department.

It had become common for production jobs workers that made weapons and armours to be ignored. Even for those with high level skills, only a little respect was shown and what did not essentially change was that people only looked for them when they needed something. The labour force workers just wanted money so they could eat at any time.

It goes without saying that production and art series jobs were at least sometimes useful in treatment.

While cooks, sculptors and architects assisted the expedition crew, the fundamental change recognized was not enough.

The currently slain production and art series jobs revealed that fact to be true.

Weed recalled the time the Bone Dragon's breath flooded the chambers.

"They could have provided full protection."

The priests and wizards had time to spread defensive magic around. Quite a few production series jobs including the cooks and merchants would have lived if they had done so. Weed had the advantage of monstrous health and would have survived somehow, but no one was protected by magic.

"We were not worth saving."

Consuming mana to keep countless people alive who would not directly help in the battle would end in annihilation. Since they didn't need to keep giving assistance, they could concentrate more on distributing power for fights.

It was not attributed to the wizards or the clerics' decision but rather Oberon's judgement at the time. Still, Weed did not blame him.

In the first place, that's how the world is.

"The Bone Dragon's pretty strong too."

The Bone Dragon struck the earth, increasing the martyrs of the expedition.

A dangerous situation!

The Geomchis’ and Dark Gamers executed surprising plays.

"Honey, I'm hurt!"

Volk went through the gaps of the Embinyu Priests while brutally wielding his Great-sword.

"Hang in there baby. We can't meet our end here!"

Lin Der treated her husband and the other Dark Gamers.

The Dark Gamers, rather than recklessly tackling the Bone Dragon, dealt with the monsters, steadily reducing the enemies.

Each of the Geomchis were also scattered throughout.

"These guys!"

"Taste this!"

Thanks to the improved attack and defence via Weed's sword grind and armour polish skills, the Geomchi were now able fight evenly against the monsters.

Other people also noticed it was not normal.

"It's dangerous Geomchi 350!"

"Yow!"

Geomchi was not surrounded by monsters. By thoroughly analyzing the situation, he showed only the most optimal movements.

He faced only the scattered monsters and overwhelmed each of them.

Geomchi individually battled each of them, even without the support of a wizard or priest!

Weed nodded his head.

"At this rate, the Bone Dragon will be finished off without a hitch."

No matter how strong a monster was, it could not take on all the forces of the expedition.

In the icy northern continent red blood flows through the valley. The unwelcomed Bone Dragon will never stop the advance of heroes.

The people listened to the voice of bards as they took songs to new heights.

Dancers danced accordingly. Sometimes they slipped and fell on the ice, but even then they did not stop dancing.

Bards received assistance from the dancers.

Shamans’, summoners’ and elementalists’ were each dedicated to their own missions.

The expedition took heavy losses, but appeared to be winning the battle itself.

"While dealing with the monsters, they encountered the Bone Dragon. Roughly half died, but it still wouldn't be that hard to win."

Weed decided not to intervene until the end of the fight.

The Geomchis were not people who would die in this battle, their lives were based on taking care of their bodies, and therefore, there was no need for Weed to go.

"Anyway, I can't just embark with this body."

His appearance was currently changed into a skeleton.

To be mistaken for a monster would not be at all unusual in this situation!

Also, the magic treatment of priests would bring adverse effects. Therefore, it would be good to be hidden from the eyes of the expedition.

Weed concealed himself and simply watched the situation unfold.

"But what is that woman doing?"

Seoyoon strangely caught his eye.

Even when the enemy of life, the Bone Dragon appeared, she kept dragging her sword to the forefront of the expedition.

While the barbaric Oberon withdrew his forces to an extent, Seoyoon viciously attacked with ongoing momentum.

The berserker characteristic of continuous attack was applied to the Bone Dragon.

She sustained numerous injuries while fighting at the forefront, all the while causing the battle to erupt into more chaos.

It was then that the situation reversed itself.

Monsters were reduced to some extent when a big calamity took place within the expedition.

Part of the expedition aimed their swords at the back of their colleagues.

"Keueok!"

"Why all of a sudden ......"

"We are on the same side. Stop attacking!"

"Priests dispel the seduced status. Come on, hurry up and cast the divine magic!"

They knew they had to use divine magic on their colleagues caught in the seduction magic from the sacred writings of the Embinyu Priests.

Meanwhile, people in the expedition did not stop attacking. Those caught up in defending died.

Priests burst out screaming!

"The removal magic's not working!"

"They are still attacking our allies!"

It was not the monsters that dazed people.

Betrayal at the decisive moment!

Tero Seu of the Crimson Wings Guild was holding his sword inverted.

All this time, the Crimson Wings Guild had been patiently waiting. They purchased appropriate equipment, namely special face changing items, armour and swords.

Then at the crucial moment, they revealed their true form.

Terose's disguise changed back into his original armour and the figure drawn on his face was removed.

"We scoured this cold land in search of the Bone Dragon!"

Flavio, the barbarian warrior next to Oberon immediately intercepted him.

"Keueuk! Why ......"

"For our Crimson Wings, it can't be helped. We will take care of the Bone Dragon, but worry not. Your role won't be in vain."

Flavio slashed deeply into Oberon.

A fatal blow!

Oberon's nerve was not prepared for the sudden outbreak of civil war in the expedition during the battle with the Bone Dragon. His injured, defenceless colleagues met a complete end.

Unlike his usual character, Oberon was extremely outraged.

"Until now you have been waiting to go rogue!"

"You people should not have been tricked. Just because we belonged to the expedition, didn't mean we shared the same goal."

"Cowards, I will not go down like this ......"

As expected of a strong warrior, Oberon tried to stand his ground, but then a shadow rose from his back.

"This will definitely kill you."

Fear swept over his face as he glanced at the assassin Dane as he struck with his dagger.

Assassin's fatal blow!
Paralysis of the body!
Poison has spread rapidly throughout the body.
If you do not stop the bleeding wound, health will continue to decline.

Dane's poison dagger was buried in him. Oberon could not move his paralyzed body.

The eyes of Flavio and Dane met.

"If he recovers, all that trouble will be for nothing."

"All that's left is to finish him then."

Flavio and Dane kept striking with their weapons. They gathered near the Bone Dragon and finished Oberon off in a joint attack.

With his body paralyzed, Oberon could not withstand both of their attacks.

"Cowardly bastards! I will have my revenge someday!!!"

Oberon vowed revenge and died.

The expedition was notified of the death of Oberon.

"The captain is dead."

"Damn traitors killed our captain. They must pay for this!"

The expedition fell into a state of disarray. A fierce battle erupted between Oberon's allied guild forces and Terose's hired mercenaries.

Terose did not directly participate in combat and instead went to the place where the Dark Gamers gathered together.

'They move for money anyway. Even though Cold Roses is a larger guild, we just need to offer to pay them.'

Crimson Wings Guild was officially gone, but instead of reasonably finding a new place, they remained attached to their legacy.

"Volk, I want to contract you."

Terose looked for Volk among the Dark Gamers.

King Bersos' Tomb. They became acquainted while participating in the difficult Rank A quest together.

"We stand here before you with a purpose. We will pay you if you come and help us instead of the expedition. If you want, we are even willing to give you half of the items from the Bone Dragon."

Terose believed Volk and the Dark Gamers would accept the offer. Lives for money, they recruited people to die at any time for money. Rather than vague feelings of friendship, the mercenaries were faithful to reality!

But Volk shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I cannot do so."

"Why not? Do you have a problem with my proposal? We are suggesting a contract with better conditions than Oberon's."

"I am sorry. I got an advance."

"Seriously......"

Chapter 4 of the Law of Dark Gamers.

Take the money, keep the promise. No matter how many benefits there are to reap, you must absolutely fulfill the contract.

Most people do not know that when Dark Gamers take money, they do not break their contract.

When a group has an incredibly low reputation, they cannot earn money, therefore, for the benefit of the Dark Gamers a rule was implemented.

The moment you accept the contract, you promise not to abandon it.

Being told they would not act accordingly when presented with money sounded like a bunch of crap to Terose.

A grimace appeared on his face.

"We can give more than 2 times the amount they promised. No we will pay you 3 times as much."

"I'm sorry but we can't. We are bound to the contract. When the contract expires, then we can help, but not now."

The Dark Gamers were unable to accept Terose's offer.

"Keuoooo!"

Meanwhile, the Bone Dragon and monsters became increasingly active in attacking.

The expedition could no longer concentrate as the senior users were busy fighting among themselves.

Regardless, the Dark Gamers observed neutrality and fought monsters, but they were unable to block everything.

"Kiyooh! Humans, kill them!"

"Believe in evil. Ride Evil!"

Although wounded, the Bone Dragon and monsters released vicious attacks.

The Valley of Death literally became the graveyard of many people.

At one point, the balance began to collapse. The axis of power shifted from the dominant humans to the Bone Dragon and monsters.

"Oh fuck!"

"It's because of those traitors."

It was already too late to stop fighting each other and concentrate on monsters.

To make matters worse, the situation did not allow them to believe in each other.

It was difficult for the expedition to trust Terose's men that killed the Cold Roses guild. If they once again combined their full strength, they would have had a chance, but they were unable to do so and took increasing cumulative damage.

Finally, the Bone Dragon broke the inhibiting line of defence.

In order to catch the Bone Dragon, its movement must be sealed by constantly attacking; but due to a lack of attacks, it managed to free itself.

"Keueoeoeo!"

The Bone Dragon flapped its unfolded wings.

As it flew away, the wind pressure knocked down Terose and his men, along with the warriors of the expedition.

"Damn!"

Terose tried to stand up in a hurry.

Gleem!

At that moment, the Bone Dragon's eyes lighted up.

The Bone Dragon took a deep breath, expanding its mouth.

Puwahak!

With a powerful breath, it destroyed Terose and expedition warriors.

"Aaaaah!"

"Please help me!"

"My body ... my body's melting!"

The Bone Dragon’s released its most powerful weapon, its breath.

Concentrated in one place, priests, elementalists and wizards with weak stamina literally forced their way through.

"Make it!"

"Come on!"

Frightened, they tried to run away like flies while casting defensive magic. Then, a sweeping breath passed through.

The survivors quickly tried to avoid any incidents by attempting to stop those who suffered significant damage from dying.

As their bodies turned black, their health exponentially declined.

This was the result from being fed poisonous breath.

Initially united, they cast defensive magic on the warriors to slowly weaken the breath, but they could not prevent it from swallowing them up.

"Treatment of the hand!"

"Heal!"

"Recovery!"

The priests’ hurriedly cast recovery magic.

Reducing the poison while recovering health!

"Anti-Poison!"

"Poison Cure!"

The priests aggressively cast detoxification magic.

Thanks to their diligent effort, their colleagues hit by the breath survived, but the situation had already turned desperate.

The remains of the expedition numbered in the 400s. The number of survivors was still quite significant; nevertheless, they could no longer fight the Bone Dragon.

They lacked direct combating warriors. The remaining priests, wizards, elementalists, archers, bards and dancers were physically vulnerable jobs.

"Damn! It's happening again."

Volk scored a complaint.

Like the last request he took, he would lose his life again. You would receive a large reward if you died for the promise, but for the Dark Gamers, death itself was a huge loss.

The Dark Gamers including Volk and Lynn Der united in one place.

"What should we do?"

"Contractually we cannot escape."

"So ......"

"Cool, let's fight!"

Blood started flowing in the Dark Gamers after a long time.

Royal Road was a job for Dark Gamers to make money, but they basically loved the land.

When fighting monsters, they were generally forced to be passive to get home.

However, by the invisible hand of god, they ended up fighting the Bone Dragon and monsters, making their chests burn with spirit.

"Euaaa!"

"Kill him now!"

"Hack them! Hack them!"

In a frenzy, the Dark Gamers ignored the insignificant monsters and charged exclusively towards the Bone Dragon.

"Woo hit hit hit hit!"

"All right! Exciting ain't it?"

When the Bone Dragon knocked them down, they simply laughed. The Dark Gamers stood right back up like zombies and charged again!

In the meantime, the Geomchis’ had to deal with the monsters. Wizards and priests fought carefully while observing their surroundings, but they did not take full advantage of the Geomchis.

After fighting dozens of monsters until he was ragged, he could no longer take anymore.

"Keueuk!"

Geomchi emerged injured and collapsed as he died.

Weed decided to intervene in the battle after receiving the report.

"I wish I had not been forced to embark."

Geomchi's death, however, could not be overlooked. Thus, Weed first sent a whisper.

"Brother Geomchi 16."

"Huh? Weed?"

Geomchi 16 said with a very serene tone of voice as opposed to his grim, fighting face.

He was the eldest after Geomchi. Having gone through quite a lot of chaos in reality, he never lost his calm reasoning.

"I heard about the breath attack. Does this mean Ahn Hyundo died?"

"Died. Some circumstances from a while back allowed me to survive. Anyway, let me help you. Please get safely to the back."

"No, there's no need."

Geomchi 16’s words were rather unexpected.

"Please wait until I die first."

"Yes?"

"If you are not in front of her, I will have a chance to show her I’m a great man."

Near Geomchi 16 was a beautiful, crying and trembling priest casting treatment magic.

In this cold and dangerous place where hungry and unmatched monsters lurked, she watched a man risk his life!

Geomchi 16 decided to sacrifice his body.

In reality, this situation would never happen. Geomchi 16 typically beat up bullies on sight.

Eventually, Geomchi 16 gloriously collapsed while fighting evil soldiers.

His life had fallen to a dying level, rendering treatment magic useless.

"I'm sorry, my skills weren't good enough. It would have been better if I died instead..."

"...It's fine, you did everything you could."

Priestess Yevhen's big eyes filled with tears.

She focused her eyes on Geomchi 16.

With a strong presence on the battlefield, he always looked after her.

Now he lost his life.

"Again stay away, one day we will meet again. Even then I would like to protect you, would you do me the honour?"

Geomchi 16 had spent a few days preparing for this moment. He specifically trained under the playboy master, Zephyr.

He said for women, a grieving voice lamenting over not being able to protect them was highly effective in touching their feelings.

"Yes, my name is Libby."

"Geomchi 16."

Register friends!

Having accomplished his goal, Geomchi 16 could finally die.

'I did it.’

Weed arose from his hiding place.

A body made up of only bones!

A figure in the shape of a skeleton advanced on the expedition.

Volume 10 Chapter 3
Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Rise of the Undead

Weed in one hand held the Staff of the Fallen Saint and in the other hand, the Magic of Bar-Kahn.

"Wyverns, to the battlefield!"

Wy-1, Wy-2, Wy-3, Wy-5, Wy-6, Wy-7.

The Wyverns pushed their proud wings and flew.

"Ah-choo!"

"Damn I'm getting cold."

"My sin is that I met the wrong owner, now I suffer and suffer!"

In the upper levels of the Valley of Death, cold winds blew ice particles. Weed was afraid of being unable to take the cold just from approaching it!

The Wyverns flew while trembling in the cold. If not for the colorfully dyed wolf leather clothing, they would not have been able to come anywhere near there.

Survivors of the expedition fell into despair as they saw the newly emerging Wyverns.

***

"Oh shit, Wyverns are coming out."

"Now I can't even run away."

However, their complexions quickly brightened up at once.

"What the hell is that, I swear those Wyverns are in clothing. Why are Wyverns wearing clothes?"

"Answer me this, the Wyverns’ appearance, doesn’t it look a bit weird?"

"That angular face, exceptionally short neck and protruding belly, I've clearly seen it somewhere ......"

"The Plains of Despair!”

"Wyverns helped the Orcs fight against the undead army.

"So ......"

"Weed! Weed’s here at this place!"

The expedition fell into celebration.

Hero from their dreams!

When asking about the adventurer and champion of the continent, the name Weed would appear.

"Dumb Wyverns, do not miss the food!"

When Weed issued the command to drop him off, the Wyverns vigorously flew to find a place for him observe the battle.

The Wyverns narrowly avoided the gathered expedition to attack monsters. Geumini in the meantime fiercely shot arrows.

The Geomchis, priests and wizards gathered around monsters and started fighting.

Even with the extended help, the situation would still be difficult to reverse.

Weed unfolded the Magic of Bar-Kahn.

In order to deal with the number of monsters, allies were needed. Usable allies were plenty here.

"Rise sleepless spirits living here undetected by eyes. Take revenge on those that killed you! Dead Rise!”

The land of ice that the expedition stood on darkened in color.

The land produced Zombies, Ghouls and Skeleton Soldiers!

"Kiyahooh!"

"Keuhehel."

As the undead army moved over a distance, Weed pointed and commanded them.

"Fight. Kill them. All your enemies!"

"Keurererel!"

Under Weed's command, the undead sluggishly walked towards the Embinyu Priests and monsters.

Thudding.

With those unnatural movements, they slipped on the ice.

Nevertheless, in the fingernails brandished by the rising zombies contained tremendous strength.

They were strong monsters slow on speed.

"Weed produced those undead!"

"The undead are fighting the monsters."

Said the expedition that had fallen into chaos.

Undead are enemies of the living, yet they only destroyed monsters!

The Necromancer job had long been open to the public, but people had yet to finish changing jobs, so seeing the undead summoning skills with your own eyes was simply amazing.

"Call Death Knight Van Hawk! Call Vampire Tori!"

The summoning of a Death Knight and Vampire Lord!

A stacking Death Knight and pale faced Vampire appeared.

"Today must be very lucky for me to meet my favorite master."

The Death Knight began flattering as soon as he was summoned. Now that Weed had become an Origin of the Skeleton, there was a sense of intimacy.

Weed acknowledged that it had been a long time.

"Death Knight!"

"Master, give your orders. Which one do I fight? Just demand it and I will bring them in front of you as an offering."

The victory loving Death Knight replied confidently, but Weed shook his head.

"It's not that. Take off your helmet and give it to me."

"......"

"Did you not hear me? Take off your helmet and give it to me. I'm going to wear it."

In the world for only five seconds and already facing perfectly cruel behavior!

Returned only to be snatched again.

It was originally owned by the Death Knight, Weed was just going to steal it.

"This is my stuff."

The Death Knight stood upright and tried to protect his magic helmet.

Weed made a fist.

"Would you rather I beat you?"

Choose between a mix of coercion and violence!

Weed did not exercise patience.

"Don't make me tell you twice."

"... I’ll give it to you."

The Death Knight was forced to gently take off his magic helm.

For others, this fearful atmosphere would simply be considered as intimidation, but Weed had reached a stage of mastery in physical beatings. With his skill proficiency, a few days was all it took for him to knock someone into submission!

It would be nice to see people like that without free will.

"Don't worry. I'll return it later for you to use again. Go fight."

"Understood master."

The Death Knight rushed towards the Embinyu Priests.

Weed then looked back at Tori.

"You take the Bone Dragon."

"Understood."

"Focus on defense rather than attack it. You don't need to defeat it."

Tori was given orders to challenge the Bone Dragon and fight to the end.

"Vampire Queen and Vampire children, don't stick together. We are the nobility of the night."

"Yes my lord!"

Tori also turned into a bat with them.

Sharp vampire teeth!

Flapping their black wings, they clung on to the giant Bone Dragon and incited an attack.

You cannot defeat the opponent, but you can at least earn some time.

Weed in the meantime wore the magic helm.

"As long as it is written, let it be seen."

The magic helm made of cursed iron.

In the area drilled between the eyes, a brilliant yet insidious light burst out.

Glowing eyes like the flames of hell!

The Magic Helm of Van Hawk was among the items obtained from the Death Knight in Lavias.

At one time, he always wore the item, but not long ago, he created the Mithril Helmet of Noble Grace. Although he returned it to the Death Knight, he found himself in need of it once again.

- Resistance to Dark Magic is increased.

- Affinity with undead is increased by 10.

The magic helm granted options.

Weed once again used magic to summon the undead.

'Quite a lot of mana left.'

Step 1 of basic undead summoning magic.

Creating hundreds of dead bodies consumed about 4,000 mana only.

Staff of the Fallen Saint!

Thanks the immense effect of the weapon and his remaining mana, Weed decided to equip it.

'The physical force of the Origin of the Skeleton tends to be on the stronger side.'

Even without mana, you can engage in hand to hand combat.

Weed opened the Magic of Bar-Kahn and used step 2 of undead summonining magic.

"Ye who have returned to the land of living. This black and corrupt land is a dark place. The eternal dark law will never disappear, engrave this upon yourself. Undead Rise!"

Bureureu.

Vibrations arose from the Staff of the Fallen Saint.

Weed saw numerous bodies being produced.

They did not have any necks, Dulahans!

Combat loving warriors.

In addition, a number of Skeleton Mages rose.

There were hundreds of undead. The large scale made it hard for them to be controlled.

Thanks to the Staff and Magic Helm, Weed had command of the forces, but he could not afford to create more undead as most of his mana had been used.

Only about 200 mana remaining!

A flash of light came from the Magic Helm Weed was wearing.

"Fight! War! Unfurl your hatred towards the enemy!"

Weed’s yell intensely radiated. His advanced Lion's Roar skill exhausted his remaining mana.

The undead jumped towards the Bone Dragon and monsters under Weed’s command to fight.

The zombies fought with broken bones and even resorted to using flying limbs.

The Dulahans embraced their ghoulish heads next to their torsos and in the other arm, they brandished swords.

"Fight!”

"Enemies everywhere!"

Weed also created several boss class monsters!

Boss class Dulahans and Skeleton Mages gave rise to a dazzling performance.

For the first time in the battle, the expedition stood frozen, transfixed on the true power that was Necromancer magic.

"Unbelievable!"

"So many undead."

Usually in the game you avoid hunting undead!

During the expedition, most people saw undead for the first time.

A few people, however, could not believe that their eyes could shine like that.

"Don't you think that undead looks somewhat familiar?"

"Hmm? I guess so."

"Maybe it's Oberon?"

It was an unusually short Dulahan. Rather than avoiding the enemies, the Dulahan with a small body fought fiercely.

Necromancer magic used bodies in the place of elements. In other words, if there were no bodies, the power of the Necromancer spells was bound to decline.

The bodies of the expedition that died during the fight against monsters resurrected as the undead.

Tons of zombies and their exposed defects ran towards the enemy, stumbling on their dead limbs.

Their skills were nonexistent, but they had an appearance very similar to those killed in the past.

"But what are they?"

Rusty soldier armor. Dulahans also consisted of soldiers wearing old patterned armor.

These were Soldiers and Knights of the Nifleheim Empire.

All those that had fallen in the Valley of Death thus far were awakened by the call of Weed.

"Kyaohoh!"

The scary undead cornered the monsters.

Weed saw information silently emerge on the message pane.

- You have acquired experience.

- Dulahan has killed an Embinyu Priest with amazing power. Due to the unbelievable victory, fame rises by 1.

- Ghoul has been killed.

- Concerning the Skeleton Soldiers destroyed in the attack, if you use the Dead Rise Again magic, the mana cost will be halved.

- Skeleton Mage’s remaining mana is 35%.

Undead were differed from sculptures.

Unlike sculptures, they consume mana, but as soon as they are created, they can fight. In addition, they were typically stronger compared to the general levels.

The undead did not get that much stronger so instead, you produced a significant number of undead whenever possible.

From the undead came a certain percentage of their fame and experience gain.

Necromancers have to assess the situation faster than other jobs to know what to do with their monster army. In other words, it was a job that required considerable leadership.

Weed summoned amazing boss class undead!

"Kiwowol!"

"Corpse explosion!"

"Bone shield!"

Some of the Skeleton Mages used corpse explosion. Bodies were scattered in front of a bunch of enemies without mercy.

The ghoulishly strengthened Dulahans went wild, too wild.

They differed from humans. Nothing good ever happened with those from beyond the grave. After collapsing onto the ground, they crawled on their bellies and chomped on your ankles, trying everything to accomplish their goal!
The horror of the ruthless undead army.

They attacked with unexpected methods. Fighting style based on crumbling bodies.

Royal Road Hall of Fame!

Hundreds of thousands of viewers were already looking at the rumors spread through the internet. Every room in society received a broadcast report. Considering the millions of people following them, the number might even have exceeded twenty million.

- Bone Dragon hunt.

- The heat and drought will be removed from the continent quite soon.

Joy and pleasure!

People enjoyed watching the exhilarating moment of victory.

Then Terose's betrayal of the expedition was shown.

If it was just a simple betrayal, it would not have been that important, however, because of the betrayal, the battle became extremely disadvantageous. Oberon also lost his life.

- That's what those guys are like.

- Cowardly bums, why go that far?

- What jerks.

- Worthless scum!

The expedition crew was filled with anger over the death of their leader.

However, they lacked the power to rule the world. Morally, they deserved to be blamed for the betrayal.

Besides, if they failed, the heat would have to be endured for a longer period of time!

Reckless insults fired off.

Hundreds of thousands of insults fully enveloped bulletin boards. Quite a few videos had to be shut down because so many people watching complained.

Then he appeared.

Weed!

- Dude, dude, it's Weed from Continent of Magick!

- Weed is leading the undead.

- No, he produced the undead!

People were excited.

A name heard everywhere. Weed!

Many people wore the famous name Weed, but there was only one true Weed.

The top ace in the Continent of Magic that defeated both the blood sucking vampire family and the undead army.

Weed was already a celebrity.

Thanks to the fuss from made from various media, when he sold his account at a high price, he was all the hype.

The appearance of Weed alone was sufficient to thrill the people.

Weeds commanded his created undead soldiers to claw and bite the Embinyu Priests and the evil soldiers that followed them.

"Attack! Fight! Devour away!"

Weed thoroughly ordered his undead army to target only those monsters.

- You have acquired experience.

- Ghoul followers have picked up 3 gold and 15 silver.

- Dulahan has obtained loose cloth.

- Skeleton Mage has picked up a red herb package.

Every time they killed a monster, you received income. Experience tended to climb up pretty quickly as well.

Whenever the undead fought, you received a certain percentage of experience, so engaging in direct combat would be fine without the situation turning into a mess.

'It’s a combat series job too!'

As Weed's hunt progressed smoothly, tears of sadness seemed to flow.

True combat series job.

Necromancer job boasts of the highest known growth rate and a taste in the dead.

Necromancers accumulated experience four times faster than other professions.

Of course, the hunt was limited to the moment. Necromancers usually roam around solo as most parties are never comfortable around them.

Necromancer is a job making undead bodies. Therefore, in order to utilize their skills, they need bodies.

The first undead!

To make it, you had to first catch and kill a monster with poor magic attacks. As the number of undead increased, earlier problems became much easier to deal with, but there were still some complaints. They had a vulnerable weakness to priests and paladins. Besides that, after a fixed amount of time, you could no longer maintain the undead and they turned back into corpses. To restore the bodies required an enormous amount of mana.

Commanding groups of slow undead into battle was tricky as it burned mana that required spending tedious hours to refill.

In addition to the magical skills of the undead, the quality of the material was important as well. Depending on the body used, the power of individuals varied with worlds of difference.

If the level of the body was over 300, even with low magic skill, you could still create a strong undead.

"Death Knight, Lace, Wight, Banshee or Spector. I wish I could call those monsters, but ......"

The Origin of the Skeleton had the tendency of a wizard, making the primary and secondary steps of the Necromancer's undead summoning magic spells simple to use! Only step 3 of the Necromancer's undead summoning magic spells had a limit.

Nevertheless, excellent ingredients showed outstanding plays.

Corpses from the expedition, bodies of the dead soldiers of the Nifleheim Empire, and even the bodies of enemy monsters arose as undead. The opponents outnumbered them 1-4, but this much was sufficient enough.

"Chances are you'll die."

As the battle continued, the undead were unconditionally bound to increase. The Necromancer job had a tremendous advantage.

"Awesome!”

"That guy's the master, Weed-nim."

The expedition looked on with eyes full of envy.

A true adventurer of the Versailles Continent.

An absolute existence that showed no quest was impossible.

The people in the expedition crew were bound to revere such a figure.

"Hmm."

Weed also felt the attention as he stood cross-armed while watching the battle. In order to not expose his body of bones, he stood in a dignified manner as he watched the battle.

"Hu hu, my undead army's fighting well."

Weed stood moderately above the 50,000 minions.

Of course, the expedition concentrated all their attention on the situation at that place. They were extremely curious as to how others besides themselves came to this place.

Weed heard the babble from the expedition crew through his ears. (no ears tho, skull joke)

"Why a skeleton though?"

"I don't know, maybe he offended someone somewhere and got cursed for it?"

"I don't think so. The curse is still fully intact."

"Anyway, is he going to show us an authentic black magic show?"

"If that’s true, we should wait for him to demonstrate the power of Necromancers."

"Weed the master will definitely show an amazing scene."

Weed's ears tingled. It was not embarassment, but rather he could not disclose the fact that he ran out of mana!

'Can't use Necromancer skills anymore.'

Blood flowing.

The staff held in his hand added strength.

As always, bodies will suffer from an evil mind.

Weed aimed his staff towards the body of monsters.

Pabababak!

The motion of the staff was smooth. It moved freely under the palm of his hand and lodged itself into moving monsters.

His fantastic swordsmanship debuted in front of people with a staff.

There is a big difference between swords and canes.

The sword was a sharp weapon that slashed opponents, while the staff was simply something that smashed your opponents.

The attack of the Staff of Saint Taranhan was much better than that of his sword!

Weed indiscriminately smashed the monsters in front of him.

'Experience! Experience is calling me.'

Items and money picked up by the undead all returned back to Weed. More than half of the experience, however, would be lost to the governed undead.

Therefore, Weed thoroughly picked out monsters with their lives at risk.

With his supreme broad field of vision, he noticed everything!

Although Weed could not afford to die, he attacked multiple monsters at once.

Wherever he passed through, monsters turned into carcasses.

Weed swept through the camp like a storm.

'Anyway, once the Bone Dragon dies, I'll have to diligently fight to make up for the lost experience.'

In addition, the mastery of many valuable skills needless to say was a big loss.

To make up for his low damage, Weed picked only the monsters with little remaining life left.

"It's really Weed-nim!"

"Even without magic he can fight."

"Damn! I want to hunt monsters by moving my body like that."

"With that degree of skill as a wizard, what kind of damage is that ......"

"What level is he?"

Admiration deepened in the eyes of the expedition.

This view was unavoidable as there were significantly less monsters everywhere he passed through.

Like the wind, he swept away the monsters, the stem of the problematic situation.

Weed did not leave their eyes.

The undead fought in place of the inactive people as Weed ran straight into a crowd and instantly destroyed a number of enemies.

Mysterious movements of the staff.

Remarkable moves and smoothly connecting actions.

It seemed the continuous melee until now was simply fiction, for the battle had now become clean and organized.

In fact, Weed planned to release the near death undead for the people to finish up, but their views were completely opposite.

"You're so strong!"

"Battling like that, so cool!"

The expedition continuously spat out praise.

Weed's artistic movements were sufficient enough to garner admiration.

Origin of the Skeleton was a thorough job, fairly strong in battles.

In the finest combination with the weapon, the Staff of the Fallen Saint, Weed's damaged shined even more.

For ordinary people, it was difficult to imagine the violence and intense skills Weed demonstrated.

30 meters away, an Embinyu Priest was dying away.

About to collapse!

However, the sword above the Dulahan was ready to descend.

At this, Weed snapped one of his ribs and angrily shouted.

"Bone-throw!"

He threw his broken rib toward the target.

The sharpened bone went flying! Only the Origin of the Skeleton had such a unique skill.

The bone flew with strong momentum and claimed the life of the target before it died. (KS FTW)

- You have used part of the body.

Until the bone is recovered, damage is reduced by 1.3% and defense decreases by 2%.

Weed very busily moved to fight, acquire items, threw bones and often direct the undead army. He moved at all times without ceasing, striking all the monsters like an endless gale.

In a sense, the spirit of Geomchi also fought with the expedition.

As a result, the Embinyu Priests and Evil Soldiers could not withstand the onslaught.

"Kuaaa!"

The roar of the Bone Dragon!

All that remained was to deal with the boss-class monster, the Bone Dragon.

Vampire Tori was also fighting, but he took devastating damage. Of the Vampires serving under him, only half remained!

Countless of undead roared on the ground, but they would not help much in the battle with the Bone Dragon and the expedition was now exhausted without strength to fight anymore.

Weed was in conflict.

'Should I retreat to the side now?'

He had already secured an escape route. If he sacrificed Tori's life, he could escape.

'But I won't know the truth of the history of the Nifleheim Empire that took place in the Valley of Death.'

The quest took precedence.

Seeing as the quest was one of a kind, he had to somehow clean up the situation on the ground!

The Bone Dragon had emerged from a big cave. Perhaps in there contained a true secret of the Nifleheim Empire, but going into the cave while avoiding the Bone Dragon's sight would be a formidable task. In addition, while it fought, the larger surroundings of the cave might collapse, trapping him inside. When it is time to come out, there might even be a bigger problem.

'To step back here would lead to a more difficult opportunity. Kill the Bone Dragon now!'

Weed made a decision.

As far as fighting monsters goes, he never stood in the back. Sometimes working meticulously for long hours may not be rewarded, but challenges have never been successful without putting in effort.

Weed revived the spirit of the tireless fighter from the Continent of Magick.

'Looks like it will need a sharp blow.'

Weed confirmed the mana gathered during the fight. By fighting only with his body, he conserved mana and recovered 43%.

"Gloomy darkness falls upon the spear. Spear born from the darkness, penetrate the enemy's heart. Appear, Dark Spear!" (Frankenstein anybody)

Weed opened his side arm and caught the spear of black life in his hand.

Insidious fog streamed from the spear.

The spear was created through Black Magic.

Among the most powerful magic attacks usable, it was a skill that consumed lots of mana.

More than half of his remaining mana was consumed.

"Go!"

Weed through the power of his soul directed the Dark Spear towards the Bone Dragon.

Tori helped Seoyoon toward the few surviving Dark Gamers fighting the Bone Dragon.

Declaration of war.

Regarding the Bone Dragon as game, he faced it with a determined expression of wanting to inflict pain upon it.

Volume 10 Chapter 4
Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Single Point Attack Arts

Sswaeaeaeaek!

The Dark Spear tore sharply through the air and rushed in a straight line, piercing the Bone Dragon’s wing.

"Kkeueoeoeo!"

Howled the Bone Dragon greatly. It screamed painful groans.

"Only just the beginning."

Weed on the other hand just smiled. Before killing the Bone Dragon, he enjoyed watching it writhe in pain.

His happiness is relative to its suffering!

Normally, he would have undoubtedly given away a rotten smile, but now that he was a skeleton, he was free to cruelly laugh. Thus, he laughed, significantly spreading his tempromandibular apart. (jaw joint)

More bastardly than anyone else.

"Keuheuheuheuheu!"

Weed suddenly burst into laughter.

He took out a large number of red potions from his backpack.

Rapid recovery potions.

They were refreshments that rapidly healed injuries. Indispensable as one could not buy them.

“Elder brothers, try to gather over here!”

55 Geomchis were still alive. With life surpassing that of cockroaches, they survived the battle with the monsters.

“What’s the matter?”

“What’s going on?”

The Geomchis hanged around at the gathering place.

“If you’re in danger, drink it.”

Weed gave each of them 9 red potions, not forgetting to add a few words.

“What a lovely aroma.”

“Oooooo.”

The Geomchis cheered.

To them, such things were considered the same as tasty delicacies!

Geomchi 39 opened the cap of a potion.

“Oh, this soft scent.”

The potion of life was refreshing and simple.

Made out of troll’s blood, the potion was undeniably a great drink.

The Geomchis viewed this as eating a delicacy.

“Yummy.”

Geomchi 39 had no immediate need for it, so when he was about to drink the potion, Weed said something insinuating.

“But....”

“Hmm?”

“Geomchi 16 was such a glorious warrior elder brother.”

“Uh, what do you mean?”

Geomchi 39 was quite surprised, his eyes narrowing. The dead man was intolerable due to deliberately escaping danger.

“What the hell happened?”

“Well... the fact is, it worked out with a woman he liked in the expedition, elder brother.”

“What went through the woman’s mind that made her like dead senior?”

“He fought to keep the monsters away from her and died bravely, so the woman registered him as a friend.”

Register friends!

Geomchi 39's eyes sparkled and thousands of photos came into view. The Geomchis that had gathered around to get potions also stumbled.

“Disgrace to register friends......”

“You fucking with me?”

“Until now, I thought us men only had the ability to register friends with each other.”

Geomchi 39 dubiously asked.

“Are you saying he really registered a woman as a friend using that method?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“You saw it with your own eyes, not in a dream, right? It’s not some story based on ridiculous rumors you heard?”

“I heard the report directly from him. Women like strong men. Fight the Bone Dragon while looking awesome, even if you fail, you demonstrate your courage so their minds will certainly have positive thoughts.”

Geomchi 39 grabbed his weapon.

“Weed.”

“Yes, elder brother?”

“Good information, thanks for the heads up. Euaaa! This old bachelor owes you his honor.”

Geomchi 39 ran toward the Bone Dragon with all his power. No matter how strong the Bone Dragon was, it was not as frightening as washing dishes all alone!

Lonely Geomchi 39 howled. The other Geomchis that subsequently followed rushed fiercely as well.

“Kill that thing!”

“Must die as beautifully and elegantly as possible!”

‘They did not have the mind to back off anyway.’

More than anyone, the Geomchis enjoyed combat, there’s no way they would ever perceive the opponent as a burden.

So far, the expedition was quietly taking a rest when a change occurred in the army of wizards and priests.

“All the mana I collect here … let this bright light burn straight towards the enemy and be a strike of fury. Mana Burn!”

Wizard’s Mana Burn attack!

The Bone Dragon flying low in the sky crashed to the ground once again by the Mana Burn attack.

Priests also joined forces.

“Ionizing powers. Please grant me the power to make things right and defeat the monster. Grant thy servant the strength to reclaim the luminosity. I fear neither the sacrifice nor the counsel against me.”

The ultimate divine magic was available only to priests that had completed their second advancement.

Noble Sacrifice!

It was a technique that sacrificed all health and mana in order to attack the enemy.

The damage was more than wizard’s Mana Burn, but priests could not endure casting it.

They lost their lives after a single use.

Even after the death of the priests, parties of the expedition still continued to fight hard.

Truly a last resort!

“Kyaoo! Cowardly humans! Stake your pride in this battle and fight honorably!"

The Bone Dragon’s body blazed. From the inside of its body, hot flames rose and bloomed thanks to the priests’ Noble Sacrifice.

The Bone Dragon on the ground struggled with the pain from the strike.

Unfortunately, the sacrifice of the priests exerted deadly havoc upon undead and vampires.

“Disgusting hot lights shining. They have robbed the power of us nobility of the night.”

Noble Sacrifice also adversely affected Tori.

Tori and the Vampires that fought by turning into bats until now were turned to ashes by the priests’ Noble Sacrifice.

The death was not complete, but they received a strong blow and were reverse summoned!

However, there was now an opportunity.

The Geomchis and Dark Gamers caused a rampage with the Bone Dragon by brandishing their swords and weapons at it.

Kill the Bone Dragon!

But the Bone Dragon did not succumb.

"Stupid humans! Learn what it means to anger me!"

It brandished its whip like tail meters in length to attack the humans.

“Icebolt!”

Icebolts fell like rain from the sky. The Geomchis, Dark Gamers and Seoyoon also met with the Icebolts.

The Bone Dragon sustained damage from the magic at the expense of the whole region.

Narrow Icebolts went beautifully down at random.

"Kkyaahak!"

"Help me!"

The Wizards, Elementalists and priests that lost their powers were the first to die.

Across the Valley of Death, there was no place to avoid the falling Icebolts.

You could only absorb it with your body!

"Sacred doom spear descend. Spear born from the darkness, penetrate the enemy's heart. Appear, Dark Spear!"

As soon as Weed recovered his mana, he summoned the Dark Spear again and then silently approached the Bone Dragon.

‘It’s better to be up close to that enormous body.’

Weed violently pierced the Bone Dragon with the spear.

No need for special attacks.

Hack!

The gigantic figure lying on the ground was assaulted by many attacks.

Moving at spectacular speeds, the Geomchis arrived, but were met with resistance magic at that moment, rendering them unable to slash the Bone Dragon.

Rather than level or skill, it was instinctive behavior.

They combined their movements and slashed the Bone Dragon.

“Kill it!”

“We can win this way.”

Thanks to the sacrifice of the wizards and priests, the Bone Dragon’s huge body was trapped on the ground, allowing it to be attacked.

Nevertheless, the enormous Bone Dragon still had over 20% health remaining.

Suddenly, the Bone Dragon’s eyes shone with brilliance. It opened its mouth and took a deep breath.

“Damn!”

“Everybody out of here!”

Weed, the Geomchis and Dark Gamers wielded their weapons and stood back as everything burned.

Breath!

The Bone Dragon’s strongest attack skill, the breath bursting from its mouth was a sign to escape.

“How many times can it use its breath?”

Deep down in his core, Weed’s first priority was avoiding.

The Bone Dragon got its head off the ground, readied its incomplete breath and fired.

Puhwahwahwahwak!

Breath was fired toward the ground!

The land of ice below melted.

Using the recoil from its breath, it rose into the air and soared. Once in the air, breath began flooding everywhere.

It was extremely weaker than the first breath. Nevertheless, there was more than enough power left.

Up until now, the Geomchis and Dark Gamers had just barely dodged, now they were melting away.

The Geomchis as a last resort invigorated their energy by drinking the potions, but the potion essentially just granted a brief moment of stimulated health recovery rate.

The amount recovered by the potion could not compare to the health lost by the attack.

After the strong attack, the Geomchis were bound to weakened and could not cope with the life lost to the breath.

The Dark Gamers and Geomchis were the last remaining warriors responsible for direct combat.

First and foremost, Weed and Seoyoon noticed that there were only a few surviving Paladins that could heal themselves, so they quickly fled.

However, suspended in the air, the floating Bone Dragon appeared to have remaining reserve power.

"I will destroy everything! Demon Spear!"

A huge spear appeared in front of the Bone Dragon. (oh the irony)

However, compared to the Dark Spear Weed created, it was a higher level Black Magic!

The high ranked magic attack required at least the 3rd advancement in a Black Magic job.

It was very likely that due to the Bone Dragon using its breath up till now and virtually depleting its mana, it was now forced to use its best skill.

Weed did not forget to aim at the gap between the Bone Dragon’s wings and ribs.

The distance was enough to strike the idle monster.

Sswaeaeaeaek!

The Demon Spear released a ferocious sound as it flew toward Weed.

A storm was left in the wake of the massive black spear.

Using its power of control, the Bone Dragon did not miss its target.

“Damn!”

Weed stepped back and ran.

“Death Knight! Undead in front, block it!”

With few undead remaining, the crowd was useless.

They somehow managed to offset the power of the Demon Spear in an effort to survive, but the Demon Spear still pierced right through the bodies of the undead!

It appeared highly unlikely that the Death Knight and undead had enough defense to withstand the attack.

The perforated bodies of the undead vanished like dust.

“Sorry master!”

Even the Death Knight Van Hawk was reverse summoned.

The Demon Spear now approached virtually right in front of Weed.

‘Never thought I’d die twice in one day. Today’s really the worst day ever.’

Power from the Blood Necromancer, the power to reject death!

Its biggest weakness was emerging.

“Cold Sealed Eyes!”

Weed closed his eyes.

Finally, everything would end.

‘If I’m lucky maybe I’ll survive.’

But even after a few seconds, no pain was felt.

“Did it miss? Impossible.”

Weed opened his eyes. Then he saw the woman in front of him blocking.

Seoyoon!

She sacrificed her body to block the Demon Spear, but in exchange for that, Seoyoon was dying.

Weed took out his bandages in a hurry, but her life was already nearly exhausted.

No matter what the Bone Dragon used thus far, Seoyoon was able to withstand it.

However, with an anxious and impatient face, Seoyoon opened her mouth.

“Friend ……”

Doing something unimaginable!

Never in his dreams did Weed did think she would say that line.

‘Wasn’t she mute?’

Even Seoyoon herself gave a startled expression at the word.

As if coming from heaven itself, a clear and brilliant voice.

Weed then heard the voice of a stiff person.

- Seoyoon has requested to register you as a friend. Will you accept?

Weed quickly nodded.

“Yes.”

-Seoyoon-nim has been registered as a friend.

It was only for a brief moment, but Seoyoon died with a rather relieved face.

When Seoyoon found out about the first breath the Bone Dragon emitted, part of heart seemed to collapse.

‘Weed. He’s dead.’

Actually, the time they spent together was not long, but her feelings quietly grew.

Looking at the sculptures he created, she discovered warmth.

Eating the food he created, she learned of a simple happiness.

Anywhere they stayed together, she was able to feel comfortable.

That was a friend.

Seoyoon knew Weed was dead because of the Bone Dragon, she did not know why she felt such a dense anger.

As expected of a Berserker, for the first time she surrendered her body to rage.

Without caring for her life, she attacked the Bone Dragon!

But somehow, Weed survived.

His shape changed a lot, but Geumini and the Wyverns that appeared alongside Weed were unmistakable.

From the sounds of the expedition crew, she heard the story as well.

‘You’re alive.’

Seoyoon herself felt a little joy. In a warm corner of her heart, she felt relived.

‘You needlessly worried.’

Blushing alone in vain, she silently devoted herself to the battle.

‘Anyway, I am not someone who can receive love. Again I’m not questing with others.’

In a corner of her mind and heart, she planned only to remain with Weed until the end of his quest where they would separate from each another.

From the start, it was the natural choice for someone like her unaccustomed to hanging out with others.

Such a conclusion had already been made.

But when the Demon Spear flew toward Weed, contrary to her thoughts, her body moved first.

‘No!’

Seoyoon blocked in front of Weed.

It was normal for her not to continue to fight after the critical hit from the Demon Spear.

‘Dying.’

Seoyoon had a premonition of death.

There was no regret about level or skill.

In any case, the gaining of such things was not even for hunting.

While hunting alone, she suffered countless deaths.

Access restricted for the day, because of the time, she changed and tried not to die if possible, eventually the fear of death itself disappeared.

If you died near villages or in caves, you would be conjured up in a safe zone. However, the problem was where that place is and where to go in order to find Weed.

‘To meet this person now and again is very unlikely. If by chance we don’t overlap in this vast land, I’ll be unable to see him. Eternal separation...’

Seoyoon was puzzled by her heart’s sudden disturbance.

Separation with someone.

Having believed she had not received love, she did not know eternally separating with someone would break her fragile heart.

She faced him. Then, unknowingly she said.

“Friend...”

-Weed-nim has been registered as a friend.

Seoyoon came and took Weed by surprise, making him tremble in fear.

“What in the world was that evil woman doing there! She’s definitely up to something vile.”

It’s said that beautiful roses originally have thorns.

Seoyoon's level of beauty was comparable to the art of the century. The skin, body and face. A place where a flaw could be found did not exist.

Even her loosely flowing ebony hair exquisitely matched her fantastic figure.

No matter who, be it a painter or a poet could not skilfully express her charm. To properly depict the beauty and atmosphere she radiated was truly difficult.

Lightly loose hair down to her shoulders and clear skin, eyes, etc. it was impossible for anyone to keep their eyes off her face.

Weed on the other hand was concerned about the poison that matched her beauty.

“Until now she was able to speak but didn’t!”

There were numerous opportunities to speak, even when cooking or hunting, but so far, she had never so much as spoken a word, making the other party mistake her for a mute person.

“This must be a cruel trap. She will accuse me of ignoring her when she spoke and not doing something that I knew nothing about. Bad taste, such bad taste. How could there be a woman with such bad taste like this.”

Weed further raised his vigilance of Seoyoon.

“But why did she suddenly ask me to register her as a friend, why? So far, no deal had been made yet.”

Weed grew rapidly suspicious of her pure intentions.

Darkness, backstabbing, conspiracy, plotting or fraud, Weed thought of everything possible.

Suddenly, a sinister tactic passed through his mind.

“No way... that’s right! I knew it.”

Weed hit the palm of his hand after coming up with a solid reason.

“She said register friends right before she died! Female, you’ll have to find me first.”

Everyone drops items when they die. Weed believed that when Seoyoon died, she worried about her dropped items and assumed that by adding him as a friend, she could leave her things with him who would never lose or sell her stuff!

“That must be it. You’re a wicked woman.”

Weed once again trembled after suggesting how human beings employed such calculations in order to thrive.

Perhaps it was merely coincidence that the Demon Spear struck her. This place is the land of ice. It might have been bad luck and by chance she slipped on the earth, who knows! Weed closed his eyes at the end, making what he knew even more unknown.

“Deliberately sparing me on purpose because you believed you could afford to die and take advantage of me later. That’s right. No way was it a slip.”

To protect Weed was mostly Seoyoon's impulsive decision.

Weed did not see it that way and thought about why as he examined the place where Seoyoon died. He then observed the promised items that dropped!

“What the hell.”

At Seoyoon's gravesite was thick leather created from pork leather. It was Weed who made these clothes for the winter. Only this dropped.

“Unique items of high caliber didn’t even drop. So pitiful, when I try, I just don’t have any luck.”

Weed picked up the leather clothes while complaining. Then the Bone Dragon arrived to deliver mockery.

"O foolish and presumptuous man! This is your limit."

The Bone Dragon’s immense wings flapped as it floated in the sky! Heavy wind pressure struck the surrounding snow and cracked the ice into regions.

Weed, as well as the few remaining survivors of the expedition saw the power charge up within its stomach. The expedition crew was frustrated.

“Now we’re finished.”

“It’s nearly dead thanks to the priests and wizards, but we have no method of fighting the Bone Dragon while it’s flying in the sky.”

They felt thoroughly helpless.

“If not for the betrayal...”

Even when it was too late to regret, one could not help it!

Up till now, Weed created many undead from the ground.

Dulahan, Death Knight, Zombie, Ghoul, etc.

However, typical monsters are known to be of little help when fighting a Bone Dragon flying in the sky.

It was possible for Skeleton Mages to use magic, but they would not inflict any significant damage to the Bone Dragon.

The expedition felt desperate as they watched Weed. There was no one else that could fight.

“Go back to your origins. Return undead!”

Weed memorized the spell. All the undead struggled with the force of the earth as they lost their power and collapsed. The reason was to recover a source of mana.

The expedition believed Weed abandoned them, increasing their responsibility.

“Ah. Finally!”

“Unless you die, you’re not leaving.”

The Bone Dragon laughed at the ludicrous humans.

"Foolish human race! Feel the transgression of time!"

But it was then.

“Bone Dragon, has your mind still not noticed? Can you not see what is happening?”

Weed did not back down in the slightest as he taunted the Bone Dragon.

"It is ludicrous that I will meet my end here, who do you think you’re talking to?”

“You, you idiot!”

Weed aimed to intimidate the Bone Dragon with this.

To the Bone Dragon, terrified food was unnecessary.

Of course, it was recognized as a difficult to capture monster. Normally, it would be like hitting a rock with an egg.

The fight itself would never have been started!

But now the situation had changed a lot.

‘Due to the battle, its health has fallen below 20%. And with that multitude of spells, there should not be any mana remaining.’

There was no reason to panic.

Due to excessive loss of life, a significant amount of physical strength and power shall be reduced.

Apparently, it boasted of outrageous grandeur, when in fact, it had weakened significantly.

The fight felt worthwhile.

Weed cried out.

“Battle, Bingryong!”

Using Lion's Roar, Weed’s cry shook the Valley of Death.

Wareureureu!

Once again, the ice above the valley shattered and snow poured down.

"Keurwarwarwarwarwa!"

And in response, a sky ripping scream was heard from far away.

Something was coming.

At first, it was thought of as a little bird, but it grew larger and larger in shape!

Bingryong!

Enormous at a size of hundreds of meters, Bingryong emerged. It was almost as large as the Bone Dragon.

“Forward! Destroy him!”

On Weed’s command, Bingryong flew at a tremendous speed as it rushed the Bone Dragon.

Kwaaaaang!

Bingryong smashed into the Bone Dragon!

The Bone Dragon once hovering in the sky had fallen to the ground.

Bingryong welcomed the great opportunity!

However, Bingryong too wallowed on the ground.

Such a huge impact also weakened his condition.

"I’ll kill you."

"The owner has ordered to fight. I'll kill you!"

Bingryong and the Bone Dragon hated each other and fought fiercely.

The Bone Dragon was the first to attack.

As a skeleton with a large head, it took a bite out of Bingryong’s side.

Blindly shattering the ice into debris, the axial wings were finally injured.

Attack of the mighty Bone Dragon!

But that did not stop Bingryong. He slammed his hind legs and tail into the Bone Dragon’s body and recklessly slashed it with his front foot.

“Keuaag!”

“Ahh! It hurts!”

The Bone Dragon screamed at Bingryong’s barrage. While his massive body was still up in the air, he bit and slashed his opponent.

The fighting between the two dragons turned the ground into tornado wreckage. Tremendous winds brought about a flurry of snow and ice as well as an earthquake that made standing up impossible.

Weed calmly watched the battle between the Bone Dragon and Bingryong.

‘The Bone Dragon has weakened.’

Bingryong’s power was strong enough to draw. Nevertheless, he was to some extent eager to fight the Bone Dragon simply because he was tired of waiting.

If the Bone Dragon was in perfect condition, it would have overwhelmed Bingryong in an instant by ripping his neck off.

‘The fight’s a simple matter of which side dies first.’

Weed was not the type to just sit back and watch.

“Wy-3! Come forth!”

“At once master!”

The Wyverns were not brave enough to dare stay around the perimeter of the Bone Dragon. They only came and accepted their fates as a ride to avoid dying by the hands of their master.

Weed climbed on top of the Wyvern.

“Fly. We fight.”

“Understood master!”

There was an emergency when they spread their wings. Weed inquired about it.

- Strength is reduced due to the cold.

The chill of the northern sky was too harsh to cope with. In the past, there was a severe cold as they hovered in the skies. But if they waited, it would be uncertain if they would be able kill the Bone Dragon.

‘Do not expect good luck. Fight yourself!’

Weed aboard the Wyverns recalled the Dark Spear.

To ensure the destruction of the Bone Dragon’s life, he directly involved himself in combat.

“Fly at full speed!”

Upon Weed’s command, the Wyverns flapped their wings even more violently.

Wind maddening!

Weed then viciously launched the Dark Spear towards the Bone Dragon’s ribs.

Piercing through the battlefield, it penetrated the wind barrier surrounding Bingryong and the Bone Dragon.

Pakagak!

Tremendous resilience as sparks sprang up.

‘The source of the Bone Dragon’s life is its defense. Because of its tremendous defense and health, it will not die. If so, how can I kill him?’

Weed recalled from long ago when he learned the sword in the dojo.

“Lee Hyun, can you topple that tree so big that you cannot wrap your arms around it with your sword?”

At Ahn Hyundo’s question, Lee Hyun shook his head.

It was impossible.

No matter how sharp swords are, there is a limit to the thickness of trees before they can no longer be cut down.

Especially in the case of living trees, they have withstood dozens of ax methods.

Relatively light and dark weapons are not suitable for cutting wood.

“Slashing with a sword is... unreasonable I think.”

“Really? It is difficult but not impossible. Your elder brothers can do this. With a sword they can cut down huge trees. Among the trainees, it’s possible for about half of them?”

Lee Hyun’s head was puzzled.

“How is such a thing possible? No matter how good they are at wielding a sword, the strength required to accomplish such a task is unreasonable.”

“It’s cutting the grain of the wood.”

“Grain?”

“In both heaven and earth, all things possess grain, so you simply cut along the flow. Without having to expend great strength, you can cut down anything you want. Even if it is rock or metal, as long as you cut along the grain, it is not difficult to cut it down.”

“I can do it too?”

“If you make the effort. A great sword is not born, it is tempered dozens of time. A sword alone is nothing, but a sword inscribed by people through decades of hardship can slash through anything in the world.”

Ahn Hyundo actively spoke of his past where he honed his sword proficiency directly from the battlefield during his youth.

Then by accident he came about a different story in Royal Road.

Ahn Hyundo burst into laughter.

“Royal Road, in the Versailles Continent, there are many interesting elements. We looked and found a similar result.”

“Are you telling me if you follow the grain, anything can be cut down?”

“It’s significantly different but yeah. After many experiences the best method we discovered was basically concentrating power on one spot.”

“I would like to know what you mean by this.”

Without hesitation Ahn Hyundo turned to tell Lee Hyun about Royal Road. You can wield a sword anywhere in that place. It was a virtual reality game that did not ignore this virtue.

It is written that swords are to protect oneself, discipline oneself and care for one’s family.

He knew why Lee Hyun played Royal Road, so there was no reason to condemn him.

“I’ll tell you. The way we wield the sword is different every time a monster receives damage. I believe you know this?”

“Yes, the power of the sword varies when cutting different areas.”

In Royal Road, you must directly move your body.

Because you have to move your body to wield the sword, damage is dependent on several factors.

Balanced stance and circumstances, power and speed, technique, attack and defense of the monster, are all major elements in determining damage along with numerous minor elements.

“Yes, that is the primary reason. Stats and level are important, but the way to deal maximum damage is through focus.”

“Would that be to attack a vital point?”

“That’s a decent way, but some have no vital point to strike. However, even the mightiest monsters are bound to succumb to cryptanalysis. Be warned, this method is not easily executed.”

Lee Hyun always had questions about the Geomchis’ outrageous attacks. No matter how similar a job was to martial artists, the damage was typically too strong to compare.

When their levels were around 50, they acquired the combat series job and quickly took hold of monsters forcing him to wonder. Lee Hyun asked.

“What is cryptanalysis?”

“Where you strike the same place over and over again.”

“That I know. When you continue to hit one part, you can cause slightly greater damage to some extent.”

He had obtained information on how to hunt before starting Royal Road. In other words, Lee Hyun had been using this method to battle relatively well. This secret could not be called special.

Ahn Hyundo simply laughed and spoke of the underlying story.

“Have you ever seen concentrating hits on a single point?”

“But that does not reap such a large effect. However, I’m sure there is another meaning to those words. Do you mean precisely hitting that one point again?”

“You’re quick to understand. The place once attacked, attack it again and it will severely weaken after. Smaller than a fingernail, smaller than a grain of rice, focus all attacks to that point. Even if you lack strength, you can still destroy the monster.”

Ahn Hyundo knew his teaching wasn’t something anybody could use. You must wield a weapon with all your might and attack a point smaller than a grain of rice repeatedly.

Even against nonmoving targets, there are times when you aren’t confident of success.

To target vigorously active monsters, you must predict and understand the relative movements in advance and at the decisive moment, you must align every action to explode simultaneously.

An exceptional human being, it is difficult to even dream of such a state.

Ahn Hyundo said this without hesitation.

“Tens of million of milliseconds. To bring the sword into combat, for life to vanish, the time is to be determined. At that one moment, it is not impossible to bring about your will. It is possible because human beings are not machines.”

Volume 10 Chapter 5
Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Treasures of Nifleheim

Kaaaang!

Weed slammed the Dark Spear into the Bone Dragon’s ribs.

Devastating stab!

The Dark Spear was perfectly wedged into the ribs, but the Bone Dragon’s body remained intact.

It remained strong and its appearance was largely unchanged, but at least its health declined slightly.

Weed thrust the Dark Spear again. Just before the attack, he precisely aimed again!

‘I must match my breathing to it. Relax the muscles. Forget everything else. Only one point is shown. Wide. Boundless.’

Kaaaaang!

This time there was an even greater resonance.

- Fatal blow struck. Adds 29% damage

Weed wielded the Dark Spear freely in his hand.

‘Till it is destroyed!’

Swinging, chopping, and stabbing.

All attacks can be concentrated onto one location.

Single focal point.

Peoseoseok!

At the end of five attacks, the Bone Dragon’s rib shattered into pieces.

"Keuaaag!"

Bingryong was fighting the Bone Dragon as it screamed in agony.

“You fucking coward! Die!”

The Bone Dragon swung its tail but it was too late, for Weed had already escaped with Wy-3.

“My attack has only just begun.”

Weed boarded the Wyvern and quickly flew off into the black sky.

Bingryong and the Bone Dragon were intertwined in their aerial battle as they dealt attacks at each other.

Still damaged from the prior attack, the Bone Dragon’s shattered rib remained exposed.

Actions already difficult on the ground now required balance in the air, creating a small gap to aim at.

It was time to give the Bone Dragon a nightmare, but it would require amazing control at close range.

But Weed was not confident given the situation.

-Due to the cold Strength will be reduced by 16%.

From the cold winds blowing at the top of Death Valley, the body reached its limitations.

The Undead state allowed him to withstand some cold, but due to the freezing weather, his Strength and Stamina declined rapidly.

The cold also made the Wyverns dizzy, causing them to slip several times already.

If they fell onto the ice ground, their lives could not be guaranteed.

‘Not much remains now though.’

Weed read the movements of the Bone Dragon.

It finally reached its limit after receiving tremendous damage from the expedition and Weed breaking many of the bones in its body. Apparently, the Bone Dragon’s time was coming to an end within moments.

The Wyverns and Geumini chiseled away at the Bone Dragon here and there as well.

“Pesky flies, be gone you bastards!”

The Bone Dragon struggled fiercely from the hits. Nevertheless, the decisive attacks from the Wyverns, Bingryong and Weed did not cease.

Because its body was entangled with Bingryong’s, escape was impossible.

With solemn dignity the Bone Dragon appeared, but the expedition wizards brutally dragged it to the ground.

Nonetheless, it actively demonstrated its greatness on the eve of its death.

“Let’s go!”

Weed controlled the Wyvern and landed upon the head of the Bone Dragon.

“Time to finish this.”

It was a rough struggle hitting the Bone Dragon whilst standing on its head. Simultaneously, Weed aimed the Dark Spear exclusively at a single point and attacked in rapid succession!

Kwak! Kwajik! Kwagwagwak!

- Fatal blow struck. Adds 46% damage
- Fatal blow struck. Adds 95% damage
- Fatal blow struck. Adds 129% damage
- Fatal blow struck. Adds 167% damage
- Fatal blow struck. Adds 215% damage

Hitting the small point successively increased the damage exponentially!

"Keueoeoeo."

The Bone Dragon’s resistance almost disappeared completely. With its health falling below 10%, it became even more difficult to move.

Nevertheless, some time remained until the end of the Bone Dragon.

If it was a normal monster, it would have lost the will to fight immediately, but as one would suspect when dealing with large monsters, particularly named boss monsters of a region, it held on tenaciously.

‘You know, all you’re doing is making me tired.’

With the cold wind blowing, Weed’s stamina rapidly declined as he fought.

Given the variables, if the battle was prolonged, the Bone Dragon might choose self-annihilation.

Weed yelled at the visible body in the air.

“Bingryong, use your breath!”

“Understood master!”

Bingryong took a deep breath and exhaled.

Ice breath that froze everything!

With no place to escape, the Bone Dragon dove towards Bingryong’s feet as the breath was released.

Jjeojeojeojeok!

At that moment, the Bone Dragon’s body was frozen stiff instantly!

In its usual state, it would have warded off the attack to some extent due to its magic resistance, but with its abnormal status, the ice breath literally froze the Bone Dragon’s body.

It was then.

Weed jumped into the air and as he landed, he thrust the spear down with overwhelming force.

- Fatal blow struck. Adds 122% damage.

The target of the past, the point was hit precisely again.

"Keueoeoeo!"

The crack on the Bone Dragon’s skull spread over an increasingly broad area, all the way down to its tongue when the whole skull shattered into ice debris.

- You have leveled up.
- You have leveled up.
- You have leveled up.
- You have leveled up.
- You have leveled up.
- You have leveled up.
- You have leveled up.
- The Bone Dragon Kurenbereu which once dominated Death Valley has entered its eternal rest.
- Due to great achievement, fame has risen by 230.
- Charisma has risen by 3.
- Fighting spirit has risen by 2.

Many message windows flashed through Weed’s head. Some indicated his level had risen. With the Bone Dragon hunt successful, tremendous experience would be acquired. Even with Weed’s current level of over 300, his level should have risen by at least 10, but since he hunted it along with the expedition, the experience was divided and he received a total of 7 levels.

However, there was something even more urgent.

Acquire items!

Weed descended to the ground and ran to the spot where the Bone Dragon crashed.

On top of a hill in Death Valley, items were all over the place.

Some ancient books, a bunch of bones and a shield!

Syasyasyak!

His hands moved rapidly towards the items with battle mentality.

- Current weight has exceeded strength capacity.

Penalty: 35% increase in stamina consumption rate.

Despite transforming into Origin of the Skeleton, he lacked the strength to acquire items.

“Now, time to find the truth about the Nifleheim Empire.”

Weed finally came down the hill to finish his work.

Slowly.

Crawling like a turtle.

Due to the heavy weight, each step was done with the utmost caution. His legs had to be perfect to compensate for his insufficient strength.

‘With all that suffering, I better get something good.’

Earned income was a case of big business!

When weed arrived at the bottom of the hill, he determined his reward.

“Identification!”

Emblem of the Nifleheim Empire:

Durability: 5
Meaning of the emblem is based on the imperial family.
The loyal royal knights of the once noble Nifleheim Empire garnered respect from everybody.
Can be attached to weapons and armors.
Options:
+100 Dignity
+50 Charm
+200 Fame

Nobles of Nifleheim #2

The manor blueprints of the Empire of nobility are described in the book. After ages, it is unknown whether they are usable.

Rotten Dragon Bones:

Durability: 250/250.

Large amounts of dragon bone. In the past, it was speculated to be harder than Mithril due to its own mana supply, but as of now, it is extremely corrosive. Even so, it is unparalleled against normal ores as precious material.
Blacksmiths will garner exceptional experience from handling the dragon bones.
First class blacksmith item.
Options:

Helps raise blacksmith skill.
When crafting a weapon, poison attack will be added.
Can create armor with specialized resistance.
Slightly foul odor.

Ancient Shield:

Durability 300/300. Defense 86.

Old shield crafted with a delicate touch. Never before been used.Made of Mithril and unknown animal bones.Originally possessing a shiny mirror-like surface that captured light, grime now covers it after many years. Due to deep corrosion after being stored for too long, it is beyond any further repair.
Restrictions:

Priests cannot use it.

Level 400.

Must be able to utilize shields.

Options:

- 40% Physical Defense.

- 35% Magic Resistance.

- 30 Agility.

- +45 Fighting Spirit.

- All combat related stats rise by 7.

- Increases additional effect of skills by 20%.

- Chance to confuse the enemy.

- Control over undead enhanced by 25.When durability is reduced, cannot be repaired.

Four types of items were left behind by the Bone Dragon.

Refused to abandon even a single item!

Particularly the ancient shield, an exceptional unique class item. Tremendous defense was extremely helpful in battles.

Because it cannot be repaired, it will be abandoned when durability runs out.

“Given its extremely high durability, I suppose I can use it for a few months at least.”

If it is not used in normal hunting, it can be used for even longer periods of time.

Items that cannot be repaired are difficult to deal with. Every time it is used, your nerves are on edge as its durability decreases.

People look separately for rare items at relatively cheap prices, but given the Ancient Shield’s degree of defense and many options, it could be sold at an expensive value.

“The rotten dragon bones can contribute considerably to blacksmith skills and it can create a lot of necessary equipment to wear or sell.”

Weed made a heartfelt smile as he slowly descended down the hill and entered the cave he saw the Bone Dragon emerge from.

Creepy cave.

A cave made with ice as clear as glass.

“So this is the source of the cold.”

After being sent to the north, it was the first time in a while that Weed encountered such a cold place.

“If this drags on too long, I’ll freeze to death.”

Weed hastened his pace as he walked into the cave. The deeper he entered, the colder it got.

Paintings were drawn on the walls.

Knights of the Nifleheim Empire appeared to be fighting monsters. Vivid scenes depicted knights and wizards attacking their way through hordes of monsters.

The last figure was a blue robed wizard opening a box containing some beads.

Then all the monsters and humans froze.

Looking at the paintings, Weed speculated.

“Is it talking about the final battle of the Nifleheim Empire?”

Not far away at the end of the cave were boxes placed side by side.

Heavy iron boxes.

The inscribed patterns revealed them to be noble Nifleheim Empire treasures.

‘Jackpot.’

Weed stretched out his hand.

The box is locked. A key is required.

Severe tremors sprang up on Weed’s skull bone.

‘No way... they can’t be serious. I don’t think so.’

Weed once again tried to force the box open.

However, it did not go as planned.

The box is locked. A key is required.

Adventurer or thief’s unlocking skill!

It was an essential skill for opening closed doors and boxes. But there was no such skill for Weed.

Cursed with the job of Moonlight Sculptor, there were no skills from the adventurer series.

‘This damn job, it’s so fucking useless!'

Weed struggled to beat the sadness. However, near the boxes was a small paper. Weed read through it.

Events chronicling the last six years of the Nifleheim Empire.

Our Nifleheim Empire was invaded by hordes of monsters.

Northern forests, there is no doubt the monsters descended from the dark forests.

The burning imperial capital collapsed.

Loyal Knights and Soldiers laid down their lives, but it was not enough to handle that many monsters.

Thus, as a last resort, we lead the monsters into the center of the valley.

Serbian Witch’s Broken Beads.

Passed down from generation to generation within the Empire’s Royal Family, the cursed object used to fight monsters.

And finely wrapped inside the paper was a golden key. Weed opened the boxes right away with the key.

The first box contained gold and jewels filled to the brink. The gold sparkled and the jewels dazzled.

‘That’s gotta be at least 150,000 gold.’

No matter how powerful you may be, you cannot overlook treasure.

Weed pocketed all the treasures inside the box without reserve.

-Current weight has exceeded strength capacity.

Penalty: 59% increase in stamina consumption rate.

In the second box, various materials were gathered.

Ores for blacksmith handling as well as cloth and leather for sewing.

‘Nothing must be left behind.’

-Current weight has exceeded strength capacity.

Penalty: 78% increase in stamina consumption rate.

The third box contained weapons and armors of the Nipelheim Empire.

Old antique weapons sprinkled with dust. With rusted blades, a terrible performance was sure to follow.

The clothes were also outdated and seemed to crumble when touched.

“Even old clothes can be used well!”

Weed pocketed them too.

Within the last remaining box contained the Serbian Witch’s broken beads.

The goal of the expedition!

From the Serbian Witch’s Broken Beads flowed an unimaginable chill.

Weed was well aware that he had to give up on the beads.

If you are able to sell, you can get quite a lot of money, but rather, life was more precious.

“The moment I touch that I die.”

Serbian Witch’s Broken Beads possessed incredible ice magic. The body would be turned to ice as a side effect from touching it without protection.

Thus, in order to prevent the worst, he had to abandon his excessive greed.

“Too bad though.”

Weed glared at the Serbian Witch’s Broken Beads.

Special combat capability object not classified as loot, but it was also the item targeted by the expedition.

Cannot help lingering regrets.

“It’s gotta be a unique item at least… contrary to rumors, you could possess a skill even if you have no knowledge about it.”

You risk your life to grab it, but with every step, you move towards death meaning you cannot move.

“Should I pick it up anyway?”

Weed was greedy as expected.

When facing dead ghosts, caution should be used.

He took the small beads close at hand. Extremely slow speed.

Hwaaaag!

Then a chill poured out from the Serbian Witch’s broken beads.

-Due to the cold, paralyzed for 13 seconds.

After paralysis is released, likely chance of developing a cold increases by 25%.

Degree of cold!

"Ah-choo!"

Weed was finally able to give up on the beads.

In fact, even if he obtained them, he would have no other option but to lay the object upon the altar of Gods to fend off the heat in the continent.

Although devoted to the expedition for only a while, Weed still belonged to it so his contribution would be rewarded nonetheless.

Weed waited until the paralysis was released and escaped from the cave. There was considerable burden on his footsteps upon leaving.

***

Hall of Fame!

The number of viewers increased exponentially until it exceeded one million. Considering each broadcaster and their real time relay, there were at least 20 million viewers.

"Hugelgelgel!"

“Where is my head?”

“Humans. So many living humans I want to eat.”

Unbelievable battle of the undead.

- That’s necromancer magic?

- I never thought creepy undead would have so much advantage in battle.

- Corpses continue to pile up, creating more undead servants...

Through the video, the Necromancer job exploded in popularity.

Whenever the army of undead monsters led by Weed dominated, the forums erupted in cheers.

But after the monsters overwhelmed the expedition, not many people that could continue to fight remained.

- Seems really difficult.

- It’s too hard, even for Weed. The Bone Dragon’s really strong.

- Goddamn it. If not for the betrayal...

- Still, it was a wonderful battle.

Nothing was expected of Weed because it was simply too unreasonable.

The activities of the undead army and the Geomchis were of such great quality that many were satisfied for a long time.

However, it did not pan out as they expected.

Out of nowhere, an Ice Dragon appeared!

The glorious fight scene where Bingryong got entangled with the Bone Dragon was unforgettable.

“Please. Please!”

They were praying to the Hall of Fame movie with Drum and the wizards.

In order for the expedition to succeed, they had to somehow catch the Bone Dragon.

When it did not fall, they were horrified.

Then Weed appeared holding the Dark Spear as he flew in the air on a Wyvern.

It was tricky to fly through the air on Wyverns. It was extremely difficult to do it while using magic simultaneously, but this was only part of it.

No matter what attack, the Bone Dragon’s bones were not expected to shatter.

In the forums there was a huge uproar unlike any other.

- It never happened when Oberon and the other warriors hit the Bone Dragon. What the hell is its level?

- It looks to be over at least 400.

- How did he do that? Using magic to inflict physical damage, I can’t believe its health would drop like that!

- So far the Bone Dragon had weakened considerably from the battle, but to damage the body to the point of breaking was totally unexpected.

Stats, levels and skill mastery, it is natural to use them as reference points to some extent.

The scene Weed showed in the video broadcast was so unbelievable to such an extent that it shut the mouths of all the viewers.

But they soon uncovered the reason. Weed was seen repeatedly hitting only a certain area in succession.

- Attack the same point! That will increase the damage dealt.

- Cryptanalysis, it increases damage and thoroughly neutralizes the opponent’s defense. Theoretically it’s possible, but I can’t believe he can use it in practice like that!

- Does hitting in one place really make your damage stronger?

- Did he really hit that one point only?

Some people showed up and addressed the questions.

- In my experience, I somehow attacked the same place and it did additional damage. It was so amazing that I’ve been trying again after that but to no avail.
- You must hit the point perfectly again. If there is even the slightest error, it will most likely fail.
- This is usually not applicable to petite monsters. It is easier when dealing with large, sluggish monsters because you’re more likely to weaken specific areas with the same attack.

People looked closely at Weed’s actions. Indeed, unerringly he repeatedly struck only one point.

While in the air on a Wyvern, he quickly wielded his weapon and precisely hit the same position!

It was by no means an easy task.

Using all his power to wield his weapon and hit only one point exactly. Perfectly chopping, swinging and stabbing continuously.

Lightning attacks with incredible precision!

Excellent flexibility and movement, it was a fabulous technique.

- Well...

- That’s Weed-nim.

Every time the Bone Dragon’s bones shattered, admiration came out.

And finally at the end of the struggle when the Bone Dragon died, thrill and excitement filled the air.

It felt like a lie that the humongous and dangerous monster died.

The expedition, Bingryong, the Wyverns and the vampire Tori all attacked, but it was Weed who finished the Bone Dragon off.

At the sight of the incredible reality, the survivors of the expedition stood there dumbfounded.

Weed in the meantime moved slowly. He entered a cave inside Death Valley and after a while came out, walking slowly away from the snow covered ground.

Lonely and reclusive shoulders of an adventurer.

Far away, he left heavy footsteps as he departed.

Those still alive from the expedition woke up and began to move. In the cave they saw Weed enter, they discovered the open box with the Serbian Witch’s broken beads.

Volume 10 Chapter 6
Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Birthday Party

This has been brought to you by Grisia.

Lee Hyun accessed the internet. He checked out the response on several different websites, including the Royal Road website.

“It’s in an uproar.”

The number of posts increased far more than usual, including on the Hall of Fame.

Over half of them were discussions about Weed.

- Weed! Weed appeared again!
- I was a user from the Continent of Magic. Weed has appeared, once again, to make a legend in Royal Road? As we expected of him.
- The God of War, Weed!
- It’s probably not going to be long from now. 1-2 monster groups have increased their influence and activity throughout the continent.
- I believe that it’s in response to Weed.
- Have to see Weed’s quest. It’s unbelievable.
- It was difficult to fight the dragon, would have they succeeded if Weed hadn’t been there?
- When will the broadcasters rerun it?
A considerable number showed admired him.
- I just saw all of Weed’s fight. How do you learn to attack like that?
- In my opinion, it seems to be a master level of martial arts. I guess you have to concentrate all the attacks.
- I succeeded against an elephant!
- Theoretically, hitting the same point more than 10 times will increase the damage 2 times, and it seems to be able to increase up to 3 times more damage.
- The additional damage to stack differently depending on the type of weapon.
- I think you don’t need to do this for general hunting though.
- It’s too tough to be picky. It’s unreasonable to only attack the same spot since it would increase the hunting time.

It was not easy to attack the same spot over and over in the middle of a life-threatening battle. In that situation, being greedy would result in taking a lot of damage!

- So Weed’s class is a necromancer.
- What are some of the Necromancer skills?

The necromancer class was becoming more popular.

This was not bad for Lee Hyun.

“Bar Khan’s Tome and the Saint’s Staff will worth more money if a lot of people start to convert to Necromancer.”

For first job of the wizard class, the cost of weapons and items were very expensive. There was an item scarcity because they were different from warrior weapons that could be obtained from hunting monsters. It was not easy for blacksmiths to craft wizard weapons. Blacksmithing skills needed to be at least intermediate to learn how to craft them and then it required several special materials such as Blessed Wood.

Therefore, the supply of items was far lower than the demand for it. In other words, not only was it expensive to buy but it was difficult to purchase an entire set for their class.

“In about 5 months I should get a decent price if I sell.”

Lee Hyun decided to use the items while waiting.

For some items, like the Ancient Shield should be sold quickly as the durability declined over time but that was not something he wanted to do.

The Ancient Shield had a limitation attached. If he placed it in an auction, there would be very few users that were over level 400 and there would not be much competition over it.

“If I had sold the items made from the dragon bones I’m sure I would have made a lot of money.”

Lee Hyun could not conceal his regret.

“The Ancient Shield just had to have the special option of not being able to be repaired…”

If repair had been possible, then selling it would have been a good idea since a lot of people would want it.

Regretfully, he was unable to acquire the rest of the treasures of the ancient Nifleheim Empire.

“It they could have been repaired then they would have sold for a lot in antique shops and large cities like the capital.”

Lee Hyun skimmed through the rest of the post on the Hall of Fame. A high level adventurer party was challenging the Land of the Exiles.

- Does anyone know about the Village of the Trees?There has not been anyone that has been able to complete the quest yet.
Join us and we can be the first ones to complete it!

Their public declaration to challenge the Shadow Lands!

In addition, they would put up quite the challenge.

Plenty of well-known high level players sent their requests for the challenge.

More than 300 players signed up for the expedition.

“Ha, these guys are trying to do the quest without knowing anything.”

A fair number of people criticized the challenge but their comments were dismissed as useless.

The quest was described in detail, asking to find something or hunt some monsters that appeared somewhere. Lee Hyun considered the information and the value of the money to be earned. The quest did not state the rewards for joining!

“No point in working for nothing…”

Physical labor was the basis of all quests. Information about the monsters was pretty useless. Even if you searched the internet it wouldn’t help much. People were still searching for fresh information about various hunting grounds.

Knowledge is power!

Some information would be conveniently kept unknown.

“I’ll check through my mail.”

Lee Hyun was roughly reading through his mail.

Ttiring!

A new mail has been received from a family member.

There were very few people in his address book and it could only be either his grandmother or his sister that sent the message.

“Who?”

Lee Hyun looked to see that the mail had been sent by his grandmother.

“What’s going on?”

Lee Hyun clicked on the mail.

Lee Hyun,My waist is okay now and it doesn’t hurt anymore.
The hospital is very comfortable.
You’ve seen the old lady in hospital room 203, haven’t you? Her grandson brought a massage machine as a gift. Moreover, it has shoulder massage options and it can also heat up and cool down. I have never received anything like that. Do not worry about it. I do not mind.

***

Chung Il Hoon, as usual, asked them coldly.

“Today is the day. We have planned for this, are you ready?”

Choi Jong Bom nodded frightfully.

“We need to be perfectly prepared. Two, no three times the amount will be necessary.”

“How about only once...”

“That will create an absolute mess of the plan.”

Chung Il Hoon eyes dimmed. He had trouble believing Choi Jong Bom’s words who had payed for the other brothers before.

“It certainly would, wouldn’t it?”

“If necessary I will lead.”

Choi Jong Bom could feel his heart being smashed. Next to him however, was Chung Il Hoon smiling brightly.

“Brother, you’re not planning to do that are you?”

“That’s right. Unless we carry it out, we will never succeed.”

Nevertheless, Chung Il Hoon did not change his countenance.

“You know the emphasis of today’s importance.”

“I do.”

He nodded his head.

It was Lee Hyun’s birthday today.

Since he had never once had a birthday party ever since the day he was born, they wanted to give their brother the best birthday party ever!

‘Isn’t it such a moving sight?’

Both of them trembled. Without a doubt they would share a meaningful experience.

They did not mind that they were going to use some of their income.

They were going to get to meet with female college students!

It was everything they could ever hope for in their dreams.

It was also a good opportunity since Ahn Hyundo was on a business trip.

Chung Il Hoon said again.

“Everyone do your best. If all goes well then it should succeed. How many years do you think that we have left of our lives?”

“Maybe about 50 years or so?”

“Yeah, during that time you have to eat meals by yourself and sleep alone when you’re tired...So keep in mind that depending on how things work out today, you may either live alone for 50 years or with a harmonious family.”

The expressions on Choi Jong Bom, Ma Sang Bom, and Roi Lee’s faces changed.

Chung Il Hoon was able to give them some courage.

‘The plan is incredible. It was able to make those kids willing to help out!’

They always went to ask for help.

Ever since they started Royal Road, they would always ask Pale for help.

Since they knew it was Lee Hyun’s birthday, they promised to come.

‘The girls were difficult to get.’

Lynn, known as Hwaryeong promised to come have lunch.

Kim In Young; known as Irene, Yeon Hee Park; known as Romuna, and Yoon Soo Park; known as Surka, would all come in the evening because of family reasons.

‘This will be an enjoyable birthday.’

Chung Il Hoon gave a satisfying laugh.

***

Lee Hyun visited the dojo early today to train.

But without knowing what his brothers were planning, they brought him somewhere else.

“Let’s go!”

Dojo Instructor! In addition they were joined by a massive number of 70 practitioners with hardened faces, eyes, and overflowing courage.

“Brothers where are we going?”

Lee Hyun asked in a low voice.

Roi Lee replied in a grim voice.

“Going to the amusement park.”

“What are we going for? Are you going to fight?”

“We’re going to go on rides and play games. Even we have rest day sometimes, don’t you think? Go along with it.”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun shook his head.

Even if they were going to the amusement park, the facial expressions of the people going did not fit with it. A heavy atmosphere was made as they passed by.

‘Do not fail.’

‘Happy birthday, birthday.’

It was too heavy of a responsibility to remain calm. They were carefully dressed in black suits, feeling vaguely uncomfortable and awkward.

The group rode on the subway. The dojo owned a vehicle for transportation, but they deliberately decided to use the subway.

‘People going to amusement parks use public transportation.’

None of the practitioners or instructors have been to an amusement park since they were kids. Consulting the internet, there was going to be a lot of traffic and other transportation would be recommended. With that in mind, they decided to board the subway.

“Hey, today are we going to your house to play some games?”

“Last night I was dancing at the club with a guy...and I held hands with him!”

There was a deep silence in the subway as the cars were filled with broad sturdy shouldered men in black suits.

“...”

The students from before and the all the men stopped talking. When there were many passengers on the subway there was bound to be a fierce battle over the seats. The struggle for more comfortable seats!

But some people stood quietly in place. Everyone didn’t know what was happening.

“Keuheum, it feels more comfortable to stand.”

“Yea, it’s better to exercise...”

40 to 50 men stood in place. Even the elderly seated nearby were getting worried.

“Huh? Why are they standing?”

“Yeah.”

Roi Lee and Ma Sang Bom did not sit down in any of the seats. Being accustomed to comfort made the body increasingly weak. It was necessary to work the body out everywhere. Therefore, it was normal for them to stand around in public transportation. The instructors and the practitioners stood alongside the ordinary people.

‘Are these guys mafia? The look in their eyes...’

‘It looks like their muscles are going to tear through their suits.’

‘I think they’re going to do something illegal.’

‘The police. I think it would be a good idea to call the police...’

When they arrived at a station, the subway doors opened.

“Huh, there’s empty seats?”

“That’s not very common. Maybe we’re lucky this time.”

The new passengers were delighted to see the empty seats, but then they saw the practitioners.

“....”

The passengers stood around quietly. They would not dare to sit down looking at the hard faces of the instructors and practitioners.

‘Why does it feel so bad to take a seat?’

‘I would rather sit down. Then I can be comfortable.’

More passengers were forced to be worried. However, the practitioners could not afford to care.

They needed to entertain Lee Hyun somehow!

They did wonder about the people standing for a bit, but they didn’t care so that was overlooked.

‘It must be some kind of fad to stand around in subways huh?’

‘Come to think of it, it’s good for their health.’

Nobody sat down in the subway until the group had reached their destination.

“Lee Hyun, over here!”

“This way!”

In front of the main entrance of the amusement park.

Hayan, Oh Dongman, Shin Hye Min, Lynn, and Choi Ji Hoon were waiting together.

“Hayan, what are you doing here?”

Lee Hyun asked weirdly. He noticed that there was something strange that he wasn't informed of.

Other than the abnormal behavior of the practitioners, Oh Dongman, and Jae Lynn, he did not expect to see Choi Ji Hoon.

Hayan opened her mouth and smiled.

“Oppa, It’s your birthday today!”

“Birthday?”

Lee Hyun began to calculate the date. It was indeed his birthday. Since he never celebrated his birthday, he had forgotten.

“Isn’t that why we’re here for your birthday?”

“Oppa has never gone to an amusement park before so...”

“I mean, amusement parks are exclusive to the wealthy...”

Jae Lynn, Oh Dongman, and Shin Hye Min were puzzled at Lee Hyun’s words.

‘When did amusement parks become reserved for the upper class?’

The instructors and the practitioners took it quite literally.

“In fact, you don't go to an amusement park unless you make a modest amount of money. It’s a big decision about whether or not to go.”

“A lone martial artist in an amusement park...”

“Isn’t it more than 5000 won a ride?”

The instructors spend a considerable amount of their money. For room and board in the dojo, they don’t make much money to spend. Therefore it was difficult for them to spend more than 10,000 to 20,000 won for something.

Lee Hyun sat down, since whenever he spent money on something, even going on rides, his heart broke a little.

“Keuheum! I prefer just relaxing at home.”

Hayan grabbed Lee Hyun’s arm and led him inside.

“I already have a free pass. This way you can play games and go on rides for free.”

Hayan already knew what to do with Lee Hyun. Since he disliked wasting time and money, with this he would not have an excuse not to go. The others followed after Lee Hyun in an instant.

Shin Hye Min asked them.

“What do you want to ride first?”

Jae Lynn didn’t waste any time.

“The Viking? Or the roller coasters?”

Roller coasters were high speed mechanisms that move along the rails in the air. It was the most popular rides.

Shin Hye Min was mentally tired from constantly being busy with the daily broadcast and secretly wanted to taste the thrill of the ride.

“Let’s go on the roller coaster first right?”

Ride the roller coaster first!

A considerable number of people visited the park in the earlier hours so thanks to this they can get their turn sooner.

Lee Hyun sat in the front with Jae Lynn, followed by Oh Dongman and Shin Hye Min, and Hayan and Choi Ji Hoon was paired together.

This was unavoidable because of the guy to girl ratio.

‘That’s great.’

Today was the first time that Ji Hoon had met Lee Hyun’s younger sister.

Not just hunting and exploring in Royal Road. It was different meeting her in reality.

In other words, he was attracted to her.

He had met with numerous women, but he had never felt emotions like this before.

‘Doing this and spending the rest of the day with her. Yeah, not bad.’

Ji Hoon had a bright smile.

Then he receive a light tap on his shoulder from Ma Sang Bom.

“Watch your back.”

“What?”

“Recognize who that is first...”

The horror hit Ji Hoon in the face.

“Hooo hoo hoo.”

At this Roi Lee smiled.

The practitioners did not try to get close to Hayan, since it risked their lives.

To them, Ji Hoon seemed pretty cool.

Then the roller coaster went up to the top and when it came down Oh Dongman, Shin Hye Min, Jae Lynn, Hayan, and Ji Hoon all began screaming.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Wheee!”

Lee Hyun and the practitioners were more blase about it.

‘It was really scary when I was sculpting Bingryong's head.’

Sculpting chunks of ice hundred of meters high and hanging on a single wire. The body hangs there, with the wind constantly interfering. Compared to that experience, sitting here could be thought of as medicine.

The instructors were also calm.

“The angle needs to be steeper...”

“If we fell from here, even in the worst situation we could be okay if you give up the legs.”

“We can reduce the falling speed by rotating the body a few times to diminish the force.”

“Can we jump off from here?”

Talking about such things was scary in its own way.

Thanks to that, a few people were screaming because of the bizarre roller coaster ride!

‘What on earth are you?’

The people in charge of the rides wondered.

On the Viking, the same thing happened.

Lee Hyun and the practitioners sat still doing nothing. Same as the first ride without any change.

‘Oh this isn’t worth my money! Since I’m not using money, I need to enjoy this.’

But Lee Hyun still looked angry.

Eventually they gave up on the longer rides.

“If he’s not scared of the rides then we have to go on something else.”

Jae Lynn said unfortunately.

It was a long way from Lee Hyun and the practitioners to enjoy the thrill and suspense of the amusement park.

Then Oh Dongman had an idea.

“Instead of going on the rides...what if we go to the zoo?”

Hayan’s eyes twinkled in expectation.

“The zoo?”

“Yes, this place is very big but so is the zoo. Wouldn’t it be more fun than sitting in a wheel as it spins?”

“Undoubtedly.”

So, changing their goals, the group decided to go to the zoo this time.

***

There was a giraffe.

Kids that were barely six years old were watching the giraffes.

A kindergarten group had come to watch.

Small and cute boys shouted.

“Look, it’s a giraffe!”

“It looks so cool.”

The pretty young girls smiled with bright eyes.

“It’s beautiful.”

“The animals are so cute. Whoa! Look at it’s long neck!”

It was a harmonious sight.

They were peacefully walking around with the giraffes.

Then an insidious voice came from behind!!

“Giraffes, are they tasty?”

“It may be uncomfortable since we may need to cook it for a long time.”

“But with some salt, it may be quite delicious to eat. The other day, I was training in Africa. I was so hungry. If I could have caught a lion, then I would have eaten it.”

“Do you feel comfortable eating herbivorous animals?”

“We can come and get it at night...”

Sseueuk!

The instructors and the practitioners!

They were looking at the giraffes while they talked.

“Waaaa oooooohh aaahhhh!”

This made the kids cry.

The completely innocent area was completely destroyed by them.

The instructors and the practitioners had to go to the other side.

Camels and ponies.

“Hey, what do these guys taste like?”

“I think I’ll have fun choosing what to eat.”

“It may be a good idea to bake and eat it.”

They looked at the polar bear while blatantly showing off their distasteful appetite.

“Well, look at him.”

“Wow, looking at it makes my mouth water”

“Gallbladders and feet...it eats whatever they throw him. If someone ate it, they could eat nonstop for a year...”

The instructors’ and the practitioners’ eyes shone with blood.

To such a degree that even the polar bear fled in fear.

The otters, the dolphins and the crocodiles suffered the same fate. Understandably, it was even worse for the birds.

But it didn’t include the expected animals.

Monkeys, gorillas, pigs!

The practitioners liked watching their sweet antics and bananas.

“Somehow I like it.”

“I just can’t seem to stop looking.”

Lee Hyun enjoyed the zoo.

It has been so long since he had taken a break.

He had never taken a break after he had started Royal Road. The thought of taking a day off was unbearable since monthly fees were expensive. However he did not regret coming to the zoo with his sister and friends.

“Someday I will visit here with my family again.”

That would be in 10, or maybe 20 years.

But now he was peaceful and happy.

Even when it was time to leave, Lynn refused to leave Lee Hyun's side.

She was on a quest to get closer to him so that they could be lovers.

Oh Dongman, Shin Hye Min and Ji Hoon tried to stay as estranged as possible from the instructors and practitioners.

“Not everyone wants to know what they like...”

“Let’s walk farther away from them.”

“We don’t know them.”

***

They left the amusement park by public transportation and returned to the dojo.

The last plan of Lee Hyun’s birthday party was completed.

A meat party with pork ribs and pork belly!

Kim In Young, Yeon Hee Park and Yoon Soo Park served the precious meat.

“Bon appetit.”

“Thank you, young lady.”

Ma Sang Bom took the dripping greasy meat wrapped in lettuce and put it in his mouth.

“You just have to eat meat for a birthday.”

The instructors had set up the meat for the end of Lee Hyun’s birthday party.

The amusement park was to be followed with meat!

This is what they were planning when they set up the birthday party.

Choi Jong Bom diligently picked up a piece of cooked meat with a stroke of his chopstick.

“Meat is more delicious when you eat it with others.”

Roi Lee also struck onto that comment.

“The more people there are, the tastier it is.”

The birthday party was neither at a nice restaurant nor did they prepare any special gift, but it was a warm experience nevertheless.

Chung Il Hoon brought out the soju.

“Here, take a cup of liquor.”

Lee Hyun listened to him and carefully took the cup with both hands. Chung Il Hoon filled up Lee Hyun’s cup with soju accordingly.

“To our lives!”

“To life!”

The men gave a clumsy toast. Looking at everything, Hayan was the one that planned everything in advance.
A group meeting with college woman!

Volume 10 Chapter 7
Tuesday, November 11, 2014

High Elf Bow

This has been brought to you by Grisia.
Weed returned to the Versailles Continent after two real life days. In the Versailles Continent, six days had passed by.

“Oooh, we drink to him.”

Drinking alcohol was common for laborers. After a hard day of work, they were loosening up with a few glasses of liquor. One bottle of wine after another and the atmosphere would be considerably friendlier. But here they were drinking all of the previous night. Weed was with Pale and Maylon, who were both weak against alcohol. He didn’t even want to mention Zephyr.

“It was a bad idea to bring soju.”

They drank for over four hours with over 200 boxes of soju. Words could not describe the fearsome sight. The number of practitioners, no matter how many, could not be human to consume so much alcohol.

He would have wanted to be unconscious instead of being awake.

“Now that we’re finally back, we’re still suffering from a bad hangover.”

Weed looked around.

A cave in a safe location not too far from the valley of death. Alveron slowly stood up from his prayer.

“Weed-nim have you just returned?”

“Yeah.”

Weed had returned to human from a Skeleton Soldier.

Night had fallen and the wolves became active.

Alveron was inside the cave. Since it was well hidden, the wolves were not able to find it.

“Moreover... I wonder what happened to the expedition?”

Weed wondered about the Serbian Witch’s Broken Beads.

***

After such an arduous climb, Oberon and the Cold Roses Guild could not catch their breath after walking all night to the town of the altar of the Edereune God, stopping only to eat. At the end of it all they could finally reap the fruit of their efforts.

Run down houses with broken walls. The desolate village was entirely in ruins. The wind was blowing over the town of Edereune, but the members of the expedition felt that their troubles would soon be over.

The small dwarf Oberon climbed over the rocks.

“Here is Edereune, the final destination of the expedition. Everyone I want to thank you for following and believing me, though I may be lacking.”

“Captain, even though we ran into trouble, we did succeed and it was rewarding.”

All of the Cold Roses member in the expedition nodded.

‘I doubted coming to the northern expedition a few times since it seemed in vain.’

‘This is the first time that I put up with such a troublesome quest for such a long time.’

They were now unspeakably thrilled since they managed to finish such a difficult quest. The eyes of the people in the expedition sparkled with excitement in anticipation of what happens next.

Oberon was close to the end of his speech.

“I would like to thank all of you...Drum.”

“Yes, Leader.”

“Restore the item.”

Drum removed the cherished treasure from his inventory.

Serbian Witch’s Broken Beads!

It was obtained from the center of the continent; a treasure obtained after the end of countless battles, now to be locked in the north.

In the center were the broken beads. From the cracks of the broken beads was a constant chilling cold.

Everyone in the expedition was trembling from the cold. If it had not been for Drum weakening the strength of the beads then they would have frozen to death.

Drum presented the beads to Charon.

“Thank you.”

Charon did not even dare touching the beads. Since he was an enchanter that dealt mainly with jewelry, the beads effects would curse him.

“I accept.”

“I am sorry for making you do this.”

“Dwell on it later and buy me a drink.”

“I will.”

Charon looked at the Serbian Witch’s Beads.

“Identify!”

Ttiring!

Witch’s Broken Beads.Durability : 1.
Made of an unknown material. Originally it contained a great force.
Due to the cracks, that force has erupted outside.
The beads are a source of incessant chill.
Options:
Restore the beads to seal the cold.

The Enchanter class had to ability to use magic to grant power to gems and minerals. They were very rare since it required a large amount of effort to get a high skill level.

That was Charon, and he was a high level wizard.

“Damn it! This honor is not that honorable.”

Charon touched the broken beads.

“Restore the marbles!”

A hand shone dazzlingly as the cracks were neatly repaired.

Enchanter job skills.

The ability to revert the durability of magical gems and materials to the original value.

The cold chill from the breads that was extending indefinitely disappeared mysteriously at that moment.

“Ohh!”

“Now I can finally stop holding my breath.”

From then on, everyone in the expedition was able to breathe much easier.

The numbness left their hands as the cold went away. Charon, from the instant he touched it with his hands, turned into ice but the Serbian Witch’s Broken Beads were intact.

“Save him, resurrect him somehow!”

“God damn it!”

They checked around but most of the clerical classes had already lost their lives.

From the staircase the expedition could see the surrounding landscape.

Since the cracks were fixed, a warm Northern wind blew.

They turned their eyes slightly towards the sky to see a slight rainfall.

A little warm rain.

However it seemed that the ice would not be melted. His character was alive and trapped with his health bar turned blue.

“Later on, I’ll buy whatever you want.”

Drum’s voice cracked as he spoke and then he turned to the Witch’s Smooth Beads.

At that moment, some scenes from inside the beads were shown.

In an area with a surrounding landscape of a thick layer of snow.

The young girl had to learn magic.

Whenever the girl used magic, tiny snowflakes were born. Sometimes small chunks of ice were made.

Every time she succeeded with her magic, the girl smiled.

Serbian Witch.

Perhaps it was the girl’s inner talent. The girl’s skills grew increasingly.

The young cute little girl wore a robe. She was too small for it at first, but eventually it fit her.

However, she had heard that proper mages used staves.

After a while, invaders set foot onto the peaceful snowy land.

A legion of monsters fought against human soldiers.

The Serbian Witch fought against the enemies.

Monsters would freeze whenever she used her magic. Human soldiers could not withstand the cold and died as well.

The legend of the Serbian Witch spread throughout the continent!

In the history of the Versailles Continent, there once was a legendary master of Ice Magic.

Wind and rain heralded the coming of a storm. The Serbian Witch would wave her hand and everything froze.

The ice type magic, Freezing Storm!

- The magic of the Serbian Ice Witch has been restored.Forcefully altering the climate to subdue enemies.Those familiar with ice based magic can now learn advanced magic.

“Ah!”

Drum sighed.

Serbian Witch’s Broken Beads. They had managed to restore the beads. Now it was possible to learn new types of magic without the need of a spellbook or materials. The beads contained the skills for highly advance ice magic.

For Drum, a professional ice mage, it was one of the best magical treasures.

Oberon approached him and put his hands on his shoulder.

“There’ll be another chance.”

Drum lamented for a while.

“I’ll have a chance again?”

“Perhaps...”

“...”

The beads were obtained by the expedition after a lot of hardship.

Drum inevitably raised the Witch Beads to the altar of the gods.

***

The live internet feed ended at sunset as the expedition dedicated the beads to the altar.

It was not just in reality. Taverns all across the continent of Versailles with magical screens installed could see the footage.

“The heat wave is going to disappear?”

“How could they do this?”

People had already given up trying to adjust to the heat.

They found it incredibly hard to believe that the heat would be gone so easily.

Nevertheless, they had some expectations.

At that moment, there was no event more important that this.

The Witch's Beads disintegrated into dust when they were placed on that altar. However, the powers within the beads began to cycle and create its impact on the entire continent.

The sweltering heat caused by the Curse of the Scorpion King on the continent began to change.

The atmospheric temperature lowered until it was how it used to be.

A refreshing breeze blew past, cooling the lukewarm beers.

“Bravo.”

“Cheers.”

Many people threw festivals, indulging in their excitement over the success.

You could see people yelling in pleasure across almost every city or town in the Versailles continent.

Weed rode on the Wyverns with Alveron and took to the skies. They were escorted by Bingryong. They had left to check on the remnants of the Valley of Death.

The place was teeming with monsters.

“Kyawoo. It’s a human!”

“Kill him!”

Weed shook his head.

“Looks like it’s gone.”

The Valley of Death was covered in snow and ice.

The sun was in the sky, but it did not feel hot and a warm breeze blew. Since the Serbian Witch Beads had been restored, chilling air no longer permeated from the cracks.

The source of the curse.

The heat wave that covered the entire continent was proving extremely useful.

The snow and ice, that never seemed to melt, dissolved instantly into water. Because of the Valley of Death, it flowed through like the rapids. But because the land was so barren, it quickly sucked up the moisture that was being offered.

“Gaaahh! The heat! It’s burning my body! Master!”

Bingryong was suffering as he struggled to beat his wings in the sky. Droplets of water dripped and fell from his body of ice.

For most people the increasing temperature was a blessing, but to Bingryong it led to weakening his strength.

“Please, spare me. Master.”

Bingryong was overwhelmed with pain and tears. His eyes held the most heartbreaking glance.

“Useless!”

His penetrating glance told Bingryong to knock it off. This much was not enough to be out of breath. Even with the hot weather, he would not be pampered. Even with his tremendous Stamina and Health, he struggled with his wings. It takes a lot of time to recover. He was weakened even more so, considering that it had not been long since his battle with the other dragon.

Weed finally messaged Seoyoon.

A normal person would never pretend to be unable to speak!

“Since she hasn't messaged me, she must have found a decent quest or a good hunting ground.”

Weed nodded.

Weed guessed that Seoyoon was not a good natured person or she would not have fed poison to him when he was sick.

“I’ll see if I can contact her next time.”

Seoyoon was lingering around in Morata.

People were wandering around within the bustling town.

“The weather is getting warmer.”

“Maybe it’s time for the town to start getting some new clothes? It’s not going to be easy to work in winter clothing.”

“Monsters are going to get more active in this kind of weather. We need to get the walls repaired to stop monsters from invading.”

The townsfolk were working and talking. They were doing things from smithing farming tools to making fabric for clothes.

Productivity in Morata had increased significantly because of the recent festival and many houses in the local area were reconstructed.

Alveron politely addressed him.

“Weed-nim, I will return to the village with the rest of the priests and assist the townspeople.”

“Thank you for all the help.”

“Yes. You can call us anytime if monsters invade.”

The village was under the protection of the Church of Freya so many priests and paladins were staying in Morata.

The village elder was roasting a sweet potatoe as Weed came back from his travels.

“Welcome back, hero-nim.”

“I have returned.”

“Are you here to turn in the commission I gave you?”

“Yes, but more than that I am hungry.”

Weed loved food.

But he did not excessively eat it. If fullness was excessively full, then stamina was quickly exhausted. However, he did not give up a situation where he could get free food!

Beggar instincts.

The ability to find food in any situation!

“To give the hero of the village a mere sweet potato...”

“That’s fine.”

“Well, the polite thing would be to serve food so...”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“No, the pleasure is mine.”

The village elder, with tears in his eyes, offered him the sweet potato.

As Weed ate the sweet potato that was soaked in kimchi.

- Satiety has been filled.

Stamina has increased by 10%.

It was a simple dish of sweet potatoes.

Compared to Weed’s intermediate cooking skills, the food wasn’t very good but the effect to fully fill satiety was priceless.

Weed ate the sweet potato quickly.

“The Nifleheim Emperor did not run away. He pulled the cowardly monsters into the valley and he overpowered them with the Serbian Witch's Broken Beads.”

Ttiring!

The King’s Glory quest has been completed!The Divine Emperor Nifleheim IV sacrificed himself to protect his people.But the results were not as he had wanted.
The weather in the northern lands went out of control until the Serbian Witch's Beads were restored.
- Fame has increased by 3200
- Friendship with Morata's citizens increased by 100.
- Public value points with Morata village increased by 3200. Regional public value points for Morata village can be seen in the public service values window.
- Morata village public value: 9800
- You have leveled up!
- You have leveled up!
- You have leveled up!
- You have leveled up!
- You have leveled up!
- You have leveled up!
- You have leveled up!

...

The level gain was huge, but even more so was increase in fame.

Weed thought.

‘Quests related with the honor of a kingdom are in a whole another level of rewards.’

The village elder took something wrapped in a cloth from the depths of a drawer.

“At least in the end I retain my honor as a noble of the Nifleheim Empire.”

Frankly, Weed found it a little hard to believe. A nobleman of the empire was so desperate now that he could barely keep a sweet potato for himself. But even that Weed took away from him and ate. To think this was the condition of the leader of the village.

“The day that the Empire fell, the Imperial treasures were scattered and all that remains is this bracelet. Hero-nim, since you found the fate its true owner, I feel you deserve this.”

Items earned as compensation for the quest.

It was hard to get good items such as rings, necklaces, and accessories.

Weed’s heart was beating so fast as he hurried to check it.

“Identify!”

Ttring!

The King’s Bracelet:
Durability 30/30.A treasure of the Nifleheim Empire. Refined beauty and a variety of magical abilities. An incredibly finely crafted piece of jewelry embedded with gems.Restrictions:
Level 450.
Reputation 100,000.
Options:
Maximum mana increased by 55%.
All stats + 15.
Mana regeneration increased by 20%.
Charm + 30.

Typically it was unassociated with combat abilities, but it had the precious option of increasing mana and regeneration so that substantially increased its value.

Much better than what Weed lost when he died.

‘Never thought I’d get something this good.’

He regretted that he didn’t get any better items from the dragon.

However, the rewards from the quest did not disappoint him.

It was incomparable to his current armor and items.

If he put the bracelet on the item trading site, it would turn the place upside down.

A considerable amount of people would start a bidding war.

The quicker the mana regen, the more often you can use skills.

You would be able to hunt and raise skill mastery faster.

He had gotten a few rings from Lavias.

Later on he had gotten the Ring of the High Priest.

Each increased his mana regeneration by 10%.

The village elder was about to finish his speech.

“Under Hero-nim’s mighty shoulders the fate of this village may be changed.”

“Yes?”

“Hero of the village, you are our glimmer of hope. Please do not refuse.”

Ttiring!

Elder’s proposal to become the Count of Morata.Morata was a renowned producer of high quality cloth and leather for generations. The True Blood Vampires took over the territory once, but now humans inhabit once more.The village elder has offered the position of ruler to one of the two heroes of the village. Great adventurers with high friendship with the people will not be able to refuse.
Able to tax crops and trade monthly. Able to strengthen military power. If the lord occupies another city or castle of a certain size or population by force, the rewards will increase.
-You have become the Count of Morata.
-The title Count of Morata is now available.
-Fame has increased by 2500.
-Charisma has increased by 30.
-Leadership has increased by 20.
Proposal cannot be denied!

Familiarity with the residents increased its effects. On the spur of the moment, he became the ruler of the province.

***

Weed went out of the village Elder’s house and saw a little girl.

She was making a very small outfit.

“Oh, you are?”

“Yea. What are you doing?”

“Baby clothes. Haven’t you heard that there are a lot of kids in our town? It’s my dream to make clothes but we need to farm since we don’t have enough farmers.”

Weed nodded. Morata was historically known for its famous sewing productions.

‘That’s right. I still have the quest for having I planted flowers in the Valley of Death.’

“Have the flowers of hope chased away the spirit of death?”

“The seeds you have given me have grown into grass, flowers and trees that have soaked its surrounding around in a sweet scent.”

“Thank you, thank you very much.”

Ttiring!

You have completed the Plant Flowers quest.In the valley, flowers and trees now grow and can safely be passed without the danger of monsters. The seeds cultivated by man will spread widely by the wind and grow into a forest.
-Fame has increased by 1600.
-Friendship with Morata citizens has increased by 120. Residents will more or less heed your orders.
-Morata Village public value: 10,400
-You have leveled up.
-You have leveled up.
-You have leveled up.

Once again he leveled three times.

He was a bit disappointed. He had huge expectations of the quest. Not everyone was able to do an A ranked quest.

‘However, to think it only gave three levels.’

Weed breathed a deep sigh.

‘This is the kind of luck I have. What was I expecting.’

Still levels did not mean everything.

Leveling only meant a slight rise in stats. He would need to raise his skill masteries and other stats or else he would end up dead later on from being underskilled!

Weed was well aware of this, but still it was a quest. At least the increase in fame and public service points were far higher than usual.

Then she said again.

“You have to wait.”

“Huh?”

“I wanted to give you something.”

She hurriedly went inside her house. Afterwards she brought out two things wrapped in paper.

A map and a bow!

“This is my friend’s map that I promised you. For helping me, please accept this bow as compensation.”

Items have been acquired as compensation for the quest.

It was a poorly drawn map that looked like a child drew it.

“Identify!”

Freely drawn map: Durability 3.A map of some place.
It seems to locate an area.

The problem was the lines on the map and the triangles for mountains.

“I have to go find this thing.”

He let out a sigh. However, the bow felt a little bit different. There seemed to be a big difference between normal bows and this bow’s materials and composition.

“Identify!”

High Elf Bow:
Durability 65/65. Damage 98. Range 18.A High Elf creates one bow in their lifetime. Due to its scarcity, the rarity of it is uncompared. Finding elves were very difficult in the human world and even more difficult for a human to befriend one and receive this bow as a gift. Imbued with the power of Sprites.Restriction:
Level 400.
Agility 1000.
Archer related profession.
Options:
+40% chance to hit
+40% range.
User can move very rapidly.
The damage done by arrows is elemental damage.
Affinity with spirits +5%.

For a short while he didn’t say anything.

‘Jackpot!’

As of yet, this was one of the most superb items!

The High Elf Bows were one of the most coveted items of the archer class.

The Tower of Light

This has been brought to you by Grisia.

As soon as Lee Hyun came out of the capsule, he logged onto the item trading site.

- Buying Elven Bow.
- Looking to buy an Elven Bow, regardless of whether its a dark elf bow or a wood elf bow.
- Paying large amounts for a rare or unique level 300 bow. Willing to pay a lot more than the usual market value.

The posts bombarding the board reflected the number of archers there were in the game. Prices were very high because of the limited supply.

Weed smiled at this.

‘This is good.’

The High Elf Bow!

If he placed it on the auction site then he could get a very high amount for it.

The value of level 400 weapons were high. Then there were the various options it had on it, such as high damage and long range.

There were too many advantages on the elven weapons to count.

“With that kind of money, it would be 2 to 3 months of savings spent on living.”

Lee Hyun was excited.

He would have registered the King’s Bracelet and the High Elf Bow on the auction site, but he decided not to on impulse.

It was not an exaggeration to say that unique items could be cashed in at any time.

However putting them on sale came with a price.

“Other people can’t be the only ones with good items.”

The purpose of good items was to be worn and ultimately become stronger!

He decided to keep it for himself for the time being.

Instead of looking further, Lee Hyun stood up and left the house.

“Its been awhile since I’ve felt this good.”

Lee Hyun headed off to the supermarket.

***

The supermarket was built on the fifth floor of a department store building, with many customers coming and going.

It was highly unusual for Lee Hyun to be in this place.

‘Discount stores seem to advocate low prices but the quality is cheap.’

The usual Lee Hyun absolutely did not go to supermarkets. Generally the price of produce and poultry was expensive. With goods like meat and eggs, it could not compare to street markets. The only exception was inexpensive items and buy one get one free sales.

‘Looking around there’s a lot of useless things. Most of them are priced higher than usual.’

He could not believe his eyes. Looking at the prices, shopping at a supermarket would often exceed his budget.

Even arguing its advantages that it was convenient did not make up for how much would be save from shopping at a street market. Lee Hyun came to such a store.

Lee Hyun grabbed a cart.

“Okay, time to shop!”

He was shopping to celebrate his good luck!

He chose items that you could not imagine people usually getting.

He chose a large number of inexpensive goods instead of brand names.

“Maybe two more boxes of Chewy Choco Pies. I think I should be fine with three boxes. Three boxes. Hm, maybe I should get four?”

Lee Hyun was conflicted for a moment then shook his head.

“Oh, of course. I can get four or five boxes, but four boxes will be sufficient and I bet that I won’t need more. Hahaha! These sweets are delicious.”

However, it was different for the grocery purchases.

Olive oil was twice as expensive as normal cooking oil!

He bought a container of salt that was individually packaged.

He wanted to see the difference in salt that was 200 won more expensive!

“It’s a little bit of luxury.”

***

Every bit of Seoyoon’s gameplay was recorded by Cha Eunhee.

“I’m a little envious. It would be nice if I could go on adventures like that.”

She started to investigate Weed whenever he appeared.

It was very hard to find people that were famous on the internet.

She knew his name, but not what he was like in the past.

The only information she found was that he did unbelievable things in the Continent of Magick, and that he was now on a quest in Royal Road.

The information in front of Cha Eunhee was insane. Here was a person, with as small as a one in a million chance, that somehow got lucky and became famous worldwide.

“A great user...and he’s very famous.”

She didn’t want to believe it until she saw it with her own eyes.

It was then that she found and saw the quests in the videos. Hunting down the True Blood Vampires, the creation of the pyramid, and the great battle on the Plains of Despair that everyone was talking about!

It was then that Cha Eunhee became a fan of Royal Road.

Because of this she became more enthusiastic.

“Weed really is the most favorite adventurer.”

A passion of hard work!

Cha Eunhee was immersed in the idea of drowning herself in patience in order to solve a quest.

This was true in many of Weed’s adventures. Whether it was the fight against the True Blood Vampires or the Plains of Despair, he experienced and won over the tough quests. However, they were not the only important quests on the Versailles continent.

An expedition from a kingdom going to explore an unknown jungle.

Adventurers going off to explore new ruins and dungeons.

Taking on a quest to clear out a den of thieves, who were former nobles.

Traveling to new kingdoms and having thrilling adventures and quests were some of the most important elements that comprised the Versailles continent.

But Weed’s adventures had something special in them that others usually did not.

That was what Cha Eunhee wanted to find out.

“Even with a step-by-step approach and passion, unforeseen circumstances will forcefully interfere with their efforts. That’s why people readily give up.”

Most quests fail. With higher difficultly quests the probability of failure increases. Weed was as human as anyone else but people can’t help but watch his quests.

Unexpected behavior was a unique aspect of Weed’s.

Unlike most people, he solved his quests with not just his strength or levels but with something innovating.

The excitement and the tension.

The passion he had when he was commanding the Orcs and the Dark Elves.

People were surprised with his fighting abilities, but it was the way he behaved, his spirit that fascinated people.

“He’s been gaining popularity for a reason. In the aftermath of his supremacy in the Continent of Magic, he’s now forging a new legend in Royal Road. People can’t help but look on fondly.”

Cha Eunhee had to admit it. She did not remember how many times she turned back to the scene of Weed fighting against the dragon. Most people watched it about a dozen times or more.

Weed was going to be more famous than ever.

It was then that Cha Eunhee got a surprise when she was watching a video that was in Seoyoon’s capsule.

- Friend...

Even if it was only for a single syllable, Seoyoon opened her mouth to speak.

Unless someone loved torturing themselves, Seoyoon did not want to be separated from Weed and had to speak.
Weed then responded to her words.

Seoyoon didn’t have the time to say anything else.

“I guess it’s been so long since she’s said anything that she couldn’t reply.”

Cha Eunhee felt bad for her. For someone like Seoyoon who lived for so long without speaking would forget how to talk to others. Talking would become awkward and she wouldn’t want to say anything embarrassing.

***

After Pale and Romuna returned from the Yuroki Mountains they warmly welcomed Yurin.

‘So this is Weed’s sister.’

Hwaryeong had not known that Yurin was his favorite family member. Everyone was a bit skeptical that Yurin was joining the party. Pale scratched his head.

“This is too dangerous...Yurin are you going to be fine coming along with us?”

As the leader of the party he asked carefully so that she could avoid getting hurt.

“Look...the Yuroki Mountains are not easy places to hunt. There’s a lot of monsters and sometimes we get killed. Wouldn’t it be better if we to go to a place that helps beginners?”

Yurin thought for a moment and then shook her head.

“No, it’s fine. It’s better if it’s more difficult.”

“It’s going to be really dangerous...”

“I understand. I’ll just look for somewhere safe to paint the monsters.”

“Well, go ahead then. Call us if you’re in danger. We will protect you.”

“Okay.”

Yurin sat down on an empty spot and took out a bunch of painting materials.

A few moments later she drew a picture of Pale shooting a monster with arrows.

Shah syasyasyak!

Yurin moved the pencil quickly across the canvas. She then painted a piece of murderous ogres running around.
Ttiring!

-You have used drawing skills.
You have painted an ogre. A big success!
The piece has been named Ogres.The drawing has made the Ogres more brutal.-Drawing skills have improved.
With that, the Ogres evolved into named monsters.
Monsters with names are 20% stronger. However, this was done intentionally because named monsters have more experience and better drop rates.

This was a hidden skill of the painters!

“Oh, named monsters.”

“Surka, buy me some time so that I can prepare a strong magic spell.”

“Okay, Unni.”

The party had to fight fiercely against the monsters that got buffed from the painting.

Yurin began to scribble over the picture of the ogres.

She gave beards to the scarred murderous faces of the ogres. She also gave them glasses and made them hold a book as if they were conducting a performance.

-You have used the Doodle skill.

The Ogres will now become lazy and gentle natured.
The enemy is suffering from a wound on his sides. This area will be his major weakness.

Yurin was very helpful with her paintings even though she did not engage in combat. Looking at her silently hold the painting to herself, wearing her cowl hat, made people want to give her a hug.

But the images she was painting were quite bloody. It was quite a sight to see the ogres, known as the lords of the forest, being tossed around like rabbit. The heads of the ogres were skewered by 3 beautiful golden snakes.

Yurin was a very pretty girl but the picture showed the cruel reality.

Inhumane abuse!

Pale nodded a little.

‘Her brother really is Weed.’

In Yurin’s veins flowed the same blood as Weed.

***

Viewership was always rising over news about the Versailles Continent.

Oh Juwan and Shin Hye Min were on a program having a discussion with a number of experts.

“A few days ago a combat based profession player took over a castle.”

“Warriors and Knights seem to be the most popular classes to own castles. There are a few mages but they aren’t exactly many.”

“Professions that are good with leading others into combat seem to be good.”

“However, for the first time, a blacksmith has appeared with enough money to become the lord of a castle.”

The specialists for the Versailles Continent argued about their opinions.

“Impossible.”

“I have no idea how that could have been done.”

“Was it merely a coincidence? Or maybe there were special circumstances?

Several things changed after the castle was bought.

An increasing number of residents were interested in metal. Residents would talk about metal and hand out quests related to it. Usually smelting a certain ingredient or making a special item.

The number of quests for blacksmiths were limited. Most of the time the quest was too hard for the blacksmith to complete. There was also the fact that a lack of fame made it more difficult for blacksmiths to receive quests. Because there were hardly any quests available, blacksmiths had to work for days to increase their skill proficiency.

In the blacksmith’s castle the quests were very basic. But the rewards for those quests were quite decent. By making the appropriate armor and weapons for the quest, fame raised quite quickly. The weapons depended on what the quest referral wanted and may require more skill than available. Even if the result was poor, the blacksmith would still receive a considerable amount of training. This lightened the burden considerably.

“I think, thanks to this castle, the blacksmiths class and other crafters will receive better treatment.”

“Crafters?”

Han Gil’s eyes shone.

This did not happen often.

“Yes. My guess is, with the heightened interest thanks to this new castle, the value of blacksmiths will increase considerably.”

“Then that means...”

All eyes were looking towards the expert.

“The castle lord’s profession will have a large impact on the continent.”

All of the conclusions were converging towards a single point. Otherwise people wouldn’t be able to understand the situation.

Shin Hye Min asked cautiously.

“What kind of changes can we expect to see because of the new blacksmith lord?”

“It’s a little early to make any definite conclusions.”

With that they began beating around the bush with idle conversation. Then he said.

“The first development we should expect to see in that castle is the the level of technology should advance more quickly than other cities. The blacksmiths will sell a larger number of weapons and armor. Moreover, the quality of these items will constantly improve.”

“In other words, this means that this is going to be that castle’s specialty?”

“That seems to be the case. From the information gathered so far, the standard of weapons is currently higher than usual and there are signs of positive effects. Raising soldiers in the castle will be considerably easier than raising mages.”

Shin Hye Min nodded at what the experts said.

With combat based castle lords could raise strong soldiers easily. Wizards lords increased the overall magical power. Yet blacksmiths were able to have a similar impact as a combat related profession.

***

When Weed returned to the Versailles Continent, the sun had already gone down and it was evening already.

The clear jewel like stars were twinkling in the sky.

Dark clouds loomed overhead of Weed. Harsh thunder bolts rained down from the sky. The entire rest of the Continent was busy watching the televisions.

“Damn! This cursed profession forcefully made me into the Lord.”

His complaining and lamenting over his cursed profession did not disappear.

Rhodium City of Artists.

In reality it was a city infested with beggars.

There was no guarantee that someone would try and overthrow Morata after Weed took over.

Exploiting high taxes!

Ripping off the residents and squeezing out large taxes.

Raising soldiers to fight monsters to earn him items and money!

For Weed being a vicious dictator was truly his dream.

“Honestly, what is peace... there is no need for any of that. Anything beats being a beggar.”

Weed wanted to be a dictator.

But a lot of traders did not come through Morata because it was far from being a metropolis. Famous fortresses did not border it nor were there well developed hunting grounds.

“But being a Lord should come with some benefits right? Regional status window!”

Lord Weed was allowed to use that command.

The Province of MorataA province belonging to the Nifleheim Empire.
In the past the Emperor brought the land prosperity but now it is hard to imagine it.
Military

20

Economy

90
Culture

120

Technology

190
Religion

80

Urban Development

62
Security

98%
There are currently no soldiers so a regiment of vigilantes exists in its place. For one year the province will have the protection of the Church of Freya.There are few buildings. The residents are very poor. Merchants used to visit this land. Needs rapid development to quickly improve the livelihood of the residents.Festivals and sculptures make the residents more happy. Requires more cultural facilities for the residents to put behind their harsh past. Former cloth and sewing industry is on the decline.
The local population believe in the Church of Freya as their religion.
In the future, it is likely that it will become the central faith of the Kingdom.
Specialties:
Leather and Cloth.
Total Territory Population: 7863
Monthly tax income: 2300 gold
Village operating costs and expenditures:
Military 20%
Economic Development 20%
Village Maintenance 45%
Donations to the Church of Freya 15%

The information he got was in itself.

“Its not even at the level of Baran Village in the kingdom of Rosenheim!”

The towns in the southern part of Rosenheim were constantly being attacked by monsters.

Now that he thought about it, the town had been reduced to ruins by the vampires and that halted its development.

Weed quickly regretted it. He usually had a lot of regrets but he could feel this one tingling in his bones.

“I even got the salt that was 200 won more expensive. This must be my punishment.”

Developing the military and the economy would require a large sum of money. It would take hundreds of thousands, no millions, of gold to advance Morata into an enviable city.

Weed did not have the time or money to afford it.

“The position is nothing more than a luxury for a Dark Gamer.”

At this time, seventy six of the lords on the Versailles Continent in the various kingdoms were users. Most of them have and are attending college.

By governing and improving a town you get fame and fortune! However, it was not an easy task.

***

There were various mountains around the town of Morata.

After the ice that had piled up melted, the surface of the rock was exposed.

Weed climbed the mountain while holding Zahab’s Carving Knife.

“I have to force my body!”

Extreme physical labor!

No matter if it was day or night, Weed never forgot to make sculptures.

When the sun rose, he had made many sculptures. There were strong tough men with weapons such as swords dancing around. When the moon rose, there were women as well. But Weed did not stop there.

“Moonlight Sculpting!”

The unique sculpting ability to emit light.

The difficulty of sculpting went up when using the skill.

Jjeojeosal!

He worked on the rock to make a slender arm.

It was softer, unlike the other rocks he had used in the past. To keep the feel of the sculpture he had to pay attention to the materials.

Seoyoon.

He had spent several months with her.

It was very difficult to sculpt various people doing different things such as dancing.

A girl dancing on one leg.

Four soldiers brandishing long spears.

It was very easy to break.

It was inevitable since he had yet to master moonlight sculpting.

“I can’t help it if it fails.”

Weed boldly took the loss. But it was worth it.

Shirtless men showing off around the campfire.

Women doing sensual and provocative dances.

The dancing was full of energy!

The Memory of the Night Festival in Morata had been created.

It took over ten days to complete.

- Please set the name of the statue.

Weed had thought in advance and gave it a noble name.

“A Night in Morata.”

Somehow he made a titled piece! He was reminded of a movie he saw when he was a kid. Weed couldn’t quite remember the name but he went with it.

- A Night in Morata, correct?

“Yeah.”

Ttiring!

A moonlight sculpting masterpiece!You have completed the piece A Night in Morata!
A piece that represents people dancing!An astonishing dance full of passion and energy was born. Unfortunately the sculpture was damaged a few times during creation.Incomplete sculpture.
Because of the reputation for being an excellent sculpture, it does not appear to be a mistake.
The sculptor gave this piece endless possibilities.
This piece will be talked of for many years.
No one will forget the creative and artistic skills that the sculptor used.
The name of this sculpture will remain in the history of the Versailles Continent.
Artistic Value:
An excellent work created by the Sculptor Weed. 6300
Options:
The statue A Night in Morata gives
15% increased Health and Mana regeneration during the day.
30% increased Health.
All stats increased by 10.
All chef, dancer, and bard skills are one level higher.
Other statue effects do not overlap.
Number of Moonlight masterpieces so far: 1
-Sculpting skills have improved.
-Handicrafting has increased to advanced level 4. An additional 8% increase to all handtools and it will affect various areas.
-Sculptural Understanding has increased by 1 level.
-Fame has increased by 110.
-Art stats have increased by 5.
-Stamina has increased by 1.
-All stats increase by 2 for create a Moonlight masterpiece.

“Kuehuehuehuehue!”

Weed had a wicked smile.

Advanced handcrafting level 4!

Every time the skill rose, his damage increased by 8% and his crafting products would have better effects.

The sculpting class was amazing because of the ability to learn all crafting skills and access to the handicrafting skill, as well as the amazing two times growth rate for skills.

Royal Road’s hope for below average classes.

A skill that displays true physical effort!

Handicrafting!

He recently learnt the truth.

Handicrafting rapidly raised the Sculpting skill. It also widened the number of skills affected by Handicrafting.

It boosted all manner of production skills with more gentle handling, such as picking herbs. It made sewing more elaborate and helped to restore the durability of repaired items. Even mages needed some level of Handicrafting. One could not hope to increase the Handicrafting by focusing on one skill and repeating the same thing over and over.

Therefore, one needed a large variety of skills and training to boost the Handicrafting skill.

In other words, endless physical labor!

The embodiment of physical labor in all skills.

Whenever he got a level in Handicrafting, Weed could not help but smile.

“Handicrafting increased a level. Hehe, I should work hard and make another light sculpture.”

Weed looked to see that there was no one else around. Then he started to dance around vulgarly with the carving knife using Moonlight Sculpting.

“It’s like winning a lottery ticket after getting dealt a bad hand. It doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun.”

Simple and easy! Sometimes he expressed his delight like a crazy man. It was his one act of comfort from having to constantly repeat the same thing over and over.

“204 hours of hard work yet it came out flawed.”

Weed painfully reflected on his work.

He was not sleeping or eating properly and it had affected his work.

“If I worked 6000 hours this month, my goal for next month should be 6001 hours. That is what it means to be truly devoted to hard work.”

If he was given a lot of money, he would sew on doll eyes for 100 years!

The finished work however would have to be successful compared to the effort involved.

Weed put a massive amount of work into his sculptures but a few still ended up as failures.

“There’s still time left.”

Weed went towards the rocks without a break.

He had to go to Todeum but he could afford a little time.

For the next sixty days of the Versailles continent, Weed sculpted from the rocks in the mountains. He managed to make a couple dozen classic pieces, four grand pieces, and one masterpiece.

With that, he managed to reach Advanced Sculpting.

***

A large number of adventurers arrived in the town of Morata.

People used to stay away because of the severe weather, but now it had subsided.

Since the air and weather was refreshing, it was no surprise that monsters and adventurers started to appear.

“It’s a village!”

“According to the map, this is Morata.”

“Let’s check out the place.”

Villagers looked at the town in amazement.

Most of the northern towns had been devastated. With all the monster attacks, public security was a mess. In most towns, the monster had invaded too far.

They were less than villages and more like hunting grounds.

Monsters would trot around freely, eating and killing humans!

“In case something happens, I will lead the group. I leave healing up to you.”

“Okay. I’ll take care of the treatment.”

The party of five cautiously approached the village.

This party was quite famous in the Versailles Continent.

Behind the party was a total of 300 people.

People sought to explore the northern continent. They thought it would be safe once they entered a town. However it was early in the morning and that was the time that monster activity peaked!

The party raised their vigilance whenever they entered a village.

“Welcome!”

“Welcome to our village.”

The Morata citizens greeted them in unison.

“We sell tough durable clothes in Morata.”

“We also sell armor with high defense and clothes for women.”

The adventurers went around Morata’s specialties shops. They looked around at the trees and the ground. One of them nervously asked.

“What is that over there?”

This was usually not seen in a village.

The reason was soon revealed.

The adventurers saw a bunch of cute boys and girls holding a bunch of pretty sculptures!

“Selling sculptures of flowers, rabbits, deer, as well as high quality pieces! There are also sculptures of monsters from Morata, such as the wolves.”

The residents were trying to make money somehow. They were trying to earn money like how Weed earned chump change in the beginning.

Then they saw a vacant lot where Weed was sitting.

“Gear for sale, traditional antiques from the Nifleheim empire, as well as iron armor and clothes! There is no doubt about the elegance of the antique patterns!”

Weed piled swords and armor next to him.

“Swords! Iron goods from the master blacksmiths of the ancient Nifleheim Empire! Get this chance now before it passes. It’s not going to be here tomorrow!”

The treasures of the Nifleheim Empire. After so many years, the weapons and armor deteriorated and are now sold as antiques.

“Men, show off to women your love with these clothes and this sword. As for women, this dress was worn by the third princess of the past lord of Morata during a ballroom dance where she was proposed to. Imagine it...”

Weed built up on the items with story.

“What is that guy?”

“A merchant?”

“Let’s check it out.”

The adventurers found themselves interested in Morata village.

They were surprised at the unexpectedly good performance of the stockpiled rusty swords and armor.

“What is this.”

“The damage on the rusty longsword is so good. I wonder how great it used to be?”

“That sword!”

“I like the dress.”

People flocked.

It was after they heard and saw the unexpectedly good performance of the items.

“Ajussi, how much is this dress?”

Weed smiled brightly as he answered.

That rotten fake smile!

“3600 gold.”

“Aegyae! I could buy clothes in the central continent for 3200 gold...and besides these clothes are old.”

Some people were reluctant to buy after finding out the price.

The performance was fine but it was overpriced!

The equipment was old so the durability was 20% lower.

Weed picked up the clothes.

“It looks like I did not repair it yet. Repair, polish, ironing!”

Repairing old clothes!

Using his sewing and blacksmith skills he could return them to their original state. Of course it was impossible to do complete repairs. The polishing would also disappear over time. Repairing them gave the treasures of the Niflheim Empire durability equal to common items but there was more. It had been so long since they have been repaired that the increase of durability and the change in the appearance of the items were spectacular.

“Please decrease the price a little more.”

“You know the clothes are too shabby.”

The guests complained while trying to beat him in a price war.

Weed also actively utilized engraving.

There was the sculpture of the beautiful woman that Zahab loved his entire life.

As well as Emperor Geihar Arpen that united the continent.

He was selling food along with the items.

“Original old styles are fashionable these days. I’m in a good mood so I’ll alter anything you want. I’ll carve whatever you want into it.”

This boosted the value of the items. Equipment performance was not the only aspect. No matter the performance, people wanted to look nice as well.

Nicely engraved equipment and sculptures worked to give a slight stat boost.

“Come! Come! Cheap! Cheap! Celebrate coming to Morata with a new set of equipment! It will be hard to find equipment like this anywhere else except here in northern Morata. An opportunity like this passes by in no time!”

Weed’s hands and mouth were moving non-stop as he advertised.

“What do you think?”

“The quality is not that bad. It’s hard to find stuff like this in the stores.”

“It looks comfortable and lightweight.”

Weed sat by quietly wondering how many people were going to buy.

“Customers should think about purchasing now rather than later! There’s limited stock so if you don’t hurry it might all run out!”

When there were limited amounts then price went up.

Weed sold the equipment so well that he sold food of the Nifleheim Empire for the rest of the time.

***

Adventurers in Morata Village!

They were all wearing similarly designed weapons and armor.

Dirty, old, and colorful clothing and armor!

It was questionable whether or not the swords with cracks in them could cut a tree.

Nevertheless the adventurers were satisfied.

“I think that for equipment this good it was reasonably priced.”

“Yea. It’s good even if the durability is a bit low.”

“It just means we have to repair it a little more often.”

Weed wickedly sold low durability equipment after repairing them to temporarily give them more durability and defense.

Of course it was still less expensive than the plated armor sold in stores.

The adventurers did not have much money left.

“I don’t have any money left on me.”

“Then let’s go hunting.”

“Let’s see if we can get some quests.”

The adventurers split up to talk to the residents.

They didn’t know whether or not it was dangerous outside the city. Therefore they went looking for information about hunting grounds in the surrounding area.

If you raised your friendship level with the residents then you would get better quests and clues about dungeons. Fortunately the villagers were very kind to the adventurers.

“Behind the village is the Lord’s black castle. Sometimes monsters gather near there every year.”

“Did you know? East of the village there is a river made from the melted ice and snow. Rumor is that if you bathe in it then your charm will increase.”

“Hunting grounds? North, East, South, West; no matter where you go the ancient Nifleheim Empire is infested with monsters! Can you go hunt down the monsters and collect their skin so I can turn it into leather?”

“There’s a famous band of robbers northeast of here in the mountains. They started to become more active. There are going to be wagons coming through there as well. However, there will be other monsters that attack. It would be nice if you could go assist them and clear out the bandit base.”

Quests related to Morata’s specialty of cloth and leather were available too.They would easily exchange materials for money.

Some of the residents said.

“Have you been to the mountains to the east of the village? There are many great sculptures that fill us with pride and confidence.”

“Sculptures?”

“Can you help me? My husband went to see them in the middle of the night. I hear that its dangerous there at that time.”

The adventurers were curious.

“Which residents have we not spoken to yet?”

“Should we go check it out?”

The adventurers went to that place in the rocky mountains that they heard about.

Hundreds of thousands of rocks were piled on the mountain.

Surprisingly many of the rocks were crafted.

Rock sculptures. Nothing comparable to something like a mountain, but there was quite a lot of them.

A sculpture of the villagers entertaining themselves in a festival!

Many of the sculptures symbolized the paladins of the Versailles Continent’s Church of Freya.

The sculptures were gradually built up along the mountain on each level.

It all led to the pinnacle of the sculptures.

You have seen Morata’s symbol.A tower built for the well-being and development of the town!An excellent and skillful sculptor crafted this with all his heart, greatly increasing its artistic value.

Health and mana increased by 10%.

3% increase in the town’s productivity.

Monsters are less aggressive in the area around the sculpture.

Morata’s warriors has been seen.Strong health and tenacity!The appearance of the warriors of the Versailles Continent is enough to fill you with courage to fight the monsters.
Stamina and Strength increased by 3%.
Monster’s Fighting Spirit does not apply.
Increases the chance of gaining Fame when you defeat a strong monster.

The effects of various sculptures!

The sculptures on top of the mountain would be considerably helpful for hunting.

The adventurers gaped in surprise.

“Why are there so many sculptures here?”

“Who do you think made all these sculptures?”

Questions began to pop up.

Buildings and other works gradually age with time.

In other words, it was not possible for these to be remnants of the ancient Niflheim Empire.

These sculptures were still fresh!

The sculptor that made these had created them recently.

“Weed! It was Weed!”

“Sculptor Weed?”

“That’s right. Who else but Weed would do such hard work?”

Weed was the most famous sculptor that was named in the rumors. He was known for the hard work in creating the pyramid in Rosenheim Kingdom.

Among the adventurers, many of them had heard of Weed.

“Perhaps it was the guy that sold us the items.”

“After making sculptures in Rosenheim, now he’s here.”

“Since he disappeared for six months, do you think he was making sculptures here?”

“I think he was a part of the expedition.”

“I see. Did you see his sword and armor?”

“They’re exactly the same.”

It was rumored that Weed had blacksmithing and tailoring skills during the expedition.

“He raised blacksmithing and tailoring...”

“Both of them are very difficult to do...”

“Its like he’s the true god of hard work.”

Not many people had that kind of tenacity.

They still had a few doubts though.

“But Morata Village is where Jeoshin Weed fought against the True Blood Vampires. I’m certain that was his quest.”

“Yea.”

“Then why is Sculptor Weed here? Is it just coincidence?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Maybe they just have the same name or...”

The rest of the people laughed at those that were seriously considering it.

“To think that Jeoshin Weed and Sculptor Weed are the same is ridiculous. Want to find him to see for yourself?”

“Think about it. There are a lot of people named Weed.”

“A sculptor wouldn’t learn blacksmithing and tailoring, right?”

“Well, they would be too busy to learn other crafting skills...”

“Also remember a little back. During the Necromancer quest with the Legion of the Undead, they briefly showed the armor that Weed was wearing.”

People did not know that the blacksmith skill lifted the restrictions on wearing items as the skill rank increased. That was because there were few intermediate level blacksmiths.

A fierce debate broke out over the topic.

“After the defeat of the True Blood Vampires, Weed, at that time, was of the Paladin profession. But Jeoshin Weed received a special Necromancer quest and he was the Orc Karichi. So they can’t be the same.”

“There’s no proof that Jeoshin Weed stayed in the village. He wouldn’t just sit around all day and craft stuff.”

“Hm, you have a point.”

“Yea, you’re right. There is no way that they could be the same person.”

Everyone had their suspicions and were saying something different.

Never forget the value of a single won!

Because of Weed’s telephone interview with CTS broadcasting, many people were not sure whether or not it was him.

“The Jeoshin Weed!”

“He made a major contribution towards the quest to get rid of the heat on the continent.”

“The expedition suffered through much difficulty but thanks to Weed it succeeded.”

“The continent’s savior...there’s no way he can be. Never!”

“I bet he’s in some unknown dungeon doing a quest or killing a monster that no one was able to before.”

“He’s like a hermit, always in places where people will never, ever find him.”

“Yea. That’s right.”

That was what the general conversation was becoming.

His supporters would never dare to imagine that Weed was a money mongerer.

It’s as believable as a pretty female celebrity saying that she’s going to the restroom!

Still, the adventurers had yet to see the most important sculpture.

You have seen the Tower of Light!A great masterpiece made by a skilled sculptor!Sometimes a sculptor leaves behind a work so great that it stuns the continent.
The tower takes on a grander appearance at night and its full characteristics are displayed.
- Health, Mana and Stamina regeneration increased by 25% for the entire day.
- All stats are increased by 15.
- Maximum Health and Mana increased by 15%.
- Movement speed has increased by 20%.
- Luck increased by 100.
- Increases the power of Holy and Elemental Magic.
Statue weakens the nearby forces of darkness, strong monsters will weaken.
When the sun goes down, then a light show will occur.
The Tower of Light sculpture increases defense to 1.5 times the original value.

When the people saw it they did not leave to hunt. They sat down and waited for the sun to set.

“What is this light show?”

“Light sculptures? Are there such things?”

“Either way, the monsters are 50% stronger at night so there’s no point in leaving.”

They sat around relaxing and chatting.

Then night fell.

A pitch dark night.

There were clouds in the sky so they could not see the moon. Nevertheless, the tower radiated warmth and light.

It was as if it was bright jewel, a beacon of light.

“Pretty.”

“It’s like we’re in a dream...”

“I did not know that it would be this good.”

Most people did not like the idea of sculpting.

“The rating is quite high so I suppose it’s decent.”

“I guess it’s a fairly famous sculpture. It’s quite hard to say if its good.”

For those without prior knowledge of art, it was difficult to feel the inspiration.

Even if it was a world famous sculptor, some people can’t be impressed by what it’s supposed to mean or realize why it is special.

However there were people that could appreciate the Tower of Light.

‘Such a profound work of art.’

‘Oh, such an amazing work of art. But how does one learn to make such a thing...’

‘What a sculpture. I saw the other ones nearby but this is a first...it wouldn’t be bad to go to a sculpture exhibit on a date once in awhile.’

‘But why is it so different compared to the others along the path?’

The Tower of Light.

It was solemn and somber; in the cool, pale moonlight there were 7 brilliant hues of clear and transparent light.

Suddenly the clouds over Morata parted. The moonlight poured onto the surface of the tower and scattered. Everywhere around the tower was bathed in the moonlight.

“Oh!”

Sounds of amazement came out of the viewers’ mouths. The tower concentrated light in the center of the tower and dispersed it through the small towers in a mixture of light.

The concentration of light!

Light reflected from the small towers to the central tower.

Reflection of light!

The small towers scattered the light at various angles.

It changed and distorted.

Many rays of light could be seen in the sky.

It spread increasingly as the tower generated light.

Soon it covered the entire mountain!

Therefore they were exposed to the sheen of the light sculptures.

The light danced.

Every time the clouds or the moon moved, the light would dance.

A dance of light that could not be expressed with words.

It was a fantastic sight.

Usually sculpting showed a shape directly. However light sculpting was different as it was not the sculpture being displayed but the light itself.

A piece of art that can be seen but not felt!

The people did not think about leaving that spot.

***

A great sculptor made the Tower of Light!

“Morata has a lot of amazing sculptures.”

“The Tower of Light has such a beautiful light display! Anyone that sees it can’t help but be fascinated.”

“The light was spectacular.”

“It was the most wonderful scene I’ve seen by far.”

“If you’re going to a hard dungeon then you will regret not coming to see the tower.”

It did not take a long time for rumor to spread throughout the Versailles continent.

It improved and made his name more well known. Weed worked for the people in the past and had a reputation in sculpting.

The people that were impressed told their friends.

A video was put on the Royal Road website about the Tower of Light so users could watch and talk about it.

The users began to appreciate the production classes.

“Weed is a true sculptor.”

“His sculptures are popping up all over the place. It must be his human desire to constantly have inspiration.”

“I heard that he has a touch with sculpting beautiful woman.”

“He created such an astounding piece of art.

Bards eventually sang praises of Weed.

Sculptor Weed,
He has a tough job but he broke the confines of poverty.
Soul of sculptures.
The sculpture that rules the light.
Oh, it’s so beautiful.
He leaves behind everything he makes.
Like a fairy elf singing and dancing in place.
The legend of gathering the light.
***

Other people were thrilled when they saw the Tower of Light.

But the people that know Weed found it hard to believe.

“How is it that Oppa has such a delicate sense of beauty...”

Yurin was suspicious so she asked Hwaryeong.

“He’s very good with his hands right?”

“Yes. I like to eat the apples he peels.”

“I wonder how he made that.”

Pale fell into anguish.

‘Maybe we were wrong about Weed all this time?’

They wanted to see him. Artists are often misunderstood for their sense of aesthetics.

‘Weed! I really love the sculpture you made. You’re right. Without enthusiasm and affection for the sculpture there is no way you can make such a beautiful piece.’

Irene apologized to him tearfully.

‘I though Weed kept talking about how he dislikes his profession... I think in the future the complaints are only going to increase.’

Zephyr grinned.

‘Weed is someone that’s really hard to be proud of. This might be something of an accomplishment for making something like this, right?’

Hwaryeong was mistaken about Weed’s mindset.

‘The creation of a new innovative piece of art requires painstaking effort and passion. Along with a wealth of emotions and affection. Weed really is someone that can warm your heart.’

***

When Weed was making the tower he had no idea what to do and was going to make a normal tower.

Moonlight sculpting!

It boasted a high level of sculpting difficulty.

The sculpture itself emits light so it was hard to think of an idea.

“Damn it. There is no end to sculpting’s curses.”

Weed was annoyed with his harness.

He was able to use moonlight sculpting to make small sculptures, to some extent, by outline the shape. But for such a large object, he had to think of one or two things else.

“This damnable sculpting!”

Weed dealt his frustration of hanging on the peak by slashing the rock.

He was dangling high above the ground with the sculpture.

As he was smashing the snow with moonlight sculpting, tears trickled down his face.

So far to note, in the sunlight the effects of light sculpting was greatly diminished. Then night came.

Morata village had a full moon.

The moon shone on the sculptures crookedly. The mirror like surfaces of the rocks reflected the moonlight.

“The light is reflecting off the sculptures and onto the snow!”

Weed was irritated as he clung onto the mountain. He spent hours trying to position the moonlight correctly. Gradually he just slashed to cut the sculpture at more angles.

Volume 10 Chapter 9
Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Gathering

This has been brought to you by Grisia.

In the past, the other villages around Morata were devastated from waves of monsters. In the streets piled up with snow, around the buildings with patched up ceilings, many people were gathering around. The thing that captivated everyone’s attention was the glorious statue!

“So Morata is somewhere around here.”

“That’s the place with the Tower of Light!”

“People can’t come to the Northern area without hearing about it at least once.”

“I like how there’s a lot of good monsters to hunt too.”

The number of tourists visiting Morata increased exponentially each day.

“Looking to hunt over at the hills!”

“Going to rescue the fire wizards from the insects in the cave.”

“The name of the quest is ‘Lisa’s Handkerchief’. You can get a high quality handkerchief as the reward for finishing it.”

“Buying food! Is there anyone selling food that lasts longer than a week?”

The vacant lot in the center of Morata village was in an uproar.

Ever since the ice melted in the North, hundreds of thousands of travelers from the central continent moved over. Some of them came to Morata.

Morata was one of the most important geographically positioned paths to the rest of the Northern Continent.

Still, no one expected that such a large crowd of travelers would come.

Moreover, they did not expect to be able to use the town as a base when they were hunting.

The Tower of Light had changed everything.

Wonderful sculptures!

Women were the first people to come and see the beautiful Tower of Light.

“So pretty!”

“I almost feel like I would have regretted it if I didn’t come here.”

They had seen the video, but standing directly on top of the rocky mountain in front of the light choreography was an experience of a lifetime that one would never forget.

It was impressive to see it shining in the moonlight until the sun rose over the plains.

“So this is the sculpture.”

“Even if the class’s attack power is quite low, it’s amazing they can make something like this.”

“I know. There are a number of pieces like this on the Versailles continent.”

Over time the popularity of sculptors grew.

Most of the tourists that came to the rocky mountain was due to the Tower of Light.

There were still a lot of female users, but there were a lot of males as well.

There were couples everywhere!

These men were forced to visit by the women, but there were some classes that visited for more practical reasons.

The life-or-death hunting.

However, less than 10% of the entire Versailles continent actually hunted to this extent.

“Health, Mana and Stamina regeneration are all increased so we can hunt monsters without taking as many breaks.”

“It’s thanks to the Tower of Light that the hunting time has sped up so much.”

“Increased elemental? Have you seen the Tower of Light?”

“Looking for a cleric that has visited the Tower of Light last night!”

The dance of lights.

The effects of the statue eased and hastened hunting.

They wanted to hunt but didn’t want to leave the proximity of Morata Village.

The statue was the symbol of Morata Village!

Because of the advantages of the sculpture they were forced to stay around the village.

The church of Freya was also affected.

The priests and paladins were readily available if one wanted to receive blessings or dispels.

Morata was the only village at the center of the Northern Continent with a church.

As the number of tourists steadily increased, the effects of the statue will continue to develop the amount of quests and hunting grounds.

Weed could not watch over it for long.

Time was approaching for him to go to the Vampire Kingdom of Todeum.

“Call Vampire Lord Tori!”

“You have called me.”

Tori was dressed in black clothing as well as a black cloak.

A handsome pale face!

He was tall and overflowing with grace.

Weed looked over him with his eyes.

“It seems that you have grown since you no longer call me master.”

“Well I mean, in four more days, I’ll be free.”

Vampire Kingdom Todeum!

Only three days left until it was time to go there.

Weed did not forget to remind Tori about the last three years he had him for.

“The last three days can feel longer than the last three years. In the course of the last three days, it wouldn’t harm you to say it.”

“...”

“Hey, tell me more about Todeum.”

Weed wanted to gather more detailed information about Todeum.

“Todeum is our Holy Land. Every three months we get together and celebrate.”

“Celebrate?”

“Yes. The nobility of the night get together and celebrate our eternal lives with blood.”

“What else?”

“Compared to the crude and childish technology of human civilization, the nobility of the night have cities boasting a long history.”

Tori had a tremendous amount of pride and self-esteem for Todeum.

Weed judged.

‘Vampire Lord Tori grew up there so he’s probably embellishing it a bit.’

If it takes a considerable amount of effort to go somewhere then you can expect to be something special there.

It was true for the prestigious kingdom of the dwarves and the kingdom of the elves.

In the kingdom of the dwarves, the bellows and the hammering never ceased.

Elves were aligned with nature so they planted lots of trees and flowers.

Vampires were the nobles of the night so you could seem to expect luxurious and fashionable lifestyles.

‘In addition, this is an exclusive opportunity to get quests and hunting grounds that nobody else have been to before.’

According to Vampire Lord Tori, Todeum was a place that humans haven't been to in the past and will not be able to go to in the future.

So it was only available for Weed!

The number of quests in Morata increased but there were too many tourists. Even for a simple quest, there was a lot of competition.

It was hard to have a monopoly on a hunting ground. It’ll be easier to find people to party and go hunt monsters.

Even though it was worth it to hunt in Morata, it did not even cross Weed’s mind. He could not ignore the doubled experience and benefits of hunting for one week.

Weed wanted more information.

“You can only take a few people, can’t you?”

“It depends on the situation.”

“Situation?”

“Yes. I recall that I have a total of 200,000 bats to take with me to Todeum. It takes about 200 to take a human so I can only take 1000. But if you’re bringing stuff with you then we would have to reduce the number of humans.”

“Is there any limit to the number of people that can go to Todeum?”

“As long as the human being is prepared for death.”

“And what if you die?”

“Anyone that dies in the kingdom of the night is banished to the world of men.”

That meant that there was a significant penalty of dying once since they would not be allowed to respawn in the nearest city but rather expelled from the kingdom.

‘This is going to be very dangerous.’

Weed frowned.

It was not uncommon for people to die in the middle of a quest or hunting. This is because there are others that have already experienced it the first time.

In other words, that was the risk of hunting somewhere this rare since he could die since he didn’t know about the hunting grounds or quests.

Nervous because of not knowing what there was to come!

The situation was unpredictable.

To make matters worse, he couldn’t take along the Wyverns or Geumini. They wouldn’t be able to come back since, when they died, they had no way of reviving.

‘Safety first. It would be crazy to hunt without gathering information. Doing it alone will be difficult. I need to get my most trusted companions.’

Weed sent Pale and three others a whisper.

- Would you like to take the risk of going to Todeum with me?
***

After Pale received Weed’s whisper, he asked the others for their opinion.

“The Kingdom of Vampires Todeum. It’s still an undisclosed location so we don’t know how dangerous it is. Weed is trying to find people to go with him and I’m going with him, so what does everyone want to do?”

Currently Pale has the position of leader and this adventure had a significantly high probability of death so he had to see what his companions thought.

Considering what he had said, Maylon answered.

“I want to go.”

Since they were lovers it was no surprise that she was going with him. In addition, whenever Weed went on an adventure there were opportunities to be had.

‘This time we’re fighting under pretty high stakes.’

Maylon had gone hunting with Weed a few times, but she had never truly gone on an adventure or quest with him.

Surka nervously asked Romuna.

"Unnie, are you going?"

“Yes, of course. Won’t the vampire kingdom be very beautiful? It seems to be worth it. Come on, what do you say?”

“I wanna go with you. It’s my duty as a priest to go along.”

Romuna and Surka were vampire fanatics.

When they were young, they were mesmerized by vampire movies.

Pointed fangs!

Black cloaks!

The girls were even fond of the little bloodsucking vampire bats.

Now only Yurin, Hwaryeong, and Zephyr were the only three left to make a decision, as well as Seechwi.

Of course, Zephyr was going along loyally.

“I’m going. Hwaryeong, what are you going to do?”

She already made her decision to go along the very moment Pale mentioned Weed. She wanted to go with him for the Northern Expedition but unfortunately he had refused.

“I’ll be there.”

Now the party turned their attention towards Yurin and Seechwi.

In this case, it would be very dangerous for Yurin since she was very weak.

“I’ll go.”

Yurin wanted to go to Todeum with Weed.

“Chwiik, I’m going too.”

Seechwi decided to go.

It was an Orc’s nature to fight, even if the damage was insignificant.

For a monster, it seemed appropriate to go to dangerous places!

‘But...this time I’m going to get to kill something for sure.’

Seechwi had sorrowfully been a member of their party a few times. Pale’s party was mainly comprised of young people so she seemed to be an old maid.

The generation gap!

Irene and Surka treated the elderly warmly so that made the sorrow even worse.

‘I don’t have a choice as long as Seoyoon is still like that.’

Not too long ago, Seoyoon had finally managed to say something again but since then she had not said anything else. She wasn’t suddenly going to get better, so to get her normal again it would take time for her to regain her words. So in order to recover Seoyoon, Weed’s presence may be an important role. So for her sake, she must go. It was an important reason to stay near Weed.

Mapan was a shameless trader preying on the Orcs!

Mapan always told others.

“Weed is like a teacher to me.”

Obscure means of making money from customers.

Acting like a nice guy to rip people off.

It was essential to use flattery to sell stuff.

An insatiable greed for money!

He had learned the fundamentals of trade from Weed. He even looked in the mirror and practiced until he had a rotten smile.

Mapan was going to participate in the adventure to the vampire kingdom.

It was a huge gain for merchants to go to a new area. It was a great opportunity to exclusively get money, skill and fame from selling. For the Vampire Kingdom Todeum where no one was able to go to, it was something a trader could not pass up.

“This adventure can be an opportunity.”

Mapan did not forget.

Weed had led the Orcs and the Dark Elves against the monsters in the Yuroki Mountains.

Weed had invested tens of thousands of gold in order to affect the battle.

Mapan could not help but feel nervous.

There were benefits to be had in an unfavorable combat situation.

The Lich Shire and the Immortal Legion!

His heart jumped every time as the large number of enemies dwindled.

There was so much tension, excitement and thrills and then it was over.

Mapan wanted to go on such an adventure again.

Geomchi, Geomchi2, Geomchi3, Geomchi4, and Geomchi5.

Instead of hunting in a party like Pale, they were deep in the Yuroki Mountains with their swords.

Every day, from morning until evening, they would wield their swords.

“We have dedicated our lives to the sword. Aside from the sword, I want the opportunity to meet with women.”

A sense of urgency was contained in Geomchi2’s sword.

The sword was his way of life.

He did not regret it.

If he could, he would walk down the path of the sword once more. It was not about making the body stronger but the mindset of it.

Geomchi had said.

“A man’s home is in the hilt of a sword. Even if the years pass by and one becomes old, the sword will remain young.”

Do not throw away the sword.

Through the sword, you will meet a girl.

But only if you are strong!

The teachers wield their swords their entire lives as single men.

Martial Artist!

It was a job that could use any weapon.

It did not matter if the durability of the sword was going to break from hunting.

Just pick up a weapon and attack the monster.

They ate as if they were starving.

“The mind is clouded when one is hungry.”

That was the mindset of Geomchi, Geomchi2 and Geomchi3.

In reality, they had no problem fasting for three days.

‘I’ll get the ladies by being overwhelmingly fast and powerful.’

‘Famous rare items! You have to get the attention of the ladies.’

‘I want to protect. I want to be taken care of. I want a woman!’

Their thoughts were filled with selfishness as they wield their swords.

It didn’t matter if they were sweating profusely as if it were raining, they did not even think of quitting.

They were completely immersed.

They swung their swords 100,000 times a day.

They wielded their swords even when they were not hunting.

Strength depended on Skill and Stamina, so they only took breaks when they were exhausted.

It took time to move to another hunting ground, and it took considerably more time to find party members.

Even if they got into parties with others, the hunt did not last very long.

But for the Geomchis it was more of a hassle.

Fighting by themselves!

They swung their swords 100,000 times a day.

They did not need any rationalizing.

Once they set a goal, all they did was train.

They did not bother with complex calculations.

It was enough to shed sweat until breathing became difficult.

Such was the only life they knew.

Geomchi2 swallowed his saliva from hunger.

“The right woman for me. I don’t need much. Barley bread and corn today, rye bread tomorrow. Any woman would be fine for me.”

Geomchi5 was even lower.

“Kimchi three times a day, Shin Ramen, if you boil in hot water then it’s fine.”

Their standards were getting lower.

“I would be fine even with just eggs.”

Geomchi2 would not be moved and pressed on.

“Keuheu! The eggs do not need to be made do they?”

“How can I meet a woman without this level of devotion? For love one must make sacrifices.”

Geomchi2 had asked.

And then there was Geomchi5.

“Sahyung, I think I would be able to give up meat.”

“Meat!”

The sahyungs admired each other’s determination.

Then almost at the same time their skills rose.

Ttiring!

- Weapon mastery has reached Advanced Level 6.

The base damage of all weapons increased to 360%.
There is a 3% increase in attack speed. Mana costs for skills decreased by 4%.

Advanced level 6!

As a martial artist they could learn all weapons instead of just swords.

The weapon skill was becoming closer and closer to the master level.

“If we keep this up, then we will soon reach our goal!”

Geomchi2, Geomchi3, Geomchi4, and Geomchi5 replied back in a shout.

“Yes!”

Increasing the Weapon skill was far from tolerable. Normally people would get sick and tired of swinging a sword all day. Nevertheless, they steadily remained devoted.

On top of the cliff, they continued their monotonous lifestyle.

Geomchi put his sword into the ground.

“Men!”

“Yes Master!”

“Come over here.”

Geomchi2, Geomchi3, Geomchi4 and Geomchi5 quickly gathered around.

“Tell us what it is Master!”

“Look at how long we had stayed here.”

Others would be appalled to know that they had stayed up there for the past few months.

“Every now and again don’t you suppose we should quench our burning desires by going off into the world?”

Geomchi asked his disciples for their opinions.

“Yes, I think that sometimes.”

Geomchi5 opened his mouth to laugh and grin.

The moment separating decisions and actions.

In the past they were thought to have unbelievable combat skills. It was scary to think how much they have improved since then.

Now the Geomchis could enjoy the fight.

Geomchi5 blindly followed the Master’s words.

“Master, that is a very good idea. Do you have a place in mind?”

“We do not know much about the Versailles Continent. Don’t you want to go to a place that no one else is able to go to?”

“That would be nice.”

“This time we are going to go along with Weed.”

“So this place is the one with the vampires.”

“Let’s get all of the kids together!”

The Geomchis had separated once to seek individual training.

Now it was time for them to reunite.

Geomchis gather!

The Geomchis that had spread to the far corners of the continent to seek the way of the warrior gathered back together.

They had a wide range of purposes. Some went to find strong swords, others drifted, and few went on quests. Most of them went around trying to find strong people to challenge.

They moderately raised their levels by hunting.

Some even gathered to help the devastated town of Morata.

“My sword skills have reached Advanced Level 3 so I’m a lot stronger now.”

“By doing quests I managed to get 10200 fame.”

“I went to the Northern area and fought along with Bingryong.”

The practitioners were proud of their accomplishments and assembled individually.

They learned to never give up and all manner of tricks to fighting.

Geomchi5 saw in the eyes of the five hundred trainees the spirit of a warrior.

Earlier he had be quietly laughing.

Now he had somewhat of a sneaky smile.

“Youngest one, where were you and what did you do?”

“Kuhuhuhu! You don’t need to know how much pain I was in. But if you need to know, I will tell you.”

“Tell me what has happened to you.”

“Well, Sahyung, the continent has been really hot lately right?”

“I know.”

The practitioners nodded.

Stamina consumption became worse and they began to sweat profusely as it got warmer. Many gathered at the center of the continent because of the surplus of monsters and quests. Others rested after they hunted.

They would not have withstood the heat if it wasn’t for the mentality of the practitioners.

The five hundred Geomchis laughed insidiously.

“The continent was hot so I immediately went to the Selrun River.”

“River?”

“What was there?”

“What sort of monsters attacked you?”

The practitioners were curious.

They had listened to Geomchi2 about the way of the sword.

Their fighting instincts were stimulated many fold while fighting strong monsters.

But he shook his head to show it was not as ridiculous as the five hundred Geomchis were thinking.

“I mean, I didn’t get to see any monsters at all. Selrun River is famous for being pure and transparent. The river flows very quickly so it’s very suitable for swimming.”

“Swimming? You went to the Selrun River to swim?”

“Well, lots of women were there because of the heat wave. Tens of thousands of girls in bikinis.”

“Gulp.”

“Tens, tens of thousands!”

The five hundred practitioners had eyes as if they were sparkling.

“Explain to me in detail what happened and why the hell you were there!”

“Well because of the heat, women were enjoying themselves by splashing around in the river and sprawled over the sand. In the clear and transparent river she was wearing a bikini...hehe I went there with a girl that I’m seeing.”

“So, so envious!”

The instructors and practitioners admitted it.

It seemed much more rewarding than the five hundred and five of them training their swords as warriors!

***

Lee Hyun visited the item trading site on a daily basis.

“The High Elf Bow. It’s sale price is gradually increasing.”

As demand increases and supply is short then prices increase.

Lee Hyun took a look at the item trading site and then went to the proud Dark Gamers Union.

On the Dark Gamer’s site you could see a mountain of information based on your rank.

You didn’t have to say anything that you didn’t want to disclose to the public.

It was natural for people to monopolize information.

Needless to say, information was valuable to the Dark Gamers.

The Dark Gamers had access to information that the public generally did not know about.

Lee Hyun’s rank was “C”.

The grade was set at the initial sign-up.

He could not see the hidden information for the important quests and hunting grounds.

Nevertheless, there was still quite a bit of information that could be obtained through the Union.

In general, the information found publicly on the internet was very lacking.

Here it was possible to view information on kingdoms and castles, characteristics of a city, and evaluations of hunting grounds and analysis on materials.

It was a considerable difference from low level articles.

“Sooner or later I have to upload some information to increase my rank.”

Second law of the Dark Gamers.

Give as much as you receive!

In the meantime, for the sake of rewards, Lee Hyun uploaded some information about the North.

Dark Gamers enjoyed hunting and receiving requests to go on adventures.

It was extremely rare to find hunting grounds that weren’t owned by guilds and that you had to pay a fee for.

It was difficult to make money when they constantly had to pay off the guilds.

It was better to go down the more difficult path.

He calculated the amount of information he had from Morata to as far as the Valley of Death, so the information about the wolves would be useful for the Dark Gamers.

Then Lee Hyun checked the commissions on the Dark Gamer’s Union.

There was a number of commissions from purchasing goods, escorting goods, and commissions for the Dark Gamer’s Union to participate in wars.

You could purchase a commission based on rank.

- Red Rank. Number of purchases 12. Metson’s crafted emeralds. They are required for a quest. Looking to receive them within 3 days.
- Blue Rank. Number of purchases 7. We are the Elementals Guild and we are looking for people to save the Elemental Spring.
- Blue Rank. Number of purchases 2. Looking for people to kill a certain person. Message me if you are willing.

Murder was an occasional commission. For Dark Gamers, it did not matter about personal feelings or fairness but simply as a lucrative source of income.

Of course these commission are not always accepted unconditionally. It was harder to make money in Royal Road due to the various constraints of a killer.

So people did not usually take killing commissions unless they are in the need of money.

The killing commissions were the most eye catching ones on the board.

- Diamond Rank. Number of purchases 183.

Obtain the Paskran’s Lance. Do not ask why...
I beg you to help me. We can negotiate price after.

Paskran’s Lance!

Even the name of the item was unknown. There were rumors about the person disclosing the information. Just from the name they could tell that it was a unique item. With things like these, there is only one in existence.

“It looks like a quest. Probably he needs to find Paskran’s Lance for the quest.”

Unique items.

A commission from a diamond rank user usually had a minimum pay of a million won. Given the rank of the user, it could very possibly be millions of won.

Lee Hyun kept the information about Paskran’s Lance in his head.

Those in the Dark Gamers Union tried to remember the items that were being bought. That way if they are hunting it, then they would remember that they needed to collect 300 red hearts. That way they could collect enough for the commission.

It was an essential measure to earn money.

A lot of Dark Gamer’s commissions don’t get the attention of the hundred of thousands of gamers. But this one commission caught Lee Hyun’s eyes.

Diamond Rank commission!

The number of requests for it did not even reach 0.1%.

- Diamond Rank. Number of purchases 289.

We are a party of six. Average level 360.
Looking to spend two weeks on a vacation throughout the Versailles Continent.
Either quests, vacation, or an adventure.
Five million won.

“Five million won.”

Lee Hyun’s mouth took on a look of ridicule.

Given the number of purchases and the level of the user, it was possible to guess the nature of the person posting.

“These guys think they can do anything with money!”

Lee Hyun looked at the monitor while cursing for a while.

Then he moved his mouse to send a mail.

Hello.

I have contacted you from the Dark Gamer’s Union.
Are you currently available?
It is not a problem if you are not available... but reply back if you are interested.
I would like to invite to visit a city in a new kingdom, of the Immortal Vampires.
Please come. Thank you!
Bow.

Volume 10 Chapter 10
Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Todeum

This has been brought to you by Grisia.

This was the day that Vampire Lord Tori had announced!

Early in the morning at Morata village, the Geomchis, Pale, Irene, Seechwi, Mapan and their other companions were there waiting.

“So this is Morata Village!”

Mapan had eventually become a mid-level merchant. Because of his skill level, he was now able to trade in precious metals and gems.

A small blessing given to merchants. A very luxurious wagon. It was a large wagon that was drawn by 8 horses and was capable of carrying a lot of cargo and groceries loaded within would not spoil as quickly.

“Buying food! Buying battle supplies!”

Mapan bought supplies that he thought they would need for Todeum.

He went around Morata Village, buying and stockpiling supplies in his wagon from the residents and adventurers.

In the meantime, Weed was at the village entrance earning himself some quick money.

“Wonderful carved sculptures for sale! Each are one of a kind and give stat benefits!”

Sculptures carved by the great Sculptor Weed!

Almost all the tourists that visited Morata wanted to get a souvenir. There was a long line of people in from of Weed to buy sculptures.

A small girl said.

“Ajussi, I’ll take the sculpture that looks like the tower of light.”

Weed said, smiling cheerfully.

“It’ll be 10 gold.”

“Ehh, it’s so expensive: I can’t buy it.”

"..."

The small girl left since it was a rip-off.

The next customer, an old grandmother with gray hair, walked forwards.

“Well young man. I would like the sculpture carved like the Tower of Light near the rocky mountains.

"Yes. That will be 9 gold."

Weed gave a her a small discount.

He had a weak spot for the elderly!

"What?”

“8 gold...”

“What sculpture is this expensive? You’re not disregard this elderly lady, are you?”

“No, that’s not it...then how about 5 gold.”

“Elders don’t have that kind of money. How about 2 silver!”

“That’s hardly the price anymore...sigh okay ma’am.”

"You should have done so earlier."

Tears fell from Weeds eyes as he watched his sculpture disappear.

His innate skill of flattery!

The prices of his sculptures were right to some extent.

‘Damn. It’s so hard to make money with sculptures.’

The money he got from selling the weapons and armor he made through the blacksmith skill was more than he was expecting.

But here buying sculpture is considered a luxury most people can’t afford.

It is rare for people to buy sculptures as gifts because the prices for sculptures keep rising due to rarity.

The next customers were slightly older Ahjummas.

The Ahjummas hurled sharp questions at him.

“If I order one sculpture, can a get a discount on another?”

“That’s...”

“You created it from a piece of wood that can be found on the side of the road. Isn’t the cost too much just for this level of service?”

The customers thought sculptures were like things that were mass produced and could buy one get one free like in supermarkets!

Sculptures were still recognized as a souvenir.

This was a situation Weed could not get out of.

No matter how much a great sculptor is praised, realistically he still doesn’t earn any money.

‘Sculptor is a horrible profession!’

Weed was forced to concede earning him a little less. Thanks to his fame, he was fortunate enough to earn, on average, 5 gold a sculpture. Yurin was drawing paintings nearby.

“Get in line!”

There were even people flocking near Yurin, comparable to that of Weed. However, the big difference was that they were all men!

“What would you like me to draw?”

“Relax...just write down your contact information for me, please.”

"That’s difficult. I’ll just draw you something cool.”

“Thank you.”

There were a few customers that came multiple times.

"This is already the third time Mister Customer.”

"Just call me Hans.”

“Then, Hans. What kind of drawing would you like?”

“I would like a picture that Yurin has drawn with her heart. If you want, Yurin, you can leave the canvas blank.”

“Oh thank you. As a painter, I only have a little bit of money...”

“I know. Are you having trouble? I can give you 7 gold of my money.”

These customers gave her items.

“I thought you might need some leather gloves...”

“I think it would be a good time for you to get a new hat.”

Men flocked with much liveliness to see his little sister, the beautiful Yurin!

She was far more popular than Weed’s sculptures.

Weed had to make huge sculptures or sculptures using expensive materials to get good effects. That was what it took in order to make a sculpture with tremendous effects.

Sculptures contributed to the development of cities and kingdoms! However because sculptures, are by nature, hard to transport due to its weight was the reason that people did not buy such sculptures.

Fine sculptures don’t even sale for much, unless they are at the level of Grand or Magnum pieces.

Pure passion, and the ambition to create great pieces of art!

So a true artist will immediately choose the sculpting job skill.

Weed fell to the ground in regret.

‘Since this wass how it is, it would have been better if I had been a painter.’

To immerse himself in his work and the joy of getting his blood boiling towards a finished product brought him a sense of accomplishment! But then again, it couldn’t be compared to the feeling of one licking their fingers to finger through a stack of stiff million won notes.

He was thoroughly a sculptor that thought about money!

Rather than trying to sell heavy sculptures, it seemed that it would be better and easier to sell food to the people buying paintings.

Finally all the food supplies had been gathered.

Mapan approached and said.

“Weed-nim, it is ready.”

“What about Master and the Geomchis?”

“They are waiting in a vacant lot in the center of the town.”

"Then shall we go now?”

Weed folded up the stand he had set up.

“For today for all those waiting for the next sculpture we will give a discount.”

“Eh, we’ve been waiting for nothing. For about 20 minute that is.”

“I really wanted one”.

People who were waiting in line to receive a sculpture were given apologies before their face of yearning dissipate in disappointment.

“Than Mapan-nim, please wait here for a bit.”

“Yes? Yes. Goodbye.”

After requesting Mapan to wait, Weed then went to the barn, where he took out Talrock’s armor.

His new piece of armor made out of mithril that shines.

When Weed equipped the armor, the armor gave him a decent amount of stat bonuses.

Wearing nothing but black, black armor, black cape, looking like a black knight!

Thanks to his intermediate blacksmith skills, he could equip other job class’s armor, despite him being a sculptor.

Weed came out of the barn, fully equipped in the armor to emerge onto Morata’s street.

***

"You’re kidding.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then what?”

“There’s no way.”

Weed was being a bit excessive.

High level warrior.

He was wearing armor that was made out of mithril.

“Armor like that has high level restrictions.”

“He must be high leveled.”

The way other people saw Weed changed.

He had spent a few days on the side of the road with a carving knife and a piece of wood or stone and now he was the center of attention and envy.

He walked past the pedestrians and over to where Mapan was waiting.

"Did you wait? Let’s go then."

"Yes? Yes!"

Mapan walked with him to where Yurin was waiting.

‘There’s gotta be a deeper meaning to what Weed is doing.’

He could feel the constant cold gaze of envy.

It was a piece of armor made of a material that absorbs light. They walked endlessly. It was a special and luxurious item that only a few adventurers had and it was rare just to see one.

“He must be a great person.”

“Really, who the hell is he?”

“Perhaps he looks a little like the sculptor from before?

“No, I feel they look alike but...”

“It looks similar.”

“Yes. That’s Sculptor Weed.”

The saying birds of the same feather flock together was not wrong.

The other people could barely notice that it was Weed’s face.

The face that seemed to say poverty and need!

Weed looked rather ordinary so he was relieved that others would not recognize him. However, the pedestrians’ reactions were different.

“That armor must be fake.”

“Well, mostly. It must be coated with Mithril on the surface only or something.”

“It doesn’t even look that good.”

Weed and Mapan ignored the reaction of the people behind them and went to Yurin.

“Yurin, let’s go.”

Yurin was in the middle of painting a picture when she looked up.

“Yes, Oppa! But, your clothes...”

“Huh?”

Weed looked over his clothes slowly.

“Why do you say that? Is it because I’m wearing the Talrock armor?

“Oh, it’s nothing really. It’s just a little unique...”

"...."

Blatantly showing off his armor!

In fact, he had worn the armor so that his sister could be proud of him. Weed, Mapan, and Yurin walked towards the center where they heard the people chattering.

“Did you see the vacant lot in the center? Where are you preparing to go hunt at?”

“The party has Orcs, a high level trader, and Geomchis...what quest is it?”

“I heard Sculptor Weed is coming too.”

They had already seen the battle against the dragon that was aired on the television.

A bunch of muscular guys fought together closely in a group, mainly using swords. The Geomchis were not unknown.

Many had become famous by going around challenging people in the pursuit of martial arts.

Now the people’s attentions were focused since the Geomchis had now gathered in Morata and were now ready to leave for somewhere.

“That’s an enormous amount of supplies!”

“Has a new hunting ground developed near Morata?”

“I don’t know, maybe.”

If you came to the northern village of Morata then you shouldn’t be a beginner. Most of them caught on quickly and realized something was going on.

They noticed the strange signs that were going on in the village.

The massive hoarding of groceries and the Geomchis were gathering!

Not to mention Pale’s conspicuous party adorned with pretty good weapons and armor.

The third fact was by far the most attention grabbing.

The new Orc species!

Orcs could speak human tongue and they traveled between villages, but this was the first time they have seen one.

“It’s really ugly.”

“Look at the ass. Every step is like a joke.”

“It’s bigger than my head!”

Seechwi felt delighted.

It was more comfortable for her now that people could approach her more easily rather than looking cool and glamorous like an ice queen.

“Look at this! Chwichwit chwiit!”

“Those nasal sounds!”

Weed, Mapan, and Yurin went to the vacant lot in the center to see that it was overflowing with thousands of onlookers. Because of the rumors people had come from all over Morata.

All sorts of people were waiting to see where they were going to go; from adventurers, travelers, hunters, clerics, and bards.

Surka felt awkward from all of this attention.

“These people are really looking at us a lot.”

She moved away and hid behind Irene. She could never handle so many people focusing their attention on her.

“It’s still less than the number of people in Rosenheim, but it’s growing fast.

They agreed about that.

“Yeah, doesn’t it feel exhilarating to explore a new part of the continent?”

Morata was the key city in the North!

Over a thousand people came a day and they were always going off on adventures in new hunting grounds.

People were currently active in exploring the North and the number was increasing. They came in earnest from the central continent and soon the number of people in the north will be equal to everywhere else.

There were approximately 50000 users in the North. Given the large size of the continent, the remote areas were largely unexplored. People would form parties to go on quests, hunting, or adventures. A lot of people would gather in the cities to share information. Other people rushed to Morata to sightsee.

Looking around, Weed asked.

“Are you all prepared to go?”

“Yes.”

“Yea!”

Hwaryeong and Zephyr replied confidently.

Pale lightly patted Maylon on the shoulder.

“No matter what danger we’re in, I will protect you.”

“I’ll always trust Pale-nim.”

Romuna, Irene, and Surka were also ready to go.

More often than not, they would go with Weed to hunt. The feeling of being short of breath and the excitement in their chests.

Irene’s eyes were twinkling.

‘Whenever you go hunting with Weed, something interesting always happens.’

Every time someone died, priests would always feel sad about it.

Weed’s rate of hunting was 2~3 times faster than normal. However, such high paced hunting was always rewarding.

‘I have to do my part...so that no one dies.’

On the other hand, the Geomchis did not seem to be nervous at all.

“Ahem! Departure is taking quite some time.”

"Since it’s taking some time are we going to eat?"

Weed shook his head.

“That’s not it. We’re leaving soon.”

They were about to leave.

The onlookers were waiting to see what they were going to do with anticipation in their eyes.

Morata’s village elder quickly ran up to him.

“Count!"

The village elder called out to Weed.

"Did he say Count?"

"Did he call him the Count?"

The surprised onlookers were in an uproar. A user was the Count of Morata! But even more surprising for them was that the village elder called Weed the Count.

“I don’t believe it!”

“A sculptor has never made it to even a Baron or Viscount but he’s a Count.”

"If he’s the Count of Morata, then that means he’s the ruler of the entire province."

Looking around, Weed replied.

“Village elder, if you make such a fuss then you’ll trouble the village guards.”

He took on the personality as if he was a character in a historical drama.

Counts were considered one of the highest of the nobility. They had more authority than almost everyone in the kingdom.

The village elder said.

“The village is almost out of food.”

"..."

“Due to the increase in the number of tourists and residents, there is not enough land so we need to expand. You have to build a trading post for the commercial development of stores for grocery and fabric exchange.”

Weed was listening to this story and realized that it was dangerous.

He could only come to one conclusion.

‘Money! It could only be that he’s asking me for money.’

The village elder was shedding tears.

“We need money. There must be more funds to invest in building and repairing houses for the town.”

Zephyr and Pale felt bad for the village elder.

‘It’ll be hard to get money out of Weed with that kind of story.’

‘It’s impossible. You have a higher chance of finding a whale in a well than getting money from Weed.’

Instead it would have been better for the village elder to talk to Mapan about such matter. Traders often collected money and would usually be able to spend about a thousand gold. But then the unthinkable happened.

“Oh! If you only needed money then why didn’t you just say so earlier?”

Weed let out a long sigh as he opened his backpack. He then pulled out all of his money.

By saving his money by using it as little as possible, he managed to save 30,000 gold. By selling the gold and silver treasures of the Nifleheim Empire, he managed to earn 230 thousand gold.

That meant he had a total of 260 thousand gold.

He handed every single bit of it over to the village elder.

“If you must, try to use as much money as necessary for the residents.”

“Is, is this really okay? This is far too much money..”

“Of course. It is your responsibility to judge Morata’s needs.”

“Thank you. Thank you very much.”

Ttiring!

Large scale investment in the Morata Province.It will allow Morata to flourish to the days of the old Nifleheim Empire!Its past glory was long gone in the flow of time leaving it bare and starving.
Only its residents and frail houses remained.
But now these new investment will fund the effort for the residents to become diligent citizens.
For three months, productivity will increase by 30%.
The area of the village will expand.
Use of the castle has become available.
The population growth rate has improved.
Buildings will be constructed immediately depending on the characteristics of Morata.
Bar :
Increases tax revenue and satisfaction of residents but affects Public Security adversely.
Blacksmith :
Increases the technology of the town. Increases the productivity of the residents.
Trading Post:
A place where you can trade with merchants. Brings in tax revenue as well as supplement the town’s needs.
Inn:
A place where travelers can stay. Travelers become more lively than if you simply left them in the village.
Textiles :
Cloth weaving and leather polishing. Morata’s specialty increases the amount of leather and textile related quests.
Vigilantes :
Residents will form groups to protect public security. They can’t fight the nearby monsters but they will be enough to catch village shoplifters. Help with public security increases commercial development.
Mercenary Guild :
Investigates the surrounding village and gives quests on a regular basis to combat the monsters. Operates largely on taxes. Whenever successful, public security is increased and fame will be given.
A small Church of Freya :
A place of the believers of the Church of Freya to pray. Sacrilegious buildings cannot be build in the village.
Due to the blessings of Freya, the residents will have increased grain production.Urban development increases, you can now build more buildings.Proposed Maintenance - Once the village has produced enough buildings, tax rates can be set, commercial, military power, technology, security, and public policies for increasing residents can be set in the budget.
Currently 50% of the budget has been set in regional development and state budget, the rest will be distributed.
To raise funds for investment, you can reduce the amount of control you have over the region.
Improve or expand the province to gain more control. Stats that can affect the local politics have been generated.
After the first stage of development, you can raise taxes. Excessive investment in welfare of public security may increase the satisfaction of the residents however, as the town’s deficit grows, the position as Count will be compromised.

Weed put in a huge amount for wide scale development of Morata. It was an essential component for a village like that of the cities in the central continent.

Thrilled, the village elder said.

“My Lord, as you know, the amount of investment for half of the area has already been managed. The question is what do you wish to do with the remaining 130 thousand gold. First, how much do you wish to spend on village maintenance?”

It was used for the maintenance and construction of houses and roads in the village. If basic buildings are not made, then resident satisfaction, commerce, and public security will worsen. Developing these facilities help somewhat.

Judging the amount for buildings, Weed said.

"Ten thousand gold!"

- Ten thousand gold has been invested for town maintenance.

He only had about 130 thousand gold to work with. That was because the village elders would never work with a small amount to invest with.

“100 gold for each house should be enough.”

He judged that would be enough money to spend on the residents for now.Having to use the money he had saved up made him sick.

The village elder asked again.

“How much money do you want to spend on Security?”

Security reduced the crime rates in the village.

It made a big impact, since it affected the villagers’ satisfaction.

If crime occurs too frequently commercial development and production would degrade.

National emergencies.

In times of war, the citizens could be mobilized.

There are a number of elements affecting public security and residents with high crime rates would not participate.

Weed said cautiously.

"300 gold."

A timid investment!

The amount was very small, but thanks to the Freya Church policing Morata it was not a bad choice.

“How much money do you want to invest for Military?”

Political and military power increased whenever the region expands. The military would manage Morata’s affairs. They would train knights and soldiers to fight monsters and defend the kingdom from enemies of other regions. They were loyal to the village. It was the cost to maintain a strong military power, but ultimately it was a means to increase territory.

Weed said simply.

“Zero gold!"

The village elder carefully checked.

“Do you mean that you do not want to invest in Military at all?”

“Yes.”

- No money has been invested in Military.

The village elder’s face became more cautious.

"Please set the amount that you want to invest in art."

As art develops, the villagers become more happy.

Free imagination and creativity was the basis for the growth of culture...

Weed didn’t even have to think.

“Zero gold!”

“Do you mean that you do not wish to invest in art?”

“Yes.”

Even if someone had put dirt in his eyes, he would never invest in art.

Art did not bring in any money!

Now one area remained.

“Please set the amount that you wish to invest in commercial development, which can be subdivided into several areas.”

As productivity and commercial development increased, so did the town’s tax revenue.

It supported livestock and agriculture as well as the town’s technology. It was also used to develop mines and construct buildings, increasing the town’s productivity. Grocery stores increased the number of goods and quantity available from the trading post.

Blacksmith development increased the quality and production of weapons, armors, and tools.

The production of specialty items will increase.

It was important to make conservative investments in the most specific areas as possible.

Weed flatly replied.

“119700 gold!”

“Such a huge investment in commercial development? I am concerned that you are too preoccupied with economic development.”

"Please invest 119700 gold in commercial development."

- 119700 gold has been invested in commercial development.

Mapan shut his mouth.

"So there is this side to Weed!"

At first he had thought that he was just a really cheap person.

“We didn’t know how he truly was all along."

Once again this was the time to gauge Weed’s leadership. However, the truth was very different.

Weed’s judgement.

‘Morata is going to be an important city in the northern continent.’

The growing number of tourists!

Morata was safely under the Church of Freya’s protection for another year, so there was no risk to the village or residents from monster attacks.

Other users could attack Morata.

However, they were not willing to attack Morata because of the strength and influence the Church of Freya had.

Paladins from the Church of Freya were known to be some of the most strongest and unforgiving people.

'So it’ll be safe for at least one year.’

Morata was set to develop.

Then in the future he could recover the money he had invested through a tremendous rate of exploitation!

Truly a vicious lord’s dream!

***

While he was delayed by the village chief, Mapan, Pale and Geomchi were waiting.

Weed said.

"I’m done now. Let us depart from town!"

"Finally, let’s go."

Surka said, smiling brightly as she took lead.

Mapan got the wagon. Whenever the wagon moved it left deep ruts in the ground. This was because the wagon was filled with different types of fabric and leather, jewelry, mountains of food, combat supplies, and other products.

If you pack too much it wouldn’t move, but he had calculated and carefully placed the items so that the maximum quantity could be taken.

“I’m going to see.”

“Let’s follow them.”

“I don’t wanna miss where they’re going!”

Onlookers followed along closely.

Once they found out Weed was the Count of Morata they became even more anxious.

It looked as if they would follow them to hell if they must!

Weed was moving in the direction of the west canyon.

“The area over there is unexplored?”

“I don’t know. There are a lot of hunting grounds and dungeons that have not been explored yet.”

The spectators were puzzled but they still followed. They had witnessed the large amount of supplies that brought along.

Weed’s party headed into the foggy woods of the west canyon.

Thickly grown trees blocked out the sky.

It was hard to see through the dense water vapor in the fog so visibility was bad.

Jjireureutring!

Swarms of insects buzzed ominously.

Monsters did not pop up from the fog in the forest. But the daylight was getting dimmer and sounds were getting closer.

“It’s okay.”

“There’s an exit on the other side, so we just have to wait until they reach the end.”

The people circled around cross the foggy forest.

Only one group continued into the forest while the others avoided it.

The people waited as Weed and his companions went into the fog.

They waited for one hour, two hours but they heard no news.

“Even if they’re moving slowly because of the wagon, it should be enough time for them to cross.”

“It doesn’t make sense that they’re not coming out.”

“Let’s go back to the entrance.”

Some people waited at the end while the others went back to the entrance. But they could not find any trace of Weed or his companions.

***

The Forest of Mist in the Eastern region!

Water vapor rises from the land, the trees releases the savage wind.

Hwaak! Hwaaak!

There was a strange feeling flowing from this place.

Even for a short while it was an unpleasant place to stay in.

Weed summoned Tori here.

“I call forth Vampire Lord Tori!”

Chatringtring!

They heard something as the ground shook.

A swarm of black flying bats!

He had red, bloodshot eyes with sharp canine fangs protruding.

There were a large number of vampire bats swimming throughout the fog. However, they did not attack Weed, Pale, or Geomchi.

They flapped their wings and flew lower. Some of them hung upside down on trees while others on the wagon.
Looking closely, each of them had the signs of nobility of the night from the protruding fangs and the elegant wings.

Maylon, Irene, Romuna, and Surka were surrounded by 200 thousand vampire bats.

"Oh my god! Look at those fangs."

"Look how lovely and adorable they are."

Surka and Romuna had a joy that no one else could quite understand. Some would say that bats are ugly creatures but they found them very cute.

Irene slowly went and put a bat on her hand.

“Pretty wings.”

"..."

Irene also had weird tastes.

Maybe it was because she didn’t have to worry about them trying to attack and eat her.

Vampire Lord Tori knelt down respectfully.

“Master, I’ve come to take you to Todeum.”

Tori gave the the utmost splendid manner towards Weed.

Weed nodded in approval.

“Yea, let’s leave now.”

Tori was also glad to hear that.

He could finally get away from Weed’s outrageous tyranny!

Tori circled around them.

“Take care Master, once we get to the kingdom. If we, by chance, meet again.”

"Is that supposed to be a threat?"

“Well, more like intimidation...”

Weed gently hit Tori on the shoulder.

“Do you want to get beat?”

“That, that is not the case.”

“Now you’re going to live your life with pride and good fortune?”

“That would be more comfortable.”

"Then do you want to get beat then?"

"..."

Weed scared Tori again, beating him here where there was no doctor to heal him.

The Geomchis’, Irene, and all the party were waiting here, where they wouldn’t use up their Stamina.

'It’s just like a van with bad brakes! The fact that you make a single wrong decision could mean death at any time.'

According to Weeds philosophy, if he didn’t beat them enough, they would get rebellious.

Beating that rebellious spirit out of him.

Being beaten at any time leaves an aftertaste. And being caught so suddenly one day.

The times between beatings were very short.

Soon you start acting more positively.

Just like how Death Knight Van Hawk was compliant.

Weed stuck true to his principles and threatened Tori in their last moments together.

“Let us go, Master!”

“Yea.”

Weed, leading the way, climbed on top of the vampire bats. Then he slowly rose into the sky.

The humans were flying as well as the carriage!

The vampire bats stuck to the lower part of the carriage to carry it.

***

A shaman with long straight hair and a violet wand walked into the entrance of Morata.

She looked around and said.

"Is this where Weed is? I wonder if I came on time?"

Her name was Da’in.

In Lavias she was the woman who played around with monsters with blessings, curses, healing, attacks, and magic!

She was now focused on going around the Versailles Continent and playing in party hunting quests. She had heard the rumors about the village of Morata and its outstanding Tower of Light.

Weed was said to be the one that sculpted it.

“Maybe it will be that Weed that I know.”

Da’in could remember that Weed was a sculptor as well as a great fighter.

The sculptures he had made were meager. Since his carving skills were low, they didn’t even become fine piece.

There were sculptures that resembled monsters.

"He must have gotten a lot better by now.”

Listening to a rumor, Da’in had guessed that this was the Weed she was looking for.

A lot of people had the username Weed, but it was uncommon for them to be sculptors as well.

Thus she came to the northern continent and mingled into the village of Morata.

***

Gaston and Pavo arrived in Morata village.

"There it is."

"So difficult. It’s even harder for people like us with low Stamina to come such a far distance."

"True, if it weren’t for those generous merchants who gave us a ride in the middle of the trip then we would never have made it."

Pavo looked back in reminiscence.

During the time in the northern expedition they faced annihilation at the hands of the dragon’s Breath.

Pavo thought they were bound to lose their lives.

“I really regret it. I should not had such high expectations in the first place. What could an architect and a painter do in such a battle anyways? We went along, suffered all kinds of difficulties, and didn’t even get to see it properly.”

“Yea. It was harder for us to go into combat when we’re so powerless.”

Architect and painter!

They were saying all sorts of complaints about their profession.

When they turned on the television they had seen that the expedition was a success, but they were stuck back at the City of Art, Rhodium. They missed out on the chance for fame and the savory rewards.

“Yea, there’s a limit to how much growth we can get in Rhodium, Pavo.”

“Yea, that’s true. Our reputation won’t grow in a place like that.”

A characteristic of artists.

Repeated works in one place gave less fame. The difference is negligible at first, but difference between the first and the tenth work was considerable.

A faint light was in Gaston’s eyes.

“How about we go see other cities?”

“Other cities? Are you suggesting we settle down in a new city?”

“Let me persuade you how it is more rewarding. Its uncommon for painters and architects in Rhodium to get jobs but there is the whole Versailles Continent. There’s nothing keeping you here.”

“I understand what you mean. What city do you want to go to?”

Gaston already had a place in mind.

“I’m going to Morata.”

“The village with Sculptor Weed? That’s bringing back the bad memories that I had in the northern continent.”

“I was also there but I did have fun.”

“Damn you’re right. But can we go?”

It was difficult for people to go to a new place. It was even more difficult for production classes.

Gaston sighed.

“We can at least try. See it that way.”

Then the two middle-aged men underwent a number of challenges to get to Morata. They had to go through dangerous zones that were teeming with monsters and sometimes they were chased by bees. Several times they barely escaped and made it safely to a town!

They lay down in the street, exhausted, until they got the help of a passing by merchant.

Gaston shook his head.

“It’s really hard for profession like ours to get by.”

Pavo laughed at that.

“We did arrive safely though.”

If it had not been for the digging skills, then they would have almost died. They would dig a hole in the ground and hide until the monsters left. This would not have been possible if they did not see the monsters approach in advance.

Thankfully for Gaston, the skills worked exceptionally well in the snow.

They could just dig a hole anywhere and hide.

Painters and architects with poor survivability but they had their ways to cope.

Even so, it was important that they had caught a ride with that merchant or they would not have been able to survive their crisis.

Fortunately they met in the middle of the northern continent where it was still relatively safe.

Gaston looked at his clothes.

“Wow, your clothes are so dirty.”

“You didn’t even wash it once.”

Gaston and Pavo were basically wearing rags, but the people around didn’t seem to mind.

“They must be travelers that are new to the town.”

“Look at how much they have suffered.”

It was difficult for thousands of the people that had come to Morata. Many people would arrive looking as if they have not bathed in days. Gaston was a little surprised about Morata as he washed his face.

‘This city is lively.’

Pavo thought the same.

‘There’s a lot of people. Judging by just this there are more than 3000 people in the village.’

They did know that this was just the entrance to the village and that people flocked daily. Quite a number of people were busy walking around the village. Merchants had opened stalls and were selling to people as were chefs selling food.

“Pavo, I think it was a good idea to come to Morata.”

“This is an all-new frontier of a developing city! It’s not bad and I don’t know if we can do anything here but it’ll be fun.”

Then an issue came up.

A Morata resident walked up quickly and grabbed Pavo.

“Are you skilled in architecture?”

Pavo trembled as he replied.

“Yes, I am an architect.”

“Good! Did you know that my wife has recently become pregnant? The child is going to be born soon and I need a new house. I’m busy and I don’t have time to do it. Please help me out, you won’t regret it!”

Ttiring!

The village house for a couple.The home for his wife and a young baby.Relieve his concerns by building a durable house as soon as possible.
He wants his house build two to three places in one of the vacant lots west of the apple tree, wood and stone can be used as building materials.
Difficulty : D
Compensation : 26~309 gold.
Varies depending on the size of the completed house and the building materials.
Quest restriction:
Architect profession only.

Pavo nodded his head.

“Please leave it to me. I’ll build you a very sturdy house. It will withstand all sorts of storms."

- You have accepted the quest.

Houses made by digging out stone.

A lot of the city was busy in building new houses for the residents.

The villagers were even building a shopping district.

The residents were able to somewhat construct this much.

But the quality of the houses affect the villagers’ satisfaction and improve public security. On a certain level, productivity increases.

Even with a few people helping out, you still needed the professional help of an architect.

A kingdom. The construction of a wall around the town of Morata.

In order to ensure the safety and stability of the town, they built a wall and expanded the city.

A lot of people were interested in participating.

It was announced that there would be a new village made outside the wall.

Morata village was still underdeveloped. They had to create new fields and waterways.

Large scale investment in Morata was rapidly changing the environment for the poor.

Opportunity.

These were the best kind of quests for an architect.

The opportunity to actively participate in the development of a city!

Pavo pulled up his sleeves.

“We need to work fast! Hands on jobs are very scarce. We’re going to need people to work on this."

“Haha, I’ll help.”

Gaston could not conceal his envy as he saw Pavo working.

Having issues with your profession was a most sorrowful thing.

Quests were very few and you work for next to nothing so often you end up starving.

However, in Morata, they were in great need of an architect. There were god knows how many jobs for him.

‘Architect was so much better. I’m never going to get recognized as an artist.’

However, things then changed for Gaston.

Residents came up to him.

“Can you help me? I need a signboard for a shop that I’m going to open.”

It was not a very difficult job to do.

Then the village elder came.

“I want you to draw a picture on the city gates as a symbol of the village.”

Various doors of opportunity opened up for Gaston.

He was even asked to draw a map about monsters in the vicinity. When the map was completed, it could be sold to adventurers and he would get fame.

He even got jobs to make paintings for the castle.

The village elder said.

“Our lord is a lover of art. I think that my Lord would want to give some support to the artists in his city.”

Tons of Weed’s investment was used to develop the town.

Aside from donations to the Church of Freya, the village elder put large sums into art and culture.

***

Weed and his companions flew on the vampire bats.

“Kyyyaaaah!”

The acrophobic Surka screamed.

The bats did not have as much power as the Wyverns, who had large stature.

Cluster! Cluster!

Whenever she made eye contact with the ground she would be overcome with fear.

It was very shocking.

“So this is how the adventure starts...”

It was a grandiose start to the adventure of a lifetime. This was the kind of adventure that Maylon had fantasized about.

Pale was at a loss.

“Maylon-nim.”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t the bats scary?”

“Well...”

“Then again, we are heading to the kingdom of the vampires so riding on bats will be an experience that we can’t miss.”

Maylon was convinced.

It was slightly different than how she imagined but one does not ride on top of bats often!

It was incredible to think if there were people flying above the ground on bats.

‘So this is Weed’s adventure.’

Pale was expecting the same thing.

This was the next place that they have gone to since the City of Heavens, Lavias. They spent a long time going on quests and adventures.

The bats flew for a long time until Morata was out of sight.

The faraway lakes and mountains looked smaller than their fingernails. They were so high up that the village looked like a dot.

Then they stopped in place!

The vampire bats were flapping in place.

After waiting for a few moments, Weed asked.

“Tori, are you lost?”

“No, Master.”

Tori replied in a relaxed voice.

“How much longer do we have to go?”

“That’s not it, the place is right here.”

“Then why?”

“Master, the noble Vampire Kingdom Todeum is in the world of the night. We will never be able to get into Riga during the day!”

“Then...”

“We have to wait until it is night.”

They remained hanging in the sky listening to the sound of the air.

Weed let out a deep sigh as Tori said it so naturally.

‘I brought my entire party. I wasted an entire day because of this ignorant bastard!’

Weed was regretting. A whole day had been lost.

“Tori.”

“What’s with the look?”

“Come over here, closer.”

“I don’t want to go over there.”

Tori had finally noticed. Weed was smiling brightly.

“Didn’t you say that you would send me and my party there shortly?”

“Yes.”

Tori revealed his fangs and laughed grinning.

“This is the last time I think I’ll have to say goodbye. Weren’t you fond of my sculptures?”

“A sculpture you say, Master? Master’s sculptures are very beautiful.”

Tori came over.

His face showed was one without any sign of doubt.

‘You are an ignorant man.’

Weed narrowed his eyes finely. Then he started beating him.

Papapapapak!

A cool and playful sound was ringing in the air.

There was the scene that Mapan always remembered seeing. Pale and Yurin just looked on.

Hwaryeong's calm eyes lit up.

“So strong. He’s so cool.”

He firmly hit him around. Weed’s actions were good.

Geomchi nodded.

“It seems I taught him correctly.”

The Geomchis sympathized with Weed.

“He’s only smacking instead of punching.”

Geomchi3 had a tingly sensation in his hands.

“I want to try hitting too...”

Geomchi4 agreed.

“It would be nice if I could get a vampire I could hit around.”

“Geomchi4, we’ll see if we get a chance to get one.”

“So I will.”

Irene was forced to sit in the front.

This kind of thinking was certainly not normal!

‘One only thinks about money and the others are narrow minded and violent!’

It was just what Irene expected from Weed’s philosophy. Nevertheless, she felt bad for Tori.

Weed could feel the beating he was giving.

He used high number of attacks in rapid succession giving off big and strong echos.

Weed honed his techniques by beating Tori!

His sword fighting involved increasing the number of basic attacks.

Whenever the skills were used correctly against a monster, he dealt huge damage.

But if the attack was a bit off or if he lost the flow of the attack then the skill was canceled. It was necessary to properly activate and use combat skills.

Because of this, it was a skill that you needed to use in Royal Road.

Surka was impressed.

‘He’s punching properly!’

She checked for anything that she could learn from Weed. Given her character class, she watched to see if she could learn to deal more damage. Daytime had passed and now it was night.

The door to Todeum was now open.

They were standing on ground instead of the sky!

Kurururang!

Deeper and deeper they went into the unknown swamp.

Tori said.

“This is the entrance to the Kingdom of Todeum!”

At the end of the description he plunged into the hole and rapidly descended.

“Kyaaaaaah!"

Surka’s feminine scream!

Almost at the same time, a snaky voice erupted forth.

“The kingdom of the nobility of the night! You are welcome to enter Todeum! Kuehuehuehuehue."

User talk:Iro Daijoubu

2016-01-25T03:03:25Z

Iro Daijoubu: Replaced content with " "

User talk:Iro Daijoubu

2016-01-25T03:01:42Z

Iro Daijoubu: test

Chapter 1: Lin Dong

“Wu.” (Oh ?)

When Lin Dong gathered every ounce of strength to open his heavy eyelids, a simple, crude yet tidy room appeared before his eyes. This familiar scene caused him to blink distractedly, unable to make sense of why he was here, though soon after, he promptly turned his head in a flash of understanding. Sure enough he saw the two figures of a man and a woman seated at a table in the room.

“Father, mother……”

As Lin Dong gazed at the two figures, he grew spirited and let out a soft cry.

“Dong-er, you’ve woken?”

Hearing his cries, the woman first turned her head, as she saw Lin Dong finally opening his eyes, she immediately exclaimed in happiness.

Dressed somewhat plainly and about thirty years in age, the outline of her cheek gave a sense of elegance to her face and also a type of sweet-tempered and gentle feeling. This was Lin Dong’s mother, Liu Yan.

“Unskilled and yet you pick fights with others, you are literarily asking for trouble.”

Seated besides the woman was a man who looked to be about thirty or forty years old. His body was slightly frail yet he had a bit of sternness in his brows, he also seemed to be suffering from serious injuries as his face was pale which in turn masked up a large part of his sternness. This was Lin Dong’s father, Lin Xiao.

Turning to face his often-times stern father, Lin Dong ostensibly displayed a sliver of fear, pulling back his neck, though soon after he somewhat defiantly declared: “Who asked them to call my father useless right in front of my face…”

As he spoke, Lin Dong reached to feel the still aching wound on his chest, and clenched his teeth. Today was merely one of the tests for the Lin Family and he had only went down to gauge his progress. Today’s setback hardly dented his faith in himself because he had only been training for about half a year and he did not expect to make much progress. He remained confident that given the same time and conditions to train, he would not lose out to anyone.

Nevertheless, right after the test ended, as Lin Dong was preparing to make his way home, he encountered a fellow which he had some bad history with. His original plan was to ignore that chap, however after a few rounds of deliberate provocation, he could no longer stand it and in a moment of fury, the young and hot-blooded Lin Dong attacked the provocator. Nonetheless, the results were clear as day as he was immediately soundly knocked out by a heavy punch……

“Lin Shan, you had better remember this! The next time, I vow to smash your head into a pulp, or my name is not Lin Dong!”

Ling Dong grinded his teeth together. The Lin Shan mentioned, was the perpetrator of this incident, and also the number one enemy in Lin Dong’s heart. Because their fathers had bad blood between them, Lin Shan constantly tried to inconvenience Lin Dong, and the latest incident was just one of many.

One moment he was resolutely clenching his jaw, yet the next, Lin Dong was hanging his head dejectedly. Though Lin Shan was extremely vile, the fact remained that he was currently already at the 4th layer of Tempered Body. In the Lin family, this kind of achievement was considered better than average. Compared to the 2nd layer that Lin Dong was at, it was indeed much better.

In the path of training, the body should be trained first as everything begins with one’s body. After all, the human body is the most wonderfully mysterious thing in the world.

Simply said, Tempered Body was the cultivation of one’s body, allowing one’s body to gradually strengthen and eventually grow stronger from outside to within. When the muscles and bones within the body have strengthened to a certain level, it will give rise to a seedling of Yuan Power. Only when a seedling of Yuan Power naturally appears in the body, can one then be called a true practitioner.

Tempered Body is divided into 9 layers, the difference between the first 3 layers is not significant as it only improves one’s physical body and foundations slightly. Only when the body has been cultivated to the 4th layer, will the advantages of training gradually surface. At that level, the skin will slowly harden to become as tough as wood or rock, and both one’s strength and speed will be substantially upgraded.

Since Lin Shan was currently at that level, Lin Dong, who had only mastered the 2nd layer of Tempered Body, was clearly outclassed.

As for why there was such a disparity between the two, although they were both of similar age, it was not due to a difference in their potential. For the Tempered Body levels, talent was not a key factor, in fact it could be said that anyone could train in it. However, how far they were able to progress, would depend on one’s wealth and affinity.

Nonetheless, to reach the 9th layer of Tempered body is an extremely difficult and tiring affair. This was because only by constantly pushing the limits of one’s physical body, could one’s body gradually grow stronger.

Yet this way of testing one’s limits was akin to squeezing out the potential in one’s body. If one’s body was not sufficiently restored after the ‘squeezing’, one’s body would be injured due to the strain. At that time, not only would the training be affected but the whole body would be riddled with injuries. An overall loss.

Thus, as one attempts to master the Tempered Body, they would need various nourishing elixirs to supplement their body before they can progress with their training. However, as these elixirs are mostly expensive commodities, those without adequate wealth would not be able to afford it.

And this is the so called wealth!

The reason why Lin Shan was able to surpass Lin Dong by 2 layers was not because he had trained for half a year more but largely because his father was in charge of the finances in the Lin family. In comparison to Lin Dong who lacked this good fortune and therefore the access to elixirs to nourish his body. Thus his training progress was naturally much slower than the former…….

Suddenly, as Lin Xiao heard Lin Dong’s mutterings, his palm that was resting on the table clenched tightly, as his expression grew a shade darker. To the side, Liu Yan who had seen this change promptly signalled to Lin Dong with her eyes before the latter hastily shut his mouth.

“No need to whine, concentrate on training and others will naturally shutup.”

Lin Xiao waved his hands as he said: “Liu Yan, take that Red Ginseng and pass it to Dong-er, with the Red Ginseng, his training should go slightly faster. There’s only half a year left till the family competition, if he doesn’t make the most of this time to train, he will only bring shame to us.”

“Xiao-ge, that Red Ginseng is for your injuries……” Liu Yan hastily said before she fell into a quiet stupor.

“I am already a useless person, no matter what kind of remedies are used, it would all be for naught. In the future, I will spend more time finding elixirs in the mountain for Dong-er.” Lin Xiao declared in a self mocking tone as he shook his head.

“Father is not useless, Father used to be the strongest practitioner in the family excluding grandpa!” Hearing Lin Xiao’s words, Lin Dong exclaimed, red-faced. As a child, his father was the biggest figure in his heart.

“Strongest Practitioner……”

Lin Xiao’s subsciously clenched his fist tightly as a deep pain flashed across his face. A moment later, he stood up and tiredly walked outside the room.

“Liu Yan, brew the tonic for our child, my injuries are fine, it’s already been so many years, what use would one stalk of Red Ginseng possibly be?”

Gazing at his somewhat decrepit back, Liu Yan’s eyes reddened, who could have imaged that that the man who was once the most gifted and remarkable man in QingYang Town would end up in such a slump.

“Mother, don’t cry, Dong-er promises that he will work hard in his training. And when the time comes, I will find a way to cure father.” Lin Dong softly said as he pulled at the corner of Liu Yan’s clothes.

“Dong-er, don’t blame your father if he is strict towards you. It is just because he has devoted everything to you, after all, you should know that you are his only hope.”

Liu Yan muttered softly as she lowered her head, lightly wiping at her eyes and stroking Lin Dong’s tiny head while she gazed at the earnest expression on Lin Dong’s young and tender face.

“Mother, I have heard that top three contestants in the upcoming family competition will obtain a type of 3rd grade elixir called Vermillion Blood Clotting Fruit. I once heard an uncle say that it is very effective in treating injuries. If I manage to obtain it, it would definitely aid to heal the wounds in Father’s body.” As if he had suddenly thought of something, Lin Dong lifted his head as he said while watching Liu Yan with shining eyes.

“Vermillion Blood Clotting Fruit……” Hearing these words, Liu Mu was slightly taken aback. Nonetheless, she helplessly shook her head: “It is not easy to be the top three in the family competition, it is good that you have the heart. Mother will leave first and brew the Red Ginseng for you.”

As she finished, Liu Yan turned to walk out of the room. Within the current younger generation in the Lin family, there were already a few that had obtained decent accomplishments, therefore it would not be easy for Lin Dong to enter the top three and obtain the Vermillion Blood Clotting Fruit. Hence, she did not take this matter too seriously.

As he gazed at Liu Yan’s leaving back, Lin Dong’s lips pursed tightly together, clenching his tiny fists: “Mother, rest assured, I will definitely obtain that Vermillion Blood Clotting Fruit and heal the injuries in father’s body!”

As Lin Dong thought of Lin Yan’s injury, a deep hatred suddenly surfaced in his eyes. The reason why father was often ridiculed by many in the family was all because of that one man!

The Lin family that Lin Dong belonged to was only a small family, even in QingYang Town, they could not be considered the best. Yet this unremarkable looking Lin family had a highly respectable background that would shock many people: they were of the Lin Clan.

One of the four great clans of the Great Yan dynasty, the Lin Clan!

From a certain point of view, the Lin Family of QingYang Town could count as an extension of the Lin Clan, yet to Lin Dong who had never travelled beyond a hundred miles of QingYang Town, the overwhelming strength of the Lin Clan in the Great Yan Dynasty was just another unfamiliar and distant thing.

What Lin Dong knew from the occasional scraps of information gleaned from his father, was that the branch they belonged to was actually once part of the inner circle of the Lin Clan. It was only because of one mission. The failure of Lin Dong’s grandfather in that mission had lead to a huge loss for the clan, consequently, he was expelled from the inner circle and banished to QingYang Town.

Here, he established this small Lin Family and over these tens of years, he has tried everything he could in order to fulfill a lifelong dream: to return to the inner circle of the Lin Clan.

Yet all his efforts did not amount to much. All that he had accomplished was not even worth mentioning to the huge and incomparable Lin Clan. Therefore, he could only turn his attention to other places, such as the Ten-Year Clan Gathering of the Lin Clan.

This was the most important gathering of the Lin Clan and also an extremely famous event in the entire Great Yan Dynasty. Held every ten years, each gathering presented the perfect opportunity for the younger generations in the clan to stand in the spotlight and make a name for themselves. Moreover, many of the prizes for this humongous competition were naturally so generous, that they would draw covetous gazes. Yet, the most appealing caveat for Lin Dong’s grandfather lay in the fact that as long as one could enter the top ten in this gathering, even if you were an outsider to the clan, you will be promoted into the inner circle with no obstructions and obtain unparalleled honor.

Thus, the clan gathering had become the new dawn in Lin Dong’s grandfather’s long night of despair. But because of his age, he was already unable to participate, therefore he placed all of his hopes onto his five sons that came from different mothers. Naturally the most outstanding one of them all, Lin Dong’s father, became grandfather’s and the entire Lin Family’s ray of hope.

Even though Lin Dong’s father carried this heavy burden on his shoulders, he did not betray their expectations. Among the 5 brothers, he was the earliest to breakthrough the 9th Layer of Tempered Body, and advance into the “Yuan” stage. Furthermore, in another short four years, he once again broke through the “Yuan” stage to become the 2nd Heavenly Yuan master in the Lin Family after grandfather Lin Zhen Tian.

This spectacular progress caused the normally quiet and stern grandfather to elicit a kind and gratified smile on his aged face every time he met his father. It was said that in all of the ten long years, this was the time that grandfather smiled the most.

However, when the Ten-Year Clan Gathering finally arrived, the outcome shocked all the members of the Lin Family, and left them deep in the abyss of despair.

One move!

In just one move, his father, the shining ray of hope for the Lin Family, was cruelly defeated!

Furthermore, this happened in the first match right at the start of the gathering!

Years of expectations and nurturing crumbled into dust within that brief moment.

The final reward for losers was naturally countless peculiar gazes as well as an endless stream of mocking sneers. Like a pack of stray dogs, they returned to QingYang Town defeated.

That night, his father left the inner district of the Lin Family and moved to live on a small, desolate hill at the furthest reaches of the Lin Family territory. From then on, he never again touched anything from the Lin Clan. According to him, he had already lost all right to do so.

However, fortune never arrives in pairs; disaster never strikes alone.

After that defeat, what had been bestowed onto Lin Yan was not merely depression. Afterwards, he was even more grieved to find that the person he had fought with not only defeated him with one palm but also, without a shred of mercy, used an almost beast-like violent Yuan force to ravage the insides of his body till it was a total mess.

With injuries of this degree, Lin Yan’s lost his Heavenly Yuan level of strength and returned to the Earthly Yuan level. In addition, the serious injuries also caused the channels in his body to be disrupted and clogged up, and no matter how he trained, he found further advancement nearly impossible.

Within the family, what was once respectful gazes had gradually turned to sighs and disappointment……

Faced with disaster after disaster, Lin Yan finally gave up all hope. Everytime he got drunk, he would furiously pound at his own chest. The sound of the dull thuds broke his mother’s heart as quitely stood aside and brushed off her falling tears. Even though Lin Dong was still young when he witnessed this scene, he felt as though his heart was sliced to shreds. At the same time, in his young heart, seeds of hatred were quietly planted towards the man who had humiliated and devastated his father.

He not only destroyed my father but he ruined his family as well!

As for the man in question, later on, Lin Dong by chance heard his uncle and the others mention him with loathing and powerless tones.

At 10, he started training.

At 12 he broke through the 9th Layer of Tempered Body to enter into Yuan territory.

At 14, he advanced to the Earthly Yuan level.

At 17 he advanced to the Heavenly Yuan level.

At 25, the Yuan Qi in his body exchanged Yin and Yang, finally succeeding in forming a Dan. Like a carp that became a dragon, in one fell swoop, he joined the ranks of the rarified few in the Great Yan Dynasty to ever form a Yuan Dan before the age of 30.

The story of his life was practically one legendary feat after another.

His name was Ling Lang Tian.

In his room, Lin Dong’s clenched his fist tightly, as thick hatred brewed in his eyes.

User talk:Iro Daijoubu

2015-08-16T06:16:20Z

Iro Daijoubu: cleanup

User talk:Iro Daijoubu

2015-08-16T06:10:24Z

Iro Daijoubu: test

User talk:Iro Daijoubu

2015-08-16T06:07:25Z

Iro Daijoubu: test

ACT 5 Red Man
Kurururu!
There was a deafening honk.
Following Sarah, we reached the Brown rock area within 30 minutes.
Ark’s party reached the bottom of a waterfall pouring down from distant heights. It was an area of darkened stone around Giran; with such excessive heights that Ark had never even been there. They took a break to view the stunning scenery but some of the view was blocked by the ruins.
While Ark was looking around, Sarah pointed to one side. At the back of the falls was a small space that one person might be able to pass through.
When just looking at it straight on, the mist from the water makes the passage impossible to see.
Sarah thrust a hand in and showed that the space was larger than it seems. Inside the entrance a bunch of moss was attached to it.

[Unidentified thieves hideout
Inside the Brown Rocky area are ruins that have been abandoned a long time ago.It looks like one of the places that are often abandoned. However, traces of people can be found at several different locations.This remains clear that a dangerous group are hiding somewhere within the ruins. If you are going to explore the ruins, proceed with extreme caution.]
-You have found an undiscovered dungeon. As a new discover, you can gain an additional 700 experience and 30 Fame if you register in the Hall of Fame. Would you like to register?

Ark obviously refused registration and entered.

” This place was a hidden dungeon!’

He’s come to the front of the falls before but never found a dungeon.
It was hidden in a place that people wouldn’t have imagined.
Of course, this was not the only dungeon. So far, Ark has been in numerous areas with hidden dungeons.

‘When I first started the game, I would have missed them …….. ‘

When Ark first entered New World, he wasn’t interested in everything.
He would overlook a suspicious forest or rock. Even a waterfall suddenly appeared in a rocky area then he would’ve just ignored it.
It is a long game, if you only relied on information that was already discovered that you would be unable to proceed much further.
This was caused by the excessive need to level up.

”But in New World there is a lot of information that is yet unknown.
And that is what you have to figure out by yourself. In the future, I should pay more attention to my surroundings.’

Finishing his self-criticism, Ark turned to Sid and said.

“Sid please set up camp here and wait patiently with Sarah.”

“Yes,”

Sid answered and pulled out firewood to create a campfire.
Then Sarah pulled Sid’s sleeves and asked.

-Sid-oppa is not fighting?

“Eh? I am a merchant…….. ”

-Being hit would hurt more ….

Sarah’s sneaked a glance at Sid and then looked down.

“Eueu……..Should have chosen a warrior. . .”

That struck a blow and Sid once again regretted his career choice.
Leaving the two behind, Ark entered the dungeon. The roaring of the waterfall shook the dungeon.
The noise of the waterfall was close enough that it created static around the ears. In addition, every step he took he could feel the tension!
Ark stealthily entered the mouth of the tunnel.

‘That reminds me. ‘

“Dedric, surveillance”.

“Roger, master”

Ark advanced carefully with Dedric ahead of him. However, the dungeon was smaller than he thought. One passage consisted of a circular shape. Besides, no matter how much he looked for a thief, he didn’t even see a mouse.

‘What the? Sarah saw the thieves drag her father here. What was going on? ‘

If so, only one answer remained, there was a secret passage somewhere.
Therefore Ark used the skill Eyes of the Cat to observe the area around him. And after a few moments, he found some bloodstains on the ground.
The blood stains were quite new…….

‘This is it! ‘

It was clear that Sarah’s father was dragged by the thieves and shed some blood.
This means that if he followed the blood trail then he will find the secret passage, Ark reasoned.
The blood stains were sparsely scattered at areas with dead ends.
They were kind enough to show where the secret passage was by splattering a few drops of blood on the walls.

”Is this where the switch is? ‘

Ark peered at the walls and the fall but no matter how meticulously he looked, he could not find the switch. 10 tedious minutes had passed when suddenly the familiar sounds of the waterfall changed.
Ark instinctively pressed his ear to the wall.
“It really……..is boring”
“How long ……this ……. wait?”
“Any other way? … … ….It’s an order………..While activities ………stay hidden….. ”
“Che, …..They’re surprisingly cowardly… … …Why should we listen to them? ”
“He……..what skills do you have … … ….if you offend him… ….. ”
“And then ……..Here too … … ….Do you know ”
“Aaa………That man ………..we paid compensation … … … that……..words? ”
“Now you can harvest soon ………..If everything goes well … … ….get big profit … … … …. ”
“Huhuhu, indeed…..”
“Although … … …I heard rumours … … …Nowadays, the surrounding robbers ……..there is a hunter? ”
“Aaaa…….Heard … … …No party. .. ….it was said to be alone? ”
“A pretty strong guy … … … …looks like… ….It’s unrelated to us.. … … .. ”
“Damn ……..by such a person ……..and want … … … …I wish …….before I die of boredom ”
Because of the falls the sound was broken but information doesn’t really matter to me.
The important thing is that there are thieves inside the secret passage!
“Okay, Dedric, Skull, lurk back around the corner”
Ark commanded in a small voice and they moved to position. And attacked the wall with his sword.
A deafening bang, and the walls vibrated. He couldn’t even scratch the walls but that didn’t matter. Because he hadn’t even thought of trying to break the wall.

“Eh? What……..Sound? ”
“I heard outside … something collapsed……..did?”
“Damn …if entrance collapses ……annoying … … ”
“For the time being……I’ll go out”
With a mechanical sound, the wall pushed outwards and rose up.
‘What the? Everything’s fine? ”
“So what was that sound before?”
“Did the stone roll away from the falls or something?”
The 3 thieves appeared and looked around through the secret door.
Ark who had hidden himself using ‘stealth’ was watching from close by. He came out and quickly approached them, stabbing the thieves with the sword.
-Critical Hit! Backstab effect has increase damage by 200%. The thief will be stunned for 10 seconds.
The vitality of the thieves was reduced by 30% as the quickly hid himself again…
“What, what?”
“The enemy!”
Two thieves panicked and pulled out a sword However, Ark’s actions was several times faster.
“Snake, nerve paralysis poison!”
Snake had eaten a poisonous plant and spouted black venom.
The venom flew across the small space and hit the neck of the thieves. And the voice of the loudest thief suddenly stopped.
That tactic was one that they had used and successfully mastered on other thieves.
When using paralysis poison, you can attack the throat and paralyze the vocal cords. When that happens, if the enemy are not organized thieves then their communication will weaken.

“Now, Dedric, Skull! Plan B-1! ‘

Ark who was hidden in the corner called out a command.
While Ark took care of one enemy and drew their attention, the two pets began the operation, which had a 70-30 offense and defense ratio used to stop the enemy and blocking the enemy’s retreat was plan B-1D.
Additionally, the airborne ratio was 50:50 for plan B-2, 20:30 for B-3 and to stop attacking and stop the enemy from retreating was plan B-4. Through countless attacks against thieves, the experienced Dedric and Skull skillfully avoided the thieves’ attack.
Meanwhile, Ark violently attacked a thief who stumbled from the onslaught. Once the enemy’s organizational skills had been destroyed, they were no match for Ark.
Hunting a user that was a thief was far more difficult that fighting a group of thieves. Their level was 100!
On the other hand, he was only level 85 but the dungeon allowed limited room for the thieves to move. His 30% dark attribute bonus also guaranteed that his stats added up to around level 110. At the same time his skill proficiency increased by 30% and was surprisingly effective.
He also used his Eyes of the Cat skill to search for any weaknesses.
A kick quickly took care of the stumbling thief and attacked the throat of the middle bandit who had been hit with the paralysis poison to stop communication, causing him to fall into critical condition. Once he fell, the final thief opened his mouth and ran away.
Are they trying to request help?
‘Don’t miss? ‘
Ark turned and threw something at the legs running away.
Due to the poison the thief’s legs became paralyzed and he fell down.
The chances for a double critical hit activated immediately!
Even if he couldn’t see it the results were clear.
“Well, this was a fairly decent battle.”
When he checked only 30% of his health was shaved off.
But he would have to be careful because he wasn’t sure how many thieves were hiding. ”

Ark used Eyes of the Cat and activated ‘Stealth’ while hiding in the secret passageway.
There were also long tunnels that connected from the passage.
Within a few minutes some roads that lead back to a main square room appeared. The square was lined with balconies, each flanked by two thieves standing guard.
The square.
There was no way to avoid being seen from the balconies on both sides and it was impossible to get away undetected. However, that didn’t matter to Ark as he has the skill ‘stealth.’
‘The stairs to go up the balcony can’t be seen from here. Then are there more stairs to go up inside the balcony? I better find the stairs to go up where I can remain undetected. ‘

Ark silently crossed the square.
Although he had ‘Stealth’ activated, he was still quite nervous when he entered the vicinity of the guards. And just as he was about to cross the square, a situation that had never happened before occurred.
He happened to step on something on the ground.

-A trap has been triggered. Critical Hit! You have received 200 damage.
‘Bleed’ status. 10 hp will be consumed every 5 seconds for one minute.

He never expected traps.
So far he’s never fought against an opponent who used traps, but the problem was not the trap.
The attack had cause him to enter a battle state and the ‘Stealth’ ability was deactivated. At the moment, the eyes of every thief were concentrated on Ark.

“Intruder!”
“How did you get here?”
“Whatever it doesn’t matter! Kill him!”
Two people at a time deliberately lifted their bows, for a total of 4 people.
The arrows simultaneously flew from different directions. The situation was one where he couldn’t predict and avoid the arrows. However, Ark did not panic. He had experienced this with countless other bandit groups.
There was no reason to rush and get upset.
“Dedric, Skull! Plan B-4! ”
“The right wing. Ok!”
Crackle!

Dedric and Skull used all their evasive power to avoid the arrows and destroy two.
Then, Ark grasped his sword tightly and concentrated on the remaining arrows flying towards him. Just as the arrows were four feet away from him, he turned and swung his sword.
He pushed forward while simultaneously hitting the arrow with his sword… At the moment it struck, he managed to counter attack and successfully pulled off Riposte.
He managed to attack a thief faster than the arrows could be shot.
“Gwak, how, the arrow …!”
The thieves burst out a shocked cry.
After being backed into a corner by the Silver Arrow group, he relentlessly polished the activation rate of his Riposte skill. Thanks to this training, there was a 70% chance that Riposte would activate and parry the arrows.
Once the arrow had been deflected, Riposte was useful in dealing the first blow. If an arrow hits there is a high possibility that an abnormal status will be inflicted. And it’s the same for thieves too. If two thieves were hit with arrows, they might get paralysis or slow etc.
In other words, the robbers were also in danger of being hit by the arrows. There was also Dedric and Skull to decrease the burden on Ark.
For Ark, the limit of a flying arrow was two feet.
This was a small enough number that he could use Riposte. When Ark deflected as many as five arrows, the thief’s health was decreased by at least 40%. However, it was not a 100% chance.
If Riposte failed to activate then the penalty was numbness of the body.
When the arrow hits, his health was slowly decreased until it was almost 50%.
” There are four people left. In his state, the success rate of riposte was down. If this goes on for longer than I am at a disadvantage. ‘
Then, while he was flying around and evading arrows, Dedric noticed something and exclaimed.
“The switch is here!”
“Huh? That guy … … …!”
“Hihihi, he discovered the proper design. What is this? It’s like, what? ”
Clink, Kurururung!
With a smile, Dedric avoided the thieves and the arrows and took out the switch. With a sound, the balcony lowered to the ground like an elevator. The machine was built to act separately from the stairs.
“Well done Dedric!”
An eerie light shone in Ark’s eyes.
A muffled scream was heard as Ark pulled his dagger from the thief standing in front of him. And the NPC archers were no match for a dagger wielding Ark.
Ark immediately finished the four archers on the ground.

‘Hyuu…….Nevertheless the party quest was quite difficult.

The thieves were high level and had the geographical advantage. If it hadn’t been for his experience hunting bandit groups, Ark would have probably been the one lying on the ground.

‘Maybe it was fortunate that I discovered this place late. ‘
Ark used food to restore his health and Mana to 100% before moving to the stairs.
He walked more cautiously than the first time he entered.
” I never thought there would be traps in the cave’
The biggest problem is that it is a trap.
Fortunately the damage done by the trap was minimal. However, he cannot guarantee that the next trap he encounters would be at the same level. Even just an alarm ringing through the cave could cause serious problems.
However, even if Ark found a trap it would be difficult to deactivate it.
The trap-related skills belong to professions like Archers or Explorers who search through ruins.
In New World, it was impossible to get everything for free. However, for those who don’t have the required professions the success rate is less than 10%. Therefore the party shape for dungeons requires the right combination of professions.
‘What if? He couldn’t avoid the traps …….. ‘
Ark began to get worried.
It was then that Skull came forward and stumbled on an idea.
Skull had complete loyalty!
But when Snake evolved, Skull was utilized less. Skull was only used when Ark picked him up to throw or biting ankles.
Although he had a lot of stamina and strength due to food, he had no arms and legs to attack.
Because of that, in recent times Skull had become quite depressed.
Skull could not recognize the expression on his master’s face.
Ark thought that this was really a difficult situation.
“What happened to Skull?”
Crackle!
Skull was bravely prepared and rolled stumbling forward. He rolled forward a few feet until there was a snapping sound and a rain of arrows shot from the walls.
However, the people who installed the traps never would have thought that a skull would be the one activating it.
Of course the arrows were aimed at a human height and shape.
“Yes! There is that method!!”
Crackle! Crackle!
The skull proudly stumbled forwards.
“Okay, Skull. You will put out the traps. ”
After that, Skull always rolled 10 meters in front of him to check for traps.
Of course, arrows shot out or a sword was swung and there was even items falling from the sky. However, Skull had high stamina and survived all the traps. In addition, Ark did not have to worry about an alarm when a trap was triggered.
Even if a number of traps were triggered, he did not enter a battle state.
Therefore, he used ‘Stealth’ and just hid from any thieves. On the other hand, Skull could simply be unsummoned to deceive the thieves.
‘What the? Why did the traps activate? ”
“There’s no one around?”
“Damn, did a rodent touch it or something?”

The thieves floated around the perimeter for several minutes before returning to their positions. Therefore, Ark found a way to cope with similar dungeons.
The dungeon has a relatively simple structure.
A long passage with open up to a large room with archers. There were also 3-4 thieves waiting in the room.
The large room had various combinations of thieves, but Ark had already figured out the combinations. He properly activated the machine then went on and defeated the enemies.
He passed through 10 or more room.
Then unusually the normal long passage ended before two huge doors.
‘This is the boss’s room? ‘
It was different from the traps. He knew that if he opened the doors then enemies would appear.
Ark checked his equipment and carefully opened the door.
Although the sound of the waterfall echoed loudly in the dungeon, the creaking sound of the unusually large doors opening was clearly audible.
“What the hell!”
A sharp sound was heard from the side where a variety of tools were scattered.
The first thing he saw was the black robe covering the body. However, it was not a human NPC or a humanoid monster…the face that was revealed between the hood was surprisingly that of a reptile.
At the same time, a warning message flashed before his eyes.
-The Boss monster ‘ Mysterious Conjurer Kirk’ has appeared.

The yellow eyes like a snake rolled around and stared at Ark.
“You are the bounty hunter? No, you shouldn’t have taken the reward…..Well it doesn’t matter. Anyone that comes here won’t be allows to leave alive!
Kirk was also a level 100 thief. However, a boss monster is never an opponent that can be ignored.
Also a level +E difficulty boss monster could be compared to Adelaine. However, Ark had already defeated Adelaine a while ago.
Ark snorted and grinned.
“That is not something that you will decide.”
“Impertinent, how dare a human talk like that?”
Flash-!
Kirk chanted a spell and 3-4 light rays emerged.
It was a low-level magic energy bolt that was learned when you changed professions to magician.
While a warrior used a sword, it was the primary magic attack spell for magicians. However, if it is a couple of shots flying at the same time then he couldn’t ignore it.
Ark rolled to the ground to avoid the damage. He also used Riposte to deflect the magic.
Putt putt POW!
“Ugh, this, unbelievable!”
Kirk wobbled and retreated.
‘That’s it. Riposte also works on magic! So there was a way for him to win! ”
“Dedric, Skull! Plan A-2! ”

He commanded as Ark, Dedric and Skull spread in three directions. They maintained a certain distance while Kirk’s gaze moved wildly between them. Naturally the attacks came flying at Ark who used Riposte as much as possible to parry and counter attack.
Kirk began to use more powerful spells. However, the more powerful the spell is the longer it takes for the magic to cast.
The ball shaped fireball magic was easier to successful Riposte than the energy bolts.

Double bang!

When the fireball was repelled back to Kirk, his health decreased by 10%. Even if he was a boss monster, the trait of a magician was its low defense.
”I was nervous because it was the same level boss as Adelaine but he’s not so hard. No, is it because I’ve become stronger? Anyway this degree of difficulty should be no problem! ‘
With his confidence boosted, Ark’s concentration also increased and he returned even more magic.
However, there was something Ark hadn’t considered.
The boss monster’s racial special skill. After around 5 minutes, Kirk’s health had been reduced to 50%.
When his attack magic did not hit, Kirk spat out curses with a harsh voice and started to chant a long spell.
“God dammit, human prepare to be immobilized!”
“”Dedric, Skull! Prepare to stop him from finishing the spell.

Ark had felt something sinister and shouted.
However, before Dedric and Skull could interrupt, Kirk’s magic had been completed.
“Mimicry!”

At the moment, Kirk’s appearance changed and he disappeared.
Ark looked carefully at the surroundings.
Suddenly the figure had vanished. Ark could use ‘ stealth ‘ but this appeared to be a different skill. Because ‘stealth’ could not be used in battle. In addition, the Eyes of the Cat were a skill that could see anything that was hidden through level magic, but it could not find any traces of Kirk. Kirk could also use magic even while he was hidden.
“The crystalized rock crystals arise!”
He heard Kirk’s voice from coming from an unexpected place.
Then all of a sudden, the ground rose up and golems the size of humans formed. They were approximately level 50 but there were enough of them to fill the room.
The golems came out and the situation immediately changed.
Kwa Kwa Kwa bang, bang!
The golems surrounded Ark from all directions and attacked.
Since they were only level 50 they didn’t do a lot of damage. However, that was different for his level 40 summons. Although they tried to avoid all the attacks, every time they were hit than health was drained. He never expected such magic from Kirk.

‘Damn, what kind of technology is this? ‘

Ark struck a golem which was replaced by another one.
Ark was suffering from a situation where the enemy couldn’t be seen.
The last time was when the squid shot out black ink underwater. The only way he made a fatal blow was by looking at the flow of the current and following it. However, he couldn’t use that method with Kirk.
There were more than 20 golems running around the way and there was no way to look for traces of Kirk.

Kwajik!

The situation couldn’t continue for much longer as first Skull was stepped on by golems before Dedric who was surrounded by golems disappeared as well. All the attention turned to Ark who received additional damage and was soon in a critical state.

‘I was wrong, I can’t win like this! ‘

Ark hurriedly turned and tried to exit the room.

“Kukukuk, did you think I would miss that? Go loyal servants!”

The golems obeyed and pursued him out of the room. Kirk hid between the golems and his voice was heard chanting a spell.
Ark turned and stared.
‘Riposte! ‘
Ark’s goal was to strike all the golems with his counterattack.
The terrain in front of the room was a narrow passage. In addition, the opponent was a medium sized golem.
The golem who was hit with Riposte flew backwards into the crowded area and collided with the golems behind it.
Strike!
The entangled golems fell like dominoes.
“Uhh, this bastard …!”
And Kirk who was hiding somewhere between the golems had his magic cancelled.
Meanwhile, Ark ran frantically down the passage. After he ran away for 1 minute then the battle state disappeared.
Ark immediately hid himself with ‘stealth.’
“Oh damn …! Where is this guy hiding? Golem, sweep through the surrounding area. He must still be lurking around here somewhere! ”
After a brief period of time, the voice of Kirk was heard among the golems. However, he still did not have a way to attack when Kirk is in a mimic state.
Ark had returned to the secret passage using ‘stealth.’ When he checked the info window, it was not a joke.
The durability of all his armour was at the lowest point due to the durability and strength of the golems. Even if he used the magic restoration spell to repair the equipment, the maximum durability would still be reduced.
With tears in his eyes, Ark had to use the repair box which he normally avoided using due to low stock and cost.
But the problem isn’t repairing his equipment.
‘Is there an alternative method? ‘
Before he had to run away. However, the situation from before wasn’t good. He was already using mimicry and then he summoned golems. On the other hand, Ark had also lost Dedric and Skull. The results meant they had to fight again.

‘Damn it, even if he doesn’t have golems there is still the problem of mimicry …….. ‘

The biggest problem was that Kirk had special racial skill mimicry.
If he keeps fighting in the invisible state than there is no way to attack him.

‘When it was underwater there was still a way of attacking …. ‘

He was thinking about his experience fighting underwater when an idea sprang to his head.

Black ink!

Why had he never thought of that?

That right, if they are invisible then you should make it so that they can be seen! ‘

Ark stood up and went to the entrance of the dungeon. At the entrance, Sid was dozing against the wall while Sarah peered with worried eyes at the dungeon.
When you’re dead then you can nap comfortably…..

“Eh? Ark-nim! Have you finished?”

“No, the boss was stronger than I thought.”

Ark spoke bluntly in a curt voice and Sarah gave him a concerned look.

“It’s okay. I’ll do everything I can to save your father. ”

Ark said with a smile while Sid looked worried.

“Sid, I’ll need your help to defeat the boss.”

“Yes? But I’m a …….. ”

“I’m not asking you to fight. Remember that thing? You only need to give me that”

Ark said with a smile.

“You fool, you came back to die!”

When Ark entered the secret passage, Kirk’s voice was heard. And the golems flocked to him.
In a moment, Ark hit a golem with riposte and sent it flying in the direction of the audible voice.

“Kukukuk. No matter how much you rack your brains it’s not use. If you can’t see me then you can’t catch me!”

Kirk had already fled several meters away from where he was laughing. Then a cold smile spread on Ark’s face.

“Then I just have to look”

Ark’s hand moved quickly.
Ark removed a big package from his bag and threw it in the air. And swinging his sword, he burst the package causing colourful liquids to fly everywhere.
At that time Kirk gave an embarrassed scream.

“Dye!”

The item splashing all over the place was very colourful liquid dyes.
Ark had collected the dye using Sid’s sewing skills. And by blowing it in the air. The dye scattered in many directions.
As a result, the deserted dungeon underwent a home renovation with various colours splattered all over like a rainbow.

“Ugh, this is unbelievable!”

The not so agile Kirk couldn’t avoid all the dye and looked like a rainbow lizard.
Ark lifted his sword and smiled.

“Pretty good? So now … ….let’s fight fair and square? ”

“Golems kill him!”

“Seems the lizard can’t guess the situation”

Ark quickly narrowed the distance using Riposte.
Then the golem was hit and forced back to the wall with Kirk. Due to that golem, Kirk was a difficult goal for Ark.
This was because it could hide among the golems without being seen. However, when mimicry was broken the situation changed.

“Snake, nerve paralysis poison!”

Ark swung his poison coated sword at Kirk’s neck. Thanks to the vocal cord paralysis, Kirk couldn’t chant his magic. In addition, he couldn’t give orders to the golems so their actions became unorganized.
Kirk was on the defensive and in a hurry ran away. However, Ark used Riposte on the golem and aimed it to hit Kirk.
With his vocal cords barely unparalyzed, Kirk angrily shouted.

“Fools! Every golem is stupid! ”

“Oi, oi, your character is the worst. Your summonses are risking their lives to fight for you. You should value them.

Although Ark did summon his pets to feed them horrible food.
After a few minutes of fighting, Kirk was in critical condition.

“Rain, come and nourish me! Let’s leave the human! Acceleration! ”

Kirk cast a spell of acceleration and headed towards the rear. Although Ark hurriedly rushed through the golems, the acceleration had doubled Kirk’s speed and he was already around the corner.
There was a waterfall outside the dungeon.
If he washes the dye off at the waterfall then the situation will not change.

“Damn childish lizard who can’t die without causing problems,”

Ark cursed and chased after Kirk.
Meanwhile, Kirk was running towards the entrance of the dungeon.

“Hik, what is that?”

Sid was standing at the entrance with an uneasy look when he shrieked as a rainbow coloured lizard came running out and pushed him out of the way.

“Get out of the way, Hobbit!”

Kirk ran while frantically chanting magic. And just trying to shoot a huge fireball, he flinched and fell forward.

“What, what?”

Ark followed with an evil smile on his face.

“What a fool! Did he think I wouldn’t have any countermeasures?”

“No, no way … …a trap?”

“I learned from you.”

Although to be exact, it wasn’t a trap.
Due to their profession, Ark and Sid couldn’t install traps successfully.
However, a certain freedom of action was possible in New World. So what they came up with was a needle using Sid’s sewing profession!
Before Ark entered the dungeon, he laid out a series of needles coated with Snake’s venom on the ground at the entrance.
It wasn’t a high level trap but Ark took advantage of the fact that Kirk would have to run through the entrance barefoot.

“Do it, no way! I with a needle…..!”

“It doesn’t look good if you’re too persistent. Just simply accept your death”

“Don’t make me laugh! I’m the great …. ”

With his two stiff legs, Kirk quickly tried to chant a spell.
However, wielding his sword Ark was several times faster.

“Take this, Dark blade!”

There was an audible sound as the sound penetrated Kirk’s chest.
The mimicry faded away and his original features returned as his body slowly disappeared.

-Your level has risen.

When Kirk disappeared, a welcome message popped up stating that he was level 86.
He could also see the cross shape on Sid’s head, a sign that he had levelled up.
Sid was too far away to receive the party experience from the thieves in the dungeon. Thanks to that, Ark was able to receive 100% of the additional experience received for killing thieves in a party.
By taking advantage of this fact during his battles against the previous bandit groups, he was able to raise 7 levels in 9 days. However, Kirk died in front of Sid so the experience would be equally distributed.

‘Well, in this situation you deserve the experience but ….. ‘

“I finally finished. And Sid you performed well by deceiving the fellow.”

Ark said as he crouched beside Sid who was on the ground. Then Sid stood up and with a face brimming with tears replied.

“It’s really scary!”

“What is, this … ‘

Was the person who reached level 60 as a merchant a game novice? He wondered about the real status of Sid. But anyway the boss was defeated thanks to Sid’s help. Ark gave Sid a pat and excitedly examined the items dropped from the boss.

Dark robe (Magic)
Armour type: Robe
Defense power: 20
Durability: 4/40
Weight: 10
User restriction: Level 70 or more
A mysterious magic robe made of silk, magic spirit is imbued in the silk to help calm the mind. A calm spirit can increase concentration substantially and help the magic unfold smoothly.
{Option: Magic success rate + 20%, Magic casting speed + 20%}

-The thief’s key
The Winning Necklace: Level 70
Quest starting item
A necklace made of a material that vaguely detects magic.You can check the quest commissioned by the Magic Institute.

The boss monster had dropped one equipment item.
It’s for magic use only but it has good options that should make it sell fairly well.

‘I bet the key is related to Sarah’s quest but this necklace… … ..? ‘

Ark stared at the Winning Necklace.
The necklace material detects magic and the glass heart beads were sealed and protected in the same material. In addition, it was a quest starting item.
In other words, if someone had defeated this dungeon and found the quest item then they could bring it to the magic society and receive the same quest Ark had.

‘Yes and if he had originally found this dungeon first then he could’ve swept through the dungeon and recieved the quest. By doing the Event Quest, he earned a high level of friendship with the Magic Institute and therefore did the quest in the wrong order. ‘

In other words, this was the original intention behind the bandit groups. Ark considered this with a frown.

“But wait, this is a quest starting item? So somewhere in the dungeon is the Heartsoul Bead? Because the boss dropped a quest starting item for the Heartsoul Bead, it means that he is entering the starting phase of the quest…..’
Maybe the Magic Institute’s quest was longer than Ark thought

Ark summarized the dungeon and returned to the boss’ room with Sid and Sarah.
In the room there was a different secret passage attached.
By following the route, it eventually led past a pool to the prison.
More than 10 people were trapped inside the prison.
When Ark used the key to open a door, Sarah ran to a middle aged man who had tears brimming in his eyes when he saw here.
He was Sarah’s father.

“You’re still alive, so everything’s great”

Sid was thrilled by the sight.

“Rain, out of my way!”

“Eek?

Some unexpected developments occurred.
The middle-aged man pushed Sarah to the side and ran towards a bush. He was not the only one.
The prisoners that were not seen by Ark and his companions seemed crazy as they also rushed to the bush by the pool and ate the grass. And they seemed lightheaded as they sat down and stared at something spellbound.
The same thing happened to the middle-aged man. Sarah was too embarrassed to show any expression on her face.

“Ah, Ark-nim?”

Sid looked at him puzzled.
Ark looked at them for a while before approaching the bush they were scattered around.
The key for Ark was the bizarre shape of the plants that were growing. Their strange behaviour was probably related to the plants.
He used ingredient identification on some of the plants and opened up the skill’s information window.

Nurunma Leaf (Ingredient)

A plant that grows in the special environment of the island. The leaves have an anaesthesia effect and can be refined to tablets to create a superior remedy. But at the same time it contains strong addictive and hallucinogenic ingredients in large quantities.

The final drug like effect relies on the purification process.When just the leaf is eaten, in the past warriors just it as a stimulant however once it became an addiction then their guard was easy to break. Due to the severe effects, the production and distribution of this stimulant was banned across every continent.

“This is a drug as expected … ….”

“A drug?”

“Yes, somehow all these people are addicted to drugs.”

Ark nodded and murmured.
Now a picture of the situation was drawn in his head.
The reason why the thieves remained concealed in the ruins and didn’t move for 1 year.
Someone had probably told them that the Nurunma plant grew in these ruins.
The thieves began to grow it in order to start drug production and gain a big profit.

“They probably kidnapped travellers and locked them in the jail to be used as an effective drug trial. And Sarah’s father too… … .. ”

“………..!”

During the conversation between the two, Sarah’s face turned pale and terrified.
Sarah’s father had been kidnapped at little over two days ago in game time, and two days ago he was fine but now he’s a drug addict.
Sarah cried at the reality that her father was just one middle aged man seeing hallucinations.
Then Sid who could not overlook a crying face asked.

“Ah, Ark-nim?” Isn’t there a way? At this rate… …. ”

“Certainly, if left alone then it could be a big problem.”

Ark replied, scratching his head.
This situation was really difficult. He had defeated a group of thieves and in the end rescued Sarah’s father.
But the middle aged man who should have given him his reward was instead a saliva dripping man addicted to drugs. In addition, the quest for the Magic Institute required him in his normal condition.

I don’t know whether this will work but I have no choice but to try it’

“Everybody please be steady. The pleasure that you’re feeling now is not right. It is the temptation of the devil that will lead you to eventually ruin your body and your mind. Please steady your heart and resist the temptation. You can do it”

Ark used his nursing skill.
However, there was no reaction from the addicts.
They were too immersered in their hallucinations that Ark’s voice was not even audible to them. And after a while, the effects of the Nurunman leave they ate wore off and moving their bodies like a zombie, they stood up to grab more leaves.

“Stop! Wake up! ”

“………!”

Sid and Sarah tried to stop them but it was no use.
The addicts were furiously beating each other up to get to the Nurunma leaves. The surprising thing to Ark was that their resilience. Even when they were knocked down, they just got up again like they could feel no pain
Even if they only had 1% health left, they still crawled on the ground in order to put the Nurunman leaf in their mouth. If he left then the situation would just repeat itself until all the plants in the ruins were gone.

‘Damn, is this why drug addiction is so frightening? However he could not have them killing each other….looking at the situation maybe it is better to put them back in their prison?’

Suddenly a thought flashed in Ark’s head.

‘If so, this might be the best method…..! ‘

Ark immediately took out his pot and cooked a dish.
While the addicts were eating the Nurunman leaves, he was just leisurely cooking and Sid and Sarah shared a puzzled and absurd look.
But they couldn’t ignore the sight and soon 15 portions of food were produced that gave off a strange smell.

“Ok Sid, Sarah, catch the people and feed them this food using force if necessary!”

“Yes? But what…? ”

“I’ll give you an explanation later after you quickly feed them!”

Ark shouted and caught 1 addict, pressing the food to his mouth. He struck the struggling addict, forcing his mouth open and shoving the food in, with Sid and Sarah immediately following. The effect was immediate, the addicts who ate the food staggered and vomited out the Nurunma leaves.

“Ugh, ugh, uweeeek!”

An addict who ate another Nurunma leaf vomited again.

‘It is like I thought! ‘

Ark’s eyes twinkled.
Ark had made the ‘Appetite Killing Stew.’
It was a stew that tastes so bad that it is impossible to eat any other food for 2 hours or they would throw up. If you tried to eat food by force then it would be thrown up and it also had the additional bonus of decreasing the effects of the eaten food.

‘The Nurunma leaves also counts as consumed food. Eating it poisons you and causes hallucinations. In other words, in New World drug addiction can be seen as a food effect ……. ‘

When the Nurunman leaves have been eaten and thrown up, it is also possible for the Appetite Killing Stew to weaken the drug addiction effect……or so Ark thought.
It was a hit.
After eating and vomiting the Nurunma leaves dozens of times, the pupils of the drug addicts started to clear up.
It was only a slight change but now there was hope.

‘Ok, from now on it is a battle of patience! ‘

The opponents are drug addicts. However, they wouldn’t recover easily even if it was a game.
Ark made food and steadily fed it to them as well as using his Nursing skill on the addicts whenever possible.
It lasted over 6 hours.
By that time, Sarah had failed to sleep properly for more than two days and the NPC slept against the wall along with Sid. Ark too wanted to close his eyes and faint from the exhaustion.
However, Ark clenched his mouth and with red eyes continued making food for 15 people while firing off his nursing skill randomly.

‘The quest is almost complete. Who needs sleep? ‘

The time limit was almost over and he just wanted to finish the quest as soon as possible!
And his obsession finally evoked a miracle.

“You can overcome the temptation of the devil if you will it. Win for yourselves and for the ones waiting for you. Right now is the time to show your willingness for the ones you love.

How many times? Due to the exhaustion it was hard to even count how many times he had used the Nursing skill.
A blue light emerged from his body. It hung down from the addict’s face to reveal the shadows that had melted away.

The Miracle Nursing was successful

Without sparing your body, you devoted yourself to their care and saved many from a fate of despair. A sick person does not only suffer from disease and injury. People addicted to drugs and tempted by the pleasure are not able to escape with their own strength. They are also sick and suffering.

Even so, they do not know that they are sick. Nursing people who don’t know that they are sick is no easy task. No matter what, the only remedy that can save them is tenacity and patience.
Without taking your eyes off the time limit, you poured infinite care and affection on them with amazing patience. Although penetrating the heart with words is important, truly caring for the sick requires a steady patience.
Now the sick will learn from your patience and win against the temptation of the Nurunma leaves.
* Due to the success of miracle nursing, all stats are increase by 1.
* The Affection stat increased by 10.
* Fame increased by 50.
* Alignment towards Good increased by 50.
The Miracle Nursing was a success and you have acquired the title ‘Committed Caretaker.’Fame as a Caretaker has increased, so you will receive praises from many patients* As a title bonus, all stats increase by 1*Fame increased by 50

‘I, I did it! ‘

With an exhausted face, Ark sat down with a thud.
At that time, Sid and Sarah raised their head to the light. After waking up from his hallucinations, the middle-aged man gazed at Sarah and stuttered.

“Oh……….Oh, Sarah, Sarah! Thank goodness! ”

Sarah opened her mouth before running to join the middle aged man in a tight hug while crying.
Sid watched the reunion with tears in his eyes.

“Ah, Ark-nim” You really did it! ”

Ark silently nodded his head.
Ark had originally only done it to complete the quest, but looking at Sarah’s face he felt a sense of accomplishment.
The heart with which a parent regards their child or the child their parents is still the same no matter if they are a person or a NPC. He thought back to when he was treating the addicts with cold eyes until he saw Sarah sleeping with tears streaming down her face.
The Nursing skill didn’t rely on the skill level or the number of uses. For disease stricken NPCs, caring for them sincerely and compassionately is required for Nursing to succeed. Maybe his change of heart was the reason why Miracle Nursing succeeded.

‘If it wasn’t for Sarah then the miracle nursing probably wouldn’t have succeeded. ‘

That said, however, it did succeed.
Anyway, now he would be able to complete the quest to rescue her father. He explained the general situation. Hanson approached Ark.

“You are Ark and Sid? I really thank you. You rescued my daughter and you even saved me. I don’t know how to express my gratitude.”

” Obviously with a reward…. ‘

Ark swallowed the words that came to his mind.

“It was a natural thing. Anyway I’m just relieved that it turned out to alright”

“Oo! A man like you still exists in this barren world. But I can’t feel comfortable if I just accept your help. I want to give you something but I don’t have it at the moment…..”

Hanson had been searching all through his pockets and bag.

‘Please think! There must be something! Please look for it! ‘

Ark’s cheers showed an effect.
After a while Hansen remembered the leather pouch attached to his waist and lifted it.

“I’m sorry I only have something like this. It is only one as well. But fortunately for me it is a special talent. It is tips for making a map. Or if you’re carrying this leather pouch, other people with a knack for it will tell you their tips to making maps. This would be useful for a foreigner like you. ”

You can select your reward.
1. Cartography (Skill Initiation)
Map can be made using Cartographer Hansen’s skills. If the user who learnt the skill has a pen and paper, they will automatically draw a place down. Also, villages, the geography and any major information about a dungeon visited are automatically recorded.When a map showing the terrain and information of each area or dungeon is 100% completed, a paper map can be created. This map scroll will be able to be sold to other players or NPC general stores. However, once sold the map information disappears.
2. Hanson’s leather pouch
It can hold 25% of the capacity of a basic bag

‘ Hoo., so I can choose the reward? ‘

Ark confirmed the information with shining eyes.
He had looked at Hansen and didn’t have big expectations. However, which reward would be more useful? In big cities a magic bag with 1/4 of the capacity of a basic bag was sold for 200 gold! Therefore he could earn 200 gold with that reward.

” People are always going to be lacking bags … … … ‘

Ark swallowed his excess saliva with a gulp.
However, what captured Ark’s attention was the cartography skill. The basic map given to a user does not register the terrain of a dungeon. In complicated dungeons, his usual method was to familiarize himself by wandering around.
However, if he had the cartography skill he wouldn’t have to waste time wandering over the same routes. In addition, when you complete it 100% you can sell the maps. Of course the more complicated and challenging dungeon maps would be sold at a more expensive price.
Bags might be coveted but they are as not useful in dungeons. Besides the cartography skill could also earn him money.
‘Yes, money can buy items but rare skills. It cannot be compared’
After Ark made a decision he looked at Sid. As expected Sid was also drooling over the cartography skill.
Indeed, if registered to a map the town’s information would be useful to merchants. It would not be easy to concede it to Ark.

“Sid because you are a merchant you’ll need more bags of course”

“Yes? No, I’m…….. ”

“It’s ok. I’ll just choose the first option. I’ll have what’s left. ”

Ark smiled as he spoke causing Sid to flinch. He was laughing but Sid noticed an unidentified light in his eyes.

“Don’t be concerned. I didn’t do that much to finish this request, just merely fought against thieves and almost died! Sid was also sleeping when I was busy treating the addicts’ suffering throughout the night. But don’t be nervous and take what you want. Hahaha, It’s between me and Sid. Right? So please choose the better option. This is the bag of course”

Whenever Ark spoke, Sid felt small wounds puncturing him. And after staring at Ark for a while, he blew a sigh and gave an awkward smile.

“Oh, that’s right, what, just … ….I need a bag”

“I knew it”

So Ark conceded the bad (?) which Sid received and was very happy (?) and it was done. And Ark learned the cartography skill from Hansen and a message window popped up.

-‘Rescue Sarah’s dad!

‘The quest has been completed.
-Your level has risen.

Even though the quest difficulty was +E, completion of the quest caused his level to rise.
Once Ark had completed the quest he asked.

“Have you maybe seen anything special about this place?”

“Something special?”

“Yes, it wouldn’t be anything big. Something between the size of a ball and a fist? Well, that would be the approximate size. And because it would have protection there might be a sinister aura coming from it. Are you reminded of anything? ”

“Well?”

After thinking for a while, Hansen opened his mouth.

“Oh, that reminds me. When I first came here, I saw something suspicious. Some round objects that were contained in an iron box, wrapped in a black cloth inscribed with funny characters I haven’t seen before. I also felt fear to the degree that my body kept on trembling. At the time, I thought I was frightened because I had just been caught by the thieves. But now thinking back, that strange feeling seemed to be coming from that stuff.

“That’s it! Where is it now?”

“The man with red hair took it.”

“The man with red hair?”

“Yes, he also radiated an ominous aura. A red aura covered his body and he also had red hair. The thieves’ boss also used an honorific word for him. I heard the spirit but not the details. He was also the one to give me to the thieves. Your stupid man got caught infiltrating. Tell them to be more careful … … …”

The situation fit. Hansen’s words caused Ark to remember the thieves’ conversation in the secret passage that Ark eavesdropped on.
In the middle of the thieves’ neutral words they said ‘he.’ Perhaps the person they were referring to was the man with red hair. And the thief who got caught outside was the one that had infiltrated Giran last time.

“Do you know where he went?”

“Let’s see……..He went north of ……..Brandt mountains …….beyond the Angora Cliffs… … …Ah, yes Cairo. That’s right. If it is near the Angora Cliffs in the Brandt Mountains then the only place it could be was Cairo. No doubt, he was a cartographer”

“Cairo?”

Ark looked at Sid with a slightly surprised face.
Prior to meeting Sid, he had never heard of Cairo.
It was a lawless city where chaotic users gathered. However, Ark had been unable to figure out the location of Cairo.
He had heard that chaotic users in Cairo automatically received event quests. Of course, Ark did not want to become chaotic just to find out the location of Cairo.

“Do you happen to know the location of Cairo?”

“Of course. I couldn’t call myself a cartographer if I didn’t know the location of a city. If you’ll let me display the location on the map”

Hanson nodded and a map window automatically opened.
It was open to Giran’s northern area and a red dot pointed to the middle of the Brandt Mountains.

”Ok, I’ve collected all of the required information now. Now all that’s left is to report back to the Magic Institute.

“Well, let’s get out of here.”

Dungeons frustrated Sid because they were not familiar to him.
But there were still people in the prison and Hanson’s face still signs of hesitation. Ark tilted his head and asked.

“Which reminds me ……..Why are the people still like that? They don’t seem pleased…it’s like they’re not even aware that they have been saved”

“That’s probably … … ….”

Hanson explained with a sigh.
The people in the prison were people who wandered the continent or were kidnapped like Hanson. Unlike Hansen who had only been addicted for two days, most of these people have been addicted for years and lost most of their memory.

“When you are looking at a few minutes a day without the day … … …Although the symptoms are different for everyone, some are so severe that they can’t even remember their own name. So they are frightened of where to go after they leave here. If it was just a little bit later, I would have been just like them too. I would have even failed to recognize my daughter…….. ”

Just imagining the fearful thought, Hanson hugged Sarah harder.

“Bastards!”

Sid clenched his fist in anger.
Well, yes but he still looked cute … … …
However, compared to Sid’s fury, Ark’s eyes glittered.

‘Ho-Oh! Then these people are little lost sheep?‘

Ark’s ability to connect his quests and maximize profits was triggered.
Ark’s tongue seemed as smooth as oil.

“That’s a shame. They shouldn’t be abandoned just before they suffered such a horrible thing. But it is fortunate. There is a place called Lancel Village that knows me. It is a good place where the courageous people always greet a new neighbour. Even if you are a person with lost memories, the people of the pioneer village would be delight to welcome you. So let’s take them there? ”

“Lancel! It is still there?”

Hanson the cartographer stared with surprised eyes.
Ark roughly explained what happened to Lancel and Hanson nodded.

“I see. Nevertheless you are not an average person. Yes, in this situation I better take them to Lancel Village. Now you don’t have to worry anymore. I will take responsibility for bringing them to Lancel Village. Although the body is not in the best condition, as a cartographer I use magic to avoid the monsters just like a normal magician.

“Yes that would be great. Tell them that I sent you to Lancel Village.
Somebody called Galen will look after them. ”

“I see”

Hanson nodded and a quest updated.

Find New Settlers quest has been updated.

You rescued these poor people who were caught by thieves. And referred those who lost their memories to Lancel, the pioneer village. Of course, Lancel requires a lot of manpower and will welcome them as residents wholeheartedly. Like a newborn baby, they cannot remember anything.

However, they will remember that you have found them a new home. They decided to respect your intention and be reborn as a resident of Lancel.

{New settlers found: 25% complete}

Because they lost their memories they were not counted as settlers with special abilities. However, the achievement still increased by 10%.
He was getting closer to completing the quest. Ark summed up the situation and left the party leaving the dungeon to Sid.
Ark remained in the dungeon because there was still work to be done.

‘These are all the drug ingredients?’

The remaining Ark looked at the Nurunma leaves and laughed.
The thieves had secretly cultivated rare plants!
Ark’s keen senses smelled the scent of money. Of course, the leaves of the Nurunma plant were now useless.
Even if it is a drug, it would still make an excellent ingredient to make a superior remedy. He wouldn’t be able to sell it at stores in cities. Even if the NPC bought it then he would just be dragged to the guards and arrested.

” But what if the laws don’t apply to the city? ‘

He had already heard about Cairo through Hansen.
After meeting the Magic Institute, the quest would probably lead him to the lawless city of Cairo, where prohibited items from the continent would probably be sold.

’Drugs would be a little concerning but … … … … ”

Ark had encountered chaotic players many times. Chaotic NPCs and users ran wild in Cairo, so he felt no remorse selling Nurunma leaves there.
And wouldn’t it become a treatment pill if refined well?
It they determined that the drug was a remedy, than the NPC shops in Cairo would take the lot. After that Ark is not responsible for it.
Although this was slightly different, the Korean’s favourite seasoning pepper was first recognized as a poison.
According to the Japanese, when the Japanese invasion was defeated, people tried to destroy the plants. However, their forefathers were clever and used the peppers to develop a famous food culture worldwide.
After all, that’s not important. What are important are the intentions of the people who utilize it.

‘As long as I write that the seasoning can be poisonous! ‘

Armed with that thought, Ark used his extraction skill and collected the Nurunma leaves.
After he had finished collecting the Nurunma leaves in bundles of 200, he had a total of 1600! Even if one sells for 10 silver then he would still receive 160 gold.
Even if he fell down a well, Ark would never leave empty-handed.
After exiting the dungeon, Sid and Hanson’s companions gathered.
When Sarah approached to give a farewell greeting, she bent and kissed his cheek. And Ark blushed as red as a beetroot.

-Really thank you

It was a sudden surprise but it didn’t feel bad.
Sid waited with an expectant expression.
However, Sarah turned away with a flick of her tongue and left with Hanson.
Sid blankly stared with dumb surprise before raising his voice angrily at Ark.

“Ark, you too!”

ACT 6 The Lawless city Cairo

“Draconian clan?”

Shannon from the Magic Institute asked in surprise after hearing your report.

“Yes, it looked like it was a lizard-like species”

“I never thought the Draconian clan would be involved with the Heartsoul Bead. However if he used mimicry he might have been able to steal the Heartsoul Bead. ”

“What kind of species is the Draconian anyway?”

“They are … … …No, it’s not. It’s still too early to come to conclusions when you are still unsure. I’m sorry but for the moment can you keep quiet about the Draconian’ involvement “.

“That’s not a difficult job but ……..”

Actually he had no interest in the lizard.

“The problem is the Heartsoul Bead.”

Shannon began to talk with a serious expression.

“I was never sure what those who stole the Heartsoul Bead knew about it. But based on your story, they seem to have a purpose for stealing the Heartsoul Bead. If so, I’m afraid the problem is more serious than I thought”

“There are a lot of ways it can be misused.”

Shannon reached out his sweaty palms and grasped Ark’s hands.

“Please. You’re the only one I can rely on. The Merchant Guild and Warrior Guild have already begun to suspect the situation. We have no way to chase after the Red Man because if caught the Magic Institute’s position in society will be damaged. In addition, the protection around the relic has been damaged therefore the situation is unknown. ”

“I see what you’re saying.”

Ark nodded and replied.

“I never thought about abandoning a task once I have started it. Fortunately, the cartographer gave me a clue to the whereabouts of the Red Man so before it is too late I will find the Heartsoul Bead. ”

The reason for Ark was of course the reward.
From Shannon’s reaction to the quest he could smell the scent of money.
It could be a huge disaster if the situation is prolonged? If you resolve such a problem then it would be extremely profitable.
But was that all? Since the beginning of quest, he received a great deal of experience from being in a party. The Nurunman leaf was only one of his rewards!
Yes, it was a quest that laid golden eggs!
And Shannon did not even realise the reason behind his acceptance.

“After Jackson, how could I not believe in you?”

After Shannon spoke a new message window popped up.

Quest updated.

Find the Heartsoul Bead => Find the Heartsoul Bead II
You found further clues to the Heartsoul Bead in the ruins where unidentified robbers were hiding.
The mysterious Red Man associated with the thieves seems to have taken the Heartsoul Bead towards Cairo.
The key to all the events lies with the Red Man.After collecting more information from him, bring back the Heartsoul Bead.
Difficulty level: C

Anyway, that’s the first checkpoint passed. Is that the end of the boring bounty hunting?
It was actually quite profitable that it was a shame to end it.
However, he had to give it up to gain even more compensation.
Ark left the Magic Institute and put some things in order in Giran. The first place he visited was the garrison.
During the period where he destroyed 18 groups of thieves, he did not have time to drop by Giran to receive the bounty money.

“What brings you here?”

“I came to receive the prize money.”

“Do you have the necessary evidence?”

“Yes, of course.”

Tuk, Tuk, Tuk, Tuk … … …

Ark continued to pull out tokens from his bag and piled them on the desk.
After the 3-4, the NPC officials stared with their mouths open until the 10th token. After he finally pulled out all 18 tokens they stared with amazement.

“This is, this is all ……..?”

“Yes, it’s all the tokens. Please confirm it.”

Ark laughed and smiled at the NPC officials as they said.

“It’s amazing. It has been less than a month since I put up most of these bounties ……..But all these thieves have been destroyed within a month?”

“Why wouldn’t it?”

“Ah, no. Is there something like that? ”

After he checked the tokens against a ledger, the NPC handed him a thick money bag.
The bag contained a whopping 254 gold!
He had frantically hunted bandit groups without visiting the village for 9 days.
Of course, he had to practice hunting for five days before the real hunting so the actual investment time was a fortnight. However, excluding the profit from loot, a 254 gold bounty was a huge income.
In addition, his hunter rank rose to rank C in record time.
However there is a limit to hunting bounties alone.
Ark could catch a lot of thief companies because other users weren’t interested in them. Not surprisingly, the phenomenon was limited to some areas.
When a thief company is exterminated and a scheduled time passed then the group would appear again, however the time scheduled for thieves was different from the general monsters.
It was a necessary method to balance the game.
The eighteen cases were only possible for Ark because a large amount of bandit groups settled around a commercial city and the other players generally avoided hunting thief companies. Indeed, when Ark visited the bulletin board there were only three new bounties. Two of them were ones that Ark had cancelled because he didn’t have the token.
After Ark collected the bounty, he turned into Giran Square. Sid had also come to the square to organize and sell his loot. After calculating it in his head, Ark had reserve budget of 1000 gold.

‘The gold in reserve could be changed into cash in case of an emergency. Now he didn’t have to worry about money after more! ‘

After he finished counting, he gloatingly asked Sid.

“Now, for the time being I’m stopping bounty hunting. Sid what are you going to do?”

“Arc-nim are you going to Cairo?”

“Yes,”

“So I’ll come along”

Sid said with shining eyes.
So even after making him work so much, he still doesn’t know Ark’s true colours?
However, Sid had his own reasons.

“With me? But that is a dangerous place for a merchant”

“I don’t have anything to lose anyway.”

Sid said with a heart-warming smile.

“And I have to go anyway.”

“Why is that?”

“Ohuhuhuhu, a windfall. Actually a little while ago I stopped at a store to sell some loot and I got a quest that was from dedicated professional merchants. The merchant want to study items that are only sold in Cairo. After delivering each special item to the required merchant for research, I would have 150 gold to write off my remaining debt. It seems to be a quest that is only given to merchants with Cairo’s location marked on their map.”

“But you have to be a chaotic user to buy exclusive items from Cairo ……..?”

To enter may cost more than 150 gold.
Then Sid grinned and lifted a piece of paper.

“It’s a draft issued by the merchant. But it can’t be used outside of a Cairo store”

That is to say Sid’s only intention was to carry stuff.

“Items that are usually sold in Cairo are difficult to find in an ordinary village. This was more than a little gold. Until now, any money I made went to paying off my debt but not this time. But if I buy the right item then I might be able to resell it for a greater price.”

“Well, that’s fine if you’re sure… … …”

“Yes then please bring me there.”

Sid said while hopping and running.
Frankly, Ark also wanted Sid to come along.
Silently marching for 20 hours a day was possible thanks to Sid. Also, he had a cool character and signed a contract to give Ark his share of the profit from anything he sold. However, Ark had a crucial reason for liking Sid.
As a hobbit, he had access to 6 bags…with the pouch he received from Hanson that was 7 bags available! Sid was just a bag to Ark after all.

‘Cairo is a lawless city. He should have his poisonous skill equipped ready to use at any time. If so, having Sid along would also help. Ayu, my lovely bag. ‘

“Okay.” If it’s Sid then you’re always welcome.

“Then let’s leave immediately!”

Sid swung both of his arms as he walked.
Therefore he continued to travel together with the hobbit merchant with a bad credit rating.

” This was a deposit, … … … ..! ‘

Hyun-woo looked at his bank account with thrilled eyes.
At the end of the Event Quest, he put up the Fire Slayer for auction and the winning bid was just deposited.
In fact, the auction was closed for a while. However, the person who deposited the money received an unavoidable computer error leaving him anxious until it was confirmed that the money was now properly deposited.
The deposit amount was a whopping 11,160,000 won!
The highest bid was 12,000,000 won with 7% going to the auction commission fee. This meant that 840,000 won went to the auction fee but the expense was worth it.
1-1 trade with users could be a popular place for a scam. Hyun-woo also fell victim to a fraud a couple of years ago when trying to buy a 100,000 won item.
A 12,000,000 won item was worth so much more that if he fell victim to a fraud he would vomit blood and die.

‘Well, I just have to think of it like a tax and in some cases if you use the auction then you can receive a higher price. I got 11,160,000 won anyway. And the Dark Robe I got yesterday sold for 900,000 won so tomorrow I should receive 870,000 won. ‘

When combined with the money in his account, he would have around 14,000,000 won.
Every day the prices go up even more but it should be enough to pay two or three months’ worth of hospital bills without having to worry about money.
Hyun-woo gave a heart-warming smile at the bank statement.

‘Oh, today I have to go to the hospital with uncle Gwon Hwa-rang? ‘

Hyun-woo remembered the phone call he answered this morning.

“Speaking of Uncle Gwon Hwa-rang, it’s been awhile since I’ve visited his house. Oh that’s right, isn’t today the day he normally visits his probation members? Because today was the first day they would meet directly since the lump sum came in …. ‘

Gwon Hwa-rang had bought a house for the rehabilitation members to live together almost a year ago.
Hyun-woo bought food with a few bills in his pocket while grinding his teeth. He paid for three whole chickens and after dinner drinks.
The total was 55,000 won. Paying 2000 won for seaweed rolls three times a day was an extravagant amount for Hyun-woo.
However, he made an exception for Gwon Hwa-rang and the probation members Spending that much … …. But it was a crowd so he should not scrimp.
Gwon Hwa-rang’s place was 30 minutes away by bus.

“Who is it?”

A voice was heard after he pressed the bell.
And the man appeared!
Hyun-Woo used to be a juvenile delinquent and he had a fairly disciplined mind and body. However, he became breathless at the sight of the man that appeared.
A bear-like man with tattoos from his wrist to his neck. It was like he found himself in front of a boss monster, with a warning message spontaneously appearing in his head.
The guy scanned him up and down and said.

‘What the? You have chicken? ”

“Aaa……..I’m here to see Uncle Gwon Hwa-rang?”

“Nag? You know Gwon? ”

“Yes, I’m Hyun-woo. We had an appointment today …. ”

“Oh! Oh!”

He scratched his head roughly as his eyes opened in surprise.

“It’s you! You’re Ark! ”

“Yes, that is, yes?”

“Ah! Man why did you hesitate? It’s me, number 1405. Remember? ”

“Number 1405? Then you are that uncle … “.

“Yes, Yes! I received a lot of help that day. Well, you do look exactly like your game character. I’m sorry, I don’t have very keen eyes. Come in “.

Number 1405 grabbed his arm and just pulled him into the house.
When he unconsciously entered the house, his company immediately raised his voice.

“Hey, Ark is here!”

Not long after, ………..Hyun-woo felt like he had entered a safari park and had been thrown as a toy.
His first impression of all the guys that rushed out of a room was that they were tougher than rock. Frankly, Hyun-woo considered the group of thieves cute compared to these guys. 10 similar men gathered and surrounded him! It was such a situation then he sat down with a sweaty back.

‘Uncle Gwon Hwa-rang says kid, kid…..Looking around where is this kid? ‘

“Gwon had to go out a little bit because of urgent business. He wants you to wait a little bit. It’s like that. And when he goes somewhere he doesn’t bring a cell phone with him……”

The man with a horrifying knife scar on his face said with a smile. Hyun-woo almost said ‘I’m sorry I’ll buy a cell phone immediately.’

I’m number 1401. Kang Yoo-jin. But did you buy us food?”

Kang Yoo-jin looked at the chicken set in Hyun-woo’s hands.

“Yes,”

After he answered the chicken turned to bone.

It didn’t even take 11 minutes. Scary. Are they going to eat me as well? Did he come for nothing?’

Hyun-woo rolled his eyes nervously. The last of the chicken wings was eaten by number 1405, called Ma Chorung who suddenly asked.

“By the way, have you gone anywhere with Roco?”

“Yes? We only went to a cafe together?

The group burst into laughter at Hyun-woo’s answer.

“You’re completely a nerd.”

“I’m saying you like her.”

“Ohuhuhu. So of course you would have kissed?”

“Aak, Don’t say that! I’m just a friend that’s a man….uuk!”

“Hey, hey! Don’t you know saying that is a crime?”

The conversation broke down with the guys chattering to each other. Hyun-woo who was listening blankly shook his head.

“Well there’s nothing between me and Hye-sun. She is just a close younger sibling……”

“What?”

The guys’ voices stopped suddenly. They began sending doubtful looks at each other and whispering.
Beside him Kang Yoo-jin blew out a sigh and shook his head.

“Let’s stop it at that. I’m embarrassed for everyone. Anyway….Roco is really serious. It’s like comparing trees and stone…..”

“Yes? Ah, you mean me?”

“No, I have no intention of becoming nosy. Anyway Hyun-woo, no, it is easier to call you Ark. Is that ok? If possible please relax and sit down a little bit more comfortably. This is not a punishment. So why is your form so awkward?”

Hyun-woo then realised that he was sitting on his knees. Hyun-Woo coughed and sat down cross-legged as Yoo-jin smiled and said.

“Please don’t be so anxious. Our appearance might be like beasts, but we’re not bad guys”

Ma Chorung interrupted with a single word.

“To be frank, we were bad guys.”

“I’m not arguing that. “Um, that is clear.

“Then. We don’t particularly hate guys like you”

“Yes? Guys like me? ”

“Yes, so you see ……..”

Ma Chorung opened his mouth to talk but was prevented by Kang Yoo-jin who said.

“The intention is just like we said. Rather, it was better. In the game, our goals are the same. The new world was more complicated than I thought so if I meet an expert than I’ll ask them about New World.

“Yes, I’m ok with that.”

It was a topic that he knew so Hyun-woo nodded.
Frankly, Hyun-woo’s reaction to the word ex-convict was different from most peoples who would have blinders on.
If they are ex-convicts then they are criminals. It was a cruel and cold-hearted way to think but natural for outgoing people.
So because of these special people, Hyun-woo ……..regarded them with a completely different expression.
However, with such a conversation, his original thoughts disappeared.
In particular, when he was first introduced to number 1401. Kang Yoo-jin seemed like a hard person thanks to his scar but he was more thoughtful than an ordinary person.
The framework is something he disagreed with? He could hear the weight of every behaviour through his voice. The other people were the same as well. Though their outer appearance was tough, when talking about the game their eyes lit up like children.
Hyun-woo felt a sense of surprise at the difference between their appearance and behaviour.
Hyun-woo used the moment to talk seriously with ordinary people who enjoyed the game just as much as he did. After his mind was eased, the conversation became more fun. The difference between how Hyun-woo played the game and how they just enjoyed it was interesting.

“Autonomy from the government?”

Hyun-woo listened to the news about Jackson.

“”Yes, it was thanks to Gwon. The condition was he would have to go to the Capital and earn enough points in the arena in front of the nobility. Well, we like it. Because fighting against monsters has been getting boring. ”

Hyun-Woo also meant to see the arena someday. But he never thought the Gwon Hwa-rang would get there first.
It also seemed that the sentence was passed after Hyun-woo had a word with the young Lord…….The strong point of New World was that the words or conduct of a third party could impact it so much that it affects other users. Their common interest led to a more lively conversation.
And Hyun-Woo also joked around and engaged in the conversation.
The skills that they learnt were particularly interesting.
All the unique skills in reality- including violence-could be acquired as their profession. Although they promised to follow the rehabilitation program, that program was not enough to seal off their skills. And New World was a game where they could apply those skills.

“Huhuhu, although the money was initially low in Harun Village, we used our skills to get things cheaper. Therefore, the ‘intimidation’ skill was acquired. You can use the ‘intimidation’ skill at any shop to get items for 10% cheaper! However, it does lower the intimacy with the owners.”

It was the skill that the person called 1402 favoured as a former bond collector.
Then number 1406 who was a former pickpocket scoffed.

“Is that something to be proud of? I have the ‘Pickpocket’ skill where I am able to steal one item from a monster in critical condition. That’s better than blackmailing NPCs.”

“Noisy!” Stop talking about the stingy pickpocket skill! Intimidation can also deal with monsters. Do you see how sometimes it flinches? That’s because I intimidated it”

“Huhuhu, that’s trivial. Intimidation? Pickpocket? You have to live a new life but in the end nothing has changed in that cycle. Look at me. The skill ‘Wine Lovers’ gives an extra 20 points to intimacy with female NPCs. Love and Peace? This skill is much better”

“Ha, is the fact that you hit your wife also applied to the game? If you’re like me, the ‘Fraud’ is a much better skill because it allows me to sell items for 15% more even though I’m not a merchant.”

The gentle number 1401, Kang Yoo-jin also spoke up.

‘Ha, New World really has a lot of interesting skills. Even if you have the same profession, depending on the skills you pick it is possible to raise an entirely different character.

It is embodied in the fact that a technique learned in reality is a skill in the game. In reality, some techniques shouldn’t transfer over. Some techniques you should feel ashamed about. And again, even if you don’t use the technique in the game it is still usable.
We assume the other users’ skills are wonderful as well and envy them.
It was one of the reasons people are attracted to New World. And it wasn’t possible for Hyun-woo to feel a sense of distance from them anymore.
This is why common interests are so important.

‘Oh, that reminds me……’

Hyun-woo suddenly remembered the new Survival Cooking skill he learnt in Giran. It was a special advanced technique that could create a medley of food with special effects.
Foods that could increase charm, voice ………when cooking it is impossible to guess what effect the dish would have.
But listening to the ex-convicts talk, he thought that the food might be related to certain skill.
The dish to increase charm could be used with the ‘wine lovers’ skill and the dish to increase the voice could be used with ‘Intimidation’ to increase the menace in the voice.
Hyun-woo’s idea interested the probationary members.

“Ara? There are also items that could give effects like that?”

“Haven’t you looked at the auction?”

“The food is stuck because of the expiration date. When it isn’t special and the expiration date is short then it is difficult for an auction to sell it. There isn’t a special food related category in the auction”

“I see”

“There’s a lot of food with unknown effects, it could increase agility or strength but there are also poisonous foods that could give absurd effects.”

“Hey, that’s fascinating?”

“Well it would be a lot of help when you are a spectator.”

“Then I’ll make plenty. Fortunately food created with an advanced skill has a longer use by date. By at the moment I have no time to go to the capital thanks to my quest. Is it possible for you to come to Cairo?”

“Cairo?” That’s where you’re stuck? I’ve never heard of it?”

“It is very difficult to find the information from other places. It is the lawless city of Cairo.

The ex-convicts eyes shined when they heard the lawless city part.

“A lawless city? Then it is like the Harlem district? Hooo, I certainly have to go there? ”

“Ok, before going to the capital we’ll try to drop by Cairo.”

“So let me explain my approximate location.”

“Okay, I understand.”

“Huhuhu, it is easy to understand why you’re a high level user.”

“I give my best regards. Ark.”

A probationary member said with a smirk.
After that, Hyun-woo would be different and New World would tremble in time with them.
After 1 hour had passed, Gwon Hwa-rang returned.
Hyun-woo stood up to go to the hospital although he felt regret. A probationary member went with him outside.

“Ark, next time call before you come. We will prepare chicken.”

Kang Yoo-jin said, patting Hyun-woo’s shoulders.

“And…………If things are difficult then tell us. We might not be the best but we’ll stand with you.
If there’s anything we can do to support each other than we should. ”

“Yes,”

Hyun-woo parted from them without any specific ideas.
So he took a car to the hospital where he met with Gwon Hwa-rang.

“How was the meeting? Did they seem like nice guys? ”

“Yes, though I was a little bit scared in the beginning … ……”

“The fact is that I had really wanted you to meet the guys.”

“Yes? Why? Which reminds me, didn’t Ma Chorong also to say that?”

Gwon Hwa-rang gave a bittersweet smile and muttered.

“Some might have a different view no matter their appearances. Among them he had not wanted to be a criminal. But circumstances were unavoidable and he was forced to live on the streets. And soon was forced to live without a soul and eventually had a criminal record. It is not a good conversation to inquire about the details of their pain. ”

“…………..”

“Of course, now I don’t regret it. I think everyone thinks deeply about how their life might have been different. So you have to think about what you’re proud of. Your parents ……..Hum-hum, in difficult circumstances you have to use your own strength to make sure you don’t fall on a bad path.”

‘Is that so? I hope that guy Chorong doesn’t hate someone like me in the end. ”

Hyun-woo was ashamed for thinking they were a different race from him, even for a short while.

“If they didn’t have Uncle Gwon Hwa-rang ………..”

“Anyway. So I can’t give up on those guys. Because it is difficult to know how to get out from the wrong bog using your own strength. To be honest, that’s why I left today. Many guys would realise it when they look at you struggling to live rightly in a difficult situation. I want to teach that to them through you and New World. Sorry I didn’t tell you in advance.”

Gwon Hwa-rang spoke as cigarette smoke blew from his mouth out the car window.
Hyun-woo looked at the side of Gwon Hwa-rang’s face for a while.
That appearance.
It was the face that Hyun-woo had seen when he first met Gwon Hwa-rang.
The mass media portrayed him as a criminal when he used his gun to shoot a violent offender, but he was truly sorry and wanted to help somehow…….It was Gwon Hwa-rang’s true power which Hyun-woo respected.

“It’s okay.” I enjoyed it. And I like the older brothers.”

“I’m glad”

“By the way ……Is this an operation to introduce me in advance because I might become an adopted son?”

Unsteadily, the car shook for a while.
But Gwon Hwa-rang pretended ignorance and continued smoking.
A secret smile spread on Hyun-woo’s mouth as he leaned back in his seat.
On that day, Hyun-Woo gained 10 older ex-convict brothers.

‘Does this also increase the level? ‘

“Is that place Cairo?”
Ark looked at the city’s silhouette that was revealed over the ridges.
From the side, Sid muttered about his taste.

“There, so would it be possible to rest soon?”

“Yes, this time I’m going to bath properly.”

Ark unfolded the map and nodded.

“It is good news.”

Sid collapsed with a thud in that position.
They had arrived at Cairo four days after leaving Giran.
Indeed, it was four days of continuous, fierce hardship.
And the suffering began with Ark’s one word.

“In order to save time let’s go straight to Cairo.”

Although Hansen the cartographer clearly indicated Cairo’s location, the map of the surrounding areas was not clear. Finding the proper way to get there from Giran could be time-consuming. Therefore, Ark decided that the quickest way to get to Cairo was to go in the direction with the shortest distance.
……….It was a mistake.
The area between Giran and Cairo was a bit unclear.
There was a dense jungle where the exit wasn’t visible.
He didn’t expect the high level hunting ground infested with strange monsters over level 100.
With the darkness bonus applied at night, he could somehow deal with the monsters but during the day this did not apply. In addition, there were gaping crevasses in places like the valley floor and a swamp that was like a maze, making it easy to get lost. It was a miracle that they had managed to escape the jungle alive.
Sid looked at Ark with sunken eyes.

‘Fortunately, they had found some ruins hidden in the jungle, and raise their intimacy with an NPC from the Migu Migu Clan…..without him, I’d be dead.’

The situation had become more difficult thanks Ark’s character which he stuck fearfully to!
The difficult situation meant that Ark didn’t sleep for more than 2 hours a day. Thanks to that, even Sid was dragged out. In addition, restless creatures chasing you can also increase tension. Of course the tremendous fatigue and lack of sleep decreased their health until they fell into a critical state.
I’d rather be dead, how many times had he thought that?
The entered the jungle straight away after Giran. Of course the final resurrection place was Giran….. He could use dying in the jungle as an excuse to rest in Giran but……
He noticed that when Ark fought in battles, he always protected Sid. Of course, even Sid knew that it wasn’t a statement of the friendship. It would be difficult to collect a lot of loot with 6 bags gone.
After that, the two of them who had passed such a hell eventually reached Cairo.
Just looking at the distant Cairo caused tears to rise.

‘You did it, Sid! You did! Great job, Sid! You’re cool, Sid!’
“What happened?”
“Oh, no. Dust just entered my eye…….”
Sid wiped his blurry eyes with his sleeves.
“Now, let’s go. We need to organize our stuff and get some rest.”
“Yes!”

At the end of his words, Sid let out a wide grin and nodded.
The two of them soon went up along the ridges.
Cairo was located on top of the ridge, just like the city of Machu Picchu shown in a documentary. The size of the silhouette shown in the dim moonlight was roughly the size of the Jackson manor.
Growing vine the ground was thick vines that surrounded the city like a wall.
Unless displayed on the map, Cairo was difficult to find due to the thick vines making it seem like a forest.
Cairo’s entrance was guarded by NPCs.
Unlike other cities, these guards were dressed like bandits.
Ark and Sid gazed at the magical sight of the vines surrounding them as they reached the entrance. The guards frowned darkly and interrupted them.

“Wait! What do you guys want?”

“Umm, we just want to enter the city?”

“Bah! Get out! This isn’t a place where every youngster can enter! ”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you hear me say leave?”
“If you make me say it again, I’m going to show you how to walk away with a bitter taste! ”

The guard NPCs roughly pushed them together.
It was a tense atmosphere. They couldn’t cause problems with the NPCs as soon as they reached Cairo. Eventually Ark and Sid left with puzzled faces.

“Why are they doing this? The NPC stops users from even entering the town? ”

Of course, sometimes there are guards that press users at general villages. However, it is applicable only to the chaotic user. As he was thinking, Ark realised that he forgot something.

“Ah, this was a city for chaotic users!”
“Oh, right. I had heard that only chaotic players could enter Cairo”
Sid seemed to have the same thought as he stated in a frustrated voice.
“What do we do? We came so far…….”
“It’s not that way”

A shallow smile spread on Ark’s face.

‘Huhuhu, I had collected something a while ago and forgot about it……I didn’t think it would be used for this. Of course I made sure to collect it even when its purpose was unclear. Because you don’t know when or where you’ll need it. ”

“Snake, [Lie] scroll!”

Snake spat out the red scroll.
After Sid checked the scroll his eyes widened and he raised his voice.

“Eh? That, that’s…! ”

“I had taken away the scroll from Leo previously.”

Ark said with a smile. In fact, it was an item that every time his bags ran out of space he thought about selling. However, trying to sell the special item he got after all that hard work was uncomfortable ……..what a relief.

“Now, where to use it once?”

Ark used the scroll to edit his character info.
Character Name Ark Race Human
Alignment Good+200
Fame 1635 Level 90
Profession Dark Walker
Title Cat Knight, Caretaker of All, Jackson’s Hero
Health 1745 Mana 1355 (+100)
Spiritual Power 100 Strength 234 (+ 5)
Agility 264 (+ 17) Stamina 334
Wisdom 33 Intelligence 262
Luck 44 Flexibility 26
Art of Communication 23 Affection 55 (+ 10)
Special stat: Knowledge of Ancient Relics 53
Equipment item effects
Black Bear Mouse Leather Armour: Agility + 2, Frost Resistance + 20Cat Paws: Attack Speed +10%, Agility +15, Critical Hit +10%Crystal Golem’s Head: Mana + 100Norad Boots: movement speed + 10%, avoidance rate + 5%Adelaine’s Necklace: Def + 40, Affection + 10Resurrecting Spirit: Strength + 5, Mana Recovery + 5%
* All abilities will increase by 30% in the dark* You have the ability to hide in the darkness (15 minutes duration. Cancelled when you get into combat)* Resistance Fear, Darkness, Blind, and Seduction spells is increased by 50%.* You can bring out the true abilities from all types of tools.

{Lie} scroll, using this scroll, the player’s level and alignment, and one stat can be randomly controlled. However, the level and state must extend beyond 10 up or down.{Duration: 1 hour}

“Level increase by 10, alignment chaotic.”

Ark’s current level had increased to 90 after 3 days in the forest. The Lie scroll adjusted it upwards to level 100. And he became a chaotic player and his name was turned red. With other users walking back and forth, it was difficult to raise his level.
It was the reason he deliberately chose night time.

“Now there’s only one of this scroll”

“What about me…………?”

“I’ll enter Cairo and buy lots of scrolls. I’ll also gather information if I can. And Sid will lurk where appropriate. Don’t be recognized as something else by a chaotic user or you’ll be in danger.”

“Then I’ll do that. Please. ”

Reassured, Sid nodded.
Ark gave a faint smile.

“I’ll take out the price of the scroll from the loot charges.”

After trusting the wrong person, the Sid who went all the way to Cairo to find a way to live should elicit sympathy, but that was non-existent in Ark. Of course, that was the kind of guy he was.
Sid pasted a strange smile on his face and nodded.
“Yes, ha ha! Of course.”
“Then, I’m going. Be very good at hiding and take care of yourself. ”

Ark looked at Sid like he was a body with 6 bags again. As expected, after he reached the entrance and his name was shown the attitude of the NPCs changed.

“Ara? You’re the guy from a little while ago? ”

“Well?” Yes……….”

After scanning up and down, the NPC laughed wildly.

“Kukuku, the fragrant smell of blood is emanating from your body. Meanwhile where is your young friend?”

“Around. That hobbit, was visibly appetizing…. But are you done?” Huhuhu, you’re a bad guy who betrayed the guy who accompanied you here. But I much prefer the hypocrisy over the good guy guise. And this place is not a paradise for the faithful. Ok, if you have thrown off the mask of hypocrisy then you are welcome. ”

His intimacy with the guard quickly rose.
Ark wanted to use the chance to gain additional information.

“Perhaps, did a redheaded man come here?”

“A redheaded man? Hmm, let’s see? It is a difficult question to answer. This is a place where hundreds of people come in and out in one day. And most would be wearing a hat.”

“Then has anything strange happened in the last few days……”

“There’s no such thing? Well, the lawless city is always a problem, but there wasn’t anything that was particularly strange. Although these days the vines that protect the city have withered a little bit, but that’s all. Did you want to know something like that?”

“Indeed. I understand.”

“Let me know anytime you need help, I’ll give it to you.”

“I’ll only give it to you. A foreigner has to protect his life.”
The NPC guards chuckled and said.

Ark ignored them and entered Cairo.
He couldn’t feel secure in the city. Cairo was a lawless city. There were guard NPCs, but here if a fight broke out between the users then the NPC would not pay attention.
They maintain minimal security. The NPC only acts when Cairo is attacked.
It is the ‘crime promotion’ area.
Of course, if they kept fighting then every chaotic user would be mentally and physically tired. Therefore, to some extent there were tacit rules. But that had nothing to do with the Ark who just stepped into Cairo.
Of course ……..there was flashing here and there as he walked along a wide road.
The chaotic users hiding in the alley here and there used [Insight] to confirm Ark’s level. In addition, some users also applied for a party. The purpose of this wasn’t to form a party, but was to determine if Ark could be a colleague.

“Sheesh, it’s a high level.”
“He’s also in a party. If I touch him, it’d be tiring.”
“A novice should have entered so we could educate them a little bit.”

Now the users who were gawking from a nearby alley stealthily withdrew.
Due to New World’s system, it was less likely for chaotic players to be high level.
It took a colossal amount of time and money to get rid of the chaotic status, and the loss would be too big if they died.
At a low level, gaining a chaotic status to steal had a low risk rate and benefits, but as the level increases that risk would increase exponentially.
Because of that, the users in Cairo were mainly level 30-40. They wouldn’t dare attack Ark who had become level 100 thanks to the [Lie] scroll.

‘The first checkpoint has been passed.’

Ark was finally able to relax and find a shopping centre.
In Cairo it wasn’t only the outer walls, the exteriors of every building was also enveloped in vines. Thankfully, the buildings were not like other cities and had distorted shapes. In addition, the city was fairly complex and it as difficult to find his way. How far did he walk? Ark had finally discovered a strange place.
In the central part of the city, there was a wide gaping hole with a diameter of about 10 meters.
Access beware!

A long time ago during the warring States period, the monarch who had ruled for 1 year ordered that the hole be built. At the time, the 1 year ruler swore to fill the hole with the invaders’ bodies. It was thus named ‘hell.’ But soon afterwards the war ended and the vow was not fulfilled.At the time, there was no documentation about how deep the hole was.

However, the deep fury of the 1 year monarch was estimated to reach several hundred meters. If you fall then there is a 100% chance of death. Only does who want to commit suicide are allowed to dive

It is the corpse disposal arena in the centre of the city ………..
The history was as bloody as expected, appropriate for a lawless city.

‘Ah, this is not the time.’

Ark who was watching the hole with his mouth open, turned his head away.
If possible, he wanted to explore Cairo some more so now was not the time. He was also worried about Sid waiting outside and the [Lie] scroll also had a time limit.
His top priority was to quickly locate a shopping centre.
Ark had been running down a back alley to quickly look for a shopping centre. However moments before stepping foot in a mall, he realised that there was something wrong.

‘This, this ………Which reminds me, isn’t it night-time?’

Even the mistake was tight.
Ark had chosen night time to enter Cairo because he received the dark attribute bonus. But he hadn’t considered the original purpose. In New World, NPCs also close their shops during the evening to sleep. And now, of course, all the stores were closed because it was night.

‘Damn! In New World, it was now dawn which arrives at 5am. The stores open at 8 a.m. so he has to wait 3 more hours?

The duration of his scroll was limited.
Would the duration end before the store’s doors open?
It’s obvious that he would get attacked by NPC guards if they saw him.
But was that all? When a guard NPC shows up, other chaotic users would also enter! If he uses ‘Stealth’ then it is possible to escape but without the scroll he won’t be able to buy items from the store, and he also wouldn’t be able to collect information about the red man.

‘In the end, I came here only to end up sucking fingers.’

Of course, he could become chaotic but he wanted to avoid that as much as possible.
Once you become chaotic then the alignment and fame is reduced by 30%. But it doesn’t stop there? At level 90, to lose the chaotic status he must surrender to the guards and be locked up in prison for 9 days in real time and a fine of 90 gold.
It was certainly a reckless penalty!

‘No! There must be another way?’

Ark desperately ran around the shopping centres.
That’s when he found his light of salvation in the form of a store.
A dim light shone from a small grocery store nestled in a small alley. The doors were closed but it was possible that the NPC was still inside?
Tapping at the door, Ark jumped up and shouted.

“Are you here?”

“At this time, what kind of child are you?”

“Oh, I’m fortunate that you’re here. I have to buy some stuff. ”

“We’re closed. Because it’s troublesome, go away! ”

“There is an urgent situation. Please open the door as a small favour! ”

“I told you I won’t trade!”

However, Ark believed this store was his open option.
He did not stop knocking until the door eventually flew open and a furious man’s face emerged.

“Leave me alone! You don’t have to go crazy just before daylight!”

“I’m really sorry. I told you it was a really urgent matter. Please give me a moment to buy a few things. It will only take a short time. Please.”

Ark lowered his head and begged and the man’s face slightly softened. He scratched his head and blew out a sigh before shaking his head.

“Look I don’t like to say no to someone desperate. Of course, I would like to engage in the business of a businessman too. But this matter is also not about you. I also can’t afford your patronage. Even though I want to I can’t.

“Yes? Can’t afford to patronize? What does that mean? ”

“Come on, get inside the store. Because of this, do you understand?”

The shop owner indicated with an irritated expression.
The inside of the store was a mess. The shelves and miscellaneous items were smashed and the walls and floors had broken items all over the place. Just looking at the situation, he could tell that there was a serious problem.

“Can I help with anything?”

“What?” What did you say?”

“I asked if you needed any help”

Ark who was used to being friendly with NPCs automatically answered.
If someone is good, then they may receive thanks. Because there was never any loss, the system had become ingrained as a habit.
Then the shop owner looked at him with a befuddled look.

“Why would you do that? Was it a mistake…? ”

“Ah, no.

The shop owner was surprised as he shook his head.

“It’s because I haven’t heard those words in so long. Also you’re a foreigner? The foreigners who often shop here don’t bother with anyone else’s’ problems. Of course, most of the murders are committed by criminals…..”

‘Oh, which reminds me of something in Cairo?’

Chaotic players don’t bother building intimacy with quest NPCs. That was not the main concern of chaotic players.
Their main concern and interest is how many users they can PK and gain items before losing the chaotic status. Therefore, none of them would have had any interest in the NPC’s circumstances.
Ark immediately grasped the situation and answered.

“It is difficult to tell the difference in this place, but I am not like them. Also I have never done anything that I was ashamed about. It was because of circumstances that couldn’t be avoided that a crime was committed. And after my business here ends then I will surrender and be judged in a legitimate court of law.”

Ark was heartfelt (?) Needless to say, the shop owner nodded.

“No, I understand. There would often be such a friend.”

“Now would it be okay to explain the situation to me? I was thinking that solving other peoples’ difficulties was my fate. I have the body of a criminal now but isn’t it possible to see past that just this once.”

“Whew, but ……”.

The shop owner was worried about something and talked seriously.

“Just by looking you can understand, but a thief entered the store last night.”

“The thief?”

“Yes, in fact, this is not the first time. Surprisingly, just this shop has been visited at least three times in the last fortnight. Replacing the lock was ineffective. They don’t steal anything but I would rather they did. Every time they visit they would destroy the shop. Now I’m tired of it. Until now, I’ve somehow tried to hold on but ……..Now I’ve already given up. Anyway ……..No, I know how to clean up the store and leave this place. ”

“Aren’t there any guards here? Didn’t you tell them? ”

Ark tilted his head to one side.
Users don’t involve guard NPCs with their problems, but the shop owner was a NPC. The NPC didn’t try to engage their help? If they have no restraint, then it is possible for chaotic users to do those kinds of things when dealing with the store.

“That, ……….Hung, it was a whole bunch of nonsense. This is my problem I don’t need other people’s help. All right, now anyway? Because I can’t engage in business, please forget it and leave.”

“Ha, but ………”

“Now!”

The shop owner suddenly changed. And stepped closer to Ark and looked suspiciously into Ark’s eyes.

“Now, you’re really……?”

“Yes?”

“This, unbelievable! The scent of blood has disappeared from your body? Then surely the [Lie] …..! ”

‘ Whoops! ‘

Ark’s heart suddenly fell.
The duration of the scroll had finished because he was delayed running around Cairo. And in front of an NPC. In Cairo, even the NPC was chaotic.
It was similar to thieves in Giran being tired of the hunt.
If the shop owner let the NPC guard know then he was screwed.
However, you also can’t kill the NPC. If he became wanted as a NPC killer in Cairo then he would have to give up the quest from the Magic Institute.

“I, I…….”

Ark was embarrassed and tried to diffuse the situation somehow.
Suddenly, the shop owner grabbed Ark’s arm. He closed the door and observed outside from a small side door. After confirming that there was no one around, the shop owner blew out a sigh of relief.

“That was close. I was wondering if someone had noticed … ”

“You’re not accusing me?”

“Accuse? Huhuhu, great. What is good about deliberately plotting against you? In addition, you must have a reason to use a scroll to come here.”

“Thank you,”

The shop owner looked at Ark as he decided something and opened his mouth.

“It is difficult to say, but perhaps you’ll give me some help?”

“Of course I would like to help. But just before….. ”

“It’s a matter that I didn’t want to ask of a criminal. But if you’re not a criminal then the circumstances are different. And if you managed to visit here through your own power then you must have considerable skills, enough that I might be able to give you a favour.

Ark eyes shone brightly.
A NPC quest! The quest was one that could only be given if a non-chaotic player came to Cairo. It was a development that couldn’t be imagined.

“As a matter of fact. I know the criminal who entered the store. If you exit the town and climb the south hill there is an unemployed bum called Lorenzo who lives at the cabin.”
The shop owner said.
‘If you punish him severely and recover the stolen goods, then you’ll be properly compensated. That’s it for now….but I’ll tell you what? If you recover any items, then I’ll offer a 40% discount on the price. Anyway, I am going to put everything in order as I leave so I should probably reduce the baggage. How is it?”
‘Ohu!’
In Ark’s eyes gold powder fell.
He didn’t know how much stuff had been stolen, but since it had been stolen five times then it wouldn’t be a small amount. Of course if he sold the items he received with a 40% discount at another city then he could get considerable profit.
Sid had also come to Cairo with that purpose.

“Are there any other gangs?”
“No, as far as I know he lives by himself.”
“Good! But before that …You see that I urgently need the [Lie] scroll. Is it possible to give me some help in that regard?”
“Don’t worry. I always have a few [Lie] scrolls.
The shop owner pulled out three protruded scrolls.
“Thank you. So I will immediately go and recover your things.”
“Now, wait a minute”

At that time, the shop owner hurriedly grabbed Ark’s hands.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’d love to punish him a little. But nothing beyond that.”
“Yes? But what…? ”
“No, I mean… anyway the thing is, the stealing is scandalous, but he did not harm me directly. If he dies due to somebody I sent then how can I calm down? I just want my things returned. So just keep that in mind. Under no circumstances should you kill him. Understood? If you do not keep the promise I won’t forgive you”

“………I understand.”

Although he didn’t understand the shop owner’s attitude, Ark nodded.
As soon as he did, the quest window popped up.

The worries of shop owner Wolkosu

You have met the shop owner Wolkosu in Cairo. He has angrily continued to put up with a thief who ruined his store for a fortnight. Unlike the other foreigners in Cairo, he has asked just you to solve this case. You have to punish the thief and recover the goods.

{However, if the rogue is injured with a sword then the quest will automatically fail. If the quest is not finished by the end of the month, a vindictive Wolkosu will believe you did not keep the promise and file a complaint to the NPC}

Difficulty level: E

ACT 7 Dark Brotherhood
‘Here?’
20 minutes after he left Cairo and walked up the hill, a cabin appeared.
He used ‘Stealth’ to observe through a window.
As expected, the NPC named Lorenzo was chaotic. Level 80. Although it was a high level for other people, he couldn’t compare to Ark who was level 90 and receives a bonus attribute in the dark. Quest difficulty E.
It took 90 levels to perform one difficulty up.
However, it wasn’t a simple quest where he could rush in blindly.
It usually required killing the target to receive a key that would open a warehouse and retrieve the goods. However, he couldn’t kill Lorenzo and he couldn’t even use a sword. In other words, he had to find out the whereabouts of the goods first.

‘I had previously encountered thieves in the ruins….. ‘

After surveying the structure of the cabin, Ark said to Sid.

“As expected, there is a back entrance. If one is backed into a corner they may escape through the back entrance. Therefore Sid will block the back door. If blocked by a body on the outside then there is no particular danger.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Sid answered in a tense voice and went back.

‘Now, this fellow recently held poison.’

If you block the escape of a level 80 NPC then they would have nothing to build a strategy. Intimidating for the time being and if that doesn’t work then a little bit of violence is okay.
Ark immediately kicked the door and entered the cabin. Lorenzo who was surprised, tried to stand up.

“You, who are you?”

“I will not speak for long. Where are you hiding the stolen goods? ”

“The stolen goods? What are you talking about? ”

“It is useless to feign ignorance. I already know. Just tell me obediently before you get hurt.”

“What, what?” Thief? Who said such a silly thing?”

“Who is it? -Wolkosu. Wouldn’t you know who Wolkosu is even if I didn’t explain it?

It was at that time. At the mention of Wolkosu, Lorenzo’s forehead violently twitched. Then his eyes anxiously shook as he sighed.

“Wolkosu…….!”

Lorenzo ground his molars together and growled.

“I don’t know what inspired such nonsense but I didn’t steal anything! Go back! If you don’t return then I’ll beat you to death.

“Oh, a beating to death?

Ark laughed and nodded his head.

“That’s the most welcome sound I ever head. Let’s see if you can give it a try. ”

“This child!”

Lorenzo kicked the chair and rushed at him.
He tried to use the distraction of the chair to attack. It was a familiar method that other thieves used to fight. However for juvenile delinquents who walked a dark road, it was a method that Ark was tired of. That much was not enough to give an element of surprise.
Ark caught the chair and kicked sideways. The next moment his fist shot out in rapid succession in a flash. Ark’s specialty was continuous critical hits!

“Kuoooak!”

He delivered blows to the chest, waist and side, after being hit with three critical attacks Lorenzo moaned and withdrew.
Although Ark did not use his sword for attack and defense at the same time he did have his gloves, the Cat Paws. Due to the growth system of the Cat Paws, his offensive power was currently 9~15 (+8.9)
In some ways, it was better than a sword. In addition, Ark had also learned Sword-Hand Combat and Hand-to-Hand Combat, so he had no reason to be penalized by the absence of a sword.
Lorenzo’s health was quickly reduced to 30%.

“Ugh, this, unbelievable!”

Lorenzo ground his teeth together and rushed again.

“Ha ha ha, copper!”

But once Dedric and Skull joined the fight, Lorenzo immediately retreated to the corner again. Ark continuously rained punches and kicks on him!
Lorenzo soon developed bruises all over his body. And finally he turned and a punch hit his temple, sending him flying through to the other side of the wall.

“Now, little by little did you want to confess?”

“Damn it, no way!”

“I see you want to lose your soul.”

Ark drew back his fist and directed it to Lorenzo’s face, which instantly turned pale.
Lorenzo had already lost 70% of his health. While Ark only lost 10% at most. In the first place, he was fighting in a game. Finally, Lorenzo threw a water bottle and turned his body around.
He tried to open the back door but ……..Lorenzo’s face became perplexed. Sid had already blocked the other side of the door so it was stuck and wouldn’t open.

“What, what the?” What the hell is this? ”

“Hu hu hu, What a fool! Did he think I wouldn’t have any countermeasures?”

“Rain, eat this!

Lorenzo lifted the sword hanging on the wall beside him. However, Ark moved much faster than him.
Pok!
Ark kicked Lorenzo’s stomach.
Without any mistakes, he accurately hit a vital spot on the underbelly and gained a critical hit!
Lorenzo was stunned and fell back.
Ark who was waiting for the chance immediately shouted.

“Snake, tie him up!”

Saek saek!

Snake flicked his tongue and firmly tied up both of Lorenzo’s arms. Thus, the fight with Lorenzo was easily settled with that.
With one step, Ark approached the struggling Lorenzo and asked.

“Okay, now where should your excrement and this popular soybean paste go? Maybe in your mouth? Or will you confess? For your information, I wouldn’t mind beating you up some more.”

“Dammit, I told you from the beginning! I did not steal it!”

“Don’t make me laugh. So without any evidence you have been accused as a thief? If you did something suspicious then obviously you would be considered a criminal! ”

“Sheesh, what do you know? That old man didn’t know what he was talking about! ”

“Even if you die, you’re not going to confess?”

“There’s nothing to confess!”

“Not possible”

Ark’s eyes became chilly.
Dedric looked at Lorenzo and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk tsk, poor guy, he just dug his own grave.”

Dedric knew from experience what would happen when Ark looked like that.
As expected…………When Lorenzo’s health recovered a little bit, Ark showed his true colours. In the past, Dedric was tamed using the same method as he stepped on Lorenzo.
With a stupid face, Lorenzo freaked out about the kicks and let out a cry of distress.

“Keuak! This bastard! What are you doing! ”

However, Ark didn’t even blink.
In the past, the only way to tame someone rude was with a whip!
Additionally, Ark’s character was that once he starts something, he sees it through to the end.
Ark continued stepping on Lorenzo’s face until he was in a critical condition. Then he waited awhile for health to recover, stepped and wait, how many times did he repeat it……..

“Ark-nim, you done yet………Huk!”

Sid stuck his head through the back door and screamed.
New World was a virtual reality game where a sense of realism overflows.
Not even 10 minutes had passed since Ark refused to let the violently beaten Lorenzo die and it looked like a violent scene from an 18+ rated movie.

“Oh, Ark-nim. Isn’t this too severe?”

“Hell no. I haven’t even started yet.”

Ark answered with a grin and Sid’s face turned white in terror.
However, Lorenzo did not submit.
Rather, the more violent Ark became then the more profanities escaped from his mouth.

“Dwe, eat this! Just kill me already!”

“Hehehe, Master. Then how about an extreme method?”

At that time, the cunning fellow Dedric treacherously smiled and approached. A cold smile spread at the corners of Ark’s mouth.

“Hmm, well that’s okay? As expected you have a bad side as well.”

“Huhuhu, this is due to master’s virtue.”

Dedric chattered.

……..Was that praise, or an insult?
Anyway, Ark listened to Dedric’s advice and stopped the violence. Instead, he placed a pot and ingredients on the table and began survival cooking.
After a while, the sweet smell of food filled the room.

“Eek? No, what are you doing? Stop it! ”

Ark held Lorenzo’s jaw wide open and poured food into his mouth. Lorenzo collapsed to the ground screaming and began to spasm.
‘Fragrant Poison Soup ‘ which activated the paralysis effect.

“You……..This, you bastard! Such…..a ……”

Lorenzo sweated and stuttered with a paralyzed tongue. It was a soup with a terrible taste and next Ark fed him the horrible salad, waste-flavoured jello etc. But that was only the beginning.
The true horror was the spicy seafood chowder medley.
Using the medley skill, there was a low probability of terrible food being produced.
And the taste was so ‘shocking’ that neither the taste nor effect could be compared with a general survival cooking dish. As it did not decrease the health at all, it was possible to annoy all give senses to the limit ………..
It was closer to being a biological weapon than a food.
The medley of chowder was made in such great numbers that just the sight was enough to make him tremble in fear. And the devil-like food entered Lorenzo’s mouth immediately. Every time he ate it, Lorenzo jumped and spasmed like a fish.
A new concept of using food to torture!

“Ugh, I can’t bear to watch!”

Dedric turned his head away with a horror stricken face.
To Sid who hadn’t experienced the horrors of the food, it seemed like a joke but…….

“Stop! Please help me! I will say, I’ll talk, please I’ll speak! I’ll do anything as long as you stop it with the food!”

After he cooked the fifth food, Lorenzo screamed and surrendered.
It was the inevitable result. Just eating the food caused such a threat to his life that Ark developed the Indomitable Body skill, and to Dedric it was so horrifying that he developed speech in order to stop eating the food.
It reached a level that humans would not be able to eat.
Ark stopped the hand motions for cooking and grinned.

“So, I’m glad that you stopped fighting.”

“Now, cruel bastard……..How could someone in the guise of a human make such horrible food…….!”

‘What?
“Oh, no! No, no! I mean…”
“Well anyway, let’s get to the main subject. Where’s the stuff?”

“I’ll say it again I didn’t steal anything!”

“Ah, is that so? Are you still hungry?”

Ark picked up the pot of food and Lorenzo immediately cried out in a wronged voice.

“And please wait! Really. I really didn’t. But I can guess the fellows who stole it. It’s that guy.

“Aren’t you prevaricating?”

“Please believe me. The fact is that I was also a victim. They robbed the General Store and now they’re trying to frame me for it. ”

“Ah, Ark-nim” Try not to believe his words.”

Sid noticed his face and interrupted.

“But the context fits. Why would stealing things from the General Store be a problem for you? ”

“Well actually ……..”
Lorenzo hesitated to answer Ark but eventually desperately replied.
“I’m actually… ….Wolkosu’s adopted son.”
“What?” Adopted son?”

After Lorenzo lost his parents when he was young, he lived with his uncle who managed a store in Selebrid who entrusted him to Wolkosu.
Wolkosu was not friendly in nature.
Lorenzo worked the difficult night to dawn shift and if he made a little mistake then he would be punished.
Lorenzo decided that he would become a runaway.
He began living on the streets for several years and Lorenzo became a full fledge delinquent.
Then one day, Lorenzo was caught in another gang’s dispute and accidently killed a man. So Lorenzo became chaotic and was pursued by guards before he managed to hide to reach Wolkosu in Selebrid.
He was going to threaten Wolkosu to give him some escape funds.
However, when he was listening at the store, he overheard the cashier say something amazing.
Wolkosu asked about the people trying to extort money from Lorenzo and paid them back one by one in a month. And the fact that Lorenzo wasn’t caught by the guards during that month was also due to Wolkosu.

“I never knew. My father … … ….He was clumsy at expressing affection. I didn’t understand that I was loved. If I knew earlier I wouldn’t have done such stupid things ……. ”
Lorenzo said with a slightly shaky voice.

Lorenzo then left the store.
With help, he barely managed to avoid the bounty hunters and guards. He built a cabin outside Cairo to live in and swore to no longer do any bad things. And it was long after that he came.

“Although I forgot for a while …….My dad suddenly opened a store in Cairo. My father had never committed a crime. He obviously used the [Lie] scroll to disguise himself as a criminal and conduct business.

Lorenzo ground his teeth tightly.
Wolkosu had many reasons to set up a shop in Cairo. Of course ……..the main one was Lorenzo.
Lorenzo wept after he realised Wolkosu’s heart. However, once the relationship was twisted it did not come loose easily. While thinking about how hard that month must have been on Wolkosu, he didn’t even dare beg forgiveness.

“I stayed here so I wouldn’t bother my father. Once when I was free, I visited the store and violence occurred.
I was told to get lost……. although I wanted to beg for forgiveness….. I couldn’t bear it. After hurting him for over 10 years, was it even possible to be forgiven? I….. thought it was best for my father to abandon me. Perhaps that’s why my father thought I stole things. ”

“Then who stole the stuff?”
“They are subordinates of the older brother I followed in the past.”
“What?” The older brother’s subordinates? ”

“Yes, I left the organization before I realised my mistake and came here. However, they pursued me to Cairo a while ago. They wanted me to work for a large robbery group. Of course I refused. Then the guys said that they wouldn’t leave my father alone if I didn’t listen.

From that, Ark found all the answers to his questions.
The reason the shop owner Wolkosu had a large order of the [Lie] scroll. It was for his own use.
It was also the reason why Ark received the quest after he became non-chaotic. Because the shop owner did not trust criminals. It also explained why he did not report to the NPC guard and why he warned him not to harm Lorenzo…… it all made sense now.
‘Its just like a third-rate drama.’

In the end, the main culprit was the boss of the group of thieves. When he thought about it, it made him angry.

“Hukhukhuk, so that it was. I understand.” Sid had become too immersed and a tear slid down his face as he spoke.
Although not to the same degree, Ark also felt uncomfortable.
After Ark met the ex-convicts, his views had changed.
People in unavoidable circumstances can walk down a path of darkness. They also have their own drama. He shouldn’t blindly judge them for their crimes.
Lorenzo also made an effort to put his life of crime behind him and live a new life.
Although he was a delinquent, if his “older brother” had cared, shouldn’t he have celebrated his new start? Instead, he decided to threaten Lorenzo’s father?
Even among NPCs, there are dirty and lousy guys.
Although not clearly shown, everything that exists in reality also exists in the game.

“Actually, I heard that after they chased me to Cairo they robbed the general store several times, including last night. If I don’t answer within a week then I don’t know what they’ll do to my father to threaten me. If that fellow…… ”

Lorenzo ground his back teeth together.

“So? What should be done? ”

“I can’t stand it anymore.”

“Let’s catch them and beat them up?”

“That’s not the only way.”

At that time, Sid asked in a worried voice.

“But what if they have a lot of guys?”

“Heh, it’ll happen anyway because of me. I must live in order to negotiate.”

“Okay.” Snake, untie.”

Ark placed Snake back around his waist.

“Come on, if we’ve decided then it’s better to finish this quickly.”

“What?” You really ………? ”

Ark said in a blunt voice.

“It’s not guaranteed that you’re telling the truth. You might just flee. So I have to follow and confirm whether you’re telling the truth or not. And I also promised the shop owner that I would recover his things, so I can’t just leave it in the hands of criminals. ”

“Ah, Ark-nim!” Sid shouted with a thrilled look on his face.
Lorenzo also looked at him with incredulous eyes.

‘Please do not look at me with those red faces. Because theres no way I would be returning with the quest unsolved.’ Ark replied.

On the other hand, Dedric muttered and gave a nasty look to Ark.
“Sheesh, there he goes again. Master’s acting……….”

Lorenzo looked at Ark for a while before clenching his teeth.
“I don’t know how to thank you in a time like this.”

“It isn’t necessary. I’m not helping for free”

At that moment, a ‘Dududung’ sound was heard, then the quest information window popped up.

Quest has been updated.

Shop owner Wolkosu’s distress => Remove the accusations against Lorenzo

You discovered that Lorenzo was the shop owner Wolkosu’s adopted son. The events that occurred in the last fortnight at the General store are the work of his old companions trying to involve him in a bandit group. Accompany Lorenzo to the hideaway, determine if it is the truth or a lie and recover the stolen goods.

(Warning, it Lorenzo dies on the way then the quest will fail).
Difficulty level: D

Ark grinned and laughed.
Suddenly, there was an unexpected message.

-Andel used a [Feather of whispering] to whisper.

‘What the? Andel? ‘

Ark had a bewildered expression.
Although he had forgotten about him for a while, Ark never thought that Andel would attempt to whisper him. After contemplating for a bit, he shook his head.
If he authorized the whisper, it was easy enough to imagine the contents. In the end, he had a nasty feeling. In addition, he did not want to engage in a fight with Andel at the moment.

“Refuse whisper”

Ark lightly ignored the whisper.
At that time, Ark did not realise one simple thing.
A whisper can only reach people in the same area.

“I’ve found him. That Ark bastard! ”
A hazy smile spread at Andel’s mouth.
He had accompanied the assassins dispatched by the Assassin’s guild for the last fortnight.
After Andel joined the assassins in Selebrid, they immediately left for Giran. Ark received the Event Quest from the Magic Institute, so he reasoned that Ark would have to return to Giran. But by that time Ark had already joined Sid so there was no reason for him to keep returning to Giran.
Thanks to that, Andel and the assassins never discovered Ark’s whereabouts. After that, the only plan Andel could come up with after wandering around Giran was to use the [Feather of Whispering].
But it was only possible to whisper within a certain range. In other words, it doesn’t matter if the opponent refuses the whisper, as long as the [Feather of Whispering] worked than if was proof that he wasn’t far from Ark.
And once he entered the vicinity of Cairo, the [Feather of Whispering] immediately worked.

“That guy is somewhere around here.”

At Andel’s words, the three assassins dispatched by the Dark Brother nodded.
“There aren’t a lot of villages in Brandt Mountains. There are many places he could be.”
“OK, then let’s keep a certain distance and move using [Trace].

The assassins scattered with the scroll.
[Trace] was a scroll that can determine the location of the target if they were within a 1km radius.
Once the vicinity was confirmed, then locating Ark would only be a matter of time using the scroll.

‘Ark, it’s the end for you!’

Flames of vengeance burned in Andel’s eyes.

‘He touched the wrong person. No matter what, I’ll return the favour. If I can’t pass the company examination then you won’t be able to either. I’ll catch your ankle and pull you down with me. No, even if I have to spend millions of won, I’ll connect to New World again! You poor sod!’

“How many people would there be?”
“It would be six or seven people.”

Lorenzo replied in a tense voice.
After leaving Sid at the cabin, Ark and Lorenzo returned to Cairo.
The hideout of the thieves threatening Lorenzo was located deep in the alleys of Cairo Although Lorenzo believed there were only six or seven people, the building size made it capable of hiding at least 20.

”I feel like the quest is becoming even longer…… Oh well, it’s not that bad.’
The thieves are all inferior to Lorenzo.
Lorenzo was a level 80 rogue, while the others were down around level 60~70. If you compared them to Ark who was 20 levels higher and had fought thieves in Giran, then it shouldn’t be that difficult. He thought that the quest would probably be solved in 10 minutes.

‘Once the quest is complete than I can start my get rich quick scheme.’

The General Store had been robbed three times.
If so, there were quite a lot of items stolen. He could purchase all the items at 40% off the original price.
Ark currently had 1000 gold. The Nurunma leaves were also expected to add a large amount so he should have around 1,600 gold. Once the quest was solved, Ark would invest his money in purchasing items.

‘They could fill Sid’s bags with all the items and leave…. ‘

In the case of a general item that isn’t a special commodity, a store would buy it for 50% of its purchase price.
However, he could sell it for 80% of its price to users who need the item. And if it is an item that couldn’t be obtained from a local store, it is possible to add more value and sell it at 120% of its purchase price.
Using simple maths, if he have 1000 gold and I buy items for 60% and sell it at 120% then there would be a profit of 600 gold.
Some conditions to receive quests could be difficult, but if done successfully then you could sell items at other cities and gain a huge benefit.

‘Huhuhu, good thing that Sid came along.’

Of course, Ark had no intention of selling the item directly.
It was a bag full of items worth 1000 gold, and he had no time to do business with other users.
He was prepared to leave the annoying part to Sid. Even though 10~20% of the profit would be given away, he would still make more than 500 gold without wasting time.

‘Once the quest is completed then its certain that I will make a profit.’

As soon as he arrived in Cairo, he received this excellent quest!
The only thing on his mind was Lorenzo.
If Lorenzo dies, then he would earn Wolkosu’s wrath which would make it difficult to stay in Cairo. So the point of this quest was to protect Lorenzo rather than kill the thieves.

“Lorenzo, you’re in the back.”

“Yes, but ………”

“You are not allowed to be injured. If you’re injured here, how sad would your father be? You shouldn’t let the father who came here for you be sad. You know what I mean……even if I don’t say it?”

He was different from the Ark who threatened to kill him with food. However, thinking about profit was enough for Ark’s character to change. Anyway Lorenzo was just a simple NPC so he blew out a sigh and nodded.

“Thank you so much. I’ll be careful.”

“Well done”

As soon as Ark received the promise, he tried to open the door.
All of a sudden, there was a flashing light and huge damage occurred.

-Using the element of surprise, you received a critical hit from the assassin’s skill. Damage 200X3

“Huk, what, what the?” Assassination? ‘

In an instant, 600 points of his health disappeared.
Ark was surprised and instantly withdrew.
Blurry forms emerged from the surroundings.
The company had their faces hidden in black hoods like a ninja. The first thing he thought of when he saw their features were Shambala.
The ‘ Stealth’ and ‘ Assassination ‘ skill was Shambala’s main attacks, but it wasn’t Shambala.
Shortly after, two people dressed the same appeared from both sides of the house.
The red hand stamped on the top of the hood gave off a creepy feeling.

“Lorenzo”?

“Mo, I don’t know. I’ve never seen such dangerous guys? ”

Lorenzo also shook his head in bewilderment.
At that time, the masked man muttered in a low voice.

“It would be impossible for that delinquent to know us.”

“What are you guys? What do you want? ”

“We’re the dark brotherhood.”

“The, the Dark Brothers! Surely you guys…..the Assassination Guild…….!”

Blood instantly drained from Lorenzo’s face.
Living in Selebrid, Lorenzo had heard rumours of the Dark Brothers. However, Ark looked confused and still didn’t understand.

“Assassination Guild? Why would the guild try to assassinate me?”

The assassin then made a derisive noise. “Kukukuk, this fellow is still slow to understand the situation.”

“Eh? Who are you?”

“I’m happy to see you again. Yes, it was quite difficult trying to find you. ”

“Andel……!” Ark muttered with a surprised voice.

The face of the assassin at the back was none other than Andel.
“Yes…….. have you figured it out yet?”

“The one who yet to figure it out is you. Did you think I’d let you have fun after messing with me?”

“Arg! You’ll be the one saying sorry in the end!”

“That’s the most welcome sound I ever heard. Let’s finish this.”

“You bastard ……!”

When Ark lifted his sword, the three assassins in front blocked it.

“What the?”

“Didn’t you hear? I hired assassins from the Dark Brother organization. ”

“When I was in Selebrid, I heard a rumour about them. They are a secret organization composed of the most elite assassins. They specialize in the murder of foreigners. They have such excellent skills that they charge an extravagant commission fee.

“What kind of grudge do you have against you……. ” Lorenzo murmured in a small voice.
NPCs that specialize in hunting users?
Whats this ridiculous crap is he talking about?
This unexpected problem could be quite serious. If they specialize in killing users than their levels should be quite high. In addition, they must be armed with the professional skills for PVP.

‘Damn you, of all things in this place……. ‘

Ark gave a frustrated face and the assassins suddenly attacked.

Chae Chang! Kakakak!

Ark immediately evaded and counter attacked.
If it was an ordinary monster, then considerable damaged would have been dealt. But the assassin avoided the attack using a strange movement to step back. And …….That was the opening bell for the fight.

“Kill him!”

The 3 assassins cleverly used a pincer attack to push Ark back. Ark was pressed by the sword attacks coming from all directions.

“Dedric, Skull! Plan B-1! ‘

Dedric and Skull each rushed to 1 assassin. Their airborne attacks used a 7: 3 ratio of attack and defense. Meanwhile, Ark was fighting the remaining assassin 1 on 1.
They split their attack between the pets and Ark.

‘Oh my god, level 120 ……..! ‘

Ark groaned after he checked their level using Eyes of the Cat.
Ark’s current level was 90 and with the dark attribute bonus he reached level 120. However, the assassins’ default level was 120. The assassins’ would also receive a dark attribute bonus. In the end, he concluded that the difference was at least 10 levels.
Indeed, the assassins are the type to show off their skills.
Ark continued evading while countering the ghost sword.
However, who was Ark?
Ark was also armed with the specialized PVP skills of a Dark Walker.
Ark quickly changed his strategy and kicked out in conjunction with Snake’s poisonous attack. He fought the assassin with an enthusiasm like he would die any minute, and the assassin soon knelt to the ground after a blow.

‘Double critical chance!’

Ark used the opportunity to narrow the distance and swung his sword. However, a sharp metallic sound rang out and Ark was pushed back.
The other two assassins blocked his blow from either side of Ark. His summons was unable to impede the enemies like they normally would due to their numbers. Therefore, Ark’s health went down to 50%.

” Sheesh, it’s more difficult than I thought.’

“Snake, recovery potion!”

Ark retreated a few steps and pulled out a potion.
No, as soon as he tried to drink. The assassin quickly pulled out a scroll. At the key moment he was about to drink the potion, a sound was heard.
Ark surfaced in front of a red warning message.

{Null recovery} scroll was activated.You can’t use any items while you’re in battle.{Duration: 30 minutes}

‘No recovery?’

The reason that he didn’t lose hope after discovering that the enemies were level 120 was because he had quite a lot of recovery potions saved.
While his opponent couldn’t drink a potion due to being bothered by Snake, Ark safely could. When dealing with other users, this was the pattern Ark used to win. Thanks to that, he could engage in battles with higher level users without worrying.
However, now the situation was reversed due to one scroll.
He didn’t have time to be surprised as the assassin shoved their swords at his chest.

“Huhuhu, why do you think I faced you alone? I know all the foreigner’s battle strategy already.

Meanwhile, the assassin retreated and leisurely drank a potion. The situation continued a couple of times, with the assassins always keeping their health at 80%. However, without the recovery potion Ark’s health decreased to 40%.

‘Damn, that bastard! ‘

Ark glared at Andel standing a distance away.
Andel did not participate in the battle. If he interrupt the battle than he would become chaotic and he didn’t see a reason for that.
Meanwhile, the assassins began to strengthen their attacks.

“Master, Master! Any more and we’ll be done for!”

Tadak! Tadadak!

To make matters worse, Dedric and Skull were also gasping for help.
The abilities of his summons were mid-level 40 at best.
Until now, there were two reasons that they could deal with high level monsters.
As the battle goes on, most of the monsters focus on Ark rather than his summons. Therefore, the pets were not subjected to concentrated attacks. And the second reason was that Ark could direct different plans depending on the circumstances.
However, the assassins were different from normal monsters.
When it was necessary, they would focus their attacks on the summons. In addition, Ark who was being helplessly pushed back couldn’t even afford to direct his summons. The pets who didn’t receive any support instantly reached a critical condition.

”I can’t lose the summons here! ‘

“Dedric, Skull! Plan B-4!”

“I’m sorry. Master! ”

The situation was even worse with the summons disappearing.
The 3 assassins surrounded Ark and attacked with their swords. Then. Lorenzo who had anxiously watched as Ark went on the defensive yelled out and rushed in.

“Hey, bastards!”

But Lorenzo couldn’t even damage the black robed assassins. Instead, he received a sound thrashing and was soon in critical condition.

“You should’ve been quiet if you wanted to live a few more minutes. Foolish fellow! ”

The annoyed assassin casually threw his sword at the nuisance.

‘Oh, no! ‘

The surprised Ark quickly rushed in front of Lorenzo.
Although he wielded a sword, the dirk quickly penetrated his chest.

-Critical Hit 200 Damage!

Ark stumbled as his health fell to a critical condition.

“You ……Why did you go so far………. ”

Lorenzo appeared puzzled.
There was no moral obligation or money at risk for Ark to jump in front of Lorenzo. The reason was that he hadn’t finished his quest and if Lorenzo died it would become difficult.
How could he give up a quest worth 400~600 gold when he could still salvage it?
Even if he died in this place, he would never give up gold. Even if the situation was enough to make him anxious, Ark didn’t show it. If he died, then to the NPC he would seem like a messenger of justice.

“I promised Wolkosu. You can’t be injured, you have to live and somehow reconcile with your father.

“You …….!”

He looked at Ark with an impressed face.

“There’s no time to be chatting. We have to get out of here. Follow me!”

When an assassin tried to kill Lorenzo, the situation became more serious. Turning his body, Ark avoided the assassin and gained time for a retreat.
Then, another assassin took out a scroll and shouted.

“Scroll [Magnetic] target Ark!”

At the same time, Ark’s body experienced a huge attraction and was dragged towards the assassin.

“Ah, Ark-nim!”

“Don’t look back, run! I’ll come along soon!”

Ark resisted the pulling force with his full strength and shouted.
Lorenzo glanced at him with unsure eyes before clenching his teeth and turning away.
At that moment, Ark turned his body and rushed at the assassin. The acceleration caused by Ark’s rush added to the effects of the [Magnetic] scroll caused the assassin and flinch and be hit.
That moment was a chance for Ark.

“The chain skill Riposte!”

Ark shouted and used the Riposte skill to deflect the attacks back at the assassins. They turned to a solid mass and fell down.
At the same time, the strong suction disappeared.

“Now!”

When Ark and Lorenzo ran away, Andel raised his voice and shouted.

“What are you doing? You guys!‘

“Ouch, who knew he would use such a technique.”

“Don’t worry though. Once the Dark Brother catches a game, they never miss.”

The assassins took out another scroll and used it.

{Trace} scroll, track the target.The location of the target can be determined if they are within a 1 km distance.{Duration: 30 minutes}
{Battle off disabled} scroll was activated.Even if the opponent is far away, the battle state isn’t released.{Duration: 30 minutes}

‘Oh my God! ‘

Ark’s face was haggard.
The talk of a professional assassin always seemed to be excessive advertisement.
Ark thought the battle state could be released which was why he ran more than 200 meters away. So the [Null Recovery] effect could be cancelled. Also, if he hid his body using ‘Stealth’ he would have an opportunity to sneak back and attack Andel.
However, just before he turned the corner two more scrolls were activated.
The assassin used [Trace] and [Battle off disabled]. Whether Andel knew Ark’s plan or not, the use of those two scrolls ruined it.
It means that all of Ark’s weak points were identified.

”It was a special scroll prepared in Cairo, just for him……… ‘

Sid had mentioned the effects of the special scrolls the other day. But he did not realise that it would have such an enormous effect.
It did no direct damage but if utilized well according to the situation, then it could mean the difference between winning and losing.
If there was time, he would study the effects of the scrolls more seriously but at the moment he did not want to back down.

‘When pursued by a group, it is time for some countermeasures.’

“We can’t stop them. Let’s split up.”

“Yeah but ………”

“Think about it, you won’t be any help to me. And the target of their [Trace] is me. When we scatter, they won’t chase after you.”

“But until I pay back my life debt, I can’t just run away like this.”

“It’s not for you.”

“What?”

“Sid remained in your cabin. If you were to be damaged by the assassins’ attacks, there would be no one left to protect Sid as a foreigner in Cairo. It is a request. The only one I can trust is you. Please protect Sid.”

“Khuk…….I understand.”

While he was conflicted, Lorenzo eventually nodded.
The fact that he wouldn’t be any help against those guys and Ark knew it too.

“As soon as possible. Go before they detect us.”

“Come back alive”

“Don’t worry.”

Ark briefly replied before running through the dark backstreets.
He was separated from Lorenzo. If the quest fails then the worst situation was avoidable.

‘It is important to last 30 minutes’

Ark ran in an alley, thinking hard.
There was nothing Ark could do about the scroll combo he was under. No, honestly even without the scroll, he couldn’t guarantee the odds against three assassins.
So far, the NPC thieves he had faced were classified as general monsters. Their intelligence was quite high which made the battle more difficult, but it was nothing compared to a user.
However, if the same monster had a combat attribute than that would be a different situation.
The Sylphid Knights of Jackson was a good example of this. Their combat method and skills was used faster than a user. And the same goes for assassins.
In the first place, the NPC that specializes in hunting users would have superior fighting skills than the Sylphid Knights.
It was the 3 worst NPCs to fight. In addition, there was also Andel. He stayed back because he didn’t want to become chaotic, but if the assassins started losing than he would probably interfere.

‘No matter how much he thought about it, there was no way to win.’

However, it was also impossible to get away.

[Null recovery], [Trace], [Battle off disabled].

The scroll combo he was under meant that any method of escape was blocked.
The situation had become gloomier.

‘Damn it, that bastard Andel! If only such a method wasn’t used.’

It would be easy. If he prepared for the same method then he had confidence that he would win. He wouldn’t have ignored it if he was Andel. However, Ark had never even considered it.
Andel had a lot more knowledge about New World than Arc! He was also friends with Alan who had enormous funds and resources available.
If he was only dealing with one person, but Andel took advantage of the assassin game system and scrolls. So Ark was confused about how to come up with a counter attack.

‘This is why I was reluctant to associate with players………

He didn’t want to make enemies or even associate with friends.
But from the start, it went wrong and he eventually ended up in this situation.

“Over here!”

Suddenly, a black shape fell from the roof and blocked him.
The Dark Brother assassin!
Ark turned around and flinched as the other assassins fell behind and beside him.
With the [Trace] scroll tracking his movements, it was like Ark was dancing in the palms of Buddha, and the complicated maze of alleys made it easy to surround him.

‘In the end am I prepared to die? ‘

When you die, your stats drop by 6 points. Your experience also drops 30%. At level 90, 30% wasn’t a small amount.
He would have to hunt for 12 hours around the clock to gain back the experience.
But he was even angrier at the thought of Andel being the one to cause his death.
Of course, Andel came rushing forward to see Ark’s end.

“Kukukuk, look at this spectacle. Even though you made an excellent gesture at the end.”

“Bah, this is your best? After this encounter I will not forgive you. Understand? I’ll attack again and this time I’ll really strip you naked. I promise. I’ll chase you all across the continent until you’re naked!”

“You’re a really stupid guy. Do you still not grasp the situation? ”

“What?”

“You will be the one stripped naked, not me. Stupid! Hey, begin.”

At Andel’s command, the 3 assassins all took out scrolls at the same time and activated it.

“[Seize] scroll. Target Ark!”

Ark looked at the scrolls on the hands of the black assassins. A red warning message then flashed.

[{Seize} scroll activated.
When the designated target dies, there is a 50% chance that an equipped item will drop.
{Duration: 30 minutes}]

“What, what?”

Ark’s face turned white and terrified.
50% chance to drop equipped items? There was also such a scroll?
Furthermore, the same scroll was used three times.
While the scroll had a cool down, the assassins could use it repeatedly. And there were 3 assassins.
If 3 people use it at the same time, then the effect will stack up three times. In the end the odds of dropping equipment was 150%. While the probability never existed to this degree, it he was unlucky then he would drop 3 items at once.
Currently if he lost any of his items, it would be difficult to get them again. In the worst case scenario, Lancel’s Sword would drop which would cost him $30

‘What’s more ………On the subject why are these NPCs recklessly using scrolls! ‘

Ark glared at them with absurd eyes but there was something Ark didn’t know.
The more powerful scrolls in battle had a value of more than 30 gold for one. In other words, the assassins used 210 gold just on scrolls.
300 gold was used to hire the assassins and 210 gold to buy the scrolls.
All the scrolls were privately financed by Alan and Andel and then given to the assassins.
Let’s go capitalism!
Just like in reality, money was also important to the game.

“You are unlucky. You don’t know what might have happened if it was another place, but this is the lawless city of Cairo. There are no active restrictions on assassins. In addition, did you make a resurrection place before Cairo?”

“Why don’t you see and find out?”

Ark coolly shot back, but inside his heart fell.
Andel seemed to guess his predicament as he smirked.

“Heh, just like a masterpiece …….! After all, there isn’t a village near Cairo. It is impossible for you to have made anywhere else a resurrection point. And this is a place where the guards don’t move if users are attacked. No, here they are more hostile to normal players than chaotic players. If you are resurrected in a non-chaotic state then you would also have to flee the town. Well, even if you escape the town the result would still be the same. Kik kik, are you finally seeing sense? Who will be the one stripped naked?”

Every word impaled him.
If he was in an ordinary village, there was no risk of a non-chaotic player being killed repeatedly. However, this was the chaotic city of Cairo, where they were adverse to non-chaotic users. That’s why they had to be careful that the resurrection place was updated.
However, Ark hid his unease and replied sarcastically.

“Do you think I’m a fool? Do you think I would renew the resurrection point at a crazy place like this? ”

“Bah, it doesn’t matter, just kill him!”

The assassins rushed at Andel’s command.
The first scroll was triggered and 15 minutes had finally passed.
The remaining time was 15 minutes, but he was still in a battle state and the assassins would not stop pursuing him.
While he was running away, it was fortunate that his health recovered to 30%.
The assassins quickly attacked Ark from three directions.
If he focused on just one of them it would be detrimental. After 1 minute he quickly fell to a critical condition.

‘I made a mistake; there is no way to beat these guys! ‘

Ark glared at Andel with cold eyes.

‘He’s convinced that I updated the resurrection place here. When I die the most logical thing to do is stay dead. But I’m not going to die! If I can just kill one NPC assassin then they won’t recover quickly. Then I’ll hide using ‘stealth’ and run away in the meantime.’

That was the best plan at the moment. In addition, if the fired assassin made a mistake then even Andel won’t be able to sleep easily.

‘An adventure! ‘

“Blessing of the Sea Spirit!”

When the special effects of Adelaine’s Necklace were activated, blue waves appeared and surrounded him. At the same time, defense increased by 40% and 500 mana was restored.
At the same time, Ark opened a bag and pulled out a stack of old swords. Andel pushed one of the assassins and rushed forward.

Take this, Blade Storm!

When he activated the skill, cracks like spider webs spread on the swords. With an intense glare, he swung the sword at Andel.
Blessing of the Sea Spirit was followed by Blade Storm In his critical condition, Adrenaline was activated. This is was Ark’s powerful deadly combo.
When the assassins belatedly noticed Ark’s intent, they threw a dagger. But the 40% increase in defense meant that Ark’s health didn’t really decline. With any luck, he would still be able to take down the level 60 Andel.
Looking at the swirling sword debris, Ark was convinced.
However, at the moment Andel lightly laughed.
He pulled out one more scroll, activated it and disappeared only to appear a few meters away.

‘What, [Warp]……….!’

The swirling blade storm disappeared into the air. Ark’s eyes narrowed in despair.
His deadly combo which used all his energy failed because of a scroll. For a while he was discouraged until he felt the pain. The assassins had thrown two daggers which plunged into his back.
Ark stumbled and leaned on a railing.
He looked down and saw the mouth of the hole spread out infinitely.
It was the hell that you wouldn’t be able to survive once you fell in. Andel had chased him across Cairo right to the edge of hell.
When Andel used [warp], he rushed right to the edge of a place Ark guaranteed was hell. If Blade Storm was used just one step closer, he would’ve stepped off the edge into hell.
No, Ark’s fate had already been decided.

“So you’re also here!”

The assassins had been throwing the dagger again.
Ark swung his sword at the daggers but one still became stuck in his shoulder.
Ark flinched and retreated while a number of thoughts crossed his mind.

”There is no way for me to survive in this state anyway! ‘

And if he died and dropped an item then it would end up in Andel’s hands. Even if he didn’t want to die it couldn’t be helped.

‘I’d rather have the items lost forever than end up with Andel! ‘

Ark ground his teeth together and asked.
Even if he withstood it, there is a 100% chance he’ll die. However, what if he fell into hell? It’s clear that he was going to die. But at least it wouldn’t be because of Andel. The items dropped also wouldn’t end up with Andel And maybe even ………
There may be a possibility of 0.01%.
There was no choice.
Ark immediately turned and jumped on the railing.
Daggers just barely missed his neck as he fell and flew overhead. And at his feet spread an endless abyss…….!

ACT 8 At the End of Hell
‘……..What now? ‘

He fell at an enormous speed through a dark space.
It felt like he was being drawn somewhere. He couldn’t even fathom how long he had been falling or how much further there was to fall. However, one thing is certain. The longer it took to reach the bottom, the more the damage would exponentially increase. If the flow did not appear within a few minutes………

‘My remaining health was 150, even if I use the Racial Special Skill of the Cat Knight, I would still die. ‘But after that was the problem.
The hell was in the Cairo region, but he didn’t know if the depths exceeded 1 kilometre or it the effects of the scrolls had disappeared.
However, the [Seize] scroll used just before falling didn’t designate an area or distance limitation.
If he died, then he must be prepared to lose 1~2 of his equipped items.
It would be a fatal blow. But that wasn’t really the issue he was worried about.

‘Andel……..!’

He had not considered his spirit.
Andel hired assassin with a few hundred gold. He also came forward and chased after Ark directly.
He gave up on questing and levelling up.
His intention to become the best in New World had changed to getting revenge on Ark.

‘As long as he is convinced that my resurrection place is Cairo then he would guard it even for the few days until I revive. ‘

Andel was such a person. He wouldn’t be able to sleep and guard the resurrection point 24 hours a day. But when the assassins also guarded in shifts then there would be no gaps for Ark to revive.
Eventually Ark would have to log in or lose access to his items and there was a high probability that he would be PKed.
The NPCs in the lawless city of Cairo won’t lift a finger to help users.
In this situation, rules don’t exist.

‘Am I really going to end up like this?’

When he thought about it, his chest fluttered uneasily.
It is nonsense. How far have I raised Ark?
Am I really not going to be able to play the game anymore because of Andel?
New World might just be a game, but to Ark it was his reality and life. Ark was able to eat rice every day and pay for his mother’s medical bills thanks to New World.

‘I just found it. I desperately found it. A way that I could live. And a place I want to live. I can’t give up. I would never give it up just because of Andel’

He made up his mind about what he wanted to do.
He had to show his guts.
Because that was the only thing Ark had.

‘I have to live! To protect yourself from Andel, you have no choice but to live, think Ark! Think of ways to survive! It’s not real. Nothing is impossible in New World. If you don’t give up then there must be a way to survive! ‘

Ark desperately rolled his head.
Meanwhile, Ark had been falling and could finally see the ground.
He was approaching pillars that rose from the ground. At the bottom of the hell, there appeared to be some monster fangs.
A spark suddenly occurred in Ark’s mind.

‘Hell’s fangs! Ok, maybe …….! ‘

Ark struggled to maintain his posture in thin air.
And he clenched his sword and concentrated with both eyes.

‘The chances are only fleeting! If I’m 0.1 seconds too late or early then I’m screwed! ‘

The sight of the ground where he could hit his head felt even more terrifying. His body would break like a tomato unless he had the right timing. However, Ark clenched his teeth together and opened his eyes wider. And just as the bottom approached!

‘Riposte!’

Ka ka ka kak! Jja Jjang!

With his full power, Ark swung his sword.
He pushed at the stone pillar with his sword.
At the moment, all his power was concentrated on Ark’s arm and shoulders. Checking the distance of the stone pillar approaching at high speed wasn’t much different from an offensive from an enemy. When he struck with Riposte, he gambled that a counterattack would occur.
The special effect of Riposte was to push the opponent back 10 meters, but if opponent was too strong than the shock would be returned to Ark. Using Einstein’s principle of relativity the results were easily predicted.

Bump!

Ark’s body stopped in the air, as the brakes were jammed.
At the same time, the damage caused by the fall was annulled for the moment.
Ark didn’t miss the opportunity and kicked the stone pillar with his foot. And using the elasticity of his body, he avoided the stone pillar and broke his fall.
A violent impact shook his shoulders and back.

-Cat Knight’s ability to alleviate the damage of falling by as much as 50%.Using your flexibility, the damage of the fall was reduced by 30%.

‘It’s a success! ‘

Ark teared up at the sight of the message.
It was worth every moment he spent fighting thieves and levelling up Riposte until he formed blisters on his hand. It was a desperate moment where he only had 0.1 second to use Riposte before being smashed into a stone pillar. Using the special ability of the Cat Knight, he only received 50 damage.
It was worth it to dig up this heroic achievement!
However, before he could celebrate a red light appeared in succession.

-You were attacked by Blood Sucking Leeches 5 damage!

“What, what the?”

Ark said in surprise.
In the area surrounding Ark were red fist-sized leeches. Some of them were already attached to his body and sucking blood.
Using his sword, Ark was able to kill three or four of them but more took their place.
In an instant, his health was sucked out until he only had 30 left.

“Damn it! Did I survive all that just to be killed by leeches? Spirit of the Cat!

Nyahhhh!

Ark’s pupils’ glowed gold as the form of a large black cat appeared.
He revealed sharp fangs and he stared at them and the leeches instantly stiffened. All the gnawing leeches sucking his blood also stiffened and fell off.
The floor was covered with leeches.
The Spirit of the Cat caused paralysis which lasts for 1 minute!

‘1 minute to kill all the leeches. And his skills used mana. I only have 30 health left which means I’m screwed once the paralysis wears off. I have to get out of here for the time being’

Ark used Eyes of the Cat to search for a way out.
Then Ark saw a dark hole which could barely fit one person on the side of the room. There was no line. Ark stepped on leeches as he headed towards the hole. Fortunately, the leeches didn’t chase after him.
Ark entered the whole and looked for a little more space. The hole was longer than he thought.
He crawled along the whole for a couple of minutes before his arms slipped. Like a slide at a swimming pool, the floor suddenly sloped and dropped somewhere.
Suddenly a message window appeared in front of Ark.

“Ah, huh?”

Hell’s Underground Labyrinth

You’ve discovered the underground labyrinth that emits a terrible odour in the depths of Cairo. Perhaps this labyrinth has existed even before Cairo was built. It is unclear what the purpose for building it was.

But as it was underneath Cairo, all the filth and corpses naturally entered the labyrinth. Due to all the filth dumped from Cairo, the labyrinth changed to a stench filled one capable of covering a further deformity

-You have found an undiscovered dungeon.

When you register with the Hall of Fame, you can gain 1000 experience and 70 Fame.

Would you like to register?

“The [Trace] scroll has stopped reacting.”

“Tired”

“That guy was stronger than I thought.”

The assassins flocked to the edge of the abyss.
It was hard to even fathom the depth to the bottom of the hell. Once you fall there was a 100% chance of dying. No, even if he survived there was no way of getting back up. He would have no choice but to die and resurrect…….

“He fell into the hell so that it wouldn’t be possible to pick up his equipment.”

“I don’t care about that. It is trivial because he was dressed shabbily and his items wasn’t worth spending all that gold on scrolls. I just wanted to make that guy a beggar. ”

“Well, then I don’t care ……For the time being, is it done?”

“Not yet”

Andel said with a cool smile.

“This is just the beginning. When I think of that guy, there’s no way I’m going to leave it like this. That guy has to pay me back for everything. Even when he is stripped naked and all his stats reduced to zero! I’ll kill him a hundred times more.

Andel said forcefully as he turned around.

“It is certain that he will return to Cairo. Because I expect you to guard the resurrection point, you won’t be able to return immediately. But he is a candidate so he might not connect for a while. From now on, be patient. That noob also did it to me for several days…. Even if it takes several months, we have to kill and kill again until he finally loses access.
Andel led the assassins towards the quartermaster.
A person’s grudge was a scary thing.

“Refuse registration.”
Ark naturally rose to his feet.
Andel would be looking for him for payback.
There was no reason to do foolish things for information.

‘The bottom of the hell was connected to a dungeon……… ‘

Ark removed the filth from his body and looked around. The complex pathway was made of dark brown bricks intricately linked together. Hell’s underground labyrinth was its original name but it was now the sewage system for Cairo. Rotten water reached the ankle and a bad stench wafted from the mountains of filth scattered all over. It was a situation that was horrible for the eyes and the nose.
The realistic scenario meant he actually had to think about it.

‘Okay, what now … … .. ‘

Of course, the most urgent problem was to recover his health from its current state of 30 points. Ark made food and thought for a while as it recovered his health.
For the time being, he had survived. The worst situation where he wouldn’t be able to connect to the game anymore was avoided. However, it was too early to rejoice due to the ambiguous situation.
The first time he came to Cairo and saw the information about the hell, it said that there was no record of anyone escaping the hell after they fell in.
However, Ark thought positively.

‘To be more precise, the place I am now is not the hell.
It is a hidden Dungeon. There wouldn’t be a dungeon with no exit. Yes, for the time being I’ll secure an exit.’

He’ll look for a way out to get revenge on Andel and then explore the dungeon …….either way his first priority was to secure his own safety.
Now, ‘not dying’ is the most important thing.

‘The fact that it is a labyrinth dungeon means that it would definitely contain monsters.’

“Summon Demon, Dedric!”

As soon as his spiritual power was restored, he summoned Dedric.
A dim light shone and Dedric appeared with his nose crinkled and frowned.

“Phew, master. You’re alive. Ugh, this place is……..? ”

“Yeah this is the situation we’re in. Anyway, it is urgent to find the exit from here. Please navigate around and search for it. Also notify me immediately if monsters appear.”

“Kuu……..Seems to be going by the nose. I got it.”

Dedric chose a path and flew along it.
But Dedric returned 2 minutes later and shook his head.

“There is no visible exit around here. And the terrain is too complex for me to find my way back. ”

“Any monsters?”

“Not that I sae”

“Really? Strange. There should be some……..”

Burst!

Ark had taken one step forward down a passage. When suddenly something popped out of the ground under him and grabbed his ankles.

“What, what the?”

Ark flinched and looked down at the water where rotten hands were holding his ankle. Ark swung his sword and hastily stepped back.
It was then that an audible noise was heard.
It was a sleeping monster made of bones that gradually raised its’ body. The rotting flesh was attached to the bones of the monster………where there was nothing there before, there was now 6 monsters surrounding Ark.

‘Polluted skeleton?’

It was level 110!

Dalgurak, ttadadak, dalgeurak!

The heads of the six skeletons turned around and focused on Ark. After a moment, flame spewed from their eyes as a defense mechanism as they rushed at him with a rusted long sword.

“Oh damn! Snake, nerve paralysis poison! ”

Ssak ssak ssak!

Ark wielded his sword and twisted it.
Five skeletons instantly met a critical hit and were pushed back. However, the skeletons weren’t paralyzed.
Their flesh was rotting off the bone. Of course there wouldn’t be nerves to paralyze. Furthermore, the Polluted Skeletons were skeletons who had been transformed by pollutants.
The beginner’s deadly poison that Snake produces is just like water to them.
Rather, the poisonous effect restored health.

‘Poison absorption characteristic? Why do I meet monsters immune to poison at this time? ‘

However, that was not the end of the problem.

-You received a blow from the Polluted Skeleton. 130 damage!
‘Tetanus’ Reaction is slowed and you will receive 10 damage every 5 seconds for 1 minute.

All of the skeletons wielded their weapons.
He was unlucky. There were all kinds of germs in their dirty swords, which meant there was a high probability of getting tetanus.
Tetanus stunned the body and made it heavier. This made it difficult to evade the attacks of the skeleton however that wasn’t the only thing.

‘……..So far, I have only been relying on poison? ‘

After he received the serpent poison skill, it certainly made battles easier.
He could use the poison in combination with kicks since most opponents were stunned.
In particular, Ark frequently used the poison nerve paralysis. It was a poison which paralyses the arm and legs and made it easier to disable an opponent quickly. Therefore, Ark had unknowingly relied on it during battle to slow the monsters.
That was one of the reasons he wasn’t able to respond to the movements of the assassins. Professional assassins would have immunity to most of the racial special skills held by users.
He used the combo skill of Sword-Hand combat with Riposte. The success rate of the same poison was also quite low.

‘Yes, I’ve been far too complacent. I’ve relied too much on those skills. It made the battle easier but lowered his actual battle skills. Skills such as Eyes of the Cat and poison are important, but honing the basic skills is also important in fighting enemies. I’ll focus on my Sword-Hand combat skill! ‘

Yes, that is the basis of the game.
Warriors Sword Mastery, Magicians magic and Archer’s archery……..The most important thing to fully hone your skills is to properly utilize the jobs primary weapon! In Ark’s case, that consisted of Sword-Hand combat.

‘Wake up Ark! Now is not the time to let your attention wander!’

His aim was to take revenge with the enemies blade appears. It was something he knew as a novice. You don’t know when something basic could be useful.

‘I’m not playing around!’

Ark bit his lips so tightly that it started bleeding.
The brain moves the body.
It is natural for the movement to change when the mind changes!
If you don’t have a resolute mind then your reactions are slower, but when your mind is resolute then change quickly occurs. It was disrespectful to say that a battle doesn’t rely on your mind.

‘If the opponent is open then you have to figure out the flow of the battlefield!’

Ark quickly widened his view of the battlefield.
Now he had to tackle the skeleton wielding a sword and looked at the movements of the skeletons with skin.

“Dedric, the rear! Plan D-2! ”

Dedric flew to the rear of the skeletons while Ark quickly attacked.
Ark went forward without looking back and forth.
The skeleton wielded his sword. Ark instantly twisted and shoved his sword in the lower back.
Counter attack!
The skeleton stepped back shocked.
Then two skeletons wielding swords attacked from both sides.
Ark had already identified their movements and expected the attack. Ark lowered his body to the ground and did a sweeping low kick.
The low kick was not a technique seen in normal taekwondo moves.
Ark saw the move in a Martial Arts film and integrated it into his kicks.
The skeletons were hit by the kick and fell down.
They were light because they were only bones and collapsed easily. He then kicked the skeletons until they were disassembled piece by piece.

‘That’s three of them killed! ‘

Ark turned to find his next opponent.

Ttadak, ttadadadak, tadadak!

“What, what the?”

The many bones began to get stuck together like a magnet. Minus the broken and cracked bones, the others joined together until they formed perfect skeletons.
Their vitality was also 100%. It was an unexpected situation.

‘Sheesh, it’s not enough to knock them apart, I have to destroy all their bones?’

Ark swung his sword again.
However, unlike before it was meaningless to attack the gaps in the bones. He focused each blow on a single region in order to destroy it. So he could avoid having the skeleton’s body reassembled again.
Thanks to that, the battle lengthened considerably. But after he used his Spiritual Power to summon skull and distribute the attacks, it took around 15 minutes to destroy all the skeletons.
After they finally finished off the skeletons with the help of Skull, Dedric shook his head.

“It’s tragic……a quarrel within the same family.”

Ttak ttak ttak!

Skull chewed on a shattered bone.
Although the battle ended safely, Ark couldn’t feel relieved.

‘This dungeon …The degree of difficulty is higher than I thought’

The level of the skeletons was 110, but Ark was around 120 thanks to the dark attribute bonus.
If he was just dealing with six skeletons then there were no significant problems. However, no matter how insignificant the opponent there was still a possibility of death. Additionally, if he was hit once then he would also receive tetanus. But was that all? If he got distracted even for a short time, then the skeletons would reassemble and his health would fall until he was in a critical condition.

‘Although he won against six skeletons, against eight he couldn’t be sure of his chances.’

That was the problem.
In the other dungeons, he could use Dedric to scout the place first and if it was too dangerous then he could avoid it. However, these guys suddenly appeared from the ground to grab his ankles. That means he wouldn’t know their number until they appear.

‘I don’t know when I would be attacked by surprise so managing my health is the most critical thing. And I have to move as carefully as possible so that the skeletons don’t react. If a skeleton appears to fight, I’ll just retreat.’

Ark grabbed the items from the skeletons and carefully walked forward step by step. How far did he walk? Just as he turned the corner, his foot sank and he fell into the water. He was sucked in by this huge force and dragged somewhere else.

‘This is, what is this? ‘

A message floated in front of the confused Ark.
You fell into the wormhole.
Hell’s underground labyrinth is complicated like a spider web with wormholes everywhere. If you fall into one you will be taken by force to another location

Peng!
A sound was made as Ark forcefully stopped next to a drain.
He raised his body and looked around. However, the place was completely different from the area he was in before. Suddenly he heard Dedric’s voice in his ear.

“Ma……..Master? How ……..? Where …..? ”

“Dedric! Are you alright?”

“Master…….you’re alive! All of a sudden ….surprisingly disappeared.”

Ark was spiritually connected to Dedric so they could communicate within a fixed distance. However the distance must be quite fair, since the reception was falling.

“You don’t know where I am?”

“……..I don’t know, I guess….No”

I understand.”

Ark sighed and cancelled Dedric and Skull’s summoning. However, his spiritual power hadn’t recovered enough to summon them again. So he was there without any summons and he had to wait until his spiritual power recovered.

“Damn, who knew this dungeon had such dangerous and complex wormholes? This damn dungeon……. ”

Ark started grumbling.
Suddenly something fell with a patter over his shoulder.
Ark moved his hand where sticky mucus was stuck.

“What is this? Ugh! Is it filth? In some ways, I feel really bad……..Huk! ”

Ark raised his eyes and let out a muffled scream without thinking.
On the ceiling was a giant gelatinous mass of objects. Viscous slime fell and the translucent monster moved its body! Ark had no time to move as the gaze of the monster turned to him and a red light flashed.

-You have suffered damage from the acidic digestive juices of the Polluted Poison Slime. 50 damage!

“S, slime?”

The scream did not come from his mouth.
The slime completely surrounded Ark and covered his nose and mouth. Every time, it did crazy damage and his health rapidly decreased.
Ark frantically struggled and pushed at the slime until he managed to escape. He turned and saw the passageway blocked by the giant wriggling slime body.
The Polluted Slime was level 130.

“Slime?” That’s a slime? ‘

Ark of course knew about slimes.
It was a monster that was often seen in the early stages of most online games. But the slimes that Ark knew weren’t this ugly. They were plump and fluffy……. you know?
It was more like a mascot that receives more of the users’ love than the actual mascot. However, the slime in front of him was something that no user would be interested in. It wasn’t cute and the stench was enough to make him feel sick.
Meanwhile, it extended its body and wrapped one piece around Ark’s arm. Red light flashed and acid damage occurred.
The blow only did 50 damage, but his health was being steadily drained. The acid properties also damaged the durability of his equipment as well as his health. Ark caught and removed the slime form his arm.

‘The whole body is the digestive system? Then quickly!’

Ark swung his sword like lightning.
And then………….. Slippery!

-Your attack missed!

The sword was impractical to attack the slime and it just slipped off its body.
Confused, Ark stepped backwards and used Eyes of the Cat. Then a red point pointed to the centre of the slime’s body. If he had not seen it, he wouldn’t have known there was a shape like an eyeball there.

‘That is probably the nucleus of the slime.’

Physical attacks would do nothing unless he hit the nucleus. Ark had hunted monsters with the same characteristics on the seabed underwater. It was the jelly fish that wielded a large number of tentacles!
Like the slime, it also received little damage until he attacked the mouth of the jellyfish, and then large damage occurred.

‘But the slime was huge enough to fill the drain pipe. How would my sword even reach the nucleus in the centre? ‘

It sprayed mucus at him and Ark avoiding it while swearing.
Physical damage doesn’t work because it was immune to normal attacks. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a difficult opponent if he was a magician.

‘Is there a way to get rid of that mucous? ‘

That is the key!
A certain skill flashed through Ark’s head.

‘Yes, that’s the technique ……..! ‘

“Snake, the most useless sword!”

Snake spat out the sword of Schnauzer and Ark grabbed it.

“Blade Storm!”

Arc used blade storm to destroy the sword and a devastating storm developed from its debris.
As expected, all the fragments bounced off the slime.
But Ark’s target wasn’t the damage from the debris. The fragments created a powerful vortex!
When the tremendous pressure exerted itself on the mucous, the slime became smaller and thinner because of the pressure.
The distance remaining between the nucleus was just 30cm!
It was enough for him to drive his sword through!

“Take this, Dark blade!”

Ark shot forward like an arrow and used Dark Blade.
The sword penetrated the nucleus of the slime. In an instant, 60% of its health was gone. And the slime trembled and the mucous thickened again. However, Ark could gather more mana by turning off anything he didn’t need. Once again, he used the Blade Storm and Dark Blade combo to shave off the remaining health of the slime.

Kkuooooo! Peppeng!

A huge amount of slime exploded all over the place.
Thanks to that his body was covered in slime, but it did no further damage to him.

-Your level has risen.

“I did it!”

Ark blew out a sigh and sat with a flop.
The slime that was occupying the passage disappeared and Ark was finally able to look around properly.
The wormhole led him to a completely different place. Before the wormhole, the passage was made of broken bricks but this place was full of tree roots.
Ark recovered his stamina and moved along the path.
After walking a few minutes, he came across a rusty iron door.

‘Is it the exit? ‘

Ark ran to the iron doors.
But no matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t see a keyhole or door handle.

‘Is it a dead end?’

Ark turned with a disappointed face.
But his fingers touched a rusted part which got stuck and once he pulled it away, a section of unevenness crumbled. When he turned back again, it seemed like some designs were carved underneath the rust.
Just in case, he shook off the rest of the rust.
Ark narrowed his eyes at the pattern that was being gradually revealed.

‘ Ara? This pattern is from the other day …….Oh, that’s right! ‘

The design in which 3 triangles are overlapped!
Ark had seen the same design last time. It was the pattern that the Elder Meow Hassan showed him. It was the time when the Meow still traded. They were the residents who lived in the Underground World. He had forgotten about it because couldn’t believe the symbol was here of all places!
Ark busily moved his hand until all the rust was gone.
There were small letters carved to reveal a sentence.
It was carved in unintelligible characters. However, Ark knew how to decipher such characters.
When he touched the characters, a pale light was emitted from his hand and the contents were deciphered right in front of him.

This place was sealed in accordance with the ancient vow.
Those who don’t know this place can’t enter.
A person with purpose could wake me up.
A person who makes the pilgrimage here with pride and speaks my name with respect will be able to cross……….

‘Entrance to the Underground World’ was discovered

You have discovered information hidden in an Ancient Relic. You’ve found the entrance to the Underground World hidden in the dark and gloomy labyrinth of the underground hell. However, the entrance is firmly locked by an ancient vow.The terms of the Covenant states that to pass you need wisdom and humble pride. You need to find a way through the doors using clues hidden in the underground labyrinth.Information on the ancient relic ‘Entrance to the Underground World’ is acquired.
{Knowledge of Ancient Relics +15, Intelligence +5 and Fame increases by 30}

‘The Entrance to the Underground World………..!’

He felt like he had been hit in the back of the head.
In fact, Ark hadn’t guessed that the Underground World wouldn’t be that far from Giran. According to Hassan, the agent representing the residents of the underground world came from the north-west.
The Meow’s temple and shrine was also in the north-west.
Furthermore, the residents of the underground world had traded with numerous commercial cities, that there would surely be problems living near a large commercial city like Giran. However, the entrance exists in the Brandt Mountains underneath Cairo.

‘Come to think of it……’

Suddenly he remembered the name of the place where he fell.
Hell’s underground labyrinth. Hell is the word for abyss in Buddhist terminology. In general, however it could also mean a subterranean world.
Apparently, the word hell itself was a clue for the underground world. It was a pretty ridiculous hint.

‘I found the entrance while under the condition of not being able to die.’

Thus Ark’s purpose became clear.
If a person fell into the hell and died then they would just revive. However, Ark was worried that there wouldn’t be an exit. However, if the entrance leads to another world then even a child couldn’t mistake it.
The inhabitants of the underground world used to participate in trade.
In other words, there was a way for them to go outside. It is unknown if there is an exit in the underground labyrinth, but it is pretty clear that an exit exists somewhere in the other world. If he entered the underground world then all his problems would be solved for the time being!

‘And besides, there might be the second piece of the Three Marvels in the underground world! ‘

Ark’s eyes lit up.
Finding the Three Marvels was important to Ark.
The Three Marvels was the source of a Dark Walker’s power. He would get another skill and ability just like when he previously found the sculpture.
If that happened, his abilities would increase by leaps and bounds.
It now became even more urgent for Ark.
Andel was still waiting for him at the resurrection point in Cairo. At the moment, the circumstances meant that he had to hide but if he found the piece of the Three Marvels then that situation would change. In some cases, it may be possible for him to not only escape the crisis but also gain revenge.

‘No, I will certainly get revenge. This is the place where I chose to live. I’m not playing the game for fun unlike you. I’ll make him think twice about touching me!’
That argument motivated him to survive even more.

Ark earnestly began exploring the dungeon.
However, Hell’s underground labyrinth was truly complicated and deserved the name labyrinth. Not only did it have complicated stairs leading to the 2nd floor, but the 3rd floor seemed like it was stuck in a three dimensional puzzle. It was not easy to remember the path after he passed it once.
Then Ark remembered a forgotten skill.

‘I didn’t realise that it would be this useful.’

Ark had learnt new cartography skills.
Using the cartography skills he learnt in the past from Hanson, the dungeon was automatically recorded. Thanks to checking the map, Ark slowly explored the geography of the dungeon. Of course, exploring a dungeon was not a relaxing situation.

Ttadak, ttadadak!

If he was even a little bit careless then skeletons would attack. They could be as little as four or as many as ten!
Thanks to that, every time Ark finished a battle he had to cook some dishes and eat.
It was fortunate that he was able to avoid the big slime through reconnaissance.
The slime gave a large amount of experience, but if he did not use blade storm than there was no way for him to win. This meant that every time he fought he consumed two swords. However, there was no reason to fight and waste his two bags of loot. There were tricks that he used to make hunting a full day in the labyrinth easier. If he met a slime or was surrounded by more the seven skeletons, Ark would quickly escape through a nearby wormhole.
The labyrinth had invisible wormholes laid all over the place.
Once he used a wormhole, the position would automatically be updated on the map and he could take advantage of it to use [Warp], just like a scroll.
It was the way that he wanted to live, so the maze was a quite useful hunting ground. The skeletons gave large experience and the item drop rate was also high.
In addition, the labyrinth was the waste disposal site for Cairo. So the labyrinth had piles of junk scattered all over the place, just like Gallic’s stomach.
Sometimes a useable item would appear.
Although in quite a few cases, if it went ‘boom’ then poison gas would spread but ……..

‘Aside from the stench, this wouldn’t be a bad place to live.’

No, it wasn’t bad. It was actually rather good
However, Ark’s purpose was not to level up or gain items. It was to find out how to enter the underground world.
However, he had explored 70% of the dungeon and he still had no clue on how to enter the underground world.
It was recorded that the clue to solve the riddle was hidden in the dungeon, but he had looked around and the clue wasn’t visible.

‘It is a big deal. I’m beginning to feel the limits…… ‘

Ark looked at his bag with a worried expression.
After fighting with the skeletons, he always ends up with low health. Of course every time he finished he ate food but the ingredients were starting to run out.
In the first place he used many of the ingredients to make too much food for the ex-convicts, so he didn’t have that much remaining.
Of course, even the labyrinth contained ingredients. However, the only things available in the filth infested labyrinth were the skeleton bones and random slime. He had tested it and none of the food Ark made could be eaten.
That wasn’t the only problem.
The item drop rate was high, which meant that it used up a lot of bag space. He had only spent 24 hours in the maze.
Ark’s bag was full and although he equipped Snake’s Item storage skill, 90% of that inventory was filled with items from other regions.

‘Setting aside items, food was one of the highest priorities. If I run out of food then there is a high possibility that I will die’

Ark sighed in frustration and looked at a small hole in the ground.
It was a drain found in the middle of the maze.
The fact that water did not fill up the maze was due to these multiple drains. If so, perhaps it was linked to the outside. However, their diameter was 10cm at the most so he couldn’t even get his head through.

‘It is even impossible for a Hobbit to exit using this.’

Ark was getting up when he froze.
Suddenly a brilliant idea popped into his head.

‘Oh, yes! That way …….It might be possible! ‘

ACT 9 Mystery of the Labyrinth
After Ark fell into the hell, the night and day had changed four times. In reality, that would be over 32 hours.
In the meantime, Andel and the assassins did not leave the resurrection place.
In some cases chaotic players who revived there sent them strange looks, but Andel did not pay them any attention.
Nevertheless, Andel quite enjoyed those times.

“That bastard Ark finally revealed that he is just a coward. He should be quite irritated by now? If a candidate was unable to connect for more than a day…….they would connect and check out the situation. But it is impossible. Once you caught my eye, you’re dead.”

However, Andel was only human and he wouldn’t risk his life for revenge. When it was time to eat a meal he ate and slept.
After a satisfying 40 hours, Andel eventually logged out of his unit and stretched while yawning.

“I’m not going to be here for a day. Okay?”

“Of course.”

Next to him the assassin nodded.
The assassins were camped in front of the quartermaster and were alternating between sleeping and guarding. At one time there were always two people awake, so it would be no problem if Ark suddenly revived.

“Usually the request is only for a month, but if you request it then we will guard this place for a year until it is complete.”

“Okay, I’ll believe you.”

Andel gave a satisfied look and cut the connection.

“When I see the technology of the foreigners, it sure is weird.”

An assassin muttered as Andel disappeared from sight.
However, NPCs can’t really worry. The system does not allow for curiosity in the NPC.
After Andel disappeared, the assassins went back to staring at the resurrection point.
Gawking gawking
At that time, there were people staring from the woods.
He carefully looked at the assassins before running through the forest.
The small feet squeezed his body between tall trees as he looked back. He looked around restlessly and repeated the pattern.
It was like a breathtaking (?) scene from a spy movie as he arrived at the cabin on the hill.

“Whoa, a broke into a sweat at what I found.”

After he entered the cabin, the small figure took off his hood.
The visage of the small figure was that of the hobbit, Sid.
During the time that Ark was falling into the hell, Lorenzo fled to the cabin unharmed.
After explaining the situation to Sid, they were waiting for Ark to contact them at the cabin.
The anxious Lorenzo quickly approached.

“So? Do you have any news about older brother?”

Ark had gone with Lorenzo to kill the thieves and had protected him when the assassin threw a dagger at Lorenzo. Of course, it was because of the quest.
However, as a NPC Lorenzo was naive and felt that he owed a considerable debt to Ark.
Since that day, Lorenzo had referred to Ark as his older brother.
Sid shook his head with a dark countenance.
“Not yet. No one has seen Ark in Cairo.”
“After retreating, did he get defeated by those guys?”
“Well I think so.”
“Damn! Because of me…….!”
Lorenzo exploded with rage as he hit the desk. He suddenly asked.

“But they’re using a strange technique. After a serious injury they could teleport to the Quartermaster. As older brother is a foreigner would he also be able to do that?”

“That’s the problem…….”

Sid replied ambiguously with a pained face.
Andel and the assassins were waiting for Ark at the resurrection place.
That meant that Ark was certainly dead.
It was impossible to wait at the Quartermaster for a person who wasn’t dead. Perhaps Ark did not revive because he guessed such a situation.

‘He was called Andel? I don’t know what the relationship is between him and Ark-nim but it must be bad. It was such that he even waited at the resurrection point. Does that mean he will quit the game?’

Sid couldn’t tell if Ark had done the same thing to Andel.
In any case, their interaction wasn’t very good.
With Andel and the assassins guarding the quartermaster, Ark couldn’t even connect to the game. And Sid had no way of knowing how long it would last.

‘I wish I had Ark’s phone number so it would be a little better…….’

Sid sighed in frustration.

Thump, thump, thump!

Suddenly sounds were heard from the door, banging into something.
The surprised Sid and Lorenzo exchanged nervous glances.

‘Is it them? Did those guys follow us back here?’

Lorenzo who imagined the worst approached the door and lifted his sword.

“I can’t do it. Sid please escape to the back door while I try to block them.

“Ha, but ………”

“There’s no time to argue. Listen to what I have to say? I owe my life to big brother. He asked me for a favour and I don’t want to break it. Because I care about the fellow, please hurry while I buy time.”

Lorenzo spoke in a low voice during the touching scene.
All of a sudden, an object entered through the bottom of the door. It was a shadow that was creeping forward. Lorenzo quickly raised his sword while Sid raised his hands and shouted.

“Wait! It……..! ”

Saek saek saek!

At the sight of the object, Sid lifted his voice in welcome. It was the surprisingly long tongue of Ark’s belt…….No, it was a snake.
Lorenzo looked at Sid, embarrassed.

“What, what! This snake is?”

“It’s not just a snake. This snake is Ark’s pet.”

“What?” Older brother’s? In addition to the bat and skull?”

“Yes! And if this snake is back…..that mean Ark-nim is out there!”

Sid hugged the snake.
Snake expressed his happiness by twining around Sid’s body- but the hobbit was too short- and climbed on top of the table. And he started vomiting out items from his mouth.
After a long time. Items were stacked on top of the table.
Snake began squirming his body and making a weird shape.
What is it doing? Sid stared blankly before he realised.

“It’s a letter! It must be a message from Ark-nim!”

Sid took out a piece of paper and pen and wrote down what the snake produced.

For Sid.
Sid. I am alive for the time being.
Due to the circumstance, for the time being I won’t be able to go there. So I will send Snake on my behalf in the future.
Snake will give you items to organize and please send any required items to me through Snake.
I need food and potions from the store and well as repair boxes.
Also please send paper and a pen.

“……So I have to organize the items and sell the loot …….As expected from Ark-nim……!”

Sid muttered with a tired expression.
Then. That was the solution that Ark came up with for his worries about loot.
Ark finally found an exit through a small drain that led to the outside.
It was 10cm in diameter, and although many snakes wouldn’t be able to pass through Ark had an insane idea. Therefore he placed all the items he needed to sell in Snake and sent it to the cabin where Sid was hiding with Lorenzo.

“Anyway that’s it. It’s all done. If Ark-nim is alive then you don’t have to worry about assassins for the time being. Bah, morons. So even if it takes a while wait for me there……. ”

Sid collected the items from Snake while he was moved to tears and had to wipe his runny nose.
Then he put the hood back on and sneaked into Cairo using the [Lie] scroll. He organized the loot and came back with Ark’s required items which Snake swallowed.

“Snake, be careful!”

Ssak ssak ssak!

Snake nodded and with eyes filled with duty, crawled to the ground.

“Park So-mi ssi”

“Yes,”

Hyun-woo requested after being asked by the reception. He was approached by the staff who extended a statement

“This is the full 5,210,000 won. Would you like to pay it with a card? ”

“Eh, 5,210,000 won?”

Ark asked again with a surprised expression.

“Up until last month, it was just over 4,500,000 won?”

“The expenses went up a little this month. Didn’t you see the letter of information?”

The staff held out the letter of information.
He read the list that the hospital typed that showed the treatment for each patient.
But the bottom line was that the hospital bills were raised due to inflation. Finally, the hospital was also succumbing to the inflation surge.
In fact, the talk about raising hospital bills occurred a few months ago.
However, public opinion had been blocking it.
‘The dangers of health care privatization are revealed.’
”Is the patient sealed to a chair? ‘
A current events program was broadcasted every day, and the parent organizations for the opposition against hospital privatization was shown as well.
But in the end it was decided to raise the hospital bills.
Although, frankly Hyun-woo did not expect the hospital costs to stay the same. Whether it is a game or reality, everything relies on power.
The hospital had a vested interest while the people who opposed raising hospital bills were mostly poor.
Isn’t it clear which group would win when the two of them clashed? The government which was supposed to stand with the people decided in the end to privatize health care and turn a blind eye to the common people.
………..When was it?
It was the same story when the government first talked about privatizing public enterprises.
The people of the Republic of Korea aren’t stupid.
Of course, there was many invested in opposing the privatization and more than 100,000 participated in protests by lighting a candle.
Although he didn’t participate in the protests, the majority of ordinary people supported them. It was clearly a public sentiment. But the government was unshaken and did not side with public sentiment.
Rather, they presented the candlelight protests as violent demonstrations and used it to push privatization.
Of course, the Government pushed it but the problem was also caused by people who didn’t care …….was?
It is quite common for the public sentiment to change quickly.
It was a suitable word. But they public sentiment doesn’t mean much to people with money and power. It did not mean the poor. It was a sad world for people who aren’t favoured.
For people like Hyun-woo, they have no power and no choice but to live with the climbing costs.

“How much?”

Hyun-Woo sighed as the staff replied with an irate expression.

“5,210,000 won?”

‘Damn it, selling the Fire Slayer would barely cover this month’s bills.’

When he first checked his account it felt like he was walking on clouds.
However, after paying for a variety of utilities as well as rent, food and medical bills his original balance of 14,000,000 won went down to 5,000,000 won. Well, he did have a surplus of ten million won.

‘Ok, this month is black’

Hyun-woo tried to soothe himself as he headed to the 2nd floor.
When he arrived at the 2nd floor rehabilitation centre, he immediately saw his mother through the glass windows. When he saw her with the professional therapists taking one step forward, his depressed mood became much better.

‘She’s already doing walking practice! ‘

On the other hand, it increased his motivation to work harder to make money.
“That…….that’s right. Money is important.
The good reason for the Government privatizing health care was to improve the quality of the medical services.
Fortunately, that promise was kept.
Under private management, the healthcare service definitely improved. At the state-of-the-art rehabilitation centre, his mother received one on one treatment with a profession therapist in accordance with management. From exercise to eating.
Thanks to that, his mother’s illness was rapidly taking a turn for the better.
And unless Hyun-woo fell behind in the hospital bills, then such care would continue.
Hyun-woo still remembered the hospital scene from a while ago.
Because the hospital bill wasn’t paid in advance, an old man was kicked out from the hospital……..

‘Something like that can’t happen to my mother.’

Hyun-woo thought with clench teeth.
He wanted his mother to have confidence to live a whole life. But he had to shoulder his mum’s responsibility.
That thought was stronger than anything else in his head. He wanted her to devote herself to the treatment without worrying. It was Hyun-woo’s only wish.
His mother laughed as she saw Hyun-woo from inside the glass window. Hyun-woo waved his hand as he lost his stiff expression.
Rehabilitation was so difficult that a healthy person wouldn’t be able to imagine.
Yet his mother never once said it was difficult.
Hyun-Woo was actually the one that suffered most at the thought.

‘No, I don’t have it that hard.’

Hyun-woo wasn’t suffering at all compared to his mother.

‘Yes, now I can laugh in front of my mother because of New World. New World is the last remaining hope for me. New World is something I can never give up on. Not even what Andel or Alan think……..even if I have to crawl from the bottom up because of them, it isn’t possible for me to give up! If you disturb me then I’ll crawl up and step on you! I’ll show you the spirit of a poor person.’

Hyun-woo sat on a couch in the clinic and came up with an idea.

‘To do this, I need to quickly find a way through the entrance of the underground world…….. ‘

Three days had passed since Hyun-woo entered the underground labyrinth. There was some trouble at first but now he has adapted and his level rose to 93. If it wasn’t for the stench then it would be a pretty decent hunting ground.

‘But, it isn’t money.’

That’s a problem.
So far, Hyun-woo had gained an average of 20~30 gold per day.
But he needed to earn a lot more if Hyun-woo wanted to earn the minimum necessary to maintain his life.
However, the items from the underground labyrinth could contribute to that.
The item drop rate is high even for a skeleton that doesn’t appear frequently and takes a while to hunt. In addition, he couldn’t ignore the outgoing money he spends on food and repair boxes.

‘Although I have a surplus in my bank account right now, it will become more difficult in the future. I also have to search the underground world for the fragment of the Three Marvels…..’

However, he still hadn’t found the clues to enter that world.
He had already explored the 1, 2, and 3rd floors of the labyrinth. However, the completion rate of the map using the cartography skill was 99.9%. He couldn’t enter that space because the iron doors are blocking it.

‘What is the alternative? As for the riddle? ‘

Ark sighed and took out a memo pad from his pocket. On the notes were maps drawn of the underground hell.
It was a maze of intertwined pathways. He had found dozens of hidden wormholes during the investigation but he still hadn’t even guessed the answer to the riddle. In addition, there was no possibility of a hidden passageway because the map’s completion rate was 99.9%.

“Did you wait long?’

“Oh, mother!”

At that time, the door to the therapy room opened and his mother came out with the nurse.
Hyun-woo stood up and sat his mother on the couch.
His mother wiped off the sweat as she laughed.

“But what were you thinking so hard about? Are you studying something these days?”

“Oh, no. Just……..”

“What is it? Let’s see.”

His mother nodded as she browsed through the notes.

“Ah, the dot-line puzzles you do when you’re bored.”

“Huh? Dot-line puzzle?”

“Yes, if you draw a line between the two points then the puzzle will be complete. Isn’t that it? I did them quite often in the past……ho ho ho, when we were dating your father sometimes made me those puzzles. He did the same thing by hiding a heart pattern. Looks like its hand-drawn? Still, the person giving such puzzles must be spoiling you. Somehow, it is good to see.”

Hyun-woo looked at the map with puzzled eyes.

Dot-line puzzle? “Was that visible?’

He tried to visualize it as he listened to his mother’s speech.
Hyun-woo drew almost the entire map of the underground labyrinth and he had also marked the location of the wormholes with a dot. It would form a picture.

“Huh? Is that how it is?’

Without thinking, Ark tilted his head as he connected a point with another point. Ark felt something strange so he laid the maps of the 1st to 3rd floor over each other and poked through the wormhole with a felt pen.
So, if you drill holes through all the wormholes on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors then a figure will be made?
It is none other than …….the three triangles overlapping shown on the iron doors!
At the moment, a single thought flashed through Hyun-woo’s head.

-This place was sealed in accordance with the ancient vow.
If you can’t understand these words, there is no possibility of passing through to where I sleep.
A person with purpose could wake me up.
A person who makes the pilgrimage here with pride and speaks my name with respect will be able to cross………..

Those words were written on the iron doors.
Those who don’t know this place can’t enter.

‘The first hint means that I must learn the terrain of the labyrinth completely.’

Hyun-Woo had thought of this so he drew a map and carried it around as he studied it. However, the second and third questions on the riddle were still unanswered. But unexpected his mother had unravelled that.

‘A person with a purpose. That means if I want to enter the underground world, Ark has to say this! If I intentionally say this as I walk the labyrinth, a route might be discovered. And I have to speak as I pilgrimage along the markings! ‘

The markings were the wormholes that littered the underground labyrinth.

‘If I intentionally make the pilgrimage and express at the end of the wormhole then it might become clear! No, I can’t think beyond that. Oh god, it was so simple yet I was unaware for three days.

Now Hyun-woo could confidently enter the New World. Nevertheless, he had lost three days contemplating the mystery and he also wasted time playing Tetris and Go stop with his mother.
Once you become familiar with the game, it was a trap.
After being too used to the game, he made every problem associated with the game and made it more difficult than it was. However, his mother doesn’t know about New World. Just as she said, it’s just what it looks like.
The original puzzle for those searching for an answer was not visible to the corporation.
Hyun-woo grasped his mother’s hands and shouted.

“Mother! Mother has saved Ark!”

“What?” What do you mean, all of a sudden? Who is Ark? One of you foreign looking friends?”

“There is such a person. It is my alter ego. ”

Alter ego? You, no way …….did you get a girlfriend or something?”

“No, it’s more precious than a girlfriend. Ark.”

Hyun-woo answered with a laugh.

“Now, let’s get started!”

After coming back from the hospital, Ark immediately connected with the game.
A dim light spread as the familiar dirty landscape of the labyrinth appeared.

“Are you feeling fine, master?”

Dedric asked with a dubious expression once he was summoned.

Dedric, do you want to get out of here soon?”

“What?” If we can leave, but …. ”

“Huhuhu, do not worry. We’ll leave soon.”

Ark said confidently and opened his map window.
Before connecting, he had already thought about where to start from.

‘It is clockwise from the far right end. I was told to express respect and make a pilgrimage so I have to move in the right direction. If that doesn’t work then try again from the opposite direction.’

Ark immediately smashed the skull of a skeleton and ran across the underground labyrinth. He was already tired of fighting skeletons. But he also didn’t want anything new.
When a wormhole appeared while Ark was battling, he used Riposte and jumped down the hole. No matter how many skeletons appeared, if you jump down the wormhole then the chase was removed and battle ended.

‘Now it is imperative to confirm the answer to the riddle! ‘

When he jumped down the wormhole, he immediately moved to a new area.
He unfolded his map and using his cartography skills confirmed that if you connect a wormhole to another one with a straight line then the location corresponded to the middle part. The probability that it was the correct answer increased.

‘The next wormhole is about 20 meters from here.’

Ark immediately moved to the next wormhole and plunged. He did this about 20 times, before Ark finally returned to the original wormhole he plunged through. Unfortunately, all the filth had accumulated on Ark’s body and he arrived with a bad stench. His summons was the same.
In trying not to repeat the same mistakes, he grabbed Dedric and Skull when he entered the wormhole so they were also filthy.

“What the hell are you doing? Are you crazy? Why do you keep on plunging into dirty water?”

“You’re noisy, without fail this will surely be the last time!”

Before Dedric could speak, Ark plunged into the first wormhole again.
It was at that time. When he jumped into the wormhole he heard a whirring sound and something felt different from the previous times.
Until now, the time it takes to go through the wormhole is a maximum of 10 seconds but this time felt longer. Up, down, sideways … ….he was sucked in until it suddenly dropped him somewhere.

Kwajik, warururu!

Ark cried out as he fell to the bottom but quickly sat up and checked his surroundings.

‘Just as I thought, this is the first time I’ve seen this!’

At that time, a bright sound rang out and a message window popped up.

-You have completed ‘Hell’s underground labyrinth.’
{Knowledge of Ancient Relics +15, Intelligence +10 and Fame increased by 30}

-You have completed the map of ‘Hell’s underground Labyrinth ‘ with a perfect 100% completion rate.
Painting a map of the underground labyrinth is now possible.
{Experience + 1000}

Ark was now sure that he had found the correct answer.
The place where Ark fell was a huge cavern.
It was a hidden room in the underground labyrinth with a huge amount of bones and skeletons piled up. It was an impossible place to find even when he was exploring every corner of the sewers! When he looked to the back, he saw that he was on the other side of the iron doors.
He had finally passed through those doors.

‘Somewhere here will be the entrance to the underground world! ‘

Ark stood up and scanned around. The cave mouth was wide open on the right side.

‘I wonder what kind of species lives in such a horrible place? Ara? But what is this?’

Ark’s excitement subsided as he explored the cave. There was still one unexpected hurdle remaining.
The cave entrance was blocked by a thick steel door. Fortunately, next to the iron door was a lever like stick that could open the door depending on its use, but the tip of the lever was broken.

”I can’t pull this lever. So what is the alternative way? ‘

Ark made a frustrated face.

Dudududu, ttadak, ttadadak!

Suddenly, the floor started to shake like there was an earthquake.
At the same time, a black object rose from the ground and started attracting the bones together until an object was formed. And in the blink of an eye it snowballed to a huge size.
There was a huge chunk of skulls and bones moving through the air.

“Ugh, more bones?”

Dedric gave a cry of distress as a warning message appeared.

-The boss monster ‘Kraken’ has appeared!

‘Boss monster! ‘

He reflexively used Eyes of the Cat to display its information.
It was a level 150 boss monster!
While Ark was so puzzled at the situation that he couldn’t think, something elongated sprung from the Kraken’s body.
Hundreds of bones were attached to form a giant scythe! Ark felt an eerie aura as he rolled across the floor to the pile of bones.
It was formed from bone fragments all over the place.

‘Damn, I never thought there would be a boss monster here when I finally solved the riddle. But I didn’t come here to die. Anyway, this plan of desperation means I either strike first or die.

Ark drew his sword and rushed to the kraken.

“Dark blade!”

Double bang!

The violent roar of smashed bones was heard everywhere. The kraken was pushed and stumbled backwards. The shape reflected the Kraken’s nature.

Kuo oooo!

The kraken trembled and lifted all the bones connected to his arm up.

Scythe, spear, sword ………it assembled weapons of all shapes made out of bone and shot them towards Ark. The attack came at the same time from four or five different directions! But Ark had experienced that attack countless times when fighting against the skeletons.
Once again there was no reason to panic.

‘It has returned!’

Ark rotated his body with his right foot and stabbed with his sword.

Putt putt POW!

The counter hit the spot where the kraken’s arms were still growing.
Because it was made of bone, when hit with the counter it shattered and fell to the ground without force. Of course, Ark was hit three or four times but he only lost 150 health.

‘Okay, this guy. The damage of the boss wasn’t that strong.
By the way, the speed was surprisingly slow and easily crushed. Although the level was high, the difficulty was on the low side. I could easily win! ‘

“Dedric, Skull! Plan B! ”

The opponent was a boss monster.
You don’t need to use a complex operation.
The two summons moved to the different sides to keep the kraken’s attention on them while Ark launched a counterattack.
He struck a flying arm, destroyed it and counter attacked many times. It didn’t take long for Ark to realise that there was something strange about the assault.

‘What, this guy? ‘

Although he hit it a number of times, the kraken did not lose any vitality.
Not only that. Because the fight wasn’t that difficult he forgot for a while and after using Eyes of the Cat, he realised that no weakness was indicated.

‘What happened? Why is there no damage?’

There was something strange. However, Ark avoided the Kraken’s offensive and just continued attacking for the time being.
In fact, there was no other way. So after a few minutes of violent attacks, there was a gap in the bones which showed a black shape.
A red dot on the black shape indicated the place to bombard with attacks.
Now Ark was able to understand the situation.

‘I see. This guy is like the jellyfish and the slime. The bones were a suit of armour and if I remove all the bones at the gap then I can attack! This won’t be so difficult!’

Ark narrowed the distance and used Dark Blade on the black stone.
No, as soon as he tried the Kraken turned its body around. At the same time, it released an intense gust of air and Ark was pushed back several meters. Thanks to that, the Dark Blade missed.
However, to Ark it was ludicrous as he snorted.

“The bones that grow move pretty slowly but when its weakness is exposed then it moves pretty fast. But to no avail. Because I’ll continue to attack until every bone disappears!”

However, that was Ark’s mistake.
Just as Ark was swinging his sword, the floor vibrated and the bones floated in the air. And like the first time, it was attracted like a magnet to the kraken.
Because it grew some bones, the bone armour was even thicker than before. In addition, the attacking bones were many times thicker and its speed had also increased.

Soeeeeee! Double bang!

“What, what’s this …!”

Ark avoided the attack by rolling on the ground while looking confused.
He had struggled for 10 minutes only for the situation to repeat itself. He destroyed the bone armour with his sword and then the kraken would quickly reform it. And the number of repeats also made the kraken bigger and stronger.

“This is ridiculous! How are you supposed to win against this guy?”

Profanities burst from Ark’s mouth.
Indeed, the bones were joined together. If the kraken was able to keep on infinitely grow the bones, did he have to fight and turn all those bones to powder? Even if Ark disagreed with the fight, in these conditions it would take 3 nights, ten four days than 5 nights and 6 days to fight for an unknown outcome.

‘There is a limit to avoidance. When the nucleus is shown, a storm is summoned and pushes you back so there is no way to approach. When it is such a shape then even Blade Storm wouldn’t be useful. But there might be a strategy. Is there a way to get to the nucleus without activating the storm?’

Ark who was desperately thinking suddenly thought of Skull.

‘Come to think of it……’

In fact, Ark couldn’t grasp where Skull was.
Because there were bones rolling around, it was hard to distinguish between the bones and skulls.
Unlike Dedric whose attacks were unsuccessful, Skull’s attacks had hit several times. In other words, even the kraken couldn’t distinguish between the bones and skeletons.
Then an idea came to Ark’s head.

‘Bone? Skull? Oh I see, I see. There is a reason for me to approach! ‘

At that thought, Ark stepped forward and swung his sword before withdrawing.
He confirmed that his remaining mana was only 300. A dangerous number.

“Blessing of the Sea Spirit!”

Ark activated Adelaine’s Necklace which increased defense by 40% and restored 500 mana.
Now his remaining mana was 800! It was enough to take the risk.

‘When using Blade Storm, it is fast but I don’t know how long it may take from now on.’ So now is the time to conserve mana! ‘

“Dedric, you too! Cancel summon!”

“What? Why?”

Dedric sent him a bewildered look.
Ark who had reduced mana consumption to a minimum went back to attacking.
He shattered the bones with his sword and the scattered all over the place.

“Dark blade!”

Ark narrowed the distance without delay and shot off a Dark Blade at the body of the kraken.
A violent roar burst out of the bone armour as it split in half. Eventually, the appearance of the kraken was shown between the split bones. He figured that rotating the kraken’s body was a normal process to produce a storm.
That moment was a chance for Ark which he aimed at straight away!

“It is now! Skull, cancel summon and resummon!”

While Ark was caught in the storm, Skull was summoned to his hand.
Ark held his posture by concentrating power in his left foot before throwing Skull with all his strength. And shortly after the storm the kraken repaired his bone armour again and Ark approached.
As the kraken started forming a sword, it flinched.
At the same time, the 100% vitality of the kraken was finally reduced by 1%.

‘It’s a success! ‘

Ark clenched his fist and cried out.
This was the strategy that Ark was aiming for.
The kraken will continue to repair the bone armour.
The ingredients were the pile of stacked bones and skulls. If so, wasn’t Ark’s summon made of the same material?
Therefore, Ark delivered a big blow and the moment the kraken tried to repair his bone armour, Skull was thrown at the nucleus of the kraken. And the stupid kraken couldn’t discern between skulls and used it to make the armour.
Skull was attached right next to the nucleus!
Therefore, the kraken was being attacked from inside his bone armour. Skull’s damage wasn’t very high but if it bit from the inside then it still dealt damage. Plus the kraken had similar characteristics to the Jellyfish and slime as the nucleus has low defense.
After Skull bit the nucleus, the kraken’s health was visibly reduced. There was no way to stop Skull’s attack inside the kraken.
The armour used to protect itself is now biting and tearing.

‘Now my remaining mana is 600. The only Skull consumes mana then it should last for 10 minutes. I have no choice but to wish that Skull kills the kraken during that time!’

Kuo oooo!

The kraken roared from the painful attacks all over the place.
However, Ark had to abandon his attacks and just concentrate on avoidance. In addition, the kraken glimpsed the incoming damage and just attacked harder.
The kraken was revealing a much faster time than expected.
In just 5 minutes.
From Skull’s onslaught, the kraken was already in a critical condition.
The kraken couldn’t maintain the bony armour covering his body, and it fell to the floor as he began to lose power. And the view showed the sight of Skull crazily biting the black nucleus.

“Got it, thank you. Skull, now back off”

Ttadak! Ttak ttak ttak!

Skull, whose mouth was full biting the flesh of the kraken, got off and spat it out.
At the same time, Ark poured the rest of his mana into his sword for his last attack.

“Dark blade!”

The sword disappeared into darkness and suddenly appeared in front of the kraken.
Intense sound effects showed there was a critical hit.
Kuo oooo!
The health finally reached zero and the kraken started convulsing before exploding in a storm of light. The storm scattered the bones in every direction.
-Your level has risen.

“Skull! Yes we won thanks to you!”

Ttak ttak ttak! Ttak, ttak ttak ttak!

Skull looked towards the sky.
……….It was laughing.
Ark turned his head and stroked the skull. It was a weird fellow, but still a boss monster.
It dropped a lot of booty. As expected, where the kraken had disappeared was a black sword plunged into the ground.

“Eh? This, this is ……! ”

Ark’s mouth opened as he confirmed the information.

Saw blade (Cursed)

A long time ago, the spines of the bodies dumped in hell was used to make this sword. The kraken which rules the underground labyrinth absorbed it into its body where a strong curse was applied.

{The stats cannot be determined until the curse is released}

It wasn’t an ordinary weapon.
It was made out of a person’s sharpened spinal bones. But somehow it was a good shape.
The reason for Ark’s surprise was the curse on the item. Curse weapons, Lancel’s sword which made Dedric evolve was also a cursed weapon.

“Purification Restoration!”

Ark immediately used the skill and watched in anticipation.

Saw blade (Magic Sword)
Weapon type: One-handed sword
Durability: 70
Attack: 23~25
Weight: 25
User restriction: Dark Attribute
Level: 80
In the past, the one year old Monarch who built Cairo used the spinal bones of those who opposed him to make this sword. At the time, it was ambushed by a group of barbarians and abandoned at the bottom of the hell in Cairo, where it was imbued by an immortal spirit with a mysterious power. Unfortunately, it was absorbed by the kraken where a grudge was formed and it suffered for a long time.
If someone killed the kraken and liberated the soul of the sword than he would be thankful to you.]

-The special effect of this magic sword once a day: The master of the Magic Sword can summon ‘Warwick’ once a day.

“As expected, it is a magic sword!”

He naturally cheered.
Ever since Dedric evolved underwater using Lancel’s Sword, Ark had frantically been searching for information on the magic sword.
Because the bat evolved, he was able to experience how much Dedric changed. However, he still couldn’t find information on magic swords.
And he did not have any expectations to find a magic sword in this place…….!

Saw blade, it was a cool name.

‘Could the Saw Blade evolve Skull instead of Dedric?’

If possible, he hoped so.
Dedric who was already evolved now had a high utilization rate.
On the other hand, thanks to the stats, skills and ability to walk of Skull, its utilization was gradually disappearing. In the old days you could use it as a shield, now the monsters were higher level that Skull couldn’t really last against them.

‘I’ll experiment immediately. What kind of guy will appear?’

“Snap!”

A muffled sound was suddenly heard from his waist.
While Ark had been investigating the sword, Snake had automatically started peering at other items and seemed to have found something.
Something seemed to be shining from the Kraken’s bone gap. Snake extended its tongue to receive praise from Ark. At that moment Snake’s tongue got stuck.

“Kkaek, kkaek kkaek kkaek!

“Ara? Snake! Are you ok?”

Ark started tugging at Snake’s tongue.
Then the bones scattered and something was pulled out.
It is………..

“What the? This is?”

Ark muttered with a foolish expression.

Volume 5
ACT 1 Underground world

-Summon Warwick from the Magic Sword.

The sword which was formed from a person’s spine began to vibrate and hum. After a moment, the sword fell from his hand.

“Eh?”What the heck?”

The sword was stuck vertically into the ground and rotating in thin air.
Oduduk, Odududuk, Crunch!
An eerie sound rang out and the sword started to change.
Bones like a saw tooth started to extend out from both sides of the sword. The extended bones started swelling up and move from side to side, top to bottom until they joined together like a complicated cubic puzzle. It was similar to the robot transformation scenes frequently seen in animated cartoons.
The result was the same as well.
The sword formed a black torso with wild hair, and decorated with armour made from the metal parts of the saw blade and an old sword. After seeing the transformation scene with his own eyes, he couldn’t understand how the blade could transform itself into that figure. Well, the transformed robots on cartoons were also the same but ……..
Anyway, the Saw Blade transformed into a level 60 Skeleton Knight.

‘The explanation for the Saw Blade said that the spine came from someone abandoned in hell.’

He had seen many things travelling in New World.
The marvellous special effects weren’t amazing anymore. But to transform with such a method. He felt caught off guard.
Ark stared with dumb surprise.
When the skeleton knight Warwick raised his body, a deep blue flame burned in his hollow eye sockets. The flames moved as he turned his head and gazed at Ark.

‘Is this guy also someone with no manners?’

Ark recalled the first time he met the owner of the Magic Sword, Dunphil. However, Warwick was a completely different type from Dunphil.
Warwick opened his jawbone and began to talk.

“Foreigner………..You kraken ……..defeated it?”

“So?”

Warwick abruptly knelt down and bowed.

“To you………I express my thanks and respect.”

“What?”

“My name is Warwick … ….At one time I respectfully swore my allegiance to the monarch …….I fought with barbarians and became an Honourable Knight. However, after I unintentionally died ………an evil spirit captured my soul on the Hills of Dawn and sealed me to this sword so that I was unable to leave.”

“Hills of Dawn?”

Ark was puzzled as he belatedly noticed the meaning.
It was a name that he had occasionally seen in the history books of New World.

”Is it the Hills of Dawn in Valhalla?’

It was common sense! Valhalla was the palace of the dead in Norse Mythology. A warrior who died honourably in battle would receive an invitation to the Holy Land by the supreme god Odin. They would train their skills and wait there until the Final Battle, Ragnarok.
New World was a fantasy game with different myths applied in each region from all over the world. And in the Northern continent, a lot of the myths applied were about the Nordic World.
Getting back to the back, Warwick had wanted to get directly to the afterlife but had been captured by the Kraken.
Warwick showed regret in his eyes as he continued talking.

“From then on, for hundreds of years……….my spirit was corrupted and I became a devil…….my honour had been disgraced. It was a nightmarish time. To end the nightmare……….you have delivered the light of salvation. You naturally have my thanks.”

Unlike the other guy, Warwick was unexpectedly polite.
Ark’s face became elated as he scratched his head.

“Well, since you’ve told me your thanks………..”

“I know”

Warwick nodded and produced a body.

“You’ve released the curse from the magic sword………..Now you have the power to summon me………The reason why you summoned me is easily understood………And I too……….I was waiting for this!”

“You were waiting?”

“I’ve already been to the Hills of Dawn ……..that invitation was also corrupted. ………….However, meeting a truly honourable opponent has fired up my soul like in the past ……..If you can duel ……..My soul can be saved … … …And my strength and experience can be a foundation for you……..It would be delightful! Now ……..who will be my opponent……..Who are you? Of course, if your summon defeated the Kraken………His abilities must be better than expected! Oooh ………..my fighting spirit is kindled!”

Warwick couldn’t hide his excitement and shouted, shaking his sword.
His bones came alive at the subject.

“Now, I’m ready ……….my fighting spirit …….call them before I disappear!”

“It has already been summoned?”

“What?”

Warwick scanned the place with baffled eyes. His burning gaze found Dedric standing to one side.

“Certainly……..I can feel the spirit of the Netherworld on this child……..but…….it is difficult! Even though I am corrupted………this body is an honourable knight! How can I against a young child………wield my sword?”

“What the? A child? Hey, dude! How old are you?”

Dedric who had changed into the form of a young child said angrily.
At that time, Ark pointed to Skull rolling along the floor.

“Do not worry about it, Warwick. Your opponent is here”

Warwick’s gaze followed Ark’s fingertips. And witnessed Skull looking proud at receiving Ark’s nomination.
Seems like ………..an embarrassing and awkward silence flowed.
Warwick looked stunned as he peeked at Skull and then looked at Ark.
A joke? His glowing eyes seemed to ask.
When Ark shook his head, the normally polite Warwick shouted.

“I’ve been polite to you. But now you’re insulting me!”

“I’m sorry but this is the situation. So can’t you try and fight?”

“I can’t endure it anymore, not matter how much you’ve saved me!”

Warwick threatened with his sword as he approached Ark. At that moment, Skull jumped and crashed into Warwick.
Warwick flinched and retreated. Skull had roughly interrupted him. He had a rarely seen angry countenance.
Warwick looked at Skull with surprised eyes.
He did this for a while as some form of dialogue seemed to pass between the both of them, before Warwick sighed and nodded.

“Right…….is that what happened? I’m sorry ……….although only the skull remained……….you are also a warrior who knows honour…….I only looked at the surface and ignored you………I apologize.”

Clack clack clack!

After he was told that, Skull naturally held up his chin.
However, Warwick shook his head.

“Your fighting spirit and courage ……..is fully realized…….but I still can’t accept the duel……..after looking at me you will notice…….for now, you’re still lacking too much…….unless the difference is filled up…….I will never accept a duel with you.”

Clack clack clack!

“You can say it as many times as you like, the answer is still the same……..my heart won’t burn against a weak opponent……..it isn’t possible to go to the Hills of Dawn with such a duel……..summon me again…….if you improve your skills enough to fight me.”

Skull seemed shocked as he closed his mouth.
Warwick sighed and looked at Ark.

“I am indebted to you…….However, no matter how many times you summon me……..I cannot fight an opponent that doesn’t stir me ………..your pet also……..and you wouldn’t want to win in a dishonourable way.”

“No, I suppose not?”

Ark quickly replied.
Dishonour? Are you joking?
After all if Skull wins then he can evolve.
Also if the fight against Warwick wasn’t difficult, then he would be thankful. However, Warwick was more rigid than he imagined.

“I wish? Fu……..For a while I thought you were going to insinuate the idea ……..however, I was excessive………..that the guy who beat the Kraken would have such thoughts……..I apologize ………after all……….that is why I cannot accept this duel ……then……..”

“No, there seemed to be some misunderstanding……..I’m not someone as out of touch as you think. Good, that’s good? Hey, Hey! Are you listening? Ya! I said wait.”

However, before Ark could speak Warwick had already transformed back into a blade.
Dedric snorted and muttered.

“That guy has no sense of humour”

Ditto.
He never imagined that the owner of the magic sword would refuse to duel.
The owners of the magic sword really come in different types.
Ark sighed and picked up the Saw Blade.
Anyway, since he could only summon once in a 24 hour period, there was no way to resummon him. And even if he summoned Warwick again, the result would be the same with him refusing to duel.

‘Then again, the present Skull would have no chance of beating the level 60 opponent……’

Currently, the average level of his summons was around 45. However, the average level was higher because of Dedric. In fact, Skull was still around level 40. Moreover, he has no offensive skills. He wasn’t in a state where he could fight Warwick and win.

‘Maybe it was better that he had refused the duel.’

In Skull had died, then he would also be unable to summon him for a 24 hour period. Therefore he would not be able to fight for 24 hours and would experience no growth. He summoned Warwick in order to see his stats, and he determined that there was no reason to duel.

‘For the time being, I have to think a little bit more.’

Although it was disappointing, Ark soothed himself and snatched the sword.
The damage of the Saw Blade was higher than Lancel’s Sword. However if he considered the attack bonus when fighting with Dedric as the owner of the Magic Sword then Lancel’s Sword was more useful.

“Eh? What the? Skull, what’s wrong?”

Ark had been about to move when Skull pulled at the hem of his clothes. Ark squatted down puzzled as Dedric muttered.

“Ooh, really? Really? Ha, those words? I’m good”

“What do you mean?”

“Ohehehe, Master. Skull asked when you would create a new dish to feed him that would unconditionally change him? Whatever you’re making would soothe him.”

“What? Skull, really?”

Skull nodded his head.
Ark also knew the feeling.
In fact, Ark was worried that Skull would be depressed after the duel wasn’t accepted. However in contrast to his worry, enthusiasm seemed to overflow from Skull. Although Skull had now lost all memories of the past as well as his body, he was also an honourable warrior.
Perhaps the conversation he had with Warwick was about that content. He must have felt the desire to win fairly after remembering his days as a warrior. In the past, Dedric would eat like crazy in order to get vengeance on Dunphil. However, Skull was a warrior who wanted to eat food for his and Ark’s honour. The magic sword played a motivating role in inspiring the growth of his summons. And that will make his pet grow several times stronger.

“Okay, Skull. Then you’ll need to be prepared for even harder training in the future.”

Once he outlined the situation, Ark crossed the bone room.
The room where the Kraken was located had a side blocked by a huge iron door.
The residents of the Underground World had carved this sentence on the iron doors.
But the lever to open the door was broken. However, just after Ark defeated the Kraken. He figured out how to open the door.

“Snake, the ectoplasm glue!”

At Ark’s order, Snake opened its mouth and spat something out.
It was LPG gas cylinders with green slime twitching inside the transparent tubes. After the kraken disappeared, this was the item that Snake found among the piles of bones and items.

Spirit Body Glue (Special)

It was glue made out of ectoplasm capable of sticking body and spirit together. From a long time ago, numerous bodies had been abandoned in the hell. The souls of the dead bodies in the labyrinth were collected by the evil spirit, which mixed the impurities together to form the ectoplasm.

The instinct to stick to the ectoplasm was very strong. Also, once the ectoplasm was touched it recognises the body and you would be unable to get away. The ectoplasm would stick to each other and form a huge lump, which would spread into its surroundings and corrupt everything. That was the result of the corruption from the Kraken. However, now that the nucleus of the Kraken had disappeared, the souls of the people have become simple ectoplasm again.

When the ectoplasm is used, any object would be able to stick to it. In essence there is no limit on the size and length of the spiritual body. In addition, once an object is joined it won’t fall off unless it is destroyed. Using it as a joke is prohibited! Someone might have to live their whole lives with the hands or feet attached.

{The number of uses: 5 times}

That is to say mixing fallen souls together would create an adhesive like glue.

-I’m lonely and bored.Isn’t there anything to be attached to?

-Woo-ssi, what are you looking at? Sometime to stick to?

-Hahaha, I’m glue. Put me on everything!

After shaking the tubes, voices mumbling could be heard.
Ark looked at the tube with a strange expression. Even if it was a fantasy game, using ectoplasm as a glue was like a horror movie……..
Furthermore, if the adhesive was shaken even a little bit then it would endlessly complain. It is an item which your common sense wasn’t sure if it should laugh or be afraid.

‘What on earth would something like that be used for?’

When he first checked the item, he wasn’t able to think of a use for it. Jeez, even though glue could be used everywhere, why did he find such a strange item at this time.
But after a while, Ark could quickly see why.
The exit of the bone room was the broken lever.

‘Aha, so if I hadn’t defeated the Kraken then I wouldn’t have been able to open the door.’

Ark approached the level with a bone of a suitable size. And he opened the tube containing some murmuring voices and let it flow out.

-Uoooh, It’s outside!

-Awesome. Stick! Let’s stick!

After the bone was applied to the lever, the viscous liquid flowed over and stuck it together.
It was one performance. Once stuck together, the bone and lever looked like it had originally been like that. The ectoplasm was also satisfied and didn’t mutter anymore.

‘Now I finally ……..’

Ark glanced nervously at the iron door.
Only one thing left to do now!
Just open the iron doors to the Underground World. It was a new world no one had seen yet, just like the Undersea world!
He wondered if there was a mountain of treasure beyond the iron doors. Or a legendary unknown monster. Ark checked his equipment before pulling the lever.
He organized the items in his bag and repaired the equipment whose durability fell beforehand. And last but not least, he scrupulously checked his character information window.

“Stat window”
Character Name Ark Race Human
Alignment Good+200
Fame 1695 Level 95
Profession Dark Walker
Title Cat Knight, Caretaker of All, Jackson’s Hero
Health 1925 Mana 1520 (+100)
Spiritual Power 100 Strength 232 (+ 5)
Agility 282 (+ 15) Stamina 362
Wisdom 31 Intelligence 275
Luck 42 Flexibility 27
Art of Communication 23 Affection 55 (+ 10)
Special stat: Knowledge of Ancient Relics 83
Equipment item effects
Guardian Armour of the Merpeople: Water Attribute Resistance +100%, Penalty based on water is nullified.Cat Paws: Attack Speed +10%, Agility +15, Critical Hit +10%Crystal Golem’s Head: Mana + 100Norad Boots: movement speed + 10%, avoidance rate + 5%Adelaine’s Necklace: Def + 40, Affection + 10Resurrecting Spirit: Strength + 5, Mana Recovery + 5%
* All abilities will increase by 30% in the dark* You have the ability to hide in the darkness (15 minutes duration. Cancelled when you get into combat)* Resistance Fear, Darkness, Blind, and Seduction spells is increased by 50%.* You can bring out the true abilities from all types of tools.

After hunting the Kraken, his level increase by 2 to 95!

“Okay!”

Ark took a deep breath and pulled the lever.
Kkurururu, with a ponderous sound, the iron doors were pushed out and rose up.
At the same time, Ark’s mouth opened absent-mindedly.

“What is this? This is the subterranean world?”

An incredible spectacle unfolded in front of him.

The place where Ark had entered was on top of a mountain of great height.
Mountain, yes, it was a mountain.
In Cairo, he had fallen through thousands of metres before hitting the ground. From there, he had descended tens of metres through the underground labyrinth until he had reached the iron doors……..yet there was a huge mountain of extravagant height.

“What on earth is going on?”

Ark looked around with a perplexed gaze.
At the base of the mountain, a dense forest and deep ravine stretched to the horizon. There was nothing different about the landscape compared to the Brandt Mountains.

“Jeez, did I make a mistake? Even the stars in the sky…….. huh? The stars are close………..? ”

Ark looked up at the sky puzzled.
The dark night sky was clear and there were numerous stars floating like jewels. But strangely, he felt as if he could stretch out his hands and catch the stars at any minute. No, it was not just a feeling. The stars were really not far away.

“Strange? Dedric, check it out”

“Ah, okay.”

Dedric flapped his wings and flew away. And after a few minutes, he grabbed a star.

“This is…………it’s not a star? Stones, shiny stones!”

“Shining stone? Then the shine from the ceiling was because of ores?”

“Yes, everywhere else is also covered with these stones.”

Ark’s mouth widened. There was no longer any room for doubt.
The ceiling was so thick that an ore mine had developed. It was clear that Ark had correctly found the Underground World. But there was another reason Ark was surprised. Ark had misunderstood the extravagant amount of ore as stars!
Low-grade ore could be used to produce various kinds of jewellery.
One finger-sized ore was worth approximately 20-40 silver.

‘But when it is a big ore like that…….! ‘

Ark swallowed his saliva and asked.

“De-Dedric. Is it possible to take it out?”

“Ugh, no. It is unbelievably hard. I can’t even move it.”

Of course, it doesn’t matter how hidden the area is if he couldn’t deplete it for jewellery. Even if Ark could fly with a pickaxe, he wouldn’t be able to remove the ore. It was a one of-a-kind jewellery, but stuck to the landscape.

‘I have to walk past it even though it is such a huge chunk of money………’

Ark stared at the ore with bloodshot eyes before eventually turning away. Walking away from the sight in the sky felt like digestive juices causing a sore stomach.

‘Anyway, this place is apparently the Underground World. If so, a fragment of the Three Marvels is hidden somewhere here. And there would also be the residents of the underground world, the beastmen. Guess I have to find them first.’

Ark checked his equipment again before heading down the slope. The area was underground and dark, but the ores embedded in the ceiling made it brighter than general dungeons. He continued heading down the steep slope to where the forest stretched out. When he entered, the forest immediately captured Ark’s gaze. In the forest, the trees and plants were something that he had never even seen outside. It was probably isolated from the world for a long time so a unique ecosystem developed. That is why fruits that couldn’t even be imagined were scattered around the rivers.

“Whoa! Look, master the fruit is been thrown around!”

Dedric curiously tackled the strange fruit attached structure.
After he finished exploring the underground labyrinth, his stores of ingredients was running low. In addition, seeing an ingredient for the first time means that new dishes could be prepared.
Ark rushed to gather the fruit. However, as soon as it fell from the tree, a sound was heard and the fruit broke.

-Harvesting failed.

After many failed attempts, he had only managed to pick one fruit. And after ingredient identification failed twice, he finally managed to obtain information about the food.

Bao Fruit (Food)

The Bao Fruit is a special plant that only grows in the Underground World. Because the size is different and it is a very sensitive plant, advanced foraging skill is required. When picked, it can be used in a dish or as a magic ingredient and if it is dried and powdered then it can be used as a spice.

His foraging and ingredient identification skills were intermediate level.
Even so, the fact that it was so difficult to pick meant that it was a high level ingredient. Indeed, after he managed to pick one, his skills rose by 1. Of course, some of his ingredients couldn’t be used anymore because it became stale, to the extent that if he left ingredients lying around it would spoil.

The ingredient level would also mean higher food effects? Such ingredients were scattered around the area. Ouhahaha. It is a paradise for Survival Cooking!’

The fruit as a fruit, herb as an herb, poisonous plant as poisonous…….
Even if it was poisonous, Ark’s style of cooking was to not throw any ingredients away. Ark slowly gazed at the ingredients and crazily collected it. It was to the extent that he forgot the reason why he came to the Underground World in the first place. How far did he walk?
By the time his empty bags were filled with ingredients……..
A bush to the side began to shake and the sound of a person was audible.
Ark reflexively held his breath.
He had been in the underground world for 30 minutes. He would’ve been relieved at the sight of a common wolf. But there wasn’t any monster. However soon two monsters appeared in the bush behind him. It was the first time he had seen such a monster.
It was a cricket like monster with 2 legs that smashed the branches as it walked. And the monster was wound around its body like a plant was riding the cricket monster.

“Enemy? Eyes of the Cat”

After checking the information with Eyes of the Cat, Ark took a deep breath.

‘Kanggeul? Level…….Huk, 150?’

“Aid! Kara! By the nose!”

When the monster riding it shouted, the Kanggeul attacked Ark. When a thorny branch hit him, he instantly lost 300 health. There was also a strong bleeding effect which made him lose more health.

‘Oh my god, the first monster I encountered here was a level 150 monster!’

Ark’s current level was 94. With his dark attribute bonus he reached level 120. However, no matter his ability or level Ark was a strong opponent. Especially if he used a pre-emptive strike.
Ark quickly judged the situation.

‘The risk in this fight is too big.’

Even more than usual, Ark could not die here.
He hadn’t updated the resurrection place yet. If he died, he would have no choice but to resurrect in the place where Andel was waiting.
Is such a risk worth fighting against a level 150 monster?

“Dedric, Skull. Emergency plan D. Buy some time while I run away!”

“Sheesh, master. Should I let it hit once?”

“Shut up! There is no time to be playing around.”

Ark shouted and turned his body.
Then Dedric and Skull stood on both sides, blocking the Kanggeul. If there were two opponents, the use of plan D in this case meant at least an 80% chance of escaping. This was because monsters usually looked to the front to attack. But………!

“Chic! Chic! Woo-ramba!”

The one riding Kanggeul had noticed him and grabbed wildly at the reins while shouting. And the cricket’s body flew into the sky. And it flew 10 metres until it was in front of Ark.
A sharp spear rushed in front of him.

“Pant, what is this …!”

Ark rolled to the floor to avoid damage from the spear.

“Master, this isn’t our fault!”

“Shut up and move! The C-3! Do everything you can to stop this guy!”

Ark raised his voice angrily.
The mobility of the cricket Kanggeul was unthinkable.
He knew that crickets could jump up several times their height. With the trees and bushes in the way, it wouldn’t be easy to escape this guy. But he still had his summons to even the odds.

‘Yes, the pets should take care of one opponent. I have no choice but to see the game through.’

Quick decision! A rapid assessment of the situation led to an action.

“Ok, let’s see where it is attached. That vine child will be begging! Snake, sword! No, the best cheap sword!”

Ark was looking for a cheap sword.
Due to Ark’s training, Snake could now determine the value of items and pulled out a battered sword. As soon as he caught the sword in his hand, he prepared to unbeatable skill.

“Blade Storm!”

The battered sword shattered to pieces and struck Kanggeul. However, Ark’s habit of thinking about profit or loss in a crisis only worsened the situation. The sword shattered into dozens of pieces at best. Each fragment only did 5 damage. The damage dealt by dozens of pieces could have been done with one Dark Blade. Blade storm used flashy special effects and took out a little bit of nature and struck Kanggeul for no reason.

-Critical Hit 500 damage! You are Bleeding and will receive 10 damage every 10 seconds for 1 minute.

For a short time after he used the skill, he was defenceless.
Ark received a critical hit and was in a bleeding state. Thanks to that, his health was quickly reduced by 40%.

“Eat this!

Profanities once again emerged from his chest after a long time. He swallowed tears of blood and pulled out a pretty decent sword. It was worth a surprising 1 gold!

“Batarat! The offensive of ten thousand won!”

It was like a stretched out scene where he realised that money was just as important in the game as it was in society.
Once money was involved, the special effects were different. When the sword shattered, it was with a loud boom and violent crack that spread out.
And a tornado like storm was raised and attacked Kanggeul.
A little while ago, Kanggeul had laughed at the same attack. But right now, it couldn’t be compared. The power of a 1~2 thousand won attack and a ten thousand won attack couldn’t be the same.
It was the power of cash!
A roaring sound was heard as Kanggeul’s vitality was reduced by 40%. And there was a double critical chance as the cricket fell down and Ark moved quickly.

“Damn, what kind of money do you think I’m made of? Snake, deadly poison!”

The sword glowed green from the poisonous effects as he used Dark Blade. The deadly poison damage was also added to the damage that occurred from ignoring the defense. Kanggeul stumbled back and hurriedly lifted a spear.
However, Ark’s fury was terrifying. When he ran up with bloody tears, Kanggeul was astonished. And in his madness, he laid down a flurry of continuous attacks.

“Ma-Master! You’re alive!”

Dedric and Skull were struggling behind him.
It was a daunting opponent for two summons that were only level 45. In addition to the cricket’s mobility, if it wasn’t for the combination with the enemy opponent then it might have defeated already.
Ark’s eyes burned red.

“I’m going to get as much experience as I can!”

His ten thousand won anger was indeed terrifying.
Ark shrieked and ran at Kanggeul who was on the defensive. And using the A-2 plan, which was a concentrated wave of attacks with his summons, the opponent was eventually in a critical condition.

“The grudge of money is scary!”

Ark swung his sword and made a finishing attack.
At the moment, Kanggeul shrieked and tried to escape into the sky by jumping over the trees.

“There! Dedric, stop it!”

“Okay!”

Dedric opened his wings and flew into the sky. But unlike what he thought, Kanggeul did not run away. Been on a thick branch River is an abrupt and say pause began bustling atmosphere. Kanggeul perched on a thick branch and started talking.

“Eric, I, Noraness!”

“Pant, Master!”

Dedric was astonished and stumbled back.
Crunch, wadeudeuk! Kwajak!
The forest moved. No, to be precise it was the wood.
A big tree several metres in diameter slowly rose up and was it approaching Ark? And in the darkness, a few strands of ivy whipped out.
He reflexively stopped it with his sword but his health was still decreased. At the same time, Ark’s face lost colour.
He stuck up his chin breathlessly. The monster that appeared before Ark was a giant tree. It was like the ancient spirits of the tree that occasionally appeared in fantasy movies.
But this monster appeared many times more terrible and threatening. Dozens of vines hung from the old tree trunk and swayed in every direction as it threatened Ark.
Plant Golem……..It was a monster that was a whopping level 250.

“This is a fraud!”

It wasn’t even a boss monster but a general monster that was level 250?

‘Was it a mistake to come?’

Ark began to wonder if something was wrong.
It was a situation that anyone who played online games would have experienced. The experience where you adventure all over the place and then accidently enter a high level area.
In that case, if the user meets an enemy with ridiculously high level and stats, they would be forced to turn tail and run or lie down and die. Of course, Ark often experienced this in other games. This was such a situation. Before he entered the Underground World, he had fought the level 100 skeletons in the underground labyrinth.
The slime was level 130 which suggests that it was an intermediate boss. But as soon as he entered the Underground World, he met a level 250 monster?
It was not an ordinary monster. It was the same degree of difficulty as a tentacle wielding monster!

“What the hell! I only came through the iron gates yet what is with this absurd level difference?”

Ark swore as he attacked the vines flying everywhere.
Even while he did this, his health which was at 20% declined and he fell into critical condition.

‘No! Even when my health was 100%, I wouldn’t be able to beat the Plant Golem!’

“Skull, Dedric. D-4 plan!”

“Damn you, I understand!”

At Ark’s order, his summons scattered in different directions. Dedric and Skull would attract the monster’s attention until Ark was out of the combat zone ………..If possible, he had not wanted to use this strategy.
After Skull and Dedric overcame danger and attacked like in the plan, he turned tail and ran away. Then the Plant Golem shrieked and chased after the skull and bat.
Meanwhile under the adrenaline effect activated by his critical condition, Ark did his best to run away.
How much time had passed? Suddenly red light flashed and he received damage.

-Skull has been forcefully recalled to the Netherworld. You have received 50% of the Familiar’s Health as damage.

Skull who wasn’t agile was the first to be killed by the Plant Golem. And not even 1 minute later, Dedric was forcefully recalled as well. If he hadn’t run away and drank a potion, he would have died from the damage. However, the situation was still worse. Because his pets had died faster than expected, his battle state still hadn’t gone away.

‘I can’t afford to die so I just have to run away as much as possible.’

It was a mistake to pay attention to the money.
Fortunately, Kanggeul and the Golem still hadn’t discovered Ark. However, with the cricket’s mobility it was only a matter of time. There was no way to escape once he was noticed.

‘Did I come here just to die?’

Ark was desperate as he heard Kanggeul behind him. As he turned his head to check, something tugged at his feet. At the same time, his body was pulled through the ground and it was dark.

“What, what the?”

“Shhh!”

Ark turned perplexed, when something stepped in front of him.
At the same time, he heard the voice of the cricket right above him. The footsteps of Kanggeul and the Plant Golem passed over his head a few times before eventually disappearing when they couldn’t find Ark.
Ark let out a breath as the battle state disappeared. Then he heard a voice from behind him.

“You are a foreigner?”

“I…….eh? Your appearance…….perhaps are you……..”

“Heheh, that’s right. I’m a Beast”

In the dark, the chubby boy replied with a grin.
Yes, the boy was not an ordinary person.
He was a NPC that resembled a beast. However, his appearance was different from the Mermaid or Meow clan he had met previously.
The boy had dark circles around the eyes with a ringed belly that popped out. And swaying from his hips was a short round tail with stripes along it.
As soon as he saw it an animal popped into his head.

“Raccoon?”

ACT 2 Take control of the raccoons

“Right? Right? Foreigner?”

Ark gave an awkward smile and nodded. The raccoon boy excitedly beat the ground with his tail.

“I see! Wow I’ve never seen a foreigner before.”

Ark had also never seen a talking raccoon.

“But you……?”

“I’m from a raccoon warrior clan, Popo”

Popo proudly replied. Well he looked more like a big, warm friendly mascot than a warrior, but Ark nodded anyway.
Raccoon clan…….Ark realised that they were the residents of the Underground World.
Needless to say, he had been very tense and imagined them as a violent group of Beasts. However, what he ultimately found was a chubby raccoon. He felt vaguely disappointed, even though one of his objectives was to find the Beast residents.

“I am Ark.”

“Eung, you’re called Ark.”

Popo nodded with an excited look.

“In fact, I really like the foreigners.”

“What? You’ve seen foreigners other than me?”

“No, never. But I speak to a lot of adults. The foreigners are not content to live in one place and travel around the continent fighting against a large number of monsters. It is really great! It sounds like a manly life! One day I want to live just like that. Unlike the other adults in this place, I’m not going to hide down here my entire life.”

Popo sounded like a countryman who wanted to visit Seoul.

“Ark-hyung too? Did you enter the Underground world to track down that tree monster?”

“…………That could be a possibility.”

“I knew it.”

Ark roughly nodded. Of course, Ark’s purpose was not only to fight monsters. The most important thing was to find the Three Marvels as well as a way outside. However, even if he told such an important thing to Popo, the little raccoon was unlikely to be much help.

‘I must find the village of raccoons in order to collect information.’

So Ark thought that he would ask Popo to guide him to the village.
Popo struggled for a short time before nodding his head.

“Ok, I’ll show you. But if other people catch you it could be dangerous.”

“What? Why?”

“That…….I’ll gradually tell you. Once you wear this.”

Popo passed him clothes made of woven twigs.
It was a cloak with a hood and other similar forms of clothing.
When Ark wore the woven clothes, Popo immediately shoved grass into his lower back. With his face hidden by a hood and a plump stomach, at first glance he could be mistaken for a raccoon.
The disguised Ark followed Popo out of the cave. After 10 minutes had passed, Popo pointed in front of him and said.

“Here’s our town”

It was a large underground space.
Enormous torches were placed in many areas around the cavern with NPCs crowded around it.
They were all beasts, with their appearance resembling a raccoon, therefore a raccoon clan.
The village of raccoons was rustic, unlike the mermaids who preferred flashy splendour.
Scattered around the rock walls were raccoon houses nestled in caves. Most of the caves were of considerable size however there were no colourful decorations.
On the other hand, the market was large enough to account for more than half of the village. There was a large range of workshops and shops line up on both sides of the market.
Ark remembered what he heard from the Meow Elder Hassan.

‘Which reminds me, didn’t the beasts of the Underground World have good craftsmanship? Where would he see the rest of it?’

Ark curiously glanced at items displayed in front of workshops.
Just like in Nodelesse, the items crafted by the raccoon clan were made of materials he had never seen before. The high performance design and craftsmanship was worthy of its name.

[Rainbow Rings (Magic)
Item type: Ring
User restriction: Level 70

The ring with 7 of the most beautiful gems in the world inlaid.It’s even more special with the powers of the seven gems are amplified.

{Rock, Light, Flower, Water, Earth, Wind, Mind. Resistance to these 7 properties +10}
Price: 2,400L

Sarita’s Boomerang (Magic)
Weapon type: Throwing weapon
Durability: 50/50
Attack: 15~25
Weight: 10
User restriction: Level 100

A giant bird that only lives in the underground world. The Sarita Boomerang was made from its bones. It is a throwing weapon that will return to the owner’s hand after dealing a blow against the enemy.
A precise processing technique was used to hollow Sarita’s bones. When it flies through the wind, a sharp high frequency occurs. If you have low resistance, then there is a high probability that the high frequency would cause Fear.
{If the level is lower than the users, there is 20% probability of causing Fear}
Price: 3,500L

‘As expected, the prices are horrible.’

If you look at the experience of selling items in the hidden village, their performance was amazing. Just like the mermaid tribes, the village was also true to the raccoon family.
All of the properties of resistance in the ornaments were hard to even find in items outside. The same goes for throwing weapons. It was mainly warriors who used throwing weapons, but the supplies would eventually run out. However, Sarita’s Boomerang was a throwing weapon that you could infinitely use.
There were items that a magician or warrior would freak out about if they saw.
However, the price was far above the performance of the item. Just like the mermaid tribes, the raccoon clan who was cut off from the outside had their own form of currency. Right, L ……..For the first time, Ark spoke about the ores that he saw when he entered the Underground World.

“The raccoon clan would occasionally use ore that fell from the sky to obtain more money. The ore debris is a material that is used in many craftsmanship, so it is a necessity for the raccoon clan.”

It was Popo’s explanation.

‘3,500L………..Because it was between 20 ~40 silver for one ore. In terms of gold it was worth 700 to 1,400 gold!’

When converted to gold, it was a colossal price.
Even if Ark used all the money in his bag, it would only be possible to buy one of the expensive items. The shops selling food and ingredients were also the same thing, with high prices.

‘Damn, it is just like a pie in the sky.’

At that time, an idea came to Ark’s head.

‘That’s right. The mermaid tribe and raccoon clan were all Beast races that were cut off from the outside world. Then just like the mermaids, the raccoons won’t understand outside items either!’

Couldn’t he sell his loot to the raccoons at an expensive price just like he did with the mermaids? To confirm his idea, Ark quickly pulled out some items from his bag and showed them to Popo. However, Popo was not impressed at all.

“The efficiency of that item is zero. The raccoons will not take things like this. I have sharp eyes because we are the race of craftsmen after all. And we can go outside to obtain these things.”

A disappointing answer was returned.
Then Ark noticed something weird in Popo’s answer.

“Go outside? So there is a method to go outside from here?”

“Of course. The raccoon family has continued to live by trading with humans. However, when we go outside we obviously have to hide our identities before engaging in trade. So gold is also used, but the L currency is the only one that satisfies the raccoon clan so get rid of any idea of using gold. Or your true identity would be discovered.’

“No, no. It’s not that ………I just want to ask if trade with the outside world is not hostile then why all the trouble. Why am I not allowed to be discovered as a foreigner?”

“That………in the past, a problem occurred in Subarutalp.”

Popo hesitated for a while before he sighed and replied.
The raccoon clan said that Subarutalp was in the depths of the Underground World. The original Norse mythology states that the black elves live in the underground world.
Subarutalp was as big as the outside world. The raccoon world in Norse mythology contained the holy water, with Yggdrasil in the centre dividing the the world into 10 villages, with each living peacefully.

“But then ‘he’ came and Yggdrasil changed.”

“He?”

Popo ground his teeth together and nodded.

“Yes, a human with red hair came here ten days ago.”

“A redheaded man!”

At the moment, Ark felt as though cold water had been poured on him.
The man with red hair. Using a group of thieves, he had stolen the Heartsoul Bead from Giran before heading to Cairo. Ark never imagined that he would head to the Underground World one step ahead. He couldn’t understand how he came to the Underground World and ran into a quest related NPC.
Ark had been the first person to discover the underground labyrinth and its contents. If the opponent was a NPC, then coming to the Underground World without leaving a trace wouldn’t be difficult.

‘Then the Heartsoul Bead is related to the Underground World?’

Everything was complicated and entwined.
If so, what is the purpose of the red man………?
Popo’s following words were even more shocking.

“He said he was the Truthseeker.”

“What? Truthseeker?”

“Eung, the raccoon clan is not human but the Truthseeker was our friend. Any raccoon family would happily meet him. And according to an ancient vow, we guided the Truthseeker to Yggdrasil.”

“An ancient vow?”

“A long time ago, the adults of the raccoon clan made a vow with the Hero Maban that when the hero returned to the Underground World, we would guide him to Yggdrasil to receive a test.”

“So? He got the test?”

Ark asked Popo who hastily shook his head.

“I don’t know. But not long after he left something terrible happened. A red light rose from where Yggdrasil was and our wooden statue of Yggdrasil started attacking us. And every raccoon clan was attacked by Yggdrasil……… It changed them into monsters that would attack their own people.”

“Monster?”

“Originally, there were no monsters living in Subarutalp.”

What does that means?
Ark looked doubtful before asking again.

“Then…….what about the monster that attacked me?”

At Ark’s question, Pope angrily snapped.

“That’s right, Yggdrasil caught a raccoon clan. The raccoon clan caught by Yggdrasil changed into a Kanggeul or a Plant Golem. And it started to attack villages at random. I also lived in the village with those guys…….”

‘Oh my god, was this the disaster Shannon was worried about?’

Now pieces of information were connected.
The man who stole the Heartsoul Bead from the Magic Institute of Giran would no doubt be the same red man. In other words, the Red man’s destination was not Cairo but the Underground World.
Shannon had warned that the Heartsoul Bead had an ominous power that could cause disasters. That’s right. The fact that Ark met monsters with such absurd levels was because of that.
Ark confirmed his idea with the quest information window.

Quest has been updated.

Find the Heartsoul Bead II => Find the Heartsoul Bead III

You have tracked the trail of the Red Man to the Underground World. And you have obtained a clue about the Red Man from the inhabitants of the Underground World. Not long after the Red Man came to the Underground World, its patron Yggdrasil went on a crazy rampage.

The Underground World which was once peaceful had become a dangerous place filled with monsters, with everyone in the Underground World suffering. No doubt this would be related to the Red Man who stole the Heartsoul Bead. You have to combine these clues and find the Heartsoul Bead.
{Difficulty level: C+}

Ark’s jaw dropped after checking the information window.
The combination of all the clues for the Heartsoul Bead seemed to lead to Yggdrasil. And Yggdrasil was the culprit that threatened the Underground World by changing raccoon clans into monsters. Of course, there would be Kanggeul around level 150 and Plant Golems around level 250 roaming the place.
With Ark’s current power he couldn’t even head to Yggdrasil while taking them out.
Degree of difficulty C+! The difficulty for the Event Quest was C++, which was the highest level of difficulty that Ark had ever gotten.
Even if he could organize an attack, he didn’t know if it would be possible with that level of difficulty.

‘And besides this quest I also have to find the Three Marvels.’

He couldn’t think. The raccoons had a vow with the Hero Maban that when the Truthseeker came, they would escort him to Yggdrasil to receive a test.
It is likely that Yggdrasil’s test would give a fragment of the Three Marvels to the Truthseeker. Eventually the piece of the Three Marvels in the subterranean world should enter his hands.

‘Damn, do I have to be an alternative to the Red Man?’

Anger welled up in Ark.
If it hadn’t been for that fellow, it might have been easier for Ark to receive the Three Marvels. However, because the turned up with the Heartsoul Bead the difficulty level dramatically increased? Of course, he wouldn’t have found the Underground World if it wasn’t for that guy……..

‘Anyway, now I can’t complete the quest at this level.’

Ark sighed before he remembered something and asked.

“You said that you traded with humans? So, that’s to say you can go outside? When this place became so dangerous, didn’t you think to flee outside or ask for help from the humans?”

“The only path to the outside world is inside Yggdrasil.”

Popo’s answer made Ark despair.
For or the time being he knew the location of the Underground World. And he had hoped for a lucky way to go outside. Ark had thought that he could go outside and raise his levels before coming back in.
However, if the path was associated with Yggdrasil didn’t that mean he couldn’t leave?

“The adults are all cowards!”

Then, all of a sudden Popo spoke in an incensed voice.

“The other villages have already been swallowed up by Yggdrasil. Together with thousands of kin. The raccoon village where I lived had also been abandoned. This is the only place left. Nevertheless, the adults are not willing to fight anyone. They blocked the entrance but I was able to stealthily dig a tunnel. Knowing this situation, it would eventually reach here too!”

The village that Popo had lived in was close to Yggdrasil. Because it was only a step away from Yggdrasil, Popo was the only racoon remaining.

“But I’m different from the adults. I’m going to fight even if alone. Will Hyung as well? Because Hyung is different from the cowardly racoon adults and a brave foreigner! Will Hyung fight with me? Just like when you fought the Kanggeul earlier?”

Ark began to realise why Popo tried to show a good impression since they first met.

“Of course I have to fight. But…….”

Ark took a moment to answer.

Excitement showed in Popo as a raccoon was pushed to the left.
The raccoon clan suddenly staggered back as he grabbed his chest.

“Eh? What’s up with that? Ajusshi, are you okay?”

“Yuck, keuuuuk, kueaaaa!”

Popo stared with surprised as the other raccoon’s body starting spasming. After a while, vines sprang out from the body and completely covered it.

“Kanggeul!”

In an instant, a raccoon had changed into a monster.
The raccoon clans that had gathered in the market screamed and fled everywhere. Popo also stepped back with a scream. However, Kanggeul’s body wound dozens of stems around Popo and hoisted him up.

“Ah, Ark-hyung!”

“Holy shit!”

Ark pulled out his sword.
Boooom, Ark swung his sword like lightning at the vines. Then Ark changed his target to Kanggeul.
The vines poured out continuously. Ark quickly rotated his body for continuous kicks and damaged the vines.

“Grrrr, Kkago, Namiru!”

Kanggeul was stunned and retreated.
Kanggeul’s level was 150, but it was only one opponent.
In addition, there were no crickets and no weapons. And unlike the vines of the Plant Golem, the attack and speed of Kanggeul was not intimidating.

‘This opponent is not that difficult!’

Ark damaged a vine using Dark Blade before running forward and cornering it with kicks. After 5 minutes. Kanggeul fell into a critical condition and tried to retreat. However, Ark’s movements were several times faster.

“Don’t miss!”

Ark ran and threw his body forward.
And quickly followed with a double sidekick! He hit the back of the head with his foot and Kanggeul fell to the ground. At the same time, Ark swung his sword down to get a double critical chance, causing Kanggeul to lose all its health.

“Am-amazing!”

“He defeated Kanggeul all by himself!”

After he defeated Kanggeul, the raccoon clans gathered and buzzed around Ark who had shown incredible skill. However, the raccoon clan quickly withdrew, surprised.

“Foreigner!”

“How did a foreigner get here?”

In the wake of the shouting voices, Ark’s oops was covered.
As a result of his fight with Kanggeul, the clothes made of twigs that Popo had given him were torn.
Ark didn’t know what to do and wore an embarrassed expression as he was surrounded by a group of raccoons clad in leather armour.
They looked between Kanggeul and Ark with surprised eyes.

“That…………”

Without saying anything, the raccoon soldiers lifted up their spears.

“Don’t move! You’re under arrest!”

“Damn, let me go!”

“Do not move!”

“What did Ark-hyung do wrong?”

Popo swore and struggled.
At that time, an old raccoon on the opposite side angrily shouted.

“Be quiet!”

Pop flinched and looked down dejected.

‘I guess that old raccoon is the elder of this village.’

Ark looked around in silence.
Ark and Popo were dragged by the raccoon soldiers from the market to a large cave.
It seemed to be the Town Hall. Around 10 elderly raccoons were gathered inside the cave. Among them the oldest racoon stared at Popo with angry eyes.

“I specifically told you that you weren’t to go out there……..not only did you disobey me but you also brought a human along? Do you know what you’ve done? This town could be in danger because of you!”

“Haeng!”

“Do you still not understand? Why Subarutalp changed? It is because they believed the human. That human brought disaster here! This guy will also do the same! ”

“Ark-hyung is different. He defeated Kanggeul!”

“Stupid! He is probably a friend of the Truthseeker called to betray us further. How can you believe everything this guy says? He managed to come here after it had been hidden for hundreds of years. It is clear that he has some other purpose. Everyone, immediately confine Popo and the human while we decide their punishment!”

“Yes, they need to be punished!”

The other raccoons shouted with their tails beating the ground.

“He is not the Truthseeker.”

It was then that Ark opened his mouth.
The eyes of the elders widened.

“What? What are you saying?”

“I’ll say it again. The red haired man isn’t the Truthseeker. He tricked all of you.”

“What do you know…….”

“How did you recognise the Truthseeker?”

Ark interrupted the elders.

“To become the Truthseeker, you must first kill the Black Bear Mouse and be acknowledged by the Meow, the descendants of Hero Maban. However, in the past hundreds of years only one person has been recognised as the Truthseeker by the Meow. And, of course the Truthseeker was not the man with red hair.”

“How do you happen to know this?”

“Of course I would know. For the past hundreds of year, I was the only Truthseeker recognised by the Meow.”

“Wha-What!”

The elders burst out with a surprised expression.

“Ah, Ark-hyung?”

Popo couldn’t believe it and looked stupidly at Ark. He was not the only one. The raccoons gathered in the Town Hall looked at his other and muttered. However, it seemed that the elders couldn’t believe as they shook their head.

“Unbelievable! Even if he isn’t the Truthseeker you might be lying as well, how can we tell? Where is the evidence that you are the Truthseeker?”

“This is the evidence. Elders, could you examine this?”

Ark pulled out a small carved stone from his bag.
Elder narrowed their eyes and sat down while staring at the stone.

“St…………..Star Fragment …….”

Yes. Ark had found one of the Three Marvels in the underwater world. It was a Star Fragment.
It was an item that was nearly impossible to get in his hands.

“Do you acknowledge it?”

Ark was confirmed as the elders nodded.
Then Popo pushed the soldiers as he shouted.

“Hyung! Ark-hyung is really the Truthseeker! Elder grandfather, see? Ark-hyung is the Truthseeker! A friend of the Beasts, he is the hero that inherited Hero Maban’s will!”

“Is that so?”

The elders touched their foreheads with their hands as they blew out a sigh of relief. And looked at Ark with weary eyes as they muttered.

“We recognise that you are the Truthseeker. But that doesn’t change anything. Obviously in the past we made a vow with Hero Maban. However, it is too late. Yggdrasil is already corrupted and we don’t know if we can even survive, let alone fulfil the vow. Therefore we won’t charge you with the crime of infiltrating the village without permission. But with Yggdrasil corrupted, you can’t leave here. Nothing has changed.”

“What are you saying? Don’t you understand? Ark-hyung is the Truthseeker! Now is the time that we must stand up and fight for Subarutalp to be peaceful again!”

“Shut up! We’re not children!”

The elders shouted at Popo who flinched and stepped back.
He wasn’t easily scared.
Popo couldn’t believe the elders and kept on shooting them looks as he said.

“The other villages are already gone. And no matter how much you hide, eventually you’ll be noticed. Elder grandfather knows it as well! Kanggeul showed up at the market. That means they’ve learnt how to come here.”

“Umm……..”

A heavy silence filled the Town Hall at Popo’s words.
So far, the raccoon clans in the surroundings muttered with low voices.

“But ……..This situation started from Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil…………is our patron. If we fight Yggdrasil it would be impossible to win.”

“Besides Kanggeul and Plant Golem are also our own people………we would be killing them too…………”

“Lies!”

Popo yelled wildly.

“Tell me honestly. You’re just too scared to fight. Cowards! So go ahead! Just continue hiding until Kanggeul and Plant Golem finds the town! But I’m different! I will fight even if I die!”

Popo pushed the raccoon soldiers and left the Town Hall.

“Why are you just standing there? What are you doing? Catch him!”

Two raccoon soldiers hurriedly chased after Popo.
Ark silently looked at the sight in front of him. He had wanted to intervene but had no idea how. But thanks to Popo he was able to understand the general situation. At the same time, he now knew what he had to do.

‘That’s right, it’s not only my problem!’

Ark realised that he had taken something for granted.
It was common sense that a quest was a structure only for the user.
However, there was no reason to think that.

‘New World is not an old RPG game.’

When considering the games in the olden days, it was really astonishing.
Those games often used the scenario of the Devil being resurrected at the end. If the Devil was resurrected then the world would end. Even so, he had met a number of NPCs in the game, even the NPCs that were formerly heroes couldn’t participate in the game directly.

‘What if?’

‘Please help me.’

But they would do absolutely nothing and just talk.
And it was natural for them to leave the fate of the world in the hero’s hands.
The NPC could actively move but not through artificial intelligence, instead the NPC’s behaviour was computed using a CPU that calculated its performance.
However, New World was the perfect game of the future. The game allowed infinite degrees of freedom for the user. And that degree of freedom was also relevant to the NPCs.
Of course, although it is not a user, the NPC could also think for itself and have the freedom to act. Just like when Jackson’s Lord gave privileges to the ex-convicts on Ark’s advice.

‘This is the key to solve this quest.’

If the Underground World is destroyed, then that would also be bad for Ark. He would lose the three marvels and also the way to solve the quest.
But anyway, Ark was a user.
It was possible to look for other ways. But not for the raccoon clan. The raccoons think of the game as reality where they either live or die because of the destruction of the Underground World. It dampened their will to fight.

‘If I try to do it alone, I won’t be able to handle Yggdrasil. But it might be possible to win if I can incite the raccoon clans to fight together.”

Ark came to that conclusion.
He had already identified in Jackson that users could fight together with NPCs.

‘Yes, for sure. This is the only solution.’

Ark looked at the atmosphere and slowly opened his mouth.

“To be honest I agree with Popo.”

“What?”

“I’ve listened to Popo talk. The other towns in the Underground World have already been attacked and annihilated. And even if the subterranean world is wide, it is limited. No matter how much you hide you will eventually be found and when that happens, you’ll be involved just like Popo said. ”

“We know that. We also know there’s no chance.”

An elder said a nervous voice.

“Since we were born, we are a species that hasn’t had to fight. Do you know why we live in the Underground World? In order to avoid conflicts. We’re just a race that knows how to make things.”

“But ………”

“It is done. I don’t want to talk about the problem.”

No matter how many times Ark tried to talk to them, the elders did not want to hear it.
After all Ark had just entered the village of raccoons. In addition, their relations had been hostile until just now. Fortunately, the misunderstanding was resolved and the relationship wasn’t hostile anymore however their intimacy was still low.
It would be impossible to incite the raccoons to fight with a few words. There was also the risk that intimacy would fall instead.

‘Let’s withdraw and find another method.’

“Ark-hyung……”

Popo approached from the side as he exited the Town Hall.
He had made a gesture to run away and hide around here.

“You see? Wasn’t it like I said? The adults are all cowards. They make excuses but in the end they don’t have the courage to fight the monsters, unlike a foreigner. But Hyung is different? The Truthseeker is the one that receives Hero Maban’s will. Will you fight against the monsters?”

Tears were heard in Popo’s suddenly young voice.
Ark looked at him in surprise as Popo wiped his eyes with his sleeve and said.

“They’re dead. Dad, Mum……..everything…….I……..cannot remember anything…….I know. The village where I lived was the first to be attacked. Obviously my mum and dad are dead or they have become a Kanggeul. But I will never die like that. I will find the exact cause of the corruption and regain my village. Hyung…….will you help me?”

A feeble ache revived in Ark’s chest.
He had forgotten.
Popo had lost his parents merely 10 days ago.
Why hadn’t he noticed? NPCs are also alive.
At least that’s what Ark thought. And who doesn’t understand the grief of losing a parent?
Ark was like that as well. When he lost his father and his mother was hospitalized, Ark couldn’t cry. He had forced down his grief but going on a nightlife spree. He was grieving, but he was so sad that he couldn’t feel the grief at all.
Ark kneeled down beside Popo and stroked his head.

“Yes, I will help. But no matter how I try, it is impossible for with my strength alone. You actually know that don’t you?”

Popo swallowed his tears and nodded.

“So I’ll have to convince any raccoon clan. The adults will understand if I talk calmly. If that doesn’t help……..then you and I will join forces and find a way. So just believe and trust in me for the time being.”

“Thank you, Hyung.”

Ark laughed and lightly patted Popo’s body.
He also felt like a brother.

” Now, that we’ve said that……’

Once Ark calmed Popo down, they organized the situation in a deserted alley.
He easily spoke to Popo, but he actually thought it was hopeless.
The raccoons were different from the other beast species that he had met. By default, the Meow and Mermaid species were warriors.
In the same situation, even if Ark tried to stop them the Meow and mermaids would raise their arms and go out.
However, the raccoons were craftsmen and were afraid to fight.

‘The most likely way to incite them is to raise my intimacy……..’

The problem was how to raise intimacy.
In the past, the mermaid species was completely isolated from the way so when he sold them some outside items, their intimacy quickly rose. However, even though the raccoons were isolated, there could secretly trade with humans on the outside world. He didn’t look at his loot.
He also used survival cooking with the mermaid clan.
Tasty food was somewhat effective but unlike the mermaids, the raccoon clans were used to fire and would not freak out about it.
When they ate something once or twice then they would quickly tire of it.
The other way to raise intimacy with to complete quests. But it was impossible to receive a bunch of quests from the raccoons in this situation.

‘But what other methods could be used to raise intimacy……..’

Suddenly a brilliant idea popped into his head.

‘Only? What about food? The food ……..perhaps……..No, it is the only way. I have no choice but to try it, even if it is a hit or miss.’

Ark quickly took out his pot and placed ingredients in.
And he mixed up the ingredients to create new dishes. As always, one dish was barely a success after dozens of failures. Ark put the successful dish in a pouch for the time and immediately made a new dish.
He spent the whole day cooking.
Although he was dozing halfway through, his hands mechanically combined new ingredients. Suddenly, a loud sound battered his eardrums.

Kwadang, delgureok, bugulbugul!

The half-asleep Ark quickly lifted his head. Inside the pot, a black liquid was bubbling like crazy.

“What, what the?” What’s up with that? Why is this?”

Ssak ssak ssak!

Then Snake flicked its tongue and licked the floor.

“Eek? Don’t tell me I just shoved in the pot………? ”

Ark quickly woke up as he turned his head.
Next to him was a pile of ingredients and loot intertwined. He had laid out the ingredients to make a dish. Apparently…….he thought only ingredients had been taken out. However, he had mixed in a few loot in his sleep. And while he was dreaming, he had unknowingly put a few loot into the pot.

“What the? What on earth did I put?”

Ark hurriedly opened his bad and checked the list of loot.

All of the five weapons are there……armour items as well…….other loot also roughly correct but the number……what did I put in? Eh? Which reminds me …….Huck, don’t tell me?’

Ark rummaged around and belatedly found what items were missing. The ‘Essence of shining slime’ that he had obtained from the Polluted Slimes in the underground labyrinth.

Essence of Shining Slime (Ingredient)
The Polluted Slime only exists in very special environments. Although the slime ecology is still unknown, only one in a thousand would produce these special crystals in their body. These crystals have a unique magic that would make Magicians and artisans drool over the expensive material item. You can use the essence of slime as a magic reagent or you can use it to create magic items.

Although you couldn’t tell from the explanation, but it would’ve been a large source of money for him.
Because he was unable to send it to Sid, he left if packed on one side of his bag……….only now he placed it in the pot while he was sleeping. It wasn’t an ingredient but a general item! The result was so unstable it seemed like the pot was having stomach trouble.

“I can’t believe I made this mistake while sleeping!”

‘No, I don’t know whether the essence of slime had completely melted yet.’

Ark picked up the pot. And just before he flipped it over! Suddenly there was a belch and thick smoke rings rose from the pot.
Ark flinched and looked down stupidly into the pot. The bubbling black liquid that was overflowing had just disappeared like a lie. And black lumps like jelly fell into the pot.

“Wha, What it this?”

Ark picked up the jello with a bewildered expression.
At the same time, a message window popped up.

You have found a hidden Survival Cooking dish.

In New World, there are monsters that have survived for a long time and built up a lot of experience. A monster with these attributes and experience sometimes form an ‘essence.’ Essences are sometimes used as an advanced ingredient in the production of various general items, but it also has another hidden use. One of the uses if making a Survival Cooking dish with it.When combined with several herbs in survival cooking, the essence can be formed into a jelly dish.

When mixing them with other unusual ingredients then jello with special properties can be made.

An advanced survival cooking chef would be able to instinctively grab the materials required to make it.

‘Slime Inner Edge’
Recipe Essence of Glowing Slime Jelly
1/1 Unicorn horns
0/1 Corrupted Fairy Wings
0/100 The roots of a Mandargora that has received moonlight
0/100 Tooth of a hook bat 0/100

Ark looked at the information window with a stupid look. For a while he couldn’t understand what had happened.

‘A hidden survival cooking dish?’

It was a result from a mistake he made in his sleep.
The problem was that he hadn’t determined if the result was good or not. Until the result was complete, he wouldn’t have any information about the slime inner edge.
However, Ark’s advantage was his optimistic personality. After he contemplated, Ark determined that it was a good thing.

‘This means I can’t get rid of the slime essence for the time being. And I’m tied. From unwritten game rules, it should provide a huge benefit in the game! And because the materials required to complete it seem fairly difficult, the result should be beyond my expectation. Uhehehe, Yes, that’s right. It’s obviously an extravagant prize!’

Ark placed the slime jelly in his bag and smirked.
Survival cooking was involuntarily learnt in the novice town, and he had learnt the skill with the idea that he could save money by using it to cook rice and eat cheaply, however the skill had more uses than that. It was fun to think of what other methods there could be later on.
It was a mistake that happened while he was asleep, but if the result was this sort of thing then it was welcome at any time.
He had discovered information that other people didn’t know yet. It will soon be connected with huge profit.

‘I would love to see the complete recipe now, but because the materials aren’t things that you could just ask or look for, it can keep for the time being. Okay, it is a good atmosphere. Should I make an effort and cook more new dishes?’

Ark had an excited expression and immediately began to make a new dish. And finally 24 hours had passed and he could summon his pets again.
With a serious expression, Ark summoned Skull.

“Skull, are you prepared?”

Clack….Clack clack clack!

Skull moved back and forth as he made his resolution.
Then Ark started feeding Skull the dishes that he had made.
Skull fainted straight away with dark rings that looked like he struggled with over drinking on the docks. However, the food also had a positive effect and raised his ability. However, it wasn’t what Ark was hoping for.

‘It’s great to see, but this is not the effect that I wanted.’

Ark shook his head and made him eat another dish.
Eventually the food made of new combinations of ingredients had almost disappeared.

“This is it!”

Once again, the positive effect of the food raised Skull’s stats. Thanks to that, Skull’s stats were raised be 7 and he instantly reached level 47. However, that was not the reason that Ark had cheered at Skull. It was due to the additional effects of Skull eating cookies.

‘This is it! This one is the key to the quest!’

Ark created a bunch of cookies with delight. And he put it all in a leather pouch and headed towards the Town Hall.

“What is going on? If you have something to say about earlier.”

As soon as Ark entered, the elder welcomed him with a troubled expression. However, Ark had a friendly smile as he approached.

“No. I have a different request today. Sometimes I go out and come to think of it, I experienced a new situation when I was there. When I find a new place, the elders always offer me a glass of water. So today, I have prepared cookies to apologize for my previous mistakes.

“Cookie? There’s no need. Please leave.”

The elder said coldly. However, Ark didn’t listen and took out the leather pouch.

“Eh, why are you so shy? There’s no need between comrades. Just have a taste. I made elaborate cookies.”

Ark opened the leather pouch and a sweet scent drifted around the Town Hall.
The seductive scent was made using a large variety of different spices!

“If you think it is necessary? Hurry, and take it out!”

The elder made an effort to turn his head and look away. However, Ark was convinced that he had caught the elders in a trap. His nose was twitching and his tail swinging up and down without stopping.

‘Huhuhu, in the end he is still just a raccoon.’

They can’t hide their beastly instincts.

“Come, come! Stop what you’re doing for the time being and just eat.”

“Heh, that’s true ……..nowhere else to be so yes …….”

The Elder couldn’t pretend and took one cookie.
Ark’s eyes flashed.

‘It took it! It took it! A raccoon is snagged!’

That was Ark’s plan.
Once he ate one, the elder tried to shove as much as possible into his mouths. The other elderly raccoons in the Town Hall also did the same. Although they had no interest in the cookies at first, they wanted to eat it after seeing him cramming a bunch in his mouth with both hands.
An elder exclaimed as he was buried in cookie powder.

“Yes, the cooking skill is amazing. In my lifetime, this is the first time I’ve tasted such delicious cookies. More, anymore?”

“Of course there is enough.”

‘Game over.’

Ark handled the leather pouch with an evil smile. Within a few minutes the leather pouch had been emptied and the elders had satisfied looks on their faces.

“Okay, it’s really brilliant. Are you going to make it again?”

“It’s now!”

Ark then exposed his true colours.

“Of course. But before that………I’d like to talk about the earlier topic?”

“What we were talking about earlier?”

“Yes, I’ve been thinking about it. I also think that the elders’ idea is a bit wrong. Of course I understand your view. After a lifetime of making things, of course you’re going to be afraid to fight monsters.”

“I am afraid? You mean someone else!”

The elders shook the table and shouted.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of, it’s just a little monster. Our talent isn’t just making things. Instead, we can arm ourselves with excellent armour and weapons. When mobilized, we can deal with any number of creatures.”

“Yeah!”

The other elderly raccoons also beat their tails on the ground as they shouted in unison. He fixed an expression on his face that seemed like he couldn’t understand anything and muttered.

“Then why are we hiding in a place like this?”

“That’s right. Why the hell would we think that the monsters are scary.”

“Our patron Yggdrasil turned evil because of a curse. Isn’t now the time that we should get up?”

“Yes, the time has revealed itself. Arm the residents immediately, we must release Yggdrasil from its curse. It is not the time to be hiding.”

He noticed that the attitudes of the raccoons had undergone a 180 degree change.

‘The effect of the medicine was accepted.’

A satisfied smile appeared at the corners of Ark’s mouth.
The reason why they changed was because of the cookies Ark had fed them.
The raccoons couldn’t fight because they didn’t have enough courage. Because they knew that the monsters would eventually reach the village, they couldn’t bring themselves to fight. That’s when Ark thought about one of his ingredients.
The Nurunma leaves that he found in the thieves’ lair.
The Nurunma leaf was a drug, but a long time ago it was also used to stimulate warriors. Therefore, if he cooked the Nurunma leaves it might have the same effect. With that crazy thought, Ark combined a variety of ingredients with the Nurunma leaves to create new dishes. Then he used Skull to confirm that it was the food that he wanted.

The Warrior’s Cookies

The Nurunma leaves are the main ingredients in this cookie. If a person without excitement eats the cookie, they will feel a desire to fight. Also they won’t lose their fighting spirit even if they are injured. The excitement gradually decreases with every battle the person enters. However, when the effect disappears, the subject will be in a weakened state for a long period of time due to withdrawal effects.

{Morale +100, In battle it decreases by 1 every 2 minutes}
{However when the effect disappears, for 4 hours resistance -50%, which is recovered when eating a cookie.}

Thanks to that, the elders’ morale was raised and once the taste goes away they would blame it on drugs.

“Come on, let’s quickly prepare the residents for action.”

“Then I’ll gather all the inhabitants.”

Ark left the town hall and conveyed the gathering orders to the residents. Of course, he didn’t forget to distribute a bag of cookies as a gift.
The raccoons took the cookies without any suspicion. And soon became racoons that were addicted to the stimulant.
Therefore, the situation was easily solved.

“…………Therefore, we should take back Subarutalp with our own hands! Come on, get up. Kinsmen arise!”

“Ooh oh oh oh!”

The elder’s speech delivered the taste to the crowd. The crowd of 300 raccoons gave a shout of joy and aligned themselves with the taste. And started war preparations at an absurd speed.
Popo looked at Ark with a strange expression.

“Ah, Ark-hyung. How on earth……..”

“Sincerity is said to be a way to connect with people.”

Ark grinned and stroked Popo’s head.
Ark continued smiling wickedly at the steady progress. However, this degree of wickedness was only the tip of the iceberg. When they finished the war preparations, the elders and residents flocked to Ark.

“However you. Is it possible for you to make more cookies?
I feel like eating a cookie for some reason.”

“Oh, you mean this? Well, there is still an excess………”

Ark shook the bag containing the cookies before taking one out. Then the raccoons forgot and followed the cookie with the eyes and mouth drooling. He shook it lightly for the poisonous effect to activate. Then Ark put it back in the bag and said.

“By the way. Before I do, isn’t there a problem to be addressed?”

“What, what is it?”

“Once the troops are gathered …….you’re not going to just randomly and recklessly attack the monsters are you? Doesn’t someone have to command the troops? I’d say I have the experience necessary to lead the troops.”

“Oh, that? Then I’ll leave commanding to you.”

As if it was troublesome, the Elder transferred the command immediately.
This is why drugs are horrible. Once you are addicted you could even sell your daughter for drugs. Of course, it wasn’t so much the cookies that were addictive. But anyway, the only person with combat experience was Ark. Even if he thought about it calmly, the right person to be commander was Ark.
Ark was satisfied as he grinned and nodded.

“I understand. Although I am insufficient, I will lead the raccoon clans.

“Yes, yes, so a cookie ………”

“It is 1L for a bag.”

“What? One bag costs money?”

“Oh, it’s because I don’t have that many ingredients. This means that I can’t make it indefinitely. And now I can only create one bag at a time. But if the elder doesn’t want to buy this then I will be forced to sell it to someone else.”

“Ah, no! 1L did you say? Here it is.”

The surprised elder pulled out an ore and calculated quickly.
The number of Nurunma leaves used to make a bag of Warrior’s cookies was one. He also used other ingredients and spices but those were readily available in the raccoon village. In the end, the actual cost of the ingredients was one Nurunma leaf. Ark calculated that it was approximately 10 silver for one leaf.
By selling the cookies for 1L, the ore was worth at least 20 silver which meant that his profits would double.
After all, it was a drug. No matter how lawless the city, he was worried about finding a proper place to sell it. But now additional money was received so it was a windfall!
All this because he mixed a drug’s effect into a cookie!
Of course, more addictive cookies would raise the price from now on. However, when it came to money it couldn’t be sold recklessly. Ark only prepared 1,600 Nurunma leaves. He had to steadily supply 300 raccoons while they were fighting.
Sort of…………it was possible to call him a clever demon.

‘Huhuhu whenever I see Nurunma leaves, I can just smell money drifting off them.

Ark smiled with satisfaction as a new information window showed up.

You used excellent communication and clever tricks to discover the ‘Complete Victory’ quest.

The Complete Victory quest exists in several areas in New World. If it isn’t possible to receive a quest in the normal way, a complete victory quest occurs when special conditions are satisfied. The quest rewards given for Complete Victory quests are different from those given for general quests, as it is an important key to understanding the legends and history of New World. However, if unsuccessful you may be subject to a substantial penalty.

{Wisdom + 10, Art of Communication + 10}

Reclaim the peace in the Underground World!

After a lot of trouble you have finally entered Subarutalp, a world hidden in the depths of the earth. However, the Underground World wasn’t a peaceful place like you imagined. Currently, the Underground World and its residents the raccoons are on the verge of annihilation. As the Truthseeker, you are obliged to help the Beast residents. Fortunately, you managed to convince them to put in an effort and reclaim the peace of the Underground World together.

You must lead a group of raccoons to Yggdrasil to get rid of its curse and bring back peace to the Underground World. You will also find the Three Marvels that you are searching for once you deal with the curse on Yggdrasil.

{Difficulty: ☆ ☆ ☆ Quest is limited to: Dark Walker}

“As expected, the correct answer was to persuade the raccoons.’

Ark checked the quest information related to the Three Marvels and was convinced that his choice was right. In the end, the goal was the same but he had to look for the Heartsoul Bead as well as the Three Marvels.
Of course these two objectives were registered as different quests.

‘But a Complete Victory Quest? Is the degree of difficulty special? What the hell does it mean?’

While Ark was thinking, an elder had studied his face and asked.

“So what should we do?”

“For the time being………”

Ark replied with a wide grin.

“It has to be training.”

In the afternoon of the same day, Ark gathered 300 raccoons together to commence training.
The Warrior’s cookie was limited. If he wanted them to battle without losing moral, there was no time to waste. However when he gathered the raccoons together, a sigh naturally flowed out.
The Kanggeul was level 150, but the average level for a raccoon was level 70. In addition, they had never been in battle before and didn’t even know how to hold their weapons properly. But Ark soon shook his head.

‘It’s not. The most important thing is not the individual’s level but group combat. How quickly and accurately the commander can lead them is the key.’

He had already experienced the importance of commanders in Jackson. First, he had to arrange the army regulations and then show that the ability of the commander was 100%.
Therefore, Ark dealt with them severely from the first day.

“There, the raccoon that was gossiping come out!”

Ark pointed to one of the foot soldier raccoons.
And after he made a horrible soup medley, fed him the awful food.
Ark who was in command also switched the cookies sold to a distribution system. Because there were limited resources, he must appropriately manage the quantity dispensed. Thanks to that the raccoons were always struggling with cookies. Ark was holding the cookies, so of course there wouldn’t be any raccoons that would disobey him. Also soldiers who performed well would have the right to buy more cookies. Ark introduced a reward and punishment system that a raccoon would feign death at Ark’s words.
A perfect dictatorship was born.
Ark seized the raccoons and separated them into branches of service based on their quality. The elders had said that the raccoon species didn’t understand battle at all but Ark soon shook off that notion. Of course, there was no battle related skill for the raccoons. However, he was able to take advantage of the NPCs by applying the characteristics of craftsmen to battle. When the father of all the races created the species, they had something in mind. It goes without saying that equipment plays an important role in battle. In particular, Ark paid attention to the portable gunpowder weapons. The musket had a slow reloading speed but its range and power far exceeded that of an arrow. An additional bonus was also applied when used against a large monster, which increased the offensive power by 10 times. The problem was the price of the bullet for the musket as it was 1L or 20 silver. However, Ark didn’t care. Anyway, the military funding came from the pockets of the raccoons.

‘Until now, I couldn’t have such weapons………”

If he thought about the outside then he wasn’t motivated.
Anyway, the raccoon clan that produced weapons and armour all boasted considerable abilities. Unfortunately, the ingredient supply wasn’t satisfactory because they had been hiding. Therefore, they couldn’t produce a significant number of equipment items.

‘I guess I have to divide the branches of service based on the equipment available.’

“OK, from now on I’m going to divide the branches of service. The first group will be lieutenants.”

Ark pointed towards the group of raccoons that had a higher level and stamina. And ordered them to be given the best armour and weapons. That number was approximately 120.
The 2nd group was chosen based on their high agility. They were given armour with high defense and firearms. And the 3rd and last group was the rear support engineers who took exclusive responsibility for cave destruction using the raccoon only racial skill.

‘Wasn’t it quite fascinating to equip NPCs with items?’

The elder raccoon NPC supplied a war chest that was quite generous. It was public money that Ark couldn’t take because who knew when he would have to buy an item necessary for battle.
So the raccoons were clearly divided. Without sleeping, Ark began to train the raccoons in the different divisions. As practice gradually continued, the raccoons rushed back and forth as they followed the training system. After 6 days had passed in game time and it was the second day in reality, practice finally finished. Ark gathered the soldiers around him and began to speak.

“Everyone had suffered. Maybe there would be some who said bad things about me. However, the trouble hasn’t left. Hopefully you guys remember this as we head to Yggdrasil to rescue your kinsmen and regain peace. In addition, it is common sense that training harder would reduce casualties in battle. It is my duty to ensure that you are ready for it, even if I had to push you.”

It was sincere. There was no chance of doing this quest twice.
If the raccoon troops were wiped out then his quest for the Heartsoul Bead and the Three Marvels would fail. He had to achieve his goal even if it meant using the raccoon troops.

“Now, the serious training has ended. The only thing left is to reclaim the peace of Subarutalp with our own hands. For the sake of the raccoon clans!”

“Ah Ah Ah!”

For the sake of the raccoon clans!”

The simple raccoons fell for his scam and cheered hundreds of times.
Now that all the preparation was done. The only thing left was to march forward! Just as Ark was about to pass on the marching orders.
Diririri. Diririri.
A familiar sound was heard in the distance. He wasn’t hearing it from New World. He heard his phone ring tone from outside the game unit.

‘What the? Who would call me at this time?’

In reality, it was past 12 at night.
Among the people he knew, none would call at this time. Ark was going to ignore it but he needed to feel relaxed to play so he unplugged the connection.

“Wait a moment!”

The eager raccoon troops were left scratching their heads awkwardly as he left.

ACT 3 Rehabilitation stage

“Hyun-Woo?”

A familiar voice was heard in the receiver.

“Eh? Uncle Gwon Hwa-rang?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Did something happen? Why are you calling at this hour?”

“I’m near Cairo………”

“Yes?”

For a while, Hyun-woo couldn’t understand Gwon Hwa-rang’s words.
He had been called just as he was about to fight alongside the raccoons and all his thoughts were focused on that.
Therefore he had forgotten about the appointment he made with Gwon Hwa-rang a couple of days ago.

“We were supposed to meet in Cairo.”

“Yes? Ah, ah ……..I did. I mean, I was there for a while.”

“Tsk, young fellow.”

“You didn’t get in touch with me for a while so I forgot.”

5 days had passed since Hyun-woo met the ex-convicts. 5 days was a fortnight in the game. Even if they travelled in a straight line from Jackson to Cairo, it would still take some time.

“Hey, you don’t say.”

Gwon Hwa-rang sighed and explained the situation.
In fact, when Hyun-woo had stopped by Gwon Hwa-rang’s house.
Gwon Hwa-rang and the other probationary members had already been heading towards the capital.
To time, only 4 of them went to meet Hyun-woo in Cairo.
However, there was a problem that they hadn’t considered.
At that time, the average level of the rehabilitation members was at best 35. However the stretch of forest before Cairo produced of lot of level 100 monsters.
They didn’t know anything and just entered the forest where they were smashed.

“Oh, Yes. I had not thought to warn you.

Of course, if you go the roundabout way, even for a level 35 there shouldn’t be that much difficulty.
Because a lot of low-level players also came to Cairo. However the ex-convicts who had obtained the location of Cairo from Ark, just moved straight forward in ignorance.

“What do we do? The hyungs are sorry.”

“I’m sorry to ……..ok any dead?”

Gwon Hwa-rang chuckled. The rehabilitation members aren’t trying to live through the game like Ark was.
People were playing it purely to enjoy the game. But to Gwon Hwa-rang who was caught up in the game because it made him feel free, inwardly it was quite frustrating.
All of a sudden monsters had appeared in the jungle and it was so dense it seemed like a new world.
They were high level monsters but the rehabilitation members just cheered.

‘I also wanted to see the Amazon so this is like my dream being achieved.

‘No, this is Jurassic Park.’

‘I never thought I could see dinosaurs directly. This is a hundred times more fun!’

But although the cheered, their abilities were not enough to get through the jungle.
In the end, at Gwon Hwa-rang’s request, the rest of the ex-convicts joined them. And invaded the jungle while attacking like crazy.
If it was any other party, they would have quickly given up on hunting in the jungle early on.
But the rehabilitation members didn’t care, no matter how strong the opponent was. No, instead the stronger the opponent was, the more the desire to knock it down burned inside them.
Roco also joined the attack.
When Roco left for her part time job they would set up camps and wait until she returned to continue hunting, and after this repeated for four days they finally arrived near Cairo.

“Kukuku, now I…….when I killed the Allosaurus I received a lot of bonus experience. Thanks to that, I went crazy for a few days. Besides, after I helped rescue the Migu Migu clan I received a bunch of strange items.”

Gwon Hwa-rang told his story with a proud voice.
Like most people playing the game.
Gwon Hwa-rang now seemed like a fully-fledged gamer.
Even though he crossed the same jungle as them, their game experience was different.
Although Ark was higher level than them, with Sid there were only two people so he didn’t dare touch the intermediate boss monster, Allosaurus
But the number of people in their group was 12.
Also recovery was possible because they had Roco and the passionate will to fight was flowing in every one of them.
The Allosaurus was a monster that was blocking the way into the wilderness that consisted of fallen trees and wheat.
Although Hyun-woo also met the Migu Migu, they didn’t give him any quests.

‘Is the quest only given to parties with a certain number of players?

In New World, the quest scenarios always changed depending on the time and situation Therefore, he listened with interest to Gwon Hwa-rang’s story even though he had crossed the same area.

“By the way……….”

Hyun-woo who had listened for a while spoke in a pained voice.

“Actually, I can’t go and meet Uncle at the moment.”

“Huh? What do you mean? Did you already go to a different area?

“That’s not……..there are circumstances where I can’t go outside to meet you.”

“Hum, I don’t know what’s going on but it seems a bit difficult. The guys were so excited to see you they were cheering like little kids……in the game it’s been a long time since we’ve met. Well, if that is the situation then there’s nothing we can do. So how long should we wait? ”

“But it is possible to give you the food immediately.”

“What? How?”

“Please wait outside Cairo for the moment.”

“Outside?”

“Yes. When you reach Cairo you’ll understand. Cairo is only for chaotic players. So if you are interested just wait outside and I’ll give you the food through somebody I know. He is a hobbit merchant named Sid. And did you collect a lot of loot in the jungle? He’ll also organize and sell it for you.”

“Okay, I understand.” Then tell him to meet me at the bear rock near Cairo.

“Yes.”

Hyun-woo hung up and connected to New World again.

Bang!
“What the?”
Flames blew from someone’s mouth as they slammed the table. He was sitting in front of the hobbit who freaked out and hunched his shoulder.
The scene seemed like the little suspect was being questioned by detectives in an interrogation room. It was reasonable.
The one who had yelled was the former detective, Justiceman.
And the hobbit sitting in front of the group was none other than Sid.

“Is that the reason why Ark couldn’t come and meet us?”

“Tru, it is true……..”
Sid restlessly said. Then the rehabilitation members lined up against the wall growled.
“This is the real issue isn’t it?”
“This, after a long time this really got me fired up.”
“How dare they touch our dongsaeng?”
“That organization will be forced to taste bitterness.”
‘Uhh, what on earth? Ark-nim being who he is, how does he even know these people?”

Sid turned pale as more threats emerged.
Those who played the game would feel a certain sense of realism.
Interestingly, if you look at a character’s alignment it would seem like you were looking at their real natures.
Should he point that out? But a conversation would interrupt the subtle mood in the room.
Judging from Sid’s experience, the rehabilitation members weren’t ‘ordinary’ people. Furthermore, he could tell that there was offensive power just from the impression of their faces.
At the same time, the impression they gave caused Sid’s heart to beat so fast it felt like it would burst out of his chest.
Sid had a worried expression.
Even Lorenzo who was a delinquent avoided the eyes of the ex-convicts and pretended ignorance. The violent atmosphere of the rehabilitation company reached such an extent that he shrunk and retreated to the NPC.
It was because it was Ark that Justiceman of the rehabilitation company got so angry.
A little while ago, the atmosphere was okay at Bear Rock. Justiceman and the ex-convicts had a good impression of Sid because of his cute looks, and it was a relief for Sid who had been hiding a while to meet reliable users.
However, after he confessed the whole story about Ark and Andel, the atmosphere went through a 180 degree change.
Anger welled inside Justiceman and the ex-convicts until they were spewing out profanities.

“I know Andel. He was the one that was hit by Alan.”

JusticeMan growled in a low voice.

“I knew that he didn’t get along with Ark…….”

“But defending the Quartermaster so Ark can’t revive is going too far. Why the hell would he do something like that?”

Roco also muttered in an angry voice. Although Ark thought number 1405 was the most calm, he was actually the violent former boss of an organization……..Bul-kkun clenched his fist as he asked what was known.

“There’s no water. Because he’s a bad guy.”

The rehabilitation members were simple. It wasn’t a matter of learning more. Violence was a key part of the world for them. The distinction between good and evil was clear in their world. The inner circumstances were irrelevant. If someone bothered them, they were a bad guy.
It was a clear and simple way of thinking. Justiceman and the rehabilitation group were generous to villains.
However, to the fellows who touched their side there would be no forgiveness. The police were also committed to that idea.

“Hyung-nim, do you know?”

Number 1401 looked at the others with serious eyes. Number 1401 was a former con artist in the rehabilitation group called Jjak-tung.

“It’s not an issue that we can let him get away with.

“Um………”

JusticeMan nodded with a serious face.
Justiceman, Roco and the rehabilitation members knew about Ark’s situation. Ark was not simply playing the game for enjoyment. He joined the test for Global Exos to find a way to live.
For Ark, the costs of living expenses and hospital bills came from New World.
Yes for them it was a simple game but for Ark, New World was reality.
In fact Justiceman, Roco and the other members previously wanted to play the game with Ark. However, Ark had a distinct purpose. However they were unable to bring it up, and now this fellow came along and bothered Ark?

“Ark. He didn’t say anything when I called……..”

“Well he probably didn’t want to worry us too much.”

He wilfully pretended not to know.
They were mistaken. In fact, Ark had completely forgotten about Andel.
His memories were of the ☆ ☆ ☆ and + C quests from the Underground World.
He poured all his spirit into training the raccoon clan.
The training occurred for 5 days and thanks to this he had already forgotten that Andel was waiting for him at the Quartermaster. Sort of………when looked at from someone else’s point of view, Andel seemed more pathetic.
However, the rehabilitation group didn’t know that fact.

“Kuk, Ark is also human.”

“When he acts like that, I feel like I want to help him even more.”

“Naturally. When it is like this, we should help out?”

“Oppa, I will also help!”

“Heh, when the Prince is in a crisis, even the Princess helps out.”

“Let go, let go!”

A rehabilitation member had grabbed Roco in a headlock while she kicked him.

“It’s not that simple. Do we know why Ark didn’t talk to us?”

“He didn’t want to trouble us……..”

“So, there might be a reason why he didn’t want worry us.”

“Eh?

They asked again absentmindedly. At that time, JusticeMan folded his arm and said.

“Jjak-tung is correct. Hey, former hoodlum.”

“Yes? Yes? Me?”

Lorenzo was surprised suddenly and replied.

“Would you say that Ark had a hard time when he fought against those guys?”

“Yes, the Dark Brothers’ profession is assassinating foreigners. Even 1 of them was too much for Hyung-nim to handle.”

JusticeMan nodded and said.

“It is like that. Jjak-tung, you saw Ark fighting in the Event Quest, so you would understand that he’s not an ordinary guy. Our levels aren’t even a comparison. But if he had trouble with one assassin then their levels must be equivalent to his. Even the user is sticking close to those three. Do you understand?”

“Ark determined that we wouldn’t be able to win. But after listening to Lorenzo’s words, we actually do stand a chance.

In the jungle Justiceman, Roco and the rehabilitation group had significantly raised their levels.
They had fought through a dense jungle against monsters over level 100, so it was a natural result.
Thanks to that, Justiceman had long since surpassed level 60, while others had reached level 60 a few days ago.
Recovery was also possible as Roco was level 40……..It was a party of 12 with formidable power.
However, their opponents were three assassins level 120.

“In the words of Jjak-tung. In reality we would unconditionally win. But this is a game. It is hard to win with such a huge level difference.
Our offensive power and defense is too different.
The level difference between us and Ark who fought the assassin 1 on 1 is approximately 2 times as big.
If it was just one or two of us, we wouldn’t stand a chance against the four guys including Andel.”

JusticeMan was now a gamer.
JusticeMan pushed down his past definition of unconditional evil, and now understood the difference between ability and level in the game.
If it was just skills, JusticeMan was confident that no one could push him. But in the game if a level 10 attacked a level 100 with a sword, he wouldn’t even do any damage.
On the other hand, if the level 100 attacked then the level 10 would certainly die. It was an impossible match.
The only way for a low-level to win against a high-level was to have overwhelming numbers.
However with 14 against 4, it couldn’t really be called overwhelming numbers.

“If we die here, then we’ll just be giving Ark more baggage.”

“If it continues like this, he might end up saying why?

“We have to look for a way.”

JusticeMan thought for a while before he looked at Sid and asked.

“Sid?”

“Yes.”

“What was he doing before Ark encountered those guys?”

“That………..”

Sid looked at Lorenzo and spoke about the former circumstances.
The General Store owner’s quest which involved Lorenzo. After they heard the quest contents, JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members had warm smiles on their faces.

“That guy Ark……..he was doing such quests?”

The ends of Justiceman’s mouth rose.
JusticeMan was a former detective and had seen that situation many times.
The former hoodlum couldn’t escape the demands of the organization and would become a criminal again………
Thanks to the sense of realism, JusticeMan easily accepted Lorenzo’s situation.
The rehabilitation members who had experience the situation directly didn’t speak.
However, they accepted Lorenzo like he was one of them.

“Lorenzo, I guess your mind was troubled as well.”

“Yes? No……….just……….”

“By the way, Ark also……..”

If a pretty guy does something good, the law looks prettier.

Although it was a quest in the game, the fact that he was trying to help Lorenzo wash his hands of the organization only made the rehabilitation group’s respect for Ark grow even more.
Then after Jjak-tung considered something for a while, he opened his mouth and began to talk.

“Hyung-nim, there may be a way.”

“What?”

“Ark’s work was urgent, but isn’t it possible to do something for Lorenzo?

“Hum, yes. That is what we need to do.”

“Then how about finishing the two things together?”

Jjak-tung spoke to JusticeMan about something secretly.
Then liveliness entered Justiceman’s eyes.

“Ohu, that sounds good! Hey, Sid? Ark’s quest, can we also do it?”

“Yes? Then……..Please invite me to the party.”

After Sid joined JusticeMan’s party, he fiddled with the system window. And after a while, the quest information window flashed in front of JusticeMan.

-Sid-nim’s party has requested to share the ongoing quest <Clear Lorenzo’s name>. If you allow it you will share the reward but if the quest fails then you will receive a penalty. Are you sure that you want to share?

“Oh, fortunately it is a quest that is able to be shared.”

“It is decided so let’s complete it immediately.”

“What do you say?”

The rehabilitation members all replied to the question with decisive voices.

“Rehabilitation!”

“Yes?”

“Lorenzo you might get annoyed with those guys. But in the end, they are your hyungs so you should listen to their commands. We have to do everything we can to help someone change his heart just like Lorenzo. We were also given such a chance. Therefore, I am going to rehabilitate them. And make them join the side of justice.”

JusticeMan smiled and said.

“Of course once they joined the side of justice, they would have to prove themselves. For example, catching an assassin without shedding blood…….”

It was the plan that Jjak-tung suggested.
Despite their numbers, the people that bullied Lorenzo didn’t have a level higher than 60. The first hooligans would be lured in and forced to change sides. Then, the numbers of the rehabilitation group would double by 2.
14 against 4 would become 28 against 4.
Even if there was a large level difference, if they had 7 times the number then it was enough to try!

“Very good”

“Now it’s time to do the right thing.”

New World was a part of the rehabilitation program for the ex-convicts.
Their social adaptation program was justice!
At last, they hit their goal for the quest.

“7 people are headed to the appointed place.

Lorenzo said in a low voice.
JusticeMan nodded and looked at the old building.

“Ok, approximately 10 people remain in the hideaway.”

After they came up with the plan in the cabin, JusticeMan entered Cairo using the [Lie] scroll.
JusticeMan acted for the group. When he was a detective in South Korea, Justiceman was used to jumping into a group of armed criminals under orders from above.
Of course, every criminal was too scared to relax in their own homes……..at least JusticeMan lived like that.
But that did not mean that JusticeMan never relaxed his body.
No matter how outstanding his skills, no superman was invincible.
In addition, sometimes detectives spent years battling gangs in the field.
It didn’t matter if he was alone.
He also had a responsibility to command other first line officers.
Because of him, the south piled up tactical knowledge, he was also a part of a special task unit that looked for countermeasures for terrorism and also served as a training instructor in South America, where it just built on his legend.
And the hero of that legend used his ability in the game.

‘The gangsters in the hideout are level 60-70.’

On the other hand, the average level of the rehabilitation members was late 50s.
If the difference between users was 10 levels, the chances were slim. However, if the opponents were NPC then it was likely that JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members would win.

‘The problem is how many of these guys there are.’

The number of hooligans was around 17-20 people.
On the other hand, including JusticeMan, Roco, Lorenzo and Sid, the rehabilitation side only had 14 people. There was a 10 level difference plus they were outnumbered so it was difficult.
Furthermore, JusticeMan’s objective was not just to win. He wanted to subdue them without killing, in order to rehabilitate them. And needless to say, the difficult thing was capturing rather than killing.

‘There is no way to increase our numbers. If it is like that, there is one method. I’m going to reduce the numbers of those guys.’

That was the conclusion JusticeMan reached.

“The purpose of these guys is to force Lorenzo back into the gang. The others might not understand, but they would have no choice but to move if Lorenzo called them.”

A few minutes later, Lorenzo’s letter arrived at the hideout.

I will return to the organization.
But before that, there is a problem so please meet me at the cabin.

And not long after, 7 gangsters headed towards the appointment place. Those remaining inside were just 10 people. He was sure that they could subdue those numbers.

“Okay, before the other guys notice and return. Let’s get started! ”

“Hummm, how would you like to practice justice?”

“Think about it before going out.”

“Ya, get extensions.”

The rehabilitation members took out their weapons with eerie smiles.
Iron pipe, sashimi knife, chain …If it appeared in gangster movies then they had it.
They had obtained it from the restricted area in Jackson, the rotting bogs.
Well, the form wasn’t special but the members were used to such weapons so they held it steadily.
Furthermore, it was also a magic weapon.
The iron pipes increased attack speed, the sashimi knife increased the probability of a critical hit and the chain had a side effect that caused stuns.
And as a bonus, Sid had the effect of inflicting fear.

‘As expected, these people are ordinary.’

Now the rehabilitation group were carrying crowbars to the fight the gangsters just like it was seen in a movie. No, the actual situation wasn’t that different.
Double bang!
When he kicked the door and entered the building, the delinquents inside turned their head to look at it.
The door roughly shook and scattered dust……it showed JusticeMan in the background laughing.

“You guys, arrest them all.”

“Eh? Arrest?”

“What did you say? That old person?”

The gangsters said in an amazed voice.

“Ah………..Embarrassing. Hyung-nim should get a better grip of the atmosphere. Was now the time to recite those lines?”

JusticeMan was sullenly pushed back as another member stepped forward.
When a former leader of an organization stepped forward, the atmosphere was different.
Suddenly he growled in a deep voice.

“Kneel down. We will receive it as your surrender.”

Indeed, the experience of the person was clearly shown in their choice of words. There was an immediate response from the gangsters.

“What, what the?”

“Hey, it’s a raid! Get them!”

“Fearless scum, pull out their tongues!”

The hoodlums in charge got up.
However, the movements of the parole group were a few times faster.

“Ha ha ha! How stupid do they have to be to think they could win against justice?

And the table fell with a crash. They jumped over the chairs flying from all directions and swung their sashimi knives at the gangsters.
It truly unfolded like a scene from a gangster movie.
Also as expected, the hooligans were slightly stronger than the rehabilitation members. However, thanks to Lorenzo and JusticeMan helping out, the situation was easily controlled.
Lorenzo was level 80 and could fight to opponents sufficiently by himself.
On the other hand, JusticeMan was able to help with his absurd stats, since he was armed with the deceptive stat of Justice.
That stat doesn’t do anything when fighting solo, but in a group battle it had absolute power.
However, the user that had a decisive influence on the outcome. Minstrel Roco!
When Roco earnestly joined the battle, the odds quickly shifted to the side of the rehabilitation group.
In the early stages, the minstrel was a job that most would want to quit since it was useless.
The minstrel had low damage and defense so they couldn’t solo, while most parties weren’t looking for weaker recovery or secondary magic.
There was also a penalty applied to the minstrel for not being battle affiliated, so the experience they received in battle was similar to a merchant’s.
They couldn’t fight and their growth rate was low.
It was an occupation which didn’t really seem like one.
However, Roco always had an affection for musical instruments so raised her minstrel with love.
Anyway, Roco had never played solo.
When she entered the game, she immediately met JusticeMan and the parole group.
Instead of fighting against a fearsome monster, Roco had more fun using her magic to save her oppa.
And recently, the Minstrel passed level 40.
She gained a skill that no one expected.

This skill can only be learnt after the Minstrel satisfied certain conditions.

<Condition: Minstrel level 40, Artistry stat 150, Intermediate skills in three types of musical instruments>

Gentle Reverberation (Beginner, passive): You have been deeply worried about real music for a long time. You have handled numerous instruments and listened to their beautiful voices with your heart.

Therefore, it has increased you understanding of music. Your music will now develop the same depth and power. The gentle music will dwell in the soul and heart of those who listen to it, and a reverberation will remain long after the performance ends. Even if other music is played, this gentle reverberation will not disappear but rather improve the effects of the music.

<If the same kind of music is played continuously, 3 buffs can be piled up due to the synergy with gentle reverberation. The duration is subject to the duration of the final performance>

If it was good, without stopping.
That was Roco up to now. However, after the level 40 skill the situation changed.
The effect of Gentle Reverberation was terrific.

“It became one strong wind that split the grassy plains……..”

In order to raise attack speed and movement speed, Roco would sing the ‘Song of the Gale.’ The ‘Song of the Gale’ only raised the speed by 5%. The magician’s skill that raised speed by 10% was far more attractive. However Gentle Reverberation allows buffs to be stacked three times, which changes the situation.
‘When ‘Song of the Gale’ is stacked three times, it increases speed by 15%! In addition, the duration of the minstrel’s song was much longer than the acceleration magic of a magician.
The same applied to the ‘Song of Life’ which is used to restore health.
For 3 minutes, health was recovered by 200 but now ‘Song of Life’ recovered 600 health recovered in 3 minutes. If health was recovered in a fixed duration, the effect was stronger than recovery magic.
Although the slow growth was a weak point, the results could be favourably compared to a magician’s magic. The minstrel who had no exclusive boards dedicated to them in information sites, and the users who did choose minstrel received a cold shoulder from other players and because it was lonely, cancelled their profession.
However the laws of the game descended, just like in a legend……..
The weak and troubled character in the beginning would change into a formidable character. We don’t have to tell you what games are people who know that we talk about grunge.
It was a fact that everyone who played games should know, even if they don’t speak it out loud.
Although a hoodlum noticed Roco’s participation and rushed forward, the parole members wouldn’t let him attack their mascot.

“Does this child think we’re going to let him touch our cutie with their dirty hands?”

The hoodlum quickly collapsed under the attack of 3~4 rehabilitation members. The violence continued for 10 minutes.
Eventually there was an overwhelming victory for JusticeMan.
Although there were 3 who resisted to the end and died, the rest were in a critical condition. JusticeMan and one of the guys took turns to stun them.

“Once you put all these guys together, tie them up.”

“Yes!”

Number 1402, also known as Hae Gyeol-sa used his racial special skill ‘Bound’ to tie them up and threw them into a room. With the situation settled, the 7 hoodlums who went out had returned.

“Damn, that Lorenzo! He screwed us…..! Eh? What are you doing here?”

“Us?”

“Justice!”

The parole group shouted in unison.
Pepepek! Gwadang! Snap! Crunch!
Soon, the faces of the rest of the hoodlums were crushed.
Once again, 1 warrior died but 14 hooligans were captured.

“Now, let’s cut to the chase?”

JusticeMan entered the room with the hooligans and started the ‘rehabilitation’ operation.

“Well, Lorenzo has told me about every one of you.”

JusticeMan coughed and opened his mouth.

“Every day squeezing someone and threatening them, and even threatening a fellow colleague who wants to live more sincerely for money! You guys are really a piece of work. Nonetheless, I don’t think your foundation is bad. Anyone can make mistakes for survival and once you choose the wrong path it is difficult to go back. But life is long. Although you might think it is too late, it is still early. Now, this is an opportunity. Do you want to be reborn as a new man and wash your hands clean?”

“Sheesh, you’re playing.”

“I don’t know what you’re doing but don’t think it would end like this.”

“When you meet Hyung-nim you’ll understand……..huhuhu, Lorenzo. The same goes for you, too. Yes, you’re going to be buried alive along with the old man.”

He had given them sincere advice, but where was the expected reaction? A thick vein popped on JusticeMan’s forehead.

“Yes, is this friendly atmosphere to your liking? Jjak-tung.”

“Yes! Hey, the guy who talked just now.”

Jjak-tung gave a satisfied smile as he pulled out the hoodlum.
The hooligans stiffened with tension. Looking at the atmosphere, anyone would imagine that some violence was about to occur. However, their faces soon oddly changed.

“Open your mouth!”

Jjak-tung forcefully opened his mouth and ladled food in, and began feeding the hoodlum.
What on earth was he doing?
A gag? Is he being gagged?
The hooligans all laughed with a silly expression. But at that moment, a bloodcurdling scream emerged from the mouth of the hoodlum eating the food. A different hooligan who ate the food reacted the same way.

“What, what the?”

“Poison?”

The hoodlums looked at each other with confused eyes. The only ones who could explain just trembled hollowly once they ate the food.
Without knowing what the poison was, they were certain that it was something incredibly horrifying. And Lorenzo who had experienced it before, could only shudder as he imagined it.
The food being fed to the hoodlums was Ark’s special medley.
JusticeMan had ordered it after he asked Lorenzo for any prior information, such as the effectiveness of the chowder medley.
The gangsters were frozen at the unknown torture.

“Now, it is an atmosphere where I can talk.”

JusticeMan laughed in satisfaction before speaking again.

“Everybody close your eyes and look back at the past. See what manner of life it was. The method to start a new life is surprisingly simple. You have to regret any mistakes and make amends. Then I’m sure a new life would unfold in front of you. Then you’ll be living for justice. Now, the definition of justice is……..”

What followed was JusticeMan’s theory course on justice.
The hooligans listened with an annoyed expression, but they endured it. But that was just the beginning. The course finished after 10 minutes before someone else said.

“………Ashamed of justice. Then how would you practice justice and live? Although the way that you guys live your life is dire, if you open your eyes to justice then you are already walking along the path to being reborn. Now, Jjak-tung. You begin!”

“Yes, I understand.”

Jjak-tung stood on the podium with a small uncomfortable face.

“Eh, so I’m number 1401, called Jjak-tung. In order to not be like an android production number, when I was young I was determined to be an artist. However when I was six, my mother passed away and my father started drinking…….. ”

Jjak-tung’s biography began to flow out.
It was about a kid who walked on a dark path and participated in an enormous fraud of an organization which cherished ambition friendship and betrayal.
Finally prison life caused him to fall to the bottom, and one couldn’t hear the epic tale without bursting into tears. However, it was too long.
3 hours …in the game, the story was told for a whole 9 hours. However, the hooligans strained their ears and listened eagerly. They weren’t impressed.
But if they dozed off for a short time, then a chowder medley was immediately shoved into their mouth.

“Strange.”

“Come on, applause!”

Loud applause shook the room.
It finally came to an end. Although the hooligans tears flowed like they were upset it ended, it was a trick.
At the end of Jjak-tung’s speech without any breaks, number 1402’s speech ‘I’m so alive’ followed.
It was followed by the ‘If I’m stuck’ speech by number 1403. ‘The prison’s bean rice’ was the topic for number 1404………the speeches was to achieve the original goal but by the time it reached the end of number 1406’s speech, two days had passed in reality.
In the game it was six days.
Of course, the rehabilitation members had a good sleep but if the hoodlums dared doze off the would be met with the chowder medley. This occurred so many times that they now had bloodshot eyes.

“Come on, now it is number 1407.”

“Wa-wait a minute!”

The hooligans cried out in surprise.

“We’ve had enough.”

“That’s right.” Uhh. What have we done……I regret it so much that I just want to commit suicide!”

“Now we have washed our hands and became new men.”

“Yes, we do not need to hear anymore.” We only live for justice! ”

“So please stop now……..”

The hoodlums with red bloodshot eyes cried and tearfully begged.

“Hum………You regret it right? You will live for justice?”

“Yes, of course.”

“So one question remains.”

JusticeMan scratched his beard and opened his mouth.

“The people who tried to kill a good fellow are around here. How do we deal with these guys? If you guys give a hint to the assassins then we won’t consider you rehabilitated and feed you more grub.

“The bad guys should have justice withdrawn from them!”

“Who should do it?”

“Yes? Ah, of course it must be us!”

“Do you also know whether it is dangerous?”

“Justice is willing to spare no lives!”

The hooligans shouted like they were recruits in a cult.
It was sincere.
They had stayed awake in dark rooms, listening to the speech of the rehabilitation members for 6 days.
The hoodlums were completely brainwashed.
And frankly, after being tortured and hearing the speech they were probably happy about the possibility of fighting and dying.
JusticeMan was revived…….he looked at the brainwashed hooligans with a pleased smile.

“Okay. Then let’s go practice justice?”

“Justice!”

The hoodlum’s eyes turned round and round.

Chaotic NPC ‘Rehabilitation’ was complete.

Punishing the guilty was an easy task. However, you will need a lot of time and effort to convince them to repent for their sins. The people who cherish life and not begrudge them of that life will receive a reward.

<Rehabilitation Bonus: Rehabilitated NPC X 5000 Alignment experience: Good +50>

During the rehabilitation of the gangsters, JusticeMan had sent a few people to monitor Andel and the assassins.
And received the information that the 3 assassins slept in shifts.
The rehabilitation group had 14 people and that number increased to 28 people, but the assassins were level 120.
If they attacked from the front then they should expect to receive considerable damage.
In addition, the situation might become more difficult if they used scrolls.

‘It would be better to receive less damage. Anyway, it isn’t necessary to take risks.

JusticeMan decided to defeat each assassin.
The first opponent was the assassin sleeping in the camp close by. You couldn’t build a campsite adjacent to the village. Because of that, the assassin was sleeping quite a distance away from the Quartermaster.

“Ja, can we really do a sudden attack?”

“It’s a little cowardly to attack a sleeping person……..”

A hoodlum asked with a worried expression. But JusticeMan replied without hesitation.

“It’s okay. We don’t have to choose the methods and means of true justice.”

“That, that is what you’re doing?”

“That’s right.”

In fact, even in reality a detective would attack sleeping criminals. There was no reason to feel uncomfortable.
JusticeMan’s party surrounded the assassins.
The distance was quickly narrowed and the assassin was attack from various sides.
The sleeping assassin received a critical hit and woke up.

“Huck, yes, you…….what!”

“Noisy!”

“Now, the group!”

“Ah ah ah, justice!”

Like a dog, the group listened to JusticeMan and attacked. Nevertheless the level 120 assassin was powerful.
Although he received at critical hit while sleeping, his health only decreased by 15%.
His basic stamina and defense was high level.
On the other hand when the assassin attacked, the hooligans each lost 25% health and each hit was likely to be a critical hit.
At level 50~60, it felt like they were facing a boss monster.
However, even if the level difference was 2 times as much, it was 28 against 1. In other words, the assassin had to defend against 28 attacks coming at once.

-The attack failed.

As the level difference was so huge, half the attacks missed. But Roco played the ‘Song of Focus’ and increased the hit rate of their attacks by 60%.
In order words, if JusticeMan’s party swung simultaneously at least 16 attacks would hit. The assassin fell to a critical condition and took out a scroll.
Number 1406, also known as Yapsab was waiting for a chance and it was at that time.

“Pickpocket!”

-You have stolen the warp scroll from the assassin.

Yapsab’s hands moved like lightning and quickly stole the scroll from the assassin.

“What is this……..!”

The assassin looked stupidly at his empty hands.
At that moment JusticeMan who had withdrawn, released the battle state. At the same time, he applied his justice stat.
JusticeMan’s various stats rose in leaps and bounds.
Eventually, the assassin was a victim of the group and fell to the ground.
The assassin disappeared leaving behind black leather armour.
It was a high quality armour as it was dropped by a level 120 NPC. As a result, the group played rock paper scissors over the armour.

“Huhuhu, only a man of my size could wear it.”

The one who won the popular armour laughed at the others clenched their fists.

“We’ve dealt with one guy. All that’s remaining is Andel and the two assassins!”

“Now I’m sure that we will be able to handle two assassins And Andel wouldn’t be high level yet. 2 people should be enough to handle Andel while the others take care of the assassins.”

“Okay, let’s go!”

JusticeMan led his remaining followers to the Quartermaster. On the other hand, Andel and the assassins were still waiting near the Quartermaster. Ten days of real time had already passed since Ark fell into the hell. Although the wait was horrible, Andel endured it by spending time in reality. Although the assassins were cooperative at first, after ten days had passed and then a month the assassins began to show dissatisfaction.

“Are you certain that the guy will return here?”

“For sure. He must be quite impatient by now. Just wait”

“But we can’t wait aimlessly around without a commitment?”

“You made a contract.” Are you going to take the 300 gold and then complain?”

“Sheesh, at this rate we’ll grow old and die first.”

The assassin murmured with an annoyed voice. JusticeMan and his group then arrived at the Quartermaster’s. When they heard people approaching, Andel turned around indifferently and say JusticeMan.

“Eh? You were with that child Ark…..?”

“If you remember my face, then I don’t have to tell you why you’ll get hurt?”

“That child Ark…….why he didn’t come here……..did he ask you for help?”

“Jeez, I’d say so. Crush them!”

“Ah ah ah, justice!”

“Stop them! We can’t let them snatch the Quartermaster away from us!”

Andel shouted and quickly pulled out his sword and shield.

“Rehabilitated group, take the guy on the right. The rest take the left side. I’ll take Andel.”

JusticeMan commanded and shot forward.
However, Andel kept running away and it took time for JusticeMan to do any damage.
Although Andel had stopped levelling in the mid-60s, he used money to arm himself with high level warrior gear.
He ran around trying to escape and prayed that the assassins would take care of the situation. He ran away trying to escape and prayed that the assassins would take care of the situation.
However, the battle situation didn’t turn out like Andel expected.
First, the assassins were handled by the rehabilitation group that was supported by Roco.
With their hit rate increased to the maximum, the assassin could not handle their strikes and collapsed. The hooligans joined in and concentrated on the remaining assassin.
The assassin blindly used a scroll but his opponents numbered 28 people. Since the scroll could only be applied to one person at most, it was meaningless.

The scrolls could reverse the balance of a fight or even give an advantage.
However, it wasn’t possible to last against that many guys and soon he was collapsed on the ground. When the assassin was killed, the rehabilitation group immediately surrounded Andel.

“Now, it is time for you to die!”

“Eat this, you lousy bastard!”

Andel clenched his teeth and hurled profanities.

“You shouldn’t say those words.”

“Let’s leave!”

Andel took out a scroll and shouted.
At the same time, Yapsab ran up and used a skill.
However, the pickpocket skill only worked on opponents in critical condition. The skill came back as a failure.
Andel used the [Warp] scroll and disappeared.
JusticeMan tried to grab his collar just as he disappeared and fell to the ground.

“Damn, rat-like child!”

“……….The solution is settled for the moment.”

“Yes, but we cannot guarantee that this guy has given up. Since we don’t know when Ark will return, we’ll have to take turns guarding it. The rest will stay at the cabin or hunt.”

“What about the Lorenzo related quest? I got the keys to the warehouse…….”

“Well when Ark returns we’ll complete it together. Anyway, because of that Andel fellow we’ll have to spend some time here. And it’s good that useable hunting grounds are nearby.”

“Okay. Now, you guys wait here while the rest of you will return to the cabin.”

And JusticeMan recaptured the quartermaster’s place just like that.
In addition, they also gained the items the assassins dropped as a bonus.
After that, JusticeMan left 2 sentries there and became immersed in hunting while using the cabin as a central point.
Of course, he dragged along the delinquents as well.
One of the ways they could contribute to humanity was to kill monsters.
The path to true rehabilitation was distant and steep.

“Damn, those guys…….!”

At that time, Andel who had used [Warp] to run away had returned to Cairo.

‘I never thought that Ark would call his colleagues here. But they made a big mistake. I don’t know why Ark in this situation still hasn’t come back. The opportunity is still there. Even if it takes hundreds of gold, I’m going to make everyone a beggar along with Ark!’

Andel logged out and picked up the phone.

“Alan? It’s me.”

“What’s going on? Do you know what time it is right now?”

An irritated voice was heard over the telephone.

“There’s no time. The situation has hit a roadblock.”

“What?”

“The assassins have been killed.”

“At his level, Ark shouldn’t have the ability to beat them!”

“It’s not Ark.”

Andel was prepared and explained the situation. And in a resolute voice, he added.

“I need your help. Ark is also your enemy.”

“Damn…….I told you. I cannot lose my fame with the guild.”

“You do not need to come. The levels of these guys were only around level 60. Just send me more assassins. I’ll transfer 5 million won to your account right now. If it isn’t enough then I’ll send you more money later.

“5 million won? Isn’t that too unreasonable? Isn’t your new car in need of tuning?”

“It does not matter. I’ll just get it off my father. Rather, those children…..I’m going to keep on stepping on them.”

“………I understand. The additional payment is unnecessary. Please step on Ark because I feel the same. I don’t care if there is a lack in money. Instead, please clearly step on Ark. Would you do that?

“Naturally. Even if I have to sell the car, I’ll completely step on Ark!”

It was the subject of those people who were flush with money.
Andel was an example of the pathetic bourgeois that was common in the world.

“Yes, this is the service.”

A voice within the company was heard over the telephone.

“It’s Lee Myung Ban

“Oh, what brought Doryun-nim here?”

“I was looking for a person?”

“We don’t specialize in that? As you know….. ”

“I only know their ID in the game New World. But the guy recently took the entrance examination for Global Exos. He is using the ID Ark, can you do it? ”

“Well. In such circumstances, I cannot guarantee that we can figure it out. As you know, it is difficult to hack into a virtual reality game and Global Exos has very good security…….”

“You can do it. Can’t you? If not then simply say.”

“I will try it.”

“Ok, so I’ll send the deposit sometime tomorrow.”

Andel…………. Lee Myung Ban hang up the phone and gnashed his teeth.

“You’ll see soon. If you’re not in the game then I’ll hire a solver to find you and beat you up in real life!”

Reality PK, it once was social issue which caused blood to be spilled.

ACT 4 March, Raccoon Bag!
“Wah ah ah!”
Bang bang double bang!
A dark valley was filled with roaring and shouting.
Several hundred people congregated with their swords, the sound of their swords and shields echoing in the ear.
Subarutalp……..a battle situation was occurring with the raccoon clan facing off against the monsters underground.
A few nights ago, Ark had finished the training of the raccoons and they set off. At first, a small reconnaissance unit wander around and built up hands on experience.
Even small forces were formidable against the level 150 Kanggeul. With 300 raccoons fighting against the Kanggeul, there were around 20 casualties. However, the more they fought the more experience they gained. Even if a small amount of raccoons were sacrificed, Ark also grew a little bit. And soon they would be able to take down the Plant Golems.

“Let’s do it!”

“First we must attack and finish off the Plant Golem!”

So far, the level 250 Plant Golem had been considered an impregnable enemy by the raccoons. However, after beating their enemies the raccoon clans began to gain confidence. And their levels rose as they continued beating strong enemies. In New World, NPCs who gained experience would also level up.
However, there was one notable change that he paid attention to. After the battle ended, the raccoons noticed something and muttered.

“Well, I use this trick for the sword.”

“That’s right, I also understand how to use a shield now.”

“Is this a more effective way to use the musket?”

If a raccoon used a weapon, a related skill was generated by the user.
The attack power for the sword and shield as well as their defensive powers went up. They received destructive skills for the firearm, or an engineer would receive skills to increase the performance of profession items such as potions.
He realized that NPCs could also learn new skills.
Of course, it wasn’t the raccoon group wasn’t the only reason that he grew. The current commander of the raccoons was Ark, in New World the commander also receives a bonus to all experience. Thanks to the bonus experience, Ark’s levelling speed increased. Of course, being commander didn’t only have good points.
The raccoon clan NPCs such as the craftsman NPC were also eating the Warrior’s cookies.
Well, thanks to the scam it decreased their understanding of tactics. Therefore Ark had to give orders one by one in groups of ten.

‘Crazy, the 300 raccoons are so stupid that they have to move one by one……”

In the beginning, there was no spirit.
However, he had gradually become used to tactics and came up with a new interpretation. In the past, Ark had read JusticeMan’s manual many times. But since Ark never went to the military, it was difficult for him to understand. After leading 300 soldiers and directly experiencing through trial and error, it began to make more sense.

‘There is a limit to how much I can learn with just Uncle JusticeMan’s book.’

Ark came up with new tactics that could be applied to the raccoons. And when the same action is repeated his understanding would deepen, that was the system of New World!

You have learnt a new skill.

Tactics (Beginner, passive):

You have led the troops and gained a deep understanding of tactics based on your experience. In large-scale battles, it is important to pay attention to tactics. Excellent tactics would cause the situation to become more favourable to you and your allies. You will also learn how to lead your troops more effectively.If your troops are made of 100% NPCs, you will be able to apply additional tactics.

<Allies morale, offensive power and defensive power +10, Strategy accomplishment rate +5>

Beginner additional tactics
Unconditional assault: Order the troops to immediately attack one target.
Unconditional retreat: Order the troops to immediately retreat from combat.

‘This is the tactical skill that Uncle JusticeMan was talking about!’

However, some of the strategies contained in JusticeMan’s manual were different to the ones Ark used.
Meanwhile JusticeMan was on Tactics III.
On the other hand, Ark only wrote down the new tactics he learnt during the day as well as his bonus tactics.
It was the inevitable result.
JusticeMan had an entire lifetime of tactical related work therefore Ark couldn’t possible have the same understanding.
However, even though Ark primarily played solo he was not satisfied learning just one skill. They were skills that were necessary now. When the skill was used, it was felt by the movements of the raccoons which seemed to grow.
If the user’s tactical skill was used then it could buff their troops. Other users could move with care.
However, this mission required the competence of the NPCs which means that the effects applied by the commander could vary the movement instead.
The effect was revealed in the current battle in the Valley of Darkness. Dozens of Kanggeul with lined up with the axes raised.

“They’re throwing weapons! Lieutenants, gather your power and defend it!”

When Ark raised his voice, the lieutenants immediately lifted their shields.
The axes flew out of the dark and hit the raised shields.
In the old days, if Ark raised his voice then the raccoons were slow to respond. Some raccoons even ran forward straight into an axe. However, after the tactical skill was used that rarely occurred.

When their surprise failed, the Kanggeul shrieked and ran wild.
The twenty crickets that had climbed to attack the rear of the raccoons froze.

“2nd division gunners, Plan A-3! Intercept the crickets!”

Ark commanded the gunsmen who immediately turned their muskets. Ark used the same tactics to command the raccoons as the ones he used on his summons. Plan A-3 was a tactic where his summons would attack on Ark’s order. When plan A-3 was applied to the gunners, they would launch a barrage at the target.

“Kueeeek!”

The cricket and its rider were forced to the ground.
Ark ordered them to narrow the distance for a double critical chance.

“1st division lieutenant, plan A-2 surround the Kanggeul and attack in waves!”

Again, the movements of the 120 lieutenants flowed as they changed formation and attacked the defenceless Kanggeul.
The other Kanggeul rushed to the rear to rescue their colleagues. Ark switched to the B-3 plan with a ratio of 30:70 attack and defense to block the attack. And he switched to the B-1 plan and rushed forward as the Kanggeul began to weakly withdraw.

“Huhuhu, they’re not like the previous raccoons anymore. Now they respond to Ark like soldiers!”

Like someone possessed, Ark controlled the battlefield using tactics and combat. At first the raccoon units moved together, but after fighting the Kanggeul, he became familiar with giving orders to different troops. Something like that was possible because of Dedric.

“Master, should the raccoons on the right side start fighting?”

“Well, tell them it’s changed to the D-1 plan. And make the 3 engineers at the back support them! How is the left side?”

“There is a setback.”

“Plan A-1. Tell them to settle the siege quickly and then help the right side.”

“Understood. I’ll visit them now.”

With the battle situation examined, Dedric took to the sky to deliver the messages. Thanks to that, he could freely use different tactics in battle. So the raccoons were clearing the Kanggeul in the valley.
However, Ark had to pay attention to things other than the combat.

“Snake, it’s now. Swallow it!”

Ssak ssak ssak!

Ark commanded Snake as he threw it from his waist.
When he thought about a way to send Snake to Sid, Ark realised that there was a very easy method of utilizing Snake.
So, the ability to swallow items and spit it out when curled around his waist was a feature that he could utilize.
At Ark’s command, Snake swallowed all the items on the battlefield at a tremendous rate. The item drop during the battle wasn’t high. Therefore, Ark was determined not to abandon even one piece of loot. Even if he had to sacrifice the raccoon soldiers to pick up the item……..
Was it too horrible? You’re welcome!
Either the raccoons or the loot that will belong to Ark when the quest ends.
Is it necessary to think about which is more important?
Ark’s biggest purpose to play the game was money!
When it comes to making money, Ark could push his conscience down at any time.
Ark would survey the battlefield and if he spotted any raccoon trying to pick up an item he would immediately shout at them.

“Hey, that 1 person there! What are you doing? Do you want to die? If you have time to pick up an item then swing your sword!”

Flicker.
So the raccoons would flinch away while Snake quickly swallowed the item.
Soeeeeeek! Double bang!
Then, suddenly a giant vine flew through the darkness. At the same time, his side formation collapsed with a loud roaring sound. Ark and the raccoons headed towards that side.

“Plant Golem!”

“It appeared!”

From the other side of the valley, a huge presence was approaching.
A Plant Golem that was 10 meters tall was approaching. Its level was 250!
The raccoons to the right of the Plant Golem’s vine instantly lost 40% of the health and fell to the ground.

“1st lieutenant division, Unconditional Retreat!”

Ark activated his additional tactical skill.
The additional tactical skill was applied to the troops without Dedric having to convey the orders.
Then the raccoons shouted and dispersed like ants. When the formation collapsed, the Plant Golem didn’t know who to chase after so it stayed still.
Then, someone behind Ark shouted.

“Ark-hyung!”

He turned around and saw that Popo had shouted.

“This is ready.”

“Okay, Dedric, inform the whole army. We’re going with plan A-4.”

“Hey, raccoons! Plan A-4!”

Dedric shouted as he flew in the air. And the scattered soldiers retreated to one side.
When the target was narrowed to one side, the Kanggeul and Plant Golem immediately pursued it. They chased after the soldiers for a while until the earth started shaking. At the same time, the chasing monsters fell through a hole that appeared in the ground.

‘It’s a success!’

Popo yelled and jumped out. Popo was responsible for destroying the land along with the engineers of the 3rd division, so when the Kanggeul ran about nothing would happen but once the Plant Golem who was 10 times heavier stepped on the ground it would collapse. Therefore, the Kanggeul and Plant Golems who were lying intertwined on the ground was a bridge for the raccoons to climb on. The Plant Golem who was stuck halfway in the ground gave a shriek.
Of course, Ark wasn’t just calmly watching.

“Now! 2nd gunners division, A-2 plan!”

The gunsmen turned their muskets and fired wildly.
The A-2 plan was one to get rid of the weakness in its slow reloading speed.
In the past, a rifle unit of Napoleon’s used the strategy of dividing into groups and then alternating firing. The continuous musket attack fired and exploded into the Plant Golem’s body. It was a large monster, so there was additional damage when caused the Plant Golem’s health to be noticeably reduced. Meanwhile, the engineers eagerly used potions to treat the seriously injured.

“Master, recovery of the 1st division is finished.”

“Ok, let’s finish this. The unconditional assault!”

“Wha Ah Ah Ah! Attack!”

Ark used his additional tactical skill again. Then all the raccoon soldiers brandished their weapons and gathered at the Plant Golem. Swords and axes attacked the Plant Golem while there were flashes as the muskets continuously fired at it. The engineers also frantically poured potion after potion.

“Keu Ah Ah Ah!”

The Plant Golem finally collapsed with a cry of distress.
Over 60 Kanggeul and a Plant Golem had been defeated. If you think about how they used to struggle against a Kanggeul, it was a big development.

-Your level has risen.

When the battle was over, the amount of experience was added with the commander’s bonus. 5% of the total experience. The experience of a level 150 and 250 monster was a considerable amount.
Thanks to that, Ark steadily went up a level every time a battle ended. After this battle, his level again rose by one until finally……..!

“Stat Window!”

Character Name Ark Race Human
Alignment Good+200
Fame 1695 Level 100
Profession Dark Walker
Title Cat Knight, Caretaker of All, Jackson’s Hero
Health 1855 Mana 1570 (+100)
Spiritual Power 100 Strength 232 (+ 5)
Agility 262 (+ 15) Stamina 362
Wisdom 41 Intelligence 305
Luck 42 Flexibility 32
Art of Communication 33 Affection 55 (+ 10)
Special stat: Knowledge of Ancient Relics 83
Equipment item effects
Guardian Armour of the Merpeople: Water Attribute Resistance +100%, Penalty based on water is nullified.Cat Paws: Attack Speed +10%, Agility +15, Critical Hit +10%Crystal Golem’s Head: Mana + 100Improved Norad Boots: Movement Speed + 15%, Evasion + 10%Veil of Fire: Fire resistance + 50%Adelaine’s Necklace: Def + 40, Affection + 10Resurrecting Spirit: Strength + 5, Mana Recovery + 5%
* All abilities will increase by 30% in the dark* You have the ability to hide in the darkness (15 minutes duration. Cancelled when you get into combat)* Resistance Fear, Darkness, Blind, and Seduction spells is increased by 50%.* You can bring out the true abilities from all types of tools.

‘I finally reached level 100!’

…………..He thought back to just 30 hours before.
At level 100, not much changed.
However, like most people Ark liked a tight number. Once he confirmed that he reached level 100, he felt a sense of satisfaction.
And it only took 30 hours to gain 6 levels.
There more the number of advancing enemies increased, the faster his level up speed became.
Thanks to that, his levelling up speed was even faster than when he did the Event Quest in Jackson.

“Ark-hyung, we did it. Now we’ve occupied the Valley of Darkness.

“Mmm”

Ark nodded and used his cartography skill.
At first, it seemed black until 1/3rd of the space brightened and was opened. In the Underground World, there were 14 raccoon villages.
Among them, 13 had already been corrupted by Yggdrasil.
However, Ark had led the raccoon troops over a period of four days.
They had marched into and occupied 6 of the opponents’ strategic camps.
It was reclaimed.
And regaining the villages meant that they were moving closer to Yggdrasil.

Ark led the raccoon troops into the newly reclaimed town. Like the other villages, blackened wood had been turned to ruins underneath a tangle of vines. And it clung to tree trunks or nearby clusters of buildings.
They were now familiar objects.

“Division 3, get rid of the cocoons!”

“Yes, Commander!”

Ark gave a command and the engineers immediately left to get rid of the cocoon of vines. They scratched it roughly with their claws and when it was peeled back a raccoon fell out.
They were the raccoons fed to the Plant Golem. The raccoon was put in the cocoons by the Plant Golem and goes through a transformation into the Kanggeul. If the raccoon undergoes a transformation then the Plant Golem is accepted by Yggdrasil.
Fortunately, in this village there weren’t many that had transformed to Kanggeul. When treated with a purification potion, most returned to their original form.
Of course, those raccoons were recruited into the army using the Warrior’s cookies and relegated to the back for training where they were transformed into warriors. This means that every time they occupied a village, they were decreasing the enemy’s forces while increasing their own.
However, if they don’t occupy a village then those cocoons could transform into Kanggeul and then hit them from behind. This was the first reason why a town should be taken over.
The closer they get to Yggdrasil, the number of casualties increases while the number of Kanggeul and Plant Golems also increases.
And the second reason why the town should be occupied…….

“Popo, what was the specialty of this village?”

“This town had many craftsmen who created muskets. These muskets had a longer range, making the projectile damage even stronger.”

“How many of the musket craftsmen can we rescue?”

“Around 10 people.”

“There are 70 people in the firearms division. Assign seven to each person.”

“When you only focus on recovery, it’s not going to take long.”

“Popo, tell the third division to rush the recovery of the musket craftsmen. And when the craftsmen recovery, ask them how long it would take to upgrade the muskets.”

“Understood!”

Popo hopped away and ran across the town.
The battle of the Underground World was similar to the classic arcade game three O.
Ark’s initial power was the 300 raccoon soldiers and common equipment. However if he won a battle and occupied a town then things were different. When he entered a village, although the casualties increased, by purifying the raccoons confined to the cocoons then his numbers once again increased.
But there’s even more. The original craftsmen NPC who originally owned artisan workshops were still present in each village.
When he recaptured a town specializing in leather items, the raccoons were able to contribute leather armour to the troops. And if they were armed with better swords then sword damage would increase. One village offered a special potion that would increase the damage.
Therefore depending on the specialization of each village retaken, it was possible to repair, upgrade or even replace equipment. Of course, a lot of the military funding was provided by the war chest of the raccoon elders.

‘As Popo said, it is possible to increase the range and damage of the muskets.’

Gunners was a core part of the raccoon troops.
If it was upgraded, the damage of the raccoons would rise by leaps and bounds. The standard of upgrading was also rising as he approached Yggdrasil.

‘I was worried the first time I walked into a village……..’

As expected, nothing was impossible in New World.

‘The march of the raccoon troops has risen recently.’

If he was doing it alone, the quest would be impossible but with just one change all his problems were solved. Raccoon troops! Thanks to them, monsters over level 200 were being subdued and Ark was gradually occupying the Underground World.

“Fortunately, I also got some pretty useable items………..’

Ark gave a heart-warming look at his equipment window.
Ark had changed 2 of his equipment at the leatherworking village he stopped at not long ago.

Veil of Fire (Magic)
Armour type: Mantle
Defense power: 20
Durability: 67/80
Weight: 5
Use restriction: Level 90 and higher

A mantle made from the scale of the Fire Draconian. This mantle made from hardened scales is strong enough to deflect a decent weapon. In addition, it contains the characteristic of high fire resistance common to fire draconians living in lava.
<Option: Fire resistance +50>

Improved Norad Boots (Magical)
Armour type: Leather Shoes
Defense power: 40
Durability: 36/50
Weight: 5
User restriction: Level 60

Good quality footwear made using skin from the Great Worm. The Great Worm is an ancient monster that only lives in special environments. The epidermis is piled up in swamps or volcanoes or even in the stomach to avoid being harmed.
<Option: Movement Speed +15%, Evasion +10%>
<Special Option: You will not receive a penalty if damaged on the ground>

It was another harvest obtained from the Underground World.

‘I never thought I would be satisfied leading raccoons.’

When Ark first entered the leatherworking village, there was a NPC called Norad.
Ark had heard the name Norad somewhere before. After a long time he finally remembered. Ark remembered it was in the description of the boots he picked up from Jackson.
A long time ago the armour maker that had disappeared, Norad!

“Yes, my grandfather made this. Every generation of my clan has inherited the name Norad.

After he showed him the shoes, Norad nodded.
Then, some materials surfaced to Ark’s head. There were materials that he didn’t trust to other users and kept locked in his bag.
The scale from the fire draconian and the skin from the great worm. After he showed the materials to Norad, a mantle was made from the scale while the Great Worm skin was used to modify the Norad Boots.
The performance was the highest quality.

‘Even though the processing fee was 500L, when it is this degree of performance then it was profitable business!”

He gained ore through the steady sale of cookies. After looking at the distribution sales he increased the price by 100% to 2L but the cookies still sold instantly. Furthermore, the loot in his bag from the battlefield also sold at a higher price in the subterranean world and ore piled up in his bag.

‘Huhuhu, The war of the underground one is one that I quite like? At the rate everyone is defeating the monsters in the underground world, it wouldn’t be a dream to reach level 120 within the week!”

It was difficult to find a light representative hunting ground. And how many days had he invested into training the raccoons?
Once Ark started, he wasn’t going to pull back. So even though he could just head straight to Yggdrasil, he travelled around in circles to recapture the towns. All for the purpose of making a fortune!

“If you can find the source of Yggdrasil’s corruption and fix it then everything will return to normal. Therefore is it necessary to reclaim all the villages instead of advancing?”

Sometimes an elder would also start protesting.
However, if he gave them a bag of cookies then everything was fine.
When Ark called him with a whistle, Popo returned.

“Ark-hyung, it will take half a day to upgrade the muskets.”

‘Half a day……so about 2 hours in real time?’

This was one thing he didn’t like about the Underground World. When a town is occupied, it is good that the troops increase and equipment was upgraded, but until all the tasks were complete then it wasted a lot of time.
Ark didn’t want to rest because the time it would eat up was too valuable in gaining experience. Although the time was precious, he also couldn’t abandon increasing his troops or upgrading.

‘It can’t be the soul’s bane.’

“Popo, I’ll be along for a while so tell me when the preparations are complete.”

“Eh eh? Again? Where are you always going? Come play with me.”

“Hyung is busy. Please play by yourself.”

Ark lightly poked Popo who grumbled and headed towards the outskirts of the village.

“This is the patella?”

Ark took a hollow bone with joints.

“It fits perfectly. So ……..Because the pelvis is F, this would be number F-4.”

Ark labelled the patella F-4 with a pen before putting it back in the bag and picking another bone. He looked carefully and carved a number and repeated the work.
He had been doing it for a few nights and at the bottom of the bag, bones with different sorts of numbers were recorded and piled up.
How much time had passed?
After a while, Ark found a bone as small as a pebble. Soon it was mixed with the other bones and joined together like a puzzle as Ark stated with a confident voice.

“Okay, this is definitely the 3rd cervical vertebrae. Now everything is gathered!”

Ark threw away the remaining bones and summoned Skull.

“Skull, now everything has been equipped!”

Clack, clack clack clack!

Skull moved back and forth, thrilled.
Now he was ready. Only half was left.
It had been a week since he entered the Underground World…….in the meantime, Ark hadn’t forgotten about Skull. In order to defeat Warwick the owner of the Saw Blade and finish the evolution of Skull, summoning him in the Underground World was the optimal condition for his growth.
First there was an excess of ingredients all around.
Ark collected the ingredients and every time he arrived at a village when the raccoon troops advanced, he would instantly cook a new dish. And of course, Skull was dedicated to verifying the dish. He ate the food with enthusiasm and within a few days, Skull was already level 60.
Ark immediately summoned Warwick and challenged him to a duel.

“For sure……..it became better than before……..good…….the duel is accepted.”

The stats were accepted by the stubborn Warwick and he consented to the duel.
However, the result was a total failure!
Unlike the excited Dedric, Skull’s battle unfolded calmly. Still, Warwick’s health was only at 50% before Skull got forcefully recalled.

‘Well that is a problem.’

24 hours later, Ark sighed as he looked at the grumpy Skull rolling about.
Ark also knew the reason for Skull’s defeat.
The crucial difference between Warwick and Skull was that Skull had no limbs.
The battle understanding of Skull was quite high.
Because it had trained with Ark many times. However, the only movement Skull could do without limbs was rolling and jumping forward for a head butt. Such simple attacks weren’t going to defeat Warwick.
When he took part in operations with Ark and Dedric, it was able to accomplish its role, but when 1-1 with a goblin it was more difficult.

‘Even if Skull was level 70, he wouldn’t stand a chance of winning against Warwick.’

Now Ark began to seriously explore ways to defeat Warwick. Then, a scene suddenly came to Ark’s mind.

‘Polluted Skeleton!’

In the underground labyrinth, he had fought against Polluted Skeletons. Even if they were broken once, they had the special ability to use the surrounding bones and reform themselves. Skull’s body was a skeleton. Then wouldn’t it be possible to make arms and legs for Skull in the same way?
Ark immediately went back to the underground labyrinth and collected the surrounding bones. But when the bones were collected, it wasn’t possible to know which bone went where.
Ark discussed with JusticeMan about this issue, who handed him a judo textbook.
Since judo specialized in joints, the textbook had an appendix with illustrations of the bones in the human body. Since then, Ark had sorted through the bones and now everything was ready. It was a body created with blood and sweat!
It was to the extent that he was now able to close his eyes and draw the bones of the human body. When he placed the bones according to the numbers written on them, a plausible skeleton was formed.
The only part left was the head.

“Skull, get ready.”

When Skull was placed on area of the head, like a transformation robot the skeleton was complete. But now there was an important task.
The skeleton couldn’t be a body just by lining up the bones. It must be firmly attached and able to move to Skull’s will.

‘What can make it successful?’

Snake, Spirit Body Glue!”

Ssak ssak ssak!

Snake opened its mouth and spat out the Spirit Body Glue.
Ark had first thought of this plan the moment the description called it a spirit body glue.
He could attach the bones and Skull with the glue. Moreover, it was not a simple adhesive. The spirit was set to the body using the ectoplasm, and then the ectoplasm could be used like nerves to move the body according to Skull’s will.

‘The only way to know is to try.’

Ark attached all the bones using the Spirit Body Glue. And after attaching Skull, he retreated.

“Skull, everything now depends on you. How is it? Can you move?”

There was no response from Skull.
He concentrated on all the nerves in his new body.
How much time had passed? Ududuk, the finger bone moved with a strange noise. Then the wrist and arm lifted up.

‘There is a reaction!’

Skull tried to raise his body by pushing his hands against the ground.
Ark even forgot to breathe as he looked at the skeleton.
Geppeto the maker of Pinocchio would probably understand how he was feeling.

“Skull, you can do it. Think about the body you had before! Then you’ll remember how it feels!”

Ark nursed him using the sentiment of a father.
At that moment, Skull clenched himself and stood the body up.

“It was successful!”

Clack….Clack clack clack!

Skull looked at his arms and legs with a strange attention.
And once he starting moving his body, he adapted immediately.
Skull moved his body regained after hundreds of years like a newborn foal, and became so familiar with it that he was able to run and roll on the ground. He did this for a moment, before Skull looked at Ark with a gaze that seemed to want something.
He desired a rematch against Warwick.

“Okay, now the condition is the same. If the conditions are the same then there is no reason for you to be defeated. You are different from Dedric as you don’t speak. In the meantime, don’t forget experience when you fought with me.”

Ark gave simple advice before summoning Warwick.
When he saw the changed Skull, Warwick spoke with a surprised voice.

“That body……..right……..we have met great masters…….yes, if you have a body then this body should be more satisfactory……..no more words are necessary………come, warrior!”

Soon the two skeletons clashed violently.
Unprecedentedly, Warwick pulled out a shield and rushed forward.
Until now, there was no way that Skull could deal with such a simple attack. But now he was not the past Skull. Skull quickly withdrew to the side and stretched his arm.
Unlike Warwick, Skull did not have a weapon.
His summons couldn’t wear equipment. Therefore, a finger bone was changed beforehand by Ark to compensate for this weakness. Fortunately, there was a little attack bonus attack to the considerable damage received and Warwick retreated.

“Ack……..certainly…….it is different from before.”

Warwick happily muttered.
In fact, Ark didn’t have big expectations for this duel.
Even though he only had bones left, Warwick still remembered the memories of his life. In addition, he was armed with a sword and shield. On the other hand, Skull who had no memory of his past before he was beheaded had only gained a new body.

‘Well in order to get acquainted with the new body, some fighting experience would be nice to see.

That was Ark’s honest thoughts.
However, Ark was a good way off the mark.

‘That kid Skull……..!’

Ark looked at Skull with bemused eyes.
It seemed as though Skull was using the same movement as Ark. Using evasive action to avoid the enemy’s attack, then countering through the gap were all specialties of Ark.
Even the manoeuvre of stepping to the side and kicking…….he mimicked all of Ark’s attacking techniques.
Of course, in terms of completion it didn’t compare to Ark. However, Ark had perfectly trained Skull in his battle techniques.
With movements exactly the same as his, the existence was different.
He felt like he was watching his child or student.

“Indeed……..after defeating the Kraken………..You will be able to summon the answer!”

Warwick’s exclamation clearly praised Ark.

“Go, skull!”

Ark clenched his fist tightly and shouted. The longer the battle was the more familiar Skull became with his movements.
Although it seemed a bit early, when confronting each other they were almost at the same level.
However, Warwick was also getting stronger while Skull’s movements were gradually getting better. After 10 minutes……..!
Skull’s health was at 20% while Warwick had 25% of his health left!
After both sides clashed again, their health dropped by 10%.

“It is great! For a sense of honour……I will put everything into the next blow.”

Warwick shouted and raised his sword.
Skull felt the desperate resolution and stepped back.
He stepped back and moved behind Warwick. There was a tense silence like the static that rose from the end of a needle……

“It’s now!”

Ark, who was Skull’s master instinctively, read the timing.
Skull narrowed the distance and quickly struck with his hand. The technique to read the perfect timing to attack needed to be learnt by the body.
However, Warwick who was also experienced in combat read Skull’s movements. Warwick’s sword quickly moved from side to side.
Rattle, rattle!
Warwick struck and hit Skull’s hands like lightning.
And ripped the chest open with his sword.

“A brave attack……..But this time…….it is my victory!”

Ark’s eyes shone.

“Skull, now!”

Clack clack clack! Clack clack clack!
At the same time, Skull’s scapula split open and a sharp bone rose. It rose up through Warwick’s side. Into Warwick’s eyes………………………flames erupted as he received a critical hit.

“This……….My goodness………How……….!”

“I assembled Skull’s body. It wasn’t impossible to give the body an unexpected weapon.”

Ark said with a smile.
Yes, there was a sharp bone hidden behind the scapula. It was a bone that wasn’t originally for humans.
However, when the bony part was assembled he installed something unique because Ark wanted a secret weapon.
It was a risk to determine whether Skull could utilize a bone that wasn’t originally human. However, in a desperate situation Skull showed a strong will and exceeded Ark’s expectations.
Warwick understood the situation and nodded.

“Right………with the master who believed in his summons……..he rewarded the summons………hu hu hu, you and your master……..are beautiful………I will hand over my power………with the power………..serve your master.”

Warwick said one final thing.

“Already………..it is possible for me to go to the hills……..thank you…….blessings for your future……….”

Warwick lifted his head as his body slowly crumbled. A message window popped up in front of Ark.

The player’s summon ‘Nameless Dead Man’s Skull’ has defeated ‘Warwick.’You can now fuse the summon to evolve it. Please choose one familiar to be the main. The Familiar created by the fusion evolution will have the main Familiar’s stats with the auxiliary Familiar’s stats after consideration.

It was a no-brainer.
Warwick was a knight with a good balance between offense and defense.
However, Skull had received Ark’s training and a body that was specially made. Warwick was a subject that couldn’t even been compared to Skull.

“Main, Nameless Dead Man’s Skull. Secondary Warwick.”

At the end of the decision, Skull’s body was enveloped in light.
The body of Skull began changing inside the light. The light also became more intense to look at. Warwick had an old sword and shield, with ragged chain armour affixed to his body.

The Familiar’s fusion evolution has successfully finished.

After fusing with ‘Warwick,’ Nameless Dead Man’s Skull had become a Skeleton Knight. With the mighty will to control the whole Netherworld, he has received the name ‘Deimos’. Therefore, Deimos has earned a low-ranking noble status in the Netherworld and has gained the right to bear an artifact.

The Saw Blade is now Deimos’ artifact.

<By owning the artifact, Deimos can use an additional skill>

Deimos

A resident of the Netherworld who has inherited the spirit of Warwick and promoted to an Undead Knight. As a knight, honour is his strongest value and he swears absolute loyalty to his owner. However, if his master engages in dishonourable behaviour, his loyalty can be decreased.
Race Undead Inclination Dark
Ranking Lower Class
Health 870 (+ 200) Loyalty 270 (+ 200)
Strength 96 (+ 15) Agility 63 (+ 15)
Wisdom 38 (+5) Intelligence 59 (+5)
Luck 35 (+15)
* Deimos hobby is ‘Bone collector.’
* Learned the nature of the ‘sword’.
<Sword: Deimos can transform into the Saw Blade. The transformed blade has two different uses, as a sword and as a whip. If you want to use as a whip, although it is possible to attack multiple enemies at the same time, damage is reduced by 30%. Spiritual Power consumption: 100>

‘Deimos?’

Ark knew about Deimos.
Among the two moons of Mars, one was the master and the other the vassal.
In other words, this means Ark’s familiar contained one of two shapes. His stats had also grown.
‘His stats were raised by 65~70 points.’
His elevated stats were similar to Dedric. The unusual thing was that his health and loyalty increased tremendously. His health had increased to 1070! Also, his loyalty rose so he didn’t have worry about disobedience like Dedric.
Rather his return as a knight would probably make him even more eager to serve Ark.

‘But what is this ‘bone collector’ hobby?’

Ark looked at the information window and shook his head.
Deimos’ eyes suddenly lit up and he run to the remains of Warwick’s body.
He searched through the bones until he found a rib with no flaws.

“Huh? Deimos, what are you doing?”
Clack clack clack! Clack clack clack!

Deimos pointed towards the ribs and touched it.
It’s not Morse code…..Ark couldn’t possibly understand so he summoned Dedric. He explained that he needed Dedric as an interpreter and they communicate for a while before Dedric said with a strange look.
“Master, this guy is surprisingly cheeky?”
“What?”
“The master went to all that difficulty to make my body. But it is not especially pleasing. The master has difficulty with his sense of beauty. I’m insincere yet he says such bad things? A bad one? Isn’t it?”

Clack clack clack!

Then Deimos grabbed Dedric and shook him.

“Uhh, this child! Just because he happens to have a body he dares……..snap! Ah, I understand. Please don’t pull my wings. Should I convey what you said? Ouuuk, don’t shake me while I’m upside down! Unlike a bat, my hobby isn’t being upside down. I have motion sickness! I understand! Keuk, Master. I was being abused. This guy says that……the bones collected by Master aren’t good. So it is difficult to exert his power?”

Ark was convinced by Dedric’s words.
Ark also knew that. When he collected the bones from the underground labyrinth, they were useable but most of them were dull or cracked. Although a body was made using such bones, he had no confidence in their performance.

“Well, I wanted to make it out of good bones too………..”

Uduk, Pakak!
Ark breathed out a sigh.
Would Deimos suddenly pull out one of his ribs? He didn’t mind injuring himself?
Ark looked at Deimos who seemed to understand as he shook his head.
He picked up the bone from Warwick and placed it in a vacant spot.
Curiously, Warwick and Deimos’ ribs had become a perfect fit.
After he assembled the rib, Deimos skipped and jumped delightedly.
Suddenly a message window appeared in front of Ark.

Deimos ‘bone collector’ skills have reassembled the ribs.

You will be able to summon a skeleton with an intense love for bones.The bones you used to make the body was shabby. This is reflected in the dissatisfaction of Deimos, who found himself with the ability to reconstruct his body. He will search for bones that meet the special criteria according to Deimos and readjust his body. In addition, it has a low probability of improving the abilities of the blade.

<Warwick’s 5th rib: Defense +10, Luck -5>
<The Blade: Maximum Durability +10>

“What kind of skill is this…?”

A bizarre skill to change the bones.
It was a strange situation, but the effect caused some surprise.
Once a bone was changed, the ability also rose.
There was also a penalty but he didn’t pay much regard to it as it only decrease luck by 5.
Of course he could also use the bones of monsters so there was another way to raise the stats other than food.

‘If this kind of thing occurs in the future, Deimos may be able to grow even faster than Dedric!’

The body he went through much difficulty to create was going to be changed. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, although Ark was a utilitarianism person. If there was a benefit then it was fine.

“Okay, Deimos. Bone collecting, I like it.”

The one unfortunate thing was that it wasn’t possible to use the Saw Blade and Deimos at the same time. The characteristic of Warwick that Deimos inherited was his ability to transform into the Saw Blade.

‘I can use the saw blade as a whip?’

The best thing to do was to try it out himself in order to understand it.

“Skull……..No, Deimos. Sword!”

Ark commanded Deimos who folded his body and turned into the Saw Blade.
He swung it but not much changed. But it had a metal object running along the handle. It was just like a switch. Ark pressed the metal object and swung in the opposite direction.

Cheolkek, Chwarararak, Double bang!

“What, what the?”

Ark freaked out. The moment he swung the sword, the vertebrae bone extended like an elastic cord and hit the tree 5 metres in front. Ark was stunned for a while before swinging it to the opposite side, towards the rocks. The distance was approximately 6 metres. But the sword blade extended and directly hit the rocks.

“This is great…….. awesome!”

Whenever he swung the sword, it extended!
Ark wielded the sword with enthusiasm. While swinging his sword, he discovered the range to be approximately 7 metres.
It wasn’t so great compared to the distance of long-range weapons. However, if he could attack an enemy 7 metres away with his sword then it was a different story. And that wasn’t all.

Pak, Pak, Pak, Pak, double bang!

Ark lined up branches and they were each cut off in order.
In addition to long distances, he could hit multiple enemies at once! Unfortunately, the damage was reduced by 30% but if utilized correctly it could be used to tremendous effect. In addition, it wasn’t hard to use the whip.
If he set a goal and swung the sword then it would probably hit.

“This is a weapon!”

It was worth the many days he spent troubled while reading about the human bones. So Ark was glad that it could help him.

Kkurururu, Bang! Kwa Kwa Kwa bang!

He felt the change and stood up. Suddenly the earth shook as the underground world erupted. And thick cracks began to split the road.

“Eh? What, what the?”

When his foot collapsed underneath him, Ark hurriedly threw his body and rolled across the ground. He turned his head back to see the split ground.

“What is happening?”

“Ark-hyung!”

At that time, Popo ran from the village with a desperate face.

“Popo, what is happening?”

“I, I don’t know. The elder is looking for Hyung!”

ACT 5 The Fallen Yggdrasil

Notes:
• In previous chapters I’ve translated the main artillery as cannon. This is the translated word that always shows up. However, instead of the big heavy cannon that shoot cannonballs, I think the author actually means a musket that shoots bullets when using the term cannon. However, I will keep the term cannon but just keep in mind that it is more like a gun than an actual cannon.
- self note: I changed the cannon references to guns as it was originally intended.
• In this chapter, there is a page missing from the raws so there will be a bit missing but I will mark it when it appears.

————————————————————————————–

“Earthquake!”

“Gather everyone in the square!”

When he entered the town, the raccoon soldiers were running around in confusion. Ark ordered some troops leaders to calm the turmoil and went to see the elders.
The elders’ face was pale like they had been sick.

“Ah, Ark!”

“What happened?”

“Nídhöggur is ……..The cause of this earthquake was certainly Nídhöggur.”

“Nídhöggur? What is that? Calm down and tell me.”

“It is the wicked malevolent deity we fear the most, the fallen dragon that lives in the deepest place in Subarutalp! And in the dark century……it was one of the six followers of the Lord of Darkness.”

“Yes?”

Ark asked again with a stupid face.
Dark century? Deity? Fallen Dragon? What are they talking about?
Wasn’t the problem that needed to be fixed Yggdrasil?
When Ark made an expression like he didn’t understand, the elders trembled and explained.
Once again, the Northern continent followed Norse mythology. And a dragon called Nídhöggur was also featured in Norse mythology.
Nídhöggur was described in the Norse mythology.
Even deeper underneath Subarutalp, the Underground world, there exists a frozen land of darkness and fog called Niflheim.
Niflheim was often called hell. Nídhöggur started eating away at Yggdrasil’s roots, and it was the dragon that ate the corpses in hell.
Ark already knew that part thanks to his common sense.

“In the Dark Century, this was the place where the 7 heroes and Nídhöggur fought a fierce battle. And at the end of a long battle, they were finally able to defeat hell’s army led by Nídhöggur. However, the 7 heroes weren’t able to completely defeat Nídhöggur. Therefore, as a temporary solution the 7 heroes borrowed Yggdrasil’s power and seal Nídhöggur and his army from Niflheim into Yggdrasil.

“So when Yggdrasil became corrupted……..”

“He waited for Yggdrasil to become weak and then weakened the seal in order to break out!

The elder held his head and made a sign to ward off evil.

“Didn’t I say so? We should’ve reached Yggdrasil faster!”

“But in this situation you never told me a single thing.”

“It is taboo to speak of it for the raccoon clans.”

The elders countered.

“The raccoon clans made a promise with the 7 heroes. The raccoons must isolate Subarutalp from the outside world as a way to keep the secret of the seal containing Nídhöggur.”

“7 heroes?”

“Yes, so this place was deceptively hidden………”

The Elder revealed the amazing secret.
The Underground World wasn’t originally isolated from the outside world.
According to the vow between the 7 heroes and the raccoon clans, they blocked the entrance using the underground labyrinth.
Then the one year monarch who built Cairo was a descendant of the 7 heroes. At that time, the barbarians were gradually approaching the underground labyrinth, so in order to repel their approach the monarch mobilized his soldiers and built Cairo in order to prevent the secret of the sealing from escaping. However, after a few hundred years the will of the monarch disappeared and Cairo became a simple lawless city.

‘Then the reason the other beast species didn’t know about the location of the raccoons was because of this?’

Once again, there were many existences buried in New World.
If there were such things in other games. The whole situation was set up. There was an underground world just like there was an underwater city. However, New World was different.
The underwater city and underground world demonstrates that there must be a purpose in order to reach it.
The same goes for monsters. There were many reasons for making monsters that inhabit different areas. Legends of the past or traditions had a high possibility of being used as a historical event. And all of that results in a single scenario.
The Dark Century……..!
At that moment, Ark’s head was spinning fiercely.

‘The Heartsoul Bead disappeared and then Nídhöggur’s seal weakened. If so, that might be the purpose of the Red Man in the first place.

Once again, Ark wondered about the red haired NPC.
So far, he had thought that the Red Man was simply a NPC related to the quest. However, the problem wasn’t so simple if he has anything to do with Nídhöggur.
This scenario was likely to play a huge role in the prophecy that predicts that the Lord of Darkness and the 7 heroes would return.

‘Maybe what happened in Jackson and the resurrection of Valderas was also related to the Red Man.’

Everything must fall in place to find all the clues.
Such as not knowing how Valderas resurrected himself. If someone had resurrected Valderas intentionally. Then the timing seemed to fit.
The Heartsoul Bead was stolen from the Magic Institute a year ago, but it was after the Event Quest finished that the Red Man disappeared with the Heartsoul Bead.

The time in between……..
The Red Man must have been orchestrating the events that happened in Jackson.

‘If my guess is true……..The Red Man is the main NPC that holds the key to all the scenarios in New World!’

A spark flew in Ark’s head while he was thinking.

‘Perhaps………….perhaps……….!’

It was the condition to pass the Global Exos test.
He didn’t know whether the condition was a quest or unknown event scenario. However, the Red Man was an NPC that might influence the fate of New World!’
Maybe figuring out the clues was the key to passing the test to enter Global Exos.
No, if Ark’s reasoning was no doubt correct. Then even if it wasn’t the answer requested by Global Exos, if he managed to clear the quest then there was no doubt a strong impression would be given.

‘It is New World after all and everything is related to the Dark Century and the seven heroes.’ ‘Yes, it’s clear the passing the company’s entrance examination was entangled in the legend scenario!’

He had finally found a clue.
This was the answer to Global Exos!

‘Even though there was a report sent about the Jackson Event Quest, there was no reaction which seems strange…….it must have been just a clue. It is Global Exos after all. They must be careful with the scenarios to avoid unscrupulous people joining the company………’

A clear view of the future increased is mood.
Have the other candidates found any clues like this? Of course, in order to choose more people Global Exos might have other clues. But anyway, Ark had managed to find a clue so it became a little clearer what he had to do.

‘I have to stop the resurrection of Nídhöggur for the time being. Because if I don’t solve this then there is no meaning in finding the clue. When completing a quest like this, I must do it clearly so that points will be piled up neatly.’

Ark asked with an urgent voice.

“What would happen if Nídhöggur is resurrected?”

“Doom …..Ruin! The Nídhöggur from the Dark Century almost drove the entire Northern Continent to death. It was only when the Lord of Darkness appeared and the dragon submitted to them that the Northern Continent was saved. But now, there is no Lord of Darkness to restrain him. If he wakes up……the Underground World along with the Northern continent would become a land of the dead in just a few months.”

“How do we stop the resurrection?”

“Before the seal breaks, you have no choice but to return Yggdrasil to its original state.”

“There is no time to delay anymore.”

Ark nodded and murmured.
Dududung, the quest information window popped up.

Quest has been updated.
Reclaim the Peace of the Underground World! => Prevent the resurrection of Nídhöggur!
You have discovered the secret hidden in Subarutalp.
Nídhöggur, the dragon that almost led the Northern continent to destruction is sealed underneath Subarutalp. But when Yggdrasil became corrupted, the seal weakened and if Nídhöggur is resurrected then he will lead his hellish army again.
If Nídhöggur is restored then the entire Northern continent will be engulfed in a huge disaster.
The only way to prevent the resurrection of Nídhöggur is to rescue and restore Yggdrasil. Lead your raccoon soldiers to Yggdrasil and restore it before the seal breaks.
The current rate of seal destruction: 30%
<Difficulty: ☆ ☆ ☆ Quest is limited to: Dark Walker>

Bang bang double bang!

“1st division retreat! 2nd Gun division, support the 1st division!”

Flames were burning as the gunners covered the first division’s retreat. A variety of flames flew through the air and exploded from the body of the Plant Golem.

“3rd division engineers, restore the 1st division using potions!”

Meanwhile, the engineers who had dug tunnels came up through one and applied potions. The first division who had their health restored once again went to face the Plant Golem and had their health decreased again.

“There is no time to rest. Go back to the potions and recover your health. As quickly as possible!”

Ark shouted at his raccoon troops.
Since the quest updated, Ark literally pushed forward like a tank. Thanks to Nídhöggur, he found out that the Red Man held the key to passing the entrance examination.
However, the situation was worse. The quest had a time limit before the seal would be destroyed. If the limited time was over then the quest would fail. And the Underground world would perish.
<Prevent the resurrection of Nídhöggur!> if the quest failed then the one he spent a long time on <Find the Heartsoul Bead> was also likely to fail.
But the biggest problem was not the failure of the quest. He could get one of the Three Marvels from Yggdrasil.
It was a major item required for 2 quests and his profession at the same time. Of course, the Three Marvels was the only way to upgrade his profession…….he was lucky to have found a fragment of it in the Underground world. There was no guarantee that he would be able to find the clues again if he started from the beginning.
It also wasn’t possible to give up on the company entrance examination.

‘In the end, everything is hanging on this quest.’

Ark didn’t stop to reclaim the town.
Upgrading the troops and equipment required a minimum of 2 hours. He had to skip stopping in towns to save time.
By the rate of destruction of the seal wasn’t indicated in time, it made him even more impatient.

‘It is lucky that even the monsters are confused.’

Ark looked around at the shaken Underground world.
The earthquake was still continuing to move forward.
It was a natural result of Nídhöggur trying to break the seal. There was a deafening sound before the rocks rose and the ground cracked open. As a result of that, the earth in the forest where the battle was occurring sank down.

“Aaaaah, help me!”

“The crack is coming. The damage!”

Fortunately, the raccoon troops didn’t receive considerable damage.
However, that also happened to monsters. The monsters would fall into the sudden crack or would have to avoid most of the raccoon troops. And at that time, Popo manifested a strange ability.

“Ark-hyung, this is dangerous. We have to turn to the right.”

Wherever Popo said, a crack was likely to appear. How on earth did he know that, was something that thought at first.
However, the situation repeated several times so Ark trusted Popo with the direction of the march. And they marched for three hours without distraction.

“Yggdrasil!”

The leading soldiers shouted.

“That is the number of worlds that appears in Norse mythology……..!”

Ark looked at the huge tree on top of the hill with a sigh.
At the heart of the jungle, the towering tree on the hilltop looked like a giant that was bearing the weight of the ceiling. With roots that extended everywhere, it was the patron of the raccoons, Yggdrasil.
There were numerous Kanggeul and Plant Golem’s running around the vicinity of the hill.

‘There is only one chance. If the troops are defeated then there is no way to return and try again.’

There was no time to rush blindly.

“Dedric, tell the heavy troops of the 1st division to use plan A-4 and lure the enemy. The 2nd gun division will wait on standby to begin plan A-1 of concentrated attacks. The 3rd engineers will back up the 1st division. You will concentrate on watching the movements of the monsters from the sky and if anything changes then tell me immediately.”

“I understand.”

When it was busy he would return.
Ark had commanded the raccoon force and suppressed his impatience. He took advantage of Popo’s ability to predict changes of terrain in advance, in order to keep the Kanggeul and Plant Golems separate and enabled their attacks to be concentrated.
The raccoon soldiers also found the situation urgent and became more aggressive.

They spent 2 hours hunting around 20 Plant Golems and hundreds of Kanggeul. Numerous crosses floated over the heads of the raccoons as they levelled up like crazy.
Ark reached level 108 and his tactical skill increased considerably.
At that time, Dedric flew back.

“Master, the clean-up is now close to finishing. There are no monsters around Yggdrasil.”

‘Okay, the amount that I can raise my level and skills has become limited. The preparation is sufficient. The game hangs on this!’

Ark immediately gathered the raccoons and sold them the Warrior’s cookies. The ravenous soldiers ate the cookies wildly with shaking shoulders.
The raccoons that had their moral raised to 100% weren’t afraid of death at all.

“This way!”

Popo pointed from the front.
A few kilometres around the bottom Yggdrasil, there was a break that looked like a giant cave.
The gap was so huge that 100 people could enter and line up in rank. Ark stationed the soldiers too injured to march at the front of the entrance.

“I hate it; I want to fight with my hyung as well!”

“The front is going to be many times more dangerous than it is now. I won’t have the capacity to protect you.”

“I don’t need the protection. I am from a warrior raccoon clan that fought to the death! I’ll just enter by myself!”

“………I understand. Then don’t fall from my side. Got it?”

“Yes, I’ll protect Hyung!”

Popo brandished a twisted dagger.
Ark sighed.
He really didn’t want to take him, if possible. However, Popo was a soldier and there was no time to argue with him.

-The current rate of seal destruction: 68%

‘It’s not enough.’

Ark checked the information window and immediately ordered them to march.

“Charge. It is right in front of your eyes!”

Ark led his troops into the interior of Yggdrasil.
The light of the ore didn’t reach inside and it was difficult to even see an inch in front of him. Besides, somewhere in the darkness a mist was pumped out that clogged up his breath.
To make matters worse, the interior was complicated like a maze.
In some places, thick tree branches tangled together to block a route. Ark looked back at the elder and asked.

“Elder-nim?”

“I don’t know. When I went, it wasn’t this dark or complicated.”

“Did it transform? I can’t do it. Dedric, go first and examine the terrain.”

Ark commanded and Dedric flew away and searched around.
However, he soon returned and shook his head.

“No, it is too complicated and I don’t know where I am.”

“Unbelievable. 1st division soldiers march forward and find the way.”

“Yes!”

After a few minutes of searching through the darkness……..
Swaeeeeek, Double bang!

“What, what is that sound?”

“An attack. Aa-avoid! Incoming!”

“Keuak!”

In the darkness, a huge object flew and attacked the troops. When he used Eyes of the Cat, he saw that it was a huge thick vine. Yggdrasil used its inner wall of vines to attack indiscriminately.

“Do not panic and maintain formation. 1st division form a circle and protect the troops, 2nd gun division use plan A-3 to barrage the vine! 3rd engineer division, dedicate yourself to helping the wounded.”

It was a fearsome attack that flew in the dark!
Although it was a situation that would cause fear, the moral of the raccoon troops was already 100%.
Thanks to that, the fearless raccoons calmly followed Ark’s command.
Flashes from the muskets firing penetrated the darkness. 3~4 vines were destroyed under a chain of explosions.
However, another vine took their place along the floor.

“Ark-hyung, fighting the vines won’t do anything.”

Popo jumped back and forth as he shouted.

“The vines are Yggdrasil itself. If you destroy the vines then they’ll just be replaced! We must hurry to seek the core of Yggdrasil and remove the source of corruption!”

“I know!”

Ark shouted in an irate voice.
He could guess that much just by looking. But was it as easy as he said? How would he move the troops that are battered from all sides by the vines?
At that time, something appeared like lightning inside Ark’s head.

“Yes, that’s it!”

Ark immediately packed Lancel’s sword into his bag and replaced it with ‘sword’ which was Deimos transformed into a blade.
Saw blade ………..although the damage was better, Lancel’s sword had several bonuses which meant more damage. However, this time was different. It was a time when a special effect was more important than damage.

“Snake, return all items to the bag! If you run out of space then discard the loot!”

Ssak ssak ssak!

Snake quickly climbed Ark’s body and entered the bag. And uncontrollably spat out items.
Items were also quickly thrown out of the bag. Tears gathered as even in this situation, Ark didn’t want to give up 1 copper. But there was no time to think about it.

“Snake, paralysis poison!”

When Snake climbed back out, Ark immediately made it eat a poisonous plant and shouted.
Snake which produced poison inside its body spewed out venom.

“Go!”

Once the sword was poisoned, he switched on the whip. Ark who had done all that in a few seconds twisted his sword, and swung the saw blade at the vines.
Chwarararak, the sword attacked like a fan and hit all the vines within a radius of 7 metres. The number of times the poison could be used was five times, but if he used the sword like a whip to strike five times, the number of uses disappeared. And it took 3 seconds for the 6 vines that were struck to fall paralyzed to the ground. Although he attacked a lot at the same time, the probability of all the enemies being poisoned was low.
However, if he used a poisonous herb the probability increases.

“Continue, create the poison!”

Ark made Snake eat the poison nonstop. And he jumped crazily all over the place and wielded his sword. Soon all 20 vines that had attacked the raccoon troops fell to the ground paralyzed. Ark restrained the raccoons from attacking the vines and shouted.

“It is not necessary to attack the vine. Anyway, it can’t catch up to us!”

He arranged the raccoon troops after defeating the vines and advanced. However, as they entered the maze became even more complicated. In the end, it was difficult to distinguish where they were and they became even more disoriented.
In the meantime, some of the raccoons died from the offensive of the vines. In the beginning he had 300 people, but only 200 entered Yggdrasil and that number was now reduced to 150 people in the interior of Yggdrasil.

‘Damn, I keep losing more troops…….’

It won’t make removing the corruption from Yggdrasil any easier.
The boss would be even more difficult. Thanks to the difficulty level of C+, it was important to preserve all his raccoon troops. But honestly in this state, he couldn’t even guarantee that he could find the nucleus of Yggdrasil.

-The current rate of seal destruction: 80%.

He closed his mouth as it began to dry up.
Meanwhile, he turned a corner.
All of a sudden he felt a feeble shake from the bag.

‘What? This is……Star Fragment?’

Once he opened the bag, he saw a feeble light shining from the Star Fragment of the Three Marvels. The Elder’s eyes widened and he muttered as Ark took out the shining Star Fragment.

“A Star Fragment! That’s right, you had a Star Fragment!”

“What do you mean?”

“At the centre of Yggdrasil is another of the Three Marvels. And according to legend, the pieces of the Three Marvels would recognise each other if they were within a certain distance.”

That stupid raccoon! Only telling him this information now?
Ark swallowed the profanities that were rising up his throat.
He cleared his thoughts as now wasn’t the time to be angry.
Woong Woong Woong, he moved the star fragment back and forth until the light became stronger. And he felt like a child being pulled to one side by a force.

‘This way!’

Ark judged the situation and immediately shouted.

“Concentrate your power on defense! Don’t worry about anything else and just follow behind me. Unfortunately, I have no time to concern myself with stragglers. The life and death of the continent as well as the Underground World is decided in this battle. At whatever cost, I have to prevent the resurrection of Nídhöggur!”

“Ooh oh oh oh!”

Ark shouted while running at a furious pace without looking back.
The raccoon soldiers in the lead prevent vine attacks using their shields. He didn’t know how many people died from the attack since there was no time to turn his head. If he stopped to help them while surrounded by vines, it would eat up time again.

“Ack, don’t pay any regard to us!”

He heard a praiseworthy sound caused by drugs.
Of course, Ark didn’t even look back as he continued running. And at a crossroad he would go depending on where the light from the Star Fragment shone stronger. For 10 minutes, he ran like crazy while striking vines………..
Suddenly he heard water and saw a bright ambient light.

“Hyung, we did it! This is the heart of Yggdrasil!”

Popo jumped and shouted.
Ark and the raccoon troops had arrived at a huge cavern. In the centre, there was a giant bud that rose from the ground. A crystal ball the size of a fist was lodged. But the flesh surrounding the area where the crystal was stuck seemed to swell up.
Dugun, dugun, dugun…….
The odd flesh twitched like it was breathing. And with every pulse, he could feel a black sinister aura.
He was able to determine the circumstances with a glance.

‘The Heartsoul Bead is causing Yggdrasil to be corrupted!’

“1st division soldiers, 2nd gun division! Concentrate your attack on the crystal ball!”

“Wha ah ah ah ah ah!”

The soldiers ran forward holding their swords. However, it was the gunners that attacked the crystal ball first. The gunners aimed the muskets and pulled the trigger. 50 sparks flew from the muzzle as lit up the darkness as it flew through the air.
Just as it was about to hit!
The leaves at the back suddenly rose and protected the crystal ball. And every bullet disappeared under the leaves. At the same time, the defensive vines attacked the troops as well.

“Kuaaaak!”

The heavy troops became disordered as they fell to the side.
A red warning message appeared in front of Ark.

-Boss monster ‘Awakened Heartsoul Bead’ has appeared!

[*A page is missing from the raws]

Cocoons hung along the wall.
The size of the cocoons was ten times the size of the ones he saw when reclaiming the dungeon. Then when some twitching, the cocoon split in half. Then something slowly crept out……..!

“Plant Golem!”

A giant body covered with bark tore the cocoon. It slowly emerged like a scene from a horror movie.

‘Oh my God…….if all the cocoons hatch……….!’

There would be around 100 Plant Golems swarming the cavern. They had difficulty fighting a dozen Plant Golems, if they were surrounded by one hundred then they would need all their concentration to survive.

“Switch attack! 1st division, stop the Plant Golem. 2nd gun division, attack the cocoons!”

When Ark raised his voice, 50 bullets started firing at the cocoons immediately. Just like the famous classic RTS game Stark O, maybe the cocoons defense was really strong?
Sure enough. The defensive power of the cocoon was unimaginable.
After hitting one 100 feet up, the cocoon barely exploded and the dead body of the unfinished Plant Golem fell. And meanwhile three Plant Golems had finished hatching and emerged.

‘Unbelievable. The degree of difficulty for this boss…….’

Even if he concentrated his power, he wasn’t sure if he could break the crystal within the time limit.
If they tried to avoid the vine’s attacks, the rest of the Plant Golems would hatch! And until the gunners finished attacking the cocoons, there was no way for the heavy troops to attack. He only had 150 troops but even if he had 300~400, it wouldn’t be enough.

-The current rate of seal destruction: 86%

‘Jeez, what is with this hospitality? How am I supposed to defeat this boss? If I want to defeat it within the time limit, I’ll have to completely destroy the petals!’

It was really endless. If one cocoon was destroyed then another one would rise. However, if he didn’t pay the vines any attention then it would attack and deal damage. He was being pushed back. He couldn’t seem to grasp the feeling of control of the situation.
Ark swung his blade coated with paralysis poison at the vines in order to gain more time. However, after 10 seconds the paralysis wore off and the situation was the same.

‘I can’t waste time on the vines but they keep on thickening……..can I tie it up?’

A thought suddenly sparked in Ark’s head.

‘That’s right, it might lead there……..No, I think this is definitely correct. I can block all the vines and Plant Golem at once! There’s no other way!’

Ark made a decision and immediately commanded.

“1st division soldiers attack and attack the back of the bud! 2nd division gunners, concentrate your attacks on the cocoons of the Plant Golems. 3 division, hand out potions that will increase damage!”

“But how do we prevent attacks from the vine……”

Popo gasped.

“Leave that to me! Transformation off!”

At that moment, the sword changed back into Deimos.

“Deimos, protect me.”

Clack clack! Clack clack clack!

“Snake, Spirit Body Glue!”

Snake opened its mouth and spat out the glue.

“Now the rest is ours! Dedric, use your full power and attract the vines this way!”

“Eek? It that really okay?”

Don’t speak and just do it!”

“Hung, I don’t understand so I’ll just do it. Hey over here! The stupid vine!”

Dedric opened his wings and soared. He flew through the air at an incredible pace while avoiding the vines’ attacks. Dozens of vines huffed as they chased after Dedric. And after a moment, it glimpsed him and the vines changed their direction towards Ark.

“Well done!”

Ark had quickly thrown the glue in front of his body.

-……..Wooeoeoeo, I shall stick them all!

Green slime …….The ectoplasm gave a strange sound and sprung out.
The ectoplasm hit the entwined vines and stuck them to the ground. They only became even more tangled as they tried to escape.

‘It’s a success!’

Ark waved the ectoplasm as he jumped all over the place.
When Dedric attracted the vines, he brandished the ectoplasm. And the slime increased and wound around the vines. The entangled vines became stuck to the ground.
The number of times the spirit body glue could be used was a maximum of five.
He had already used it twice so there were three times left. However, once used there was no limit to the time it would stay stuck. The material was the ectoplasm which increased the affinity with the spirit. And once glued, it would never break before failing.

Double bang!

Deimos stopped the surprise attack.
Thanks to the fusion with Warwick, Deimos had 1000 health. And thanks to the shield, his defense dramatically increased.

“Dedric, I’ve finished cleaning up here. Lead the other vines towards this place!”

So the ectoplasm spread and attacked dozens of vine stems to the walls and floors.

“Ha ha ha! How about that, wood bastard!”

As Ark had already used it, he even used the ectoplasm to glue the cocoons shut.
When the Plant Golem tore it to escape, there would be a perfect blockade. However, when he finished gluing everything one hour had already been wasted. But the vines and cocoons were glued together and couldn’t attack anymore.

‘This……….once I’ve tried it out, it was an extravagant item!’

Ark marvelled at the efficiency of the spirit body glue.
It was used to repair the lever and open the door as well as build a new skeleton body.
And now it was used to attack a boss that had a difficulty of C+.
At first he wasn’t sure what to do with it, but now that he’s tried it out it was an object with limitless utilization.

‘Sheesh, this is so good. I can only use it two more times so I shouldn’t waste it.’

He had a chance to win now thanks to the spirit body glue.
The only thing left is……….

“Okay, one more thing to eliminate! Unconditional Assault!”

Ark used his tactical skill to make the raccoon troops attack one target.
The 1st division swung their swords at the bud while the gunners fired like crazy. The engineers even threw an explosive potion.
The 150 raccoon troops poured all their firepower on the target.
The leaves gradually withered and twisted off one by one. And finally, all the leaves fell off to reveal the crystal ball.
Even without the protection of the leaves, the crystal ball had a lot of health. But after a few minutes, the health fell down to 2%.
Then a brilliant idea shone in Ark’s eyes.

“The whole army, unconditional retreat!”

“Eh eh?”

The raccoon troops were perplexed by Ark’s order.
Why was he calling a retreat with victory right in front of his eyes? However, since the additional tactic’s orders were absolute, the raccoons discretely dispersed.

“Now. Blade Storm!”

Ark took out a sword and used his skill.
The special effect of the Blade Storm was displayed. The sword broke into many pieces and whirled around like a storm. And the bunch of sword fragments was drawn to the crystal ball.
The hundreds of fragments did X 5 damage!
Inside the crystal ball, something scrambled before there was a popping sound.
And the black aura stopped flowing from the crystal ball. The crystal ball lost its power and fell away from the bud.

-Your level has risen!

-Your level has risen!

-Your level has risen!

The message windows popped up simultaneously.

‘One, two, three…….eight, eight times!’

After he defeated the awakened Heartsoul Bead, he levelled up 8 times!
Ark had commanded unconditional retreat at the last moment in order to get all the experience. It was a level 400 boss monster!
It was a huge chunk of experience. The thought of sharing the experience with the raccoons was something he couldn’t even fathom.
One piece of common sense, there was a limit on experience gain in New World. If he completed the quest and boss monster in several steps, his levels would rise but the experience wouldn’t apply 100%.
The first time the level rose he would get 100%, the second time 90% would be applied, the third time 80%……….and so on.
In other words, no matter how much experience the boss gave or have difficult the quest completed, at a high level it was impossible to raise more than 10 levels at one time.
But even with such a penalty applied, he still gained 8 levels! It as astronomical experience.

‘Wuhahaha, I level up 8 levels at once!’

Now that they grasped the situation, the raccoon soldiers had bitter looks on their faces.

“Dirty…………”

“Dang. Tick.”

However, they didn’t dare say such words under Ark’s eyes.
Well, anyway the Underground World was saved so the raccoons should be satisfied.

“You did it! Ark-hyung accomplished it! Subarutalp is saved!”

Popo tears fell as he glanced around.

“Yes, I made a promise. Hyung has never broken his promises.”

Ark rubbed Popo’s head when suddenly.

Heartsoul Bead
Handle with care! The Heartsoul Bead is a crystal ball filled with ancient magic and a curse. An ordinary person who touches the Heartsoul Bead will lose their soul to the Devil. But now it has lost its magic and is just plain beads.

‘As expected, it was the Heartsoul Bead.’

Ark picked it up and sighed. There was a lot of talk but this situation was finally neatly arranged.

“Okay, it has ended. Everyone went through a lot of trouble.”

Koo-Kung!

Ark had opened his mouth to praise the raccoon troops.
When with a sudden roar, the whole place started shaking. Popo saw the buds of the tree start breaking and threw his body.

“Ah, Ark-hyung! Danger……..Ack!”

Ark had been pushed to the floor by Popo. And reflexively lifted his head as his breath returned.

“Po, Popo!”

A crack had spread across the floor like a spider web from the shock of the bud. And protruding from the gap was a black shape that impaled Popo. Popo had lost 90% of his health and his body was flashing red.
Ark hurriedly rushed to Popo.
Wuuuuuu!
Then, an eerie ringing came from under the crack.
Ark’s face hardened as he turned his head.
Underneath the crack was a cavern where the end couldn’t be seen. And climbing up the rocks along the walls were black shapes. The monster’s whole body burned from the heat, but what was even more terrifying was the enormous existence at the centre of the black form.
The deep red eyes of a dragon were visible in the tattered body. From a dozen metres down, the huge body started climbing up.
It was a scene like the devil was rising from Hell.
It looked horrible, but after looking at the dragon’s information he had a more realistic fear.
The Immortal General Nídhöggur. Level 500!
It was the nightmare of the Northern continent that was sealed by the 7 heroes!
His breath got stuck in his jaw.

‘Oh my God!’

“What on earth is happening? The Heartsoul Bead was destroyed so why is Nídhöggur still resurrecting?”

“I never considered it!

The elder flopped down in a panic.

“What? What do you mean?”

“Nídhöggur had been sealed using the divine power of Yggdrasil……..but in order to break the Heartsoul Bead in this battle……..Yggdrasil received too much damage……..therefore it lost the power required to maintain the seal………”

“That……..!”

Double bang!
Once again, a roar was heard and the cracks widened even further. Some of the dead people wearing gear began to emerge from the gap.

“Raccoon troops, steady! Attack, attack!”

The surprised raccoon troops began hurling attacks. The dead were bombarded and pushed back into the crack. But it was only a temporary measure.
Rocks. There were hundreds and thousands of dead souls from Niflheim! Nídhöggur offered them the ability to climb out of the crack………

‘Heck, I haven’t come this far just to give up!’

Ark cursed. Now, the only reliable thing was the spirit body glue! Ark filled the crack with glue. After he did, the crack became quiet for a while. But it was only temporary, as with another shock a new crack opened.

The crack spread out and was right next to the old one.
Eventually Ark burst out screaming.

“No. Even if I try to close up the crack, it’s no use. Really …….Will it end like this?”

“It’s over. Everything is done!”

Raccoon troops abandoned formation and flopped down with a desperate moan. At that time, Popo’s body that was in a critical condition fell.

“Keuuuk, Ah……..Ark-hyung!”

“Po, Popo!”

Ark and Popo hugged.
Something green and sparkly spewed from Popo’s eyes.

-The current rate of seal destruction: 97%

“Pant!”

At the same time, screams emerged from the Planning Department of the Global Exos Company.

“Wha, What it this?”

Kim Gwon-tae looked at the monitor with bloodshot eyes. The formerly fine monitor suddenly changed as uncontrollably data started appearing. It was like he suffered from hack like symptoms, but he had already experienced this phenomenon once.

“An Event Quest?”

When an Event Quest appears in New World, it was necessary to update the data in the main system. Kim Gwon-tae jumped and flinched as he heard Ha Myung-woo’s voice coming from the side.

“Event Quest?” “What do you mean?”

“The enormous amount of data! There is no doubt. Somewhere, an Event Quest is about to start. The security level…….Huk!”

After he checked the data on the laptop, Kim Gwon-tae let out a muffled scream.
And murmured in a trembling voice.

“B………….The Event Quest has a B difficulty.”

What nonsense is this? When it is a B difficulty, doesn’t the average user have to be level 300 in order for it to start? But the average level of the users hasn’t even reached 100 yet.”

“Ha, but it is true. “The Event Quest has a security level of B!”

“Oh damn! Has the main system gone crazy and discarded the security rating?”

“If only………”

Ha Myung-woo moaned and beat at this desk.

“Where is this going to happen?”

“The place where the data is being gathered appears to be near the Brandt Mountain range. But that place has no town………For now I can’t tell what will trigger the quest.”

“Stop! All the employees set aside your work! We have to do whatever we can to stop it! If a class B Event Quest is activated now, it will throw off the balance of the game! Understood? Even if you have to take an axe to the main computer, stop it!”

Kim Gwon-tae shook his head helplessly.

“But all the outside interference codes have already been blocked.”

“Then do I just have to sit here and watch stupidly again?”

“Well……oh?”

While he was watching the scrolling data, Kim Gwon-tae’s eyes narrowed like a hawk.
He lifted a telephone and turned to Ha Myung-woo.

“What is it?”

“The data is somewhat abnormal.”

“What do you mean?”

“When the Event Quest was activated, another data showed up.”

“Another data? Explain it in a language I would understand!”

Ha Myung-woo threw the phone and looked at the monitor.
Kim Gwon-tae explained, pointing to some data coming up on the monitor.

“Here and here and here, this is not quest-related data. Rather the data appears to be a confrontation with the program that started the event quest. So you see……..if I used a metaphor, I would call it an antivirus program.”

“Vaccine? A program that catches viruses?”

“Yes, if the computer is infected with a virus, won’t the vaccine program run automatically? It is similar to such a program. Now the data is automatically moving and blocking the event quest related programs.”

“You mean the event quest might not be triggered?”

“If this program is perfect.”

“Perfect?”

Ha Myung-woo wrinkled his forehead as he frowned.
But Kim Gwon-tae searched through a thick booklet and found what he was looking for. And when one page was compared to the computer monitor, he nodded.

“Yes, when it is perfect the event quest won’t be triggered. Any outside interference is blocked but since this program lurked in the interior, it doesn’t seem affected. But this program is missing an important source”

“What is that?”

Kim Gwon-tae sighed and shook his head.

“I don’t know. But even if I do, there is no way to interfere from the outside. The only way to settle it in the game is to defeat the boss…….it seems to……act like a human and ignore the war between the data.

The reality was that the next generation of lost myths and legends were breathing in a virtual reality game called New World.
It was a world unknown even to its operators.

ACT 6 The Dark Piece

“What are you doing? Miners! Dedric, Deimos, quickly bring the miners!”

Ark shouted at the lifeless raccoon soldiers. Popo’s health was rapidly decreasing.
Popo lifted his trembling hands.

“Ah, Ark-hyung……….”

Ark shouted as he grasped Popo’s hands.

“Yes, I’m here. Hold on and wait. This wound will heal quickly enough.”

“Hyung……did we fail? Eventually……..to stop the plans of evil people…….isn’t it possible?”

“It’s not over yet!”

“Master, I’ve brought the engineers.”

Then Dedric and Deimos appeared, dragging one behind them.
When the engineer poured a potion, Popo’s health was instantly restored. But the symptom where his health constantly decreased didn’t improve. No, instead it seemed to be accelerating.
The confused engineer poured a detoxification potion to try and cleanse it out but the result was the same.

“Mum……Dad…….Sobbing. Subarutalp is…….”

Popo was in a delirious mental state and burst into tears.

“Damn, what is happening to you?”

He had thought everything was resolved just a few moments ago.
But in a short time, the situation immediately became worse. The raccoon troops fell into a state of panic and lost their will and the seal destruction was still continuing. And now Popo who he thought of as a little brother was dying. There are so many things happening at once that it wasn’t possible to contain them all.

‘Let’s try to save Popo.’

Surprisingly, the thing that Ark chose was Popo.
And of course, it was not the result of logical judgement.
He knew that it was only a NPC. And once the seal was broken it would be difficult for Ark and the raccoon troops to survive as well as Popo. If he used a rational judgement, he would have decided to move the raccoon troops and figure out a way to stop the seal from being destroyed.
But………..he couldn’t let Popo die in front of him.
It was an emotional judgment, not a logical one.
……….Thats only human.
There was nobody that would sacrifice their life for world peace.
But there were a lot of people who would sacrifice their life for a person they held affection for.
Even if he was good at simple maths, it was one that was full of contradiction. But affection wasn’t a matter that could be calculated using pros and cons.

“Popo, stay with me. You’re not going to die. I will not let you do so.”

Ark grabbed Popo’s hand and used his nursing skill.
At that moment, a phenomenon he was unable to understand took place in the vicinity of Ark. The shared time was stopped. The shaking ground and trembling raccoons, even the dust floating in the air……..everything went perfectly still.

‘What, what the?’

Flash-!
Ark turned around as the green light emanating from Popo’s eyes became more intense. And on one side of the wall, a picture was drawn like a projector screen. It was an image that was stuck in places like the noise in old film.
An image of Yggdrasil, holding u the ceiling of the underground world with its giant trees showed.
In the vicinity of the town, smoke rose and showed raccoon families living peacefully. It was showing a comforting image from the mind. In the video, Popo was visibly laughing while holding the hands of his parents.
At that moment, a close up appearance shed light.

‘Author…….Red Man?’

The face was masked but he was recognizable at a glance.
The man had red eyes, red hair and a red aura. He wielded a red sword and made the raccoon village a sea of blood. Overwhelmed raccoons fell one after another. Among those, Popo’s parents barely hid Popo. The Red Man had killed all the raccoon families and came to the interior of Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil used all its strength but was not able to resist him. The Red Man proposed something to Yggdrasil. However, Yggdrasil refused and the Red Man aimed at Yggdrasil with his sword.
Then, one raccoon attacked the Red Man from the side. It was Popo who had to hide and watch his parents’ deaths. For vengeance, he had grabbed a dagger and ran after the Red Man. However, Popo collapsed bleeding with one blow.
Yggdrasil was protecting its own spirit with a defense boundary. However, the death of the clan had disturbed the defense enchantment.
The Red Man did not miss the opening.
He allowed Popo to chase him for the sake of this moment! The Red Man squeezed the Heartsoul Bead and tore through the enchantment. And the Heartsoul Bead had powerful magic that was swallowed by Yggdrasil.
A humiliating defeat!
However, even in that desperate moment Yggdrasil didn’t give up. Using the last of its strength, Popo was warped to a safe place.
This was an arrangement to protect the ancient vow.

………..The video ended there.
At the same time, the brilliance in Popo’s eyes disappeared and the time that had stopped restarted again.
Suddenly, Ark heard Popo’s voice in his ear.

“Ark-hyung.”

“Popo…….what is it?”

“I think it’s all over now.”

There was a light of conviction in Popo’s eyes.

“I already died then.”

“Died?”

“Because a part of my living body came from Yggdrasil.”

“………!”

“Yggdrasil already knew then. It couldn’t stop the Red Man with its powers. Before being hit with the magic, a part of its spirit moved to me. In order to find the saviour that would stop that guy’s ambitions…..it knows now.”

Popo looked at Ark with new eyes.

“Yggdrasil’s awaited saviour was the descendant of Hero Maban…..it was Ark-hyung. Then he told me to bring him here to Yggdrasil. Now it is my turn.”

“Your turn…….?”

Ark asked with a worried voice.
Popo nodded with a pale smile.

“You know. The power of Yggdrasil is necessary to protect the seal. Now, I’ll give back the power that Yggdrasil gave me. It should be enough to prevent the resurrection of Nídhöggur.”

Popo pushed Ark and slowly raised his body.
And he approached the place where the seal was located with weak steps.
Ark looked at his form and tried to talk many times, but only closed his mouth. He would like to ask but was afraid of the answer. Popo lowered his head to the seal for a while and murmured in a low voice.

“I wanted to live a little bit more.”

“………..!”

“I met hyung and discovered the outside world…….I would like to hear more things. This world…..and hyung……what adventures hyung had……how he lived……I wanted to know. And if possible…..If it is possible to say……..”

Tears fell from Popo’s eyes.

“Now, wait a minute! Wait, there has to be another way!”

When Ark raised his voice, it surprised him.
His partner was a NPC. The NPC would clear up the situation.
Normally, it would be welcomed with open arms. But it wasn’t possible to do that.
He didn’t see any other way. But……..this was different. He didn’t want it settled in such a way. It was a NPC but he didn’t want the NPC to disappear forever.
However, Popo shook his head.

“I’m sorry. Hyung………The promise to go to the outside world together…….I can’t keep it.”

Flash-!
An enormous light emerged from Popo’s body. Like a metal of metal put into a flame, it was red before it started turning white.

-The current rate of seal destruction: 99%, 98%, 97%…………..

The number that had continuously ascended started going down.
Once it spontaneously recovered, the magic was drawn down to a huge circle on the ground.

“Popo……..!”

The devastated Ark looked at Popo with blurry eyes. That was when almost all the cracks returned to its original state.
Suddenly a deafening cry came from the ground as flames emerged. Popo’s health was reduced to 50%.

“Ugh!”

“Giggling, impertinent raccoon child! This body is an emperor of Niflheim. At best you will just be sealing me again!”

It sounded like a voice was coming out from hell!
It was Nídhöggur.
After Nídhöggur attacked Popo with the flames of hell, the seal’s destruction rate started climbing again.

“The hundreds of years. If you though I’ve would leave politely after being sealed for hundreds of years then you miscalculated. Before Yggdrasil fuses with you, you will die without a trace from the fires of hell.”

“No…….I stop……I’m……….I………Underground World and Ark-hyung…….I’m going to save you!”

“Impertinent!”

“Ah ah ah ah ack!”

When the fire became stronger, Popo’s health decreased even more. However, clenched his teeth lightly and endured.

“I………I’m going to……..I am from a clan of raccoon warriors…….support……..I’ll do!”

“Kukuku, you dare defy me?”

Once again, the explosive flames became stronger!

“Yes, Popo. You can do it.”

“M-Master!”

Ark plunged into the flames.
At the same time, he felt a shock as he immediately lost some health. Ark only felt a degree of the impact, as an NPC Popo would truly feel the pain as the flames burned him. Even so, Popo had not given up.
He was a little boy who had stomached such pain.
If so, it was time to show the will of Ark who was a user!
Ark took off his mantle and used it to block the hole where the flame was emerging. And he closed the lid with his own body.
The mantle which had 50% fire resistance properties, the Veil of Fire. When he switched to a Dark Walker, he gained a 50% resistance to the dark. Fortunately fire and darkness, with the two properties the damage of the fire in the darkness fell by 50%. And 50% of it was all Ark.

“Ah, Ark-hyung……..!”

Popo flinched and stiffened as he watched Ark.
As he looked at Ark, tears flowed down his face.

“Popo, do it. Please do! Discard that dragon and throw it back into hell! You can do it! No, it is only possible if it is you. Remember when we first met and you said you wanted to live like a hot foreigner? No, the foreigners aren’t so hot, you’re many times hotter. This situation is too hot. Damn, do you understand? Popo, when you try you’re a guy that can do anything. And…….if possible, live. You’re going to live. Become the hero that seals that worm in hell and live.”

Ark continuously used his nursing skill.
He had no choice but to scream out all his feelings.
At the moment, Ark saw a mysterious light pour out.
The light seemed to dance in the darkness around Popo’s body before descending. Popo’s mental power went down to the bottom of the flames before ascending.

“Goodbye, Hyung…….”

A smile formed around Popo’s mouth.
However, in a short moment Popo was enveloped by an even stronger light. At the same time, the destruction rate of the seal went down at an incredible rate. Until finally!

-The current rate of seal destruction: 0%
The seal was fully recovered.

Chwarararak, crunch, double bang!
Suddenly huge thick branches stretched out. The branches intertwined together into several layers and formed a ball and chain on the seal.
Then the crack disappeared and a magic circle finished appearing.

“Kuaaak, this, unbelievable! No……!”

Nídhöggur’s voice faded as he was sealed. And ……..Popo changed into light and scattered.

The Miracle Nursing was successful.
True nursing is careful exchanges with your partner. Caregivers are not therapists. Although you can heal the patient’s wounds, you can’t stop death. However, if it was what they truly wanted.You can infuse courage and understanding into them.You understood Popo’s behaviour, who had the courage to sacrifice himself. And you learnt about the sacrifice’s courage by yourself. You understood your partner’s true sacrifice and respected his intentions. You didn’t want to lose Popo, but you did your best to respect his intentions and fulfil his wish.The true sacrifice of Popo and your sacrifice for each other formed a great rapport that moved Yggdrasil.

Yggdrasil will share everything about Popo and he will be born again into a new existence. If you want to meet Popo again, grow stronger and never give up.

* Due to the success of miracle nursing, all stats increase by 1.
* Affection increases by 10.
* Fame increases by 50.
* Increased the alignment to good by 50.

You have acquired the title ‘Caregiver of Sacrifice’ from the success of Miracle Nursing.

Fame as a Caretaker has increased, so you will receive praises from many patients.

* As a title bonus, all stats increase by 1.
*Fame increases by 50

Suddenly a dim light fell into Ark’s hands as a crowd gathered around him.

Yggdrasil’s seed.
A soul crystal created with the power of Yggdrasil.
This seed contains the soul of the boy hero who sacrificed himself to save Subarutalp. It is Yggdrasil’s soul and if planted in an appropriate place then roots would take hold and a new Yggdrasil would grow.

-Foreigner………

A ringing sound appeared in Ark’s head.
He flinched and looked up as a hologram appeared of a man that was Yggdrasil’s representative. It was in the form of a Buddhist priest with a white beard hanging down to his chest.

“You?”

-I am Yggdrasil, the ancient world tree that have been already forgotten by many. Foreigner, first I would like to show respect to you. I have already seen all your achievements through Popo’s eyes. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve never been able to stop the resurrection of Nídhöggur. And Popo would’ve had no choice but to face death in vain.

“Death in vain? Then Popo?”

Yggdrasil looked at Ark with gentle eyes and nodded.

-Popo’s death was inevitable. But at the last moment, a miracle surpassing the magic occurred. It was the result of your affection towards Popo and his towards you. Hope is really the mysterious power of life.

“Then Popo is still alive?”

-Thanks to the miracle, Popo has received permission to live again from the powers that govern the world. That seed is my alter ego, and Popo. In accordance with Popo, I give that seed to you. Please find a new land with hope and plant the seed. It is the seed of a new era and Popo will finally be able to see the wide world.

Ark looked at the seed with bemused eyes.

-Ark-hyung!

He heard Popo’s voice from the seed.
And a little image rose up from the seed.

“Po, Popo?”

-Ah, it’s really embarrassing.

With an embarrassed expression, Popo scratched his head.

-Well, it is like you heard. Now I can accompany you like this. Please look after me in the future as well.

“Ha, ha ha ha, ha ha ha.”

Ark was taken aback and laughed as he sat down against the tree.
That’s right. He often forgot, but it was a virtual reality game.
If you truly want something to happen then it wasn’t impossible.

“It has ended.”
“Ended? What do you mean?”
“Event quest……it has been cancelled halfway through.”

Kim Gwon-tae looked at the monitor with a soulless expression.
Just a few moments ago the monitor had a crazy amount of data. But now only a few pieces of data came up.
It looked like it had been engaged in a long war and was now cleaning up.

“I can understand that by looking at the monitor!”

Ha Myung-woo shouted in a raspy voice.

“What I want to hear is why? The class B event quest started and now it just suddenly cancelled. Even if something is stopped, don’t I still need reports?”

“I’m really sorry. There is no way to figure it out now.”

“Hell, that fellow is really tedious.”

“I agree. We might be fed up with him but.”

Kim Gwon-tae blew out a huge sigh.
He started computer related work 10 years ago, but it was the first time he was ignored by the computer.
The operator doesn’t have to lift a finger to run the game. It even rejected the operator’s interference. It moved depending on the program that seemed alive, and that was often a fearful idea.

‘Can such a game even exist?’

He had a sudden urge to blow up the main system to stop this thing.
However, New World’s main systems worth was equivalent to the budget of a small nation. If New World was blown up, the whole world would shake. Because the service had started, he had no choice but to go all the way.

“I can guess one thing…….”

After a while, Kim Gwon-tae spoke in a cautious voice.

“The whole process that started the B class event was something likely to be caused by artificial errors. And some sort of restoration program was operated to block it. This means that two programs that oppose each other coexist in New World.”

“But……artificial? Contradiction? What does that mean?”

“The two programs running at the same time in its basic form is perfect. If the first program is invoked followed by the triggered program then that means is not just triggered by system errors. It is clear that someone must have built the program with a specific purpose. Do you understand? The two programs were made by two people with conflicting thoughts.”

At the moment, Ha Myung-woo’s eyes went back to him.
His turned head seemed to say that he wanted Kim Gwon-tae to make it simpler.

“Either way, one of them would be related to the main programmer Park Woo-seong. But who is the 3rd person? He created a program to counteract Park Woo-seong’s?”

“It’s like that.”

“Ok, let’s put it in order. We don’t know who was the one that started the event quest and who stopped it…….and we don’t know who would be favourable to Global Exos. Right? But looking at the circumstances, their performance must be equivalent to that of Park Woo-seong. Am I wrong?”

“No, that’s right.”

Ha Myung-woo’s eyes narrowed.
The reason why operators trembled was because of Park Woo-seong’s genius.
Even if he searched the world, there was nobody that could match him. But now there was a person that planted a program that could oppose Park Woo-seong.
If they were able to find him then he might have the key that Ha Myung-woo was looking for.

“Ok, then send an email to the developers to find ‘him.’ If the material is identified then track down his location. I don’t care how much money it takes.”

“……..And in this case, you got another one.”

“Something?”

“Don’t forget that intentional or not…..No, I think there is a 90% chance it was intentional.”

Kim Gwon-tae organized the date files while muttering.

“The anti-program that solved this problem wasn’t perfect. Although it is an amazing program, like I said earlier there are several layers of code missing. It is too blatant that they couldn’t have missed it by mistake. Instead, there was an indirect variable.”

“Indirect variable?”

“User”

Kim Gwon-tae pulled the data file onto the monitor and spoke.
It was a summary of the anti-program from a little while ago.

“Please look. Do you see the most important keyword? This is part of the indirect variable. Here there are some of the choices being presented, depending on your choice, the rest of the program was to act like as if the quest branched out. And the indirect variables are only accessible inside the game.”

“You mean this event was stopped by a user?”

“That’s right.”

“It looks like clues have been solved.”

Contrary to expectations, Kim Gwon-tae was very surprised. Ha Myung-woo thought of something and said.

“I guess you know better than I. Before Park Woo-seong covers up his traces, send a mail to headquarters.”

“Park Woo-seong directly?”

“Yes, the content of the mail should be a challenge to the user. The user isn’t a part of Global Exos. But it isn’t accepted so seriously at headquarters. When developers put out new games, it is common for them to judge the results. But Park Woo-seong immediately disappeared without a trace, and there was a huge lock on New World.

Now he realised that the problem was serious.
Therefore, he left the contents of the email for Park Woo-seong to identify.
Eventually, the conclusion reached by the headquarters was that Park Woo-seong hid a clue inside the game to unlock it.
It was the reason that Ha Myung-woo used the company entrance examination as a pretext to drag users in. The conditions of the company examination meant that millions of users should stick to the game. And they worked out a plan to dig up the secrets of the game through the regular reports.

“In the end, the millions of users will hand you the key?”

“I was a little sceptical at first but now I’m convinced. And this user is the person I desire. The users that can participate in the system…….the information they have is needed. The user’s gaming system, if we know this then we could possibly undo Park Woo-seong’s lock. What are the coordinates where this incident happened?”

“Near Brandt Mountains.”

“All personnel should focus on that area and monitor its surroundings. Alternatively, examine if anything has happened in Cairo. If there was an event quest, then obviously something big has preceded it. And find out the identity of the user who stopped it.”

“I understand.”

Ha Myung-woo commanded who immediately passed the information down to the monitoring agents.
However the incident happened in the Underground World, thousands of metres underneath Cairo. The monitor personnel who wandered the Brandt Mountains couldn’t have known that.
However there was a chance that Kim Gwon-tae and Ha Myung-woo could figure it out. If they had paid a little bit more attention to their selected examinee’s reports.
However as soon as Hyun-woo’s reports arrived, it was instantly sent off to the shredder. It was bad luck for both Hyun-woo and Ha Myung-woo.
At that time, New World was entering a new era.
New World’s main scenario proceeded over time. In New World, the scenario was divided so the contents of <Episode I: Foreigner’s appearance> was in progress. However after a few years of game time, it would automatically change to Episode 2.

-The main system requires a data update for Episode II.
<Episode II: Pioneering age of the Foreigner>

“What your decision?”

“I think we’ll like it as it was before…….. I mean its just too hard to say no.”

“Ok sure.”

Ark nodded.
Nídhöggur was once again sealed and the peace of the Underground World restored. Ark had organized the survivors and led them back to the closest village.
First by changing the taste of the Warrior’s cookies, the raccoons returned to their original state.
Fortunately, there are a lot of other herbs he could blend with the cookies that made the addiction not as strong.
‘Appetite Killing Stew’ was fed to them and they were quickly restored.
The raccoons then realised that they had been addicted. But it wasn’t regarded as a big problem.
Because if he hadn’t done so then the Underground World would have perished. However, his intimacy with them couldn’t help falling a little bit.

‘Well since I won’t come to the Underground World again, it doesn’t really matter…….’

However, there were still a few problems that remained.
Once Yggdrasil regained its power, the Underground World returned to its original state. The Kanggeul and Plant Golems changed back into raccoons. The problem was just that. They still had the memories of their time as a monster.

“What we have done so far……..”

“Alas, I……..I…….”

The raccoons suffered from killing their own species with their own hands.
In addition, the raccoon troops also killed a lot of Kanggeul and Plant Golems. They remembered that they had killed each other. Even if they were controlled by an irresistible force, it wasn’t easy to pretend like nothing had happened.
To solve that problem, the Elder had a meeting with representatives of several villages. And he wanted the raccoons that had been turned into monsters to leave the Underground World.
The Elder was embarrassed, but Ark thought about it in a positive way.

“There are too many raccoons to be isolated and it isn’t possible to live together and not confront them. So this is an opportunity to widen their field of view. When the heart is settled after living apart for several years then they can come back and talk about it.”

“But how would they live if they have no knowledge of the outside world……..”

The elders muttered in a concerned voice.
Then a brilliant idea shone in Ark’s eyes.
That’s right. Ark called up a concerned heart. He quietly looked at the raccoons that were to be expelled standing to one side.

“Do not worry.”

“Is there anything you can do?”

“There is a way but it is far…….but I know a pioneering village. Lancel Village is a great place that is happy to accept anyone as a resident.”

“But we are a beast species.”

“Yes, it is fine. The Meow is already living there.”

“Meow? Huh, the Meow didn’t like socializing with people……….”

“It is a great place to live. It is also a pioneering town so it would welcome anyone skilful like the raccoons are. The raccoon clan would prefer a place that requires good artisans right?”

“Yes, it is as you said.”

The elders nodded and replied.
And he went over to communicate the plans to leave to the raccoons.

“If the Truthseeker recommends it then we would like to go there.”

Ark talked to 70 raccoons and they accepted immediately.

‘Find New Settlers’ quest has been updated.

You have made the raccoon clans who can’t stay in the Underground World any longer move to Lancel Village. The raccoon species are naturally born with high dexterity. If they move to Lancel Village, than the village would grow faster and become richer.
<New settlers found: 60% complete>

You have found new settlers with special skills.

With the migration of the raccoon clan, the commerce of the town will increase by 50%. However, since the nature of the raccoons means they are reluctant to communicate with outsiders, the unity of the town has temporarily decreased by 30%. If it drops below 50%, it may cause the residents to leave the town.

<If you invite a settler with a special ability, trade, safety, and the food situation values will increase. Depending on the values, you will be able to receive a bonus reward upon quest completion>

“So now the problem is all resolved.”

Ark smiled and looked at the elders with a coy look. Of course, the law was there should be compensation for his effort.

‘Well, I remember receiving a promise of compensation, so if they are grateful they won’t forget their promises.’

Ark blatantly used his eyes to pressure the elders. The elder who belatedly understood his meaning nodded.

“Ah ah, yes. In fact, I have something I had thought to give to you.”

“Right.”

Ark grinned as the elder looked through his bag with a burdened expression.

“This has been handed down to the raccoon clan…….I thought you might like it. Anyway receive this as a token of my sincerity.”

The Elder extended one crude leather helmet.

Raccoon Pith (Magic)
Armour type: Leather Helmet
Defense power: 60
Durability: 50/50
Weight: 5
User restriction: Dark Walker profession, Level 80 and over

It is a helmet that has been passed down from generation to generation in the raccoon clan.
The ancient raccoons made it from the material of a mysterious species that enables it to transform the user’s form. Ever since Subarutalp was isolated, the outside world has forgotten the ability. However, the power passed down from the ancient raccoons was still used.
The raccoons used the ability of the helmet to trade with the outside world while hiding their identity.
<Option: Agility +10, Wisdom +10>
<Special option: Transformation is possible once a day. Duration is unlimited. However, once the transformation is released you have to wait 24 hours before you can transform again>

-Quest ‘Prevent the resurrection of Voltaire and the Immortal Legion’ has been completed.

The quest had automatically been completed once he received the quest item.
However, Ark had a little look of disappointment.

‘Ara? What? There’s no experience?’

Because none of the quests received in the underground world were easy to complete. Besides, the completion of the quest wasn’t even mentioned in the information board.
He had expected to gain 3~4 levels when the quest was completed. However, there was no experience at all?
Then, the sound of the information window popped up.

‘Victory Quest’ has been completed.
The completion of the Victory quest has accumulated 3☆ information window.
In New World, a ☆ is a decoration provided for the player who has achieved a historical and great achievement which has an influence on the world.The player who receives a ☆ would be a legend in that area. In addition, the accumulation of a certain number of ☆’s would receive a very special reward.Currently owned ☆ (3)

There was something mediocre about the message since it didn’t even give experience. Frankly, he wasn’t satisfied. But are there other ways to add stars in the system?

‘Hah……However, no matter what I solved the quest but the only reward is one old pith? No, it’s still possible an incredible reward would be given later. And the difficulty of the quest compared to the not so great looking helmet……..well, as long as I got the necessary reward.’

……….If he didn’t, he didn’t know if he could endure it.
In fact, the performance of the helmet was slightly vague.
Ark was still using the Crystal Golem’s Head that he obtained early on. Of course, he found a few more helmets. It had superior defense, but he needed options with mana.
The Raccoon’s Pith also had a mana up option.
However, its defense was 20 points higher than the Crystal Golem’s. Also, his summon demon skill used a lot of mana and that would increase even more.

‘Yes, the Crystal Golem’s Head usage limit is too low now. If I sell it later for an appropriate price, it probably wouldn’t be popular. And now I need more agility than mana.’

Ark was satisfied to some degree and put on the Raccoon’s Pith.
But the Raccoon’s Pitch had an unexpected bonus that Ark hadn’t considered.

The set items’ effect has been applied.

New World has a number of items that are closely related to each other throughout history. The items are associated with a famous event or legendary hero and so on. Once you have a certain number of these sets of items, an additional bonus will appear.

Currently equipped set items: <Animal King>
{Raccoon’s Pith} {Cat Paws} {Guardian Mermaid Armour} {??} {??}

Equipped with three items from the set <Animal King> and the effect of the set will be applied.
<Wild Ability: Strength, Agility, Stamina +10. Defense +20>

‘Set items effect!’
Ark’s eyes widened.
The bonus added from the set items was enormous. It indicated that when Ark equipped the set his strength, agility and stamina increased by 10, while his defense also increased by 20.

‘In addition, there are still two more items. If I can find everything and complete the King set……?’

He couldn’t even guess how much bonuses would be added.

‘Set items…….they were often seen in other games, but I didn’t know New World had them. So far, he had never heard such information…….after all, it is only when you possess at least 3 of the set that you can tell? Does that mean I now have to be careful when I sell an item?’

It was difficult because the items looked different from the other ones in the set.
However, he could get a significant amount of money if he sold it on the auction.
Every one of Ark’s thoughts was about making money.

“Thank you,”

“Huh? Well, it is lucky that you like it.”

“Then I’ll take this and go. Since I am meeting Yggdrasil, I’ll say goodbye in advance.”

“I see.”

Ark turned to the elders and bowed.
And outside the Town Hall, hundreds of raccoons had gathered.
When Ark came out, they lined the road.

“Serve, Hut!”

The soldiers raised swords while the gunner troops pointed their guns at the sky. Finally, each leader saluted Ark while the muskets fired simultaneously in the air.
At the same time, colourful fireworks appeared in the dark sky of the Underground World. It was like a spectacular Olympics opening ceremony!

“Ark commander, Hooray!”

“Well, you have worked hard and we achieved such peace thanks to you. As a group, the raccoons are thankful to you. Anytime you want, we are willing to lend our strength to you. We have learned how to muster courage thanks to you.”

The Elder hit Ark’s shoulders as he spoke.
Ark looked at the raccoon soldiers with deep emotions in his eyes. In the words of the Elder. They were actively conscripted and trained by Ark, and he had fought together with the NPCs.
How much did it mean?
He also felt affection for the soldiers of Jackson.

‘That’s right…………Now the Underground World is at peace I have to say goodbye.’

Ark looked at them one by one as he left the town.
And after a while, he went to find Yggdrasil. Once inside Yggdrasil, Ark saw that the inside had already been turned into a shrine.
The vines weren’t seen and small lights floated around like it was daylight. And everything Yggdrasil willed it, the tree trunks would split and a new path formed.
Thanks to that, Ark could arrive at the centre in a straight line.
-Welcome. Have you finished saying goodbye?

Yggdrasil welcomed Ark in the form of the Buddhist priest.

“Yes.”

-Now the only thing left is your original purpose for coming here.

“I heard that I had to undergo a test to receive the Three Marvels.”

Yggdrasil lightly asked with a smile.

-Do you know what piece of the Three Marvels is here?

“I haven’t heard it yet. The raccoon elders also don’t know…..”

-The Three Marvels that I kept is the ‘Dark Piece.’

“Dark Piece?”

Yggdrasil nodded.

-As the name suggests, the artifact contains the powers of darkness. According to legend, the piece fell off the Lord of Darkness but I don’t know whether that is true or not. Anyway, it is the most dangerous piece among the Three Marvels. In the past, even the Truthseeker had trouble controlling its power. There was a possibility of being inadvertently misled by the powers of darkness and straying from the path. Therefore, a test must be passed before receiving the Dark Piece.

Yggdrasil sent him a soft look.

-But you have already proved everything you needed to in a moment of desperation, the courage to embrace the dark without losing your courage and overcome the hardships. Because of the previous vow with Hero Maban, I will give you the Dark Piece.

Yggdrasil gripped his fist tightly. When he opened his hand, there was a stone sculpture emitting a black strength. His Knowledge of Ancient Relics needed to be 50 to confirm the item. However, Ark’s Knowledge of Ancient Relics was at 83.
Taking the piece automatically opened the information window.

-Your Knowledge of Ancient Relics has confirmed ‘The fragment of stone filled with an ancient power.’

Fragment of stone filled with ancient power (Dark Piece)

The Dark Piece pulsates with an aura of deep darkness. The Dark Piece is the reason you will feel the touch of a deadly temptation. Making this your own power won’t be an easy task. But I hope that you find a strong will and courage in the darkness to make it a part of you.

Using Knowledge of Ancient Relics, you have confirmed that it is one of the Three Marvels that Hero Maban used in the Dark Century. Hero Maban has left his power inside the Three Marvels for later. If the Truthseeker obtains the Three Marvels, it is possible to obtain Hero Maban’s power.

*The owner of the Dark Piece can use Hero Maban’s techniques.<Experience +30,000. Knowledge of Ancient Relics +15. Intelligence 10, Fame has increased by 20>

New Profession-specific skill.
The gift of darkness II (Beginner, passive):

The power of the Dark Walker in the dark is slightly increased. All abilities are increased by 40%. The duration of ‘Stealth’ is raised to 20 minutes. However, this skill cannot be raised.

New Profession-specific skill.
The Dark Dance (Beginner, active):

The second half of Hero Maban’s power increases your vision in the dark. By hiding yourself in the darkness, you can use quick movements to make the enemy’s attack collapse. The player’s success rate depends on the level of the skill. The higher the skill, the more damage received would be reduced and in some cases, you can even reflect the enemy’s attacks.

<Mana consumption: 300>

New chain skill has been registered.

* Currently available chain skill-Dark Torrent (Dark dance + Dark Blade)
Evade enemy attacks and counterattack with a critical hit.

<Chain skill success: 50% chance to give the enemy a 200% critical hit>
<Chain skill failure: There will be a 50% chance that Dark Dance is released and a critical hit received.>

Once again, pleasure has come at the end of suffering.
By completing the quest to reclaim the peace of the Underground World, he has received the second piece of the Three Marvels. As soon as he sealed up Nídhöggur, compensation started flowing out.
In particular, the main purpose of the Dark Walker was to find the Three Marvels so the compensation was tremendous.
First was the Gift of Darkness II. Since he had already received the Gift of Darkness, it was somewhat expected. But a 40% increase in abilities in the dark……..! Isn’t that like being level 140 when he was level 100?
It was his new skill Dark Dance that was unexpected.
When he read the information, his expectation was different.
Unlike other professions, Ark didn’t have a good evasion skill yet. He wished for it but there was a reason he didn’t like it. The problem was that Dark Dance consumed mana.

‘If I use it once then it consumes 300 mana?’

It also does not damage, so he would waste 300 mana just for teleportation…….! If he used 100% of his mana, he could only use the skill four times? In addition, a chain skill was created with the Dark Dance skill.

‘Dark Torrent……I don’t know how effective that technique is since it uses 400 mana in one go. I could use Blade Storm once with that mana.’

Blade Storm was his strongest attack that consumes a sword instead. On the other hand, Dark Torrent only increased the damage of his critical strike.
The Dark Torrent was also risky so he would rather use Blade Storm once and lose a sword.

‘Well, I still increased my skills so it isn’t too bad.’

Ark decided to be satisfied with it. After all, he had achieved the purpose of coming to this world.

“But the way can I ask you something?”

-Speak.

“Do you know the location of the remaining piece of the Three Marvels?”

Ark recalled the description of Yggdrasil from Norse mythology. Yggdrasil was the symbol of wisdom rooted in nine different worlds.
Of course, there was no guarantee that the number of worlds in the myth and in the depth of the earth was the same. Especially since it existed in ancient times and met Hero Maban, it may give him a clue.
However, Yggdrasil shook his head.

-I have spread my roots through most of the northern continent for a long time. So I see a lot of things. The rumours I heard about the location of the Three Marvels was from a long time ago. Maybe……..it is in a world that you don’t know about.

“Another world? Then has it been destroyed?

Yggdrasil laughed at Ark’s question.

-No, it’s completely different. The middle earth is the world that you know. If spoken in our language, Midgard is just one of the nine worlds. In other words, humans exist in a world on this system. The Lord of Darkness and his followers lived on a different system.

“Then I would find the remaining Three Marvels in a different system?”

-I don’t know either. However you are the Truthseeker, didn’t you come here in accordance with the guidance of a greater will that governs everything? If you try, it might be possible to detect its presence.

‘Do I have to go back from the beginning?’

Ark sighed. At that time, Yggdrasil spoke again.

-This is a bit of grandmotherly advice but…….be careful.

“Yes?”

-The Red Man weighs on my heart. Nídhöggur has been sealed in this place for hundreds of years, with the secret only being told to a few people. His reason for trying to resurrect Nídhöggur is unknown……..but if my guess is correct……..

Yggdrasil murmured and sighed.

-His purpose might wake up the darkness.

“What on earth is the darkness? A person? A malevolent deity?

-Darkness…….it is. The existence that every being on the continent fears that would bring disaster. Nothing more and nothing less. And if the purpose of the Red Man is really to wake the darkness……..his biggest goal is directly linked to the heritage of the 7 heroes. So pay attention and don’t overlook him.

“I will keep that in mind.”

-Then this is it. Now, you should go back. To the place that requires you……..

Yggdrasil approached him and stroked Ark’s head. Then Ark’s body was engulfed in light.
Small particles of light rose up in the heart of Yggdrasil and followed the passage. He followed the capillary of moving water along the stem until in his range of vision, a blue sky appeared.
His adventure of commanding the raccoons in the Underground World had finally ended.
Diririri, diririri.
At that time, his phone ringtone was audible from far away.

ACT 7 Underdog takes one more step
The sound of metal colliding with each other was heard.
The battle had been going on for quite a while and a few people had already collapsed. It was the rehabilitation group and delinquents. But even those who hadn’t collapsed didn’t have a lot of health left. Not even Roco’s ‘Song of Life’ could compensate for the health being lost.
The people who were attacking them were NPCs in black clothes, assassins from the Dark Brother organization.

“Hu hu hu, did you think I would just give up?”

The person watching from the back let out a brutal laugh. They indicated towards the assassins from the Dark Brother.
A few nights ago Andel who had escaped, followed JusticeMan in Cairo.
Of course, it was in order to watch the movements of JusticeMan’s party. He took over the Quartermaster’s, so Ark would resurrect soon. Then Andel shadowed them secretly in case they moved to another area. However, Ark didn’t resurrect even after a couple of days.

‘That Ark, did something happen to him in reality?

Andel thought of a plan that would solve everything in one scoop and it was sweet. He hoped to find Ark and beat him up in the real world. Because he never imagined that they would defend the Quartermaster for so long.
However, was there a reason Ark didn’t resurrect after sleeping for a few days?
Have to dig out the reason……

‘Heck, I really don’t like that guy.’

Andel ground his teeth together. If JusticeMan and is party didn’t leave Cairo, that means that Ark would resurrect here.
In other words, it was an opportunity to get revenge!

‘You’ll see soon, Ark and Justiceman. I’ll return the favour 10 times, no 20 times.”

Andel hid around the Quartermaster in Cairo hoping for revenge.
And…….Finally, the time for revenge had come. Alan contacted the Dark Brother again and an additional 15 assassins were dispatched.
It wasn’t free, of course. The money required to hire 15 people was 1,500 gold. Just like hiring mercenaries, even the assassin guild required compensation. In the end, if he combined the first sum of 300 gold then 1,800 gold was spent.
In cash, it was 18 million won.
Even if it was Andel, that was still a large amount for him.

‘Damn, when I think about the lecture I had to go through to scrape that money…. But if I can kill Ark and those guys then I don’t care. I’ll kill them again and again until I’m satisfied!’

Andel had completely forgotten the purpose of the game.
Only revenge! For that he would willingly sacrifice everything.

‘If Ark resurrects and runs away while I’m fighting those guys then it would be more difficult.’

Andel left one assassin at the Quartermaster’s and led the rest to the cabin.
JusticeMan’s party consisted of 14 delinquents and the rehabilitation group. In total, it was 28 people.
However, their average level was not more than 60. Even if they had hunted around Cairo, only a few had risen to level 70.
On the other hand, Andel had 14 assassins that were level 120.

‘If I don’t want to lose this then I have to use this much power.’

In addition, the new assassins sent were more cautious than before.

“We are assassins. We kill the opponents while suffering little damage.”

The assassins waited for the evening.
They received a bonus 10% to their stats in the dark. In addition, one of the main weapons of the character with a dark attribute was ‘Stealth’ and ‘Assassination.’

“Those delinquents won’t be a problem. However, the group of foreigners with strong organizational abilities would be more complicated.”

The assassins hid themselves using ‘stealth’ and waited outside the cabin door. And surprised 3 of the rehabilitation members when they exited. Using their assassination skill, they dealt 300% damage! With 14 level 120 assassins concentrating their attacks on them, the 3 rehabilitation members didn’t even have time to scream before they collapsed.

“The enemy!”

A delinquent came too late to help the rehabilitation members.
As soon as the battle began, it was under the control of the assassins as they issued orders. The assassins activated their scrolls and cornered them. 7 delinquents collapsed instantly while numbers 1408 and 1409 of the rehabilitation group also died.

“Ack, what the hell……!”

“Ha ha ha, it looks good. Cheeky children!”

Andel giggled as they kept dying.
Now there were only 7 delinquents, JusticeMan and 6 rehabilitation members left.
If they excluded Lorenzo, Sid and Roco then it was only 15 people. And they also only had 50% health left.
Two assassins also died, but the health of the remaining assassins was above 70%.

“I’m going to make you beggars along with Ark!”

Because NPCs can only die once, the delinquents couldn’t revive.
Of course, the rehabilitation members could revive but it wouldn’t have an impact on the outcome. The law of New World was that if a user died from an NPC, then they would be immediately revived at the Quartermaster.
However, if they died in a group battle then it was different. The resurrection would be stopped until the battle was completely finished. The system was to make sure they couldn’t resurrect themselves and fight in the area near the Quartermaster. In other words, once the rehabilitation members died then they couldn’t interrupt the battle.

‘When the battle ends, all of us can’t revive at the same time.’

At the Quartermaster, it was only possible for them to revive 1 at a time.
The users would be resurrected at the Quartermaster’s depending on their time of death. If all the rehabilitation members died and they defended the Quartermaster’s against resurrection, then it was possible to beat them. Andel didn’t pay any attention even if the assassins’ numbers decreased.

‘This battle can only end with a winning conclusion.’

And now, the goal was right around the corner. Andel smirked and laughed as JusticeMan’s party pushed in vain.

“These kids, so fast!”

“Damn it, my skills can’t even reach them……”

“Ack, being hit two or three times is punishing. These guys are incredibly strong.”

Even if JusticeMan used his justice stat, he still couldn’t fight against the assassins 1 on 1. In addition, there were too many opponents that he couldn’t exit the battle state.
In the end, he had no choice but to fight them face on. But their agility difference was so large that most of the times he attacked, a MISS warning would show. Then there would undoubtedly by a counter attack.

“JusticeMan ajusshi!”

Roco hurriedly used the ‘Song of Life.’
Roco’s voice was heard softly over the sound of the lute. Then JusticeMan’s health that was at the very bottom quickly restored. If it wasn’t for Roco then the battle probably would’ve been over a long time ago.
When the battle had started, the assassins prohibited the use of potions using the [No recovery] scroll. However, a limit of the [No recovery] scroll was that it had no effect on a Minstrel’s song.

“Che, this girl again………..!”

Andel shouted with a hard countenance.

“What are you doing? Kill her first!”

Andel yelled at the assassins.

“Stop!”

“I won’t allow one finger to touch Roco!”

JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members stood blocking the assassins. However, it wasn’t enough and the health of JusticeMan and his party quickly decreased.
Some also fell to the ground as they were stunned.

“Ajusshi! Oppa!”

Roco screamed in a tearful voice.
She had been hunting with JusticeMan’s party for two months. In the time when she couldn’t battle, they had always helped her. Instead of colleagues, they were now liker her uncle and older brothers. Even though it was a game, they were still stabbed by a sword and collapsed. It was the assassins hired by Andel…….
She felt regret as tears started falling. The assassins who had stunned JusticeMan then rushed at Roco.

“It is the end. Minstrel!”

“Ack!”

The blade advanced underneath her nose. Roco didn’t even think about counter attacking and just raised her arm to protect her head. It was at that time. Something clear flew across the space.
Kka kkak, kakakak! Tong!
A violent clash resonated through the air.
Following the sound, the assassin was thrown back with a pop. Roco was suddenly surprised and raised her head with eyes that were 2 times larger. The person who used ‘Stealth’ in front of her was a user.
Wearing leather armour with a bone sword……..it was Ark.

“Ah, Ark oppa?”

“Was I a little bit late?”

A smile spread on Ark’s mouth.

“Ark? It is Ark?”

All eyes focused on her as Roco spoke.

Ark-nim!”

“Ark hyung, welcome back!”

Sid and Lorenzo spoke with tears in their eyes.
Andel also looked at Ark with a shocked face. There was a reason he was surprised that Ark showed up. In preparation, he had left an assassin stationed at the Quartermaster’s. Ark didn’t even make contact with the assassin and appeared here. Unless……..?

“Yes, you………….Didn’t you definitely die at that time?”

“Who said that? I’m afraid I didn’t die by your hands”

“But certainly in the hell……..”

“Ah, it took some time to come out from there.”

“No way!”

“You should wait before judging whether it’s possible or not……your opinion seems to be quite different. Don’t you know that determination can make many things happen?”

“Determination?”

“I told you. I would strip you naked.”

Ark said with a smile.
Andel retorted like he was bored.

“You think that the situation would change just because you disappeared?”

And realisation showed on JusticeMan and his party’s faces.
That’s right. They had forgotten when Ark appeared, but there were still 12 assassins left that were level 120. On the other hand, JusticeMan had 15 people with an average level of 60~70. And their health wasn’t even 50%. Even if it was Ark, 1 person wouldn’t change the situation.

“Kukuku, stupid. You’re going to be sorry you didn’t run away when you had the opportunity.”

“I have good manners unlike you.”

However, Ark was still composed.

“I forgot to tell you, I brought a few friends with me from down there.”

“What? Friends?”

“Yes, they should be arriving around now…….”

“Master!”

Dedric’s voice was heard from behind him. Andel reflexively turned his head and his face stiffened.

“W-what, what is that?”

Behind Ark, the ground around the cabin started shaking as small forms started appearing. They numbered nearly 100 people! They were hooded so it wasn’t possible to examine them closely…….three or four whiskers protruding from the nose was exposed on the side underneath the hood.
That’s right, it was the raccoon inhabitants of the Underground World.
Ark had received a call as he was leaving the Underground World.
The phone call was from number 1407 who had died early. Andel had brought 14 assassins to raid the cabin.
Ark was troubled as he contemplated. If there were 14 assassins, then they should succeed in defeating JusticeMan’s party. But even if Ark showed up, the results would be the same. Then the raccoon troops appeared in Ark’s mind.

‘Yes, they can appear in Cairo through Yggdrasil!’

Ark immediately called Yggdrasil through Popo’s seed.
Popo was spiritually connected to Yggdrasil and could communicate with it. Ark explained the situation to Yggdrasil and asked for assistance from the elders.
His request for support was received, and the 2nd gun division was sent to assist their former commander. Meanwhile, Ark left Dedric to prepare for the battle and rushed to the cabin.

“Let me introduce my new friends.”

Ark smiled at Andel.

“Say it again. The headcount from a little ago was…….”

“This, this kid……..What are you doing? Kill them!”

Andel shouted at them to attack. The 12 assassins rushed forward with their swords. Level 120. It was definitely an amazing level. But who were the gunners of the raccoon troops? The troops who had undergone Ark’s spartan training and defeated monsters that were level 150 and 250.
At the moment, dozens of the raccoon troop watching from the forest grabbed their weapons. And……..clink, clink, the muskets were loaded with swift movements and then fired in unison.
Bang bang double bang!
The ensuring scene would cause the heart to race.
Colourful fireworks exploded from everywhere.
The assassins were no different from the falling autumn leaves. Every time they were hit with a bombardment of ammo, their health quickly declined.
9 assassins died from this simple method while the rest scattered messily.
JusticeMan and his group just looked on with a bemused expression.

“This, this is ridiculous!”

Andel raised his voice as 9 assassins immediately died from the attack. Then Ark raised his voice to stop the bombardment and spoke.

“I’ll give you a chance.”

“What?”

“3 assassins remain. That was the number that you used to chase me in the past. The others will step back and watch as I duel with the assassins. And whatever the result, how about I forget about our bad relationship?”

Ark watched Andel as he spoke.

“Honestly…….annoying. Because I know people like you don’t like giving up, and I also won’t be able to do anything as long as you’re chasing me. So let’s conclude it with this battle.

Andel rolled his eyes and asked with a doubtful look.

“How can I believe that?”

“JusticeMan ajusshi.”

When Ark turned his head and asked, JusticeMan instantly nodded.

“It there is such a condition then there is no reason for me to interfere. I understand. We won’t cut in.”

“Now, how about it? Only your choice is left.”

Andel considered for a while before nodding.

“It is good. The assassins……I won’t cause any trouble.”

“Then shall we begin?”

A laugh emerged from Andel’s mouth.

“This stupid person is still the same. Has he already forgotten facing the same numbers not long ago?”

“That memory……..I remember it very clearly.”

Ark stared at Andel with a cold look as he replied.

“Then you should already know what will happen! Go, kill him!”

Andel ordered the assassins who immediately took out a scroll.

[No recovery], [Impossible to release battle state], [Seize]. It was the same combo of scrolls that forced Ark down the hell. The assassins used the scrolls to prevent any possibility before rushing in.
The sword attack from three directions!
Then Ark’s eyes started shining.

‘Now, is the opportunity to get revenge for my previous defeat!’

It was when Ark had an overwhelming advantage that he applied for a duel.
The abrupt desire for victory spread in Ark.
So far, when the 3 assassins had rushed him then he was helpless. Ark would never admit such a powerless defeat. He would not be satisfied if the conditions weren’t the same.
And another reason was to confirm what he had obtained from the Underground World. He wanted to see how much his skill proficiency had been raised by the Three Marvels, not just look at the skill level. If he won against the 3 assassins under the same conditions, then it would be solid evidence.

‘I can win. No, I have to win!’

“Dark Dance!”

Ark lowered his upper body as he used his new skill.
Suddenly, the area was dyed with darkness. In the middle, 3 red imprints were seen brandishing swords. The image seemed like an infrared mode in spy movies.
Ark who had tried out the skill for the first time, was puzzled for a little bit.

‘What the? I thought the Dark Dance was just a skill that raised the evasion rate?’

And at that moment he heard the sound of a flying sword.
A red footprint also appeared on the ground in front of him. It seemed like the commentary he saw in martial arts textbooks about footwork.

‘Then I should move following the footprints?’

Ark laid a foot on the red footprint carved on the ground. The footprint disappeared before a new one appeared in front of it. The more times he stepped on it, the faster the footprint disappeared. Although it was initially easy to follow along, over time he had to concentrate in order to keep up with the speed of the footprints.
However, the effect was indeed amazing.
Su su suk, sa sa sak!
He just walked along the footprints.
While concentrating on the footprints, he could barely see the movements of the assassins. However, Ark’s body moved like the wind and avoided all attacks.

“Oh my god!”

When Ark avoided the damage and emerged from the other side, the assassins were surprised.
But it was Ark that surprised them.

‘This Dark Dance…….!’

It was expected that the evasion rate and defense would increase during the period.
However, it wasn’t an easy technique to use.
The Dark Dance was similar to the dancing games that were in style a long time ago. In other words, different patterns of footwork would appear on the ground depending on the situation and the amount of damage avoided depended on how well he did.
The first time he used it, he made around 40% mistakes.
The damage received from the 3 assassins’ attacks was only 250 damage. It meant that damage became invalid nearly 50% of the time, even taking his defensive powers into consideration!

‘If the percentage of completion increases then I might not receive any damage?’

But there’s even more. The Dark Dance didn’t require the use of his hands.
This time, he focused on following the footsteps. However, once he became familiar with the Dark Dance then he could also attack.
Of course, it wasn’t as simple as it sounds.
If he focused on attacking, then the completion percentage of Dark Dance would fall. It was also possible to receive unexpected damage. In addition, if the completion rate dropped below 30% then the penalty of receiving a critical hit would dramatically increase.

‘Am I looking at a double-edged sword? But if I could attack while keeping the completion rate above 50%, there would be tremendous side effects. First, I should get used to the pattern!’

Ark continuously used Dark Dance. The pattern of the footprint would change depending on the circumstance. It was natural. Because the same attack wasn’t always used. However, after a few repetitions he gradually got used to the pattern.
The attack was avoided using the minimal movement while grasping any chance for a counter attack. When looking at the principles, it wasn’t that different from what Ark had previously done.

“What, what the hell is this guy?”

“These movements……..!”

The assassins spoke in a confused voice after the next attack also missed. After he used the fourth Dark Dance, his completion rate went up to 60%.
Ark then began fighting back.

“Dark blade!”

He used the Dark Dance and Dark Blade chain skill, Dark Torrent!
Ark’s sword instantaneously spread out like the rib of a fan and struck the assassin’s neck. Dark Blade ignored the defense and struck a critical hit. Using Dark Torrent, an additional 200% damage was also added.
The assassin’s health decline to 30% with one strike.

“No way!”

Andel sucked in a breath at the enormous damage.

“Ha, what the? Did you think that I wasted my time during the ten days?”

This was the reason that Ark had applied for a duel. During his time in the Underground World, Ark had raised his level. When the 3 assassins had pushed him, he was only level 90.
However during the underground labyrinth he increased his level by 5, and after he commanded the raccoon troops in the fight against Yggdrasil then he gained 21 levels. Ark’s current level was 116!
But was that all? After receiving the Dark Piece, his dark attribute bonus was raised to 40%. In terms of his stats, he was around level 162. He also had new equipment and set item effects. They only knew the fighting pattern of Ark before he fell into the hell. It was like an entirely different existence.
On the other hand, the assassins were level 120. With the dark attribute, they would be level 132. Even if they were professional assassins, if the level difference was 32 levels…….
Bang!

“Cough……! This guy’s replacement……..”

The assassin who received Ark’s concentrated attack collapsed.
From 3 against 1 the situation changed to the much simpler 2 against 1.
Ark used his remaining 400 points of mana to attack using Dark Torrent.
Under his shower of attacks, one more assassin quickly collapsed. Now there was only one assassin remaining, but Ark’s mana was completely gone and his health was down to 30%.
On the other hand, the 1 remaining assassin had 80% health.

‘From now on, it is a skills game!’

Ark used his Sword-Hand combat in a desperate struggle against the assassin. With the level difference, he overwhelmed the assassin with just the use of his Sword-Hand combat.
Kka kkak, Tong!
Ark blocked the assassin’s sword and used riposte.
Ark struck the assassin hard with the counter attack and the assassin was sent flying through the air.
At the same time as he landed, Ark attacked him with a shower of kicks.
The assassin was also formidable. Using the last of his power, he swung the sword and pushed Ark into a critical condition. But at the same time, he got hit on the head by Ark and died.

“Hyuu, I won.”

Ark blew out a breath.
He had defeated three level 120 assassins by himself!

“He, He won!”

“Ark hyung won!”

“Wah ah ah!”

The rehabilitation members, Lorenzo and the raccoon troops cheered from the vicinity of the cabin. But the cheer changed into a scream in the next moment.

“Huh? He, he……..! ”

“Ark, it’s dangerous!”

When he finished fighting against the last assassin, Andel who had been watching vigilantly for a chance attacked Ark. Currently, Ark’s health was only 180 points. If a strike landed then it would became a critical hit due to his state.
No, it certainly looked that way.
But just before Andel’s sword reached Ark’s neck.
The light abruptly turned off in front of Ark.

“What……..Sk-skeleton?”

A skeleton holding a sword and a shield had blocked Andel’s attack.
While Andel was confused, Ark turned his head and laughed.

“I know how guys like you think.”

In the first place, Ark hadn’t expected Andel to keep his promise. No, he hoped that he wouldn’t.
He wanted to test out the skills he obtained in the Underground World and he knew that Andel wouldn’t accept the result of the duel. He had marked him as an enemy until the end.
Therefore Ark deliberately left a gap for Andel in his critical condition. After he guessed the timing, he released Deimos into his transformation from the Saw Blade.
Andel was caught in Ark’s trap!

“So now the promise is broken?”

“You bastard, why did you believe me in the first place?”

“This fellow is absurd. You still say things like that in this situation?”

“Damn, you’ll see. No matter what it takes, I’ll force you into hell!”

Andel said as he took out a scroll.
It was the [Warp] scroll which had become Andel’s specialty.

“Oh, that, that guy again…….!”

JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members moved a little bit.
Ark only smiled as he took out a scroll and activated it.

“Scroll [Magnetic] target Andel!”

At the same time, Andel’s body blurred before he was forcibly pulled to Ark.

“What? What the?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I didn’t only play.”

Ark clicked his tongue and muttered while feigning pity.
When he exited from the Underground World, Ark didn’t wait for the raccoon troops and immediately began battle preparations.
The thing that Ark regretted the most from being attacked by Andel was not learning how to properly use scrolls in battle. When Ark recaptured villages in the Underground World, he immediately gathered information about the scrolls from the specialist in each village.
One interesting thing he learnt about was the [Magnetic] scroll. Although it would drag the target forward, there was another use for [Magnetic].
If the timing of [Magnetic] was used in conjunction with [Warp], then the effect of [Warp] would disappear.
The reason why [Magnetic] was rated higher than the [Warp] scroll was because of this hidden function.
It was the so-called resistance of the scroll.
Therefore, in order to oppose or eliminate the effect, there must be a counter attack.
This was the true advantage of scroll utilization.

“You said I’ll see? Is it time now?”

Ark laughed as he approached the frightened Andel. However, in that moment he responded in a desperate voice.

“Heung, just kill me then. I have used the [Lie] scroll. Since I’m not chaotic, then you would become chaotic if you attack me. Your level is over 100 so can you take such a penalty? At best, all the NPCs would be ordered to kill you. And after I die, I would receive no problems from the NPC. You didn’t receive the archipelago, he he he.”

“……..That disgusting bastard.”

JusticeMan murmured in an outraged voice.

‘Does he think we would be afraid of something like that?’

“Ark, you don’t have to take part. We’ll kill this guy.”

“Please wait. Hyung-nim.”

Ark leisurely took out another scroll. When he triggered it, the shape of a huge sword formed over Andel’s head. When the sword struck Andel, his health was immediately reduced by 50%.

“Cough, no way this is……..?”

“[Sword of Truth]!”

Sid burst out with excitement.

[Sword of Truth]…….It was a scroll that only activated when the opponent used the [Lie] scroll. It dealt powerful damage as well as eliminating the effect of the [Lie] scroll. In addition, it also changed the alignment to chaotic for a period of time.
In other words, there would be no problem killing Andel.

“Ohu, that’s nice.”

“Now it means I have unlimited chances to kill you?”

The rehabilitation members surrounded Andel as they cracked their knuckles.
However, Ark shook his head.

“Not yet.”

“What?”

“Hyung-nim, don’t you have a lot piled up? Please receive this.”

Ark handed the rehabilitation members a few scrolls.
After reading the brief description, the rehabilitation members’ eyes shone brighter than ever.

“Oh, Ark. If it is you then it is done.”

“Hu hu hu, rather at this point we’re really sorry.”

“Still, we can’t help it. Because it is our policy to step on someone who tries to step on us.”

“Of course. We understand that much. Because he was the one that picked a fight first. We don’t have to be fair.”

“What, what are you doing…….!”

Andel murmured in an uneasy voice.
JusticeMan and the rehabilitation group, Ark and even Roco just tore the scrolls with a smile.

– [Peek] scroll was invoked.When the user’s bag is targeted, it is possible to peek at an item.

– [Robbery] scroll was invoked.It is possible to designate an item from the target’s bag. When the user dies, there is a 100% chance of the designated item dropping. Duplicated items are treated as one item.

The scrolls were applied non-stop to Andel.
He had bought in bulk various scrolls to give to the assassins, which could be used at any time to make gold, and he just left it in his bag along with equipment……..the aim of the [Robbery] scroll was to get any items that would make money.
But that was just the beginning.

“Didn’t I tell you? I would keep on attacking you until you lose everything.”

– [Seize] scroll was invoked.When the designated target dies, there is a 50% chance that an equipped item will drop.

Ark and the rehabilitation members used the [Seize] scroll four times.
As Andel was chaotic, after his death the probability of dropping his equipment items would dramatically increase. After using [Seize] four times, he didn’t even have to see the results.

“B-Bastard…….!”

“Ara? What was that? From now on, it’s just the beginning”

– [Misfortune] scroll was activated.The luck of the designated target temporarily becomes 0. The probability of dropping equipment items in various situations would be maximized. If a chaotic player dies in this unfortunate stat, their stat reduction would increase by 2, making them lose 4 stats.

Ark spoke with a pleasant smile.
“After you lose the battle, I’m going to step on you once again. That’s my promise.”
With a scared look, Andel died.

“Ugh, Master! This woman, stop this woman!”

Dedric screamed before fleeing.
After refreshingly stepping on Andel, Ark joined JusticeMan and the rehabilitation company who he finally met after a long time. And after Dedric transformed himself into his child form, he found himself being chased after by Roco with great affection (?).

“Ho ho ho, he is……..It’s great to see you.”

“It’s not good, not good!”

“Don’t do that, come play with noona.”

“Who is this noona? I told you, I’m 300 years old!”

“Kkal kkal kkal! Understood, understood. You’re a 300 year old child. Happy?

“I’m not a child!”

Dedric shouted with a painful cry.
However, Roco didn’t hear and just hugged Dedric tighter. Then Deimos suddenly showed up at her side.

“Oh? You are…….Skull?”

Deimos was glad and quickly nodded his head. Unlike Dedric, Roco had spent quite a few friendly days with Deimos. However, Roco’s forehead furrowed as she muttered something.

“You……..look slightly creepy.”

Ddang! At Roco’s words, Skull was shocked as he showed a sulky expression. After he changed, it was the form he wanted to be proud of. However, in just a moment.
Clatter, clatter.
Deimos turned around and clung to Andel’s body.
Deimos’ eyes flashed for a moment as he fumbled around.
And like a psychic healer, he put his hand through Andel’s shoulder. And then surprisingly, his bloody hands emerged holding a scapula.

‘Don’t tell me that he can also collect bones from a user?’

When Ark though about it, it was a big hit.
Deimos immediately changed his scapula to Andel’s.

Deimos has used his ‘bone collecting’ skill to reassemble the scapula.If he changes bones with a user, their stats and abilities are exchanged.
<Deimos: Strength +5, Stamina +5, Wisdom -5, Intelligence -5>
<Andel: Strength -5, Stamina -5, Wisdom +5, Intelligence +5>]

Andel was a warrior in the game. Because of the bone exchange, his strength and stamina was reduced while Deimos’ was increased. Andel was really unlucky.
Deimos changed the shape of his scapula to his favourite.
He smiled as he tinkered with his new shoulder. No, it seemed like he was smiling but he was obviously laughing.
He laughed sneakily.

‘Although it’s good that his stats rose…….it really is like a horror movie.’

Aa, Deimos ……..what is your real character?
The skull that used to roll cutely across the ground couldn’t be seen anywhere now. It was a good thing that his stats climbed thanks to bone collecting, but the way he acquired other bones was really creepy.
The rehabilitation group stared in amazement at Deimos’ bizarre behaviour. Ark also had a similar expression, and had to explain the situation with a smile.

“Ha ha, don’t worry. This guy has a strange hobby these days.

And among such surroundings, the rehabilitation members had managed to finish resurrecting. Then the leader of the raccoon gunners saluted Ark and said.

“Commander, we should go.”

“Well, thank you. Give my regards to the elders.”

“Yes! Let’s go!”

The gunner saluted before returning to the designated place. JusticeMan and the rehabilitation group looked at the raccoons with amazement before asking.

“What? Did the raccoons escape from the zoo in a group?”

“They are my friends from the Underground World.”

“Underground World?”

Ark explained the last few days to a curious JusticeMan. JusticeMan breathed out a sigh with an amazed face.

“It sounds like a fascinating place, damn, if we knew beforehand we would have entered too……….

“I’m sorry. But I didn’t have a way to enter the Underground World. And ajusshi and hyung-nims wouldn’t have been able to survive the bottom.”

“That’s right”

“Ah! There is someone I would like to introduce.”

Ark took out small seeds from his bag.
JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members stared as a small figure emerged from the seeds. It was Popo, the hero of the raccoon clan. Popo scratched his head at the attention of the foreigners before greeting them.

-He he, Hello? I am Popo, Ark hyung’s brother.

“Aw!”

Then Roco who was harassing Dedric came running over.

“Woo………! Cu……Cute. It’s a finger sized raccoon…….”

-Ah, Roco noona? Ark hyung talked about you a lot.

“What? R-really? What did he say?”

-That he had a pretty girl as a sister. You really are pretty, just like I heard. Can I call you noona from now on?

Popo was better at flattery than he thought.

“Ho ho ho, you’re sweet. It is in the eye of the beholder……..my younger siblings aren’t like that. Yes, please call me noona. If you are Ark oppa’s brother then you’re also mine. Popo did you say? Can we talk for a short while? Tell me in a little bit more detail about what Ark oppa said about me.”

Roco carried the seeds to a place a short distance away.

“Che!”

Then Dedric who had been abandoned kicked a rock that landed beside Skull. Although he complained, he indirectly enjoyed Roco’s attention. If he really hated it, he would’ve changed into a bat and ran away…….

“I’m living quite happily.”

The raccoon boy was sociable. Roco who was interested in Ark, abandoned his two summons………the form that she was interested in was quite different in other’s eyes.

“What…..that’s right.”

“By the way, what do you think that Andel guy will do?”

“Just let it go. For the time being, he won’t connect for a while.”

“But what if he tries to bother you again?”

“Right. But I wouldn’t mind. Here in the chaotic city it would be a difficult situation, but the other areas won’t have such a penalty against resurrection. So if he attacks me once, then I would be able to return it twice as much. But it’s also not easy.”

“Although, you don’t have to worry about your skills based on what we saw before.”

“Well Andel might hire more assassins again before connecting. Although Lorenzo and the delinquents would receive help from the guard NPCs, we are different. So I think we should leave Cairo before there is more trouble.”

“That’s good. Our time is more precious than that guy.”

“But I have some things to finish first.”

Ark’s pupils turned gold after a long time. He had already forgotten about Andel and turned into a money-making mode.

“Sid. Can you please arrange all of this.”

Ark handed Sid all the loot he obtained in the Underground World.

“(Pants) this, this is ……!”

Sid’s eyes widened at the huge pile of loot. But it wasn’t because of the loot. It was due to the ore, the currency of the Underground World. All of the 1,600 Nurunma leaves he obtained from the thief hideout had been used to make the Warrior cookies and sold to the raccoon troops.
First 1L. But soon the price was raised to 2L because he was running out of ingredients. Fortunately, the raccoons were already addicted and had no choice but to buy the cookies at the higher price. Thanks to that, Ark managed to get 2,400 ores!
Even if 500 L was used to pay for item forging, there was still approximately 1,900 ores in his bag.

“Where did you get so many ores……?”

Ark who hadn’t showed up for a while finally appeared with amazing items.
Sid still couldn’t understand the strange user that was Ark.

“No, you expect me to organize everything here? But if we sell it in Giran, we can’t get a 20% higher price.”

“I don’t care. Just sort it out. And change all the items robbed from Andel into gold except for the scrolls from Cairo. You should bring Jjak-tung so you don’t make any mistakes.”

“I understand.”

Soon Sid and Jjak-tung headed to Cairo carrying the items.
The reason why he sent Jjak-tung was to take advantage of his ‘Fraud’ skill. Thanks to Ark, Sid had raised his sale skills but it wasn’t possible to sell any more items once he received a profit of more than 15%. On the other hand, if Jjak-tung’s ‘Fraud’ skill was used, then he could receive an unconditional 15% profit.

“Okay, now let’s finish life in Cairo.”

Ark led the rehabilitation group and headed towards Cairo. It was in order to complete the [Clear Lorenzo’s name] quest that had been postponed. Earlier, JusticeMan had handed him the warehouse key before they headed back to Wolkosu with his supplies. Then, he made him sit down while Lorenzo explained the circumstances.

“……….That was what happened.”

“I see…….I’ve just blindly doubted you without even knowing….I’m sorry.”

Wolkosu said to his son in a regretful voice. Lorenzo seemed tearful as he shook his head.

“No. It was my fault this whole thing started. Father, I’m sorry.”

“Father? Now I am your father?”

“Yes, father. I’m sorry for not calling you that in the meantime.”

“I got it. So stop saying such things. Being confronted with your faults must have been hard on you. I never thought I would have children so I raised your sternly, without unconditional love. That must have been really painful for you and I didn’t know. No, let’s stop. I’ll forget your past. If you’ve decided to become a new man then it is done.

“Father!”

Wolkosu and Lorenzo wept as they hugged each other.
The rehabilitation members had tears in their eyes as they looked at the two NPCs. Although they were NPCs, Lorenzo’s path seemed to overlap with that of the rehabilitation group.

“Hyung-nim, justice is really a good thing.”

“Hum, yes.”

JusticeMan nodded with a satisfied expression.
However, there were no tears in Ark’s eyes.

“Now, Wolkosu ajusshi. Let’s slowly do the calculation.”

“Calculation?”

“Why is it like this? Did you already forget the promise?”

“Promise…….Ah, it’s not like that. He he he, why would I forget? Yes, I do remember. Didn’t I promise to sell you anything from the items recovered for a 40% discounted price? Okay, if you need anything then tell me. I’ll do anything for the man who recovered my son. Since I’m a person who also runs a big business in the capital. I’m a second generation. Even if other stores want them, I will save it for you.”

“Ah, father. What a moment! That…….

At the moment, Lorenzo was shocked and blocked Wolkosu’s mouth. However, it was already too late. By the end of Wolkosu’s words, Ark’s eyes flashed as he drove the nail in.

“Without a doubt you promised. You clearly said that even if the items were wanted elsewhere, you would save it for me?

“Eh? T-that’s right. Why? What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. Not at all. So let’s start the business.”

Ark laid his purse on the counter as he smiled. Wolkosu’s face then became terrified.
The embroidered purse on the counter contained an unimaginable amount of money.

“5…………..5, 500 gold?”

Ark laughed and nodded his head.
Yes, in the short time here Ark had gathered 5,500 gold.
When Ark first came to Cairo, he only had 1,000 gold. When he was in the Underground, without stopping he sent items back to Sid to sell which earned him 300 gold.
However, the largest part of his illicit funds was selling drugs to the raccoons. The way to earn money was as bad as expected. When the ore was sold by Sid using his skills, he earned 30 gold for one piece of ore. The total price was 570 gold.
Thanks to that, Ark’s total gold was 1,870.
But was that all? There were also the items collected from Andel. Scrolls were sold in Cairo, so they were removed as there was no reason to sell it……..however the rest of the equipment items and consumables sold for 500 gold. Thus, he ended up earning 2,370 gold.
Of course, Ark’s plans didn’t end here.

‘I have to make the maximum amount money!’

“JusticeMan ajusshi, hyung-nims.” I’ll guarantee it. Once I buy it and sell it to other users, then the profit from this business would be 50%.

“Certainly………..”

After hearing Ark’s explanation and calculating in their heads, they nodded.
When buying an item, it is clear that the profit would be guaranteed. There was nobody who would say no to such deals just to save money.

“Okay, everyone will invest as well.”

“Except I don’t know what the outcome would be once the group splits their earnings.”

“Even if you only have a few thousand gold, it would be enough for a business transaction…….”

“Can’t help it. Still it is lucky that everyone can come.”

“Hu hu hu, you’re the blessing for the group. You’re the person that earns money the best.”

The rehabilitation group said with a heart-warming smile as they began collecting the gold. They were only level 60 but they weren’t poor. After all, the rehabilitation members were formerly a part of the dark professions. Even if it was only a game, they still used their former skills to earn a little bit of money.
Since the beginning of the game, people could buy gold from the auction house. With their purses being emptied, 4000 gold was exceeded immediately. However, Ark wasn’t investing all that money.
Ark advised them to use 2000 gold to buy equipment.

“Hyung-nim, now is the chance to change equipment. In the Underground World, there are a lot of items that are difficult to find. The price is expensive but I can guarantee its performance.”

The rehabilitation members were moved by the flattery and quickly parted with 2,000 gold.
Ark grabbed the money bag and immediately returned to the Underground World through Yggdrasil.
Ark was the hero who had rescued the Underground World from a crisis.
Therefore, intimacy was at its best. In the Underground World, he got a discount of 30% off any items he bought.

“Wow, this isn’t a joke?”

“Doesn’t this dagger have additional damage when thrusting?”

The rehabilitation members saw the items Ark returned with and cheered.
They were items from the village of craftsmen, where the price to performance ratio was at its finest. The performance was also rare for mid-priced items.
The drops from the assassins were moderately split up and after the items were equipped, their damage and defense was upgraded.
However, upgrading the rehabilitation members wasn’t the only reason why Ark suggested changing equipment. Ark noted the pleased members before saying in a quiet voice.

“Jjak-tung hyung, in fact I got a little discount for solving the quest. So there was a little bit of change left over……..”

“Then you can have it, as a tip.”

“Yes, I had trouble with it. Even if it is outside money given, I need it.”

“Just pack it without saying anything. Child, because you are too good to mask it.”

As expected, even though they were former hoodlums, the rehabilitation members were big hearted. This was also the reason why he didn’t include Sid with his selling skills. Because he had accumulated a history of part time jobs, Ark perfectly grasped the nature of the rehabilitation members.

“Wow hyung-nim, thanks a lot!”

“Child, something like that……..Us hyung-nims won’t begrudge such a sum. By the way, how much change was left?

“600 gold.”

“Eek? “600 gold?”

The rehabilitation members let out a booming laugh. As Ark had no trading skills, they thought he would receive a 5% discount and have 100 gold left.
If they knew that the change left over was 600 gold, the rehabilitation members wouldn’t have been able to talk about it so easily.
However, the bus had already left. Since the rehabilitation members lived with honour, they couldn’t take back their words.
That was also one of Ark’s motives!

“Hyung nims are really generous.”

“Ha ha ha. That, it’s not like that. Our generosity is only a little bit big.”

“But 600 gold…….”

The rehabilitation members broke into a cold sweat as they trembled while bluffing. Therefore, 600 gold was added to Ark’s fortune of 3,000 gold.
The 2,000 gold from the rehabilitation members also remained. If they included Sid and Roco then there was a total of 5,500 gold.

“You, you’re going to buy all the items using this money?”

“Yes, did you assume that I wouldn’t have enough for everything?”

“Even though all the other stores would buy these items……”

“A promise is a promise…….”

“You are really……..”

Wolkosu eventually sighed and nodded.

“All right. I will discount it, but you really seem like you’ve chosen the wrong profession. You would’ve succeeded as a merchant. Because you wouldn’t shed tears over friendship.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“Ha ha ha! Okay, I’ll gladly arrange things.”

Wolkosu burst out laughing.
As a trader he had lost, but as a father he had regained his son. Therefore, the question of profit or loss wasn’t a problem.
Wolkosu willingly handed all the items recovered in the warehouse to Ark. They were expensive items only sold in Cairo and none could be found in any other stores. The value of the scrolls was also expensive, so he bought 10 sets of them first before Sid’s 6 bags and his 1 spare bag was so full it looked like it would explode.

“Ah, Ark-nim.” The bags are overflowing.”

Sid shook it with a happy face at the thought of all the profit.

“Sid-nim. Contract.”

“Yes? Oh, yes!”

Sid wrote the contract with trembling hands.

[Merchant’s agreement.
<Agreement: Item resale of the current party. The contract takes effect from the time the items are transferred to Sid in Cairo. All proceeds from the sale of the items must be distributed by Sid according to their respective shares.>]

It was a sale agreement worth 5,500 gold!
No matter what, he would never entrust it to Sid without a contract. But now Ark trusted Sid 100%.

“I can’t believe I really wrote a 5,500 gold contract.”

Sid confirmed the contract with tears in his eyes.
In accordance with the share of the proceeds, Ark would receive 58%, JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members 30%, Roco 5% and Sid 7%. Roco and Sid’s original investment wasn’t that much.
Sid had only concentrated on raising his skills, so his profit he made so far wasn’t that much.
And Roco was only a bonus mascot so her gold investment was small.
When dealing with a few thousand units of gold, 5% wasn’t a small amount.
5% of 5,500 gold was 275 gold. Since the expected sale profit was 40%, that meant that it was a profit of 385 gold.
Even if Sid only received 7%, that was still 577 gold. It would be enough to pay off his debt and recover his money as a merchant.
In addition, merchants also raised their characters by trading. If he traded with other users outside of a store, his skills would raise and he would obtain experience.
40% of the profits on all items meant that he would receive a large amount of experience. The penalty received by the silk market slump wasn’t a problem anymore.

”It is worth playing the role of Ark-nim’s bag for the meantime!’

His feelings of grief quickly withered.
Ark made a warm expression and asked Wolkosu.

“But ajusshi, what will you do now?”

“I……Because I couldn’t return to the capital, I had to stay here. But I want to make arrangements to return to the capital.

“That’s right.”

“You were worried about the crowd that this guy used to hang with showing up……..”

“Do not worry.”

JusticeMan moved forward and said.

“We can settle that problem since we’re heading to the capital anyway.”

“Is it really possible to do that?”

“Of course. I already asked the delinquents about the location of their other hyungs that tried to bully you.”

“But why would you guys go so far? You might even lose your life.”

Wolkosu looked at him with worried eyes, while JusticeMan laughed and shook his head.

“Ha ha ha. How can I achieve justice if I’m always worried about preserving my life?”

“That’s right.” The reason why we came here was also for justice.”

“In addition, only delinquents can reason with other delinquents.”

“That’s why I have to teach them the true duty of delinquents.”

The rehabilitation members emphasized in unison.

“Thank you, I really appreciate it!”

“Well, it’s the least we could do after you suffered a loss to your sales.”

JusticeMan said absent-mindedly.
JusticeMan joined Ark who was organizing everything he obtained in Cairo outside.

“So now the destination is determined.”

“Yes, since it was our destination from the beginning.

“Can I accompany you?”

At that time, Sid rolled his eyes and interrupted.

“Sid-nim?”

“Yes, the items from Cairo would be more expensive in the capital than Giran. And the capital has more high level users that can afford it.

When organizing the gold, it isn’t 100 or 200 gold but 5,500. Even with a 1% profit you would earn 55 gold! However, the capital should make the profits rapidly increase which would make us happy. If I’m with the rehabilitation group then it won’t be so dangerous.

“I would like that. Because I also want to go to the capital.”

“You too?”

“Yes, I also have to stop there.

Ark nodded and replied.
Finally, the group left the area of Cairo.
It was time to move to a new area. And Ark still remembered the promise to meet Shambala at the arena in the capital.
He was involved in events that he never considered and was delayed but he still remembered.

“But I have to visit Giran and report my quest to the Institute of Magic.

“Well, since Giran has a gateway it shouldn’t be a problem. I understand.”

“So we set off together.”

At the end of Ark’s words, Roco was glad.

“Is this the first time that everyone has travelled together?”

“Yes, well, how lovely that you and Ark get to go together just like you wished.

“Jjak-tung oppa!”

Roco shouted with a red face.
Fortunately, Ark’s face was also red for no reason. A refreshing wind blew from somewhere.

‘It’s good. I’m glad that I am able to laugh with people who are like family.

ACT 8 Experiencing a spar

Ark and JusticeMan’s party left Cairo.
They were headed towards the capital of Schudenberg Kingdom, Selebrid. This was because some time ago, a spokesman announced the full content.

“Attention all citizens of Schudenberg. Finally Bristol, the Sinius Principality and the Kingdom of Bavaria are no longer at war. The three countries have signed an armistice. This long war has fortunately ended peacefully with no confrontations!”

“Wah ah ah!”

The NPCs and users cheered at the unexpected news. There were three human kingdoms present in New World. The relationship between the Bristol, Sinius and Schudenberg kingdoms were poor. Because Schudenberg and the three kingdoms bordered each other, it wasn’t easy for users to cross the borders. While the NPCs in New World thought of it like a cold war state, it made the users uncomfortable. Other users and even friends started in the other kingdoms but they could not meet. In addition, most of the border area had been designated as off limits. However, the Armistice Agreement was signed. This meant that you could adventure in more areas. The spokesman raised his hand to calm the crowd and spoke again.

“We’ll inform you of the gist of the Armistice Agreement. People are free to trade with everyone in the Three Kingdoms. If you cross the border to trade, you must be granted eligibility and a special tariff of 5% applied.”

After he spoke for a long time about the boring contents of the agreement, he stopped and paused for a bit.

“But this is the most important information of the Armistice Agreement. So far, the border region of the three regions has been prohibited from battle. The three powers have declared a vast area of frontier to be cleared.”

“Frontier?”

“That’s right.” Everything in this area would be opened to all foreigners.”

The users’ opened their mouths as the spokesman’s explanation continued. This was an easier summary of the spokesman’s words. The official name of the triangular border region of the three kingdoms was Nagaran. Not too long ago, a minor skirmish developed between the three armies resting at the border. However many events have occurred in recent years, such as the Jackson event quest and other incidents all over New World, so they came to the conclusion that the war should end. The Armistice Agreement was signed after soldiers from all three armies retreated from Nagaran. As a result, there was a large area that was left empty. The kings of the three kingdoms thought about how they should use this blank area. Because once the soldiers left, there would be a lot of space. They finally came up with the solution of foreigners. The foreigners were strangers who pursued their own lives free of the calculation and interest of the three kingdoms. The reason that Nagaran was opened to foreigners was simple. When many foreigners occupied Nagaran, their powers and interests was judged to become a military buffer zone. In addition, if foreigners occupied the land and poured money into it, then the three kingdoms would also profit. The leaders were quite satisfied with the good idea.
However, even if they were called Kings they were still NPCs. They believed that they had thought of it themselves, but it was a scenario that had been prepared for New World.
<Episode II: Pioneering age of the foreigners> had begun.

“If you’re a part of an outstanding warrior guild, then you will be given the chance to occupy a castle. In addition, the foreigners that occupy a castle would receive a formal Barony from the three Kings!”

Following that, the spokesman explained the rules of the siege. The rules on how to occupy a castle were simple. In the upper part of Nagaran, something called the Throne of Governance existed. If the first user that sits on the throne is a guild leader then they will become Lord of the castle. They also had to maintain their status for three days in the game, which was 24 hours in real time, while fending off attacks from other guilds. If successful, the Lord can activate the castle’s defences which operate within a certain sphere of influence. The state of being a Lord wasn’t permanent. The user that occupies the castle has to accept another challenge at least once a week. When they are defeated, the three kingdoms would deprive them of their power. They also had to pour money into developing their castle when they couldn’t know if they could keep it.

Anyway, a buzz started among the users after the spokesman’s announcement.
They could be an owner of a castle! This was a huge event. It wasn’t a funny game anymore. If someone went back through the past Korean games that were unprecedented hits, owning a castle was seen for the first time in the game O. Occupying a castle would provide huge wealth and honour to a guild. It was to the extent that after ruling for 1 year, they would be able to own a house. How much more would the money increase in New World, which was a new generation of game. The possible benefits obtained would be terrific. And the spokesman even explained this. Once someone becomes a Lord, they are given the right to implement and collect a tax. If they intend it, they could even confiscate a user’s assets. Of course, it was also easy to rule with tyranny and then have to protect the seat from other users. But anyway, for that area, the authority of the Lord was close to infinity.

‘I can’t consider that I would have to pay attention to Ark.’

Alan gripped his fist tightly. Alan had just received a call from Andel.
He had used 1,500 gold to buy 15 assassins and sent them after Ark. His plan didn’t go so well. How the hell was he accompanied by 15 level 120 assassins and still not finish Ark? In addition to all the items wasted, he came whining to him.

‘Stupid bastard!’

It was difficult to find the Dark Brother and commission a job. Alan risked his fame points and he also invested a lot of money so far. After he hired 15 people, his fame points dropped a lot. But wasn’t the result more helpful to Ark? Of course, a good reason for that was Andel. He also never thought that the rehabilitation group would interfere or the appearance of a NPC. But nevertheless, the decisive problem was Andel’s stupidity.
New world wasn’t that simple online game that Andel thought it was. The assassins would move better under proper directions from the client. In other words, if the client doesn’t move properly than the assassins couldn’t exert their power. The user’s level wasn’t the most important thing.

‘As expected, I shouldn’t have trusted him!’

Andel had become the reason for his investment loss. Even when he died, Andel didn’t admit it but his skills were inferior to Ark’s.

‘Even the organization couldn’t deal with Ark and his teamwork. And with the presence of the NPC troops then it had become more difficult. He must be stepped on before he passes the company’s entrance examination. If possible, I have to find him before it is too late……’

Then Alan shook his head.

“No. I can’t miss this opportunity because of Ark.’

In fact, Alan already knew the information about <Episode II: Pioneering age of the Foreigners> beforehand. In reality or the game, there is nowhere that is impervious to bribes. The Holy Knight Alan was one of the few users that could access the cathedral. The action of the Three Kingdoms was heard through a NPC with high intimacy at the cathedral that he bribed.

“They have already decided to open Nagaran to the foreigners. But if you went ahead then the cathedral would later support you. Do you understand?”

Not long ago, a bishop in the cathedral had called him and secretly told him that. Although it was open to foreigners, the NPCs with authority also desired power over that area. Because they couldn’t do it directly, they would have to align with the user who has control over Nagaran. The three biggest guilds and the royal families were probably making similar moves. Since then Alan had stopped all work and focused on building his guild. While the entrance examination wasn’t important to Andel, Alan was different. He had a reason to join Global Exos. Therefore, Alan believed that occupying power in New World was enable him to pass the condition of the entrance examination.

‘The system meant that it wasn’t easy to occupy the castle, but once it is occupied the guild can establish a huge tax and raise its power. The opportunity is now. The users would soon flock to that area and stay up all night to siege the castle. I have to gather all my strength and move before a powerful guild occupies it.

Alan’s eyes shone.

‘Even if I didn’t get anything out of it, the Dark Brother organization will still regard Ark’s party as an enemy. Because 18 assassins were killed……I’ll leave Ark to them. And when I raise my power I can step on Ark anytime I want.’

Alan made a decision and immediately moved to the guild office. A week ago, he had invested a huge amount of money into the guild ‘Dawn Blade.’ Alan filled the majority of the guild with candidates from the exam. They were stronger and higher level than the users who just enjoyed the game. He secured them in order to occupy the castle. That alone should give a strong impression on the personnel from Global Exos. Alan looked at the beautiful elf magician waiting in the guild office and said.

“Lariette-nim, I’ve been waiting for you to arrive.”

“Yes, I have heard.”

“This announcement would certainly have a decisive influence on the company’s entrance examination. And Lariette should receive a similar score to me as the guild’s sub-master.

“Always……I’m thankful.”

“Please only follow me. Because I will certainly make you pass.”

“………Yes.”

Lariette was burdened and softly replied while avoiding his gaze. Lariette clearly felt troubled by Alan’s sudden approach. Ever since the Jackson event…….

‘No way……Don’t tell me it’s because of Ark?’

Men also had intuition when it came to women. Lariette clearly had a good impression of Ark. When the idea entered his head, Alan angrily furrowed his forehead and didn’t speak for a moment.

‘Yes, you’re not that different from other girls. Once I’ve got everything in the world then you’ll be begging for my affection. Yes, everything revolves around me in this world. It isn’t possible to leave me until I’m dissatisfied.’

Alan’s mantle flapped as he turned around.
“Gather all the members of the Dawn Blade guild.”

The beauty that was responsible for Global Exos reception desk let out a sigh. She was also taking the company’s examination under the name of Lariette.
However, she was sighing more often these days.

‘Alan’s becoming increasingly more oppressive. Initially he was a kind and friendly person……..’

Of course, passing the examination was her reason for playing the game. But that wasn’t her only purpose. She was one of those users with a pure mind who wanted to just enjoy New World. That was the reason she was with Alan, who played the game more actively than anyone else. She could afford to play the game with Alan, who was an attractive colleague. But since then Alan had changed. Her colleague had suddenly become overly domineering.
When someone came to be an examinee, he had a system that passed over. Then he would use his power to control their general funds. On the other hand, it they didn’t listen to him then they would be kicked from the guild. He seemed to play the game just thinking about how to obtain a high score in the entrance exam. What had made Alan so impatient? It was something she couldn’t understand.

‘Among all my colleagues, the recent evaluation of Alan isn’t very good. People should be gathering to enjoy the game. The two thousand people that gathered…….this wasn’t how I wanted the game to be like………’

“Hey, pretty girl. Why is your expression so dark?”

At that time, one guy who was waiting approached and spoke.
When she looked up she saw that it was someone from the planning department of Global Exos, Ho Myung-hwan.

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

“If such a pretty girl sitting at the desk has a gloomy face then my motivation will drop.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

When Kang Mi-su attempted a smile, Ho Myung-hwan handed her coffee before talking again.

“If you’re worrying about the company’s entrance examination then it isn’t necessary. You have a friend called Alan yes? The Planning Department is already paying attention to Alan. His evaluation is quite high and as his partner yours is as well. If you keep it up then you’ll surely pass.”

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

Ho Myung-Hwan scratched his head before walking away with a cool laugh.
At that time, Kang Mi-su remembered something and asked.

“Do you happen to know anything about Ark-nim?”

Ark?”

Ho Myung-Hwan sounded puzzled.

“I’ve never heard of him? You know him?”

“Yes, a little bit……..”

“Hmm, I know every ID that the Planning Department is paying attention to…….I’ve never heard of him so it is possible that he hasn’t been playing an active part in the game.”

“But I heard that he made a considerable achievement in the event quest?”
Kang Mi-su said with an expression that indicated she didn’t understand. Yes, apart from Alan most people also know Ark’s name. During the event quest, wasn’t he the user that was responsible for the success of the plan to blow up the scorch cannons? Therefore she couldn’t understand how the Planning Department couldn’t remember his Id. Kang Mi-su explained this to Ho Myung-hwan who tilted his head.

“Really? Strange. That is certainly enough to deserve attention……..There are 2000 candidates so someone might have missed it. I understand. I’ll check it again.”

“Please.”

“Oho, Miss Global Exos Kang Mi-su is asking after a guy. Do you have a man on your mind? I’m jealous.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Ha ha ha! Okay, okay. Don’t twist your face so much. Well I’ll look into it.”

Ho Myung-Hwan rattled off a joke before heading off. Kang Mi-su looked at his back with a complicated expression. Of all the people who was at the interview, Kim Hyun-woo…….No, Ark. Why did his name suddenly pop up? She honestly didn’t know. But Ark seemed to show a different form every time they met so she was nervous about his existence. Yes, I was just feeling nervous. That’s all it is.

“What is this? If you want to sleep then you should sleep at night……”

Hyun-Woo rubbed his swollen eyes as he listened to the complaints.
Then Gwon Hwa-rang farted and squeezed his head.

“This guy, what happened to the game? You were playing the game with me. The game connection suddenly died so I came to check on you but you were only sleeping?

“I told you. I had so many things to do in the Underground World that I never slept much.”

“When I was your age, I stay up all night for over a week.”

“Were you a super robot that was designed by the country?”

“Anybody could do it. It’s just about their mentality.”

“So I must have a weak mentality since I keep falling asleep.”

Ark pouted his lips. Gwon Hwa-rang smiled and replied.

“Anyway, we had time to meet up before Hye-sung connects to the game again. Since there is still plenty of time for me to introduce someone to you. In fact, I’ve tried to introduce them before but it was difficult since they were busy.”

“Introduction? Is this like a group blind date?”

“Don’t speak nonsense and wait a moment. You have to come.”

A ringing sound was heard as one man entered the cafe and looked around. He was a 30 year old man around 170 cm tall. Wearing a sleeveless t-shirt, baggy shorts and dragging their slippers, they looked like third rate gangsters. He surveyed the cafe before approaching Gwon Hwa-rang and flopped down beside him. Hyun-woo moved as he looked at Gwon Hwa-rang. Gwon Hwa-rang was an ex-detective. While doing that, he met and associated closely with the rehabilitation members, but there were many others that felt different. When Gwon Hwa-rang walked passed, there were many delinquents that complained. After seeing his appearance, Hyun-woo could understand their feelings. Fortunately, Gwon Hwa-rang remembered to welcome him.

“Why are you so late?”

“Aigoo, Hyung-nim. Didn’t I join hyung-nim just like you asked? Once you gave up being a detective your fate improved. Since the early evening, those young guys have been writing in that notebook, so should I call the National Police Agency to take them away?”

“Stop playing. The police will only stop the hoodlums when you aren’t able to anymore.”

“I bet the profit is better for the police.”

The company smiled and answered as they looked at Hyun-woo.

“Is that your friend?”

“Yes, ah! This is Hyun-woo. Greet him. He was a junior at an athletic university. This is Lee Myung-ryong. Before he was a detective, he was a delinquent.

“Good to see you. I’m Lee Myung-ryong. As you’ve heard, I used to be a delinquent before being a detective.

Lee Myung-ryong smiled and extended his hand.
It felt like holding a stone which was to be expected since looked like a hoodlum.

“I’m Kim Hyun-woo.”

Hyun-woo shook his hand before looking at Gwon Hwa-rang. But why would he interrupt his sleep just to introduce a policeman.

“Hyun-Woo, you said that lately you’ve been constantly exercising?”

“Yes I do it for 2 hours in the morning.

“Yes, that’s why your skills are a lot more proficient in the game. But there is a limit to just exercising. Because the National Police Agency he works for is near your house, you can train at the NPA gym now.”

“Yes? But ………”

Hyun-woo said with a puzzled expression. Certainly it felt like his movements didn’t change that much these days. There was obviously a limit to exercising alone. Well, after exercising his physical strength also increased so that might be enough for an ordinary person. However, Hyun-woo applied taekwondo to the game. So he had a greedy desire to increase his skills even more. But why was it suddenly the NPA gym? Since he never heard about it in advance, Hyun-woo looked at Lee Myung-ryong with confused eyes. Lee Myung-ryong’s face tightened as he played no regard to Gwon Hwa-rang.

“It’s not a burden. At the NPA many civilians come and go just like a normal gym. There is also a guy who was once a member of the taekwondo national team. Although his nature might be dirty, you can learn taekwondo directly. Have you heard of the representative who had to step down because of violent incidents?”

“Are you going senile? How can you say something like that in front of the kids?”

“Anyway, it won’t be a problem to use the gymnasium? I’ll stop coming if anyway at the NPA gym says something.”

“Jeez, it won’t be a problem. But as your hyung-nim, you should know that the NPA gym is a lot different from your normal neighbourhood gym. It doesn’t matter what your character is or if you are a friend of hyung-nim’s, if you play around then we won’t take it lightly…….”

Lee Myung-ryong looked at Hyun-woo with doubtful eyes.

“Kukuku, you haven’t heard. Although he comes from an athletic university and looks trivial, he is a surprisingly adept pupil. In the old days, didn’t I tell you about a guy who landed a spin kick on my jaw? He is that guy.”

“Ho-oh, that friend? The one who was on the streets looking for a fight?”

“Fight? Don’t be ridiculous. Really. That was a long time ago. It was to such a degree that I would be frightened by his approach. When compared to now, it was truly a different person. It was like a cage.”

“Ah, ajusshi!”

Hyun-woo shouted angrily with a red face.
It was the event where he flew at Detective Gwon Hwa-rang who made even terrorist organizations tremble and kicked his jaw! It was something he would never forget. Shortly after his father’s traffic accident, Gwon Hwa-rang had visited Hyun-woo who was wandering for a while. His mother wanted to talk to him. That was Gwon Hwa-rang’s first words.
However, before he could finish the words Hyun-woo sharply turned around and kicked Gwon Hwa-rang in the jaw. Any other victim would think of a lawyer to get some compensation.
Gwon Hwa-rang just turned as he stumbled. However, after a moment Gwon Hwa-rang just laughed with a pleasant expression.
………..Hyun-woo remembered it from here. After that, he fainted while being beaten into the ground and woke up in front of the intensive care unit where his mother was lying. He honestly didn’t know if the tears he shed then were tears of penance or because of the pain he was in.

‘Was that the first time since I was born that someone made me faint because of the blood thirst? Was that why I was afraid to approach?’

When Hyun-woo stared at him in dissatisfaction, Gwon Hwa-rang pretended ignorance and just looked away. Suddenly, he felt sharp eyes on him. It was Lee Myung-ryong, who was styled as a third rate delinquent.

“Ho-oh, this guy was the one who kicked hyung-nim’s chin?”

“No, it was just an accident. Ajusshi was just compliant.”

“He just received it? This guy? Is that a joke?”

Lee Myung-Ryong’s mouth lifted as he nodded.

“Okay, stand up. The gymnasium is empty so I have to see it for myself.”

“Yes? But I really……..”

“What guy would whine so much? Follow me!”

Like most delinquents, Lee Myung-ryong had a straightforward nature. Hyun-woo was eventually dragged with violence to the police gym. When he first arrived, he thought it was quite a nice gym. It was stocked with different types of exercise equipment and the changing rooms and shower facilities were also cutting edge. Hyun-Woo looked around with amazed eyes when Lee Myung-ryong spotted a locker and threw a uniform at him. Lee Myung-ryong then changed into a uniform.

“Try it on. The size should mostly fit.”

“Yes?”

“Is the child just going to come here and then leave tastelessly? If you’re a martial artist then you should join. Ah, you might be surprised but it is a prohibited matter in this gym. Even a guest can’t do it. It isn’t done. If you do then it is the death penalty! So hurry up and quickly change.”

The South Korean detective had trampled on his human rights. Therefore, Hyun-woo changed into the uniform and quickly stood up while looking at Lee Myung-ryong. Next to him, Gwon Hwa-rang was just looking from a distance away. Lee Myung-ryong scratched his chin and said.

“The NPA gym doesn’t have any rules or anything like fouls. Two people fight, and if one person is knocked out and can’t continue any more than the battle ends. If you understand…….Begin!”

Lee Myung-ryong who had narrowed the distance suddenly popped up like a ball. In a flash, his foot tried to sweep him onto the floor. Hyun-woo was frightened and quickly backed up a few steps. However, before he could get in a blow Lee Myung-ryong changed his posture and aimed for the temple. He was reflexively able to bend his upper body in order to avoid Lee Myung-ryong’s attack who quickly moved a few meters away. His movement was like a demon’s.

“Ho-oh, you are okay. It is enough to see the form, just like hyung-nim said.”

His attack failed twice but Lee Myung-ryong said it in a pleasant voice. In fact, Hyun-Woo was also amazed. Lee Myung-ryong’s kick was at a level of speed similar to a pro. Hyun-Woo who had a little bit of instruction in taekwondo couldn’t even be compared. It might have been a coincidence, but he also avoided the subsequent attack on the chin. And Hyun-woo was able to use his form to avoid the attacks twice.

‘The movements learnt in New World can also be applied to reality!’

He had no idea until this day. Ark used the evasion techniques that were useful in New World. Not only were techniques in real life passed onto the game, but the game also teaches techniques that could be used in reality! The instincts learnt in the game and reality was mixed. But in fact, it was an obvious result. In a virtual reality game, the user’s brain was used to move the characters. Although different brain waves were amplified by the computer, it was no different from the way your body moves in reality. What interested him was the fact that skills from the game could be used.

‘I thought I would get hit by Lee Myung-ryong’s attacks after I was unable to avoid the Kanggeul’s vine attacks. But I avoided the Kanggeul’s attacks on unstable ground. If the strong opponent was on a mat then it would be easier to avoid.’

Hyun-woo kicked the mats a couple of times and nodded. Anyway the sparring had begun. He had to try his best to win since it already started! Hyun-woo started do some steps while breathing clearly. Increased tempo, increased tempo, until Hyun-woo suddenly accelerated and suddenly kicked forward.

“Look at this guy. He attacked immediately without looking? Contrary to what he looks like, he’s quite good!”

Lee Myung-ryong kicked lightly while swapping between his left and right foot. But that was the movement that Hyun-woo aimed for. Hyun-woo gave a sharp cry and he rotated and stabbed forward with his feet. He felt a heavy weight passing to his toes.

‘Success!’

Hyun-woo turned as he felt an exhilarating feeling. At that moment he stumbled and his eyes widened as he looked at Lee Myung-ryong. Sweat suddenly slid down his spine.
Lee Myung-ryong had stopped the foot by blocking with his thick forearm. However, that wasn’t the reason sweat was flowing. He had never been impressed by ordinary people, but something was flickering in Lee Myung-ryong’s eyes. It was difficult to express in words what the feeling was. It felt like his body was being cut by a sharp knife! Hyun-woo knew from experience. A really scary man wasn’t a man who had a muscular body. The voice also doesn’t have to be loud. Immediately……..the person had poison in his eyes. It was the eyes of a person who had chosen and experienced more violence and pandemonium in their lives. It was often present in the eyes of military personnel.

‘Dangerous!’

At the same time, a warning message popped into his head. Hyun-woo immediately retreated as he took a couple of steps back. And he didn’t move. It was the instinctive behaviour herbivores used to escape from a predator. However, Lee Myung-ryong rushed in before he could move his body into the ready position. It really was like a predator rushing forward!

“……….!”

Was it 20 years ago?
It was the K-1 period where martial arts contests bloomed. However, it received criticism and soon degenerated into a spectacle but as a result the UFC greatly advanced the development of martial arts. A line of clear victory or defeat was drawn which focused less on the spirit and mind and more on a systematic and scientific method. That’s right. Martial arts greatly developed using that period as a foundation. However, that was only the technical side. They used that time period as the foundation for the development of withdrawal. Dangerous techniques were banned from mixed martial arts competitions……..in other words it was the most effective technique in practicing. However, he didn’t learn from a gym that taught those practical skills. It wasn’t easy for him to tell which techniques weren’t supposed to be used. Therefore, the martial arts appeared like the canines of a large predator. However, in modern times there weren’t many places to learn actual practical techniques left. Among them, the police SWAT team learned it directly while battling life and death during the day and the night. And Lee Myung-ryong was the head of the SWAT team! Unlike a game, Hyun-woo was experiencing taekwondo where real blood spilled. The technique was an excessive standard move. But the anomaly was that too perfect techniques came pouring out.
Furthermore, each one aimed at the jugular so it felt strange that he survived the attacks! When he blocked with his arm, it felt like the bone was being hit by a hammer.

‘If it hits a vital spot then I’ll die!”

It was the bloody attack that naturally made sure that death would be associated with it.
But that woke up Hyun-woo’s stubborn character.

‘If I don’t stop him then it isn’t possible to end this!’

Hyun-woo ground his teeth together and put power into his shaky legs. Strike! The opportunity for Hyun-woo to attack only came once. Hyun-woo kicked his feet and struck like a hurricane while he had the chance. And when Lee Myung-ryong began the movements to use a sidekick, he quickly moved his feet.

“Dark Dance!”

It was the footwork from the Dark Dance that he learned not too long ago. When Ark’s movement became complicated, Lee Myung-ryong showed the intention to rush forward. Meanwhile, Hyun-woo avoided Lee Myung-ryong’s attacks and sprung forward like a rubber ball. He expended all his power on a knee kick!
Lee Myung-ryong’s eyes flinched. The footwork he used wasn’t present in taekwondo so he couldn’t anticipate it. However, he lived in a world where unexpected situations could become a bloody violent battlefield. Lee Myung-ryong called off the movement by stopping his body and falling towards the floor with both arms thrust out. Then his body twisted and he kicked out. Another name for it was the windmill! Lee Myung-Ryong’s heels smacked Hyun-woo’s chest. Hyun-woo was thrown to the floor.

“Heok!”

It felt like one of his ribs was cracking under the shock. Gwon Hwa-rang who was watching from the side jumped up.

“Hyun-Woo! You bastard, you’re insane!”

Like an afterthought, a look of whoops flashed on Lee Myung-ryong’s face.

“S-sorry. I unconsciously went too far…….are you alright?”

“Yes, it’s bearable.”

Hyun-woo took a deep breath and stood up. His chest hurt but the feeling was quite refreshing. Sparring……..How long has it been since he tasted this sensation? In addition, Lee Myung-ryong’s skills were a few levels above the instructors that had previously taught Hyun-woo. No, it felt much stronger than the martial artists who fought on the TV. Hyun-woo knew that such an opportunity to spar with someone so like that wasn’t common. Moreover, he would sincerely try to hurt his opponents……Hyun-woo grinned as he wiped at the sweat on his forehead.

“With you be teaching the technique for that windmill? I never saw that on TV. Let’s start again.”

“Oho, look at this guy.”

Lee Myung-ryong eagerly shook his shoulders but flinched as he saw the angry face of Gwon Hwa-rang. Then he sighed and shook his head.

“No, that’s it for today. Even if you can stand it for the moment, it will hurt quite a lot tomorrow. Grab a poultice and put it on the swollen area before leaving. And don’t forget to come to the gym when it is time to exercise, I’ll be here from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“Yes? Then you’re going to directly teach me?

“Yes, so go have a shower and leave for the time being.

“Yes!”

Hyun-woo nodded and bowed before heading to the locker room with an excited expression. Lee Myung-ryong looked at Hyun-woo’s back before saying in a serious voice.

“Hyung-nim, did you say that he stopped training for 5-6 years?”

“That’s what I heard.”

“His age is twenty-two?

“Yes.”

Lee Myung-ryong laughed at Gwon Hwa-rang’s answer.

“Kkukkukkuk, he’s the real deal. Just like hyung-nim said, it may be possible.”

“When I brought him to you. I had forgotten this but his skills had become better from what I saw before he played the virtual reality game. I didn’t know if you would take him……..It was to the extent that I didn’t even know. He was raised well.”

“Leave. I will positively raise him.

Gwon Hwa-rang and Lee Myung-ryong laughed as they faced each other. There was a look of mischief in their eyes. When he exited the gym, Gwon Hwa-rang had a car waiting.

“Come in. I’ll take you.”

“My house is only a few stops away isn’t it?

“Stop talking nonsense and enter.

Gwon Hwa-rang forcefully pushed Hyun-woo into the car.
The spare with Lee Myung-ryong seemed to have taken more out of him than he thought. Even if it wasn’t so, Hyun-woo who had been dragged out while sleeping because tired and slept for a moment. But when he opened his eyes at Gwon Hwa-rang’s voice, had he arrived at the wrong place?

“Ara? Where is this place?”

“Get down. Someone you know will be appearing soon.

“Yes? But what…? ”

“So I’m going.”

Hyun-Woo was left astounded as Gwon Hwa-rang drove away.

‘What on earth? Meeting someone I know?

“Eh? Hyun-Woo oppa?”

At that moment, Hyun-woo hadn’t known what to do.
Suddenly, a woman stopped in front of the convenience store with an awestruck expression. It was a familiar voice……..Jung Hye-Sun.He remembered that she told him she attended night classes to get into university when they were working part time at the convenience store. Hyun-woo hadn’t known where it was, but Gwon Hwa-rang was probably aware. That was probably why he dropped Hyun-woo off and suddenly disappeared.

‘Damn, I thought it was a raccoon but instead it was a bear?’

“What are you doing here? It can’t be……..did you come to meet me?”

“Ah, well……..”

Hyun-woo scratched his head as he opened his mouth. Hyun-Woo wasn’t a bear. Even though he never said it, he didn’t want Jung Hye-sun to think that. Of course, he didn’t hate Jung Hye-sun. He just wanted their relationship to continue like siblings. However, if he told the truth in such a situation then he wasn’t a man.

“Are you hungry?” Rice…….did you want some?

Hyun-Woo opened his mouth as Jung Hye-sun looked embarrassed. But he quickly smiled and said.

“Oppa shouts?”

“The limit if 6000 won.

“8, 000 won. I know a good tonkatsu place in the neighbourhood.

“Um, okay. I’ll shout you coffee from the vending machine.”

“Hohoho. I understand. I’ll let the house branch fade instead. The road at night is beautiful and scary isn’t it?”

Jung Hye-sun used the opportunity to grab Hyun-woo’s arm. Using the element of surprise, this guy……..he felt like a woman in a movie. This may be a little bit dangerous.

ACT 9 The Evil Silrion Arena

‘Huumm, it is very vague.

Ark sighed as he messed around with a dark red key. Travelling with JusticeMan and the rehabilitation group, Roco and Sid took longer than expected. Roco took a break when she had to work at her part time job. When Roco wasn’t there, the party had to stop to set up a camp while Ark concentrated on hunting, but with Roco they could just ignore the monsters and head straight to Selebrid. The party was finally able to reach Giran on the third day. While Roco was away, Ark reported to the Giran Institute of Magic.

“Hopefully I’m not too late.”

Shannen welcomed Ark with a face that indicated he had been suffering a lot.

“Yes, did you find what was requested?”

“The Heartsoul Bead was found.”

“Ooh, is that true?”

“But there is a little problem.”

“A problem? What’s the matter?”

“The Heartsoul Bead broke so the magic is gone.”

Ark explained the situation calmly. He encountered the monsters that had been changed thanks to the beads and it broke during the fight………he didn’t tell them that through the raccoon clan’s sacrifice, Nídhöggur was sealed underneath Subarutalp. The reason was that Yggdrasil had asked him to keep it a secret to preserve the stability of the Northern Continent.
Shannen blew out a sigh and looked depressed.

“…….If that was the situation then it can’t be helped.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it is better to control it before its influence spreads even wider. I hope you don’t mind that the Magic Institute will take care of the rest.”

Shannen shook his head in case Ark tried to reject it.
He had done everything to search for the Heartsoul Bead so that there would be no political problems. The Magic Institute was worried about those ‘facts.’ Nobody knows how the Heartsoul Bead could affect the continent. In the end, the Magic Institute taking responsibility for any disaster caused by the Heartsoul Bead was avoided. However, if the Heartsoul Bead broke then it was a different matter. The Magic Institute was partly responsible for the loss thanks to improper care. But at least they could avoid any of the predictions of the disasters that would have occurred.

“We will bear responsibility for not managing the Heartsoul Bead properly. But the problem for the Magic Institute is the power that had disappeared. For the moment, we will make up an excuse for why we can’t show the bead to the royals and the other guilds……..anyway good job. My eyes were definitely correct.”

“I hope I didn’t betray your expectations.”

“Of course, rewards and achievements would follow.”

Ark was glad as Shannen continued talking. It was a linked quest that had the difficult of the quest increased to +C. When the quest was completed, he immediately gained 4 levels. The dissatisfied feeling when he didn’t receive any experience for the Complete Victory quest was quickly solved. However, Ark wasn’t satisfied with just that. First the Heartsoul Bead made him search for a group of thieves, before leading him to Kairote and then the Underground World, with a total time of one month spent on it. He didn’t go through all that trouble just to increase his level. Ark stared with greedy eyes as he waited for Shannen’s next words.

‘Maybe I can gain access to the Magic Institute’s treasure house once again.’

However, Shannen’s only reward was an old key.

The Dimensional Key of Magaro (Special)

A long time ago, the genius alchemist Magaro left this behind as his legacy. Magaro was a genius who’s rank in the world could be counted on the fingers of one hand, despite the long history of the Magic Institute. He was well known for his unique ideas and eccentricities as well as his genius. In his later years, the challenge that the genius was interested in was the organisms that lived in other dimensions. Magaro vanished while hiding the materials he kept at the Magic Institute to study. After that, no one knew his whereabouts. The fact that no one knew whether he was dead or alive was more painful. However, the key was delivered to the Magic Institute under the name of Magaro several years later.

“What is this?”

“Why, didn’t you previously tell me that you were interested in the biology of your creature?”

It was the time when he was looking for a way to end Snake’s metamorphosis. Of course, the problem was solved and Ark forgot that he had even asked the question. But it seemed like Shannen didn’t forget.

“After that, I looked for materials in the library but couldn’t find anything. Then I remembered about the key. In fact, the Magic Institute doesn’t really have a lot of information related to biodiversity. When Magaro went missing a long time ago, he took all the books related to that subject. If you seek out his laboratory then you can gain the knowledge that you wanted to know.”

“But………”

Was this a joke? He almost died and suffered to complete the +C rank difficulty quest and the only reward was information about creature biology? Ark made a dissatisfied expression and began to open his mouth.

“It is not just a book. Magaro lived in the prosperous time when magic was flourishing. Yet he was still one of the top five alchemists on the continent. In particular, he was a genius at inventing new ideas. The scrolls and magic sold at the Magic Institute were all made from ideas that he produced. Obviously there would be amazing magical knowledge piled up in his laboratory.”

Ark quickly closed his mouth. He could smell money from Shannen’s words. He had no interest in acquiring different knowledge. But if the legacy of the genius magician in his laboratory was still intact. Who knows what might be in there? With any luck, he could find new magical items or learn a new skill.

“Where is the laboratory?”

“Do you remember how I said Magaro went missing?”

Shannen shook his head and added.

“After that, the Magic Institute gathered many magicians and tried to visit the laboratory.” But after decades of finding no traces, it was abandoned. Even the key has been forgotten by now. Along with the legacy he left behind.”

“…………”

“I wasn’t the only one who decided to give you this key. It is the key to the laboratory where all of Magaro’s research was kept. Although the location hasn’t been discovered yet, it is an important asset to the Magic Institute. It wasn’t easy for my heart to give it to a foreigner.”

“What do you mean?”
“At a meeting of the Magic Institute, Grand Master decided to give you the key. The Grand Master decided that if you solved the robbery case then you would be given Magaro’s key.”

Shannen was the president of the Magic Institute’s branch in Schudenberg, while it had a separate rank for the highest magicians. The chief of the Magic Institute in Bristol was a Grand Master.

“I don’t understand. I’ve never even met the Grand Master. If the key is so important then why are you giving it to me?”

“The magicians have faith in you as a person. They wouldn’t have decided to leave something like that in the hands of a trivial person otherwise. Why waste thousands of warriors searching for it when you could use just one.”

Isn’t that a separate thing? Ark did not believe those words. People should work for it themselves if they wanted something. However, in medieval times thoughts like Shannen’s were common. It was similar to when Arthur became a king after he pulled out the sword from the stone. And New World was based on the medieval times. He could understand Shannen’s rationale on a theoretical basis.Anyway, his words were like the language of a shopkeeper who would say things like ‘these clothes fit you perfectly,’ so Ark nodded his head.

“So this key will give me a clue?”

“Nobody knows. But you are already managed to do impossible things twice. You created a miracle in Jackson and managed to regain the Heartsoul Bead with just a small clue. So we judged that you would be able to handle it and entrust the key to you.”

Then Ark found himself offended from a part of Shannen’s words. Shannen ‘gave’ the key to him a while ago but now it was only ‘entrusted.’ Although the difference was small, he trusted his intuition.

“This compensation isn’t so simple is it?”

Ark asked with narrowed eyes at the smile on Shannen’s lips.

“You’re insightful as expected. That’s right, the key is the compensation for settling my request, as commissioned by the Grand Master of the Magic Institute.”

“Commission?”

“Yes, after the genius Magaro disappeared the Magic Institute lost all access to his research. It is a legacy that the Magic Institute can’t give up on. So I want to ask you to please look for the laboratory. Of course, I don’t know how difficult the work will be. No, definitely not. Although it might be hard to believe, but trust in your talent and development. Therefore, we’ll recognize your right to all the goods in the laboratory. How is it?” Will you try?”

Shannen offered him another linked quest. An alchemist was a profession that could create scrolls and various magical items. If it was a genius alchemist, then it could be assumed that there would be many items piled up in his laboratory. If the Magic Institute gave him all the rights to it………

‘It is a quest with a huge reward!’

“I understand. It might take a while but I’ll do it.”

Ark nodded and soon the quest was registered.

Genius Alchemist’s laboratory.

Shannen has told you about a genius alchemist that went missing a long time ago. He has asked you to find Magaro’s laboratory. When he disappeared a long time ago, he left no clues to his whereabouts. This is expected to be a difficult quest. However, if you manage to find the laboratory you will receive the absolute trust of the Magic Institute and receive appropriate compensation.

<Difficulty: ???>
<Quest restriction: Friendship with the Magic Institute is more than 200 points>]

When he completed the Heartsoul Bead quest, his friendship with the Magic Institute went up by 100 points. When he rescued the crew of the event quest, his friendship points were raised by 50 for each crew member. Thanks to the 200 points, he received the quest for the genius alchemist’s laboratory.

‘If a friendship of 200 is needed for the quest then I’ll definitely receive compensation.’

“And that Red Man you previously spoke about.”

“Yes, did you find anything?”

Ark fixed his posture and asked again. The Red Man, an unidentified NPC who tried to use the Heartsoul Bead to revive Nídhöggur. It was probably the most important NPC for the Global Exos entrance examination……..the unknown person. However, he was unable to find any clues in the Underground World. Before leaving for Cairo, he had asked the Magic Institute about the Red Man but they had no answers.

“Even the Magic Institute’s information network couldn’t discover anything about his identity.”

‘Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy to obtain information about him.’

While Ark was disappointed, Shannen said something else.

“But the Magic Institute also wants to discover how the Red Man is connected. Although I’ve said it before, for some reason there is an ominous feeling. We’ll continue to collect information using the Magic Institute’s networks. Perhaps we will come into contact with some new information.”

He had received the Magic Institute’s promise of cooperation. And Yggdrasil even offered to use its roots that stretched throughout the continent to look for the whereabouts of the Red Man.
He had a huge information network at hand.

‘When it is to this degree, my information isn’t delayed compared to other users who rely on organizations. It was even a possibility of finding the way to pass the entrance examination faster than other users.’

“While you are looking for the Red Man or Magaro’s laboratory, occasionally send me a progress report. We will set up a transfer mailbox in your name.”

-Ark has established a ‘transfer mailbox.’
It will become more comfortable to receive and send mail and items.

An unforeseen bonus was added. Ark had considered establishing a transfer mailbox. However, it was postponed because it require 50 gold to register.

‘If I had wasted money to establish it I would’ve cried.

Anyhow, just like that Ark got a new quest. Before leaving the Magic Institute, he was suddenly reminded of something and asked.

“Do you have any information about the flora and fauna that inhabit the continent?”

“We have a few materials I think. Do you need it?”

“Yes, I think it would certainly help.”

“Really? But the Magic Institute prohibits any material being taken out. All right? Therefore you can only browse or mail a copy to yourself.
“Thank you.”

Ark bowed and exited the Magic Institute. He required data on flora and fauna because of the ‘Shining Slime Essence’ recipe he created in the Underground World. Therefore he had the idea to use the wide information network of the Magic Institute. Anyway after he joined his colleagues again to head to Selebrid, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat tricked. It was a laboratory that the Magic Institute had stopped searching for. And the only clue was the key. He also didn’t know what to do or where to go.

‘Damn. What the? What if he failed to find the lab after all? It would mean that completing the +C rank quest was useless because all he received was the key……..’

“Oppa, what are you doing?”

Then, Roco’s voice was heard from in front of him. Ark quickly woke up from his thoughts and made Snake eat the key and then shook his head.

“Eung? Forget about it.”

“Do you know how many times I called? Were you zoning out again?”

“No, I was just having other thoughts…….but why?”

“Didn’t you see the system window?”

“The system window?”

“We arrived at Selebrid.”

At Roco’s voice, Ark belatedly looked at the system window.
The map information that was previously in the eastern area had changed to Selebrid.

“JusticeMan ajusshi and the oppas are waiting. Come quickly.”

Without even waiting for an answer, Roco pulled him by his arm. Just……after being tricked by JusticeMan, he had reluctantly been forced to have a date with Roco. She had become casual with Ark, which was why she was able to interlock their arms. But deep down, Roco’s attention didn’t feel unpleasant. He was dragged by Roco to the hills to the south where the rehabilitation group was waiting.

“Ark-nim. We’ve finally arrived. This is Selebrid.”

Sid pointed down with an overwhelmed face.
Ark cried out without thinking.

“Ah……….!”

At the heart of the forest at the bottom of the hill, a huge fort city stretched out. Selebrid……..Indeed, the capital of the Schudenberg kingdom was on a different scale.
Huge white walls reached a height that was 3~4 times that of a commercial city. It was neatly organized into different compartments, with the market, auction house, cathedral, guild office and various other buildings showing a colourful appearance. But above all, the beautiful streamlined shape of the city was what attracted Ark’s attention. It was at the moment that he truly felt like he arrived in the Schudenberg kingdom.

“…………We’ve finally arrived.”

It was only one week after they left Cairo.

“Everybody make sure to meet here again after 1 hour.”

The party was scattered in front of Selebrid’s gate.

“Oppa, I have to go to my part-time job. I’ll log on at 11 o’clock this evening.

“Ark-nim, I have report my merchant exclusive quest that I received in Giran.”

Roco logged out while Sid walked to the business district with a jangling noise. JusticeMan led the rehabilitation group to the tavern. The tavern was the place that multiple players used to gather information from NPCs.It was to gather more information about the thieves threatening Lorenzo.

‘I still have some time before the promise to meet Shambala. In the meantime, what should I do in Selebrid?’

In fact, Ark and Shambala had never clearly made an appointment. When Shambala left Jackson, he had one-sidedly left a note to meet at the arena. That was nearly a month ago. Yet Shambala talked about the next month. October hadn’t ended but he had arrived after 29 days. Ark had established the transfer mailbox. Then he made sure the NPC confirmed that Shambala was registered. Fortunately, Shambala was registered as a customer of this mailbox. Ark immediately sent a letter to Shambala. The content was that they would meet at the front gates of Selebrid on the afternoon of the 29th.

‘There was no reply so it is possible that he may have left for other areas……..’

Ark spent some time looking around.

-Wow, great. Look at those buildings. The people here must be freezing!

Popo exclaimed with shining eyes. He had only lived in the Underground World, so the appearance of Selebrid was an amazing sight for him. In fact, Ark was the same. Selebrid was a different area where level 50~70 players gathered compared to Giran. There were thousands of users, but there were many above level 80 and even above level 100. His eyeballs rolled back. Until now, he had been hunting around Giran so Ark couldn’t imagine seeing so many users that were level 100.

‘It isn’t easy to get past level 100.’

The region also had NPCs that sold high level items. The types and number of stores were less than Giran’s, but each sold only high level restricted items! The armour sets that could be sold at the best value in Giran were only sold at the intermediate level in Selebrid. The items on sale by the users were also at least level 80.

“Huh? That’s the shoulder!’

Ark stopped walking in front of a flea market stand. Among the armour sets, there were also pieces that could be worn on the shoulders. However, the shoulder items were still not common in New World. The NPC had insufficient awareness so the shoulder piece wasn’t treated well, and the drop rate from monsters was also atrocious. In addition, the lowest restriction on wearing it was level 80. It wasn’t even possible to see it in Giran. But there was quite a lot of high level shoulder armour gathered.

‘Leather shoulder blade. The option was quite good, with a defense of 25.’

When he saw the new equippable item, he automatically swallowed saliva.

‘The price is 300 gold. That is quite expensive but it would be a good defensive armour to have………’

But now Ark was broke. He had used all his money investing in items from Cairo, so he only had a few gold left in his wallet.

‘Well, after Sid finishes clearing out all the items then gold would come rushing in again. Until then, there is no time for shopping. It is almost time for the appointment so let’s go back to the gate.’

Ark guessed the time and returned to the gate. The gate was crowding with thousands of people coming and going. Then someone tapped his shoulder and after he turned his head, there was a user wearing a black mask.

“Hey, you’re late.”

“Shambala!”

Ark grinned widely and shouted.
Fortunately, he had checked his mailbox.

“You left it until the last day of the month……..isn’t that terrible?”

“I’m sorry, I was a little busy.”

“Although you went to all that trouble, I’m afraid it might be for nothing?

“Why? Do you have other business?

“No, it’s not……..”

Shambala scratched his head.

“Actually, I’ve already signed up for another tournament.”

The reason that Ark and Shambala arranged to meet in Selebrid wasn’t simply to look or talk to each other. It was only to compete, because they wanted to see each other’s skills in front of spectators. However, Shambala had already applied for another match before he checked the mailbox.

“Another fight?”

“Yes, the fight is starting tomorrow.”

“When it is finished then we can have a drink.

“But it doesn’t finish with just one battle, it is a tournament system this time. The progress of the games would take over three days in real time. And if I cancel the tournament application then I can’t apply for another fight.”

“I can’t participate in this contest?”

“It is possible. But this fight won’t be fair.”

“Fair?”

“The game I’m participating in is 2 against 1.”

Shambala and Ark thought for a moment. The reason why Ark wanted to meet Shambala was to formally fight against him. That was also true for Shambala as well. However, Ark already found more meaning in meeting Shambala than he previously had. A proverb was handed down in martial arts.
If one practices one hundred times more than they thought, then a single encounter was ten times better than that practice. It was indeed the truth. Sometimes the instructors of martial arts would teach mental training, and people would go home claiming it was a waste of time. It was all silly talk. What are martial arts? In the end, the thing being honoured was the techniques. If you looked at history for the period where martial arts were flourishing, was it the Warring States Period? But that context doesn’t fit as recently people claimed that it was the technique that beat the opponent. So he’d rather train his body and mind a thousand times than just rely on technique. A former member of the taekwondo national team and current SWAT team leader, it was at Lee Myung-ryong’s insistence that Ark master both.

…………Well, after a while he waited for the next words.
Anyway, the key to building martial arts skills was practice. That was the reason Ark was looking forward to sparring with Shambala. Shambala was proficient in Kung Fu. By sparring him, he would obtain more than if he just fought ordinary monsters or users. Just a few nights ago he had received severe training from Lee Myung-ryong. It was common that if he spent one day practicing, he would have to lie down for the next few days……..it was so severe that after the first 2~3 times, Ark was frightened to visit the gym. However, suffering through such training instilled confidence in Ark. Ark had wanted to test the results though Shambala.

‘Three days…….it wasn’t a short time, but it was a special opportunity.’

Ark nodded and replied.

“I can’t complain since I was very late. Okay, I’ll wait. If we don’t take this opportunity then who knows when the next chance would be.”

“What will you do in the meantime?”

“I will probably just go hunting in this area.”

While he was thinking, Shambala opened his mouth and said something else.

“Instead of exiting the city, why don’t you try the tournament?”

“The tournament?”

“Yes, you should become familiar with the arena. Is it your first time? Contestants who are unfamiliar with the arena would tend to lose in their first exhibition match. That would make it difficult when you fight against me. If I fully explain it then it would become too long……..Now, you should come with me to look at it.

Shambala suddenly pulled Ark. After crossing the busy streets of Selebrid for 10 minutes, they finally arrived at a large amphitheatre that looked just like a roman colosseum. The field was quite popular as there were huge crowds flocked around the area. Shambala made his way through the crowd as he explained.

“This is Selebrid Arena, the evil Silrion.”

“There are quite a lot of people.”

“Naturally. In one day, dozens of fights are held on the evil Silrion stage. And every competition has prizes that you can’t get anywhere else, and sometimes the supplementary prize will give rare items. In order to get the jackpot, it depends more on your luck and skill than your hunting ability.”

It wasn’t just a simple match. The Evil Silrion arena was a speculative market that combined the odds of gambling. While the fight of user against user was unable to be manipulated, monster against user or NPC against user were ways for the spectators to make money. And just like horse racing, the dividend was determined and the prize money was given based on that. Because of odds were high, users and NPCs in the Evil Silrion arena instantly became celebrities.

“Now, it’s here. It is better than me explaining it a hundred times. The procedure is simple. Before you go out for a match, you should determine the compensation and prizes. However, each match has different rules so you should read the explanations, then after you select a tournament then you should hand in an application form to the NPC.”

Ark looked at the flyers that Shambala was pointing to.
He carefully read all the rules for the Evil Silrion arena on the flyers.
The first match held in the Evil Silrion was divided into two. The match ends after a single fight and among the players that won, a gambling system was used to determine the final winner of the prize. It was a single match against an NPC or PVP and those users who obtained certain qualifications could apply. However, for the PVP single match there was no prize.
Of course, in addition to PK, there was also the PVP duel system. However, the duel wouldn’t be fair because it didn’t account for the level difference. On the other hand, the Evil Silrion match was a fair fight because it was subject to level restrictions. In addition, even though there is no reward for the fight, they could accumulate ‘honour’ points which could be used to appeal to various NPCs. If their honour accumulates then it would also affect their quest system. The single match was also used for pure fun and games. But the tournament that most users were excited to join was the one where NPCs participates with a large number of users. The tournament was divided into solo, pair, party and guild and prizes or rare items were given as supplementary prizes. It was the tournament that was connected to enjoyable gambling.

The 231st tournament individual match.
Participation restriction: Level 70 ~ 75 Warriors.
Game system: Items prohibited.
Winner’s prize and Supplementary prize: 100 gold and a Glory gauntlet.
Registration date: Closed competition! Currently in progress.
The 147th Party Tournament.
Participation restriction: Level cap of 50, limited to 10~12 people.
Game system: Items prohibited and level equalized (All participates fixed at level 50).
Winner’s prize and Supplementary prize: 500 gold, Rare vision (random)
Registration date: Deadline imminent! On the 31st at 5 p.m.

‘Hum, it is fairly decent?’

Ark glanced at the leaflets with curiosity. Attached to the leaflet was a picture of the supplementary prize. There wasn’t a detailed explanation, but just looking at the item it could be seen that it was an item of considerable standard.

‘But since the reward is the supplementary prize, it won’t be so easy?’

The number of people who usually participated in a tournament was 100. Using the tournament system, there were at least seven chances to win. While the tournament was ranked high among most levelling systems, the winning average wasn’t high. The outcome depended on your real skills. Such a condition meant that winning over 100 people wasn’t an easy task.

‘The basic rule of the Evil Silrion. After a user applies for a match, they can’t apply for another one for 72 hours. If there wasn’t such a restriction, I would blindly apply for every match.’

“How is it? Is that a tournament that you would like to fight in?”

Shambala asked from beside him.

“Let’s see, I’m still not sure yet. I have to look around a little more.”

Ark shook his head and turned to the other flyers. Then, Ark looked at a tournament flyer that attracted his interest.

“Huh? Surely it can’t be……..?’

Ark pushed people out of the way as he ran towards the flyer.

The 186th Pairs tournament.
Participation restriction: Level 100 restriction. Must be 2 people.
Game system: Consumption items prohibited (However, skill relevant items are excluded).
Level equalization (All participants fixed at level 100).
Winner’s prize and Supplementary prize: 200 gold, Magaro’s secret map.
Registration date: Deadline imminent! 6 p.m. today.

‘Magaro’s secret map!’

Ark was surprised to the extent that goose bumps rose on his body. Magaro! A few days ago he had received the <Genius Alchemist’s Laboratory> quest from the Magic Institute and wasn’t that where the name was discussed? But now that name was on a secret map……..?

‘Magaro might have written the map and indicated the location of the hidden laboratory!’
Shannen had given him the key and said that fate would guide him to the clues. Of course, those words were certainly true. Although it was a bit vague, this was a part of the common game system used in other games. In other words, specific quests are created only after clues that relate to the quest appear. There was also only one quest item made as a measure to prevent it from disappearing. Ark had also expected this quest to proceed that way. If he had the key, then he was sure to have a chance encounter with the clue. But this opportunity wasn’t perfect. In New World, it wasn’t possible to complete a quest just by relaxing and thinking that because it is a game, things would happen. They would have to devise the method and personally go look for the clue. In the end they might finally catch a clue. That would determine the success or failure of the quest. But in a place like this, he had never expected to find a clue in this way.

“What happened suddenly? Did you find a favourite supplementary prize or something? Eh? What the?”

Shambala turned to the flyer with an awestruck expression.

“You……..no way, you’re interested in that supplementary prize?”

Ark nodded. Then after looking around, Shambala pulled Ark somewhere else. Shambala stopped at an area a little bit away from the Evil Silrion and spoke in a low voice.

“What is the reason that you want that supplementary prize?”

“I cannot say anything more. Just that it has to do with a quest that I received.”

“Quest? So, you’re also associated with the genius alchemist?”

“How do you know?”

Shambala scratched his head.

“Sheesh, this is getting complicated. Okay, let’s just lay it out there.”

“Okay.”

“In fact, I got a genius alchemist related quest.”

“Where? From the NPC of the Magic Institute?”

“Magic Institute? No, I got it from a quest item.”

Shambala pulled a book out of his bag.
At various points on the old book cover, someone had written ‘the Diary of Magaro.’

“After I had no contact with you the other day, I left Selebrid. The supplementary prize I desired was taken so I had no business anymore. I hunted the undead at an ancient burial site for several days and received this. At first, I thought it was a common history book but when I picked it up the status was confirmed. After using the identifying skill, this came out.”

“The information?”

“I don’t know, there were a bunch if ciphers written. I only understand this part.”

Shambala turned to the final chapter.

After a lifetime of dedicate work, the problem I’ve been studying has finally entered the last stage. I seek the infinite knowledge of the world’s secrets. Now I will open the last door of the secret.

However, these days I feel anxious. There are many moments where it feels like someone is staring at me from the darkness with eerie eyes. It is probably just superstition……..anyway, I will never abandon my research. I will also convey the secret that I found to people.

If I cannot return then this diary would be prepared. This diary contains everything that I have found. However, it is not complete. Now you will need to find another clue to figure out where the connection will be.

‘A connecting place!’

There is no doubt that it refers to Magaro’s laboratory.

“When I read this part, the <Mysterious Diary> quest was started. Magaro was a genius alchemist who wrote this, so I was thinking that the hiding place would probably be in a rare location. Therefore, while searching for information about Magaro’s hidden map in Selebrid, I took part in a few fights. Perhaps the magician’s lair on the map will contain the cipher to decipher the text in the diary.”

Shambala looked at Ark.

“I explained what I found. Now it is your turn. What is the information that you know?”

“……………I got a Magaro related quest from the Magic Institute.”

“What? The Magic Institute?”

“Yes, the information that I have fits your reasoning. I still don’t know everything yet. But I can say with certainty that the diary and map alone would not complete the quest. Snake, Magaro’s Dimensional Key!”

A long black snake spat out a key.

“This is Magaro’s dimensional key that I received from the Magic Institute. After examining the information, I can guess that all three items, the key, diary and map must be gathered to find the laboratory.

“Damn it, we must obtain the map don’t we?”

Shambala’s face contorted as he became upset. The situation had strangely twined together. But the Magaro related quest couldn’t be shared. Of course it was possible to share the items, but only one person could complete the quest and of the three items necessary, 2 were already split between Shambala and Ark. If one of the two people don’t give up, it would be impossible for both of them to complete the quest.
Shambala thought for a while before peeking at him.

“I would say I’m fine with you having it... but we’re not actually that close am I right?”

“I’m sad.”

“If you make your snake eat it, then even if I kill you then I wouldn’t be able to receive it.”

“I also won’t die politely.”

Ark grinned and replied.
Then Shambala nodded his head and made a suggestion for compromise.

“Okay, so it is simple. Here’s the deal, it is urgent that we get our hands on Magaro’s secret map. Because even if we quarrel among ourselves, it would be no use if it enters someone else’s hands. Do you agree? But I cannot guarantee that you would win. But if you and I join hands then it is different from talking.”

“Join hands?”

“Yes, there is still time remaining until the tournament starts. And to ensure fairness, the mechanism means that you can change partners before a match.”

“But your partner?”

“Those guys don’t need to concern you. The application deadline was running out so I just dragged some junior that I knew. However, you would have a much higher winning percentage than him. I, since then I have recognized your skills. I assure you that you can also believe in my abilities. If I pair with you, then we’ll surely be able to win.”

“Thank you.”

Shambala’s proposal was quite convincing. Ark had experience with fighting many users at the same time. However, not many users showed the same skills as Shambala. Ark too. When it was the same level, then Ark had confidence that he wouldn’t be defeated by anyone.
With such a pair! Winning was a certainty.

“Okay, you and I will become a pair and win fairly……. What’s next?”

“The situation is simple. Once you obtain the secret map, you will have all you need to put the clues together. The remaining problem is that there is a clue that you and I would have to share. The simple solution is that you and I should fight.

“Then the person who wins takes everything?”

“That’s right.”

Shambala nodded with challenging eyes. Ark faced Shambala with his mouth closed. If he had received such a proposal in Jackson, it would have been difficult for him to accept. When he calmly compared it, the battle power that Shambala showed at that time was a level above Ark. However, Ark had grown a lot more confident. In addition, a few days ago he had met his master Lee Myung-ryong. Like the earth at the end of a drought, it would suck in water quickly. The same goes for Ark. After he met his teacher, his skills were only going upwards.

‘I will use the remaining time for training and only log in on the third day when the tournament starts………this is also a chance against Shambala!’

Even if the circumstances weren’t in his favour, there was no way he could reject it.
As long as Shambala was holding Magaro’s diary, there was no way to obtain it other than killing him. With Andel it was a revengeful situation, but Ark didn’t want his relationship with Shambala to be like that. In addition, even if he attacked Shambala viciously then it would lead to the same thing. If so, he would rather accept the offer to team up and win fairly.

“Okay, let’s do so.”

“Great decision. Then follow me.”

Shambala and Ark headed back to the Evil Silrion. And Shambala made his junior give up and replaced it with a new member application.

“Do you want to replace the member for the 186th Pairs Tournament?”

“Yes, my name is Shambala and the replacing member is Ark.”

“Of course, Shambala has finished the qualification verification process……..now let’s check Ark.”
Character Name Ark Race Human
Alignment Good+250
Fame 1875 Level 123
Profession Dark Walker
Title Cat Knight, Caretaker of All, Jackson’s Hero
Health 2065 (+50) Mana 1930
Spiritual Power 100 Strength 274 (+15)
Agility 314 (+15) Stamina 404 (+10)
Wisdom 43 (+10) Intelligence 367
Luck 44 Flexibility 35
Art of Communication 33 Affection 55 (+ 10)
Special stat: Knowledge of Ancient Relics 98
Equipment item effects
Guardian Armour of the Merpeople: Water Attribute Resistance +100%, Penalty based on water is nullified.
Cat Paws: Attack Speed +10%, Agility +15, Critical Hit +10%
Raccoon’s Pith: Agility +10, Wisdom +10
*<Animal King> Set effect: Strength + 10, Agility + 10, Stamina +10, Defense +20
Improved Norad Boots: Movement speed + 15%, Evasion + 10%
Adelaine’s Necklace: Def + 40, Affection + 10
Resurrecting Spirit: Strength + 5, Mana Recovery + 5%
* All abilities will increase by 40% in the dark
* You have the ability to hide in the darkness (20 minutes duration. Cancelled when you get into combat)
* Resistance Fear, Darkness, Blind, and Seduction spells is increased by 50%.* You can bring out the true abilities from all types of tools.

When Ark had exited the Underground World he was level 116, after the Heartsoul Bead quest he was level 120 and when he travelled with the rehabilitation group, he obtained an additional 3 levels and became level 123.
The eligibility limit was level 100 which he passed easily.

“You’re qualification is good enough. I will immediately put in the file that a contestant was replaced. Shambala and Ark are 14th. Therefore, you will fight in the seventh battle of the tournament. The tournament date is the day after tomorrow at 11: 00 a.m. so if you are 30 minutes late to the waiting room then you will be eliminated. Any other questions?”

“No.”

“Then I wish you luck.”

Shambala and Ark left the Evil Silrion.The day after tomorrow at 11 a.m. was tomorrow morning in reality. The time was sufficient. After he explained the situation to JusticeMan’s party, he stopped by the gym before sleeping and sighed in relief.

“I have to tell Captain Lee Myung-ryong to teach me as much skills as possible.

When he returned to the gate, the party had finished their business and gathered.
As soon as he saw Ark, JusticeMan shouted.

“Damn, it seems to be taking a lot longer to find the thieves than I thought.”

“Why?”

“I heard a rumour that the war near the border was finished so everyone would be returning. Thanks to that, the thieves have become too scared and are hiding. I have to look around for them for a while. While the arena is also important, our purpose is to rehabilitate these guys.”

The biggest problem for JusticeMan and the rehabilitation group was the realization of justice.
Sid had also found some work to do.

“I think I have to go to Nagaran.”

“Nagaran?”

“Yes, it is the name of the border region that an uncle told me just now. After completing the merchant quest, I received information about it. All the current player guilds are flocking to that area. There is an event that is taking place there? At any rate, the price of the potions during the guild fight should skyrocket tremendously.”

Although Sid could be trivial sometimes, he also thought with a merchant’s brain. Sid’s eyes flashed with determination as he said.

“Nagaran 50%…….no, I’ll be back with a 60% profit! Ouhuhuhu, don’t miss it. When I come back, we’re all going to be rich!”

“Ooh! We’ll be anticipating it Sid!”

JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members cheered. At that time, Shambala went forward and asked Sid.

“Are you a merchant?”

“Yes, but why?”

“How many days will the trade route take?”

“Nagaran is close but because of some business, it’ll take no more than 4 days.”

“Well that’s great. Can you take this instead and write a contract?”

The thing that Shambala proposed with the content of his appointment with Ark. Ark and Shambala did not have any time to check each other’s skills in the last month. Because they had to rely on the ability of the partner in the pairs tournament, even if they beat each other in a single match, they weren’t sure the item would be given. So, a contract would be drawn up which gave a third party the item beforehand, who would give it to the winner.

“The contract details that Ark’s item would be given to Sid. And whoever wins the single match will be given the item by Sid. If one of you refuses to fight, the remaining person would automatically be the winner, Ark, do you really have to do this?”

Of course. If Shambala hadn’t said anything then Ark would have. Therefore Ark and Shambala gave Sid the quest related items. Therefore, the future of the party was decided. Sid headed down the trade route towards Nagaran, while the JusticeMan group headed south to search for the thieves.
But, there were also eyes watching them from an alley.

“They are the gang who killed our members.”

“Go contact headquarters.”

A person whose face was hidden by a black hood took out a document and vanished. On his chest was a red handprint, the Dark Brother organization. Their bad relationship hadn’t ended yet. But it wasn’t only NPCs spying on the party. Several users were secretly talking about Ark and Shambala in the alley opposite to the Dark Brother’s.

“Are you certain about those guys?”

“Yes, a little while ago I definitely heard the word related to Magaro’s legacy.”

“Then they already have the rest of the clues?”

“Sheesh, are you sure these guys are connected to the clues?”

“What if?”

“Because they are also participating in the tournament, I’ll watch the situation a little bit more.”

The users said then secretly slipped away. So……..As soon as he arrived in the capital, the events surrounding Ark had begun. Of course, Ark didn’t know any of that.

“Then I’ll meet you before the tournament.”

“Manage your condition well. If you doze off while fighting.”

“Don’t worry. I am used to controlling my condition.”

Ark exited the connection after arranging the appointed time with Shambala.
Then Hyun-woo who had returned from being Ark immediately left for the police gymnasium.

“Ha! I want to ask for strong training for several days?”

Lee Myung-ryong was so happy he couldn’t express it in his face so he just nodded.

“Yes, since I am off duty today than it is no bother. First, do 200 push ups, now!

The spartan style training lasted for 4 hours. Hyun-woo’s body went through such harassment that Lee Myung-ryong said.

“Kukuku, it should be like this every day. I’m creating a Superman.”

“Can’t I be satisfied with Batman?”

“If you’re a man, then it’s Superman.”

Hyun-woo felt the need to cry. However, Hyun-woo clenched his teeth and stomached it. Now it was the beginning. It was forwarded by three days then there was no time to rest. Shambala was strong. When the pairs tournament ended, there was an even stronger opponent that he had to test his skills against. Hyun-woo was starving and fainted straight away after leaving the shower. When he woke up, 8 hours had suddenly passed.

‘Huck, isn’t the tournament starting in 30 minutes?

In a hurry, Hyun-woo went to the unit and connected to New World.In reality, the game……as Hyun-woo became Ark, he heard Shambala shouting in his ear.

“Damn, why are you only coming in now? The time limit to register is tight!”

“I’m sorry. I guess I was too tired to hear the alarm.
“Please be careful next time. Because there is not time, let’s go immediately.

Shambala pulled Ark as they ran towards the Evil Silrion arena. At this time, neither of them could imagine the events that would occur. And from the Evil Silrion in Selebrid to Sid who had left for Nagaran…….the event with a lot of entangled interests began to surround Ark.
Ark’s eventful adventures would begin now.

Volume 6
ACT 1 Dark Wolf
“Unbelievable.”
Shambala said coldly as he stepped through the busy crowds. From the time he had met Shambala outside the stadium until now……..a frown had continued to crease his forehead. Annoyance was buried in his glances and voice. Because he had slept in, he was late for the time of the appointment. He had made a mistake. He had really committed a sin to die for. But he wasn’t so late that they missed the match so wasn’t it too much to keep being angry? Ark thought with pouted lips.
“I know and I’m sorry. I said I was sorry.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Aren’t you mad that I’m late? I’ll be careful next time so let’s just stop it here.”
Shambala stopped walking and stared at him.
“That’s right, it would be better to be careful about what you say. After all, there is no second time. Because I will stick a knife if you do it a second time in the tournament.”
It was not a joke. He had forgotten for a while, but originally he had met Shambala when he stabbed Ark in the back moments after he reconnected. After he didn’t like it, he was a user that could sneak up to someone and stab them while laughing. He had managed to become friendly with such a bloody guy. No, had they become familiar?
“Yes, yes. Aren’t you certain? Please leave it alone now.”
“Do you want to play?”
“I understand, I don’t want to be stuck with a petulant partner who would stab me with a knife.”
Ark muttered with a laugh. Shambala gave him a sharp look before breathing out a sigh.
“You’re really…….well, I got it. It is better to relax before a match rather than being tense. Because this tournament might be more difficult than expected.”
“Huh? More difficult?”
“Like I said before, the number of people who usually participate in an Evil Silrion tournament are around 200 people. But in this tournament…….there is something weird. From what I heard, the number of people who applied is at least 5 times more. That means around 1,000 people.
“1,000 people? Then even if 1 match has 2 people, that’s 500 matches?”
Ark’s mouth widened. However, Shambala shook his head and said.
“The number’s not that great.”
“There’s only one thing that increases when there is a number of entrants.”
“I guess. But although there have been a number of times when many people have showed up, they just increased the number of tournaments. If more than 100 people apply, than the tournament would be extended to 2~3 tournaments.
Well, he tried to think about that. It was a tournament method where half the number was expected to fail. So if 100 people applied than the tournament would continue until there was one winner. However, if over 500 people signed up than it would be extended to more tournaments.
“The problem is not the number of tournaments, but the level of the players.”
Shambala emphasized in a serious voice.
“In fact, I think this tournament is insignificant. Are you listening? Since the border of the Three Kingdoms was opened not too long ago, guilds have been flocking to Nagaran. Therefore the users with high odds of winning in the Evil Silrion probably belonged to guilds. Therefore, the number of participants in this tournament with mediocre skills would be low.”
“Then all the players with skilled capabilities have gathered?”
“That’s right, the names on the application list are names that are known by everyone. Therefore, some abstained and were probably hoping to apply for a different one, but 1,000 people still remain. Can you approximately guess what I mean?”
The name of the participants in the Evil Silrion weren’t disclosed until the final registration. When the users weren’t confident in their skills, they resigned after the application list was revealed. The reason was simple. In the Evil Silrion, a system of ‘Victory Points’ existed. In other words the rank was decided by the number of victory points, just like in boxing. And of course, the higher the ranking, the more possible it was to receive suitable compensation. For example in the special tournament that had a supplementary prize, the reward was an item only sold at an exclusive store. Or there was also the right to purchase advanced game information at an affordable price…….the purpose of players coming to the Evil Silrion was to obtain those sorts of prizes. The reason Shambala originally joined the Evil Silrion was because of a job-related quest.
“Therefore, your score from the tournament could fall a lot. And if you resign after the first match begins, it is considered a loss and your points will fall. But if you resign after the registration list is announced, you won’t be able to apply for another tournament but your points won’t fall. If you subtract the players who aren’t confident in their skills from the attendance list, there would only be high level players left.”
“Say that again.”
Ark organized Shambala’s words.
“Because large guilds rushed to Nagaran, a lot of people joined the tournament hoping for huge profits. Were they thinking of saving money from this?”
Shambala nodded.
“But the list of top ranked players being announced still doesn’t explain where 200 people abstained. There are two reasons I can think of. The first one is that the ones who remained and are unconfident would join forces. And the second reason is……..they want the supplementary reward even at the risk of losing their points.”
“That’s right.”
“Is it rare for a treasure map to be given as an supplementary prize in the Evil Silrion?”
Ark asked Shambala who shook his head.
“That’s what I don’t understand. Treasure maps are a common supplementary prize in the Evil Silrion. And there hasn’t been anyone who received a jackpot using the treasure map, it is an unpopular prize. That’s why I don’t understand why so many people have gathered just for the supplementary prize.”
An idea came to Ark after he had been folding his arms for a while. Ark had bought treasure maps several times but never found anything. Treasure maps could lead to items.
But what treasure? And how many items would be in the chest? He had grown up watching a cartoon where those that sought treasure from maps found it after much difficult and death. But the moment they opened the thick treasure chest, their expectations would turn to despair. Inside the treasure chest was at most 3~4 old jars, which didn’t even sell for 3 gold at the shops.
However, it was good for Ark in its own way. He knew that maps could lead to unexpectedly high items. But if the treasure map led to a ridiculously high level hunting ground and if he happened to find empty boxes at the end then there would be a lot of trouble. Even monsters level 300 could be disguised as a treasure chest, such as the time he was surprised by a mimic…….The words luck or unlucky were often used these days.
Of course there was a chance of really big items being found, but the probability was too low to hang their dreams on it. So even if they found a treasure map, there was almost no one who would invest their time and intentionally go look for it. But people have gathered for the tournament where the prize was a map.
“Rumours that Magaro’s map must lead to the location of wonderful treasure or information that it is a quest related item must have spread.”
“That’s what I think as well.”
“Yes, but it will definitely become a little troublesome.”
Ark sighed and murmured. But then he shook his head and added in a decisive voice.
“But nothing has changed. It doesn’t matter how many opponents there are, we’ll just have to do the same as we planned. To win, no?”
“Do you have confidence?”
“Are you unconfident? Do you want to quit?”
Ark smiled as he glanced at Shambala.
“Its good that you are being courageous while ignorant……... because it is better than a partner who is depressed from the start. And you’re right. We just have to win using whatever method possible. I won’t let them catch my ankle so easily.”
“No matter what, we’ll return the favour.”
The Pairs Tournament will be held shortly so please register as soon as possible. If you do not register 10 minutes before the start then you will be automatically disqualified. Let me say it once again. The tournament will be held after 5 minutes. Participants please register………..
At that time, the voice of a NPC resonated everywhere through a magic loudspeaker.
“Let’s go, we still have to register.”

The front office of the management was crowded with people. In front of them was a large table showing the tournament. There was 5 minutes left until the final deadline. However, more than half was still unregistered. However once you’ve registered, your points would be slashed if you don’t win. Therefore, the people were waiting until the last minute to confirm all their rivals and determine if they should participate or not.
‘Are the people that have low quality equipment also hesitating to register?’
Ark looked at all the participants in his line of vision. Everyone met the minimum level requirement of 100. Just by skimming he could tell that some were powerful. In particular, it was the range of level of equipment they carried that made his mouth water. And it was the equipment that would play a crucial factor in the outcome. In the Evil Silrion, levels were insignificant in a fight. The reason is that the levels of all the participants are adjusted to the tournament level of 100. While it sounded like a fair rule, in fact it was quite the opposite. In the Evil Silrion, it was ‘only’ the level that was adjusted. However, it had no effect on skills and equipment. And if their skills and equipment was at the same level, then without a doubt they would be strong. Therefore, victory or defeat in the tournament was often decided by the efficiency of the skill level and the equipment. Of course, wouldn’t a user with proficient skills and better equipment have a higher rating? Between a user who had just reached level 100 and a level 200 user with a rare sword, the difference was like a bamboo sword against a real sword. In a fight, the skill difference would also be important.
‘The absolute standard inside a game is level and equipment.’
That was the absolute truth.
“Sheesh, look at those pathetic figures checking out the notices……..”
Shambala looked scornful before turning to Ark.
“Anyway, we have never thought of resigning just because of our opponent. Let’s register and warm up before we are pushed. Because eyes would be concentrated on us when registering, please wear a mask for the time being.”
“Mask?”
Ark repeated incredulously. Then Shambala’s forehead wrinkled.
“You, don’t tell me………didn’t prepare a mask?”
“What do you mean by a mask?”
“Oh my god, I never thought you would be this ignorant!”
Shambala shook his head with a tired look. Ark looked around with a face that showed he didn’t understand. Come to think of it, he had a strange feeling since he entered the office. It was strange when he came in, but he didn’t pay that much attention to it.
But when he listened to Shambala’s words, he figured out the identity of the mysterious feeling. Except for the authorities, everyone gathered at the office was wearing a mask. Now, Ark flinched and asked with a worried look.
“Ho, is a mask needed to fight in the tournament?”
“No, your appearance doesn’t matter so it is unrelated to that. But it is better to be prepared if possible. Especially in this tournament…….”
Shambala scratched his head.
“The rewards for the winner and supplementary prize are often mixed with rare items. There are a lot of people that would desire the item. You know what I mean? For example, there are a large number of defeated participants watching from among the spectators that would desire the items.”
“Ah, I see!”
Ark said with a flash. Why had he never thought about that? One of the reasons players would participate in a tournament even though it wasted time was because they desired the supplementary prize. There were thousands of items among those cases…….which might be the goal of the user. No, it’ll be the target. And an uneasy life would begin after the prize was awarded. Treasure calls for blood. It wasn’t a word that was applied in reality.
“You must be really brave or ignorant……..didn’t you even think about it a little bit? The people who appear in the Evil Silrion are experts in PVP. If its 1 on 1, you might be able to hold out when they jump you. However if they are a member of a guild, there is a 100% chance that you would be jumped by a group. That is why everyone hides their face with a mask.”
The brave and ignorant Ark raised an objection.
“But they would know my name anyway.”
“You idiot, did you think about why the list of users who registered hasn’t be shown yet? The final registration is where you make the decision to participate, but it is also the procedure to register the ring name of the contestants.”
“Ring name?”
“Yes, it is another name that is only used in the Evil Silrion.
Understandably, why the fight starts then the crowd cannot interfere in any way. This means that there is no way to discover the information to use the scrolls or a variety of magic. So if you use a mask and a ring name, then your personal information would be thoroughly hidden. Once he had applied for the battle, he instantly disconnected so Ark didn’t understand the situation.
“Unbelievable. The players who flocked to this tournament are interested in the supplementary prize……..so if you become the winner without covering your face, chaotic players would swarm like bees.”
‘That would be a problem………’
Now Ark’s face became serious. Why didn’t he think about those things? It was not simply a matter of winning the prizes. Ark did not want to attract the attention of other players by default. Wasn’t that the reason why he didn’t register new dungeons discovered in the Hall of Fame? And it wasn’t just 1~2 people, wouldn’t thousands of spectators would be crammed into the arena to watch the tournament? And they were aiming for the supplementary prize?
‘I already had trouble with my bad relationship with Andel, but if I win and receive the secret map of Magaro…….?”
He could immediately imagine it. Shambala looked at the sandglass which showed the registration deadline and was annoyed.
“Are you indifferent about your appearance when registering? If you show your face when fighting then your true identity would be revealed. Hell, and there is no time to go and buy a mask because you were late……..you don’t possibly have something that could cover your face do you?”
“Something like that…….”
Ark breathed out a sigh. Rattle rattle, an idea floated in his head.
‘Yes, if I have that then it isn’t necessary to use a mask!’
“Shambala, just wait. I’ll be right back.”
“What? Are you trying to buy it now? I told you, there’s no time to go out.”
“I’m not going to buy a mask. Just wait for 1 minute.”
“Now, wait a minute! Hey, Ark!”
Ark left the office with Shambala’s voice drifting behind him. Most of the participants were already gathered in the management office, so the hallway was quiet. After entering a deep corner, Ark looked around him.
‘Okay, no one is around?’
“Transformation!”
A black aura emitted from the pith. The black paint felt like slime as it crept over Ark and covered him.
-The Raccoon’s Pith’s special option ‘Transformation’ has been activated.
Yes, Ark was wearing the magical helmet that he obtained from the Underground World! It was the Raccoon’s Pith that allowed him to use the special ‘transformation’ that had been a part of the raccoon clan for ages.
‘This is the first time I’ve just ‘Transformation’ since I got it………’
Nevertheless, he somehow knew how to use it. The black slime covered Ark and a new window popped up. It looked like the race, gender and appearance setup that appeared when he first connected to the game.
‘Should I make my completely different appearance look good? Anyway, the reality is that I don’t really care. But having an outrageous impression while fighting isn’t bad.’
There was no time to demonstrate an artistic sense. Ark gave a straight answer every time the menu came up and created a new character. A character that looked a little evil was created but that didn’t matter. Once he finished the setup, the black slime started to change Ark’s appearance. Ark changed and he looked at his unusual form. His face protruded out and his arms and legs were thick. He was over 30 cm taller and his hands were swollen like a balloon while his feet were as hard as rock.
‘It was made roughly, but once seen it appears plausible?’
Ark nodded in satisfaction and went back to the office. Then he entered through the door.
“Huk, what, what the?”
One player unintentionally forced his head backwards and tried to hide as he passed. The following people turned their heads as well.
“What, what the? That man is?”
“No way…….it can’t be a monster…….then that is a beast species?”
“No, it must be a joke. How can there be beasts in the capital of the Schudenberg kingdom?”
“Haven’t you heard about the relaxed border restrictions?”
Everyone’s eyes were concentrated on one man. The person who walked through the crowd as they parted for him like the Red Sea was Ark! He was twice the height of an average person and his chest and arms were twice the normal thickness, and every time he moved it was like his muscles were rocks. It was an overwhelming presence indeed! However, people weren’t surprised because of that. His 2 metres tall muscular body was covered by black hair. But was that all? Right now, his pupils gleamed red like blood floated in it. Large fangs protruded out of his mouth as his eyes stuck out. The name that came to mind at his surprising appearance was Lycan…….also known as werewolves. However, it wasn’t possible for a monster that was a werewolf to appear in the middle of Selebrid. If so, the answer must be a beast clan. Among them, the wolf tribe was the one that the user selected. However, the Wolf tribe only started in the Sinius Principality. Therefore, users in the Schudenberg Kingdom haven’t seen anyone from the wolf clan yet.
‘Surprisingly, the mood isn’t bad?’
Normally Ark didn’t like the interest of other users. But feeling such interest when he was in disguise wasn’t bad. At the attention of thousands of players, Ark started to laugh.
“Kkurururu”
It was an intimidating sound that emerged from his mouth. He thought it was an attractive smile, but the people looking at it didn’t seem to think so. The faces of the users were stiff. Some female users were also avoiding his eyes.
‘Huhuhu, was my smile that powerful?’
When Ark changed appearance, the part of his brain with taste disappeared. Anyway, there was no time to be playing around. He looked around for Shambala who had also been staring at Ark with surprised eyes. Then he flinched and retreated as Ark approached.
“Kkururu, did you wait long? Let’s quickly finish registering.”
When he opened his mouth, a snarl naturally came out. Shambala tilted his head with a puzzled expression and asked.
“Are you…..?”
Shambala stuttered before he closed his mouth. Shambala was a veteran in the Evil Silrion. Even when he was confused, he didn’t reveal the original name in a place where the attention of users was concentrated on them. Ark noticed the situation and nodded.
“That’s right”
“Really……..you definitely have the ability to shock people. Although you only disappeared for a moment, you became this…….no, it doesn’t matter. I don’t know how you did it but I’ll hear it at a more convenient time once we finish the registration.
Shambala dragged Ark to the NPC. The NPC was also surprised by Ark’s appearance as a wolf species. When a smile stretched his face, it was an expression that caused intimidation. But after Ark’s information was confirmed, a sigh of relief was released.
“Uh, you have the right to participate. It doesn’t matter what form you use to participate since the entrants have freedom………but it is really unique. Yes, registration has been finished. By the way, it seems like this is your first appearance. What ring name do you want? Please note that you cannot change the ring name once it is registered in the Evil Silrion.”
“Dark Wolf.”
His ring name had appeared when he confirmed his final appearance.
“Dark Wolf. Yes, it has been registered. And your partner……..Ah, you’re Blue Sword.
“Blue sword!”
At the NPC’s words, mutters broke out among the users who were watching. The disturbance spread through the crowd like a fire.
“Isn’t Blue Sword the hero of that rumour?”
“The powerhouse that went straight into the top 10 ranking in the individual match?”
“Isn’t he the one who recorded 37 straight wins?”
“Damn it, he hadn’t appeared in a tournament for a while…….”
Unexpectedly, Shambala was a celebrity in the Evil Silrion. But indeed, it wasn’t that impossible. Ark also knew Shambala’s skills. In New World, there weren’t that many people who could fight Shambala in a 1 on 1 match and win. Moreover, in the Evil Silrion users competed with the rule of level equalization. It was natural that Shambala was known to the public. But when the interest in Shambala rose, the interest in Ark fell immediately.
“Yes, the wolf probably isn’t that big a deal compared to his appearance.”
“That’s right, because he is a trivial person compared to Blue Sword. There is no fair way of winning the pairs tournament with that.”
“Then it is worth a try.”
“If it was a solo match I would have no confidence but since it is a pairs one…….”
The fact that he was acquaintances with Shambala made it worse. It seemed like he only accompanied him to allow Shambala to enter the tournament. Therefore those who knew his power disregarded Ark. Ark’s frown steadily deepened causing Shambala to laugh and whisper.
“Are you actually listening to all this talk?”
“Kkururu, I don’t care. The results will be seen soon anyway.”
“That’s right. But be vigilant because the Evil Silrion tournament isn’t a game that you can be careless with.”
Ark was angry at Shambala’s words. When it was a 1 on 1 PVP, Ark was confident. Shambala hadn’t seen his skills since they met up again. However, Shambala was treating him like a newbie and it offended his pride. With a hot temper, Ark opened his mouth.
“Hmm, is that Blue Sword that great?”
Suddenly a voice mocked from the back of the room. Shambala turned his head and flinched as he frowned.
“You’re…… Jewel!”
The other participants flinched at Shambala’s voice and paid attention. The two people wore a magician and archer outfit. They were also covering their faces with a mask that was carved with a five star design. People wore masks and used ring names to disguise their actual appearance, but in the tournament it was the mask and ring name that allowed participants to recognize their opponents. Although equipment items would frequently change, it was rare for a mask to be replaced. Shambala also used the shape of the pattern engraved to figure out the masked opponent’s name. Jewel laughed and nodded.
“You remembered.”
“There’s no way I would forget.”
“I thought it was impossible when I heard the ring name Blue Sword, but it is you. Have you developed your skills while I was in a different area? Or are the other guys just pathetic?”
“……….”
Shambala glared silently.Then Jewel turned to look at the tournament table before talking sarcastically.
“Let’s see, did you say Blue Sword and Dark Wolf? The 14th match? So you would meet us in the finals. Lucky you. Fortunately, you can become runner ups.”
“Kkururu, these kids, what are they talking about?”
Ark growled. Normally when someone changes shape, even the character would immediately change. But Shambala just pulled Ark’s arm and shook his head.
“Dark Wolf, it isn’t necessary for you to deal with them.”
Jewel laughed and nodded.
“A person with experience is slightly better. They know better after having me as an opponent.”
“………..Don’t think that I’m the same as before.”
“Of course. But I expect to have the same fun as before. Come to the finals with your developed skills. I would be happy to step on you this time as well.”
Jewel laughed before returning to his original spot.
“Damn, what was that just now? The five star design. Jewel has a five star pattern drawn on his mask.”
“Hell, a pioneer is participating.”
“There goes my win. I’m going to postpone my registration.”
The participants sighed before gradually disappearing. Ark was puzzled at the unfamiliar words and asked.
“What the? Why would everyone do that? And what is the pioneer thing?”
“They’re beta testers.”
Shambala said. Ark also knew the words beta tester. In the past, in order to check the various systems of the online game prior to commercialization, they would pick a handful of people for the closed beta test. And New World also had a beta test before commercialization as well. A pioneer was the name of the players who participated in the test. The beta testing period for New World was two months. Of course, the raised characters of the beta testers were deleted before commercialization. It was a measure of fairness for the new users. However, they had a head start because their know-how and accumulated information couldn’t be deleted. They commercialized their exclusive information and new users couldn’t even compare to their speed of growth.
“After one month, the difference between the pioneers with commercialization and the other users was a difference of more than 40 levels. And of course, they monopolized all the early quests and rare items. But most of them started gathering in higher level hunting areas………”
“Have you fought with a pioneer?”
Shambala replied to Ark’s question with an irritated voice.
“My record for the Evil Silrion is 37 wins and 2 losses. Of my 2 losses in the Evil Silrion, the first one was to Jewel.”
“Are his skills that great?”
“His skills are competent but……..”
Shambala sighed and shook his head.
“The biggest problem is the difference in equipment. They’re the ones with the most unique items. The level of basic attack and defense is completely different. There are also a lot of special options so you don’t know which one would be used. That makes it a challenging opponent.”
“These guys have suddenly reappeared? The situation has become more twisted.”
Really, nothing could be easily solved. The participants had suddenly increased by several times and the pioneers unexpectedly showed up………he didn’t know what to do to make the situation better. But Shambala muttered with a motivated expression.
“It has worked out well. I won’t have another weak encounter.”
Shambala said it like that. Suddenly the horn rang and a broadcast was heard.
-That was the deadline for the final registration. The 186th Pairs Tournament will soon commence.
The determined expressions of the users waiting for the next match were seen, and there was a heavy atmosphere in the waiting room. And occasionally Ark would hear audible shouting and cries from the passageway, causing anxious eyes to flick to the wall with the tournament on the other side.
Was this how athletes felt before they competed in a mixed martial arts fight? He had to just sit back and wait for the next fight even though his body was tense and sweaty. It was to the extent that he couldn’t hear it when they broadcast his ring name in the hallway.
He felt a strange feeling for the first time. Actually, Ark wasn’t tense at all until the final registration. This was a game. It was just an event inside the game. That was what he thought. However when he entered the player anteroom, that immediately changed.
The determined expressions of the users waiting for the next match were seen, and there was a heavy atmosphere in the waiting room. And occasionally Ark would hear audible shouting and cries from the passageway, causing anxious eyes to flick to the wall with the tournament on the other side.
Was this how athletes felt before they competed in a mixed martial arts fight? He had to just sit back and wait for the next fight even though his body was tense and sweaty. It was to the extent that he couldn’t hear it when they broadcast his ring name in the hallway.
“What are you doing? Come out faster!”
It was only after Ark heard Shambala’s voice that he stood in surprise. He walked stiffly down the hall, with his heart pounding faster.
Clink, Kkiiik!
The thick steel doors soon parted to the left and right. Ark exited through the doors onto the field with determined eyes. But all he did was look around. Although he had heard the report, he couldn’t possibly imagine the real picture. His range of vision narrowed and it felt like he was in the dark. Then, all of a sudden he heard a sound like lightning striking in the sky.
-Well, now it is the 7th match. This time, the players that will fight are the 13th team Justin and Dior against the 14th team Dark Wolf and Blue Sword.
Ark jumped and lifted his head. There were odd objects floating over the stadium. Dozens of eyeballs were linked to a round circular object. It was a magic seeing eye that gave commentary on the game. The echoing voice rang out onto the field from a mouth below it.
Please welcome and applaud the brave warriors!
When the announcer’s introduction was over, the stadium was filled with loud cries. It wasn’t for him so Ark timidly took a deep breath before withdrawing to the side. “Wah ah ah!”
The popularity of Shambala was unthinkable. In the Evil Silrion, most of the spectators who bet money on winning or losing would watch the tournament. They were naturally interested in the warriors with a high winning percentage, but the higher the chances of victory, the lower the profit would be. However, it is small odds so many people would bet. This meant that the players who would give profit were clear. But that wasn’t the only reason for Shambala’s popularity. Even though it was a martial arts game, the system of Evil Silrion meant that fighting depended on equipment and skills. However unlike the other users, Shambala was famous for showing powerful martial arts. Therefore, there were quite a few pure fans. They all rose from their seats and shouted at Shambala’s appearance.
“Blue Sword, this time I also walked to you!”
“Take care of the hottest fight!”
“Blue Sword oppa, please look over here!”
Even placards saying the Oppa troops were seen. On the other hand, cynical comments flowed about Ark.
“Hey, Blue Sword. Did you take a dog to fight this time?”
“If you cause Blue Sword difficulty then I’ll grab your ankle!”
“Dark Wolf, don’t pay any attention to the nonsense shouted by the crowd.”
“Eh? Uh-huh.”
Ark carelessly answered but he couldn’t even understand what Shambala was talking about. The reason was that he couldn’t hear Shambala’s voice above the noise from the crowd.
It was reasonable. In fact, Ark had never been in front of so many people in his whole life. In school he spent time as the cleaning supervisor and even though he learnt taekwondo, he had never gone to a match. He never even had a dream of making announcements in front of other people. Therefore, he was surprisingly timid in the corner. Then Ark was suddenly dropped into the stadium where thousands of spectators gathered. Thanks to that, Ark felt a sense of tension so extreme it was almost like a panic attack. Ark hadn’t even been aware of his weakness and now he was here. During the event quest he had only led dozens of users while he commanded hundreds of raccoons in the Underground World. But most of them were NPCs, while the spectators were mainly users.
Even if the appearance was similar, the difference was huge.
‘It’s terrible.’
But since Shambala didn’t know that, an exclamation rose in his heart.
‘He’s changed into someone who acts like a Korean War veteran. And he doesn’t seem to hear my voice or the audience anymore. Is he concentrating to such a degree?’
Although he thought Ark was just concerned and nervous about his surroundings, the actual situation was different to what was in Shambala’s head. Because Shambala never even considered that Ark would have a panic attack. Meanwhile, the forms of two users were shown from the other side exit. Justin and Dior. Justin was a warrior armed in steel armour while Dior was a magician with a robe. They were a group that was quite strong in the Evil Silrion, so they also received many cheers.
-Okay, now we will draw the lots!
Soon the eyes of the circular object rolled round and round. And after a while, the pupils all changed to green.
-The swamp has been selected for this match in the tournament! Then let’s begin!
Ku-Kung!
At the same time, there was a roaring sound and the tournament changed to a completely different world. Green plants started forming while the swamp reached their ankles.
How had the entire stadium managed to be replaced? Well, he didn’t even want to know. After all, it was a dynamic game in progress so strategies that planned for different terrains must be necessary. It was an interesting system, and it quickly released Ark from his mental state.
“What, what the? Where are we?”
Ark scratched his head and looked around surprised. He didn’t understand why he was surrounded by lush forests with his ankle locked in a swamp. At that time, the voice of the magician was heard from the other side.
“Chain of delusion!”
Kkieeeeek! There was an unearthly sound effect as a ghostly object flew off. The attack by the magician started the active fight commentary.
-The magician has used a long-ranged magic as a pre-emptive attack. When hit by the chain of delusion, they won’t be able to move for a while. It is just a few seconds, but that could be deadly in a fighting tournament. But because it is a slow attack, the chances that it would hit are low. It is some kind of warning shot?
“Hung, the shape shown isn’t that creative?”
Shambala laughed and quickly moved his body. The repeated movements were so light that it looked like he was warping. This was due to Shambala’s evasion skill Blink! Shambala used the movement to avoid the magic attack while taking out his weapon. A blue aura was ejected from the dagger, which was the Saint Assassin profession weapon ‘Black Frost Blade’ that Ark previously had. Incidentally, Shambala had gotten the ring name Blue Sword from his dagger. Shambala’s mouth had the same cold smile as the dagger.
“Huhuhu, trying to take care of us with such low grade magic……..eeek?”
The smile disappeared from Shambala’s mouth. While he had avoided the attack, Ark was struggling against the chains of delusion wrapped around him.
“No, no-way that guy…….”
It was then that Shambala noticed Ark’s condition. However, it was already too late. When Ark hadn’t expected a magic attack, Dior was delighted and called out a long order.
“It took! Well that guy was just a scarecrow. The cursed soul that was abandoned in a deep, dark place, come out and let your fury curse everything in your path!”
“That order…….Dior is a necromancer?
Shambala urgently ran up to Dior. However it was a pairs match and Justin, Dior’s partner, wasn’t just watching. Justin immediately raised his shield and rushed Shambala. With an intense clash, Shambala was pushed back a few steps. Shambala’s face was contorted with frustration.
‘Hell! This child is strangely huge………the warrior was doping!’
A warrior could dope themselves with a potion that would raise their stats. During this tournament, there was a rule that consumption items were prohibited. However, there was one blind spot. During the match you couldn’t use a consumption potion but it was possible to use it before the match! Justin had drugged himself with a huge amount just before the game started. He raised his stamina by 20% using the ‘Troll Elixir,’ his strength by 15 using ‘Lion Power,’ his attack and defense was raised by 30 thanks to ‘Troll Leap,’ for 5 minutes his health was restored by 10 every 20 seconds thanks to the ‘Holy water of revival’……..if he was in the Olympics then he would be immediately disqualified for taking drugs. Thanks to such drugs, Justin’s arena level of 100 was raised to around level 130~140.Indeed, the drug’s power was awesome. Every time Justin wielded his sword, Shambala was pushed back a few metres. Meanwhile, Dior’s spell was completed.
“Possession of Bing!
At the moment, a huge ghost hit Ark’s form. His body stiffened before a message window popped up.
-You were hit with ‘Possession of Bing.’
<For 3 minutes you will move according to the caster’s will>
Ark tried to struggle against the flashing spirit. However, it was already too late and the voice of the magic eye was heard.
-Ah, the Necromancer’s skill Possession of Bing was completed! It is a magic that is hardly ever used these days. Because it was used in combination with Chains of Delusion, it couldn’t be avoided. In the end, the Dark Wolf player is holding back Blue Sword just like everyone expected. Pathetic!
“You black dog child, Blue Sword is losing because of you!”
The crowd erupted with swearing. However, in this situation it wasn’t even possible to call 100. Under the Possession of Bing, Ark’s body moved selfishly. He started to attack Shambala under Dior’s control, just like a puppet. Thanks to the necromancer, Ark and the doped warrior, the fight had become 3 against 1. Shambala’s health decreased as he was attacks by swords and magic from all directions.
“This stupid child!”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re saying sorry while trying to cut me?
Shambala avoided Ark’s attack and started attacking again. He had felt like hiding inside a deep rat hole. However the situation wasn’t that bad. While his body was being moved around selfishly, Ark was able to not pay any attention and organize the surrounding circumstances.
“Shambala, hold on a little. I’ll somehow make up for Bing’s possession.”
“Bah, OK. This has to be seen to be believed, Width!
Shambala kicked the ground forcefully. At the moment, the muddy water of swamp flew up and obstructed the view. Shambala used Blink successively to gain some distance. While Ark was possessed by Bing, he gave up on attacking from the beginning and only concentrated on reducing the damage. However, even Shambala couldn’t avoid everything and his health was reduced to 40% by the time Bing’s possession finished.
“Have you finished being stupid?”
“I’m sorry. My spirit is steady now.
“I don’t want any of those thousand people to get the share of the prize.”
“That’s right.”
Ark glared at Dior while wiping his face of the mud that was covering it. His anger had been firmly pushed down during the 3 minutes and now it bubbled over.

ACT 2 Brilliant Debut
“Now I’m going to enjoy myself!”
“Do you think we look like beginners child? Chain of delusion!”
At that moment, Ark’s eyes lit up. Then he used Riposte! He sent the Chain of Delusion back with a violent noise.
“Ma-the magic bounced off the sword?”
Dior freaked out and hurriedly stepped back. However, Ark’s movement was several times faster. Ark simultaneously threw his body forward and kicked Dior in the chest. Dior stumbled and requested help from his partner.
“Ju-Justin!”
“Ah, I can’t. This Blue Sword guy……is incredibly strong!
In a 1 on 1 situation, Shambala was too much to deal with even when the warrior was doped with drugs. Then Dior bit his tooth and pulled something out from his bag.
“Hell, I can’t believe I have to use this in the first match……..”
Dior held up dozens of canine teeth. He sprinkled the fangs on the floor and twenty skeleton bodies rose armed with a sword and shield or a bow. The magic eye shouted with an intense voice.
-Oh, the Necromancer has used his special racial skill. If he gathers the canine teeth of the skeletons through hunting, then the technique would allow him to summon them. Surprisingly, he summoned twenty of them! If I have to give an additional explanation, the pairs tournament doesn’t allow the use of consumption items but any skill related items are the exception. While the Dark Wolf player showed some nice movement before, it probably isn’t easy to take care of that many in a swamp. Perhaps he might need the help of his colleague?
However, Shambala just continued attacking Justin without even turning his head. The magic eye murmured with a sigh.

-Ah, Blue Sword player. Even though partners can have some differences. Don’t you think such behaviour isn’t good for a pairs tournament? Anyway, the Dark Wolf player is in a crisis!

Dior also seemed to have the same idea as a light of mockery hovered around his mouth.
“Heh, you’ve been abandoned.”
“Really? Who is the one that is thrown away?”
“Let’s end it instantly. Skeleton unit. Attack!”
The skeleton archers fired arrows.
“Summon Deimos!”
Deimos showed up in front of Ark and shielded him. The magic eye shouted with a surprised voice.
-This is unexpected. This time, Blue Sword seems to have teamed up with a warrior who can summon. Ah………But what is it? Is it a rag? He seems shabby compared to the skeletons that Dior has summoned. And in the end, it is only one skeleton. Is this a joke? It somehow seems like a final desperate struggle
However, it soon became ironic as the match immediately changed. Deimos was a skeleton with a really shabby exterior. But Deimos crushed all the arrows like he was a shield so all 10 arrows were stopped. He then ran up to five skeletons and engaged in close combat.
In general summoning, the summoned monster would have 60% of the player’s level. But when summoning a unit like this, they only had 30%. In other words, Dior was level 100 so his summoned skeletons were only level 30~40 at most. However, Deimos was different from the normal summons. His stats rose on their own without paying any attention to the level of the summoner. After Deimos fused with Warwick, at present he was level 70! Moreover, Ark’s technique was different from Dior’s disposable summons and battle experience was accumulated. Double bang, Snap, Crunch! The arms of the skeletons broke under Ark’s and Deimos’ onslaught.
“Okay, Deimos. It isn’t necessary to pay any attention to the skeletons anymore. Now……..”
Then Deimos’ eye colour changed. He scanned the bodies of the skeletons and examined them with his eyes. The skeletons suddenly winced with an unknown anxiety. At that moment, Deimos suddenly rushed at the tooth. And he caught a bone from one of the skeletons who struggled before it was broken off. However, he didn’t stop there and grabbed other parts of the body and broke them off. The skeleton soon changed into a pile of bones.
Clack clack clack!
Deimos turned his head with a dissatisfied look. Jump, the remaining skeletons were surprised and fled in different directions. From then on, Deimos started to chase them without listening to Ark’s command. It had triggered Deimos’ hobby of collecting bones.
‘That guy again…….!’
Ark sighed.
This was not the first time. There were many times when Deimos was engrossed in his hobby of collecting bones. Once he found a monster with a favourite bone, he would continue to chase that monster until he got the bone in his hand. Well, in any case his stats were likely to go up because of the bones and Ark had never encountered a crisis because of it. The fact that he wouldn’t follow the strategy wasn’t the only problem. Sometimes he would just rush head first at the enemy without listening to Ark.
‘The master should also be able to control his summons…….’
But he didn’t know what he could summon as a replacement.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter if all the skeletons leave the battle state.’
Ark looked at Deimos who was still stupidly chasing after the skeletons. Then Dior’s voice was heard from the opposite side.
“I don’t understand how you can even summon a pet that doesn’t even listen to its master’s words. Okay, now is a chance. While a skeleton lures his summon, concentrate all your attacks on him!”
The skeleton archers simultaneously fired arrows at Ark.
-Oh, the skeleton archers are concentrating their attacks on Dark Wolf player. Even though he summoned a pet, it is pitiable that it is doing its own thing. Dark Wolf player is going to become a porcupine…….eh?
The announcer made a funny noise and held its breath. Depending on the level the speed, accuracy and power of an arrow would change. The arrows from the level 30~40 skeletons were nothing to Ark who had practice dealing with the thieves’ arrows at later levels.
Ark lowered his body and grabbed his sword. He was gambling on his counter attack chain skill, Riposte! Arrows that flew within five feet of him was quickly bounced off. Ark reflected the arrows back and they flew back towards Dior.
“S-stop! Stop him!”
Dior burst out in surprise. The fifteen skeletons left took out a dagger and surrounded Ark.
‘If I use Dark Dance then I can quickly escape and land a critical hit on Dior…….’
Ignoring the number of summons and making a concentrated attack on the necromancer. That was the basic tactic when dealing with a necromancer. Yes, some necromancers who summoned had no techniques to fight without their pets. He would rather take the risk and get rid of the necromancer with weak defense. However, Ark shook his head.
‘I was mistaken. This place is different from the other places that I have fought at so far. Here I am just a beginner. Therefore, like a beginner I should learn how to fight here. If I want a positive outcome for this tournament, I must adapt to the situation.’
His first task was to adapt to the atmosphere of the Evil Silrion. The skeletons were the best opponents to practice against. Ark quickly looked around and examined the situation of the match. Deimos had finished examining four skeletons and was on his fifth one. Although his hobby of collecting bones was strange, he didn’t require any help.
It also wasn’t necessary to worry about Shambala. Although his health was only 40% due to the earlier damage, if he only compared the skill set than Justin was not an opponent for Shambala. Besides, as the match time became longer, the effects of Justin’s potions gradually wore off which increased the pace of Shambala’s attacks.
“As expected from the Blue Sword!”
Every time the flashy offensive of Shambala hit, the crowd would give an exclamation. Now the only thing left was Ark!
“Now, come!”
Ark’s eyes gleamed as the skeleton’s left hands rose. Then like a canine tooth, the dagger targeted his neck.

-Ah, Dark Wolf seems to be facing off against fifteen summoned skeletons alone without the help of his summon. Is he insane? That wasn’t it. Did he become overconfident because he hit some arrows? If Dark Wolf loses here, then the balance of the match would collapse and it would become difficult for Blue Sword again.

‘It is your mistake that you summoned skeletons.’ The magic eye’s condemnation was followed by the crowd’s boos. But Ark had already ducked to the ground to avoid the dagger. He did a 360 degree sweep with his leg, causing the skeletons to fall to the ground. The sparkle of his sword shone and three or four skeletons lost their heads immediately.
Ark knew the reason why Dior chose a skeleton unit. In PVP, a necromancer feared close combat the most. Most magicians hated close combat but it was even worse for a necromancer. They summoned troops in a unit because they had the worst defense among all the professions. Therefore they summoned troops as soon as the battle begins to be used as a shield. In particular, they preferred to summon a small number of skeletons.
When skeletons are summoned, they have abundant numbers and they won’t die even if their arms and legs are broken. Even if they only have 1% of health left, their health could be recovered using the other skeletons. Their recovery ability is the necromancer’s strongest shield. However, the weak point of the skeleton unit was their balance.
When a skeleton is smashed in the skull, they become paralyzed. While the strong points were its damage and re-assembly ability, it also had a fatal weakness.
Of course, it wasn’t simple to crush the skull was receiving dozens of attacks. But Ark was the opponent. He had practiced dodging dozens of tentacles and learnt how to deal with aggressive monsters. Moreover, it was the skeleton that he was sick of dealing with in the underground labyrinth. Destroying level 30~40 skeletons was as simple as using taekwondo against a child. Ark dropped a skeleton to the ground using a kick and concentrated his attacks on that skeleton.
“Pant, S-summon recovery!”
Dior frantically used recovery magic. But even when the skeleton’s health was restored, its skull would just be crushed again and it was unable to fight.
Snap! In just a few minutes, Ark broke the last skeleton’s skull.
“This, unbelievable…….Chain of Delusion!”
Dior shouted with his hands stretched out. But in the end nothing came out of his palm. After summoning the skeletons and recovering their health, he had no more mana left. A magician without mana wasn’t so tough.
“Kkurururu”
Ark literally laughed like an animal. A vortex spun around as he kicked out his feet. Dior instantly lost 50% of his health.
“Ju-Justin!”
”Sheesh, I was trying to save this…….Berserker mode!”
When his partner was at risk, Justin immediately triggered his deadly skill. It was his racial special skill, Berserker mode! It recovered 30% of his health and was a morale skill which increased his offense and defense by 50% for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes ended, he would be unable to move so it wasn’t a skill that was often used. However in a tournament, 5 minutes was often enough time to obtain a decisive outcome. That is because the odds were high for warriors in the Evil Silrion.
“Pikyo!”
Justin swung his sword against Shambala’s and pushed him back. At this time, Shambala’s health was almost at the bottom. The overwhelming damage he received in the beginning was too large. Because he couldn’t face the 50% increased attack power of Justin, he gave way.
-Atch, Blue Sword player, Justin has used the decisive moment to take out the better player. Then Dark Wolf player who is driving back Dior with receive the thrust of Justin’s attack in the side. After that slump in the first few minutes, Dark Wolf player is again in a crisis. It is indeed a crisis!
While Shambala was there, Ark never had to think about Justin. In fact, Ark also didn’t have that much health left. Even though his level was superior, fighting against fifteen skeletons wasn’t easy. In addition, Dior’s attitude had changed to attack. If he receives an attack from the side, the centre would collapse and he would fall into a rigid state for a while.
‘If I receive the concentrated attacks of Dior and Justin continuously then it would be dangerous!’
Ark’s head thought at a frantic pace. Fortunately, the spiritual power that he used to summon Deimos was at 100% again. He could summon Dedric and have him use Dark Dash to avoid Justin’s attacks. But Ark soon shook his head. He was reluctant to summon Dedric.
‘Then……..’
“Release summon, summon Deimos!”
At that moment, Deimos who was piling up bones disappeared. And returned next to Ark. Deimos looked around with a confused face and discovered Justin who was rushing to attack. His eyes grew wider as he became stuck in the swamp.
‘Bah, Master doesn’t let me enjoy my hobby.’
“What, what the?”
Justin was confused as he unexpectedly crashed into Deimos. Justin had raised his sword too late and Ark was already gone. Ark was floating in the air. Ark’s body jumped vertically into the air before it stopped and started spinning suddenly. It was an aerial spin kick which caused bursts of air. Justin was surprised and lifted his shield. But no matter how long he waiting, there was no shock wave on his shield.
“Eh? What, what the?”
Justin followed Ark’s movements with a foolish expression. Although he thought it was flying to the side, Ark’s leg suddenly soared up.
“A fake?”
Yes, the spin kick in the air was a trick. The real attack was when he fell down and did a windmill! Snap! His foot kicked out and hit Justin’s forehead. It was a windmill kick with all his weight put behind it. And Ark used his Sword-Hand combat to increase the probability of the attack hitting since it was a technique with a high level of difficulty. Justin was stunned by the attack and fell to his knees. Double critical chance!
“Dark blade!”
Ark used Dark Blade without any delay. Dark Blade which ignored the defense was a natural enemy of warriors which relied on high defense. As soon as damage from the double critical chance was added, Justin collapsed head first into the swamp and died from the critical hit. The inside of the stadium was as quiet as a dead mouse for a moment.
It was like watching a martial arts competition, where the opponent was overwhelmed with hard kicks. After a while, the magic eye frantically made a noise.
-Wh-what was that? That was a form of martial arts from a foreigner! Incredible! I thought Dark Wolf player was a summoner but he was instead a martial artist. Then why did he summon the trivial skeleton? Ah, something like that doesn’t matter. Anyway, it has become clear that Dark Wolf is not Blue Sword’s sidekick!
“Un-unbelievable!”
At that time, Dior rushed to Ark with the remaining skeleton. At that moment Ark turned his body and there was an intense ringing sound.
“Blink, Light wave!”
Instantaneously, Shambala flew across the swamp towards Dior. When the mud which flew up into the sky fell down again, Shambala had already stabbed his dagger into Dior. When Dior collapsed, the skeletons turned into a powder. Shambala wiped off the mud with a shrug.
“I only did that so you could play an active part.”
“Wily guy.”
A wry smile spread over Ark’s mouth. It was then that Ark understood the whole situation.
It was Shambala’s plan from the beginning. Even when Justin was doped with the drugs, he could’ve handled him faster. However, Shambala took his time. Then he also didn’t stop Justin’s final assault on purpose. Whether it was to make Ark adapt to the match or a test of his skills, Ark didn’t know…….But from the beginning, the fight had progressed as Shambala intended. Indeed, he couldn’t underestimate his 37 winning streak in the arena. Extravagant cheers continuously overflowed from the spectator seats. Unlike the first time, half the cheers were for Ark.
-Thus ends the 7th match in the tournament! The 14th team is the winner! It is Blue Sword with the reputation of 28 straight wins and his partner! In his debut match, Dark Wolf appeared like a comet and showed some surprising skills! Please clap your hands for the glorious winners!
“Wah ah ah!”
“Dark Wolf, why did you wander in the beginning when you’re so good?”
“Blue Sword, Dark Wolf! The best. I lost money but you made some fans today!”
“Dark Wolf oppa, his fang is awesome!”
He also received a thunderous ovation. Clack clack clack! Clack clack clack! Deimos had finally managed to heave himself up from the ground. Had he remembered a memory from his former life? He unexpectedly liked the showmanship. Ark cancelled the summoning and Deimos returned to the Netherworld.
‘After evolving, his character has become a little strange……..’
When they returned to the waiting room, the management NPC approached.
“Congratulations to both of you. Since the number of participants had increased, your next match is expected to take place the day after tomorrow. You can relax for now.”
Suddenly a message window appeared in front of Ark.
You have won the first fight in the Evil Silrion.
Currently record: 1 win
<Victory bonus: Fame +10>

“Kuo oooo!”
The Deadman yelled and brandished a window. The Deadman was similar to undead monsters such as zombies, but unlike zombies they managed to keep their armour and weapons intact so they were equipped with much higher stats. Well, they were still no match for Ark.
The level of Deadman was 100. At that level, it already wasn’t a match. In addition, his experience from the Evil Silrion was already in effect. After the degree and complexity of a user’s movements, the movement of Deadman felt monotonous and slow. Ark avoided the window with flew at him and swung his sword. The Deadman who received the concentrated attack disappeared into a powder. And after the last one died, a heavy object bounced onto the ground.

Warrior’s Transcripts
Item type: Leather Shoulder Blades
Defense power: 15
Durability: 13/50
Weight: 20
User restriction: Level 80 or more

The Forest of Souls is an area with a big war took place during the Dark Century. Numerous warriors who fought against the darkness were buried here with their armour. Hundreds of years have passed since then and most of the armour is already gone, but sometimes armour with magical powers could be found. These armours add a special power to the monsters that inhabit the Forest of Souls.
<Option: Strength +3>

Ark’s eyes lit up at the sight of the information window. Three days had already passed since his flash debut match in the Evil Silrion arena. The fact that it was a different world was all the same to Ark. The participants that Hyun-woo met were chaotic players of different levels. Unlike the chaotic players who targeted low level players to decrease their burden, these ones focused on raising their skill level and equipment. In addition, the specialized fields and hands on experience in the Evil Silrion were better than being chaotic. Those users were thoroughly prepared and not really creative. Of course, he learnt a lot from the quality of the battles. But the problem was that he couldn’t earn a substantial income from it. Usually he would’ve already entered the final match after three days of game time. However, this time the number of participants was unprecedented so the schedule of the tournament was extended by several times. Even if the number of matches increased, at the most it only had one match per day. 1 day was barely 3 hours in reality. Even if it was possible to finish all the matches at that pace, it was still more than 8 hours in reality. And he didn’t know how long it would take for the other games, so if the time was accelerated suddenly then he might have to play a match that wasn’t in the schedule. Therefore, they couldn’t go away while the tournament was in progress. Therefore most of the participants had no choice but to wait around. However, that was no problem for Ark. ‘Yes! Shoulder Blades, finally!
There was at least 8 hours every night when the Evil Silrion would close its doors. If the fight ended quickly and another match scheduled then there would be an announcement at least 1 hour before. Even if he went hunting, as long as it was within a distance of 1 hour from Selebrid then it didn’t matter.
Of course, when the schedule suddenly changed and he was in the hunting ground then there was no way to receive a notification. However, that was only for ordinary users.
“From today, you will live here. And fly swiftly to alert me if anything happens.”
“What? Are you asking me to sit here all day like a rock and listen to them talk?”
“If you ever doze off and delay trying to contact me………you wouldn’t be able to speak with all the dreadful things shoved in your mouth. I’ll leave it to your imagination.”
After Ark used intimidation, Dedric was left behind at the Evil Silrion. Dedric complained of course but followed his orders without any resistance. As soon as Ark showed him a medley he created, Dedric quickly nodded with a haggard face.
When the distance was within 1 hour, even if the schedule changed then Ark could hunt to his heart’s content.
‘Now, since I can’t go too far from Selebrid then shouldn’t I find the most efficient hunting ground? I need to find a hunting ground with decent experience and income but…….’
Shambala easily solved the problem. Shambala had been in Selebrid for a while and already discovered all the information about the surrounding hunting grounds. Shambala was glad that Ark was taking advantage of the free time to do some hunting. But he was worried about any changes to the tournament schedule. However, with the promise that Dedric would be stationed at the bulletin board, he told Ark all the information about the nearby hunting grounds.
“At any rate, you’re also a guy who can’t stand still. When I was in trouble in a difficult place and got lost, I found a suitable hunting ground. If you find any items that could be helpful in the tournament then that would be convenient.”
The place Shambala recommended was the Forest of Souls. There were two reasons why Shambala recommended it. One reason was that it was only 30 minutes away from Selebrid. With a 1 hour round trip, he didn’t have to worry about being late to the game.
And the second reason was………
“You still haven’t equipped any bracelets or shoulder blades?”
“Bracelet? Shoulder blades?”
“Selebrid is a kind of boundary spot. The bracelets and shoulder blades that aren’t dropped in Giran start to show up. Even if it was dropped in Giran, the level has to be at least 80 so it is insignificant……..anyway, since bracelets and shoulder blades have a defense stat, they should be useful in the tournament.”
“I can find it in the nearby hunting grounds?”
“You usually have to go a few hours away to the burial mound area, but I know that the Forest of Souls happens to drop some. Quite a lot of people have obtained bracelets and shoulder blades from the Deadman mob. But it is no joke as the drop rate is quite low.”
Shambala said that he should try though. He probably thought that Ark would try for a few hours and then give up. After all, it normally took a few hours killing the same monster for an item with low drop rate to fall. Even if the information about the monster was known, it wasn’t easy to find a good item. But Shambala didn’t know Ark properly.
‘New equipment item!’
Except for when there was a match, Ark lived in the Forest of Souls. And when he saw a Deadman, he desperately rushed up to it even though he was fighting other monsters.
However, the most that the Deadman dropped was a few loot worth several silvers. The drop rate was so low that most would have considered stopping. Ark started to have doubts by the time that he hunted hundreds of them.
‘Are the bracelets or shoulder blades really going to drop?’
Even though the information was authentic, he would rather shift to a higher level hunting ground to obtain more experience and better loot. But Ark soon shook his head.
‘No, it is a war of patience trying to find a useable item from a normal monster. Since others held on, I cannot give up until I get the same results as them. I have to hang in longer than others in order to get good items! Until luck follows then I have to hold on!’
Since then, Ark attacked the Deadman even more relentlessly. While he went back and forth between Selebrid, two days had passed and finally a desired item had dropped.

Amulet of Vitality (Magic)
Item type: Bracelet
Durability: 15/20
Weight: 10
User restriction: Level 80 or more

An old bracelet that was buried in the Forest of Souls.After a long time, it is ragged and doesn’t shine anymore but its magical powers still remain.
<Option: Health +50>
<Special Option: Vitality (Health recovers by 5 every 20 seconds)>

It was the item obtained after hunting nearly a thousand of the Deadman for 2 days. Well, when looking at the stats it wasn’t that great. Health +50. Ark’s current health was 2000. If a high level monster hit him, it would do more than 50 damage. In such a situation, he didn’t know if 50 extra health was significant. But of course it was better to have it then to have nothing. In addition, the special options meant that a small but steady amount of his health would be continuously restored! ‘A bracelet!’
‘Two bracelets can be equipped at the same time. If I find another Amulet of Vitality that would mean +100 health and 10 health points being restored every 20 seconds! It is the jackpot!’
He wasn’t about to give up half way so Ark clung even more frantically to the hunt. Sometimes online gaming was strange. Items had a probability rate of dropping. Sometimes, the item would not drop even if you died and came back and sometimes they would drop straight away. He spent one more day hunting in the Forest of Souls before he found the shoulder blades.
‘Defense 15 and Strength 3……..the defense is on the low side, but the option is useable for beginners. It is trivial compared to the items being sold in Selebrid, but instead of spending 300 gold for slightly higher stats, this is the far better option. And better shoulder blades might drop in the future.’
Ark gave a warm smile and began to wear the shoulder blades. Halfway to his shoulder, he saw that it was rotting with a bad odour. If he was a user that paid attention to what he looked like, his face would have contorted but since he only cared about the added defense, Ark was happy and smiled.
‘I don’t care about my appearance. The important thing is the stats!’
Ark’s only value was usefulness. Ark attached the shoulder blades and checked out the stat window.

Character Name Ark Race Human
Alignment Good +250
Fame 1965 Level 125
Profession Dark Walker
Title Cat Knight, Caretaker of All, Jackson’s Hero
Health 2115 (+100) Mana 1930
Spiritual Power 100 Strength 274 (+18)
Agility 324(+25) Stamina 414 (+10)
Wisdom 43(+10) Intelligence 367
Luck 44 Flexibility 39
Art of Communication 33 Affection 77 (+10)
Special stat: Knowledge of Ancient Relics 98
* Equipment item effects
Guardian Armour of the Merpeople: Water Attribute Resistance +100%, Penalty based on water is nullified.
Cat Paws (Gloves): Attack Speed +10%, Agility +15, Critical Hit +10%
Raccoons Pith (Helmet): Agility + 10, Wisdom + 10
*<Animal King> Set effect: Strength + 10, Agility + 10, Stamina +10, Defense +20
Warrior’s Transcripts (Shoulder Blades): Strength + 3
Improved Norad Boots (Shoes): Movement Speed + 15%, Evasion + 10%
Veil of Fire (Mantle): Flame resistance + 50%
Adelaine’s Necklace (Necklace): Defense + 40, Affection +10, ‘Blessing of the Sea’ available
Resurrecting Spirit (Ring): Strength + 5, Mana recovery + 5%
* All abilities will increase by 40% in the dark
* You have the ability to hide in the darkness (20 minutes duration. Cancelled when you get into combat)
* Resistance Fear, Darkness, Blind, and Seduction spells is increased by 50%.
* You can bring out the true abilities from all types of tools.
Level 125. He had increased his level by 2 after hunting in the Forest of Souls for 3 days. It was quite good since he had to play in the matches as well as sometimes hunting. The experience for the Deadman was low but he hunted quite a lot of them. In addition, the monsters weren’t strong so he didn’t have to take a rest every time a battle ended. Thanks to not resting and just hunting, he obtained results beyond what he expected.
‘Okay, while this experience is great for a short term plan.’
However unlike Ark, Deimos sighed with a sulky face. Clack clack, clack clack clack………
Ark had been stubborn when hunting the Deadman. When the Deadman died, it turned to powder so Deimos couldn’t enjoy his hobby of collecting bones. Therefore, Deimos didn’t enjoy the situation. But while raising the ability of his summons was important, it was more important that Ark’s abilities rose.
“Deimos, I don’t have time for you to be sighing. Because Dedric isn’t here you have to play his role as well. Hurry up! Until we can find another bracelet, there are no breaks.”
Ark rushed the depressed Dedric and began hunting the Deadman again. When 30 minutes had passed, he heard alarm sounds in his ears.
‘Pant, it is already this time…….!’
Ark swung his sword one more time before disappearing from the forest.

“Why isn’t it straight?”
Lee Myung-ryong shouted as he stomped on the floor. Of course, Hyun-woo also wanted to do it properly. However, what could he do if his body didn’t move fast enough to not get hit? While he wanted to fly like a butterfly, his arms and legs wouldn’t move the way he desired. Even though he could clearly see the opponent’s attack, he couldn’t even move an arm to block it. Pepepek, after a slow impact shocked him, he stopped for a while and shook his head. When Hyun-woo stopped, Lee Myung-ryong immediately raised his voice angrily.
“You idiot, how many times do I have to say it? When you are hit then don’t step back but absorb the impact. Use your lower back! Remember to use your lower back in the future!”
Although it was easy to say…….how many people would remember it when being hit with a fist in the face? However, Hyun-woo clenched his teeth and summoned more power to his legs. It was because he knew from experience would kind of trouble there would be if he didn’t follow Lee Myung-ryong’s words.
‘Damn, well since I’m going to die anyway, it doesn’t matter what state I’m in when I die!’
“This is just like being a zombie.”
Hyun-Woo rushed at the opponent like a bulldozer when the whistle blew. But at the same moment, Hyun-woo felt an intense blow to his side. Although he experienced it a lot, it was an attack that he couldn’t really adapt to. The blow to his body caused his gut to twist in pain.
How is it? Is there a lot of tingling? This is a medicine for zombies.”
Meanwhile, one more blow struck him on the other side. Immediately his legs started to tremble. However, Hyun-Woo didn’t even have the right to lie down comfortably on the floor.
“30 seconds left, will you manage to hold up for 30 seconds? Do you want to lie down and get disliked?”
Hyun-woo heard Lee Myung-ryong say in a sparkling voice. So he drew in a deep breath and corrected his posture. The expression of the opponent who thought it had ended turned pale. After a brief moment, he contorted his lips and started the onslaught.
Straight, hook and upper cut! It was like shower of punches that wouldn’t stop! However, Hyun-woo made his defense as hard as a turtle and withstood the attacks. But eventually, his arms lowered and he gradually lost power in his legs. And when both of his arms finally lowered, the fist of the opponent rushed towards Hyun-woo’s face. The person that allowed him to escape the crisis was Lee Myung-ryong.
“Stop! The 3rd round has ended.”
When Lee Myung-ryong’s voice rang out, the fist immediately stopped. Then Hyun-woo let out a laugh and said.
“A leader is a leader, but you’re terrible too. That was a really tough 3rd round to endure.”
Hyun-woo sighed and flopped down to the ground. He laid down on the floor and stared at the ceiling of the gym. The after effect of being hit was that the ceiling seemed to shake left and right.
‘Whew, I dug my own grave…….I really will either become a superman or die……..’
He thought about the remaining practice schedule that was still ahead of him. After he had arrived at Selebrid, Hyun-woo had asked Lee Myung-ryong to train him specifically for the matches in the Evil Silrion. In retrospect, he didn’t know why he did such a reckless thing. Special training……..it was a grave that he personally dug for himself.
The system that Lee Myung-ryong used to train Hyun-woo made Ark’s training of his summons seem a hundred times more humane.
“I’m making a Superman.”
He had thought it was a joke. Of course not. Who would think those words were serious? However, some humans in the world don’t know common sense. This Lee Myung-ryong……….
Recently, just listening to the name was enough to make him sweat. For the last three days, the training that Lee Myung-ryong was putting him was not something that most humans could digest. Gwon Hwa-rang said that Lee Myung-ryong was a delinquent before he became a policeman, but he introduced them anyway. It seems that Lee Myung-ryong thought of himself as a mad scientist. And it was clear that he was determined to reshape Hyun-woo into an artificial man as much as possible. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to devise such a inhumane training system.
The first day that Hyun-woo visited the gym Lee Myung-ryong just smiled and made him do exercises from the national gymnastics team.
“So let’s start lightly shall we? Do one handed pushups on both sides 50 times.”
“Yes? But I’ve never managed to do more than twenty pushups using one hand?”
Frankly, how many ordinary men in Korea would be able to do one handed pushups twenty times? He thought it was a great standard. But no sooner had he finished talking then his stomach was pushed down with a kick.
“Didn’t I say this before? From the moment you entered here. The one thing that is prohibited.”
“Ha, but………”
“Do you think my words are funny?”
Lee Myung-ryong smiled and spoke. He was one of the few humans who could beat a man with his smile.
“I knew a junior who was a short distance sprinter. That guy was able to run 100 metres in 11 seconds. But that wasn’t enough to hand out a business card at a convention. Even when he almost died from the effort, he couldn’t shorten it to 10 seconds and eventually gave up and became a policeman. So during the first dispatch, he was a newbie and forgot the strategies and found himself surrounded by delinquents while alone. Well, at first it was all right. The guys were trying to kill him with sashimi knives so of course the guy frantically ran away. Now, can you guess what happened?”
“As a track and field athlete, didn’t he get away unharmed?”
“That’s right, but the important thing is what happened next.”
“And then?”
“Since that day, he has been able to run it in 10 seconds.”
“Yes? How…..?”
Lee Myung-ryong replied in a tone that implied it wasn’t a big deal.
“Simple. From the beginning, that guy could run it in 10 seconds. He was built with those kinds of muscles. However, it was the case he couldn’t run it because he thought he couldn’t do it. Every time he ran, he thought that even though it was his best time, he still couldn’t do it. But after that incident, the thought that he had trapped himself with disappeared.”
“It’s a touching story. But what does that have to do with me?”
Hyun-Woo asked, feeling uneasy. As expected, the answer made him worried.
“It seems to me that you’re also a guy who could do that? How about it? Are you not proud?”
“What on earth…….what’s you’re basis for that?”
“The eyes in this body!”
Ah, it was like that? There is no reason for him to object.
However, the terrible thing was that Lee Myung-ryong really took it to heart and continued to make successive points. This mad scientist really believed he was a genius with a keen eye. Therefore, he was caught in the illusion that he might be able to remodel him until he became an artificial man. The even worse thing was that it wasn’t entirely absurd. Once he tried it, Hyun-woo was able to increase the number of his one-handed pushups. His best record was twenty-five times, that was his limit so far. However, when he was threatened by Lee Myung-ryong and felt desperate then it was possible for him to do fifty. The fear of violence temporarily suppressed the pain of his body. But that was only a warm up exercise.
“Now, should we begin?
Lee Myung-ryong called to the SWAT team member exercising to one side and said.
“This guy did amateur boxing during high school. He was within the top 10 in the nation so he should be suitable as your rival. The rule is 3 rounds of boxing!”
Hyun-woo’s face had a look of bewilderment. The pushups were difficult to such an extent that he had cramps in his arm muscles. It wasn’t even taekwondo, but he was expected to spar in boxing using only his fist? Against a former boxer who was within the top 10 of the nation? He hoped it was a joke, but the word joke wasn’t even in Lee Myung-ryong’s vocabulary. Lee Myung-ryong fitted the gloves on him while cheering with warm words.
“If you give up then you will die.”
Of course, it couldn’t be a direct fight. Hyun-woo went through 3 rounds that were 3 minutes each. By the end of the 9 minutes, he had become flattened like a rice cake.
“Pathetic, being hit by such a trivial guy………”
Lee Myung-ryong clicked his tongue like he had been presented with a menu. Then it was the abs and back exercises. 200 sit ups, 200 chin ups and 200 flank movements. He made him do upper and lower abs exercises 200 times………the various abs exercises added up to one thousand times. Then another member of the SWAT team was summoned. They were the frontline members that defended the Republic of Korea. Since the job required stamina and skills, the various members could rival the athletes. The member who was summoned this time also had nice muscles. The degree of muscles was so much that Hyun-woo would be easily crushed by it.
“This guy used to have a career in amateur wrestling. He is slightly better than the earlier guy, since he won a bronze medal in a national competition. 3 rounds begin!”
It was really crazy. After making him go through a crazy abs workout, now he expected him to do wrestling? Against one of the nation’s top wrestlers? Wasn’t this just harassment? But he couldn’t say anything at the sight of Lee Myung-ryong’s cold eyes and started the spar.
Of course, the result was that he was flattened like a rice cake again. Lee Myung-ryong’s training was always like this. Hyun-woo had heard that he was a taekwondo state representative so had guessed that his training would be an intensive course in taekwondo techniques. But Lee Myung-Ryong only trained him in taekwondo for 15 minutes. The rest was all training the basic physical strength and sparring. The spars against the athletes were also unrelated to taekwondo. But Lee Myung-ryong had a firm belief for that part.
“Do you want to exercise to show a nice kick in front of your girlfriend? Or do you want to become stronger?”
“I want to become stronger…….. .”
“Then the taekwondo posture isn’t necessary. Because you won’t become strong with that type of practice. Strong training should be hands on experience. This situation is also going to get worse.”
Anyway, the final stage of his training was leg exercises. After stretching his legs, the final boss Lee Myung-ryong emerged.
He was able to judge the situation with the boxer and wrestler to some extent. At least they were people. However, Lee Myung-ryong wasn’t a person. Hyun-woo had to experience many times the hell that was his attacks, which battered him like a storm. There were times when he really thought that he was about to die. But Lee Myung-ryong just spoke with a smirk.
“The thing that people call the human body. It is surprisingly well made. It doesn’t die easily. And once it is broken, it becomes even stronger.”
The ideas of the mad scientist were always terrifying. Since then, he seemed to have adapted a little bit to the pain. And at that time, Hyun-woo realized that Lee Myung-ryong’s training schedule wasn’t something he had just guessed at and threw together.
‘It is similar to taekwondo. Taekwondo uses kicks but the important thing isn’t the strength in the legs. The movement of the upper body is more important. Boxing uses fist but that wasn’t all it uses. The movement of the waist and legs is more important when punching.’
Although he wouldn’t be able to spar against a boxer if he couldn’t move his arms, Hyun-woo learned how to move his waist and the steps. It was the same for wrestling. Although it only seemed to rely on the waist, the proper techniques wouldn’t be able to be used just relying only on waist power. If the power was in the lower back, he would be able to use techniques with natural posture. But even though he understood that with his head, his wrestling and boxing capabilities didn’t increase. He had no choice but to become like a rice cake as he learnt with his body.
“That’s the guy? The pitiful guy that was taken by you?”
While Hyun-woo was sparring with the former wrestler again, one of the swat team members asked Lee Myung-ryong. Lee Myung-ryong smiled and nodded his head.
“Yes, he is working hard to be remodelled.”
“Although it has been several days, he is holding up well. It seems he is able to digest quite a lot of physical strength exercises……..Are you trying to train him to make it stick in his mind? You are………”
“Stop saying unnecessary things……..”
Lee Myung-ryong frowned at the words, causing the member to flinch. To the SWAT team members, Lee Myung-ryong was a frightening person.
“How is it? Do you see any talent?”
“Do you think I’m a psychic? That one look would let me know whether he has talent?”
“What the? Then do you have to practice with someone to tell their talent?”
“I don’t know how to see talent like you.” I don’t believe that, but there is one thing that I know.”
Lee Myung-ryong looked at Ark who was getting flattened on the mat and said in a low voice.
“It depends on whether that guy is able to endure or not.

‘The road to become a Superman is steep and far.’
Hyun-woo led his unsteady body out of the gymnasium. He exercised at the gym for 2 hours every day. The time that he trained with the team was similar to when he exercised alone. No, if it was increased any more than he would’ve surely died. Anyway, even if Hyun-woo made up his mind to concentrate on movements for longer, his stamina was limited.
When he exited the gym, he saw on the clock that it was 5 p.m. The next fight was at 9 p.m. so 4 hours still remained. If he connected immediately then he would be able to concentrate on hunting in the Forest of Souls for 3 hours. Hyun-woo soon changed his mind.
No, since teacher Lee Myung-ryong changed the training time there has been no opportunity to visit my mother. During a quest it is hectic so I would have no time to visit, so I should visit her when I train in the afternoon. No matter how important the game is I can’t neglect my mother.’
Hyun-woo immediately visited the hospital carrying a basket of fruit. After his mother finished her rehabilitation, her wheelchair came into the garden.
“These days the time seems to pass quickly.”
His mother said with a bright look. Although she should be tired since her rehabilitation just finished, she showed no signs of it. Hyun-Woo wanted to let her enjoy the time so she would forget the fatigue. After seeing his mother, he was sorry that he hadn’t visited in a while.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been frequently visiting.”
“Don’t say such a silly thing.”
His mother shook her head.
“Do you think I’m a child? Even if you don’t say anything, I know you’ve been having a hard time. It is not necessary to come visit a sick person. I just…….want you to do what you want for a little while. Do you understand?”
“Then I’ll do that.”
“You’re not skipping meals?”
“Yes, I eat until I’m full.”
“But somehow I think you’ve become a little bit haggard. You also didn’t have those wounds before, perhaps……..?”
His mother said as she looked at Hyun-woo’s face. Even though he wore protective gear when sparring, there were times when his movements were rough and he received bruises. Although his face didn’t hurt, it probably looked like it did.
“I’m okay, please don’t think unnecessary things. It’s because these days I’ve started training again.”
Hyun-woo scratched his head with an embarrassed expression. Prepare rice to eat and be careful. At one time he would’ve only heard it as a boring lecture.
When he had gotten tired of his mother’s lecture, he became rebellious and acted out. However, that memory was painful now. When he had been unable to listen to the nagging anymore, he realized that the nagging was a precious part of his normal life. And hearing her say those words now warmed his heart.
“You lost weight. Are you eating your rice?”
Those were his mother’s first words upon waking up in the ICU. It seemed that all she could see was the form of a child who became thin and wasn’t able to lift a finger to help himself. That was his mother. It was his mother that Hyun-woo would love for his entire life.
“Yes, I listened to Detective Gwon. He said you were attending the police agency’s gym. Although……..it is good for your health to exercise, you must be careful not to get injured. Well, Detective Gwon told me that his junior is looking after you so I don’t have to worry…….”
“Hmm, you’re speaking quite freely about Detective Gwon. Did you want to see him more than me? Should I call? He would come like a knife if I called.”
“This guy, what are you saying? Because I don’t think he would go that far just for me……..”
“Ohuhuhu, are you turning red? Is my mother going to take the name Gwon?”
“You’re becoming cheekier.”
“I should let ajusshi know.”
Hyun-woo smirked as he looked for a suitable bench to sit down on. As soon as he sat down, his mother took out some apples.
“Do you want an apple? I’ll cut it for you.”
“No. I’ll do it.”
His mother shook her head and starting cutting the apples with her free hands. Although Hyun-woo was worried, he just watched and was surprised at her skilful hand movements.
It was because he understood his mother’s sentiment. Whenever he saw that look, Hyun-woo was reminded of several years ago. His mother was often on the boundaries of life and death in the ICU……..the doctors at that time gave up on his mother. There’s an 80% chance she will either die or become a vegetable, they said in a cruel voice. Hyun-woo didn’t have the courage to watch his mother die so he threw himself into the nightlife. However, his mother’s status dramatically improved. It was from the time Gwon Hwa-rang dragged him to his mother and he spent the entire night beside her praying. The doctors called it a miracle. Hyun-Woo thought so too. But he now knew. It wasn’t a miracle or a coincidence.
‘Why is my home this poor?’
During his school days, Hyun-woo used to think that his house was quite poor. His other friends changed their cell phones whenever a new model came out, or would buy lots of clothes. There was also another friend who went to study abroad during junior high. On the other hand, Hyun-woo would buy new clothes every few months. He would buy clothes that cost 200,000 won at most…….why was he so poor? That was what he thought. But after the accident, Hyun-woo realized how young he was. At that time, Hyun-woo had to travel around to the houses of the victims’ families to give compensation as well as pay for his mother’s hospital bills. Even when Hyun-woo asked for help from his relatives, he only received cold, contemptuous looks in return. After they abandoned him, he sold some household furniture to try and make some money and discovered a bankbook in a cabinet. There were 5 bankbooks that combined added up to 100 million won. However, they weren’t under his father or mother’s name. It was the insurance and savings under Hyun-woo’s name.
His father received a monthly salary of 4 million won, and he put half of it in a savings account under Hyun-woo’s name for 10 years. For 10 years, his father and mother would wear old clothes while buying meat and new clothes for Hyun-woo.
‘Do you know how guilty I feel?’
That day, Hyun-woo hugged the bankbooks to him and cried all night long. His parents were strong. This also caused the child to become strong. The reason his mother got up every day was because of that. At 17 years old, Hyun-woo realized that simple fact at last. The same was true for now as well. He didn’t move his hand even when her fingers started shaking on the knife. It was something that he would’ve once considered useless stubbornness, but now Hyun-woo knew. Even though it might seem insignificant, it was an important job that his mother wanted to do. And she finally recovered enough to directly cut the apples. The reason that his mother might be able to endure such a tough rehabilitation was because she wanted to do such trivial things. When he thought about that, his chest started throbbing. Hyun-woo erased the thought and quickly changed the subject.
“But is Gwon ajusshi stopping in frequently?”
“Is this guy hanging around just to tease his mum?”
“No. I haven’t seen him in a few days that’s why I’m asking.”
There had been no contact between Gwon Hwa-rang and the rehabilitation members since they started searching for the thieves.
“Yes, he comes every other day. But your movements have changed a lot. Also your expression has brightened considerably…….I’ll wait and see how much you get injured before judging. What did you do to get that guy to favour you?”
“I have to be attentive even if I’m not your father.”
“I can’t hear anything.”
“Mother, that’s not the sound of a joke. I’m also not a child. It isn’t necessary to worry about me. Mother also knows what kind of person Detective Gwon is.
“You’re giving me that speech even though I’m considerably older.”
“My mother is still beautiful. That’s why Detective Gwon fell for the whole package.”
“Let’s stop talking about him.”
Hyun-woo spoke so seriously that his mother blushed and didn’t know what to do. She seemed like a young girl again and looked quite cute. Then, his mother suddenly asked him with a curious look.
“Why are you laughing about this?”
“Yes? What?”
“Your girlfriend. Aren’t you going to formally introduce her to your mother or are you just keeping her hidden?”
“A girlfriend? Eh, I don’t have one.”
“I’ve met her already so why are you lying?”
“Yes? Met?”
Hyun-woo asked with a stunned expression.
“I can’t believe she hasn’t told you yet. Your girlfriend visited the hospital room yesterday evening with some porridge. She looked very nice. Her name if Jung Hye-sun yes?”
“H, Hye-sung?”
Hyun-woo’s eyes widened. Jung Hye-sun approximately knew Hyun-woo’s circumstances. But he hadn’t said that his mother was hospitalized or told her the name of the hospital. However, it wasn’t difficult to know that it was Gwon Hwa-rang and the rehabilitation group who told her.
“Mother, since you haven’t been very forthcoming with mother…….mother was relieved.”
“Yes? You’re relieved?”
“You never wanted to discuss girls or any problems you had with them.”
“It’s not that. Hye-sung is just like a younger sister to me.”
His mother sent him a coy look and laughed.
“Originally I considered your dad as an oppa as well. Then we became your mother and father.”
“It really isn’t like that.”
“Ho ho ho, I understand. You don’t have to be embarrassed. Mother understands everything.”
“It’s the truth. Mother doesn’t understand……..”
“Then I’ll act like I don’t know. Let’s finish it here. There is an empty container in the hospital room so bring it with you when you leave. Understand? If Hyun-woo is good then mother will be okay. Fighting!”
His mother raised her clenched fist. She had made up her mind and was determined to misunderstand.

7 p.m. It was the time that Jung Hye-sun would start her part time job. Hyun-woo had made an appointment with her before walking to meet her. He had been at the meeting place for 30 minutes and was pacing up and down with a distant look.
“Wow, I’m impressed with Oppa. I wasn’t expecting you to call and ask to meet up.”
“My mother told me to return this……..”
Hyun-woo said as he extended his bag. It was the first time they had seen each other in reality after Gwon Hwa-rang tricked him into going on a date. Even though he called and asked to meet outside, he didn’t know what to say………..
“Eh? Did Oppa just come from the hospital?”
“How did you know about the hospital?”
Hyun-woo asked in a deliberately brusque voice. Then Jung Hye-sun shrank slightly and replied in a small voice.
“I heard from Gwon Hwa-rang ajusshi.”
Damn, it was just like he thought. That fox wearing the mask of a bear!
“Actually……..I said that I would go together with oppa but Gwon Hwa-rang said it wouldn’t be good for your mother’s heart if I didn’t go with the oppas who helped me prepare the porridge. Sorry. Are you angry?”
He didn’t want to hear her apologize. No, quite the opposite.
Of course, it was a little bit taxing but the first thing he thought of when he heard his mother say Jung Hye-sun’s name was thank you. After the accident, his relatives never visited so his mother was always alone. The only people that came to visit her were Gwon Hwa-rang and Hyun-woo. But now someone else has come. It was a person related to Hyun-woo……..Hyun-woo was secretly worried about his mother and welcomed other guests. Perhaps that was why he was in an exceptionally good mood today. Hyun-woo scratched his head before shaking it.
“No, I’m not upset. Although I am a little embarrassed.”
“Yes? What?”
“That……..My mother fell ill. It isn’t something to be proud about.”
Hyun-woo had never thought about his mother while he was embarrassed. But many people had heard Hyun-woo’s circumstances and sympathized. He didn’t want that. Perhaps that was another reason he hadn’t told Jung Hye-sun about his situation. But Jung Hye-sun hurriedly said.
“I don’t care about such things. Actually, I thought Oppa was really wonderful after I heard about your mother. Really. My impression of Oppa just improves even more…….”
Jung Hye-sun was surprised at her words and closed her mouth. Her voice rang loudly through the area. People passing by looked back startled while some couples giggled and whispered together. But it was Jung Hye-sung’s reaction that was more interesting. He would’ve thought blushing was the normal reaction, but Jung Hye-sun just held her head up high and said.
“What are you looking at? Is my Oppa so wonderful?”
“Omo, what is with her?”
Although some women gave her amazed glances, Jung Hye-sung didn’t even react. Hyun-woo was different and blushed as the eyes in the vicinity looked at him.
“Come on. Oppa.”
Jung Hye-sun took Hyun-woo’s arm and walked off.
“Ah, that was embarrassing.”
‘Was her original character like this?’
Hyun-woo was stunned for a short time. The Jung Hye-sun he knew was a timid girl who didn’t speak a lot, loved instruments and shed tears as the assistant section chief. Thanks to that, Hyun-woo had only thought of Jung Hye-sun as a little sister. But now he didn’t know if his impression was right. The Jung Hye-sun Hyun woo met outside was more active, tough…….and pretty.
‘Ah, what am I thinking?’
Her side profile of a raised lip and eyes were surprisingly pretty. However, there was no man who didn’t know that such a secret must be hidden. Technically, this was the first time that Hyun-woo had asked her out. Naturally, Jung Hye-sun paid attention to her outfit and make-up and was fairly nervous. There was a legend that said once women finished being made up, there was a 150% boost and women would become more daring than usual.
“Can I visit the hospital again?”
Jung Hye-sun suddenly threw a straight pitch! No matter how much Hyun-woo thought, it wasn’t a question that he could easily answer. It was an answer that he would normally refuse. However, under the effects of the 150% appearance boost, women were invincible. Hyun-woo nodded as he missed the timing to refuse.
“If mother is okay with it……..then I don’t care.
“I’m glad. I thought I would have to visit secretly if Oppa said no.”
“What?”
“Ho ho ho, nothing. Anyway, today Oppa has walked me to my part time job. The guy that I work together with often teases me. If I go with Oppa then it won’t be like that from now on.”
“Why don’t I meet with him? Do you know? He might be a surprisingly good guy.”
“What?”
Jung Hye-sun raised an eyebrow and stared.
“I’m kidding, kidding. Okay, I’ll escort you there.”
“Bah, I won’t bring a soup next time.”
Jung Hye-sun turned her head with an annoyed face. Usually it was more than this. After it was decided, Hyun-woo was dragged off to the convenience store.
“So I’ll take this and go. I have to be connected to the game in 1 hour.
“Yes.”
Jung Hye-sun confirmed and blew out a sigh at Hyun-woo’s receding appearance.
‘Just like Jjak-tung-oppa said. Hyun-woo oppa is weak to an aggressive woman.”
That’s right, Jung Hye-sung visiting the hospital with porridge and her bold behaviour on the road with Hyun-woo was all a part of Jjak-tung’s plan. Jung Hye-sung had a smile of victory on her mouth.
‘Ho ho ho, now I know how to catch Hyun-woo oppa.
The former criminal was terrifying. However, women were even more terrifying. Then a man secretly approached in the convenience store and asked.
“Hye-sun, who was that person just now?”
“That was my oppa that I previously told you about, isn’t he cool?”
Jung Hye-sun told the man bluntly who started to look uncomfortable.
“What does he do? I heard something about a match…….is he an athlete?”
“No it is a mixed martial arts match.
The man’s face paled at Jung Hye-sun’s answer. And in the future, there was a firm line around Jung Hye-sung.

ACT 3 Hidden Power of the Rehabilitation Stage?
Chaotic NPC ‘Rehabilitation’ complete.<Rehabilitation Bonus: Rehabilitated NPC x 5000 Experience and Alignment: Good +50>

-Your level has risen.
“Hyung-nim, we’ve finished rehabilitating all 30 people.”
“Hu hu hu, the nearby neighbourhoods are also clear.”
JusticeMan looked at the thieves with a heart-warming smile. JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members had a rewarding day today, implementing social justice.
JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members were a single group. But thanks to them focusing on one thing, they often lost sight and the original goal and wandered off. It was the same even now. The reason that had left Jackson was to earn some fame at the Evil Silrion in order to become an autonomous police force. But their purpose changed once they met Lorenzo in Cairo. The purpose had changed to punishing the thieves that used to be Lorenzo’s hyungs. There were a lot of thieves who had the idea to hide in the vicinity of Selebrid. JusticeMan didn’t expect to discover them, since he didn’t have enough hints to search around.
‘Just like Ark said, to the NPCs this is the real world. In the long run, the users and NPCs in New World……..no, the user and NPC is different as the NPCs lives may be more precious. Still, since the thief was born as a thief, it wasn’t fair for them to die!’
But if left alone, the thieves would live a dismal life until a user happens to pass by and kills them for experience. They weren’t monsters, they were NPCs that were similar to the village residents. Yet they were born as thieves just for the purpose of giving experience.
‘The only people that can help them is us.
JusticeMan mistakenly thought of himself as a saviour and burned with motivation.
‘If the rule of New World is that a thief was born to die, then I will change that rule!’
It was like the Roman emperor and the Lord, a dictator and a revolutionary warrior facing off against each other……..the Korean ex-detective had doubts about the system in New World and vowed to change it. This brought out unexpected results in the game system.
“Isn’t this a hundred times better than hunting?”
Jjak-tung asked after he confirmed the information window. JusticeMan, the rehabilitation members and the thieves were all around level 70. If they hunted a level 70 thief, they would only gain 1000 experience. But once they rehabilitated him, they would receive 5000 experiences, which was five times as much.
JusticeMan and the rehabilitation group was able to earn experience without killing the thieves. Thanks to that, JusticeMan was level 87. The rehabilitation members also had an average level of 70. But was that all? The NPCs of New World were simple. Thus, the inevitable result was that once the NPCs were confined, intimidated and tortured as well as being brainwashed by the rehabilitation group, there was a 100% success message and the thieves completely became new men.
“We’ve finally realised our mistakes.”
In fact, it wasn’t only the result of the system. The NPC thieves had also thought able about walking away. But the only thing in their memories was persecution and sorrow.
They wanted to stop being thieves, but they had never been treated with hospitality by other NPCs and were only treated like thieves. Users would chase after them to earn some money and not even the guards who were NPCs like them would help. They weren’t welcomed by users or NPCs. But it wasn’t possible for them to be a monster……..that was the thieves’ sad fate. But JusticeMan’s party was different. Even though they were tortured, the thieves knew that the effect was for them. It was the first time that a user looked at them like they were NPCs, not experience or items! It was the earnest expression that they had never received in their whole lives.
“We will earnestly serve you for the rest of our lives………”
“I didn’t realize that you wished for someone to scold you.”
“Please call us Hyung-nim!”
“You are our saviours hyung-nims.
Rururu, Lalala.
If there was appropriate music, it would be like a touching scene from a movie. Thanks to that, JusticeMan’s enthusiasm gauge was rising every day.
‘This is it! This is it! If you have a large heart then you will be rewarded. That’s the world that I want!’
Back in his criminal chasing days, how many times had he put a criminal in prison only for them to commit the crime again after they were released? Even if they were persuaded, how many criminals were stabbed with a knife and died because they tried to change? But this place was different. If they sincerely repented then they were seriously reformed. But was that all? Weren’t they also rewarded with experience points. For the first time, JusticeMan felt that something was truly worthwhile.
“These guys, they finally recognized our sincerity!”
JusticeMan shouted as he hugged the thieves and cried.
“Hyung-nim!”
“Now you really are new men and you should live trying to help the world.”
“Please lead us all the way!”
“Okay, from today you guys are my brothers! I’ll take responsibility for you until the end!”
Aaah, it was a really emotional scene that couldn’t be seen without tears……..however, there was a very serious problem.
“JusticeMan ajusshi!”
During the emotional scene, a fierce voice was heard. Jump! JusticeMan and the rehabilitation group flinched and swallowed their saliva. Even if dozens of thieves ran up to them with sashimi knives, JusticeMan and the rehabilitation group didn’t even blink. But there was an existence that scared them. She was holding a lute and staring with sharp eyes, the ultimate weapon of the rehabilitation group Roco. JusticeMan smiled awkwardly and turned his head.
“Eh? Hahahah, Roco, you came?”
“What did I say before I left yesterday?”
“Eh………you said.”
JusticeMan avoided her gaze and sent uneasy looks to the rehabilitation members. SOS! Rescue requested! But the rehabilitation members looked at the distant mountains and pretended ignorance.
“Hey, isn’t that mountain wonderful?”
“Indeed. We should climb it later.”
‘Those, those traitors……..!’
JusticeMan ground his teeth together as Roco approached.
“Did you decide to increase the guests staying in a person’s home for a while? Didn’t you?”
“That, I did do that. You sound so severe. It was needed.”
“You can’t help it if it’s for justice. Is that right?”
“That, yes. Justice! It’s for justice!”
JusticeMan nodded and said. However, he became silent as Roco said some cold words.
“Is justice going to feed them?”
“………..”
Yes, that was a serious problem. Over the past few days, JusticeMan and his party had rehabilitated 100 thieves around Selebrid. Well, it was good up to that point. Aside from the experience, more than anything it was about contributing good to world peace. But the problem was that JusticeMan didn’t think about the overall situation. The thieves were chaotic NPCs. So naturally they couldn’t live in the town. But since they were rehabilitated and couldn’t steal any more, there was no way for them to make a living. JusticeMan hadn’t thought of the thieves’ situation. He accepted them all as colleagues and provided them room and food. He was apprehensive at first but they managed fine.
The rehabilitation group also had a lot of money and there weren’t that many thieves. When the thieves were rehabilitated, they also participated in future battles adding to the offensive power. However, after the numbers reached 50 and began moving to 100, they encountered a serious problem. The hardships of life!
If it was a dream then it would be possible to live, but New World was an entirely different situation! Of course, money was needed to live. At first, the rehabilitation party had the thieves eat fish and shellfish. However, after the thieves increased to 100 people, it was changed to have them eat wheat bread. Although the rehabilitation members initially provided money, after two days they stopped. For 100 people, they needed at least 300 bread per day even if they didn’t battle. Of course, the rehabilitation group immediately ran out of money. However, JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members were poor with matters regarding economics. They were men who could only use power. It wasn’t a desirable condition and their satiety would soon decrease……..In addition, they still had their old habits from living in the darkness, and even if they didn’t have money to buy wheat bread, they would spend it on drinks and ladies. After a few days, it would be a situation where the rehabilitation group and the thieves would have to skip a meal after a battle. But if they thought about the penalty when satiety falls below 50%, it was just like committing suicide.
‘Only Oppa still doesn’t believe it!’
Roco had finally felt a sense of crisis.
‘If we aren’t prepared, everyone will starve and die!’
The economic crisis of the rehabilitation group made the girl’s talent bloom. In reality, Roco was a girl from a respectable family. Until now, she hadn’t suffered from following JusticeMan and the rehabilitation group, but this situation was different. Moreover, it wasn’t possible to separate from the rehabilitation group since that would mean separating from Ark.
Even in the middle of a crisis, her mind was still on Ark.
‘Even if dirt enters my eye, I will never ask Ark oppa for money! I must protect Oppa’s assets!’
Roco made up her mind while thinking about Ark.
“JusticeMan ajusshi and oppa have no concept of economics. It is necessary for us to save our money. I will manage all of our money from now on. Everybody empty their purses.”
Roco took control of their finances.
“Ha, but Roco, this………”
Of course, there was resistance at first. Heh, it was a strange resistance.
“Huk, Oppa doesn’t believe in me? I’m just worried about oppa. I believe that I can do it. Are you not trusting your money with me because I’m a woman?”
“Ah, no. Does it seem that way?”
The rehabilitation members were surprised and quickly emptied their pockets. The rehabilitation group’s weak point was a woman. Just like that, Roco seized control of the group’s finances and gradually expanded her power.
“I like that you’re rehabilitating the thieves. But what will you do after you’ve rehabilitated them? How will they survive? Bring the thieves along when monster hunting. But they need to obtain money from leather and meat! Because there will be no rice for those who don’t fulfil their quota.”
So JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members lead the thieves to hunt and obtain a rice meal. But there was one complaint. Roco holds all of the party’s finances. In addition, if they didn’t listen to what she had to say then she would threaten them with her ultimate weapon, tears. Anyway, Roco’s housekeeping skills was superior to theirs.
Pickpocketing, wild animal meat, skinning leather and so on…….
The rehabilitation members could use their various skills to increases the profits from the hunt. Every time they used their skills, they would hide some of the meat. But if Roco was watching then leather would be skinned and meat sold and the pay divided.
In addition, they used fraud and intimidation to reduce spending as much money as possible. Under Roco’s dictatorship, their financial conditions gradually improved. That was because Roco wasn’t exploiting the rehabilitation members and the thieves.
“Because today’s earnings were decent, we can eat meat instead of wheat bread.”
Fortunately, JusticeMan’s party could have meat soup with rice once every two days. But was that all? Apart from income, armour and weapons were also split between the thieves. It was inevitable. The thieves that accompanied JusticeMan were ignorant and would sometimes die while hunting.
“Why is it hard to hunt? A good armour would make it a little bit safer.”
“Oh, give these to the thieves as a warm consideration.”
“A saint! This person is a saint!”
The thieves were especially thrilled as they had never received the warmth of a woman. Thanks to that, Roco had now established herself as the hidden power in the rehabilitation group. Roco even retained control over JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members. But that was only when Roco was logged on. When Roco wasn’t at her desk for even a short while, JusticeMan and the rest of the group got out of control. Without worrying about the budget, they would increase the number of rehabilitated thieves, which was the situation right now.
……….Roco sighed.
“I told you before leaving. All the money has gone into changing the thieves’ armour. That’s why I told you to take the other rehabilitation members and thieves hunting while I was gone……….at this rate, I don’t know how all these men will survive. I will keep repeating it even if it makes me the bad person.”
“That is………I’m sorry.”
JusticeMan patted her shoulder with a grumpy face.
“It isn’t possible to keep on doing that. You must promise instead not to rehabilitate any more thieves from the capital. Until our livelihood improves a little bit, we’re only going to concentrate on hunting.”
“We’ll do as you said.”
JusticeMan replied, scratching his head with an embarrassed expression.
“In fact, the guys that we rehabilitated this time knows the location of the hyungs that we were looking for. Can’t I rehabilitate just that guy? It would make it easier.”
“Ajusshi!”
Roco shouted, causing JusticeMan to flinch.
“Jeez, you know that thing is difficult. Understood…..If we move immediately then we’ll be able to return to Selebrid to watch Ark fight in the tournament. Ark is also spending a while in this map……..”
At the mention of Ark, Roco’s expression relaxed. After she pulled out her bag and checked the balance, she shook her head.
“Okay, I’ll allow it one more time.”
“I see. Understood!”
“Then please take off those clothes for the time being. Ayu, it smells. That was from one day? Jjak-tung oppa, please collect all the thieves clothes as well.”
“Huh? Understood. Hey you guys, take off your armour!”
Although she washed out her eyes, while looking after JusticeMan, the rehabilitation members and the thieves, her housekeeping skills blossomed. Cooking, laundry, cleaning and so on…….
And in the online game, additional effects were added for those skills. Roco was especially skilled with laundry. If she washed any cloth or leather armour, its defense would increase by 5% for up to 4 hours. Of course, that was a side effect of her doing the laundry. Because it was a too realistic game, she had to do the laundry in order to get rid of the bad smells. Although she didn’t say anything, deep down it was hard for her to bear.
“At any rate, men are just like children”
Roco pouted as she headed to the stream with the laundry. A person tilted his head to the side and asked sullenly.
“By the way, doesn’t Roco seem exceptionally excited these days?”
“Huhuhu, I know why.”
Jjak-tung replied with a laugh.
“Roco is also a woman.”

At that time, Ark had an 8 game winning streak and was in the quarter-finals. Obviously, the fights became increasingly difficult. Even though he had some PVP experience, there was still a variety of professions Ark hadn’t fought against yet. In his fights against Andel, Hargen and Leo, all of them were warriors. Since every profession has unique skills, he would get lost every time. In addition, the pairs match wasn’t a simple 1 on 1 fight. That means he would have to deal with both opponents instead of just one. The combination of professions people could select in a multiple profession RPG game was a very important factor.
By themselves, a warrior would be able to face 5 monsters, but if they were joined by a cleric then they would be able to fight against fifteen or even twenty monsters. The charm of an RPG game wasn’t ‘1+1=2,’ but it was more exciting if it was times time that and reached 100. And there was a combination of professions that were most effective in a pairs match.
The combination of warrior and necromancer in the first fight was one of the most common. The warrior-priest, warrior-archer, magician-priest, magician-thief……….Due to the number of combinations, there were infinite strategies available and the users should research and develop their own strategies. One combination that was particularly hard to deal with was the combination of magician-magician they met in the top 16. The damage of the magician that was over level 100 was enormous. When their advanced fire magic, 30% of his health was lost with one blow. But the true threat with a magician-magician combination was the ‘Willpower Exchange.’
‘Willpower exchange’ was the sharing of magic among the magicians. When ‘Willpower exchange’ was activated, mana could be shared among the magicians and the spell damage was also doubled. The horrible fire magic which decreased his health by 50% with one blow was created. Thanks to that, Ark and Shambala were in a critical condition.
If Ark tried to use ‘Riposte’ in a moment of crisis then he would just be completely roasted. On the other hand, the match became less tricky once Ark used his nursing skill.
Their main weapon was the mental-based magic. However, Ark used his nursing skill to increase their resistance to the mental magic and received a ‘Heart of the Caretaker’ bonus. The nursing skill had a surprisingly powerful effect on the match. When nursing was used, the strength and willpower of the receiver would rise. Although it didn’t directly recover health, an increase in willpower would strengthen their natural resilience. When the resilience increased, it was similar to receiving an overall stat buff.
A combination that was even trickier was the warrior-warrior pair they fought in the next match. Just like Justin, they doped themselves just before entering the stadium. When looking at them, he instantly thought of the phase ‘money is power.’ They spent dozens of gold on potions which they stacked up 3 times, and appeared in the tournament with huge bodies. In order to reach the top 8, they probably invested hundreds of gold. But after Ark had met the doped up warrior from the first round, he made his own preparations. The system allowed for Ark to use his survival cooking and raise his stats in the match. First of all, Ark and Shambala were good to each other. The two of them had a good impression of each other from the first time they met and that applied to when they fought together. It was like their hands and feet were well suited together. At first, Ark thought it was because Shambala had trained in martial arts just like him, but in the tournament he realized it wasn’t so simple. He had met many people in the Evil Silrion who also learnt martial arts. Indeed, the tournament format tended to have higher odds for people who learnt martial arts. However, they didn’t match well with Ark and Shambala.
Although they only learnt it later, but it was the influence from their two professions.
Dark Walker and Saint Assassin. They were two professions with similar skills and characteristics, and there were many times when their function strangely complemented each other.
For example………
“Petrification of Blood!
Shambala used his ‘Petrification of Blood’ skill. When the skill was used, red spots would appear it was possible to stun the opponent for 20 seconds. But their defensive power at the time was at 500% so it wasn’t possible for him to do any damage. It was a skill that was used so that he could deal with a large number of enemies. However, the situation was different when Ark followed up with an attack.
“Dark blade!”
An attack that ignored defense and landed a critical hit! In the end, the 500% increase to defense was nothing. They suffered continuous critical hits in their petrified state. Above all, the degree of harmony for the two of them was the best for basic skills. Ark learned Sword-Hand combat, which was a technique that took advantage of any gaps in the enemies attack. On the other hand, Shambala used Kung Fu which had the effect of creating a gap in the opponent’s attack. Their natural battle system was that Shambala would create a gap which Ark would take advantage of to attack.
Of course, it wasn’t easy to use this battle system in the Evil Silrion where the fight was always changing every moment. But using Shambala’s Kung Fu skills, it wasn’t difficulty to overcome those problems. In fact, Shambala’s standard was quite high and it wasn’t easy for Ark to follow in the early stages. As the fights continued, Ark gradually managed to match Shambala’s pace.
‘Honestly, I hate to admit it…….”
Lee Myung-ryong’s training showed no effect on the outside. But sparring with boxing, wrestling and taekwondo developed his ability to adapt to circumstances.
“Now, Ark!”
Shambala shouted as he stabbed the warrior with his dagger. Ark used Shambala like a stair case and flew forward. The warrior was astonished and lifted his sword above his head. However, Ark stepped on the shield and landed behind him, turned and then kicked the warrior in the head.
“No way!”
The warrior stumbled as he received a critical hit. At the same time, Shambala’s and Ark’s eyes were glittering. Afterwards, Shambala attacked with a whirlwind.
Ark continued with a spin kick. Shambala’s attack had the possibility of stunning the opponent. Abnormal conditions could be caused by Ark’s kicks, but the probability was quite low. However, when the opponent was hit by two different attacks, the probabilities increased. Once they were trapped, it was impossible for them to escape. Thus, it was named ‘Whirlwind of Death.’ In the end, the warrior’s body shrivelled like a balloon because the doping effects disappeared and died.
The magic eye had been watching while holding his breath and finally shouted.
-They did it! Dark Wolf and Blue Sword! They defeated the favourites using surprising acrobatics and advanced to the top 4! As expected, the last winning combination was the Whirlwind of death!

“That’s it! I paid the expensive entrance fee to see that combo today!”
-Ohhh, Blue Sword was great, but the biggest surprise in this tournament is Dark Wolf. Who would have expected? Everybody is talking about the unknown Dark Wolf who appeared for the first time in this tournament! Combined with Blue Sword who has won several times in the solo tournaments, they have quickly broken through the top 8! There’s a sold out crowd every time they have a match! Bravo!

“Wahahah!”
“Dark Wolf and Blue Sword are the best!”
Under thunderous applause, Ark and Shambala returned to the waiting room.
‘Huhuhu, this feeling is surprisingly good?’
Ark had a satisfied smile. The sound of thousands of spectators applauding was quite inspiring for his mood. At first, it was just frightening but after he adapted, it became exhilarating pleasure.
“You’re now quite a decent partner.”
“Grrrr, good? This much is perfect.”
“Don’t be too giddy. There are still two matches left.”
“Grrrrr, I know.”
“Anyway, the tournament has ended for today. Let’s separate for the rest of the day.’
“Grr? Where do you go so busily every day?”
“There is something I must discover in Selebrid. It’s information related to my profession so you don’t need to know the details. Anyway, don’t be late to the match tomorrow.”
Shambala said as he changed his mask and mantle in the waiting room. He changed his mask and mantle so that people wouldn’t recognize Shambala. Of course, since Ark could transform his face he didn’t have to worry about that. However, once he transformed he couldn’t reuse it for 24 hours. When they left the waiting room, they had to leave separately.
“Look, it’s Dark Wolf!”
“Wah, his force is really different!”
When Ark exited the Evil Silrion, people’s interest was immediately concentrated on him. Normally, their attention would be a burden but at the moment, he had changed into a wolf form. If people continued to be focused him while transformed then there was no need to be worried about his normal state. He didn’t have to worry about other people looking while doing event quests.
‘I’m also depending on it to compete safely in the Evil Silrion.’
Ark smile warmly. At first, he hadn’t been happy about participating in the Evil Silrion since it didn’t give any money or experience. However, as he continued fighting in the matches he discovered a unexpected effect.
‘My skill proficiency increases several times faster!’
During a fight, his skill proficiency would go up considerably. When thinking about it, it was the inevitable result. In New World, skill proficiency wasn’t affected by how much it was used. The important thing was how intensively it was used. Because of that, the skill always increased faster when fighting against a monster that he had met for the first time. When fighting something for the first time, he is always much more concentrated. However, no matter how difficult the monster, they would become easy after killing them several times. This was because they had a certain pattern of attack so the growth of his skills would slow down. In the Evil Silrion, he was always fighting opponents with new styles. In addition, his opponents weren’t ordinary monsters.
They were users armed with a variety of skills, just like Ark! When he fought against someone of high standard, of course his skill would grow at a tremendous speed. Thanks to that, his Sword Mastery increased to the advanced level.
“Skill check!”
Sword-Hand Combat (Advanced, Passive 316/500):

You have become an expert in Sword-Hand combat. You are able to use any kind of swordsmanship and the destructive power would also increase. You will receive additional damage on every type of sword as well as knuckles, and your evasion rate and critical hit probability would increase.

<Overall combat power increases by 40%. When wearing a shield, the effects of Sword-Hand combat disappears.>

* Additional effects: Chance of a kick hitting a small monster 8%, medium monster 5% and 2% chance of causing an abnormal status on a large monster. When difficult techniques succeed, the probability of causing an abnormal status increases.
Increasing his basic skill raised his general attack power. Furthermore, the probability of triggering an abnormal state also increased. That was the reason why the Whirlwind of death was possible in the last match.
His adrenaline and counter attack skills also increased to the intermediate level. When adrenaline rose, his reaction rate in a critical condition also rose, and the chances of a successful counterattack also increased. Naturally, his chain skill Riposte became more powerful as well. It was even possible to succeed when the warrior was further than 10 metres away from him!
‘There is no other great place to raise my skills.’
Ark also experience situations where the skill growth would stop and that was useful information.
“Master, I’m here.”
Then, someone called from the side alley. It was Dedric who was transformed into a small boy with slicked back hair. Ark laughed as he approached Dedric.
“Grrrrrr, how was it? The odds are?”
“Because you’ve kept winning, the odds fell a little bit. This time it was 1.2. Here is 76 gold.”
“Kukuku, the upper limit is high and the earning is better than before.”
In fact, this was one of the reasons why Ark didn’t summon Dedric during the match.
It was a tournament where people could bet money on the pair that would win. Of course, the gambling part of the Evil Silrion had a few limitations in order to prevent fraud. First, users and NPCs could only bet on the user’s victory when the match was a user versus a monster. This was intentional so that they wouldn’t rig a game against the monster. And for the tournaments where it was user against user, there was an upper limit that existed when betting money. The first match 10 gold, second match 20 gold…….It also wasn’t possible to double the amount of profits received. In addition, participants were unable to participate directly in the gambling. But Ark couldn’t miss out on the chance to make money. Before the tournament started, Ark summoned Dedric in order to make money. Of course, he had every intention of winning the bets. In the first round, he scraped all his money together from selling loot and bet 10 gold. The odds for the first round were 1.8. It was quite high. Shambala was a strong favourite even though Ark was unknown, and Justin and Dior were also well known names so the dividends were raised. Thanks to that he made 18 gold, and the odds in the second round was 1.5 so he made back 27 gold. The increased awareness of Ark meant that the odds kept on getting lower. But because the upper limit restriction rose, he could still earn money and he made at least 10 gold with every match. When there were two or three games a day, he earned an average of 20-30 gold.
‘Although I’m not completely satisfied, the earnings are acceptable.’
‘Where there is a will then there is money.’
That was Ark’s motto. Ark laughed while holding the purse, and when he noticed Dedric asked.
“Master, you feel good right? Am I not a good person because of I made you money? So give me some money so I can buy food.”
“Grrrrrrr, what the?”
Ark’s countenance immediately stiffened. In Selebrid, there were thousands of street venders where users gathered. Merchants who have learnt to cook would make tempting snacks and sell them. Although Dedric claimed to be 300 years old, his appearance was that of a young boy.
“Grrr, I don’t always make disgusting food!”
“Ugh, how is that food? It’s torture.”
“Noisy, the outer appearance is not the only thing plausible about food. Isn’t it known that food that is good for you tastes bitter? Instead of talking, you should eat the food I give you.”
“Sometimes I also want to eat tasty food! It’s unjust money! Since you came by the money unjustly, can’t it be used sometimes? I even went to the Evil Silrion and did some unfair gambling for you.”
“Grrrrrr! Unjust money?”
Ark snorted and said.
“What do you think all our money is used for? Your master has fought with blood, sweat and tears to make money. Don’t you know I did that in order for us to live and eat well? Do you know how money was used to make you grow well?”
“Sheesh, and now you want pocket money What about clothes? The cost of the ingredients also wasn’t free.”
“I bought expensive spices and ingredients and poured it into the food you ate……..doesn’t that also cost money? And I also wasted a lot of money and sweat educating you guys. Man, tears are obscuring my sight. Nevertheless, haven’t I still been earning money for you? Yet you want to make me a beggar?”
“Sheesh, is it that difficult for you to part with 5 copper?”
“When copper is gathered it becomes silver and then silver becomes gold.”
This was Ark’s unchanging view on life. In the real world, Ark would never spend money on anything except the minimum calories needed to survive. Even if the weather became chilly and the roadside stalls sent him tempting looks, Ark never succumbed to the temptation. But now his pet was trying to tempt him to part with money? Over food? Although he was frugal with his money, he was happy to buy a fruit basket for his mother.
“Then do you want me to make a similar food for you?”
“Whoa, it’s dirty and black. I won’t eat, don’t make me eat it! Damn, I met the wrong master!”
He got annoyed with Dedric and returned him to the Netherworld.
‘Hmm, is it time to discipline those guys again?’
Deimos had become distracted with bones while Dedric was openly rebellious.
‘Since I have a lot of time these days, should I discipline them?’
Ark was seriously contemplating it. Suddenly someone’s voice was heard from inside the alley.
“Are you really certain?”
“Don’t worry. This tournament is a joke for us.”
“Only two people are needed.”
The voice spoke from somewhere. Since it was a dark night, he was cautious. Ark hid his body using ‘Stealth’ and peeked inside the alley.
‘Are they……….?’
Inside the alley were users from the Evil Silrion. It was the user wearing the mask with a five star design. It was the two pioneers that were eager to fight Shambala. Three hooded people with large builds were confronting them. The three of them observed the surroundings before taking a large breath.
“Although we recruited players using our information network, all of them have fallen. Now you two are the only ones remaining.”
“I told you so from the beginning. Other people aren’t needed if we’re there. Thanks to that, the number of matches increased and thousands of hours wasted. You morons.”
“But………”
“But if the identity of the secret map is correct, then we would have the money to hire as much people as we want. You wouldn’t be so eager for an ordinary treasure map. Did you obtain some useful information?”
“That, I can’t tell you that. It is top secret information……..”
After he was pressed, the person inside the hood spoke confused words. Then, the eyes of the pioneer Jewel narrowed.
“Well, that’s okay. We aren’t particularly interested. Only a beginner cares about treasure maps. But about that earlier price you promised.”
“Yes? What is it? Didn’t we already sign a contract with the NPC?”
“We did. But we did so thinking it wouldn’t take that much time. You didn’t believe us and hired more guys so it has taken twice as long. Naturally we should revise the agreement. Don’t you think? After looking at the situation, I think it should be twice as much. An extra 1000 gold to the promised 500. So 1,500 gold in total.”
“We don’t have that type of money!”
One hooded person took a deep breath and exclaimed.
“If you don’t like it then we can just cancel the agreement. And I’ll search for other people to buy the map. Well, we could also search for the treasure directly.”
“If you break the contract………”
The penalty of breaking a contract didn’t only apply to the merchant who made it. If a contract was signed and received, then the penalty applied to everyone involved. But strangely, Jewel just laughed and said.
“We’re pioneers. Do you think we’re scared of something like that?’
“…………It isn’t useful to you. But 1000 gold is important for the person that would lose it.”
“That’s our requirement.”
Jewel spoke in a firm tone. Of course, Jewel had no thoughts about treasure hunting. But there was a reason the people that hired her wanted that specific item. Perhaps it had information about enormous profit or was related to a quest or profession. Therefore, she had no intention of transferring it obediently for the agreed upon price. Ark who was hiding also nodded.
‘Hmmm, Jewel knows how to make a deal.’
In this situation, it wasn’t possible to assume that Jewel was bad. Rather, the weakness that the hooded person showed was bad. Therefore, it was natural to attempt to get as much profit as possible. Anyway, the hooded users exchanged worried glances. But in the end they were forced to agree.
“Okay. 1,500 gold.”
“Good. Have it prepared for when the two matches end tomorrow.”
Jewel spoke in a satisfied look and disappeared out of the other side. The hooded figures immediately cursed.
“Sheesh, they’re like robbers, 1500 gold for one tournament!”
It’s times like these that I feel like I chose the wrong profession. Hyung-nim.”
“Although it’s regrettable, we have no other choice. We have to believe in those guys.”
“But it is 1,500 gold……..wouldn’t we be struggling as soon as we lose all that money?”
“You don’t have to worry.”
The man they called hyung-nim muttered in a low voice.
“This is the quest that a Grandmaster from one of the top guilds gave directly. The other day, I heard that one person who received a grandmaster quest took two months to complete it. The compensation he received was a rare skill and an additional 4,000 gold. In other words, the reward for this quest would be a minimum of 4,000 gold.”
The eyes of the rest of the hooded figures turned to gold. It was an obvious response. 4,000 gold! That was 40 million won!
“But for now we must sell our items and make 1,050 gold. Those guys don’t appear likely to help us without that.”
One hooded figure rummaged through their pockets before sighing.
“We still have time before the finals. We’ll find a way to raise the money in the meantime.”
“Hukhukhuk, does that mean an additional debt?”
“Don’t cry. It’s not good to become too indebted. But think of it as an investment. It is really lucky that I have received the Grandmaster’s quest. No matter what happens, we have to seize this opportunity to live. We’re betting everything on this.”
“Yes, I understand. But even if we obtain the supplementary prize, the other 2 items are in those guys hands. What is you plan?”
“Hu hu hu.”
The man called Hyung-nim wore a wily smile.
“That’s why this supplementary prize is especially important. If we are holding one of the three clues then those guys can’t find the treasure. It would become useless to them. Then, you offer them a deal for a sneak peek.”
“Would they easily accept the deal?”
“That’s our specialty. We’ll persuade them and have the contract be stamped with a seal. Well, we can also use other methods. The important thing is that we have one of the clues. If we don’t then there is no chance for us.”
“As expected of Hyung-nim!”
“Huhuhu, that’s right.
“Huhuhuhu. It’s like that.”
The hooded figures laughed sinisterly.
‘What the, this is?’
Ark stared blankly from directly behind them…………

ACT 4 Finals
‘How many quests does this item overlap with?’
Ark’s mind became complicated. When he received the <Genius Alchemist’s Laboratory> quest, he didn’t think it was that serious. He expected some decent compensation. He decided that it was only a little bit better than normal quests. But that wasn’t the case. Whenever there was a quest where a specific item was needed and there were no limitations on the number of that item, then there would be many people who have received the quest. If one restriction of the quest was friendship points, then the items couldn’t be shared. Several people would receive the quest and consequently most of them were bound to fail.
‘In order for me to receive the quest, it was necessary to have a lot of friendship points with the Magic Institute. Shambala received the quest from a quest item. As the items couldn’t be shared, one of them had to give up the quest. But there were also other people who received the quest?’
Furthermore, the place where they received the quest wasn’t ordinary. Last night, Ark shadowed the three people. But he soon lost them in a restricted area. The place where they went to was Midus, the merchant guild.
‘They said they received the quest from the Grandmaster. Then……….?’
The Grandmaster was probably from the Merchant Guild. Ark’s employer was also the Grandmaster of the Magic Institute. In other words two of the top three guilds, the Magic Institute and the Merchant Guild were involved. So let’s think about it. The NPCs of New World don’t move abruptly without any justification. This was the justification of the Grandmaster of the Magic Institute. Since Magaro was a member of the Magic Institute, the research materials that he left behind belonged to them. Therefore, it was justifiable to regain it. Then what about the Grandmaster of the Merchant Guild? There was no obvious reason at the moment. However, he had a small idea. Magaro was a well-known genius alchemist. The research from his later years would therefore be worth a lot of money. Even if it wasn’t directly used by the Merchant Guild, it was possible to use it in political negotiations with the Magic Institute. That was the rough idea that he immediately thought of.
‘The three big guilds are political rivals. Naturally they would spy on and try to outmanoeuvre each other. And the Magic Institute was trying to discover Magaro’s lost legacy. Of course the Merchant Guild quickly took action. If so……..Shambala finding the diary might be 100% due to chance, but the appearance of the secret map in the Evil Silrion shows that it might not be a coincidence. The Merchant Guild is probably behind this tournament in order to discover the other users who have found clues…….’
Perhaps it wasn’t only the Merchant Guild.
‘While normally 100 people participate on average, this tournament had more than 1,000 applications. Many large guilds are also gathering to go to Nagaran.’
The hooded figures hired some players, but it was impossible for them to have hired 900 people. In that case, maybe other powers have intervened in the quest.
“Then out of the three guilds, the one with the highest chances of intervening is the Warrior Guild. The quest is probably something like taking the top prize from this tournament……if that is the case……”
The situation was becoming quite interesting. Of course, Ark wasn’t interested in something like the three guilds’ power struggle. He also wasn’t didn’t want to compete with other users for the quest. The point that Ark found interesting was that the Merchant Guild made its move following the Grandmaster of the Magic Institute’s action. This meant that there was likely to be a huge reward!
‘If the guy who received a quest from the Grandmaster was rewarded with 4,000 gold, then the compensation for this quest would be at least that much!’
Without a doubt, it would be a large amount of money! Indeed, the hooded men were willing to pay 1,500 gold to Jewel for the secret map. Money was the most important thing to a merchant. If the rewards for the quest was uncertain, they wouldn’t have been willing to part with that amount of money. In other words, this quest was guaranteed to have a large profit!
‘I could get thousands of gold from one quest!’
Ark’s pupils turned to gold. If he did well then he might be rewarded with rare potions or scrolls as well as gold.
‘Huhuhu, unexpectedly I received some good information. I’m lucky that I transformed myself. While I can guess their real identities, they can’t guess mine. I have the upper hand.’
Ark hid the information from Shambala. Shambala still didn’t know how large this quest was. Since he had already received the quest, he only wanted to complete it if it was possible. However, if he knew about the huge reward then he might change his mind.
In the worst case, he might require more in exchange for the diary.
‘That’s not possible. This is my quest! My money!’
And Shambala couldn’t afford to listen to such talk. The semi-finals and finals were on the same day. 1 hour ago, Ark and Shambala had won in the semi-finals and now they were waiting for the next match in the waiting room.
In the meantime, Shambala sat down with crossed legs and closed his eyes. The posture of a person who learnt Kung Fu and was concentrating his mind was remarkable. Thanks to that, Ark was unable to breathe properly and sat a distance away. Then, a shout was heard along the suddenly loud passages.
-The opponents for the winners of the previous match, team 14 Blue Sword and Dark Wolf have been decided!
It is team 89 who defeated their opponents in only 3 minutes with overwhelming skill! Now the only match remaining is to determine the final winner. In 5 minutes, a special match will be held and then it will be the final match of the hotter than ever 186th Pairs tournament!

Shambala’s eyes flashed in response to the televised announcement. His eyes moved to Ark. ”As expected, the final opponents are the pioneers.”
“Arc, this time we’ll fight separately.”
“Grr?”
“Among the pioneers, the magician Jewel is mine. I have to pay back my debt. With my own hands……..”
“Is this because of what happened the other day?”
He had surprisingly childish parts to him. Ark asked with a smile. However, Shambala spoke seriously with no signs of a laugh.
“That’s not the reason. Because this game was not the first time that I’ve seen the ID Jewel.”
Once he looked in his eyes, Ark realized that there was another serious matter. If it was an NPC, they would kindly listen but if it was a user then they would question it closely. But if it didn’t have anything to do with the quest or the money then he wasn’t interested. When his 40 year old uncles would drink alcohol and recite history, he had no interest. Fortunately, Shambala didn’t make a fuss with his story.
“Anyway, in this tournament let’s go with individual combat. I think even Jewel intends to fight this way.”
“Grrr, I also prefer it like that…….”
Even though simple, a magician’s magic could vary widely depending on the type they studied. Therefore, magic had the largest scope of study.
If someone prefers dealing elemental damage, they would become a sorcerer that has a lot of magic to deal with many opponents. There was also a wide variety of magical buffs but the one that was used by two or more magicians ‘Willpower exchange’ was particularly outstanding. That’s why magicians favoured being in a party the most. Meanwhile, the Warlock was a dark magician that specialized in PVP. Warlocks had no magic to help in a party. Instead their buff or protective magic could only be used on themselves, and they were often clad in something to increase their damage. In New World, the warlock was the ultimate damage dealer.
“Grrr, are you sure you can beat her by yourself?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
Ark was slightly amazed at Shambala’s answer. He thought that Shambala was confident about winning. Naturally, the pioneers were strong. But if it was the confident Shambala saying this, then his partner wasn’t behaving boldly anymore.
“Are they that strong? The pioneers?”
“I fought them one month ago. I clearly remember the memory from that time and used it for image training. The amount of victories was 7 to 3. It wasn’t unexpected for Jewel who had been fighting for a month. So at that point it was considered 5 to 5.”
“Grrr, it’s the case where I wouldn’t be able to understand until I see it in person.”
Shambala silently nodded.
“That’s right. I haven’t fought against a warlock yet. Therefore, individual combat might be easier than fighting together. Since I don’t know how great the pioneers are, let’s just go out and try it.”
Then, after the special match ended the loudspeaker made an announcement again. The final match will begin in 10 minutes. After Ark heard the broadcast, he immediately took out his pot.
“The only thing I can do is prepare for some bleeding. Okay. Bleeding is released. Snake, please give me the materials for ‘Racing Cocktail, ‘Hot Syrup Cake’, and ‘Drink with refreshing taste.’
Ssak ssak ssak!
At Ark’s command, Snake spat out a handful of ingredients. It was quite annoying looking through his bag every time he wanted to make a dish. Therefore he made Snake remember each recipe off by heart, so that it could spit out the ingredients just from the name of the dish. Thanks to that, the time hunting for ingredients was reduced and he could grasp the different flavours of the dish.
‘What happens to the pets also depends on the master.’
The price of Snake’s effort was a simple stroke on the head sometimes. Anyway, it was already the final match. If they lost then all his efforts so far would be in vain.
Ark also used ingredients that weren’t easy to find in his dishes. The cocktail increases the reaction rate, the cake boosted power while the drinks boosted magical resistance and so on………they were rare dishes without any side effects. Of course, it was less effective than the drugs that the warriors would dope themselves with. However, doping drugs were often only for warriors. Maybe because the effects of the drug were strong, but the warrior’s physical strength was needed to resist it completely. On the other hand, his dishes had no restriction on the professions and the duration was also longer than the drugs. And it was much cheaper. If Ark wanted to make a dish with a similar effect to the drugs then it would cost him 100 gold. Even so, the sight of a black wolf squatting down to cook was……..a little strange.
“Grrr, it’s done!”
Anyway, Ark instantly produced a buffet style meal. It was ten medicinal dishes that Ark had carefully selected.
“Shambala, I’ll do my best to help you with your revenge. So eat to your heart’s content.”
“Thank you.”
Shambala picked a dish and looked impressed before eating it. Ark’s eyes flashed at the sight.
“I’m a kind person. Because it’s hot, the price is half off. One dish is 5 gold.”
“…………”
Shambala coughed as he was caught and stared at Ark. Was he really trying to get money from this? His glowing eyes seemed to ask. Ark silently nodded his head.
“Catering is expensive you know? But that’s between you and me. Since I took of the labour costs, shouldn’t you be thankful?”
Shambala was at a loss for words.

Putt putt pow!
The tournament had spread out for a long time over six days and it was finally time for the final match. As expected for the finals, the stage and special effects was really different. When Ark and Shambala entered the stadium, colourful fireworks were lit up and the stadium had been divided into four arenas which had the attention of as many as 10,000 spectators. Because there were an unprecedented number of participants, users and NPCs flocked like bees. There were even VIP seats at the stadium, where the nobility NPC stood out.
-Now, they have come! The newcomer warrior who’s fired up Evil Silrion, Dark Wolf! And the undisputed leader of the solo matches who won many times, Blue Sword! Please give them a big round of applause!

“Wah ah ah!”
“At last. Give us a good show!”
“I bet 100 gold on you guys!”
The crowd screamed as they gained momentum.
-And confronting them are Jewel and Duke. Incredibly, they are known as the first foreigners to walk on this land, a pioneer! They also showed amazing ability and finished every match within 3 minutes. A fight with the rising newcomers against the pioneers! No one knows what kind of match will occur when the old and new warriors clash……. Oh, as expected the odds are even at 1.5-1.5 each!

The pioneers Jewel and Duke were introduced by the magic eye and appeared on the opposite side.
-Now, these warriors who have defeated numerous enemies to reach the final match stand confronting each other. Do I need to say anything more? Let’s start the match immediately. First, let’s select the arena………

The eyeballs of the magic eye rolled around. Its eyes turned silver and looked like a slot machine.
‘Pandemonium!’
A vague smile spread on Ark’s mouth. Pandemonium was an arena that he had already experienced. It was a place where the ancient ruins of the game were spread. It was laid out like a complicated labyrinth, making it difficult to remember the way. But the most extraordinary aspect of this fight was the roof. Roof………That’s right. Pandemonium was crafted like a dungeon!
‘Luck has followed me.’
A battle in the darkness was something that Ark naturally desired. As a Dark Walker, Ark received a 40% boost to all his abilities in the darkness. Thanks to that, he was around level 140 without any special doping. It was also possible to use ‘stealth’ in this situation. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this arena seemed especially crafted for Ark. In addition, Shambala was a Saint Assassin and assassins also received various bonuses in the dark that was equal to Ark’s. Then Jewel muttered in the distance.
“If it’s Pandemonium………do you remember fighting here in the past? That match where you were beat like a dust cloth?”
“Huh?”
Ark looked at Shambala in surprise after the unexpected words. Shambala muttered with an expression that looked like he was chewing poo.
“Jewel’s profession is a Dark Stalker among the warlocks. The bonus that she gets from the dark is just as good as ours. And there are many powerful spells that can be used only in the dark. The dungeon arena won’t give us any advantages.”
Damn, his excitement was quickly released.
“But it doesn’t matter. Since it’s like this, I can return the favour.”
When the arena was determined, the magic eye was so excited that its blood pressure immediately increased.
-Oh, as expected the warriors refuses to budge in this battle of nerves. However, this match will be decided by strength, not their words! So, begin!
“Go!”
Bang bang double bang!
The arena shook with loud vibrations. Pillars sprung up and the dark and massive ruins were created. Of course, the voice of the magic eye and the spectators couldn’t be heard any more from the interior. But those watching from outside the arena had no difficulties viewing the interior.
As soon as the match started, Shambala used Blink to reach Jewel.
“Huhuhu, this punk. Don’t be hasty. There’s no time limit so let’s do this slowly.”
Jewel laughed and scattered like fog as she flew to one side. It was the rare skill of the Dark Stalker that was only available in the darkness. It was Mist. The body changed into fog and it was a skill which increase speed and dramatically raised the evasion rate.
“Your opponent is me. The other guys don’t matter.”
“Ho oh, is this a 1 on 1 match? I have no reason to refuse. Warp!”
“Dark Wolf, I’ll leave Duke to you!”
Jewel used spatial movement magic to move Shambala to a different area. In order to use spatial magic, it required at least 7 circles of magic. It was barely even possible for magicians that used ‘Willpower exchange.’ The person who used such magic calmly was his opponent.
It meant that the lowest level possible was a level 160 magician. Additionally, what was even more important than the level was the type of magic used. Levels were insignificant to magicians.
‘When it is to that degree, it is impossible to guess whether Shambala would win or not.’
However, it wasn’t the time to be worried about Shambala. An arrow suddenly flew at him from the darkness.
‘Archer! Duke was an archer?’
Ark was surprised and avoided the attack by rolling his body.
‘As an opponent, archers aren’t that difficult!’
Ark stood up and held his position. After measuring the timing of Duke’s movements, he swung his sword like lightning. Riposte! The arrow returned to Duke at a faster speed than it had flown earlier. If he was good enough to enter the finals, then arrows of that degree were easily avoided. Ark expected Duke to dodge the arrow, and aimed for the moment when he would dodge. Then Duke’s lip stealthily raised.
“Nice move. Has your skill been trained to return this many arrows?”
Tu tu tu tung-!
Incredible rapid fire! Duke whipped out dozens of arrows and fired them at a dazzling speed. Ark managed to return 3~4 of the continuously firing arrows while the rest were flying at him. In a moment of carelessness, 1 arrow was driven into his shoulder.
“Ugh!”
-The arrow has caused a critical hit! 300 damage! Your attack speed will decrease by 10% for 30 seconds.

Even with his increased defense thanks to the dishes, he still received 300 damage.
The only penalty to long distance attacks was that the archer’s attack speed was slow. However, Duke was faster than the sword. It couldn’t be that high because of the archery skill level. He probably had various passive skills that would increase attack speed.
‘He is also a pioneer…….!’
However, Ark just tediously tried to face the archer. Luckily, there was a weak point to rapid fire. The speed was so quick that accuracy fell. The arrows flew over 10 feet, and only some of them got within 1 foot of Ark.
‘Then I don’t have to be afraid of blind arrows!’
Ark stopped the arrows that were in his way while avoiding the rest. And little by little he narrowed the distance between them using explosive acceleration. Duke saw this and protested with an arrow volley.
The chances of striking a critical hit was the timing.
‘Got it!’
It was at that time. Suddenly light emerged from Duke’s shoes and he slid back a few metres. Thanks to that, Ark attacked in vain and was hit in the side by an arrow shot by Duke.
‘Ugh, that, that was…….!’
“Kukukuk. Magic shoes of this calibre can’t be seen anymore.”
‘Shoes? You mean that just now was an item effect?’
Ark looked at Duke’s shoes with surprised eyes. The reason that an archer wasn’t able to fight directly with a warrior was their stance. Warriors could wield a sword from any position. However, archers had to hold their position to draw the bow. Of course, it wasn’t possible to do a proper attack when the warrior’s sword was swinging at them.
However, Duke’s shoes ignored that penalty. Gliding didn’t move his feet, so he could still hold his stance and shoot while avoiding attacks. That’s right. That was the scary advantage of the pioneers that Shambala pointed out in the beginning. While unusually high skills was a problem, the real worry was about their items. The pioneers had already hunted in the high-level areas in the early stages and gained all sorts of rare items. Duke smirked and shouted.
“The core of online gaming is the equipment.”
Ark ground his teeth together. Of course he knew. Equipment was very important to online gaming. But Ark believed that it wasn’t everything. If equipment was everything, wouldn’t that mean that a person who started late wouldn’t ever be able to catch up with them? He didn’t ever want to admit that. That was why he carefully raised his skills from the bottom up and never skipped exercising every day. No, equipment wasn’t everything in New World!
“Damn, Dark Dance!”
It was the skill that significantly increased his evasion rate! Ark stepped on the red footprints that floated on the ground and disappeared like a ghost. At the same time, Duke again used rapid fire. However, Ark swung his sword at all the arrows at an incredible pace. Duke began to look puzzled as his evasion movements continued.
Crunch, tu tu tu tung, bang, tu tu tu tung! Duke slid back with the magic shoes while using rapid fire. Ark moved like a ghost using Dark Dance and wielded his sword. He didn’t even look up at the fighting magician that was randomly using warp.
He was able to understand the two locations using the sparkle of the sword and the arrow in the darkness. Naturally, Ark and Duke confirmed the opponents with their eyes and attacked. If he could intuitively grasp the path of the opponent, then he would be able to break through the barrage of attacks. And this was Ark’s specialty.
“Ugh, damn this guy.”
Thanks to Dark Dance, Duke retreated with a groan. Ark attacked between arrows, so Duke was hit three or four times with the sword. However, Ark was the one confused. Even with the various dishes and a bunch of bonus darkness attribute stats, only 10% of Duke’s health was decreased even though he was hit three or four times. Either his health was ridiculously high, or his armour with loaded with defensive stats. No, if he was a pioneer then both reasons were probably applicable. Still, he couldn’t make any attacks with Dark Blade. But Ark soon braced himself.
‘If it’s this much, then it is worth doing!’
“Hmm, a frontal confrontation is troublesome as expected. It’s better to enjoy myself my way.”
Duke slipped around the corner and went into hiding. He was trying to use guerrilla warfare that the terrain was suited for. That was also Ark’s specialty, but it was disadvantageous against an archer. If he was showered with arrows from a high place like a balcony, there was no way for he to avoid all of it.
“You must be quite concerned about me if you’re trying to leave.”
Ark turned the corner. However, the figure of Duke did not appear. It was a large square so no matter how fast he was, he wouldn’t have been able to hide himself in time. Then?
‘Don’t tell me that Duke can also use Stealth?’
Tu tu tu tung!
It was at that time. There was a mechanical sound and countless arrows started falling from the sky.
-You have activated the Poison Arrow trap. 300 damage received.<Thanks to the acid poison, your health will reduce by 10 every 20 seconds for 2 minutes.>

“Hu hu hu, have you finally noticed?”
”Tr-trap? If he can use stealth and traps then…….Ranger!”
His laughter was audible in the darkness. Learning stealth and archery, as well as tracking and using traps was one of the most difficult jobs in the archer profession, the Ranger! That was Duke’s real profession.
Once Duke showed the characteristics of his profession, Ark was immediately backed into a corner. Duke would hide himself with ‘Stealth’ and when Ark got stuck in a trap then he would shoot arrows before running away again. Yet Ark couldn’t follow blindly. That was because he would intentionally invite him into a trap. In the end, it wasn’t possible to do it in this state. But there’s even more. The weak point of ‘Stealth’ was that he couldn’t move without Ark hearing the sound. But since the sound of the shoes sliding were light, Duke couldn’t completely eliminate the sound of his footsteps. So Ark tried to capture the sound……..
Waeeeng!
-A Siren’s trap was activated.<Your ear has become paralyzed for 3 minutes and you can’t hear any sounds from your surroundings anymore.>

Duke overwhelmed Ark in terms of equipment, skills and every other way. Because the level was fixed to 100, the difference was shown even more. Ark’s clothes became wet and he steadily losing health. He also didn’t have an effective way to discover the traps. The traps that Duke used didn’t simply do damage. There were also traps that could bind and stun. If would take falling into just one dangerous trap for him to be defeated.Duke was a pioneer and had already found a way to overcome the weakness of ‘Stealth.’
‘I should have done everything I could in the beginning………I took it too lightly.’
Ark also had a bag of tricks. His poisonous pet snake. However, if was a huge burden for him to use so early so he didn’t. It was a mistake. He should’ve used it early to make the opponent’s health decrease even more. He missed the timing, and now the circumstances meant that he couldn’t use it easily.
‘If I summon my pets now then they won’t be any help. Deimos can’t avoid the traps, and Dedric was vulnerable to arrows so he would just receive damage instead. And there is no chance to attack with Snake’s poison……..’
He was contemplating for a moment before something flashed in Ark’s head.
‘Pets, poison! Okay, maybe……..!’
“Snake, Paralysis!”
Once his health was reduced to 60%, Ark finally pulled out a trick from his bag.
Ark coated his sword with Snake’s poison and walked to the corner where Duke had disappeared, sticking closely to the wall. Then while Deimos was summoned, he hid using ‘Stealth.’
“Summon Demon, Deimos. I can only believe in your defense!”
Clack clack clack!
Deimos rushed forward vigorously. Duke had laid out a bunch of traps around the corner.
There was a large roaring sound before visually frightening dust flames and smoke began to spread. Deimos had advanced using his body as a shield. It worked for a while before Deimos was bound in a trap and targeted by arrows.
“Did that stupid guy give up?”
Duke appeared at that time. In the passage shrouded by thick smoke, Deimos was easily mistaken as Ark.
“It’s now. Dark Dance!”
Ark quickly rounded the corner and rushed at Duke. He poured a shower of kicks on him.
Duke who had been trying to shoot an arrow never expected the barrage of attacks. He confirmed that it was Deimos a step too late and tried to run away but Ark had barely managed to catch him. Ark used Dark Dance to move around Duke while kicking and swinging his sword. His sword was stained with paralysis poison and his kick could also cause abnormal conditions! Meanwhile, Deimos had also managed to escape from the trap and went behind him to block Duke’s attack.
‘I have to end it here!’
But Duke’s defense surpassed his expectations. Although he was attacked non-stop for 30 seconds, his health did not fall below 50%. But the paralysis condition was stacked up every time an attack hit and was also layered over with other abnormal conditions.
“Damn, this was expensive………Warp trap!”
Duke installed at trap at his feet using quick hand movements. Then Duke activated the trap and disappeared before appearing 10 metres away. The moment they were in a desperate situation, the pioneer’s experience showed its power once again. The warp trap was a trap that allowed him to move to an area where another trap was laid out. The user could also use the traps as a combo on himself. It was a method of escaping that couldn’t have been imagined by Ark.
‘But his health is already at 40%. I have an advantage now!’
“I will not forgive you!”
Duke protested and pulled out a bunch of arrows that flashed. It was the magic arrows that cost 40 silvers for 1. In addition, it was level 140. It was a high level archery skill where the arrow would explode once it connected with something. When it was shot, a huge explosion immediately occurred in the area. Rocks fell down as flames rose from all sides.
Clack clack, clack clack clack!
Suddenly, Deimos pushed Ark out of the way at a desperate moment. He received all the falling rock and fire damage! He was a pet that overflowed with loyalty. However, Ark wasn’t thankful for the loyalty shown.
-Your pet ‘Deimos’ had been recalled to the Netherworld. You have received 50% of the Familiar’s Health as damage.

The problem was that thanks to evolving in the Underground World, Deimos had 1000 health so Ark received 500 damage. He had put all that effort into making Duke’s health 40% and now Ark’s health was also 40%.Deimos’ health was low from the traps so he was forcefully recalled with that last attack.
“Ugh, damn this guy……!”
Duke had already hidden his body using ‘Stealth.’
“Hu hu hu, now your shield has disappeared entirely. Rest assured however. He’s not the only one I will kill. I’ll slowly crush you.”
Duke’s voice was heard in the darkness. When he used it, the skill was useful but if it was on the other side then it was an annoying skill.
‘Damn, I didn’t realise a ranger was this difficult.’
Since then, the same situation was repeated. When he moved to avoid traps, magic arrows would fly from behind him. If he tried to focus on the arrows then a trap would be triggered. After all of that, Ark’s health fell to 20%.
-Shambala has used the ‘Trill’ skill on you. Would you like to accept?

‘Shambala? Maybe he managed to defeat Jewel? ‘
Ark accepted Trill with an expectant look.
-Ark, what is your situation?
-Honestly, not very good. You? Did you perhaps defeat Jewel?
-……..Wrong.
-What?
-That Jewel is even stronger than before. I was trapped in the passages where she used magic I’ve never seen before. I’ve managed to reduce her health to 40% but I’m in a critical condition.
-……..Damn it! Are we going to lose to them after all?
Ark ground his teeth together. Even though it was a dark dungeon, it only acted as a penalty to them so far. This was because Jewel and Duke were also of the dark attribute. Even if they had the same dark attribute, their skills were entirely different. Ark and Shambala were close combat specialists. But they were professionals at ‘hunting’ with all the magic and traps. It was obvious that something like a maze of darkness would be beneficial for traps and hunting.
-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have proposed an individual battle.
-……………..
Ark was silent for a moment. Shambala was already half-way to giving up.
However, Ark had no intention of giving up. If he gave up here, then all his efforts in the last six days would’ve been worthless. And Magaro’s secret map that might show the location of huge amounts of money would be given to the unidentified merchants.
The merchants knew the value of the map so he wouldn’t be able to obtain it with money or intimidation. Of course, there was still Ark’s fight with Duke remaining. However, if Shambala was defeated by Jewel then it would be useless. If Shambala was defeated by Jewel then Ark wouldn’t be able to handle her as well as Duke.
‘If Shambala dies then everything is finished. But Shambala is in a different area. In order to defeat Jewel and Duke, we must join forces……..’
At that time, a thought flashed through Ark’s head.
-Shambhala, didn’t we previously have a fight in this cave? It was made clear that the ruins were symmetrical. And there is only one pathway that joins both sides.
-So?
-That’s it. Let’s use it.
-Let’s use it? How?
Shambala asked Ark who began to tell him the plan. Then Shambala thought for a while before replying.
-Certainly…..Yes, there is a possibility that it will work.
-We have no choice but to try it. We have to grasp the initiative, because timing is essential for this strategy. If one of us doesn’t make it, or the timing is off by even 1 second then the whole thing will fail. Do you understand?
-I know. Then let’s apply your strategy for the last match.
-Let’s forward it to exactly 1 minute later, I’ll see you there!
Once Ark disconnected the communication, he immediately triggered Adelaine’s necklace.
It was a method of recovering mana in an emergency. However, this time Ark triggered the necklace for the 40% increase in defense option. With his defensive powers increased, Ark stepped on the traps that he had avoided previously. There was a ringing sound and Ark’s body was tied to a tree trunk.
The Chain Trap was activated.<It isn’t possible to move for 30 seconds.>

Once the trap worked, Duke immediately appeared and showered him in arrows. Even if he was chained up, he could still move his arm. Ark tried his best to hit all the arrows. However, his health quickly decreased from the rapid fire of the magic arrows. Even though his defense had increased by 40%, by the time the chains came loose he was in a critical condition.”Ha ha ha, I finally caught you!”
“You bastard, you’re planning to keep fighting like a coward!?”
Duke had immediately done a hit and run.
“Hu hu hu, what’s the point of a frontal confrontation when you’re already in a critical condition? What nonsense. But did you just intentionally step on a trap? Kukukuk, how stupid! Do you think that I’m so stupid that I wouldn’t notice you have something planned? Rangers have to be vigilant until the end. You’ll tasting more of my hellish traps yet again!”
“Even if I die, I’ll bring you with me! Summon release, resummon Dedric!”
Ark had been waiting for his spiritual power to recover to 100%.
“Ugh!”
Dedric appeared with a scream. Ark had summoned Dedric to the stadium. Ark had originally summoned Dedric to gamble on the matches in the stadium. Because he was outside, there was no way to communicate with him. However, when he summoned him in an emergency then his former shape was shown. Dedric had looked like a little boy holding the hand of his father, therefore a young boy holding a megaphone appeared in the arena. In addition to that, he had a large piece of bread stuffed in his mouth. While his master was fighting and almost dying, he was just having a snack!
“M-master! A kind ajusshi gave this to me. Really. I would never use the money from the dividends to buy food.”
Dedric couldn’t even think of a good excuse. It was like a fish was left to a cat.
Since he had earned quite a lot gambling in the Evil Silrion……..
Ark couldn’t enter the gambling place as a participant. Therefore, he used Dedric as a smoke screen who ran around buying snacks with the money. Although he wanted to throw it away, now wasn’t the time.
“Shut up and pursue that fellow immediately!”
“Then, this never happened…….”
Damn, more time was being wasted thanks to his cheap tricks.
“I get it so hurry up before that guy gets away! If you lose him then you’ll die!”
“Got it Master!”
Dedric turned into a bat and caught up with Duke. ‘Stealth’ couldn’t be used if someone was looking at them. That was the trump card that Ark came up with. When Duke couldn’t use ‘Stealth,’ he shot his arrows with a puzzled expression. But who was Dedric? Among the summons, he was the second to none in terms of combat agility!
“Heung, I’m not afraid of arrows! My master is more scary!”
Dedric used the pillars as shields and kept his eyes on the ranger until his eyeballs popped out. Thanks to that, Duke couldn’t use ‘Stealth’ and had no choice but to be chased by Ark. After a while, Ark measured the time and gave an order to Dedric.
“Dedric, block the passage to the left and drive that guy towards the right passage!”
“Okay!”
Dedric blocked the left passage and shouted at Duke with a loud voice.
“Shrimp! I’m going to capture you and eat you!”
“Ugh, that annoying bat!”
But Duke held his ground and didn’t waste time arguing with Dedric. Ark was coming up behind him with a menacing expression. In fact, Ark was already in a critical condition. There was no reason for Duke to be afraid of him. However, the fact that Ark deliberately stepped into the trap made Duke feel anxious.
‘That guy, he definitely has something. Perhaps he has an item capable of recovery magic…….’
Eventually, the psychological warfare won and he turned his body and headed down the right passage. Then, he heard Shambala’s voice again through the use of Trill.
-Ark, I’m heading to that place!
-Okay. I’m also almost finished driving him there.
-Count it down. 3, 2, 1……..now! 6 o’clock at my back, 3 m above!
-Duke is at the front just around the corner!
Ark and Shambala shouted at the same time. Just before Duke turned the corner, Shambala popped out from the rock. That’s right. In the Pandemonium arena, the left and right side structures were the same. Shambala and Ark were battling on separate sides. And there was a corner where the 2 caves connected that was broken by a sharp angle. Ark and Shambala had worked out a strategy to aggressively swap partners there.
“What, what the? How did these guys…….?”
Duke was puzzled and lifted an eyebrow. However, after Shambala turned the corner he had already used a deadly skill.
“Torpedo Sword!”
The dagger sparked with lightning and a vortex was formed around the dagger as it rushed towards Duke. It was the hidden profession, Saint Assassin! The destructive power was enormous. Duke fell into the critical condition and he also had the ‘electric shock’ status. Of course, Ark wasn’t just watching. Taking advantage of Duke’s paralysis, Ark jumped and used his strongest skill.
“Take this, Blade Storm!”
Ark always had decent swords in a bag or two. It was in order to use Blade Storm at the last moment. As soon as Ark had pulled out a black sword from the bag, he used Blade Storm in the air. He was following Shambala’s directions of the target being 3 m up in the 6 o’clock direction!
Kwa ru ru rung!
The well-made sword was crushed to pieces and the fragments stated to stir. At that moment, Jewel who was chasing Shambala appeared around the corner. Jewel was floating in the air with a translucent shield to protect herself. It was the protection magic which caused certain amounts of damage to become invalid. But the protective shield was quickly destroyed by the powerful offensive of Blade Storm. Jewel was surrounded by a vortex of shield fragments and was forced to the ground.
“Ugh, what on earth is this……….?”
Jewel still couldn’t grasp the situation.
“Don’t you realise whats going on? You guys have become the targets!”
“Ugh, hell…….! You say that like it was planned!?”
“Its the end. Dark Blade!”
Ark ran up to Jewel and used Dark Blade.
“Damn, don’t look down on me, Warp!”
When a magician and warrior battle became close combat, the warrior would be superior because the magician’s magic would fail. The magician had to memorize a chant in order to use the magic. When the magic was invoked, it would appear in front of them and they would have to activate it. In dire situations, the magic reaction speed would naturally slow down and the magic would fail. The magician’s magic would fail without the right words. But that didn’t happen. Even when the situation was dire, Jewel was experienced enough to remember the chant and her warp succeeded. Jewel appeared 10 metres away using warp and immediately used mist magic to disappear.
“Dedric, after her!”
“There’s no need. Leave it to me, Ark. I’ll take care of it!”
Shambala shouted at Ark while he was wielding his sword.
At that moment an amazing thing happened. The crowd couldn’t understand what it saw. Shambala…….. and maybe even Ark couldn’t of imagined that such a perfect picture would be created. However, at the moment Ark understood Shambala completely and swung his sword at him. He didn’t intend to do it but they suddenly flashed and separated. Although they had forgotten for a while, Ark and Shambala had a strange synergy with each other while fighting together…….. words couldn’t describe it.
“Riposte!”
Ark made his Riposte hit Shambala’s sword. The two swords clashing together caused sparks to fly! Ark’s counter struck Shambala’s chest. At the same time, the additional effect of Riposte kicked in. Shambala didn’t fight it and instead added to the pushing force, propelling him even more powerfully into the sky. He surprisingly flew 15 metres and struck with his dagger while using Torpedo Sword. A ray like lightning burned through the darkness. And Shambala penetrated Jewel’s body that fell to the ground. In her last moments, Jewel’s laughter came flowing out.
“Ah ah ah ak! U-unbelievable…….. lost……. to guys like you!”
It was like the reaction of a boss monster. Anyway, Jewel was surrounded by blue sparks and disappeared. Ark turned around and quickly looked at Duke.
“Ugh!”
Duke was barely out of the electric shock state and only had 1% health left. When Jewel had died in vain, he immediately lost his fighting spirit. Duke jumped up and tried to run away. Ark smiled and gave an order to Dedric.
“Dedric, how much have you piled up?”
“Ohuhuhuhu, tormenting weak guys are my specialty. Leave it to me! Dark Dash!”
Dedric flew like the wind and struck Duke in the head. Duke received the ‘Darkness’ status and struggled as he fell down.
“Damn this guy! How dare you shoot an arrow at the master I respect? And you even sent Deimos back to the Netherworld? Then let me return the favour to you!”
Thus, the pioneer Duke was stepped on so much by Dedric that he died. Dedric who had controlled Duke trembled and reached out with both hands.
“Hehehe, Master. I handled the villain. Aren’t I awesome? Right?”
Dedric was really showing off. Shambala who was watching suddenly laughed.
“Kuk, hahaha, hahahaha. It really is fun fighting with you!”
Ark also let out a silly laugh. It was the toughest battle he ever had, and it was also the most exciting. When the two died, there was a ringing sound and Pandemonium suddenly disappeared. However, the crowd was so quiet that it was strange.
Then like a needle falling, a voice was heard…….
Like the crowd, the magic eye had been looking at the two of them with a bemused expression. Then like he suddenly woke up, the magic eye burst out with a loud noise.
-A, awesome! Blue Sword and Dark Wolf player! They were able to overcome the disadvantage in skills using strategies and the two opposing players were eventually defeated! This is it! The real beauty of the Evil Silrion arena!

Have you ever seen such a wonderful battle? The winners of the 186th Pairs Tournament have been decided!
Blue Sword who, in this tournament, holds the record of 49 consecutive winning matches!
Dark Wolf, even though he only recently debuted, made a shocking impact and won 12 straight matches.

Now the whole arena vibrated with shouts. Firecrackers burst in the night sky while the crowd stomped their feet and chanted Blue Sword and Dark Wolf. The users who bet on Jewel and Duke also generously cheered.”Wah ah ah!”
“That was more amazing than watching a real fight!”
“This fight was worth every penny, even if the admission fee was expensive!”
“The best. I had to watch that match no matter what!”
“Blue sword and Dark Wolf, this time you should become pros!”
“That’s right, you should play in more matches. I’ll get to see it every day!”
The stadium shook up and down.
Ark realized that 1,000 people had competed in this tournament and he had actually won.

ACT 5 Frenzied Night
Ark and Shambala raised a hand to acknowledge the cheers and returned to the waiting room.
“It was quite fun.”
“The next match won’t be as fun.”
Shambala replied with a slightly stiff expression. Yes, they’ve won the tournament as planned. And in the next match, Shambala would be his opponent. In order to obtain the three clues, the two of them need to have one final battle. So far, they’ve decided to join hands and feet and fight together. That wasn’t a good thing at all. However, Shambala soon lost the tension in his face and laughed.
“Well, for the moment let’s just rejoice. We’ve managed to beat the pioneers in the Evil Silrion that many people couldn’t manage to do. We’ve earned the right to be happy.”
At that time, an administrative NPC came to the waiting room.
“Blue Sword and Dark Wolf. Can you come to the VIP room right now?”
“The VIP room?”
“Yes, an honoured guest is eager to meet the two of you.”
Ark and Shambala tilted their heads and followed the NPC to the VIP room. It was a nice room overlooking the arena and when they entered, an NPC with a chubby belly spread out his arms and welcomed them. The large number of jewellery hanging on his body shook and rattled carelessly.
“Ooh, come come! The great warriors that brightened the Evil Silrion. I’m Voltaire, the main person in charge of the Evil Silrion. I can see that your experience is truly overflowing!”
“What can I do for you?”
Shambala asked in a brusque voice. Shambala acted quite different from the way he normally treated NPCs. Voltaire winced, but quickly smiled and nodded.
“Ha ha ha, the warrior is showing a well-suited arrogance. It’s okay, I understand. Because you showed skills that are a match for your arrogance.”
Ark hadn’t said anything but he was also treated like gold.
“I was quite impressed when watching your match, the way an ordinary foreigner managed to defeat the pioneers! It was quite boring to watch the pathetic warriors that would give up when fighting the pioneers. But you refuse to do that and faced each other beautifully. It was the first time I had seen such an admirable match. Thanks to that, the reputation of the Evil Silrion will increase even more.”
Voltaire praised them until the saliva in his mouth became dry.
“Did you call us just to say that?”
Shambala showed signs of annoyance. And Voltaire asked in a coy voice with astute eyes.
“Have you ever thought about becoming an exclusive gladiator?”
“Exclusive gladiator?”
“Yes. There are many special gladiators under contract with the Evil Silrion and sometimes they would hold special matches. Of course, the prize money and supplementary prize given to the gladiator exclusive matches cannot even be compared to the ordinary tournament prizes. There is also a separate pay that is given every month. Anyone who knows about the Evil Silrion would covet the job. How about it?”
Once he finished talking, there was a ringing sound and two message windows popped up.
You have received the proposal to become an ‘Exclusive Gladiator’ from Voltaire, the moderator of the Evil Silrion.

In addition to their profession job, a player is also given an opportunity to choose a sub-occupation. You can receive a sub-profession from the senior NPC once you fulfil certain conditions. These sub-professions aren’t related to your main profession. When choosing a sub-profession, it is possible to learn exclusive skills. However, if you choose to leave the sub-profession and pick another one then the exclusive skills will disappear.]

Become an Exclusive Gladiator in the Evil Silrion

Gladiators can be exclusively hired by the moderators of the Evil Silrion. Only warriors that display and excellent ability that charmed the crowd are able to choose this profession. If you become a gladiator, it is possible to receive many bonuses such as gladiator exclusive training facilities, stores and so on. They are also informed in advanced of the schedule of all the tournaments as well as the prizes, and they are also automatically seeded and receive the right to start in the round of 16. There is also a monthly pay of 30 gold per month. A special bonus for special matches will also be paid. However, it is required to participate in at least one tournament per month.

Would you like to accept the offer of the sub-profession ‘Exclusive Gladiator?’
“I refuse.”
Shambala didn’t even have to think about it as he replied. Voltaire sighed in disappointment and looked at Ark. He could improve his skills and earn quite a lot of money in the Evil Silrion. The conditions that Voltaire suggested were also pretty good. Aside from the salary, the other rights were quite plausible as well. However, there was a part that was quite worrisome. The provision that he would have to participate in at least one tournament once a month. Didn’t that mean that he couldn’t leave the vicinity of Selebrid? New World was quite wide and there were a number of things to do. Ark was too young (?) to sit in one place.
“I’m also not going to become an exclusive gladiator.”
At the end, Ark also politely declined. Voltaire lowered his shoulders and sighed.
“Valuable. With your capacity, the reputation of the gladiators in the Evil Silrion would certainly grow……..but I can’t force you. Alright. Instead, I just want to see the wonderful sight of you two again. Please participate in a tournament again when you get the chance. Can you promise that?”
“Thank you. Although I have to decline the proposal due to various circumstances, I won’t forget the fact that a popular noble like Voltaire-nim thinks so deeply of me.”
Ark smiled his business smile and gently answered. Voltaire fidgeted with his ring and laughed. Thanks to Shambala’s indifferent attitude, Ark’s kindness seemed to shine even more.
“Oh, your modest character is a wonderful thing. I would love to see thousands of warriors like you! Ah, I suddenly remembered. Although I only promised the original compensation to the winner. Thanks to you two, the Evil Silrion was unusually prosperous for the last couple of days. As a repayment for that, it isn’t so great but here is a little souvenir I’ve prepared.”
When Voltaire reached out his hand, an administration immediately handed over a box that contained a thick leather bracelet.

Gladiator’s Honour (Unique, Locked)
Armour type: Leather Bracelet
Defense power: 15
Durability: 60/60
Weight: 10
User restriction: Level 100 or more

This is a symbol of honour that is given to gladiators that have fulfilled certain conditions in the Evil Silrion. It is a special compensation for the popular gladiators that have managed to draw a crowd of 10,000 spectators to the Evil Silrion.

Although the Gladiator’s bracelets are valuable, its true value lies with the honor it bring. Those who prize the honour of warriors will treat you with respect. This Gladiator’s Honour will be forever carved with the name ‘Ark’ on the inside. This means that transferring the item to someone else is impossible. In addition, it is impossible for magic or scrolls to break it.

<Option: Strength, Agility, Stamina +10, Fame +500, Sword-based Skill Growth +5%>
‘U-unique bracelets! Wow, I’ve been quite lucky!’
It was an unexpectedly huge reward. That fact that Ark had gone through a lot of trouble in the Evil Silrion to only obtain one quest item had made him feel quite dissatisfied. But he never imagined that he would receive an additional item for drawing lots of spectators. Not to mention, it was an unique item!
The performance of the unique bracelet was enormous. It was rare that bracelets with a defense of 15 would also increase strength, stamina and agility by 10 points. But the first thing that caught his eye was the +5% of all sword-based skills option. Thanks to the 5% increase, it was possible to make his Sword-Hand Combat grow even faster. The only downside was that the item was character locked so it wasn’t possible to sell it. But since it raised his Sword-Hand Combat growth, he wouldn’t have wanted to sell it anyway.
With the bracelet that he hunted in the Forest of Souls, he now had it on both arms. However, he didn’t want to sell the Amulet of Vitality. Last night, the power boosted by 5 was barely enough to save him. Although it couldn’t compare to the warrior’s honour, it was pretty useful.
Ark looked at the Warrior’s honour on his right arm.
‘Hu hu hu, I managed to obtain two bracelets and shoulder plates from this.’
However, he felt that he wanted more. As he put it on, he thought it would be good to wear it on both wrists.
‘Sheesh, if it wasn’t a locked item then I would try to obtain it somehow……..’
In front of items, friendship didn’t matter to Ark.
“Starting from today, a weekly magazine published by the Evil Silrion will be sent to your mailbox for free. And the offer to become an exclusive gladiator is still open so if you ever change your mind, come and see me. I’ll leave my door wide open for you!”
The NPC was offering quite a lot. Was it okay to receive the unique item and a free weekly newsletter? Furthermore, he could become an exclusive gladiator anytime he wanted to.
Ark sent ‘Hu hu hu, my social life is going to be like this’ with a look from his eyes. Then Shambala responded ‘Do you want to live?’ with his eyes.
“Well, take this and go. You can receive the victory cash prize and the supplementary prize at the management office.”
Voltaire smiled and shook hands with only Ark. He was quite a narrow minded guy for someone with a large bulk. Anyway, they finally went to the management office to receive their compensation.

-You have won the 186th Pairs Tournament.
Current record: 12 wins
<Tournament Winner Bonus: Fame +300, Experience + 20,000>

-You have received the prize money of 200 gold for the 186th Pairs Tournament.
-The supplementary prize for the 186th Pairs Tournament is Magaro’s secret map.

There was a side alley next to the Evil Silrion. The hooded merchants A, B, C gnashed their teeth furiously. They had spent 24 hours crying thanks to Jewel and Duke’s blackmail. They weren’t poor merchants, but nevertheless 1,500 gold was a lot of money. Most of their money was tied up in trade investments, so the only cash they could move was 1,050 gold. Then they had to desperately find an extra 450 gold in 24 hours.
‘We have to obtain it. This is a good investment!’
But it wasn’t an easy task to find all that money. Eventually they had to sell off items piled up in warehouses for a much lower price than the market price. But they were still short 100 gold so they pledged their investments as collateral and borrowed money from high interest lenders. After all the blood and tears shed, they barely made 500 gold……
“What the hell is this!”
Merchant A shook his fist and spat out curses.
“Those damn pioneers! They dared to bluff and raise the price only to fail! Those empty noisy cans! They should go to hell, those bastards!”
“We tried so hard to make the money that we even took out high interest loans……”
“Huk huk huk, now we’re going to die.”
The pioneers were beaten to death in the final match. Immediately after the fight, the pioneers vanished. Indeed, why would they face their partner unless forced? Thanks to those guys, they went through all that suffering to make money and now they vanished like chickens. While he was crying, Merchant C muttered with a concerned face.
“Sniff, Hyung-nim. What do we do now? We received damage and even racked up a huge debt, but now the final clue is in their hands.”
“……….There is no other way.”
Merchant A was locked in thought for a moment before he said in a deliberate voice. Merchant B and C swallowed their spit and avoided his gaze.
“Hyung-nim, by the way…….”
“Mercenaries, should we hire mercenaries?”
“We have no choice. We are merchants after all. We shouldn’t just resign ourselves to these damages. If possible, I didn’t want to use a fearsome or vicious method…….but, Blue Sword and Dark Wolf asked for it.”
“But they are the tournament winners. Don’t you think they’re very strong?”
“Yes but they are only two people. Even including their colleagues that we saw at the main entrance, it’s only a few people. In addition, the levels of those 10 people don’t seem that high.”
Although Ark was well hidden they were already aware that Dark Wolf and Ark was the same person. After listening to Ark’s and Shambala’s conversation, they had secretly followed them back to the main gate.
“Wow Hyung-nim! You’ve even managed to find out something like that!”
While Merchant B and C raised their voices, Merchant A just shrugged.
“Hu hu hu, I didn’t make it this far as a merchant without raising my insight. Anyway, if we hire 10 level 120 mercenaries then that should be enough to take care of them. No matter how good Blue Sword and Dark Wolf are, they wouldn’t be able to defeat such a number of people.”
“Indeed. But our purpose isn’t to kill them but to retrieve the items.”
“Of course.”
Merchant A smiled and took out a few scrolls. Then Merchant B and C became frightened.
“H, Hyung-nim! That surely…….!”
“I see you’ve figured it out. Yes, this is the rumoured chaotic scrolls [Peek] and [Robbery]. It is a fearsome item that allows someone to peek into the target’s bag and steal one designated item from them. Most merchants are afraid of these scrolls but I’m different. In some cases, they should be used. I happened upon these scrolls a while ago and kept them.”
“Oh oh, what wonderful foresight!”
“Ohu hu hu hu, are you surprised? I’m surprised. Because the chaotic scrolls are still items that only few merchants know about. I’ve never dreamed that I would use these scrolls. Recently there was a hobbit merchant that was hanging around Selebrid selling these scrolls. Although the market price was a little bit high…….”
Merchant A smacked his lips and murmured.
“Even if it is Blue Sword and Dark Wolf, they won’t be able to stop the scrolls. When they die, they will be robbed and any extra items can be sold as extra profit. I don’t want to kill, but if they hang onto it then it is the last resort. When threatened with the scroll then they should hand over the items.”
“As expected of Hyung-nim!”
“But don’t we need plenty of money to hire 20 mercenaries level 12?”
“You don’t have to worry.”
Merchant A replied.
“Selebrid is overflowing with tons of unemployed people.”
Unfortunately, it was an undeniable fact. In Selebrid, there were many users over level 100. However even though their levels are high, not all of them lived affluent lives. No, higher level users that had a profession other than merchant tended to be poor. Even though their health was higher, they needed deluxe wheat bread to recover it and the repair price for equipment was also no joke. The users who couldn’t manage their finances were no different to beggars after their equipment completely breaks. Naturally, if they drank potions then hardships would only increase. That wasn’t the only reason they were poor. In Selebrid, gambling thrived thanks to the Evil Silrion. And the simple warriors were weak to such temptation. They would waste all their savings in a pub binge or find a casino with high inflation until they lost so much that they were forced to mortgage their equipment. It was to the extent that with no money and no equipment, the level 100 users couldn’t even go out hunting without dying. Probably, the rehabilitation group and Roco would end up in a similar situation. It was a miscalculation to think that a high level user would earn a lot of money like Ark. He had strict money management and would even run 1 kilometres to get an extra copper or go an extra 10 kilometres to cut the cost by 1 copper. Other users had no concept of such a method of saving. Anyway, the users that have become like beggars were desperate for jobs. A job where they would clearly be paid was even more of a blessing than hunting!
“Hire level 120 users but draw the line at 50 gold for 1 day.”
“But they might have to kill someone.”
“The final blow is limited to 2~3 people with the highest level. And when they become chaotic and enter the prison, we will pay compensation for the penalty. We still have the 1,500 gold we promised to the pioneers.”
“Oh oh, it is a perfect plan!”
“Isn’t it? Hu hu hu, sometimes I’m afraid of the inside of my head as well.”
Merchant A rolled his eyes and said.
“Now, I don’t have the time. The fellow who obtains the clue can’t know that we are seeking treasure.
“I understand!”
Merchant B and C moved their short legs and disappeared into the alley.

“What now?”
At that time, Ark and Shambala faced unexpected problems. Ark and Shambala had won the Pairs Tournament so there was only one thing left to do. But before the decisive battle, they had to put the clues together first. However, Sid who had left at the beginning still hadn’t returned. He had sent a letter using the Magic Institute’s letterbox.
Ark-nim, this is taking longer than expected.You don’t have to be concerned because business is still fine.
That was the letter send to him from Sid. But there was no way to figure out why he was late from the contents of the letter.
“Maybe he forgot the items and had to return for it?”
However, Ark had no way to contact Sid straight away. Because Sid was a poor merchant so he didn’t have a transfer mailbox. Of course there was a way to send general mail, but general mail had to designate a village rather than a person. However, Ark didn’t even know the area that Sid was wandering around. An item was an item, but Sid was carrying thousands of gold so he was worried about him leaving behind schedule. But Ark shook his head.
‘It would take a lot of time to organize the items and turn it into 5,500 gold. There are a number of significant items. Yes, my hyungs and I invested a lot of money, so even if it takes a long time, it is important to sell it at a suitable price.’
“What should we do Shambala? Sid doesn’t seem to be returning for a while?”
Ark explained the truth to Shambala. Shambala looked thoughtful for a while before nodding.
“If you can’t contact him then it’s not possible. Since he also has to hold the items while conducting business. Then our fight will be postponed until Sid returns.”
“I suppose. What else can we do?”
Ark nodded while looking at the secret map. In fact, Magaro’s quest wouldn’t be able to proceed even if Sid was back now. He never thought that there would be a restriction on the secret map.
Magaro’s Secret Map (Quest Starting Item)
An old parchment with unknown letters and geometric symbols written on it. Although it shows tough terrain, it is difficult to guess the location just by looking at the map. It seems to require other clues in order to decipher the symbols and characters.
<Quest Progression Minimum Condition: One or more additional clues, Level 150 >]
‘This is what Shannen means by the quest being difficult.’
Ark recalled Shannen’s words. When he gave the quest, he added that it wouldn’t be an easy one for Ark to complete. Although he didn’t pay attention at the time, now it was a small hint. This was a virtual reality game, so naturally there would be a limit restriction on an NPC’s request. If the minimum progression requirement for the quest was level 150, then if he had to guess then he would have to be level 160~180 before he could start it. However, Ark’s current level was 127. Although his skills gained a lot of experience in the Evil Silrion, he could only raise his level by 4 in the Forest of Souls. In the end, he had to be 23 levels higher in order to continue the quest. Shambala’s situation wasn’t too different from Ark’s.
“Shambala, what are you going to do?”
“Let’s see………”
“We can wait for Sid here, or I can gain 23 levels in some decent hunting grounds and meet up again later.”
“I’ll consider the problem a little bit more. I still have a job to do in this area. But I don’t know how long it will take.”
That was when someone started hitting the both of them.
“Hey, you’ve just won the martial arts tournament so why are you giving off a bad impression? I don’t know what you guys are talking about but let me buy you a drink!”
Ark and Shambala jumped and turned around. He had turned off the transformation and Shambala had also changed his mask and cloak so they felt wary. However, Ark quickly solved the problem.
“JusticeMan ajusshi? How?”
“Ha ha ha, we heard that you were in the finals and ran here.”
“Oppa, I’ve come as well.”
Roco poked out her tongue and interrupted JusticeMan. But they weren’t alone. The rehabilitation group was also gathered. They were one of the groups cheering in the stadium while wearing a cap and holding megaphones along with Dedric.
“Ark, I saw the match.”
“Was it challenging? Also Shambala as well, they are indeed our younger siblings.”
“He he he, thanks to betting on you we earned quite a bit of money.”
“It was thrilling. To such an extent that we want to go and fight in a tournament right now.”
The anticipation caused Bul-kkun’s chest to rise as he took a deep breath.
And then Jjak-tung said in a gentle voice.
“Easy. We have more important things right now.”
“Eum, I know.”
“Yes? Something more important? Weren’t you looking for the thief, Hyung-nim?
“We already found that guy.”
Jjak-tung smile subtly and looked at Ark.
“While solving that job, we ran into a bigger problem. Well, let’s talk about that one later. Because you’ll soon know anyway. Hu hu hu, these hyungs will probably see it again.”
“Now it is time for alcohol! You won so of course you have to drink alcohol! Come on, Ark!”
His expression became light as he shouted. New World was so realistic that they could even get drunk in the game. Because it isn’t real liquor, it would break up over time but while they were drinking it would feel like the real thing. That was the main reason the taverns in New World were always busy. People could get drunk comfortably while drinking but there would be no hangovers. If someone drank then they would get the drunk ‘condition.’ In addition, the tavern atmosphere was quaint. The alcohol tasted good and sometimes a good looking minstrel would sing. Where else could a drinker find a better environment? Thanks to that, they would often dine in the taverns in New World. The rehabilitation company was also very fond of the liquor in New World. However, Ark didn’t like drinking that much. He couldn’t understand why people would spend a lot of money on drinks.
“No, I’m a little weak to alcohol………. ”
Ark tried to refuse the drinking party. Then he became frightened as the rehabilitation group surrounded Ark.
“Ark, you aren’t trying to say that you don’t like alcohol are you?”
“Hey, your character must be really dull.”
“Please speak clearly. Do you want to drink alcohol or break off our relationship?”
“Yes? Yes? But what……?”
Ark was confused as the attitudes of the rehabilitation group suddenly changed. However, the rehabilitation group was serious. The atmosphere seemed like it would become really serious if he refused.
“I’ll take some. I’ll drink.”
“That’s it! Ark, you’re a man as expected!”
The rehabilitation members clenched their fists firmly and cheered. Then they looked pathetically at Roco and said.
“He he he, Roco. Drinks with Ark. Because it is a celebration party. It would be worthless not to drink today, yes?”
“Ugh, really…..I understand. But only for today.”
“Yeah that’s more like it! Drinks for today!”
The rehabilitation members danced joyfully before grabbing Ark and Shambala and running to the tavern. The rehabilitation members couldn’t drink the favourite drinks for several days. Of course, it was because the dictator Roco was clutching the money tightly. So the rehabilitation members had been waiting for today with bloodshot eyes. They were convinced that Roco was likely to open the wallet strings for Ark’s celebration party. And their guess was right.
“At any rate, I couldn’t stop them.”
Roco checked the wallet and sighed. However, it was for Ark. She was willing to spend money for him.

“For the champions!”
JusticeMan and the rehabilitation company lifted their glass with a happy expression. Although it had been a long time since he went to a tavern, he could hear a sound every time he drank. The reason was simple. Every time Ark drank alcohol, it was impossible to tell that Roco was accepting something from Ark underneath the table.
“Sheesh, I never thought that you would be the champion first.”
“Well, I only say the final match but it was wonderful. The audience was also hanging on to every move.”
“Yes, we contributed quite a lot to the pot for you in the final game. Because Roco was gambling, everyone bet to the upper limit.”
“Tonight we’ll drink until we’re satisfied!”
“Hey, bring 30 cups of beer here! When will the pork barbeque come out?”
If the rehabilitation group had a chance, they would drink away the whole bar. Nevertheless as the rehabilitation group had difficult pasts, their standards were different. There was yelling across the bar and some people were even getting up on the tables to dance. It was to the extent that someone could feel drunk from the atmosphere. When they started drinking, their behaviour when drunk immediately showed. When he became drunk, Jjak-tung’s attitude went through a 189 degree change.
“Hey, Ark……..Hiccup. You mean……..you know who we love? He he he, I’m really good looking. However, that……..don’t do it……..what……..it’s Roco. Eh, taken? What was I saying? Oh, so……..Because I think I do like you?”
Jjak-tung clung onto Ark and kept on repeating the same words. The bar was a part time career that was quite a tough opponent for Ark. Shambala was the only one that remained sullenly unchanged. Shambala was staring at a 1000 CC mug of beer on the table.
“Now, time for a one-shot again.”
When Bul-kkun emptied the beer mug, Shambala just glared silently at the empty mug. Shambala had a strong fighting spirit and rose to the provocation as he emptied a mug of 5,000 CC beer.
“Hu hu hu, you, do you like it? Let’s see who will give up first.”
“Drink! Drink! Drink!”
The rehabilitation members surrounding the two of them cheering while knocking on the table. Fortunately, the rehabilitation members didn’t talk about Roco becoming the leader.
“Hah, why is it noisy? Excuse me.”
“He he he, it’s okay. Isn’t a tavern the place where you drink and make noise?”
The tavern owner generously laughed and replied. However even if the NPC didn’t mind, it weighed on Roco’s mind as she took the tray.
“Give me that. I’ll take it.”
It was at that time that a problem occurred. When she carried the tray, in the eyes of the users Roco’s form became visible along with the NPC. A company of users froze and smirked as they noticed her.
“Hey, pretty lady?”
“Why don’t you sit here and I’ll give you some tips on drinking?”
“What?”
When Roco raised an eyebrow, the boys giggled.
“Ho oh, why do you look even more attractive when you’re angry?”
“A woman that prickly would have more passion at night.”
“Hu hu hu, the director knows a bit about women.”
If you go to a bar then theres always people just like this. The people who would unnecessarily tease a woman. New world was a place where many types of people gathered. But today they picked the wrong opponent. The atmosphere of the rehabilitation group that was laughing instantly became chilly.
“Hey, you. What did you say just now?”
They lowered their glasses angrily. It wasn’t enough. JusticeMan, Hae Gyeol-sa, Yapsab and even Jjak-tung stood up and glared at them. Although they lived a new life, they were rehabilitated children of the darkness. Even though they were in a game, their bloodthirsty impression was no joke. The director of the group of men stuttered.
“What, what the. Who are you? A gang?”
“Say one more word if you want to go scuba diving into cement off the coast of Incheon.”
“I don’t know what you are but do you know who I am?”
“You’ve just decided your fate with your answer. As fish food.”
The guy flinched away frightened from their rage. However, it was a slow game. The users drinking alcohol in Selebrid were quite high level. Furthermore, the company numbered 10 people. Anyway, thanks to the rehabilitation members the atmosphere had become quite tense. However, the tavern owner just looked at it with a pained expression. Although he wanted to intervene, he didn’t have the courage. However, his salvation was soon offered from an unexpected place.
“Oppas, please have some moderation!”
Roco banged on the rehabilitation group’s table who instantly became like rabbits.
What is this? You’re adults now! Do you know how unsightly it is to start a fight in a bar? You also made the owner nervous.”
“Eh? W-we just……”
“That’s enough. Don’t make excuses.”
Roco turned to JusticeMan who cleared his throat.
“Hmm hmm, yes, Roco is right. Well, the tavern isn’t the place for this. Let’s just drink.”
In the end, the rehabilitation members sat dejectedly in their seats. And the other company started chatting with tense faces.
“Sheesh, what the? They started trembling just because of a girl.”
“Right. Its surprising for fellows that look like that.”
“Anyway, thats the problem these days. Those sort of guys just run wild. They would probably be forced into the corner of a room when playing a game. Those fools, the only ones that would probably understand them for the rest of their lives are their parents.”
“Just by looking at them, I can tell that they’re the type to play roughly.”
“They probably haven’t even stepped through the threshold of a university.”
“They’re probably punks or delinquents.”
Every time the guys in the company spoke, an angry vein would throb on the foreheads of the rehabilitation members. They were sticking pins into the painful parts of the rehabilitation members. Roco also felt the same. However, Roco ground her teeth and shook her head.
“It’s okay. Oppa, don’t bother with them.”
“Kyaak, what are you doing?”
Suddenly a sharp scream could be heard from one side of the tavern. The eyes of the rehabilitation group immediately looked over there. There are several female users over there chatting. Then one of the guys from the company went over there and stroked a body. JJak-tung’s eyes flashed as he immediately grasped the situation.
“A lady is in a crisis!”
“If you’re a true South Korean man then you won’t stand for something like that!”
Bul-kkun stood up with a happy face. That’s when Roco suddenly banged the table. They jumped and turned to see Roco staring angrily at them before she said.
“Those uncles, get them!”
That was enough to sort out the whole situation. The rehabilitation members shouted with joy before rushing towards the company of men. In fact, Ark had also been annoyed by their words earlier. Since he knew how the rehabilitation members’ lives used to be, Ark couldn’t forgive them for those words.
“Dark blade!”
Ark made a scene as he jumped over the table and used his special move. The director of the company screamed and rolled onto the ground. As he cursed and tried to pull out his sword, JusticeMan grabbed his throat and threw him. The company was definitely higher level than them. However, when it was a fight in a bar they were no match for the rehabilitation members. They were also attacked by surprise so they couldn’t get their swords out in time. After a few moments, they were all stretched out bruised on the ground. Then the guy that was the director shouted.
“Th-these guys! This is Selebrid! Do you think you’ll get away with killing us?”
That’s a problem. A grey name was quickly restored but if they became chaotic then it was a much larger problem. It was at that time. Shambala sat up and murmured in a sleepy voice.
“Death’s Agent………..”
Death’s Agent! It was the special skill of the Saint Assassin where they received permission for certain actions from the Death God, so even if he killed someone then he wouldn’t become chaotic! Shambala looked at the ceiling while idling watching the director shout.
“I don’t like these guys either. Ark, tell the hyungs to surround these guys. If others see then it would become difficult.”
Ark and the rehabilitation members laughed as they turned and made a wall. That was because Death’s Agent would be ineffective if seen by other NPCs or users. Soon, an awful ringing sound was heard and the guys became corpses. After Shambala took care of it, the rehabilitation members went back to eating and drinking like nothing had happened. After a while, the tavern owner approached with an appetizers.
“That lady bought these for you.”
“Eh?
The rehabilitation members looked over in surprise and saw the female user wink.
“You were cool, scary ajusshi.”
“L-lady.”
Bul-kkun trembled and muttered.
“I……..New world is very good.”
Roco also felt pretty good and laughed as she said.
“Okay. Since the noisy ajusshi is in this state, let’s drink all night.”
“Oh oh oh, all night!”
“Yes! Roco!”
The rehabilitation members shouted and began to enthusiastically order alcohol. Ark was confused at the change in Roco that he never imagined. Then Roco stumbled as she moved back into place. Ark quickly caught her before she fell and held Roco’s head.
“Hehehe, Ark oppa……..today you were pretty cool.”
He could quickly smell the alcohol coming from her.
“Roco, how much alcohol did you drink?”
“Drink, I drank one earlier because I was upset about those guys oooooh.”
Roco’s tongue curled as she answered.
“Oppa, oppa, listen when I talk. Do you remember the guy at work I told you about before? That guy started teasing me again yesterday. I really dislike those kind of people. So I slapped him on the cheek. Hehehe, I did well right? If oppa saw me off every day then that wouldn’t happen………and I’ll get to see oppa every day……..Roco is sad.”
From the side, Shambala looked at Ark with sympathetic eyes.
“What a flashy brother, able to put her to sleep with one word…….Ark, I can roughly see your future.”

“Damn, noisy,”
At that time, the noise from the drinking party inside the tavern was at its peak. The still in debt Merchants A, B and C were still on the corner of an alley, shivering from the cold wind. Just like reality, New World also had pretty cold nights.
“Ooh, Hyung-nim. It is cold.”
Merchant C murmured with a tearful voice.
“Please hang in there. We don’t know if they will go to another place. There must be eyes on them at all times.”
“B-but…….cold……cough!”
“Damn, wouldn’t those guys be drunk and happy by now?”
Merchant B glared at the tavern.
“Huk, while we had to live on wheat bread to hire the mercenaries…………”
Merchant C was close to tears as he chewed on a wheat bread.
“Don’t cry. Stop crying!”
Merchant A started to become angry. But he was the leader so he clenched his fist firmly with a resolute face.
“Although we are cold and hungry, in the end we will be the winners. At the end of the quest, we will rent out an entire tavern and party for many days. Then we can laugh freely at those guys. Okay? So for now just endure it. Although it is difficult, endure it.”
“Whimper, yes, Hyung-nim. But it is too cold.”
“My younger brothers. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be. It’s not Hyung-nim’s fault!”
“That’s right. Those guys are the bad ones!”
“Younger brothers!”
Hyung-nim!”
As the icy winds blew through a dark alley, it looked like Merchants A, B and C was re-enacting a drama. And in another alley, two pairs of eyes were also looking at the tavern.
“I found the targets. I’ll report it to the top.”
The masked man disappearing into the darkness was stamped with a red palm.

User talk:Iro Daijoubu

2015-08-16T05:57:48Z

Iro Daijoubu: test

ACT 1 Dark Wolf
“Unbelievable.”
Shambala said coldly as he stepped through the busy crowds. From the time he had met Shambala outside the stadium until now……..a frown had continued to crease his forehead. Annoyance was buried in his glances and voice. Because he had slept in, he was late for the time of the appointment. He had made a mistake. He had really committed a sin to die for. But he wasn’t so late that they missed the match so wasn’t it too much to keep being angry? Ark thought with pouted lips.
“I know and I’m sorry. I said I was sorry.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Aren’t you mad that I’m late? I’ll be careful next time so let’s just stop it here.”
Shambala stopped walking and stared at him.
“That’s right, it would be better to be careful about what you say. After all, there is no second time. Because I will stick a knife if you do it a second time in the tournament.”
It was not a joke. He had forgotten for a while, but originally he had met Shambala when he stabbed Ark in the back moments after he reconnected. After he didn’t like it, he was a user that could sneak up to someone and stab them while laughing. He had managed to become friendly with such a bloody guy. No, had they become familiar?
“Yes, yes. Aren’t you certain? Please leave it alone now.”
“Do you want to play?”
“I understand, I don’t want to be stuck with a petulant partner who would stab me with a knife.”
Ark muttered with a laugh. Shambala gave him a sharp look before breathing out a sigh.
“You’re really…….well, I got it. It is better to relax before a match rather than being tense. Because this tournament might be more difficult than expected.”
“Huh? More difficult?”
“Like I said before, the number of people who usually participate in an Evil Silrion tournament are around 200 people. But in this tournament…….there is something weird. From what I heard, the number of people who applied is at least 5 times more. That means around 1,000 people.
“1,000 people? Then even if 1 match has 2 people, that’s 500 matches?”
Ark’s mouth widened. However, Shambala shook his head and said.
“The number’s not that great.”
“There’s only one thing that increases when there is a number of entrants.”
“I guess. But although there have been a number of times when many people have showed up, they just increased the number of tournaments. If more than 100 people apply, than the tournament would be extended to 2~3 tournaments.
Well, he tried to think about that. It was a tournament method where half the number was expected to fail. So if 100 people applied than the tournament would continue until there was one winner. However, if over 500 people signed up than it would be extended to more tournaments.
“The problem is not the number of tournaments, but the level of the players.”
Shambala emphasized in a serious voice.
“In fact, I think this tournament is insignificant. Are you listening? Since the border of the Three Kingdoms was opened not too long ago, guilds have been flocking to Nagaran. Therefore the users with high odds of winning in the Evil Silrion probably belonged to guilds. Therefore, the number of participants in this tournament with mediocre skills would be low.”
“Then all the players with skilled capabilities have gathered?”
“That’s right, the names on the application list are names that are known by everyone. Therefore, some abstained and were probably hoping to apply for a different one, but 1,000 people still remain. Can you approximately guess what I mean?”
The name of the participants in the Evil Silrion weren’t disclosed until the final registration. When the users weren’t confident in their skills, they resigned after the application list was revealed. The reason was simple. In the Evil Silrion, a system of ‘Victory Points’ existed. In other words the rank was decided by the number of victory points, just like in boxing. And of course, the higher the ranking, the more possible it was to receive suitable compensation. For example in the special tournament that had a supplementary prize, the reward was an item only sold at an exclusive store. Or there was also the right to purchase advanced game information at an affordable price…….the purpose of players coming to the Evil Silrion was to obtain those sorts of prizes. The reason Shambala originally joined the Evil Silrion was because of a job-related quest.
“Therefore, your score from the tournament could fall a lot. And if you resign after the first match begins, it is considered a loss and your points will fall. But if you resign after the registration list is announced, you won’t be able to apply for another tournament but your points won’t fall. If you subtract the players who aren’t confident in their skills from the attendance list, there would only be high level players left.”
“Say that again.”
Ark organized Shambala’s words.
“Because large guilds rushed to Nagaran, a lot of people joined the tournament hoping for huge profits. Were they thinking of saving money from this?”
Shambala nodded.
“But the list of top ranked players being announced still doesn’t explain where 200 people abstained. There are two reasons I can think of. The first one is that the ones who remained and are unconfident would join forces. And the second reason is……..they want the supplementary reward even at the risk of losing their points.”
“That’s right.”
“Is it rare for a treasure map to be given as an supplementary prize in the Evil Silrion?”
Ark asked Shambala who shook his head.
“That’s what I don’t understand. Treasure maps are a common supplementary prize in the Evil Silrion. And there hasn’t been anyone who received a jackpot using the treasure map, it is an unpopular prize. That’s why I don’t understand why so many people have gathered just for the supplementary prize.”
An idea came to Ark after he had been folding his arms for a while. Ark had bought treasure maps several times but never found anything. Treasure maps could lead to items.
But what treasure? And how many items would be in the chest? He had grown up watching a cartoon where those that sought treasure from maps found it after much difficult and death. But the moment they opened the thick treasure chest, their expectations would turn to despair. Inside the treasure chest was at most 3~4 old jars, which didn’t even sell for 3 gold at the shops.
However, it was good for Ark in its own way. He knew that maps could lead to unexpectedly high items. But if the treasure map led to a ridiculously high level hunting ground and if he happened to find empty boxes at the end then there would be a lot of trouble. Even monsters level 300 could be disguised as a treasure chest, such as the time he was surprised by a mimic…….The words luck or unlucky were often used these days.
Of course there was a chance of really big items being found, but the probability was too low to hang their dreams on it. So even if they found a treasure map, there was almost no one who would invest their time and intentionally go look for it. But people have gathered for the tournament where the prize was a map.
“Rumours that Magaro’s map must lead to the location of wonderful treasure or information that it is a quest related item must have spread.”
“That’s what I think as well.”
“Yes, but it will definitely become a little troublesome.”
Ark sighed and murmured. But then he shook his head and added in a decisive voice.
“But nothing has changed. It doesn’t matter how many opponents there are, we’ll just have to do the same as we planned. To win, no?”
“Do you have confidence?”
“Are you unconfident? Do you want to quit?”
Ark smiled as he glanced at Shambala.
“Its good that you are being courageous while ignorant……... because it is better than a partner who is depressed from the start. And you’re right. We just have to win using whatever method possible. I won’t let them catch my ankle so easily.”
“No matter what, we’ll return the favour.”
The Pairs Tournament will be held shortly so please register as soon as possible. If you do not register 10 minutes before the start then you will be automatically disqualified. Let me say it once again. The tournament will be held after 5 minutes. Participants please register………..
At that time, the voice of a NPC resonated everywhere through a magic loudspeaker.
“Let’s go, we still have to register.”

The front office of the management was crowded with people. In front of them was a large table showing the tournament. There was 5 minutes left until the final deadline. However, more than half was still unregistered. However once you’ve registered, your points would be slashed if you don’t win. Therefore, the people were waiting until the last minute to confirm all their rivals and determine if they should participate or not.
‘Are the people that have low quality equipment also hesitating to register?’
Ark looked at all the participants in his line of vision. Everyone met the minimum level requirement of 100. Just by skimming he could tell that some were powerful. In particular, it was the range of level of equipment they carried that made his mouth water. And it was the equipment that would play a crucial factor in the outcome. In the Evil Silrion, levels were insignificant in a fight. The reason is that the levels of all the participants are adjusted to the tournament level of 100. While it sounded like a fair rule, in fact it was quite the opposite. In the Evil Silrion, it was ‘only’ the level that was adjusted. However, it had no effect on skills and equipment. And if their skills and equipment was at the same level, then without a doubt they would be strong. Therefore, victory or defeat in the tournament was often decided by the efficiency of the skill level and the equipment. Of course, wouldn’t a user with proficient skills and better equipment have a higher rating? Between a user who had just reached level 100 and a level 200 user with a rare sword, the difference was like a bamboo sword against a real sword. In a fight, the skill difference would also be important.
‘The absolute standard inside a game is level and equipment.’
That was the absolute truth.
“Sheesh, look at those pathetic figures checking out the notices……..”
Shambala looked scornful before turning to Ark.
“Anyway, we have never thought of resigning just because of our opponent. Let’s register and warm up before we are pushed. Because eyes would be concentrated on us when registering, please wear a mask for the time being.”
“Mask?”
Ark repeated incredulously. Then Shambala’s forehead wrinkled.
“You, don’t tell me………didn’t prepare a mask?”
“What do you mean by a mask?”
“Oh my god, I never thought you would be this ignorant!”
Shambala shook his head with a tired look. Ark looked around with a face that showed he didn’t understand. Come to think of it, he had a strange feeling since he entered the office. It was strange when he came in, but he didn’t pay that much attention to it.
But when he listened to Shambala’s words, he figured out the identity of the mysterious feeling. Except for the authorities, everyone gathered at the office was wearing a mask. Now, Ark flinched and asked with a worried look.
“Ho, is a mask needed to fight in the tournament?”
“No, your appearance doesn’t matter so it is unrelated to that. But it is better to be prepared if possible. Especially in this tournament…….”
Shambala scratched his head.
“The rewards for the winner and supplementary prize are often mixed with rare items. There are a lot of people that would desire the item. You know what I mean? For example, there are a large number of defeated participants watching from among the spectators that would desire the items.”
“Ah, I see!”
Ark said with a flash. Why had he never thought about that? One of the reasons players would participate in a tournament even though it wasted time was because they desired the supplementary prize. There were thousands of items among those cases…….which might be the goal of the user. No, it’ll be the target. And an uneasy life would begin after the prize was awarded. Treasure calls for blood. It wasn’t a word that was applied in reality.
“You must be really brave or ignorant……..didn’t you even think about it a little bit? The people who appear in the Evil Silrion are experts in PVP. If its 1 on 1, you might be able to hold out when they jump you. However if they are a member of a guild, there is a 100% chance that you would be jumped by a group. That is why everyone hides their face with a mask.”
The brave and ignorant Ark raised an objection.
“But they would know my name anyway.”
“You idiot, did you think about why the list of users who registered hasn’t be shown yet? The final registration is where you make the decision to participate, but it is also the procedure to register the ring name of the contestants.”
“Ring name?”
“Yes, it is another name that is only used in the Evil Silrion.
Understandably, why the fight starts then the crowd cannot interfere in any way. This means that there is no way to discover the information to use the scrolls or a variety of magic. So if you use a mask and a ring name, then your personal information would be thoroughly hidden. Once he had applied for the battle, he instantly disconnected so Ark didn’t understand the situation.
“Unbelievable. The players who flocked to this tournament are interested in the supplementary prize……..so if you become the winner without covering your face, chaotic players would swarm like bees.”
‘That would be a problem………’
Now Ark’s face became serious. Why didn’t he think about those things? It was not simply a matter of winning the prizes. Ark did not want to attract the attention of other players by default. Wasn’t that the reason why he didn’t register new dungeons discovered in the Hall of Fame? And it wasn’t just 1~2 people, wouldn’t thousands of spectators would be crammed into the arena to watch the tournament? And they were aiming for the supplementary prize?
‘I already had trouble with my bad relationship with Andel, but if I win and receive the secret map of Magaro…….?”
He could immediately imagine it. Shambala looked at the sandglass which showed the registration deadline and was annoyed.
“Are you indifferent about your appearance when registering? If you show your face when fighting then your true identity would be revealed. Hell, and there is no time to go and buy a mask because you were late……..you don’t possibly have something that could cover your face do you?”
“Something like that…….”
Ark breathed out a sigh. Rattle rattle, an idea floated in his head.
‘Yes, if I have that then it isn’t necessary to use a mask!’
“Shambala, just wait. I’ll be right back.”
“What? Are you trying to buy it now? I told you, there’s no time to go out.”
“I’m not going to buy a mask. Just wait for 1 minute.”
“Now, wait a minute! Hey, Ark!”
Ark left the office with Shambala’s voice drifting behind him. Most of the participants were already gathered in the management office, so the hallway was quiet. After entering a deep corner, Ark looked around him.
‘Okay, no one is around?’
“Transformation!”
A black aura emitted from the pith. The black paint felt like slime as it crept over Ark and covered him.
-The Raccoon’s Pith’s special option ‘Transformation’ has been activated.
Yes, Ark was wearing the magical helmet that he obtained from the Underground World! It was the Raccoon’s Pith that allowed him to use the special ‘transformation’ that had been a part of the raccoon clan for ages.
‘This is the first time I’ve just ‘Transformation’ since I got it………’
Nevertheless, he somehow knew how to use it. The black slime covered Ark and a new window popped up. It looked like the race, gender and appearance setup that appeared when he first connected to the game.
‘Should I make my completely different appearance look good? Anyway, the reality is that I don’t really care. But having an outrageous impression while fighting isn’t bad.’
There was no time to demonstrate an artistic sense. Ark gave a straight answer every time the menu came up and created a new character. A character that looked a little evil was created but that didn’t matter. Once he finished the setup, the black slime started to change Ark’s appearance. Ark changed and he looked at his unusual form. His face protruded out and his arms and legs were thick. He was over 30 cm taller and his hands were swollen like a balloon while his feet were as hard as rock.
‘It was made roughly, but once seen it appears plausible?’
Ark nodded in satisfaction and went back to the office. Then he entered through the door.
“Huk, what, what the?”
One player unintentionally forced his head backwards and tried to hide as he passed. The following people turned their heads as well.
“What, what the? That man is?”
“No way…….it can’t be a monster…….then that is a beast species?”
“No, it must be a joke. How can there be beasts in the capital of the Schudenberg kingdom?”
“Haven’t you heard about the relaxed border restrictions?”
Everyone’s eyes were concentrated on one man. The person who walked through the crowd as they parted for him like the Red Sea was Ark! He was twice the height of an average person and his chest and arms were twice the normal thickness, and every time he moved it was like his muscles were rocks. It was an overwhelming presence indeed! However, people weren’t surprised because of that. His 2 metres tall muscular body was covered by black hair. But was that all? Right now, his pupils gleamed red like blood floated in it. Large fangs protruded out of his mouth as his eyes stuck out. The name that came to mind at his surprising appearance was Lycan…….also known as werewolves. However, it wasn’t possible for a monster that was a werewolf to appear in the middle of Selebrid. If so, the answer must be a beast clan. Among them, the wolf tribe was the one that the user selected. However, the Wolf tribe only started in the Sinius Principality. Therefore, users in the Schudenberg Kingdom haven’t seen anyone from the wolf clan yet.
‘Surprisingly, the mood isn’t bad?’
Normally Ark didn’t like the interest of other users. But feeling such interest when he was in disguise wasn’t bad. At the attention of thousands of players, Ark started to laugh.
“Kkurururu”
It was an intimidating sound that emerged from his mouth. He thought it was an attractive smile, but the people looking at it didn’t seem to think so. The faces of the users were stiff. Some female users were also avoiding his eyes.
‘Huhuhu, was my smile that powerful?’
When Ark changed appearance, the part of his brain with taste disappeared. Anyway, there was no time to be playing around. He looked around for Shambala who had also been staring at Ark with surprised eyes. Then he flinched and retreated as Ark approached.
“Kkururu, did you wait long? Let’s quickly finish registering.”
When he opened his mouth, a snarl naturally came out. Shambala tilted his head with a puzzled expression and asked.
“Are you…..?”
Shambala stuttered before he closed his mouth. Shambala was a veteran in the Evil Silrion. Even when he was confused, he didn’t reveal the original name in a place where the attention of users was concentrated on them. Ark noticed the situation and nodded.
“That’s right”
“Really……..you definitely have the ability to shock people. Although you only disappeared for a moment, you became this…….no, it doesn’t matter. I don’t know how you did it but I’ll hear it at a more convenient time once we finish the registration.
Shambala dragged Ark to the NPC. The NPC was also surprised by Ark’s appearance as a wolf species. When a smile stretched his face, it was an expression that caused intimidation. But after Ark’s information was confirmed, a sigh of relief was released.
“Uh, you have the right to participate. It doesn’t matter what form you use to participate since the entrants have freedom………but it is really unique. Yes, registration has been finished. By the way, it seems like this is your first appearance. What ring name do you want? Please note that you cannot change the ring name once it is registered in the Evil Silrion.”
“Dark Wolf.”
His ring name had appeared when he confirmed his final appearance.
“Dark Wolf. Yes, it has been registered. And your partner……..Ah, you’re Blue Sword.
“Blue sword!”
At the NPC’s words, mutters broke out among the users who were watching. The disturbance spread through the crowd like a fire.
“Isn’t Blue Sword the hero of that rumour?”
“The powerhouse that went straight into the top 10 ranking in the individual match?”
“Isn’t he the one who recorded 37 straight wins?”
“Damn it, he hadn’t appeared in a tournament for a while…….”
Unexpectedly, Shambala was a celebrity in the Evil Silrion. But indeed, it wasn’t that impossible. Ark also knew Shambala’s skills. In New World, there weren’t that many people who could fight Shambala in a 1 on 1 match and win. Moreover, in the Evil Silrion users competed with the rule of level equalization. It was natural that Shambala was known to the public. But when the interest in Shambala rose, the interest in Ark fell immediately.
“Yes, the wolf probably isn’t that big a deal compared to his appearance.”
“That’s right, because he is a trivial person compared to Blue Sword. There is no fair way of winning the pairs tournament with that.”
“Then it is worth a try.”
“If it was a solo match I would have no confidence but since it is a pairs one…….”
The fact that he was acquaintances with Shambala made it worse. It seemed like he only accompanied him to allow Shambala to enter the tournament. Therefore those who knew his power disregarded Ark. Ark’s frown steadily deepened causing Shambala to laugh and whisper.
“Are you actually listening to all this talk?”
“Kkururu, I don’t care. The results will be seen soon anyway.”
“That’s right. But be vigilant because the Evil Silrion tournament isn’t a game that you can be careless with.”
Ark was angry at Shambala’s words. When it was a 1 on 1 PVP, Ark was confident. Shambala hadn’t seen his skills since they met up again. However, Shambala was treating him like a newbie and it offended his pride. With a hot temper, Ark opened his mouth.
“Hmm, is that Blue Sword that great?”
Suddenly a voice mocked from the back of the room. Shambala turned his head and flinched as he frowned.
“You’re…… Jewel!”
The other participants flinched at Shambala’s voice and paid attention. The two people wore a magician and archer outfit. They were also covering their faces with a mask that was carved with a five star design. People wore masks and used ring names to disguise their actual appearance, but in the tournament it was the mask and ring name that allowed participants to recognize their opponents. Although equipment items would frequently change, it was rare for a mask to be replaced. Shambala also used the shape of the pattern engraved to figure out the masked opponent’s name. Jewel laughed and nodded.
“You remembered.”
“There’s no way I would forget.”
“I thought it was impossible when I heard the ring name Blue Sword, but it is you. Have you developed your skills while I was in a different area? Or are the other guys just pathetic?”
“……….”
Shambala glared silently.Then Jewel turned to look at the tournament table before talking sarcastically.
“Let’s see, did you say Blue Sword and Dark Wolf? The 14th match? So you would meet us in the finals. Lucky you. Fortunately, you can become runner ups.”
“Kkururu, these kids, what are they talking about?”
Ark growled. Normally when someone changes shape, even the character would immediately change. But Shambala just pulled Ark’s arm and shook his head.
“Dark Wolf, it isn’t necessary for you to deal with them.”
Jewel laughed and nodded.
“A person with experience is slightly better. They know better after having me as an opponent.”
“………..Don’t think that I’m the same as before.”
“Of course. But I expect to have the same fun as before. Come to the finals with your developed skills. I would be happy to step on you this time as well.”
Jewel laughed before returning to his original spot.
“Damn, what was that just now? The five star design. Jewel who has a five star pattern drawn on his mask.”
“Hell, a pioneer is participating.”
“There goes my win. I’m going to postpone my registration.”
The participants sighed before gradually disappearing. Ark was puzzled at the unfamiliar words and asked.
“What the? Why would everyone do that? And what is the pioneer thing?”
“They’re beta testers.”
Shambala said. Ark also knew the words beta tester. In the past, in order to check the various systems of the online game prior to commercialization, they would pick a handful of people for the closed beta test. And New World also had a beta test before commercialization as well. A pioneer was the name of the players who participated in the test. The beta testing period for New World was two months. Of course, the raised characters of the beta testers were deleted before commercialization. It was a measure of fairness for the new users. However, they had a head start because their know-how and accumulated information couldn’t be deleted. They commercialized their exclusive information and new users couldn’t even compare to their speed of growth.
“After one month, the difference between the pioneers with commercialization and the other users was a difference of more than 40 levels. And of course, they monopolized all the early quests and rare items. But most of them started gathering in higher level hunting areas………”
“Have you fought with a pioneer?”
Shambala replied to Ark’s question with an irritated voice.
“My record for the Evil Silrion is 37 wins and 2 losses. Of my 2 losses in the Evil Silrion, the first one was to Jewel.”
“Are his skills that great?”
“His skills are competent but……..”
Shambala sighed and shook his head.
“The biggest problem is the difference in equipment. They’re the ones with the most unique items. The level of basic attack and defense is completely different. There are also a lot of special options so you don’t know which one would be used. That makes it a challenging opponent.”
“These guys have suddenly reappeared? The situation has become more twisted.”
Really, nothing could be easily solved. The participants had suddenly increased by several times and the pioneers unexpectedly showed up………he didn’t know what to do to make the situation better. But Shambala muttered with a motivated expression.
“It has worked out well. I won’t have another weak encounter.”
Shambala said it like that. Suddenly the horn rang and a broadcast was heard.
-That was the deadline for the final registration. The 186th Pairs Tournament will soon commence.
The determined expressions of the users waiting for the next match were seen, and there was a heavy atmosphere in the waiting room. And occasionally Ark would hear audible shouting and cries from the passageway, causing anxious eyes to flick to the wall with the tournament on the other side.
Was this how athletes felt before they competed in a mixed martial arts fight? He had to just sit back and wait for the next fight even though his body was tense and sweaty. It was to the extent that he couldn’t hear it when they broadcast his ring name in the hallway.
He felt a strange feeling for the first time. Actually, Ark wasn’t tense at all until the final registration. This was a game. It was just an event inside the game. That was what he thought. However when he entered the player anteroom, that immediately changed.
The determined expressions of the users waiting for the next match were seen, and there was a heavy atmosphere in the waiting room. And occasionally Ark would hear audible shouting and cries from the passageway, causing anxious eyes to flick to the wall with the tournament on the other side.
Was this how athletes felt before they competed in a mixed martial arts fight? He had to just sit back and wait for the next fight even though his body was tense and sweaty. It was to the extent that he couldn’t hear it when they broadcast his ring name in the hallway.
“What are you doing? Come out faster!”
It was only after Ark heard Shambala’s voice that he stood in surprise. He walked stiffly down the hall, with his heart pounding faster.
Clink, Kkiiik!
The thick steel doors soon parted to the left and right. Ark exited through the doors onto the field with determined eyes. But all he did was look around. Although he had heard the report, he couldn’t possibly imagine the real picture. His range of vision narrowed and it felt like he was in the dark. Then, all of a sudden he heard a sound like lightning striking in the sky.
-Well, now it is the 7th match. This time, the players that will fight are the 13th team Justin and Dior against the 14th team Dark Wolf and Blue Sword.
Ark jumped and lifted his head. There were odd objects floating over the stadium. Dozens of eyeballs were linked to a round circular object. It was a magic seeing eye that gave commentary on the game. The echoing voice rang out onto the field from a mouth below it.
Please welcome and applaud the brave warriors!
When the announcer’s introduction was over, the stadium was filled with loud cries. It wasn’t for him so Ark timidly took a deep breath before withdrawing to the side. “Wah ah ah!”
The popularity of Shambala was unthinkable. In the Evil Silrion, most of the spectators who bet money on winning or losing would watch the tournament. They were naturally interested in the warriors with a high winning percentage, but the higher the chances of victory, the lower the profit would be. However, it is small odds so many people would bet. This meant that the players who would give profit were clear. But that wasn’t the only reason for Shambala’s popularity. Even though it was a martial arts game, the system of Evil Silrion meant that fighting depended on equipment and skills. However unlike the other users, Shambala was famous for showing powerful martial arts. Therefore, there were quite a few pure fans. They all rose from their seats and shouted at Shambala’s appearance.
“Blue Sword, this time I also walked to you!”
“Take care of the hottest fight!”
“Blue Sword oppa, please look over here!”
Even placards saying the Oppa troops were seen. On the other hand, cynical comments flowed about Ark.
“Hey, Blue Sword. Did you take a dog to fight this time?”
“If you cause Blue Sword difficulty then I’ll grab your ankle!”
“Dark Wolf, don’t pay any attention to the nonsense shouted by the crowd.”
“Eh? Uh-huh.”
Ark carelessly answered but he couldn’t even understand what Shambala was talking about. The reason was that he couldn’t hear Shambala’s voice above the noise from the crowd.
It was reasonable. In fact, Ark had never been in front of so many people in his whole life. In school he spent time as the cleaning supervisor and even though he learnt taekwondo, he had never gone to a match. He never even had a dream of making announcements in front of other people. Therefore, he was surprisingly timid in the corner. Then Ark was suddenly dropped into the stadium where thousands of spectators gathered. Thanks to that, Ark felt a sense of tension so extreme it was almost like a panic attack. Ark hadn’t even been aware of his weakness and now he was here. During the event quest he had only led dozens of users while he commanded hundreds of raccoons in the Underground World. But most of them were NPCs, while the spectators were mainly users.
Even if the appearance was similar, the difference was huge.
‘It’s terrible.’
But since Shambala didn’t know that, an exclamation rose in his heart.
‘He’s changed into someone who acts like a Korean War veteran. And he doesn’t seem to hear my voice or the audience anymore. Is he concentrating to such a degree?’
Although he thought Ark was just concerned and nervous about his surroundings, the actual situation was different to what was in Shambala’s head. Because Shambala never even considered that Ark would have a panic attack. Meanwhile, the forms of two users were shown from the other side exit. Justin and Dior. Justin was a warrior armed in steel armour while Dior was a magician with a robe. They were a group that was quite strong in the Evil Silrion, so they also received many cheers.
-Okay, now we will draw the lots!
Soon the eyes of the circular object rolled round and round. And after a while, the pupils all changed to green.
-The swamp has been selected for this match in the tournament! Then let’s begin!
Ku-Kung!
At the same time, there was a roaring sound and the tournament changed to a completely different world. Green plants started forming while the swamp reached their ankles.
How had the entire stadium managed to be replaced? Well, he didn’t even want to know. After all, it was a dynamic game in progress so strategies that planned for different terrains must be necessary. It was an interesting system, and it quickly released Ark from his mental state.
“What, what the? Where are we?”
Ark scratched his head and looked around surprised. He didn’t understand why he was surrounded by lush forests with his ankle locked in a swamp. At that time, the voice of the magician was heard from the other side.
“Chain of delusion!”
Kkieeeeek! There was an unearthly sound effect as a ghostly object flew off. The attack by the magician started the active fight commentary.
-The magician has used a long-ranged magic as a pre-emptive attack. When hit by the chain of delusion, they won’t be able to move for a while. It is just a few seconds, but that could be deadly in a fighting tournament. But because it is a slow attack, the chances that it would hit are low. It is some kind of warning shot?
“Hung, the shape shown isn’t that creative?”
Shambala laughed and quickly moved his body. The repeated movements were so light that it looked like he was warping. This was due to Shambala’s evasion skill Blink! Shambala used the movement to avoid the magic attack while taking out his weapon. A blue aura was ejected from the dagger, which was the Saint Assassin profession weapon ‘Black Frost Blade’ that Ark previously had. Incidentally, Shambala had gotten the ring name Blue Sword from his dagger. Shambala’s mouth had the same cold smile as the dagger.
“Huhuhu, trying to take care of us with such low grade magic……..eeek?”
The smile disappeared from Shambala’s mouth. While he had avoided the attack, Ark was struggling against the chains of delusion wrapped around him.
“No, no-way that guy…….”
It was then that Shambala noticed Ark’s condition. However, it was already too late. When Ark hadn’t expected a magic attack, Dior was delighted and called out a long order.
“It took! Well that guy was just a scarecrow. The cursed soul that was abandoned in a deep, dark place, come out and let your fury curse everything in your path!”
“That order…….Dior is a necromancer?
Shambala urgently ran up to Dior. However it was a pairs match and Justin, Dior’s partner, wasn’t just watching. Justin immediately raised his shield and rushed Shambala. With an intense clash, Shambala was pushed back a few steps. Shambala’s face was contorted with frustration.
‘Hell! This child is strangely huge………the warrior was doping!’
A warrior could dope themselves with a potion that would raise their stats. During this tournament, there was a rule that consumption items were prohibited. However, there was one blind spot. During the match you couldn’t use a consumption potion but it was possible to use it before the match! Justin had drugged himself with a huge amount just before the game started. He raised his stamina by 20% using the ‘Troll Elixir,’ his strength by 15 using ‘Lion Power,’ his attack and defense was raised by 30 thanks to ‘Troll Leap,’ for 5 minutes his health was restored by 10 every 20 seconds thanks to the ‘Holy water of revival’……..if he was in the Olympics then he would be immediately disqualified for taking drugs. Thanks to such drugs, Justin’s arena level of 100 was raised to around level 130~140.Indeed, the drug’s power was awesome. Every time Justin wielded his sword, Shambala was pushed back a few metres. Meanwhile, Dior’s spell was completed.
“Possession of Bing!
At the moment, a huge ghost hit Ark’s form. His body stiffened before a message window popped up.
-You were hit with ‘Possession of Bing.’
<For 3 minutes you will move according to the caster’s will>
Ark tried to struggle against the flashing spirit. However, it was already too late and the voice of the magic eye was heard.
-Ah, the Necromancer’s skill Possession of Bing was completed! It is a magic that is hardly ever used these days. Because it was used in combination with Chains of Delusion, it couldn’t be avoided. In the end, the Dark Wolf player is holding back Blue Sword just like everyone expected. Pathetic!
“You black dog child, Blue Sword is losing because of you!”
The crowd erupted with swearing. However, in this situation it wasn’t even possible to call 100. Under the Possession of Bing, Ark’s body moved selfishly. He started to attack Shambala under Dior’s control, just like a puppet. Thanks to the necromancer, Ark and the doped warrior, the fight had become 3 against 1. Shambala’s health decreased as he was attacks by swords and magic from all directions.
“This stupid child!”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re saying sorry while trying to cut me?
Shambala avoided Ark’s attack and started attacking again. He had felt like hiding inside a deep rat hole. However the situation wasn’t that bad. While his body was being moved around selfishly, Ark was able to not pay any attention and organize the surrounding circumstances.
“Shambala, hold on a little. I’ll somehow make up for Bing’s possession.”
“Bah, OK. This has to be seen to be believed, Width!
Shambala kicked the ground forcefully. At the moment, the muddy water of swamp flew up and obstructed the view. Shambala used Blink successively to gain some distance. While Ark was possessed by Bing, he gave up on attacking from the beginning and only concentrated on reducing the damage. However, even Shambala couldn’t avoid everything and his health was reduced to 40% by the time Bing’s possession finished.
“Have you finished being stupid?”
“I’m sorry. My spirit is steady now.
“I don’t want any of those thousand people to get the share of the prize.”
“That’s right.”
Ark glared at Dior while wiping his face of the mud that was covering it. His anger had been firmly pushed down during the 3 minutes and now it bubbled over.

Zero no Tsukaima Registration

2015-08-14T09:22:44Z

Iro Daijoubu: /* Volume 9 - The Ball of Twin Moons / 双月の舞踏会 */

__NOTOC__

*To re-iterate the registration procedure: please register your intended chapters here.

*This is not some Binding Contract of "I must do the work I put down here". Choices put down here are negotiable between translators (including their own selves who signed up for it).

===Volume 1 - The Zero's Familiar/ゼロの使い魔===
::*Insert & Back Cover - Kuroneko - '''Completed'''

'''Kingdom of Magic'''
::*Chapter 1 - [[user:Yuko|Yuko]] & [[user:Cala-kun|Cala-kun]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - Kuroneko & [[user:Cala-kun|Cala-kun]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - [[user:Sushi-Y|Sushi-Y]] & [[user:Cala-kun|Cala-kun]] - '''Completed'''

'''Gandalfr'''
::*Chapter 1 - [[user:Cala-kun|Cala-kun]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - [[user:Claies|Claies]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - [[user:Claies|Claies]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - [[user:Claies|Claies]] ([[user:TheDefend|TheDefend]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - [[user:christof|christof]] - '''Completed'''

===Volume 2 - Albion of the Wind / 風のアルビオン===
::*Chapter 1 - [[user:christof|christof]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - [[user:Claies|Claies]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - [[user:GDsMDDLFNGR|GDsMDDLFNGR]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - [[user:christof|christof]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - [[user:naturesbless|naturesbless]] (10%) + [[user:ArchmageXin|ArchmageXin]] (90%) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 6 - [[user:Claies|Claies]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 7 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 8 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 9 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''

===Volume 3 - The Founder's Prayer Book / 始祖の祈祷書===
::*Chapter 1 - [[user:Xorius|Xorius]] ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - [[user:Momogan|Momogan]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - [[user:Momogan|Momogan]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - [[user:Momogan|Momogan]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 6 - [[user:Momogan|Momogan]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 7 - [[user:Momogan|Momogan]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 8 - [[user:Momogan|Momogan]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 9 - [[user:Momogan|Momogan]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 10 - [[user:Momogan|Momogan]] - '''Completed'''

===Volume 4 - The Water Spirit of Oath / 誓約の水精霊===
::*Prologue - [[user:Momogan|Momogan]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 1 - [[user:Momogan|Momogan]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - [[user:Serenade beta|Serenade beta]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - None ([[User:Vaelis|Vaelis]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 6 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 7 - None ([[user:R6|R6]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 8 - [[user:Serenade beta|Serenade beta]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 9 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Epilogue - [[user:Serenade beta|Serenade beta]] - '''Completed'''

===Volume 5 - Tristania's Holiday / トリスタニアの休日===
::*Chapter 1 - [[user:Serenade beta|Serenade beta]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - [[user:Vertiful|Vertiful]]+[[user:Tomojo|Tomojo]]+[[user:ShadowZeroHeart|ShadowZeroHeart]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''

===Volume 6 - The Ruby of Atonement / 贖罪の炎赤玉===
::*Chapter 1 - [[user:ShApEsHiFt3r|ShApEsHiFt3r]] (Omega037, first 5%) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - [[user:ShApEsHiFt3r|ShApEsHiFt3r]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - [[user:Serenade beta|Serenade beta]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - [[user:ShadowZeroHeart|ShadowZeroHeart]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 6 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 7 - [[user:Xorius|Xorius]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 8 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''

===Volume 7 - The Silver Pentecost / 銀の降臨祭===
::*Chapter 1 - [[user:Yezhanquan|Yezhanquan]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - [[user:Serenade beta|Serenade beta]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - [[user:Xorius|Xorius]] ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 6 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 7 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 8 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 9 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 10 - [[user:ArchmageXin|ArchmageXin]] ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Epilogue - [[user:ArchmageXin|ArchmageXin]] - '''Completed'''

===Volume 8 - The Serenade of Nostalgia / 望郷の小夜曲===
::*Chapter 1 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - None (dropped by [[user:ArchmageXin|ArchmageXin]] at 20%) ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 6 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 7 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 8 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 9 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 10 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Epilogue - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''

===Volume 9 - The Ball of Twin Moons / 双月の舞踏会===
::*Chapter 1 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - [[user:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 6 - [[user:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 7 - [[user:Iro_Daijoubu|Iro Daijoubu]] (Replaced Zyzzyva's MTL) / [[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 8 - [[user:Xorius|Xorius]] ([[user:Novaren|Novaren]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 9 - [[user:Iro_Daijoubu|Iro Daijoubu]] (Replaced Zyzzyva's MTL) / [[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''
::*Epilogue - [[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''

===Volume 10 - The Hero of Ivaldi / イーヴァルディの勇者===
::*Chapter 1 - [[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - [[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - [[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - [[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - [[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 6 - [[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 7 - [[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 8 - [[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 9 - [[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 10 - [[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''
::*Epilogue - [[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] - '''Completed'''

===Volume 11 - A Duet of Recollection / 追憶の二重奏===
::*Chapter 1 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 6 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 7 - None ([[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 8 - [[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 9 - [[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 10 - [[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] - '''Completed'''
::*Epilogue - [[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] - '''Completed'''

===Volume 12 - The Fairies' Holiday / 妖精達の休日===
::*Prologue - [[User:SeiryuuChan|SeiryuuChan]] - '''completed'''
'''Story 1: New Student from the White Country (Albion)'''
::*Chapter 1 - [[User:SeiryuuChan|SeiryuuChan]] - '''completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - None ([[user:Kazesenken|Kazesenken]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - None ([[user:Kazesenken|Kazesenken]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - None ([[user:Kazesenken|Kazesenken]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
'''Story 2: Knight Corps of the Water Spirit, Charge!'''
::*Chapter 1 - [[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - [[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]] - '''Completed'''
'''Story 3: Right to Use Saito for a Day'''
::*Chapter 1 - None ([[user:Kazesenken|Kazesenken]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - None ([[user:Kazesenken|Kazesenken]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''

===Volume 13 - The World Door of the Holy Country / 聖国の世界扉===
::*Chapter 1 - [[User:kazesenken|kazesenken]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - [[User:kira0802|kira0802]]/[[User:kazesenken|kazesenken]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - [[User:jima|jima]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - [[User:kazesenken|kazesenken]]/[[User:Wildk|Wildk]] -'''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 6 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 7 - [[User:SeiryuuChan|SeiryuuChan]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 8 - [[User:SeiryuuChan|SeiryuuChan]] - '''Completed'''
::*Epilogue - [[User:kira0802|kira0802]]/[[User:Silimir|Silimir]] - '''Completed'''

===Volume 14 - Aquileia's Saint / 水都市の聖女===
::*Chapter 1 - [[User:Tomoya13|Tomoya13]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - [[User:CrimsonLace|CrimsonLace]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - [[User:CrimsonLace|CrimsonLace]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 6 - [[user:LightHeart|LightHeart]]/[[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 7 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 8 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 9 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Epilogue - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''

===Volume 15 - Labyrinth of Oblivion / 忘却の夢迷宮===
::*Chapter 1 -[[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 6 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 7 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 8 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 9 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Epilogue - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''

===Volume 16 - The Tea Time of Des Ornières / ド・オルニエールの安穏===
::*Chapter 1 - [[User:Chuta|Chuta]]- '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - [[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - [[User:Silimir|Silimir]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 6 - [[User:Silimir|Silimir]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 7 - None ([[User:Windwalker|Windwalker]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 8 - None ([[User:Windwalker|Windwalker]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 9 - [[User:Shadowys|Shadowys]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 10- [[User:Silimir|Silimir]] - ([[User:Windwalker|Windwalker]] ~Preview~) - '''Completed'''
::*Epilogue - [[User:Windwalker|Windwalker]]; Dropped by [[User:Silimir|Silimir]] - '''Completed'''

===Volume 17 - The Soeur of Dawn / 黎明の修道女===
::*Chapter 1 - [[user:LightHeart|LightHeart]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - [[user:LightHeart|LightHeart]]/[[User:Silimir|Silimir]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - [[user:LightHeart|LightHeart]]/[[User:Silimir|Silimir]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - [[User:Shadowys|Shadowys]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - [[User:Shadowys|Shadowys]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 6 - [[User:Shadowys|Shadowys]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 7 - [[User:Shadowys|Shadowys]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 8 - [[User:Shadowys|Shadowys]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 9 - [[User:Shadowys|Shadowys]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 10 - [[User:ACRONYM|ACRONYM]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 11 - [[User:ACRONYM|ACRONYM]] - '''Completed'''
::*Epilogue - [[User:ACRONYM|ACRONYM]] - '''Completed'''

===Volume 18 - Spirit Stone of Destruction / 滅亡の精霊石===
::*Chapter 1 - [[User:ACRONYM|ACRONYM]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - [[User:ACRONYM|ACRONYM]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - [[User:ACRONYM|ACRONYM]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - [[User:ACRONYM|ACRONYM]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 5 - [[User:ACRONYM|ACRONYM]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 6 - [[User:ACRONYM|ACRONYM]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 7 - [[User:ACRONYM|ACRONYM]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 8 - [[User:ACRONYM|ACRONYM]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 9 - [[User:ACRONYM|ACRONYM]] - 30%, taken over by [[User:Shadowys|Shadowys]]
::*Epilogue - [[User:Windwalker|Windwalker]] - '''Completed'''

===Volume 19 - The Founder's Round Mirror / 始祖の円鏡===
::*Chapter 1 - [[User:Shadowys|Shadowys]]
::*Chapter 2 -
::*Chapter 3 -
::*Chapter 4 -
::*Chapter 5 -
::*Chapter 6 -
::*Chapter 7 -
::*Chapter 8 -
::*Chapter 9 -
::*Chapter 10 -
::*Epilogue -

===Volume 20 - Holy Land from Ancient Times / 古深淵の聖地 ===
::*Chapter 1 - [[User:Kira477|Kira477]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 2 - [[User:Kira477|Kira477]] - '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 3 - [[User:Kira477|Kira477]]- '''Completed'''
::*Chapter 4 - [[User:Kira477|Kira477]]
::*Chapter 5 -
::*Chapter 6 -
::*Chapter 7 -
::*Chapter 8 -
::*Chapter 9 -
::*Epilogue -

===Side Story Volume 1 - Tabitha's Adventure / タバサの冒険===
::*Story 1 - [[user:RonnieCorny|RonnieCorny]]/[[User:Wildk|Wildk]] - '''Completed'''
::*Story 2 -
::*Story 3 - [[user:Sharpestlives|Sharpestlives]]
::*Story 4 -

===Side Story Volume 2 - Tabitha's Adventure / タバサの冒険2===
::*Story 5 - [[user:Trewth|Trewth]] - '''Completed'''
::*Story 6 -
::*Extra Chapter - [[user:Trewth|Trewth]] - '''Completed'''
::*Story 7 -
::*Story 8 -

===Side Story Volume 3 - Tabitha's Adventure / タバサの冒険3===
::*Story 9 -
::*Story 10 -
::*Story 11 -
::*Story 12 -

=== Spin-Off Volume 1 - Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain / 烈風の騎士姫 ===
::*Prologue - [[User:Wizzie|Wizzie]]
::*Chapter 1 -
::*Chapter 2 -
::*Chapter 3 -
::*Chapter 4 -
::*Chapter 5 -
::*Chapter 6 -
::*Chapter 7 -
::*Chapter 8 -
::*Chapter 9 -
::*Epilogue -

=== Spin-Off Volume 2 - Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain / 烈風の騎士姫２ ===
::*Prologue -
::*Chapter 1 -
::*Chapter 2 -
::*Chapter 3 -
::*Chapter 4 -
::*Chapter 5 -
::*Chapter 6 -
::*Chapter 7 -
::*Chapter 8 -
::*Chapter 9 -
::*Epilogue -

=== Single Side Stories ===
::*Eight years ago -
::*The Birth of Louise the Zero -
::*Tiffania's Troubles -
::*Louise's Tart -
::*Wardrobe of the Past -
::*Louise’s Room -

<noinclude>
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</noinclude>
[[Category:Registration Page]]

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter7

2015-08-14T09:04:04Z

Iro Daijoubu: small fix

===Chapter Seven: Solicitation===

Thirty meters in the sky of Tristania... a dragon knight was patrolling in the air.

Though it was not war time, there were always one or two dragon knights in the air, since air pirates and mysterious creatures could attack the capital anytime.

On this day, the one who was on duty was Rene of the capital escort Dragon Knight Regiment First Battalion, the same one who had previously fought together with Saito.

The dragon he lost in Albion was replaced by a new white wind dragon he obtained, and Rene was circling the sky of Tristania slowly. Feeling cold, Rene buried his face in the neckband of his boar-leather coat.

“The sky is freezing... Dammit! The war has already ended! But when it comes to handling the men of the Dragon Knight corps, it's always the same! As for that SAITO who was installed as the Assistant Commanding Officer of the Imperial Guards, why was he treated differently!? Well... just because he stopped that seventy thousand strong army, that promotion was still not the way to do things...” *grumble grumble*

As if responding to Rene's grumbles, his new partner dragon made a ''"Kyui"'' sound.

“Ryusto, it's not really your fault. Because it's the duty of the dragon knights to fly in the air.”

He stroked the dragon's head gently, at which the wind dragon narrowed its eyes happily.

However, in the following instant... the wind dragon opened its eyes wide in alert. Not allowing even the smallest glint of light escape, those pupils opened like an animal from the cat family.

“What's wrong, Ryusto?”

''Waruuuuuuuuuuu...''

A low growl came out from the Wind Dragon's mouth.

Rene stared at the spot where his dragon was looking at.

Dragons had excellent night vision compared to humans. Rene, been a human, could not clearly make out that "thing" in the darkness.

“What, is that...?”

Illuminated by the moonlight, between the opening of the clouds, there was something there.

There was a gigantic wing... The overall width could easily be more than 100 meters.

That thing was flying slowly in the air. Moreover...''Shunshunshunshun...''it made a sound which he had not heard before.

Rene gulped.

He was frightened by the silhouette which was like a giant monster spreading its wings.

“Don't tell me that's a reincarnation of the legendary demons... Oi, Ryusto! Get closer!”

But the wind dragon did not obey his command. Far from it, it turned on it's heels and started to retreat.

“Oi Ryusto! What's wrong! I have to check out what that thing is!”

Despite Rene's desperate rebuke, with a purring ‘’Kyui’’ sound, the wind dragon descended away from the object. Ryusto, who was still young, was evidently afraid of such a huge thing.

“How I miss Virkan who died in Albion!! Without being afraid, without even a command, he would just rush forward!!”

Rene cried out regretfully.

The next afternoon... the location was changed - Tristain Academy of Magic.

"The Ball of Sleipnir?" Saito asked Malicorne, who was in front of him.

During lunch both of them sat together. Saito hadn’t been sitting with Louise lately. He was often sitting with the company of Undine (Knight Corps of the Water Spirit) and having his meals with them.

“Yeah, its the ball that begins with the new school term. Do you know when it starts? Ah nevermind, you probably don't know either.”

Although he said “new school term”, Saito was still a bit confused. Because he could not tell which month was which over here. Still, it felt somewhat warm of late, so perhaps its springtime now.


Come to think of it, there was a certain ceremony recently, and many noble teens attended. However, the figures of the third-years could not be seen anymore. Did they graduate? Moreover their replacement with first-year students... Oh I see! That was the school entrance ceremony. Saito thumped his knees.

“But why is there a ball for the new school term?”

Guiche, who was sitting beside him, explained,

“Well, isn't a welcome necessary? Among the newly enrolled noble lasses, there is quite a number who are entering the higher society for the first time. I will carefully teach those girls the adult social life! Yeah, adult social life! Oh, there are boys as well...”

Looks like the point is to welcome the new students.

"Hmmm guess so," Saito nodded, while filling his mouth with grilled meat. With the sour taste of the fruit sauce, it was delicious.

Looking around, it seems not everybody was dinning elegantly with their table utensils. Some were hitting their plate with the fork, making a loud “''gacchagaccha''” noise, some were gulping down their soup with a “''zuzuzu''” noise, spilling it haphazardly.

''Although Louise and the other girls ate quietly with polite table manners, Guiche and the other boys' way of eating was terrible.''

''Their table manners are quite bad. Since I've only recently arrived in this world of nobles, I have to do better...'' While thinking that, Saito ate politely.

“But this, is no ordinary ball!”

Draining his wine cup quickly, Guiche stood up. Malicorne gulped his down forcefully as well. These two had been on a drinking spree since noon.
With good manners, Saito squeezed some lemon juice into his carbonated drink. Speaking of nobles, these guys were definitely of the inferior group with bad manners. Saito made the weird resolution to be at least of the superior group.

“What do you mean by 'ordinary'?”

“Masquerade.”

Guiche said triumphantly.

“Masquerade? That’s nothing special. There are many balls like that.”

Malicorn laughed lightly at Saito’s words then made a “fuun” sound in reply.

But at the next moment... the conversation behind his seat entered Saito's ears.

“Have you heard? The word is going around that a 'mysterious bird' had been seen in the skies of Tristania.”

“Yeah. My elder brother who serves in the dragon knight corps heard the rumor as well... is it true?”

The ones who were conversing were two lads of the same class. Saito strained his ears towards them. Not noticing Saito's actions, Malicorne continued his explanation.

“Get it? The masquerade ball of the Academy of Magic is not as simple as the usual “masquerade”. It is a masquerade that uses magic. The “Mirror of Truth” is used. With it, you can even transform into the ideal self you most admire!”


After that, Guiche declared pridefully.

“The ideal self. Well, my ideal self is me!! Ah, because I am the most handsome one in the world! Ahaha! Ah! Everyone will change into my appearance! Ah! Ahaha! Ah!”

As he was yelling this, Guiche hugged himself tightly.

However, Saito was no longer listening to Malicorne and Guiche's chatter. He was thoroughly into the conversation behind his seat.

“...and, I heard that its width was over 150 meters!”

“Can it be a ship?”

“Is there a ship with such an appearance?”

“Then a dragon? An enormous one. A legendary huge dragon.”

“Nope, its wings were completely different from those of a dragon. If I had to say, it had the form of a bird with wings spread... the word was that it was some kind of bird-like monster.”

Unconsciously, Saito had left his seat to listen to those words.

“Can you tell me the details?”

Those guys told him the rumor that had transpired at the palace lately.

In his night patrol in the air, a dragon knight sighted a huge “shadow”.

Its wings was easily more than 100 meters.

It made a strange sound, and so on...

“So, what on earth was that?”

“I don't know. They said the dragon of that dragon knight was frightened... no, the one who was frightened might've been the dragon knight himself... he fled instead of approaching that object to have a closer look. After hearing the news, another dragon knight ascended the air, but it had already disappeared from the skies of Tristania like a mist.”

“What...?”

“Well... it's possible he was mistaken and it was actually a cloud or something like that...”

“Hmmmmm...”

Saito was feeling somewhat uneasy. He remembered the encounter with "Myoznitnirn" from before...

Able to manipulate all magical items, and same as him, a “familiar of Void”...

Assuming that it was neither a dragon nor a ship... could it be a magical item like those gargoyles??

Since there were no further details about that thing, there’s no point dwelling on it... at any rate, they can't afford to be negligent. Those guys Saito and the rest met in Albion, who had animosity towards them, were neither Fouquet or Wardes nor Reconquista. Their true motives were still unknown. Were they from a particular country, group or something else... Saito couldn’t tell. They were a creepy bunch.

Henrietta had investigated it... but they did not acquire any new information, and no new word of them came thus far.

Saito pondered over the situation while returning to his seat.

Malicorne found fault with Saito, and said as if he was displeased.

“Oi, listen properly to our words! Leaving your seat in the middle of a conversation is really rude!”

“Hmm? Aah, sorry. Umm, what was that about the masquerade?”

He remembered that they were in the conversation about a different type of masquerade ball.

“That's enough!”

“Sorry, sorry. Don't be angry like that. Don't you guys worry about that? The mysterious, enormous shadow that appeared in the skies of Tristania?”

“Look isn't that a mistake? Just a bunch of false positives during the night air patrol! If the information was about naked princesses flying in the sky then we'll definitely launch a proper investigation into it!”

Guiche spoke in a foolish tone.

As this chatter continued, a spectacled lad opened his mouth.

“Hey, you guys. Whether its the ball or the mysterious shadow, who cares? You should be thinking more about the affairs of the Undine Knight Corps!”

Saito sat down beside Guiche, and looked at the speaker. It was the chap from the next class called Reynald. During Albion's military campaign, he apparently directed the wagon corps. Not discouraged during the chaos of their retreat, he kept the unit in order. Because of that, he was commended.

“Do you know what we are called in the palace? “Students playing as Knights”! My uncle, who is serving in the palace, heard a rumor today; something like we had made her majesty disappointed and worried.”

All the members present there displayed affronted-looking faces.

“We have given some distinguished military service, but that level of success is expected from the Imperial Guard. Compared to the great Knight Corps of old, we’re like "children playing around" they said. There’s no way we can settle for something like that! Therefore, Guiche, Saito, we want you to think about this matter seriously.”

Guiche and Saito exchanged glances.

“You're probably right, b-but, what should we do?”

“We want you to power up our battle lineup. Presently, isn't Saito the only Chevalier?”

“Though you say that, Chevalier isn't a title you can receive just like that...”

At Guiche's words, Reynald smiled sweetly.

“I know of another one.”

During lunch break, all the group members went to the library.

At the side of the library where people didn't often go, there was a girl there.

Her small body was hunched over, intent on reading the book in her hands with utmost attention.

The blue-haired girl was Tabitha.

“Huh? When did she come back?” Guiche whispered.

Indeed, she should of went with Kirche to Germania together.

“Looks like she came back two or three days ago.”

“She has such a light presence, almost like a shadow. Hmm...”

Guiche spoke as if he was troubled.

“But can she really join our company? Isn't she a girl?”

“Look she is certainly a 'Chevalier'. In such a case, we can't be discriminating against gender. The condition to be enlisted in “Undine” is “a student of the Academy of Magic”. Only that.
There's no rule which forbids the participation of females.”

“The only reason its not in the official documents is because we never had a chance to add it. It happens. Besides girls don’t want to join anyway...”

Guiche said.

“But according to the rules I'm not a student here either.”

Saito pointed out.

“Isn't it fine? If that's the case, we can also change it to “Beings that live at the Academy of Magic” instead. It's decided now. That's it. I decided it.”

Reynald declared arrogantly. Not matching his obedient and quiet-looking appearance, looks like he had a really forceful character. Evidently, he intended to persuade the Commanding Officer and the Assistant Commanding Officer to let him shoulder the practical business of the knight corps.

“Is it okay? After all, both of you have no interest whatsoever in “administration” and “reputation”. For the continuation of the knight corps, above everything else, these two things are indispensable. I think that if the knight corps follow my own way, we would not be called fools in the palace. If you have a better plan, tell me.”

At those words, Saito and Guiche were speechless.

“Well then, I'll persuade her.”

Reynald stepped forward, but Saito stopped him.

“Wait!”

“What's the problem? Do you have any complaints!?”

“No. Just in case, Guiche and I will go. Hey, Guiche!”

“Huh? A-Ah.”

Leading Guiche, Saito sat beside Tabitha who was reading a book.

“Yo, Tabitha...”

Saito was fairly bad at dealing with this blue-haired girl. At any rate, when it comes to this girl, she neither chatters, nor responds, she has a somewhat unfriendly atmosphere.

Although Saito sat down, Tabitha still did not have any response.

“You had gone to Germania together with Kirche huh. Oh yea, umm... to bury Colbert-sensei's remains...what happened after that?”

Tabitha did not reply.

“Is Kirche still there?”

At which Tabitha nodded. However, she seemingly did not intend to say anything at all.

“I see... when will she come back?”

“Don't know.”

Anyway, it was as if there were things she did not want to say. No, she probably just spoke little.... After that, Saito had given up asking.

“Other than those things, I have a favor.”

Guiche cut into their conversation.

“By all means, won't you join our knight corps?”

“...”

Tabitha did not even try to lift her face from that book.

“Err... we’ve only recently been made into a knight corps... can you help and lend us a hand?”

Saito said.

But as expected, Tabitha did not respond.

“You're a Chevalier right? Can't you use those skills for the sake of our Undine knights?”

“I am a Gallian.” Her answer had barely escaped her lips.

“Is there a problem with been a Gallian? If you like, we can offer you a honorary 'guest knight' status.”

Reynald, who had been standing there unnoticed, said encouragingly.

“We can negotiate the increase of annuity as well...”

Tabitha shook her head. The blue hair above her head shook alongside it. Saito remembered the dream he saw in Albion some time ago. During that time, he recalled those throbbing breasts... and her usually stern face, acting a little embarrassed. Upon closer look, Tabitha was a real beauty as well. Its just that... her icy facial expression had been concealing her charm.

Watching her face closely.... ''Is there's nothing I can do?'' Saito thought.

With a serious face, Saito said to Tabitha.

“I have become a 'Chevalier' as well, just like you.”

“Chevalier?”

At that, Tabitha lifted her face for the first time.

“Yeah. Because I want to help people in need. You’re the same way right? I was just a commoner before, but with this Chevalier title, maybe I can do something good. Whether I would do well or not, I do not know. But I’ll try my best. You're strong, aren't you? How do I put it? Umm...”

Saito said towards Tabitha, slightly embarrassed.

“Won't you try to use that strength for the sake of society?”

After hearing those words, Tabitha closed her book and stood up.

“Oooh, you're coming along, right?”

Guiche let out a delighted voice.

But...

“I have no interest in pretending to be knights.”

Leaving that short sentence behind, Tabitha walked off.

“Grrrrrrrrr... What's that brat's problem! We had asked her so nicely, and yet she left with such an attitude!!”

Guiche stamped his feet on the ground in frustration.

“Well, don't take it personally. She's probably very busy with other things to do.”

Saito tried to cheer up the angry Guiche.

Tabitha went back to her room, and discovered a crow on top of her bed. It looked like a carrier crow, bringing a secret message from the Gallian royal family. The delivery bird differs occasionally, there were times when owls or pigeons were used.

However today’s crow didn’t seem be carrying any secret letters.

Looking puzzled, Tabitha tilted its head to one side, and ''bang!'' Emitting a sound, it cracked into half.

Upon closer inspection... it was actually an elaborate model of a crow. A type of magical doll akin to a 'gargoyle'. Inside the cavity of the crow model where it cracked apart, and a letter was inserted.

She picked it up and browsed through it. Tabitha's eyebrows shifted slightly.

During that night... the place Tabitha were to visit on her wind dragon Sylphid was not Gallia, but Tristain.

Above the town which was glowing with lights, Tabitha jumped off from Sylphid. She recited a spell, and her body floated with Levitation, landing slowly.

The place where she arrived was a street along which suspicious-looking bars and gambling dens lined - Chicton Street. The Drunkards and ladies in revealing clothing, who were walking along the street that night, saw Tabitha land from the sky. They was stunned for a moment, but then realizing that it was only a young child, the spectators suddenly had flippant smiles on their faces.

Although she might have been a noble, the girl was still just a kid. Teasing words came out from the mouths of the drunkards, who became more and more rowdy.

“What's wrong, missy? Can't find your way to the playground?”

“Oh my! Are you lost like a little dog? If I take you back to your owner, think I'll get a reward?”

Like water off a duck's back, Tabitha ignored those words, and headed towards one specific bar.

Although the place was on Chicton Street as well, this bar was more refined than the others. There were many people in noble or knight outfits. The tavern owner sitting behind the counter stared at Tabitha suspiciously.

“This is not a place for a noble's daughter to visit. Our premises can become quite chaotic. Its best for you to return home.”

In spite of that, Tabitha did not move.

Shaking his head, the owner drew closer to Tabitha's face.

“Hey, miss. Although I dunno what sort of magic you use, there are people who with bad intentions in this place. While you are not involved in anything troublesome yet...”

At the moment when the tavern owner was warning Tabitha, a lady with a deeply set hood sat down beside Tabitha.

“Sorry for being late. Friend of yours?”

The latter half of her words were directed towards the tavern owner. From the ambiance of that lady, the tavern owner sensed that it would be better for him not to poke his head into their affairs, and withdrew to the inside of the bar.

The lady in the thick robe looked at Tabitha.

“How do you do? Knight of the North Parterre, Tabitha-dono.”

After Tabitha lightly nodded, she spoke.

“Why?”

''Why did she receive her task in Tristain and not Gallia?'' That was her question.

“This country will be the setting of the mission this time.”

“...”

That lady removed the hood she was wearing. She had almond shaped eyes, and between the flowing raven black hair, runic letters danced. It was the mind of god, Myozntnirn.

“Here are our master’s orders: although he had wanted the four existing "dragons" in this world to fight
amongst each other... for some reason I don't understand, he has now decided to capture one of them.”

“...”

“That 'dragon' has a strong guardian. That's why he wants you to exterminate that guardian. During that time, I will take the 'dragon' for our master.”

“Exterminate that guardian?”

“Someone you know very well.”

Myoznitnirn showed Tabitha a slip of paper.

Seeing the name and portrait on it, Tabitha's eyes opened widely.

“If you manage to accomplish this task... there is a big reward. Your mother... she drank poison and became mentally ill, right? It's the medicine to regain her sanity.”

Tabitha lightly bit her lips and trembled. Then she glared at Myoznitnirn. Her eyes revealed feelings of clear hostility.

“Oh? The great Knight of North Parterre is troubled by her feelings toward her acquaintances? Don't you understand? This is a chance for your mother to regain her sanity.”

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9_Chapter8|Chapter 8]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter7

2015-08-14T08:33:00Z

Iro Daijoubu: /* Chapter Seven: Solicitation */ rewrite10a

===Chapter Seven: Solicitation===

Thirty meters in the sky of Tristania... a dragon knight was patrolling in the air.

Though it was not war time, there were always one or two dragon knights in the air, since air pirates and mysterious creatures could attack the capital anytime.

On this day, the one who was on duty was Rene of the capital escort Dragon Knight Regiment First Battalion, the same one who had previously fought together with Saito.

The dragon he lost in Albion was replaced by a new white wind dragon he obtained, and Rene was circling the sky of Tristania slowly. Feeling cold, Rene buried his face in the neckband of his boar-leather coat.

“The sky is freezing... Dammit! The war has already ended! But when it comes to handling the men of the Dragon Knight corps, it's always the same! As for that SAITO who was installed as the Assistant Commanding Officer of the Imperial Guards, why was he treated differently!? Well... just because he stopped that seventy thousand strong army, that promotion was still not the way to do things...” *grumble grumble*

As if responding to Rene's grumbles, his new partner dragon made a ''"Kyui"'' sound.

“Ryusto, it's not really your fault. Because it's the duty of the dragon knights to fly in the air.”

He stroked the dragon's head gently, at which the wind dragon narrowed its eyes happily.

However, in the following instant... the wind dragon opened its eyes wide in alert. Not allowing even the smallest glint of light escape, those pupils opened like an animal from the cat family.

“What's wrong, Ryusto?”

''Waruuuuuuuuuuu...''

A low growl came out from the Wind Dragon's mouth.

Rene stared at the spot where his dragon was looking at.

Dragons had excellent night vision compared to humans. Rene, been a human, could not clearly make out that "thing" in the darkness.

“What, is that...?”

Illuminated by the moonlight, between the opening of the clouds, there was something there.

There was a gigantic wing... The overall width could easily be more than 100 meters.

That thing was flying slowly in the air. Moreover...''Shunshunshunshun...''it made a sound which he had not heard before.

Rene gulped.

He was frightened by the silhouette which was like a giant monster spreading its wings.

“Don't tell me that's a reincarnation of the legendary demons... Oi, Ryusto! Get closer!”

But the wind dragon did not obey his command. Far from it, it turned on it's heels and started to retreat.

“Oi Ryusto! What's wrong! I have to check out what that thing is!”

Despite Rene's desperate rebuke, with a purring ‘’Kyui’’ sound, the wind dragon descended away from the object. Ryusto, who was still young, was evidently afraid of such a huge thing.

“How I miss Virkan who died in Albion!! Without being afraid, without even a command, he would just rush forward!!”

Rene cried out regretfully.

The next afternoon... the location was changed - Tristain Academy of Magic.

"The Ball of Sleipnir?" Saito asked Malicorne, who was in front of him.

During lunch both of them sat together. Saito hadn’t been sitting with Louise lately. He was often sitting with the company of Undine (Knight Corps of the Water Spirit) and having his meals with them.

“Yeah, its the ball that begins with the new school term. Do you know when it starts? Ah nevermind, you probably don't know either.”

Although he said “new school term”, Saito was still a bit confused. Because he could not tell which month was which over here. Still, it felt somewhat warm of late, so perhaps its springtime now.


Come to think of it, there was a certain ceremony recently, and many noble teens attended. However, the figures of the third-years could not be seen anymore. Did they graduate? Moreover their replacement with first-year students... Oh I see! That was the school entrance ceremony. Saito thumped his knees.

“But why is there a ball for the new school term?”

Guiche, who was sitting beside him, explained,

“Well, isn't a welcome necessary? Among the newly enrolled noble lasses, there is quite a number who are entering the higher society for the first time. I will carefully teach those girls the adult social life! Yeah, adult social life! Oh, there are boys as well...”

Looks like the point is to welcome the new students.

"Hmmm guess so," Saito nodded, while filling his mouth with grilled meat. With the sour taste of the fruit sauce, it was delicious.

Looking around, it seems not everybody was dinning elegantly with their table utensils. Some were hitting their plate with the fork, making a loud “''gacchagaccha''” noise, some were gulping down their soup with a “''zuzuzu''” noise, spilling it haphazardly.

''Although Louise and the other girls ate quietly with polite table manners, Guiche and the other boys' way of eating was terrible.''

''Their table manners are quite bad. Since I've only recently arrived in this world of nobles, I have to do better...'' While thinking that, Saito ate politely.

“But this, is no ordinary ball!”

Draining his wine cup quickly, Guiche stood up. Malicorne gulped his down forcefully as well. These two had been on a drinking spree since noon.
With good manners, Saito squeezed some lemon juice into his carbonated drink. Speaking of nobles, these guys were definitely of the inferior group with bad manners. Saito made the weird resolution to be at least of the superior group.

“What do you mean by 'ordinary'?”

“Masquerade.”

Guiche said triumphantly.

“Masquerade? That’s nothing special. There are many balls like that.”

Malicorn laughed lightly at Saito’s words then made a “fuun” sound in reply.

But at the next moment... the conversation behind his seat entered Saito's ears.

“Have you heard? The word is going around that a 'mysterious bird' had been see in the skies of Tristania.”

“Yeah. My elder brother who serves in the dragon knight corps heard the rumor as well... is it true?”

The ones who were conversing were two lads of the same class. Saito strained his ears towards them. Not noticing Saito's actions, Malicorne continued his explanation.

“Get it? The masquerade ball of the Academy of Magic is not as simple as the usual “masquerade”. It is a masquerade that uses magic. The “Mirror of Truth” is used. With it, you can even transform into the ideal self you most admire!”


After that, Guiche declared pridefully.

“The ideal self. Well, my ideal self is me!! Ah, because I am the most handsome one in the world! Ahaha! Ah! Everyone will change into my appearance! Ah! Ahaha! Ah!”

As he was yelling this, Guiche hugged himself tightly.

However, Saito was no longer listening to Malicorne and Guiche's chatter. He was thoroughly into the conversation behind his seat.

“...and, I heard that its width was over 150 meters!”

“Can it be a ship?”

“Is there a ship with such an appearance?”

“Then a dragon? An enormous one. A legendary huge dragon.”

“Nope, its wings were completely different from those of a dragon. If I had to say, it had the form of a bird with wings spread... the word was that it was some kind of bird-like monster.”

Unconsciously, Saito had left his seat to listen to those words.

“Can you tell me the details?”

Those guys told him the rumor that had transpired at the palace lately.

In his night patrol in the air, a dragon knight sighted a huge “shadow”.

Its wings was easily more than 100 meters.

It made a strange sound, and so on...

“So, what on earth was that?”

“I don't know. They said the dragon of that dragon knight was frightened... no, the one who was frightened might've been the dragon knight himself... he fled instead of approaching that object to have a closer look. After hearing the news, another dragon knight ascended the air, but it had already disappeared from the skies of Tristania like a mist.”

“What...?”

“Well... it's possible he was mistaken and it was actually a cloud or something like that...”

“Hmmmmm...”

Saito was feeling somewhat uneasy. He remembered the encounter with "Myoznitnirn" from before...

Able to manipulate all magical items, and same as him, a “familiar of Void”...

Assuming that it was neither a dragon nor a ship... could it be a magical item like those gargoyles??

Since there were no further details about that thing, there’s no point dwelling on it... at any rate, they can't afford to be negligent. Those guys Saito and the rest met in Albion, who had animosity towards them, were neither Fouquet or Wardes nor Reconquista. Their true motives were still unknown. Were they from a particular country, group or something else... Saito couldn’t tell. They were a creepy bunch.

Henrietta had investigated it... but they did not acquire any new information, and no new word of them came thus far.

Saito pondered over the situation while returning to his seat.

Malicorne found fault with Saito, and said as if he was displeased.

“Oi, listen properly to our words! Leaving your seat in the middle of a conversation is really rude!”

“Hmm? Aah, sorry. Umm, what was that about the masquerade?”

He remembered that they were in the conversation about a different type of masquerade ball.

“That's enough!”

“Sorry, sorry. Don't be angry like that. Don't you guys worry about that? The mysterious, enormous shadow that appeared in the skies of Tristania?”

“Look isn't that a mistake? Just a bunch of false positives during the night air patrol! If the information was about naked princesses flying in the sky then we'll definitely launch a proper investigation into it!”

Guiche spoke in a foolish tone.

As this chatter continued, a spectacled lad opened his mouth.

“Hey, you guys. Whether its the ball or the mysterious shadow, who cares? You should be thinking more about the affairs of the Undine Knight Corps!”

Saito sat down beside Guiche, and looked at the speaker. It was the chap from the next class called Reynald. During Albion's military campaign, he apparently directed the wagon corps. Not discouraged during the chaos of their retreat, he kept the unit in order. Because of that, he was commended.

“Do you know what we are called in the palace? “Students playing as Knights”! My uncle, who is serving in the palace, heard a rumor today; something like we had made her majesty disappointed and worried.”

All the members present there displayed affronted-looking faces.

“We have given some distinguished military service, but that level of success is expected from the Imperial Guard. Compared to the great Knight Corps of old, we’re like "children playing around" they said. There’s no way we can settle for something like that! Therefore, Guiche, Saito, we want you to think about this matter seriously.”

Guiche and Saito exchanged glances.

“You're probably right, b-but, what should we do?”

“We want you to power up our battle lineup. Presently, isn't Saito the only Chevalier?”

“Though you say that, Chevalier isn't a title you can receive just like that...”

At Guiche's words, Reynald smiled sweetly.

“I know of another one.”

During lunch break, all the group members went to the library.

At the side of the library where people didn't often go, there was a girl there.

Her small body was hunched over, intent on reading the book in her hands with utmost attention.

The blue-haired girl was Tabitha.

“Huh? When did she come back?” Guiche whispered.

Indeed, she should of went with Kirche to Germania together.

“Looks like she came back two or three days ago.”

“She has such a light presence, almost like a shadow. Hmm...”

Guiche spoke as if he was troubled.

“But can she really join our company? Isn't she a girl?”

“Look she is certainly a 'Chevalier'. In such a case, we can't be discriminating against gender. The condition to be enlisted in “Undine” is “a student of the Academy of Magic”. Only that.
There's no rule which forbids the participation of females.”

“The only reason its not in the official documents is because we never had a chance to add it. It happens. Besides girls don’t want to join anyway...”

Guiche said.

“But according to the rules I'm not a student here either.”

Saito pointed out.

“Isn't it fine? If that's the case, we can also change it to “Beings that live at the Academy of Magic” instead. It's decided now. That's it. I decided it.”

Reynald declared arrogantly. Not matching his obedient and quiet-looking appearance, looks like he had a really forceful character. Evidently, he intended to persuade the Commanding Officer and the Assistant Commanding Officer to let him shoulder the practical business of the knight corps.

“Is it okay? After all, both of you have no interest whatsoever in “administration” and “reputation”. For the continuation of the knight corps, above everything else, these two things are indispensable. I think that if the knight corps follow my own way, we would not be called fools in the palace. If you have a better plan, tell me.”

At those words, Saito and Guiche were speechless.

“Well then, I'll persuade her.”

Reynald stepped forward, but Saito stopped him.

“Wait!”

“What's the problem? Do you have any complaints!?”

“No. Just in case, Guiche and I will go. Hey, Guiche!”

“Huh? A-Ah.”

Leading Guiche, Saito sat beside Tabitha who was reading a book.

“Yo, Tabitha...”

Saito was fairly bad at dealing with this blue-haired girl. At any rate, when it comes to this girl, she neither chatters, nor responds, she has a somewhat unfriendly atmosphere.

Although Saito sat down, Tabitha still did not have any response.

“You had gone to Germania together with Kirche huh. Oh yea, umm... to bury Colbert-sensei's remains...what happened after that?”

Tabitha did not reply.

“Is Kirche still there?”

At which Tabitha nodded. However, she seemingly did not intend to say anything at all.

“I see... when will she come back?”

“Don't know.”

Anyway, it was as if there were things she did not want to say. No, she probably just spoke little.... After that, Saito had given up asking.

“Other than those things, I have a favor.”

Guiche cut into their conversation.

“By all means, won't you join our knight corps?”

“...”

Tabitha did not even try to lift her face from that book.

“Err... we’ve only recently been made into a knight corps... can you help and lend us a hand?”

Saito said.

But as expected, Tabitha did not respond.

“You're a Chevalier right? Can't you use those skills for the sake of our Undine knights?”

“I am a Gallian.” Her answer had barely escaped her lips.

“Is there a problem with been a Gallian? If you like, we can offer you a honorary 'guest knight' status.”

Reynald, who had been standing there unnoticed, said encouragingly.

“We can negotiate the increase of annuity as well...”

Tabitha shook her head. The blue hair above her head shook alongside it. Saito remembered the dream he saw in Albion some time ago. During that time, he recalled those throbbing breasts... and her usually stern face, acting a little embarrassed. Upon closer look, Tabitha was a real beauty as well. Its just that... her icy facial expression had been concealing her charm.

Watching her face closely.... ''Is there's nothing I can do?'' Saito thought.

With a serious face, Saito said to Tabitha.

“I have become a 'Chevalier' as well, just like you.”

“Chevalier?”

At that, Tabitha lifted her face for the first time.

“Yeah. Because I want to help people in need. You’re the same way right? I was just a commoner before, but with this Chevalier title, maybe I can do something good. Whether I would do well or not, I do not know. But I’ll try my best. You're strong, aren't you? How do I put it? Umm...”

Saito said towards Tabitha, slightly embarrassed.

“Won't you try to use that strength for the sake of society?”

After hearing those words, Tabitha closed her book and stood up.

“Oooh, you're coming along, right?”

Guiche let out a delighted voice.

But...

“I have no interest in pretending to be knights.”

Leaving that short sentence behind, Tabitha walked off.

“Grrrrrrrrr... What's that brat's problem! We had asked her so nicely, and yet she left with such an attitude!!”

Guiche stamped his feet on the ground in frustration.

“Well, don't take it personally. She's probably very busy with other things to do.”

Saito tried to cheer up the angry Guiche.

Tabitha went back to her room, and discovered a crow on top of her bed. It looked like a carrier crow, bringing a secret message from the Gallian royal family. The delivery bird differs occasionally, there were times when owls or pigeons were used.

However today’s crow didn’t seem be carrying any secret letters.

Looking puzzled, Tabitha tilted its head to one side, and ''bang!'' Emitting a sound, it cracked into half.

Upon closer inspection... it was actually an elaborate model of a crow. A type of magical doll akin to a 'gargoyle'. Inside the cavity of the crow model where it cracked apart, and a letter was inserted.

She picked it up and browsed through it. Tabitha's eyebrows shifted slightly.

During that night... the place Tabitha were to visit on her wind dragon Sylphid was not Gallia, but Tristain.

Above the town which was glowing with lights, Tabitha jumped off from Sylphid. She recited a spell, and her body floated with Levitation, landing slowly.

The place where she arrived was a street along which suspicious-looking bars and gambling dens lined - Chicton Street. The Drunkards and ladies in revealing clothing, who were walking along the street that night, saw Tabitha land from the sky. They was stunned for a moment, but then realizing that it was only a young child, the spectators suddenly had flippant smiles on their faces.

Although she might have been a noble, the girl was still just a kid. Teasing words came out from the mouths of the drunkards, who became more and more rowdy.

“What's wrong, missy? Can't find your way to the playground?”

“Oh my! Are you lost like a little dog? If I take you back to your owner, think I'll get a reward?”

Like water off a duck's back, Tabitha ignored those words, and headed towards one specific bar.

Although the place was on Chicton Street as well, this bar was more refined than the others. There were many people in noble or knight outfits. The tavern owner sitting behind the counter stared at Tabitha suspiciously.

“This is not a place for a noble's daughter to visit. Our premises can become quite chaotic. Its best for you to return home.”

In spite of that, Tabitha did not move.

Shaking his head, the owner drew closer to Tabitha's face.

“Hey, miss. Although I dunno what sort of magic you use, there are people who with bad intentions in this place. While you are not involved in anything troublesome yet...”

At the moment when the shop owner was warning Tabitha, a lady with a deeply set hood sat down beside Tabitha.

“Sorry for being late. Friend of yours?”

The latter half of her words were directed towards the tavern owner. From the ambiance of that lady, the tavern owner sensed that it would be better for him not to poke his head into their affairs, and withdrew to the inside of the bar.

The lady in the thick robe looked at Tabitha.

“How do you do? Knight of the North Parterre, Tabitha-dono.”

After Tabitha lightly nodded, she spoke.

“Why?”

''Why did she receive her task in Tristain and not Gallia?'' That was her question.

“This country will be the setting of the mission this time.”

“...”

That lady removed the hood she was wearing. She had almond shaped eyes, and between the flowing raven black hair, runic letters danced. It was the mind of god, Myozntnirn.

“Here are our master’s orders: although he had wanted the four existing "dragons" in this world to fight
amongst each other... for some reason I don't understand, he has now decided to capture one of them.”

“...”

“That 'dragon' has a strong guardian. That's why he wants you to exterminate that guardian. During that time, I will take the 'dragon' for our master.”

“Exterminate that guardian?”

“Someone you know very well.”

Myoznitnirn showed Tabitha a slip of paper.

Seeing the name and portrait on it, Tabitha's eyes opened widely.

“If you manage to accomplish this task... there is a big reward. Your mother... she drank poison and became mentally ill, right? It's the medicine to regain her sanity.”

Tabitha lightly bit her lips and trembled. Then she glared at Myoznitnirn. Her eyes revealed feelings of clear hostility.

“Oh? The great Knight of North Parterre is troubled by her feelings toward her acquaintances? Don't you understand? This is a chance for your mother to regain her sanity.”

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9_Chapter8|Chapter 8]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter7

2015-08-14T08:29:15Z

Iro Daijoubu: /* Chapter Seven: Solicitation */ rewrite10

===Chapter Seven: Solicitation===

Thirty meters in the sky of Tristania... a dragon knight was patrolling in the air.

Though it was not war time, there were always one or two dragon knights in the air, since air pirates and mysterious creatures could attack the capital anytime.

On this day, the one who was on duty was Rene of the capital escort Dragon Knight Regiment First Battalion, the same one who had previously fought together with Saito.

The dragon he lost in Albion was replaced by a new white wind dragon he obtained, and Rene was circling the sky of Tristania slowly. Feeling cold, Rene buried his face in the neckband of his boar-leather coat.

“The sky is freezing... Dammit! The war has already ended! But when it comes to handling the men of the Dragon Knight corps, it's always the same! As for that SAITO who was installed as the Assistant Commanding Officer of the Imperial Guards, why was he treated differently!? Well... just because he stopped that seventy thousand strong army, that promotion was still not the way to do things...” *grumble grumble*

As if responding to Rene's grumbles, his new partner dragon made a ''"Kyui"'' sound.

“Ryusto, it's not really your fault. Because it's the duty of the dragon knights to fly in the air.”

He stroked the dragon's head gently, at which the wind dragon narrowed its eyes happily.

However, in the following instant... the wind dragon opened its eyes wide in alert. Not allowing even the smallest glint of light escape, those pupils opened like an animal from the cat family.

“What's wrong, Ryusto?”

''Waruuuuuuuuuuu...''

A low growl came out from the Wind Dragon's mouth.

Rene stared at the spot where his dragon was looking at.

Dragons had excellent night vision compared to humans. Rene, been a human, could not clearly make out that "thing" in the darkness.

“What, is that...?”

Illuminated by the moonlight, between the opening of the clouds, there was something there.

There was a gigantic wing... The overall width could easily be more than 100 meters.

That thing was flying slowly in the air. Moreover...''Shunshunshunshun...''it made a sound which he had not heard before.

Rene gulped.

He was frightened by the silhouette which was like a giant monster spreading its wings.

“Don't tell me that's a reincarnation of the legendary demons... Oi, Ryusto! Get closer!”

But the wind dragon did not obey his command. Far from it, it turned on it's heels and started to retreat.

“Oi Ryusto! What's wrong! I have to check out what that thing is!”

Despite Rene's desperate rebuke, with a purring ‘’Kyui’’ sound, the wind dragon descended away from the object. Ryusto, who was still young, was evidently afraid of such a huge thing.

“How I miss Virkan who died in Albion!! Without being afraid, without even a command, he would just rush forward!!”

Rene cried out regretfully.

The next afternoon... the location was changed - Tristain Academy of Magic.

"The Ball of Sleipnir?" Saito asked Malicorne, who was in front of him.

During lunch both of them sat together. Saito hadn’t been sitting with Louise lately. He was often sitting with the company of Undine (Knight Corps of the Water Spirit) and having his meals with them.

“Yeah, its the ball that begins with the new school term. Do you know when it starts? Ah nevermind, you probably don't know either.”

Although he said “new school term”, Saito was still a bit confused. Because he could not tell which month was which over here. Still, it felt somewhat warm of late, so perhaps its springtime now.


Come to think of it, there was a certain ceremony recently, and many noble teens attended. However, the figures of the third-years could not be seen anymore. Did they graduate? Moreover their replacement with first-year students... Oh I see! That was the school entrance ceremony. Saito thumped his knees.

“But why is there a ball for the new school term?”

Guiche, who was sitting beside him, explained,

“Well, isn't a welcome necessary? Among the newly enrolled noble lasses, there is quite a number who are entering the higher society for the first time. I will carefully teach those girls the adult social life! Yeah, adult social life! Oh, there are boys as well...”

Looks like the point is to welcome the new students.

"Hmmm guess so," Saito nodded, while filling his mouth with grilled meat. With the sour taste of the fruit sauce, it was delicious.

Looking around, it seems not everybody was dinning elegantly with their table utensils. Some were hitting their plate with the fork, making a loud “''gacchagaccha''” noise, some were gulping down their soup with a “''zuzuzu''” noise, spilling it haphazardly.

''Although Louise and the other girls ate quietly with polite table manners, Guiche and the other boys' way of eating was terrible.''

''Their table manners are quite bad. Since I've only recently arrived in this world of nobles, I have to do better...'' While thinking that, Saito ate politely.

“But this, is no ordinary ball!”

Draining his wine cup quickly, Guiche stood up. Malicorne gulped his down forcefully as well. These two had been on a drinking spree since noon.
With good manners, Saito squeezed some lemon juice into his carbonated drink. Speaking of nobles, these guys were definitely of the inferior group with bad manners. Saito made the weird resolution to be at least of the superior group.

“What do you mean by 'ordinary'?”

“Masquerade.”

Guiche said triumphantly.

“Masquerade? That’s nothing special. There are many balls like that.”

Malicorn laughed lightly at Saito’s words then made a “fuun” sound in reply.

But at the next moment... the conversation behind his seat entered Saito's ears.

“Have you heard? The word is going around that a 'mysterious bird' had been see in the skies of Tristania.”

“Yeah. My elder brother who serves in the dragon knight corps heard the rumor as well... is it true?”

The ones who were conversing were two lads of the same class. Saito strained his ears towards them. Not noticing Saito's actions, Malicorne continued his explanation.

“Get it? The masquerade ball of the Academy of Magic is not as simple as the usual “masquerade”. It is a masquerade that uses magic. The “Mirror of Truth” is used. With it, you can even transform into the ideal self you most admire!”


After that, Guiche declared pridefully.

“The ideal self. Well, my ideal self is me!! Ah, because I am the most handsome one in the world! Ahaha! Ah! Everyone will change into my appearance! Ah! Ahaha! Ah!”

As he was yelling this, Guiche hugged himself tightly.

However, Saito was no longer listening to Malicorne and Guiche's chatter. He was thoroughly into the conversation behind his seat.

“...and, I heard that its width was over 150 meters!”

“Can it be a ship?”

“Is there a ship with such an appearance?”

“Then a dragon? An enormous one. A legendary huge dragon.”

“Nope, its wings were completely different from those of a dragon. If I had to say, it had the form of a bird with wings spread... the word was that it was some kind of bird-like monster.”

Unconsciously, Saito had left his seat to listen to those words.

“Can you tell me the details?”

Those guys told him the rumor that had transpired at the palace lately.

In his night patrol in the air, a dragon knight sighted a huge “shadow”.

Its wings was easily more than 100 meters.

It made a strange sound, and so on...

“So, what on earth was that?”

“I don't know. They said the dragon of that dragon knight was frightened... no, the one who was frightened might've been the dragon knight himself... he fled instead of approaching that object to have a closer look. After hearing the news, another dragon knight ascended the air, but it had already disappeared from the skies of Tristania like a mist.”

“What...?”

“Well... it's possible he was mistaken and it was actually a cloud or something like that...”

“Hmmmmm...”

Saito was feeling somewhat uneasy. He remembered the encounter with "Myoznitnirn" from before...

Able to manipulate all magical items, and same as him, a “familiar of Void”...

Assuming that it was neither a dragon nor a ship... could it be a magical item like those gargoyles??

Since there were no further details about that thing, there’s no point dwelling on it... at any rate, they can't afford to be negligent. Those guys Saito and the rest met in Albion, who had animosity towards them, were neither Fouquet or Wardes nor Reconquista. Their true motives were still unknown. Were they from a particular country, group or something else... Saito couldn’t tell. They were a creepy bunch.

Henrietta had investigated it... but they did not acquire any new information, and no new word of them came thus far.

Saito pondered over the situation while returning to his seat.

Malicorne found fault with Saito, and said as if he was displeased.

“Oi, listen properly to our words! Leaving your seat in the middle of a conversation is really rude!”

“Hmm? Aah, sorry. Umm, what was that about the masquerade?”

He remembered that they were in the conversation about a different type of masquerade ball.

“That's enough!”

“Sorry, sorry. Don't be angry like that. Don't you guys worry about that? The mysterious, enormous shadow that appeared in the skies of Tristania?”

“Look isn't that a mistake? Just a bunch of false positives during the night air patrol! If the information was about naked princesses flying in the sky then we'll definitely launch a proper investigation into it!”

Guiche spoke in a foolish tone.

As this chatter continued, a spectacled lad opened his mouth.

“Hey, you guys. Whether its the ball or the mysterious shadow, who cares? You should be thinking more about the affairs of the Undine Knight Corps!”

Saito sat down beside Guiche, and looked at the speaker. It was the chap from the next class called Reynald. During Albion's military campaign, he apparently directed the wagon corps. Not discouraged during the chaos of their retreat, he kept the unit in order. Because of that, he was commended.

“Do you know what we are called in the palace? “Students playing as Knights”! My uncle, who is serving in the palace, heard a rumor today; something like we had made her majesty disappointed and worried.”

All the members present there displayed affronted-looking faces.

“We have given some distinguished military service, but that level of success is expected from the Imperial Guard. Compared to the great Knight Corps of old, we’re like "children playing around" they said. There’s no way we can settle for something like that! Therefore, Guiche, Saito, we want you to think about this matter seriously.”

Guiche and Saito exchanged glances.

“You're probably right, b-but, what should we do?”

“We want you to power up our battle lineup. Presently, isn't Saito the only Chevalier?”

“Though you say that, Chevalier isn't a title you can receive just like that...”

At Guiche's words, Reynald smiled sweetly.

“I know of another one.”

During lunch break, all the group members went to the library.

At the side of the library where people didn't often go, there was a girl there.

Her small body was hunched over, intent on reading the book in her hands with utmost attention.

The blue-haired girl was Tabitha.

“Huh? When did she come back?” Guiche whispered.

Indeed, she should of went with Kirche to Germania together.

“Looks like she came back two or three days ago.”

“She has such a light presence, almost like Kuroko. Hmm...”

Guiche spoke as if he was troubled.

“But can she really join our company? Isn't she a girl?”

“Look she is certainly a 'Chevalier'. In such a case, we can't be discriminating against gender. The condition to be enlisted in “Undine” is “a student of the Academy of Magic”. Only that.
There's no rule which forbids the participation of females.”

“The only reason its not in the official documents is because we never had a chance to add it. It happens. Besides girls don’t want to join anyway...”

Guiche said.

“But according to the rules I'm not a student here either.”

Saito pointed out.

“Isn't it fine? If that's the case, we can also change it to “Beings that live at the Academy of Magic” instead. It's decided now. That's it. I decided it.”

Reynald declared arrogantly. Not matching his obedient and quiet-looking appearance, looks like he had a really forceful character. Evidently, he intended to persuade the Commanding Officer and the Assistant Commanding Officer to let him shoulder the practical business of the knight corps.

“Is it okay? After all, both of you have no interest whatsoever in “administration” and “reputation”. For the continuation of the knight corps, above everything else, these two things are indispensable. I think that if the knight corps follow my own way, we would not be called fools in the palace. If you have a better plan, tell me.”

At those words, Saito and Guiche were speechless.

“Well then, I'll persuade her.”

Reynald stepped forward, but Saito stopped him.

“Wait!”

“What's the problem? Do you have any complaints!?”

“No. Just in case, Guiche and I will go. Hey, Guiche!”

“Huh? A-Ah.”

Leading Guiche, Saito sat beside Tabitha who was reading a book.

“Yo, Tabitha...”

Saito was fairly bad at dealing with this blue-haired girl. At any rate, when it comes to this girl, she neither chatters, nor responds, she has a somewhat unfriendly atmosphere.

Although Saito sat down, Tabitha still did not have any response.

“You had gone to Germania together with Kirche huh. Oh yea, umm... to bury Colbert-sensei's remains...what happened after that?”

Tabitha did not reply.

“Is Kirche still there?”

At which Tabitha nodded. However, she seemingly did not intend to say anything at all.

“I see... when will she come back?”

“Don't know.”

Anyway, it was as if there were things she did not want to say. No, she probably just spoke little.... After that, Saito had given up asking.

“Other than those things, I have a favor.”

Guiche cut into their conversation.

“By all means, won't you join our knight corps?”

“...”

Tabitha did not even try to lift her face from that book.

“Err... we’ve only recently been made into a knight corps... can you help and lend us a hand?”

Saito said.

But as expected, Tabitha did not respond.

“You're a Chevalier right? Can't you use those skills for the sake of our Undine knights?”

“I am a Gallian.” Her answer had barely escaped her lips.

“Is there a problem with been a Gallian? If you like, we can offer you a honorary 'guest knight' status.”

Reynald, who had been standing there unnoticed, said encouragingly.

“We can negotiate the increase of annuity as well...”

Tabitha shook her head. The blue hair above her head shook alongside it. Saito remembered the dream he saw in Albion some time ago. During that time, he recalled those throbbing breasts... and her usually stern face, acting a little embarrassed. Upon closer look, Tabitha was a real beauty as well. Its just that... her icy facial expression had been concealing her charm.

Watching her face closely.... ''Is there's nothing I can do?'' Saito thought.

With a serious face, Saito said to Tabitha.

“I have become a 'Chevalier' as well, just like you.”

“Chevalier?”

At that, Tabitha lifted her face for the first time.

“Yeah. Because I want to help people in need. You’re the same way right? I was just a commoner before, but with this Chevalier title, maybe I can do something good. Whether I would do well or not, I do not know. But I’ll try my best. You're strong, aren't you? How do I put it? Umm...”

Saito said towards Tabitha, slightly embarrassed.

“Won't you try to use that strength for the sake of society?”

After hearing those words, Tabitha closed her book and stood up.

“Oooh, you're coming along, right?”

Guiche let out a delighted voice.

But...

“I have no interest in pretending to be knights.”

Leaving that short sentence behind, Tabitha walked off.

“Grrrrrrrrr... What's that brat's problem! We had asked her so nicely, and yet she left with such an attitude!!”

Guiche stamped his feet on the ground in frustration.

“Well, don't take it personally. She's probably very busy with other things to do.”

Saito tried to cheer up the angry Guiche.

Tabitha went back to her room, and discovered a crow on top of her bed. It looked like a carrier crow, bringing a secret message from the Gallian royal family. The delivery bird differs occasionally, there were times when owls or pigeons were used.

However today’s crow didn’t seem be carrying any secret letters.

Looking puzzled, Tabitha tilted its head to one side, and ''bang!''. Emitting a sound, it cracked into half.

Upon closer inspection... it was actually an elaborate model of a crow. A type of magical doll akin to a 'gargoyle'. Inside the cavity of the crow model where it cracked apart, and a letter was inserted.

She picked it up and browsed through it. Tabitha's eyebrows shifted slightly.

During that night... the place Tabitha were to visit on her wind dragon Sylphid was not Gallia, but Tristain.

Above the town which was glowing with lights, Tabitha jumped off from Sylphid. She recited a spell, and her body floated with Levitation, landing slowly.

The place where she arrived was a street along which suspicious-looking bars and gambling dens lined - Chicton Street. The Drunkards and ladies in revealing clothing, who were walking along the street that night, saw Tabitha land from the sky. They was stunned for a moment, but then realizing that it was only a young child, the spectators suddenly had flippant smiles on their faces.

Although she might have been a noble, the girl was still just a kid. Teasing words came out from the mouths of the drunkards, who became more and more rowdy.

“What's wrong, missy? Can't find your way to the playground?”

“Oh my! Are you lost like a little dog? If I take you back to your owner, think I'll get a reward?”

Like water off a duck's back, Tabitha ignored those words, and headed towards one specific bar.

Although the place was on Chicton Street as well, this bar was more refined than the others. There were many people in noble or knight outfits. The tavern owner sitting behind the counter stared at Tabitha suspiciously.

“This is not a place for a noble's daughter to visit. Our premises can become quite chaotic. Its best for you to return home.”

In spite of that, Tabitha did not move.

Shaking his head, the owner drew closer to Tabitha's face.

“Hey, miss. Although I dunno what sort of magic you use, there are people who with bad intentions in this place. While you are not involved in anything troublesome yet...”

At the moment when the shop owner was warning Tabitha, a lady with a deeply set hood sat down beside Tabitha.

“Sorry for being late. Friend of yours?”

The latter half of her words were directed towards the tavern owner. From the ambiance of that lady, the tavern owner sensed that it would be better for him not to poke his head into their affairs, and withdrew to the inside of the bar.

The lady in the thick robe looked at Tabitha.

“How do you do? Knight of the North Parterre, Tabitha-dono.”

After Tabitha lightly nodded, she spoke.

“Why?”

''Why did she receive her task in Tristain and not Gallia?'' That was her question.

“This country will be the setting of the mission this time.”

“...”

That lady removed the hood she was wearing. She had almond shaped eyes, and between the flowing raven black hair, runic letters danced. It was the mind of god, Myozntnirn.

“Here are our master’s orders: although he had wanted the four existing "dragons" in this world to fight
amongst each other... for some reason I don't understand, he has now decided to capture one of them.”

“...”

“That 'dragon' has a strong guardian. That's why he wants you to exterminate that guardian. During that time, I will take the 'dragon' for our master.”

“Exterminate that guardian?”

“Someone you know very well.”

Myoznitnirn showed Tabitha a slip of paper.

Seeing the name and portrait on it, Tabitha's eyes opened widely.

“If you manage to accomplish this task... there is a big reward. Your mother... she drank poison and became mentally ill, right? It's the medicine to regain her sanity.”

Tabitha lightly bit her lips and trembled. Then she glared at Myoznitnirn. Her eyes revealed feelings of clear hostility.

“Oh? The great Knight of North Parterre is troubled by her feelings toward her acquaintances? Don't you understand? This is a chance for your mother to regain her sanity.”

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9_Chapter6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9_Chapter8|Chapter 8]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter9

2015-08-13T10:04:30Z

Iro Daijoubu: /* Chapter Nine: Confrontation with the Mysterious Bird */ rewrite9g

===Chapter Nine: Confrontation with the Mysterious Bird===

Saito exited the main tower and immediately went to Louise's room to find her. However, she had not come back. "What if I can't find Louise..." That was the only thing on his mind.

He had never seen Louise so sad before.

It was his fault... regardless of the circumstances, it was unforgivable.

He wanted to meet her and apologize.

While he was running, Saito imagined Louise's feelings. She saw the princess she esteemed and... the familiar whom she always thought to be faithful, hugging each other as if they were lovers; how much were her feelings hurt?

Although they were not lovers... Louise had seen him allowing Henrietta to go as far as kissing, what a pain it must've been to her! Even thinking about this, Saito's heart ached.

Leaping out of the room, he immediately ran to the courtyard of the academy at night.

In the midst of the almost pitch-black darkness... Louise's figure could not be seen anywhere.

When he was going towards Vestri Courtyard...

The clouds cleared, and the moonlight revealed a figure; a shadow which was sitting on the bench could be seen.

“Louise!”

He unintentionally shouted and rushed forward, only to find that he was mistaken.

“What? Oh, it's you...”

It was Tabitha. Not even attending the ball on such a night, reading a book on a bench to which no one would come; it was really typical of her.

“Hey, did you see Louise?”

Tabitha did not respond.

Staring fixedly at the book, just like that, her body did not stir an inch.

''She didn't hear me?'' He thought, and repeated himself.

“Do you know where Louise is?”

The face which was illuminated by the moonlight, was completely pale.

At that moment... Saito realized that there was a shadow circling in mid-air with its back against the moon.

“What's that? It's not a bird... and it's got legs?”

With the figure of a human and flapping wings, it was a very strange creature. It looked like the demons he saw in manga and television in the former days.

“Gargoyle.” Tabitha said briefly.

“You...!” At the moment he said that, Tabitha waved her staff.

''Buoo!'' A gush of air expanded towards him, and Saito was blown off his feet.

“What are you...!”

Not even having the time to shout, ice arrows aimed at Saito and flew towards him.

At a place somewhat far from the Academy of Magic, Louise was crying endlessly.

“Cruel... too cruel... why, why!”

Pitch black darkness was all around her.

It was as if she was left behind, all alone in this world. Yet, right now she was not fearful of the darkness. Rather, Louise felt it gave her broken heart comfort.

“Unforgivable... cruel... absolutely unforgivable...”

Her words and tears flowed endlessly together. Her misery kept feeding on itself.

She repeated those same words, over and over, and then...

“What's unforgivable?”

In the middle of the darkness, a voice could be heard.

Louise who was in a state of confusion, felt something reverberating inside her heart.

“I was betrayed. That's why, it's unforgivable.”

“By whom were you betrayed?”

“By someone who was dear to me...”

“Well then, you must take revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“It's unforgivable right? If that's the case, you must take revenge. You can do it. User of the great Void.”

At that, Louise came to her senses.

“...Who are you?”

“One of your friends. Since long ago... one who serves your people.”

“Who are you! Come out!”

Louise shouted into the darkness. Then she remembered the previous incident in Albion.

“Myoznitnirn?”

“You got it; but you're still wrong.”

She focused her eyes... and a winged shadow came into sight.

“...Gargoyle?”

As Louise was about to stand up,

“Don't worry. I will not harm you.”

The gargoyle which had appeared from the dark headed towards Louise's feet and crouched down reverentially.

“What... what's your intention! Myoznitnirn! You said you won't harm me! Then come out! Come and face me!”

However, the gargoyle opened its mouth.

“For what happened before, I apologize. But, that was a so-called test. To determine whether you deserve to be our ally or not.”

“Stop lying! You think I would believe those words?”

“Then, ask yourself. In this world, whose words do you believing in?”

Louise was speechless. Just a while ago... wasn't she betrayed by the two she believed in the most?

“My master can show you the way.”

“A lie... that's a lie!”

Louise's voice was becoming increasingly softer.

“The only one who can truly understand you... is a fellow user of Void. We want you to lend us your power.”

“...My power?”

“It's natural for you to be cautious. Yet, excessive caution would turn your eyes away from the truth.”

Whether or not it was magic, the gargoyle's voice was enchanting.

Gradually, Louise's caution disappeared.

Louise, who was confused because of her grief, did not know that she was falling for a trick.

“You, are you really my friend?”

“Of course.”

“My friend? You won't betray me?”

“I will definitely not betray you.”

The gargoyle slowly turned around, and showed Louise it's back.

“Please ride on me. Oh great master of the Void.”

Louise could not resist that voice any more.

She felt the gargoyle's back... and Louise's senses gradually faded. Slowly, as if she was falling asleep, Louise laid down on the gargoyle's back.

''Gaa!''

''Gagaa!''

''Gagagagagaaa!''

A storm of Windy Icicles - one of Tabitha's strongest attacks, flew towards him. Saito tumbled sideways to avoid them.

Clearly, it was an attack whose aim was to... kill Saito.

If he had not undergone Agnes' training, he would not have been able to evade them.

“What the heck!? What do you want!?”

Saito yelled in anger. He did not understand the reason behind this attack at all.

“Oi! Tabitha! You, what the hell... wh-!”

The response was magic.

Tabitha scattered Windy Icicles in all directions, surrounding him, and sent them flying.

''Bashushushushushuuu!''

After the smokescreen of water vapour produced by the countless Windy Icicles cleared up...

Contrary to her expectations, rather than seeing a skewered figure, Saito was standing there with Derflinger unsheathed. The Windy Icicles were absorbed by Derflinger, while the remaining ones were swiped away by Saito with his blade.

“What on earth, what's your reason? Why did you attack me? Explain!”

Tabitha lifted her staff.

“Because of a command.”

“Command? Who commanded you!”

As expected, her reply was magic.

Saito gripped Derflinger tightly and leaped. He planned to shorten their distance in one movement... and knock down the staff Tabitha was holding. But Tabitha reacted to Saito's movements and leaped, passing by him. Her body moved agilely, just like the traditional Wind element which she prided in.

As if she were a clockwork puppet, Tabitha combined her body's skills and magic to dodge the sword Saito brandished.

“!?”

She was jumping up and down, evading the sword, and at the same time,

“Deru Bagaraasu.”

She chanted the spell, and subsequently, used magic to fly past him. Very slowly, as if she was chasing cotton wool.


And then, sometimes, she would utter incantations which would cause attacks like bee stings.

The air was distorted, and it attacked Saito.

“Air Hammer.”

At that instant the sword was already set up, but, taken by surprise, Derflinger could not absorb it.

Receiving the full blow, Saito was hurled into air.

“Damn...”

However, that attack did not carry strong powers.

It seemed that both sides lacked decisive blows. Just to match with Gandálfr's speed she had to put in a lot of effort.

Because she did not have enough time for her chants, she could not use strong incantations. Naturally, the Windy Icicles and Air Hammers were weakened.

Yet, Tabitha was fast.

With a small and light body, her movements were faster than Wardes whom he had fought before this.

“The way this person moves. They are the movements of an assassin.”

Derflinger revealed its feelings.

“Assassin?”

“Yeah. Avoiding direct battles, and when the opponent reveals his weakness, deciding the victor in an instant. That girl's one by one strikes are not very strong. Her moves and speed are extraordinary though.”

“...Why is she doing so well, considering she's only holding a staff?”

“Partner's heart is uncertain, that's why.”

“That's very true! Why am I fighting her...!?”

Saito could not even display half of his usual power.

Unable to understand her reason for attacking, he could not fight Tabitha.

Before he knew it, in his defensive battle, Saito was driven into a corner. No... even if he could utilize Gandálfr's full power, Saito would not be able to fight Tabitha seriously. Even now, he could only draw his sword to try his best to knock off Tabitha's staff. Saito was that kind of person.

The offense and defense strikes continued back and forth...

Saito and Tabitha were confronting each other within a distance of 15 mails.

It was scarcely an interval.

Instantly, Saito retreated slightly beyond the distance which he could plunge forward towards her immediately.

A distance at which Tabitha could avoid if he were to plunge forward towards her...

That was the same for Saito as well. Even if Tabitha uttered any spell... he had the confidence to deal with it from this distance.

“Oi! It's about time you give me a straight answer...”

At that moment,

“Are you having trouble dealing with him?”

As if reverberating in their heads, a voice could be heard from above the sky.

The gargoyle which they had seen before, was carrying something behind it and circling them.

It was a shadow.

In the moonlight, pink hair shone.

“LOUISE!”

Louise's body was seen, carried on the back of a gargoyle, she seem to have fainted.

Saito unconsciously tried to run toward where Louise was... but before he could do that, Tabitha blocked his path.

“You... step aside!”

With eyes that revealed no emotion, Tabitha glared at Saito.

“There is no reason for her to step aside. This child is the Knight of the North Parterre. Our loyal watchdog.”

“Watchdog?”

“Isn't this amusing? Chevalier versus Chevalier. A combination for which my master would be jumping with delight.”

Tabitha bent her body slightly and readied her staff.

Heavy...

The atmosphere appeared to have turned heavy abruptly.

Her magical powers manifested into an aura, which drifted about around Tabitha, like a heat haze. Under the illumination of the moonlight, that aura squirmed about demonically.

Blue.

An aura that embodied Tabitha's power.

Saito gulped.

This girl's magical power was not just for show.

“Oi, Tabitha. Since Louise is at stake, I'll have be serious.”

“...”

“Because you are strong, I can't go easy on you.”

Tabitha started to recite spells.

“Hey, Gandálfr. If you aren't serious, you'll get hurt. Don't you get it? If you continue like this, you can't save your precious master.”

“Step aside Tabitha! Just step aside!”

[[Image:ZnT09-229.jpg|thumb]]

Ignoring his angry yell... Tabitha continued chanting her spell.

"Laguz Water Is Isa Hagalaz"

At the same time Tabitha rotated her staff to match the chant.

Magical power formed around her body like a serpent and changed into a huge ice javelin.

Guided by the staff... the ice javelin turned.

While turning, it kept on swelling... larger, sharper, and the blue radiance kept increasing.

Derflinger muttered.

“That 'Javelin'... its destructive power is strong. Don't get hit partner, or we'll be done for.”

“Oi, Tabitha! To save Louise I might have to kill you! Do you understand!?” Saito yelled.

“That is the same for this child as well.”

The gargoyle's shout reverberated from above.

“Do it! Partner!”

Saito shook his head as if giving up, and jumped.

Simultaneously, Tabitha swung her staff downwards.

With a wave of the staff, the huge Javelin aimed down and shot towards Saito.

The sword and the Javelin intersected each other.

Dissected by the sword, the Javelin broke and shattered into pieces.

But amidst the icy debris, Saito was hit by ice splinters which rained down like broken glass.

“Chi-!” Tabitha growl.

Finding a gap between the ice splinters, Tabitha brandishing her staff to fire off another Javelin.

“The first round was a decoy!”

Derflinger shouted.

Tabitha had completed two javelins at the same time just now.

“Uooooooo...!”

Together with his scream, the runes on Saito's left hand shone.

In a split second, he rushed over and knocked Tabitha down.

Straddling her small body with his knees, Saito pointed his sword at her.

But Tabitha would not release her staff.

“Throw away your staff!”

Saito shouted, as he readied his sword fiercely over her head.

Tabitha stared at Saito motionlessly.

Those eyes were... completely cold. It was unknown what kind of emotion laid hidden behind them.

The only thing they expressed was, "I will defeat the enemy".

The enemy that was in front of her.

That's what those eyes seem to say.

Magical mist gathered around Tabitha's staff, the ice spell 'Javelin' was formed. Just by lowering her staff... the spear would be unleashed, and would pierce through Saito's body.

Without the slightest hesitation, Tabitha waved her staff.

“Stop!!”

Saito yelled, and swung his sword downward.

The ice spear was activated, and ''Bang!'', both Saito and Tabitha was enveloped by a mist of water vapour.

Tabitha gazed at Saito, dumbfounded.

Saito's sword was stabbed into the ground beside Tabitha's face.

Tabitha's 'Javelin' which shone with a pale light... pierced Saito's side. Red blood flowed from Saito's wound... and dripped onto Tabitha's cheeks.

The snow white cheeks were stained in red.

“...Why?”

Without moving an inch, Tabitha asked Saito.

''Saito ought to have impaled me by now.''

Yet, Saito pointed his sword away.

“Dunno... I pointed it away unconsciously. How shameful... and I have to protect Louise... why did I spare the enemy...? I...”

Saito murmured with an anguished-looking face.

“But... you had saved us so many times, I suppose I can't kill you...”

“...”

“I wanted... to protect the people I most hold dear in life... even so, how could I sacrifice such another...?”

Tabitha's eyes opened big.

After that... from the inside of the transparent, blue eyes, tears welled up, overflowed from the side of her eyes... and trailed down her cheeks.

“What's the matter? What are you crying for? Your task hasn't finished yet. Deliver the finishing blow quickly!” The gargoyle demanded.

Tabitha sprang up, and with "Wind Break," blew the falling Saito off.

“Ouch!”

Tumbled over, Saito tried to stand up... but the side of his stomach hurt, and his body went numb- he could not move.

Tabitha waved her wand for a few times.

“Gou!” She shouted, and a whirlwind suddenly revolved around Tabitha, enveloping her.

In the midst of that, snow fragments glistened, sparkling.

''Will I be killed by this beautiful snow...?'' In a daze, Saito thought...

Tabitha did not aim her staff at Saito, but at the gargoyle, and fired.

Mixed with snowflakes, the raging wind attacked the gargoyle with sheer force, cutting off its wings and knocking it to the ground. Louise, who was on the gargoyle, was thrown off at the same time.

Tabitha turned around toward Saito.

“Finish it off.”

Holding his wounded side, Saito moved towards the gargoyle, who was struggling to fly away.

“Oh my... Knight of the North Parterre. A pet dog defying its master?”

Tabitha lifted her staff.

“...Don't misunderstand. Never once have I swore allegiance to you people.”

The gargoyle, struggling with its severe wounds, spoke in a small voice.

“I will report on your treachery. Besides, we've already captured our intended prey.”

The moment those words were said...

A huge shadow fell from the sky.

With wings spanning 30 meters... it was a gigantic gargoyle.

“Hu-Huge!!”

This gargoyle was many times bigger than the one before.

Grabbing the unconscious Louise with its left hand, it quickly rose in the air.

By a mere flap of the wings of the gigantic gargoyle, Saito and Tabitha were blown away and hit the ground hard.

Tabitha, who recovered quickly, whistled.

Giving off a roar, Sylphid flew and landed in front of Tabitha.

Nimbly straddling the dragon, Tabitha called out to Saito.

“Come on.”

While holding his injured side, Saito climbed onto Sylphid's back. Tabitha held out her hand, helping him up.

“Chase them.”

At Tabitha's brief command, and with a ''Kyui'' sound, Sylphid soared into the sky.

Saito and Tabitha were riding Sylphid on its back, pursuing the huge gargoyle. Was Myoznitnirn controlling the gargoyles from somewhere...? Her figure could not be seen on its back.

“Hey Tabitha. Tell me. Why did you attack me? Who are those people?”

Tabatha who was looking straight forward....

“We'll talk afterwards.” She murmured.

“Got it,”

Saito nodded. Indeed, now wasn't the time to listen to the reasons.

The flying speed of the gargoyle, flapping its wings, wasn't all that fast. Tabitha's Sylphid managed to catch up with it easily.

Its brutal form was exposed under the moonlight.

Before he realized it, Saito recalled the rumor he heard in the dining hall.

The huge wings which a dragon knight witnessed over Tristanian skies...

That figure must of been the one mistaken for a bird monster.

Its true appearance had to be this one.

The rumors that its wings span was 150 meters simply had to be an exaggeration.... The size might have appeared a few times larger due to the darkness and fear.

“Get closer! I’m ready!”

Tabitha nodded, and ordered Sylphid.

“Closer.”

"''Kyui''", at that moment when Sylphid purred...

In the sky, small black dots started to gradually appear.

“Wh-What is that...?”

They were gargoyles.

Like a flock of crows, the gargoyles, whose numbers covered the sky, flew towards them.

Moving by magic and their yellow eyes shining, The gargoyles started to surround Sylphid.

“Shit!”

There were already about several dozen near them.


To stop them from approaching the huge one carrying Louise, the gargoyles attacked with their claws and fangs.

“Kyui, kyui!”

Sylphid let out a terrified sound.

Tabitha chanted 'Windy Icicle' again... but only one of them fell. Because of her previous battle with Saito, it seemed like her willpower had depleted.

Saito grinded his teeth.

Without a good machine-gun and Gandálfr's powers, the situation looked hopeless.

“Crap... so what if I'm Gandálfr! Without the right tools, the weapon I'm holding might as well be a toy!”

This knight, who was once celebrated as a Chevalier, was quite embarrassed.


At that moment... Tabitha informed Saito softly,

“Up there.”

When Saito looked up, what he saw... was a huge shadow... spread over the sky.

“Wh-What is that....”

Truly colossal... nothing else could describe those black wings flying overhead.

Its silhouette looked like a monster spreading its wings...

''Shushushushushu''... a peculiar sound could be heard from it.

The dragon knight's report was not wrong.

Its overall width was more than 150 meters.

“This thing is so big... so it was all true!”

Compared to the flock of gargoyles and the one carrying Louise, this was about 50 times bigger. Apparently, it was an ultra big gargoyle...



It was unreasonable to even think about going against such an opponent.

If they didn't want to die, they had to escape from there.

In spite of that, Tabitha did not try to make Sylphid retreat.

On the contrary, she stopped doing evasive maneuvers and made a beeline towards their target.

“Oi, Tabitha! That's reckless!”

Tabitha stared straight at the gargoyle who was holding Louise.

To stop Tabitha, the gargoyles flew in front of them and targeted Sylphid's wings.

There were seven of them.

It was more than Saito could deal with.

“Run away Tabitha! It’s too dangerous!”

“...You saved me.”

“Eh?”

“I’ll help you save Louise even if it costs me my life.”

So Tabitha was even willing to risk her life for his sake. Bitter at his own helplessness, Saito grinded his teeth.

“Damn it all!!”

Like revolving lanterns, the faces of Louise, Siesta and Colbert flashed across his mind.

''I couldn’t carry out teacher’s last wish.''

''I couldn't do it.''

''I wanted to protecting the one girl I loved but... I CAN’T EVEN DO THAT!''

“Teacher! The things you did, I can't even do half of them... no, not even a tenth of them!”

Facing the sky, Saito yelled.

The seven gargoyles were approaching them from the front...

When they came into contact with each other, Tabitha, Sylphid, and himself would surely be torn apart by those huge claws.
But then, just as Saito thought they were finished...

Flames came shooting out of the massive shadow from above.

The flames erupted over the battlefield.

With a motion like that of a snake, it encircled the gargoyles which were about to attack Saito and turned them into cinders.

Saito and Tabitha were taken aback, and looked up to the sky.

“Why?”

“Ally...?”

Voices could be heard.

“'Not even a tenth of them' you say?”

From the skies, that voice reverberated.

It strangely echoed as if it were transmitted through loudspeakers.

Nevertheless, that voice sounded familiar.

In the laboratory, in the classrooms, in the courtyard... a voice he had heard many times before.

“Teacher?” Saito murmured.

He shook his head after that. It must be a hallucination. Teacher is suppose to be dead.

He's hearing voices that weren't there because he was too stressed out.

The gargoyles' assault continued. Sylphid began to dodge the attacks frantically again. Because of this, Tabitha and Saito could only cling onto it with all their might. They could not counterattack at all.

“You are not me. That's nothing to be ashamed about.”

That voice could be heard again.

Saito lifted his face and yelled,

“Teacher!!”

It was Colbert's voice. There's no mistake about it.

Surprise and delight swept through his heart.

''Guonguonguon''... The noise sounded through the sky.

''Shushushushushushu''... The sound became louder.

The colossal shadow descended slowly, and approached the group who were being attacked by gargoyles.

Saito's mouth was wide open.

W-What huge wings... so this was the object that was described as a ''"bird-like monster"''.

Yeah.

Those were indeed wings. Huge wings which had a span of approximately 150 meters. Behind the wings, several huge propellers were spinning.

The flying object had wings in the shape of a flat isosceles triangle, and the huge propellers were its main driving force.

Quite different from the "mysterious bird", this was the real thing.

And when he saw those propellers... Saito's hopes were realised.

“You're alive...”

Then a sultry woman's voice that they hadn't heard in a while cried out.

“Hey guys, what are you doing? Having fun? Since when did you manage to make friends with gargoyles?”

Tabitha looked up at the owner of the voice.

“I was thinking of secretly arriving at the academy, and show off this ''"Ostrant"'' to surprise you all. But when we returned to Tristain, we made a navigation error and accidentally came here instead.”


“Kirche!”

Sure enough, that was the voice of Kirche who had not shown herself at the academy since taking Colbert's remains to Germania.

Next, Colbert's voice could be heard.

“Anyway... the 'Flying Serpents' are about to move, so be careful.”

“Do a nose-dive!” Saito yelled at Tabitha.

Tabitha nodded. Sylphid lowered her head, and swiftly dived down at once.

''Baraaa... barabararararararaaaaa!'' Many shots were fired from launcher barrels located on the bottom of the ''"Ostrant"''.

From behind the dropping cylinders, ignition fires were lit.

After that, ''shupooooo!'' The sound which he had heard while he was being pursued by the dragon knights in Albion the other day, echoed through the air.

Like fireworks in the night sky, Colbert's Flying Serpents ignited simultaneously.

The tips of the Flying Serpents were equipped with a magic device which transmits "Detect Magic". That magic device would react excitedly at the gargoyles, and the Flying Serpents would quickly dash towards them.

Generally, there were about two or three 'Flying Serpents' pursuing each gargoyle.

At a point-blank range near the gargoyles, the Flying Serpents would explode into pieces, which would scatter at the gargoyles, smashing them to pieces.

The gargoyles could not even think about escaping. One by one, they dropped to the ground.

One of the serpents reacted to Tabitha's magic, and flew towards her.

Saito jumped from the top of Sylphid, and slashed it before it could reach her.

Before he knew it, he could no longer feel even the pain at the side of his stomach.

''The teacher is alive.''

''The person who believed in me...''

''The person who helped me so many times before...''

''And now... he is saving me yet again.''

That fact gave Saito courage.

“I'm not alone.”

The runes on his left hand shone.

Using the explosion just now, grasping Derflinger with his left hand, Saito caught one of the Flying Serpents in the air.

Clinging onto the thing, which had a length about the same as Saito's height, he forcibly turned the head of the Flying Serpent to fly towards the gargoyle which was holding Louise. The magic device which had "Detect Magic" on it, sensed that gargoyle, and rushed swiftly towards it.

On top of the Flying Serpent, Saito adopted a stance as if crouching on top of a surfboard.

He approached the gargoyle in a furious speed.

He timed it properly.

Precisely a second before the collision, Saito leaped from the top of the Serpent, and sliced through the arm which had seized Louise. Just like that, he caught Louise in the sky.

Almost simultaneously, the Serpent that was behind them exploded, and the gargoyle whose arm was sliced through was blasted into smithereens.

They were lifted up by the blast... but Saito did not part with Louise.

Fragments shot into his body, sending intense pain to him.

In spite of that, Saito still did not let go.

They were blown upward by the explosion until they reached the apex, and then dropped due to gravity.

There were traces of tears in Louise's eyes.

Gazing at those tears, Saito began to think of thoughts which pressed heavily upon his heart. In that moment, as if the gargoyle's hypnosis magic suddenly ran out, Louise's eyes suddenly opened.


“Yo, Louise...”

Saito said, and...

“Release me!”

Louise began to struggle.

“I-idiot! We're falling down right now! Stop struggling!”

“I don't care! That's enough, let go of me! I hate you Saito!! Just die! I hate you and Princess the most!! Both of you lied to me together! Absolutely unforgivable!!”
[[Image:ZnT09-245.jpg|thumb]]
“That's just the way it turned out. Really, i-i-its like a misunderstanding...”

Even though Saito tried frantically to sooth her, Louise was still bawling and struggling with her hands. Perhaps she would be accidentally released
like this. It would be terrible if they were to separate in the air.

“I have to calm her down somehow.” Saito thought.

“I hate you! Let me go! I've had enough!”

Looking at the bawling Louise... Saito knew that he could not make her understand with words.

''What should I do...?''

He was troubled. But then Saito looked straight at Louise, and said.

“I love you, Louise. Only you!”

“Liar! I don't believe you! I HATE you!”

Louise grew more and more upset.

''There is no other way. Damn, if things keep continuing like this...''

Saito hugged the raging Louise tightly. Louise was kicking and struggling, nevertheless he pressed his lips hard against hers.

Louise struggled for a while, but eventually and with a muffled "''ngu...''", she stopped resisting and became quiet.

''But if we continue dropping like this we'll still die...''

While he was thinking that, ''"Buon!"'' A sound was heard, and Tabitha's Sylphid scooped them up with its wings.

Relieved and hugging the still weeping Louise, Saito looked up to the sky...

Under the moonlight, flying regally in the sky, the ''Ostrant'' on which Colbert and Kirche were riding could be seen.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter8|Chapter 8]]
| Return to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter9

2015-08-13T09:54:42Z

Iro Daijoubu: /* Chapter Nine: Confrontation with the Mysterious Bird */ rewrite9f

===Chapter Nine: Confrontation with the Mysterious Bird===

Saito exited the main tower and immediately went to Louise's room to find her. However, she had not come back. "What if I can't find Louise..." That was the only thing on his mind.

He had never seen Louise so sad before.

It was his fault... regardless of the circumstances, it was unforgivable.

He wanted to meet her and apologize.

While he was running, Saito imagined Louise's feelings. She saw the princess she esteemed and... the familiar whom she always thought to be faithful, hugging each other as if they were lovers; how much were her feelings hurt?

Although they were not lovers... Louise had seen him allowing Henrietta to go as far as kissing, what a pain it must've been to her! Even thinking about this, Saito's heart ached.

Leaping out of the room, he immediately ran to the courtyard of the academy at night.

In the midst of the almost pitch-black darkness... Louise's figure could not be seen anywhere.

When he was going towards Vestri Courtyard...

The clouds cleared, and the moonlight revealed a figure; a shadow which was sitting on the bench could be seen.

“Louise!”

He unintentionally shouted and rushed forward, only to find that he was mistaken.

“What? Oh, it's you...”

It was Tabitha. Not even attending the ball on such a night, reading a book on a bench to which no one would come; it was really typical of her.

“Hey, did you see Louise?”

Tabitha did not respond.

Staring fixedly at the book, just like that, her body did not stir an inch.

''She didn't hear me?'' He thought, and repeated himself.

“Do you know where Louise is?”

The face which was illuminated by the moonlight, was completely pale.

At that moment... Saito realized that there was a shadow circling in mid-air with its back against the moon.

“What's that? It's not a bird... and it's got legs?”

With the figure of a human and flapping wings, it was a very strange creature. It looked like the demons he saw in manga and television in the former days.

“Gargoyle.” Tabitha said briefly.

“You...!” At the moment he said that, Tabitha waved her staff.

''Buoo!'' A gush of air expanded towards him, and Saito was blown off his feet.

“What are you...!”

Not even having the time to shout, ice arrows aimed at Saito and flew towards him.

At a place somewhat far from the Academy of Magic, Louise was crying endlessly.

“Cruel... too cruel... why, why!”

Pitch black darkness was all around her.

It was as if she was left behind, all alone in this world. Yet, right now she was not fearful of the darkness. Rather, Louise felt it gave her broken heart comfort.

“Unforgivable... cruel... absolutely unforgivable...”

Her words and tears flowed endlessly together. Her misery kept feeding on itself.

She repeated those same words, over and over, and then...

“What's unforgivable?”

In the middle of the darkness, a voice could be heard.

Louise who was in a state of confusion, felt something reverberating inside her heart.

“I was betrayed. That's why, it's unforgivable.”

“By whom were you betrayed?”

“By someone who was dear to me...”

“Well then, you must take revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“It's unforgivable right? If that's the case, you must take revenge. You can do it. User of the great Void.”

At that, Louise came to her senses.

“...Who are you?”

“One of your friends. Since long ago... one who serves your people.”

“Who are you! Come out!”

Louise shouted into the darkness. Then she remembered the previous incident in Albion.

“Myoznitnirn?”

“You got it; but you're still wrong.”

She focused her eyes... and a winged shadow came into sight.

“...Gargoyle?”

As Louise was about to stand up,

“Don't worry. I will not harm you.”

The gargoyle which had appeared from the dark headed towards Louise's feet and crouched down reverentially.

“What... what's your intention! Myoznitnirn! You said you won't harm me! Then come out! Come and face me!”

However, the gargoyle opened its mouth.

“For what happened before, I apologize. But, that was a so-called test. To determine whether you deserve to be our ally or not.”

“Stop lying! You think I would believe those words?”

“Then, ask yourself. In this world, whose words do you believing in?”

Louise was speechless. Just a while ago... wasn't she betrayed by the two she believed in the most?

“My master can show you the way.”

“A lie... that's a lie!”

Louise's voice was becoming increasingly softer.

“The only one who can truly understand you... is a fellow user of Void. We want you to lend us your power.”

“...My power?”

“It's natural for you to be cautious. Yet, excessive caution would turn your eyes away from the truth.”

Whether or not it was magic, the gargoyle's voice was enchanting.

Gradually, Louise's caution disappeared.

Louise, who was confused because of her grief, did not know that she was falling for a trick.

“You, are you really my friend?”

“Of course.”

“My friend? You won't betray me?”

“I will definitely not betray you.”

The gargoyle slowly turned around, and showed Louise it's back.

“Please ride on me. Oh great master of the Void.”

Louise could not resist that voice any more.

She felt the gargoyle's back... and Louise's senses gradually faded. Slowly, as if she was falling asleep, Louise laid down on the gargoyle's back.

''Gaa!''

''Gagaa!''

''Gagagagagaaa!''

A storm of Windy Icicles - one of Tabitha's strongest attacks, flew towards him. Saito tumbled sideways to avoid them.

Clearly, it was an attack whose aim was to... kill Saito.

If he had not undergone Agnes' training, he would not have been able to evade them.

“What the heck!? What do you want!?”

Saito yelled in anger. He did not understand the reason behind this attack at all.

“Oi! Tabitha! You, what the hell... wh-!”

The response was magic.

Tabitha scattered Windy Icicles in all directions, surrounding him, and sent them flying.

''Bashushushushushuuu!''

After the smokescreen of water vapour produced by the countless Windy Icicles cleared up...

Contrary to her expectations, rather than seeing a skewered figure, Saito was standing there with Derflinger unsheathed. The Windy Icicles were absorbed by Derflinger, while the remaining ones were swiped away by Saito with his blade.

“What on earth, what's your reason? Why did you attack me? Explain!”

Tabitha lifted her staff.

“Because of a command.”

“Command? Who commanded you!”

As expected, her reply was magic.

Saito gripped Derflinger tightly and leaped. He planned to shorten their distance in one movement... and knock down the staff Tabitha was holding. But Tabitha reacted to Saito's movements and leaped, passing by him. Her body moved agilely, just like the traditional Wind element which she prided in.

As if she were a clockwork puppet, Tabitha combined her body's skills and magic to dodge the sword Saito brandished.

“!?”

She was jumping up and down, evading the sword, and at the same time,

“Deru Bagaraasu.”

She chanted the spell, and subsequently, used magic to fly past him. Very slowly, as if she was chasing cotton wool.


And then, sometimes, she would utter incantations which would cause attacks like bee stings.

The air was distorted, and it attacked Saito.

“Air Hammer.”

At that instant the sword was already set up, but, taken by surprise, Derflinger could not absorb it.

Receiving the full blow, Saito was hurled into air.

“Damn...”

However, that attack did not carry strong powers.

It seemed that both sides lacked decisive blows. Just to match with Gandálfr's speed she had to put in a lot of effort.

Because she did not have enough time for her chants, she could not use strong incantations. Naturally, the Windy Icicles and Air Hammers were weakened.

Yet, Tabitha was fast.

With a small and light body, her movements were faster than Wardes whom he had fought before this.

“The way this person moves. They are the movements of an assassin.”

Derflinger revealed its feelings.

“Assassin?”

“Yeah. Avoiding direct battles, and when the opponent reveals his weakness, deciding the victor in an instant. That girl's one by one strikes are not very strong. Her moves and speed are extraordinary though.”

“...Why is she doing so well, considering she's only holding a staff?”

“Partner's heart is uncertain, that's why.”

“That's very true! Why am I fighting her...!?”

Saito could not even display half of his usual power.

Unable to understand her reason for attacking, he could not fight Tabitha.

Before he knew it, in his defensive battle, Saito was driven into a corner. No... even if he could utilize Gandálfr's full power, Saito would not be able to fight Tabitha seriously. Even now, he could only draw his sword to try his best to knock off Tabitha's staff. Saito was that kind of person.

The offense and defense strikes continued back and forth...

Saito and Tabitha were confronting each other within a distance of 15 mails.

It was scarcely an interval.

Instantly, Saito retreated slightly beyond the distance which he could plunge forward towards her immediately.

A distance at which Tabitha could avoid if he were to plunge forward towards her...

That was the same for Saito as well. Even if Tabitha uttered any spell... he had the confidence to deal with it from this distance.

“Oi! It's about time you give me a straight answer...”

At that moment,

“Are you having trouble dealing with him?”

As if reverberating in their heads, a voice could be heard from above the sky.

The gargoyle which they had seen before, was carrying something behind it and circling them.

It was a shadow.

In the moonlight, pink hair shone.

“LOUISE!”

Louise's body was seen, carried on the back of a gargoyle, she seem to have fainted.

Saito unconsciously tried to run toward where Louise was... but before he could do that, Tabitha blocked his path.

“You... step aside!”

With eyes that revealed no emotion, Tabitha glared at Saito.

“There is no reason for her to step aside. This child is the Knight of the North Parterre. Our loyal watchdog.”

“Watchdog?”

“Isn't this amusing? Chevalier versus Chevalier. A combination for which my master would be jumping with delight.”

Tabitha bent her body slightly and readied her staff.

Heavy...

The atmosphere appeared to have turned heavy abruptly.

Her magical powers manifested into an aura, which drifted about around Tabitha, like a heat haze. Under the illumination of the moonlight, that aura squirmed about demonically.

Blue.

An aura that embodied Tabitha's power.

Saito gulped.

This girl's magical power was not just for show.

“Oi, Tabitha. Since Louise is at stake, I'll have be serious.”

“...”

“Because you are strong, I can't go easy on you.”

Tabitha started to recite spells.

“Hey, Gandálfr. If you aren't serious, you'll get hurt. Don't you get it? If you continue like this, you can't save your precious master.”

“Step aside Tabitha! Just step aside!”

[[Image:ZnT09-229.jpg|thumb]]

Ignoring his angry yell... Tabitha continued chanting her spell.

"Laguz Water Is Isa Hagalaz"

At the same time Tabitha rotated her staff to match the chant.

Magical power formed around her body like a serpent and changed into a huge ice javelin.

Guided by the staff... the ice javelin turned.

While turning, it kept on swelling... larger, sharper, and the blue radiance kept increasing.

Derflinger muttered.

“That 'Javelin'... its destructive power is strong. Don't get hit partner, or we'll be done for.”

“Oi, Tabitha! To save Louise I might have to kill you! Do you understand!?” Saito yelled.

“That is the same for this child as well.”

The gargoyle's shout reverberated from above.

“Do it! Partner!”

Saito shook his head as if giving up, and jumped.

Simultaneously, Tabitha swung her staff downwards.

With a wave of the staff, the huge Javelin aimed down and shot towards Saito.

The sword and the Javelin intersected each other.

Dissected by the sword, the Javelin broke and shattered into pieces.

But amidst the icy debris, Saito was hit by ice splinters which rained down like broken glass.

“Chi-!” Tabitha growl.

Finding a gap between the ice splinters, Tabitha brandishing her staff to fire off another Javelin.

“The first round was a decoy!”

Derflinger shouted.

Tabitha had completed two javelins at the same time just now.

“Uooooooo...!”

Together with his scream, the runes on Saito's left hand shone.

In a split second, he rushed over and knocked Tabitha down.

Straddling her small body with his knees, Saito pointed his sword at her.

But Tabitha would not release her staff.

“Throw away your staff!”

Saito shouted, as he readied his sword fiercely over her head.

Tabitha stared at Saito motionlessly.

Those eyes were... completely cold. It was unknown what kind of emotion laid hidden behind them.

The only thing they expressed was, "I will defeat the enemy".

The enemy that was in front of her.

That's what those eyes seem to say.

Magical mist gathered around Tabitha's staff, the ice spell 'Javelin' was formed. Just by lowering her staff... the spear would be unleashed, and would pierce through Saito's body.

Without the slightest hesitation, Tabitha waved her staff.

“Stop!!”

Saito yelled, and swung his sword downward.

The ice spear was activated, and ''Bang!'', both Saito and Tabitha was enveloped by a mist of water vapour.

Tabitha gazed at Saito, dumbfounded.

Saito's sword was stabbed into the ground beside Tabitha's face.

Tabitha's 'Javelin' which shone with a pale light... pierced Saito's side. Red blood flowed from Saito's wound... and dripped onto Tabitha's cheeks.

The snow white cheeks were stained in red.

“...Why?”

Without moving an inch, Tabitha asked Saito.

''Saito ought to have impaled me by now.''

Yet, Saito pointed his sword away.

“Dunno... I pointed it away unconsciously. How shameful... and I have to protect Louise... why did I spare the enemy...? I...”

Saito murmured with an anguished-looking face.

“But... you had saved us so many times, I suppose I can't kill you...”

“...”

“I wanted... to protect the people I most hold dear in life... even so, how could I sacrifice such another...?”

Tabitha's eyes opened big.

After that... from the inside of the transparent, blue eyes, tears welled up, overflowed from the side of her eyes... and trailed down her cheeks.

“What's the matter? What are you crying for? Your task hasn't finished yet. Deliver the finishing blow quickly!” The gargoyle demanded.

Tabitha sprang up, and with "Wind Break," blew the falling Saito off.

“Ouch!”

Tumbled over, Saito tried to stand up... but the side of his stomach hurt, and his body went numb- he could not move.

Tabitha waved her wand for a few times.

“Gou!” She shouted, and a whirlwind suddenly revolved around Tabitha, enveloping her.

In the midst of that, snow fragments glistened, sparkling.

''Will I be killed by this beautiful snow...?'' In a daze, Saito thought...

Tabitha did not aim her staff at Saito, but at the gargoyle, and fired.

Mixed with snowflakes, the raging wind attacked the gargoyle with sheer force, cutting off its wings and knocking it to the ground. Louise, who was on the gargoyle, was thrown off at the same time.

Tabitha turned around toward Saito.

“Finish it off.”

Holding his wounded side, Saito moved towards the gargoyle, who was struggling to fly away.

“Oh my... Knight of the North Parterre. A pet dog defying its master?”

Tabitha lifted her staff.

“...Don't misunderstand. Never once have I swore allegiance to you people.”

The gargoyle, struggling with its severe wounds, spoke in a small voice.

“I will report on your treachery. Besides, we've already captured our intended prey.”

The moment those words were said...

A huge shadow fell from the sky.

With wings spanning 30 meters... it was a gigantic gargoyle.

“Hu-Huge!!”

This gargoyle was many times bigger than the one before.

Grabbing the unconscious Louise with its left hand, it quickly rose in the air.

By a mere flap of the wings of the gigantic gargoyle, Saito and Tabitha were blown away and hit the ground hard.

Tabitha, who recovered quickly, whistled.

Giving off a roar, Sylphid flew and landed in front of Tabitha.

Nimbly straddling the dragon, Tabitha called out to Saito.

“Come on.”

While holding his injured side, Saito climbed onto Sylphid's back. Tabitha held out her hand, helping him up.

“Chase them.”

At Tabitha's brief command, and with a ''Kyui'' sound, Sylphid soared into the sky.

Saito and Tabitha were riding Sylphid on its back, pursuing the huge gargoyle. Was Myoznitnirn controlling the gargoyles from somewhere...? Her figure could not be seen on its back.

“Hey Tabitha. Tell me. Why did you attack me? Who are those people?”

Tabatha who was looking straight forward....

“We'll talk afterwards.” She murmured.

“Got it,”

Saito nodded. Indeed, now wasn't the time to listen to the reasons.

The flying speed of the gargoyle, flapping its wings, wasn't all that fast. Tabitha's Sylphid managed to catch up with it easily.

Its brutal form was exposed under the moonlight.

Before he realized it, Saito recalled the rumor he heard in the dining hall.

The huge wings which a dragon knight witnessed over Tristanian skies...

That figure must of been the one mistaken for a bird monster.

Its true appearance had to be this one.

The rumors that its wings span was 150 meters simply had to be an exaggeration.... The size might have appeared a few times larger due to the darkness and fear.

“Get closer! I’m ready!”

Tabitha nodded, and ordered Sylphid.

“Closer.”

"''Kyui''", at that moment when Sylphid purred...

In the sky, small black dots started to gradually appear.

“Wh-What is that...?”

They were gargoyles.

Like a flock of crows, the gargoyles, whose numbers covered the sky, flew towards them.

Moving by magic and their yellow eyes shining, The gargoyles started to surround Sylphid.

“Shit!”

There were already about several dozen near them.


To stop them from approaching the huge one carrying Louise, the gargoyles attacked with their claws and fangs.

“Kyui, kyui!”

Sylphid let out a terrified sound.

Tabitha chanted 'Windy Icicle' again... but only one of them fell. Because of her previous battle with Saito, it seemed like her willpower had depleted.

Saito grinded his teeth.

Without a good machine-gun and Gandálfr's powers, the situation looked hopeless.

“Crap... so what if I'm Gandálfr! Without the right tools, the weapon I'm holding might as well be a toy!”

This knight, who was once celebrated as a Chevalier, was quite embarrassed.


At that moment... Tabitha informed Saito softly,

“Up there.”

When Saito looked up, what he saw... was a huge shadow... spread over the sky.

“Wh-What is that....”

Truly colossal... nothing else could describe those black wings flying overhead.

Its silhouette looked like a monster spreading its wings...

''Shushushushushu''... a peculiar sound could be heard from it.

The dragon knight's report was not wrong.

Its overall width was more than 150 meters.

“This thing is so big... so it was all true!”

Compared to the flock of gargoyles and the one carrying Louise, this was about 50 times bigger. Apparently, it was an ultra big gargoyle...



It was unreasonable to even think about going against such an opponent.

If they didn't want to die, they had to escape from there.

In spite of that, Tabitha did not try to make Sylphid retreat.

On the contrary, she stopped doing evasive maneuvers and made a beeline towards their target.

“Oi, Tabitha! That's reckless!”

Tabitha stared straight at the gargoyle who was holding Louise.

To stop Tabitha, the gargoyles flew in front of them and targeted Sylphid's wings.

There were seven of them.

It was more than Saito could deal with.

“Run away Tabitha! It’s too dangerous!”

“...You saved me.”

“Eh?”

“I’ll help you save Louise even if it costs me my life.”

So Tabitha was even willing to risk her life for his sake. Bitter at his own helplessness, Saito grinded his teeth.

“Damn it all!!”

Like revolving lanterns, the faces of Louise, Siesta and Colbert flashed across his mind.

''I couldn’t carry out teacher’s last wish.''

''I couldn't do it.''

''I wanted to protecting the one girl I loved but... I CAN’T EVEN DO THAT!''

“Teacher! The things you did, I can't even do half of them... no, not even a tenth of them!”

Facing the sky, Saito yelled.

The seven gargoyles were approaching them from the front...

When they came into contact with each other, Tabitha, Sylphid, and himself would surely be torn apart by those huge claws.
But then, just as Saito thought they were finished...

Flames came shooting out of the massive shadow from above.

The flames erupted over the battlefield.

With a motion like that of a snake, it encircled the gargoyles which were about to attack Saito and turned them into cinders.

Saito and Tabitha were taken aback, and looked up to the sky.

“Why?”

“Ally...?”

Voices could be heard.

“'Not even a tenth of them' you say?”

From the skies, that voice reverberated.

It strangely echoed as if it were transmitted through loudspeakers.

Nevertheless, that voice sounded familiar.

In the laboratory, in the classrooms, in the courtyard... a voice he had heard many times before.

“Teacher?” Saito murmured.

He shook his head after that. It must be a hallucination. Teacher is suppose to be dead.

He's hearing voices that weren't there because he was too stressed out.

The gargoyles' assault continued. Sylphid began to dodge the attacks frantically again. Because of this, Tabitha and Saito could only cling onto it with all their might. They could not counterattack at all.

“You are not me. That's nothing to be ashamed about.”

That voice could be heard again.

Saito lifted his face and yelled,

“Teacher!!”

It was Colbert's voice. There's no mistake about it.

Surprise and delight swept through his heart.

''Guonguonguon''... The noise sounded through the sky.

''Shushushushushushu''... The sound became louder.

The colossal shadow descended slowly, and approached the group who were being attacked by gargoyles.

Saito's mouth was wide open.

W-What huge wings... so this was the object that was described as a ''"bird-like monster"''.

Yeah.

Those were indeed wings. Huge wings which had a span of approximately 150 meters. Behind the wings, several huge propellers were spinning.

The flying object had wings in the shape of a flat isosceles triangle, and the huge propellers were its main driving force.

Quite different from the "mysterious bird", this was the real thing.

And when he saw those propellers... Saito's hopes were realised.

“You're alive...”

Then a sultry woman's voice that they hadn't heard in a while cried out.

“Hey guys, what are you doing? Having fun? Since when did you manage to make friends with gargoyles?”

Tabitha looked up at the owner of the voice.

“I was thinking of secretly arriving at the academy, and show off this ''"Ostrant"'' to surprise you all. But when we returned to Tristain, we made a navigation error and accidentally came here instead.”


“Kirche!”

Sure enough, that was the voice of Kirche who had not shown herself at the academy since taking Colbert's remains to Germania.

Next, Colbert's voice could be heard.

“Anyway... the 'Flying Serpents' are about to move, so be careful.”

“Do a nose-dive!” Saito yelled at Tabitha.

Tabitha nodded. Sylphid lowered her head, and swiftly dived down at once.

''Baraaa... barabararararararaaaaa!'' Many shots were fired from launcher barrels located on the bottom of the ''"Ostrant"''.

From behind the dropping cylinders, ignition fires were lit.

After that, ''shupooooo!'' The sound which he had heard while he was being pursued by the dragon knights in Albion the other day, echoed through the air.

Like fireworks in the night sky, Colbert's Flying Serpents ignited simultaneously.

The tips of the Flying Serpents were equipped with a magic device which transmits "Detect Magic". That magic device would react excitedly at the gargoyles, and the Flying Serpents would quickly dash towards them.

Generally, there were about two or three 'Flying Serpents' pursuing each gargoyle.

At a point-blank range near the gargoyles, the Flying Serpents would explode into pieces, which would scatter at the gargoyles, smashing them to pieces.

The gargoyles could not even think about escaping. One by one, they dropped to the ground.

One of the serpents reacted to Tabitha's magic, and flew towards her.

Saito jumped from the top of Sylphid, and slashed it before it could reach her.

Before he knew it, he could no longer feel even the pain at the side of his stomach.

''The teacher is alive.''

''The person who believed in me...''

''The person who helped me so many times before...''

''And now... he is saving me yet again.''

That fact gave Saito courage.

“I'm not alone.”

The runes on his left hand shone.

Using the explosion just now, grasping Derflinger with his left hand, Saito caught one of the Flying Serpents in the air.

Clinging onto the thing, which had a length about the same as Saito's height, he forcibly turned the head of the Flying Serpent to fly towards the gargoyle which was holding Louise. The magic device which had "Detect Magic" on it, sensed that gargoyle, and rushed swiftly towards it.

On top of the Flying Serpent, Saito adopted a stance as if crouching on top of a surfboard.

He approached the gargoyle in a furious speed.

He timed it properly.

Precisely a second before the collision, Saito leaped from the top of the Serpent, and sliced through the arm which had seized Louise. Just like that, he caught Louise in the sky.

Almost simultaneously, the Serpent that was behind them exploded, and the gargoyle whose arm was sliced through was blasted into smithereens.

They were lifted up by the blast... but Saito did not part with Louise.

Fragments shot into his body, sending intense pain to him.

In spite of that, Saito still did not let go.

They were blown upward by the explosion until they reached the apex, and then dropped due to gravity.

There were traces of tears in Louise's eyes.

Gazing at those tears, Saito began to think of thoughts which pressed heavily upon his heart. In that moment, as if the gargoyle's hypnosis magic suddenly ran out, Louise's eyes suddenly opened.


“Yo, Louise...”

Saito said, and...

“Release me!”

Louise began to struggle.

“I-idiot! We're falling down right now! Stop struggling!”

“I don't care! That's enough, let go of me! I hate you Saito!! Just die! I hate you and Princess the most!! Both of you lied to me together! Absolutely unforgivable!!”
[[Image:ZnT09-245.jpg|thumb]]
“That's just the way it turned out. Really, i-i-its like a misunderstanding...”

Even though Saito tried frantically to sooth her, Louise was still bawling and struggling with her hands. Perhaps she would be accidentally released
like this. It would be terrible if they were to separate in the air.

“I have to calm her down somehow.” Saito thought.

“I hate you! Let me go! I've had enough!”

Looking at the bawling Louise... Saito knew that he could not make her understand with words.

''What should I do...?''

He was troubled. But then Saito looked straight at Louise, and said.

“I love you, Louise. Only you!”

“Liar! I don't believe you! I HATE you!”

Louise grew more and more upset.

''There is no other way. Damn, if things keep continuing like this...''

Saito hugged the raging Louise tightly. Louise was kicking and struggling, nevertheless he pressed his lips hard against hers.

Louise struggled for a while, but eventually and with a muffled "''ngu...''", she stopped resisting and became quiet.

''But if we continue dropping like this we'll still die...'' While he was thinking about that, ''"Buon!"'' A sound was heard, and Tabitha's Sylphid scooped them up with its wings.

Relieved and hugging the still weeping Louise, Saito looked up to the sky...

Under the moonlight, flying magnificently in the sky, the ''Ostrant'' on which Colbert and Kirche were riding could be seen.

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| Back to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter8|Chapter 8]]
| Return to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter9

2015-08-13T09:49:14Z

Iro Daijoubu: /* Chapter Nine: Confrontation with the Mysterious Bird */ rewrite9e

===Chapter Nine: Confrontation with the Mysterious Bird===

Saito exited the main tower and immediately went to Louise's room to find her. However, she had not come back. "What if I can't find Louise..." That was the only thing on his mind.

He had never seen Louise so sad before.

It was his fault... regardless of the circumstances, it was unforgivable.

He wanted to meet her and apologize.

While he was running, Saito imagined Louise's feelings. She saw the princess she esteemed and... the familiar whom she always thought to be faithful, hugging each other as if they were lovers; how much were her feelings hurt?

Although they were not lovers... Louise had seen him allowing Henrietta to go as far as kissing, what a pain it must've been to her! Even thinking about this, Saito's heart ached.

Leaping out of the room, he immediately ran to the courtyard of the academy at night.

In the midst of the almost pitch-black darkness... Louise's figure could not be seen anywhere.

When he was going towards Vestri Courtyard...

The clouds cleared, and the moonlight revealed a figure; a shadow which was sitting on the bench could be seen.

“Louise!”

He unintentionally shouted and rushed forward, only to find that he was mistaken.

“What? Oh, it's you...”

It was Tabitha. Not even attending the ball on such a night, reading a book on a bench to which no one would come; it was really typical of her.

“Hey, did you see Louise?”

Tabitha did not respond.

Staring fixedly at the book, just like that, her body did not stir an inch.

''She didn't hear me?'' He thought, and repeated himself.

“Do you know where Louise is?”

The face which was illuminated by the moonlight, was completely pale.

At that moment... Saito realized that there was a shadow circling in mid-air with its back against the moon.

“What's that? It's not a bird... and it's got legs?”

With the figure of a human and flapping wings, it was a very strange creature. It looked like the demons he saw in manga and television in the former days.

“Gargoyle.” Tabitha said briefly.

“You...!” At the moment he said that, Tabitha waved her staff.

''Buoo!'' A gush of air expanded towards him, and Saito was blown off his feet.

“What are you...!”

Not even having the time to shout, ice arrows aimed at Saito and flew towards him.

At a place somewhat far from the Academy of Magic, Louise was crying endlessly.

“Cruel... too cruel... why, why!”

Pitch black darkness was all around her.

It was as if she was left behind, all alone in this world. Yet, right now she was not fearful of the darkness. Rather, Louise felt it gave her broken heart comfort.

“Unforgivable... cruel... absolutely unforgivable...”

Her words and tears flowed endlessly together. Her misery kept feeding on itself.

She repeated those same words, over and over, and then...

“What's unforgivable?”

In the middle of the darkness, a voice could be heard.

Louise who was in a state of confusion, felt something reverberating inside her heart.

“I was betrayed. That's why, it's unforgivable.”

“By whom were you betrayed?”

“By someone who was dear to me...”

“Well then, you must take revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“It's unforgivable right? If that's the case, you must take revenge. You can do it. User of the great Void.”

At that, Louise came to her senses.

“...Who are you?”

“One of your friends. Since long ago... one who serves your people.”

“Who are you! Come out!”

Louise shouted into the darkness. Then she remembered the previous incident in Albion.

“Myoznitnirn?”

“You got it; but you're still wrong.”

She focused her eyes... and a winged shadow came into sight.

“...Gargoyle?”

As Louise was about to stand up,

“Don't worry. I will not harm you.”

The gargoyle which had appeared from the dark headed towards Louise's feet and crouched down reverentially.

“What... what's your intention! Myoznitnirn! You said you won't harm me! Then come out! Come and face me!”

However, the gargoyle opened its mouth.

“For what happened before, I apologize. But, that was a so-called test. To determine whether you deserve to be our ally or not.”

“Stop lying! You think I would believe those words?”

“Then, ask yourself. In this world, whose words do you believing in?”

Louise was speechless. Just a while ago... wasn't she betrayed by the two she believed in the most?

“My master can show you the way.”

“A lie... that's a lie!”

Louise's voice was becoming increasingly softer.

“The only one who can truly understand you... is a fellow user of Void. We want you to lend us your power.”

“...My power?”

“It's natural for you to be cautious. Yet, excessive caution would turn your eyes away from the truth.”

Whether or not it was magic, the gargoyle's voice was enchanting.

Gradually, Louise's caution disappeared.

Louise, who was confused because of her grief, did not know that she was falling for a trick.

“You, are you really my friend?”

“Of course.”

“My friend? You won't betray me?”

“I will definitely not betray you.”

The gargoyle slowly turned around, and showed Louise it's back.

“Please ride on me. Oh great master of the Void.”

Louise could not resist that voice any more.

She felt the gargoyle's back... and Louise's senses gradually faded. Slowly, as if she was falling asleep, Louise laid down on the gargoyle's back.

''Gaa!''

''Gagaa!''

''Gagagagagaaa!''

A storm of Windy Icicles - one of Tabitha's strongest attacks, flew towards him. Saito tumbled sideways to avoid them.

Clearly, it was an attack whose aim was to... kill Saito.

If he had not undergone Agnes' training, he would not have been able to evade them.

“What the heck!? What do you want!?”

Saito yelled in anger. He did not understand the reason behind this attack at all.

“Oi! Tabitha! You, what the hell... wh-!”

The response was magic.

Tabitha scattered Windy Icicles in all directions, surrounding him, and sent them flying.

''Bashushushushushuuu!''

After the smokescreen of water vapour produced by the countless Windy Icicles cleared up...

Contrary to her expectations, rather than seeing a skewered figure, Saito was standing there with Derflinger unsheathed. The Windy Icicles were absorbed by Derflinger, while the remaining ones were swiped away by Saito with his blade.

“What on earth, what's your reason? Why did you attack me? Explain!”

Tabitha lifted her staff.

“Because of a command.”

“Command? Who commanded you!”

As expected, her reply was magic.

Saito gripped Derflinger tightly and leaped. He planned to shorten their distance in one movement... and knock down the staff Tabitha was holding. But Tabitha reacted to Saito's movements and leaped, passing by him. Her body moved agilely, just like the traditional Wind element which she prided in.

As if she were a clockwork puppet, Tabitha combined her body's skills and magic to dodge the sword Saito brandished.

“!?”

She was jumping up and down, evading the sword, and at the same time,

“Deru Bagaraasu.”

She chanted the spell, and subsequently, used magic to fly past him. Very slowly, as if she was chasing cotton wool.


And then, sometimes, she would utter incantations which would cause attacks like bee stings.

The air was distorted, and it attacked Saito.

“Air Hammer.”

At that instant the sword was already set up, but, taken by surprise, Derflinger could not absorb it.

Receiving the full blow, Saito was hurled into air.

“Damn...”

However, that attack did not carry strong powers.

It seemed that both sides lacked decisive blows. Just to match with Gandálfr's speed she had to put in a lot of effort.

Because she did not have enough time for her chants, she could not use strong incantations. Naturally, the Windy Icicles and Air Hammers were weakened.

Yet, Tabitha was fast.

With a small and light body, her movements were faster than Wardes whom he had fought before this.

“The way this person moves. They are the movements of an assassin.”

Derflinger revealed its feelings.

“Assassin?”

“Yeah. Avoiding direct battles, and when the opponent reveals his weakness, deciding the victor in an instant. That girl's one by one strikes are not very strong. Her moves and speed are extraordinary though.”

“...Why is she doing so well, considering she's only holding a staff?”

“Partner's heart is uncertain, that's why.”

“That's very true! Why am I fighting her...!?”

Saito could not even display half of his usual power.

Unable to understand her reason for attacking, he could not fight Tabitha.

Before he knew it, in his defensive battle, Saito was driven into a corner. No... even if he could utilize Gandálfr's full power, Saito would not be able to fight Tabitha seriously. Even now, he could only draw his sword to try his best to knock off Tabitha's staff. Saito was that kind of person.

The offense and defense strikes continued back and forth...

Saito and Tabitha were confronting each other within a distance of 15 mails.

It was scarcely an interval.

Instantly, Saito retreated slightly beyond the distance which he could plunge forward towards her immediately.

A distance at which Tabitha could avoid if he were to plunge forward towards her...

That was the same for Saito as well. Even if Tabitha uttered any spell... he had the confidence to deal with it from this distance.

“Oi! It's about time you give me a straight answer...”

At that moment,

“Are you having trouble dealing with him?”

As if reverberating in their heads, a voice could be heard from above the sky.

The gargoyle which they had seen before, was carrying something behind it and circling them.

It was a shadow.

In the moonlight, pink hair shone.

“LOUISE!”

Louise's body was seen, carried on the back of a gargoyle, she seem to have fainted.

Saito unconsciously tried to run toward where Louise was... but before he could do that, Tabitha blocked his path.

“You... step aside!”

With eyes that revealed no emotion, Tabitha glared at Saito.

“There is no reason for her to step aside. This child is the Knight of the North Parterre. Our loyal watchdog.”

“Watchdog?”

“Isn't this amusing? Chevalier versus Chevalier. A combination for which my master would be jumping with delight.”

Tabitha bent her body slightly and readied her staff.

Heavy...

The atmosphere appeared to have turned heavy abruptly.

Her magical powers manifested into an aura, which drifted about around Tabitha, like a heat haze. Under the illumination of the moonlight, that aura squirmed about demonically.

Blue.

An aura that embodied Tabitha's power.

Saito gulped.

This girl's magical power was not just for show.

“Oi, Tabitha. Since Louise is at stake, I'll have be serious.”

“...”

“Because you are strong, I can't go easy on you.”

Tabitha started to recite spells.

“Hey, Gandálfr. If you aren't serious, you'll get hurt. Don't you get it? If you continue like this, you can't save your precious master.”

“Step aside Tabitha! Just step aside!”

[[Image:ZnT09-229.jpg|thumb]]

Ignoring his angry yell... Tabitha continued chanting her spell.

"Laguz Water Is Isa Hagalaz"

At the same time Tabitha rotated her staff to match the chant.

Magical power formed around her body like a serpent and changed into a huge ice javelin.

Guided by the staff... the ice javelin turned.

While turning, it kept on swelling... larger, sharper, and the blue radiance kept increasing.

Derflinger muttered.

“That 'Javelin'... its destructive power is strong. Don't get hit partner, or we'll be done for.”

“Oi, Tabitha! To save Louise I might have to kill you! Do you understand!?” Saito yelled.

“That is the same for this child as well.”

The gargoyle's shout reverberated from above.

“Do it! Partner!”

Saito shook his head as if giving up, and jumped.

Simultaneously, Tabitha swung her staff downwards.

With a wave of the staff, the huge Javelin aimed down and shot towards Saito.

The sword and the Javelin intersected each other.

Dissected by the sword, the Javelin broke and shattered into pieces.

But amidst the icy debris, Saito was hit by ice splinters which rained down like broken glass.

“Chi-!” Tabitha growl.

Finding a gap between the ice splinters, Tabitha brandishing her staff to fire off another Javelin.

“The first round was a decoy!”

Derflinger shouted.

Tabitha had completed two javelins at the same time just now.

“Uooooooo...!”

Together with his scream, the runes on Saito's left hand shone.

In a split second, he rushed over and knocked Tabitha down.

Straddling her small body with his knees, Saito pointed his sword at her.

But Tabitha would not release her staff.

“Throw away your staff!”

Saito shouted, as he readied his sword fiercely over her head.

Tabitha stared at Saito motionlessly.

Those eyes were... completely cold. It was unknown what kind of emotion laid hidden behind them.

The only thing they expressed was, "I will defeat the enemy".

The enemy that was in front of her.

That's what those eyes seem to say.

Magical mist gathered around Tabitha's staff, the ice spell 'Javelin' was formed. Just by lowering her staff... the spear would be unleashed, and would pierce through Saito's body.

Without the slightest hesitation, Tabitha waved her staff.

“Stop!!”

Saito yelled, and swung his sword downward.

The ice spear was activated, and ''Bang!'', both Saito and Tabitha was enveloped by a mist of water vapour.

Tabitha gazed at Saito, dumbfounded.

Saito's sword was stabbed into the ground beside Tabitha's face.

Tabitha's 'Javelin' which shone with a pale light... pierced Saito's side. Red blood flowed from Saito's wound... and dripped onto Tabitha's cheeks.

The snow white cheeks were stained in red.

“...Why?”

Without moving an inch, Tabitha asked Saito.

''Saito ought to have impaled me by now.''

Yet, Saito pointed his sword away.

“Dunno... I pointed it away unconsciously. How shameful... and I have to protect Louise... why did I spare the enemy...? I...”

Saito murmured with an anguished-looking face.

“But... you had saved us so many times, I suppose I can't kill you...”

“...”

“I wanted... to protect the people I most hold dear in life... even so, how could I sacrifice such another...?”

Tabitha's eyes opened big.

After that... from the inside of the transparent, blue eyes, tears welled up, overflowed from the side of her eyes... and trailed down her cheeks.

“What's the matter? What are you crying for? Your task hasn't finished yet. Deliver the finishing blow quickly!” The gargoyle demanded.

Tabitha sprang up, and with "Wind Break," blew the falling Saito off.

“Ouch!”

Tumbled over, Saito tried to stand up... but the side of his stomach hurt, and his body went numb- he could not move.

Tabitha waved her wand for a few times.

“Gou!” She shouted, and a whirlwind suddenly revolved around Tabitha, enveloping her.

In the midst of that, snow fragments glistened, sparkling.

''Will I be killed by this beautiful snow...?'' In a daze, Saito thought...

Tabitha did not aim her staff at Saito, but at the gargoyle, and fired.

Mixed with snowflakes, the raging wind attacked the gargoyle with sheer force, cutting off its wings and knocking it to the ground. Louise, who was on the gargoyle, was thrown off at the same time.

Tabitha turned around toward Saito.

“Finish it off.”

Holding his wounded side, Saito moved towards the gargoyle, who was struggling to fly away.

“Oh my... Knight of the North Parterre. A pet dog defying its master?”

Tabitha lifted her staff.

“...Don't misunderstand. Never once have I swore allegiance to you people.”

The gargoyle, struggling with its severe wounds, spoke in a small voice.

“I will report on your treachery. Besides, we've already captured our intended prey.”

The moment those words were said...

A huge shadow fell from the sky.

With wings spanning 30 meters... it was a gigantic gargoyle.

“Hu-Huge!!”

This gargoyle was many times bigger than the one before.

Grabbing the unconscious Louise with its left hand, it quickly rose in the air.

By a mere flap of the wings of the gigantic gargoyle, Saito and Tabitha were blown away and hit the ground hard.

Tabitha, who recovered quickly, whistled.

Giving off a roar, Sylphid flew and landed in front of Tabitha.

Nimbly straddling the dragon, Tabitha called out to Saito.

“Come on.”

While holding his injured side, Saito climbed onto Sylphid's back. Tabitha held out her hand, helping him up.

“Chase them.”

At Tabitha's brief command, and with a ''Kyui'' sound, Sylphid soared into the sky.

Saito and Tabitha were riding Sylphid on its back, pursuing the huge gargoyle. Was Myoznitnirn controlling the gargoyles from somewhere...? Her figure could not be seen on its back.

“Hey Tabitha. Tell me. Why did you attack me? Who are those people?”

Tabatha who was looking straight forward....

“We'll talk afterwards.” She murmured.

“Got it,”

Saito nodded. Indeed, now wasn't the time to listen to the reasons.

The flying speed of the gargoyle, flapping its wings, wasn't all that fast. Tabitha's Sylphid managed to catch up with it easily.

Its brutal form was exposed under the moonlight.

Before he realized it, Saito recalled the rumor he heard in the dining hall.

The huge wings which a dragon knight witnessed over Tristanian skies...

That figure must of been the one mistaken for a bird monster.

Its true appearance had to be this one.

The rumors that its wings span was 150 meters simply had to be an exaggeration.... The size might have appeared a few times larger due to the darkness and fear.

“Get closer! I’m ready!”

Tabitha nodded, and ordered Sylphid.

“Closer.”

"''Kyui''", at that moment when Sylphid purred...

In the sky, small black dots started to gradually appear.

“Wh-What is that...?”

They were gargoyles.

Like a flock of crows, the gargoyles, whose numbers covered the sky, flew towards them.

Moving by magic and their yellow eyes shining, The gargoyles started to surround Sylphid.

“Shit!”

There were already about several dozen near them.


To stop them from approaching the huge one carrying Louise, the gargoyles attacked with their claws and fangs.

“Kyui, kyui!”

Sylphid let out a terrified sound.

Tabitha chanted 'Windy Icicle' again... but only one of them fell. Because of her previous battle with Saito, it seemed like her willpower had depleted.

Saito grinded his teeth.

Without a good machine-gun and Gandálfr's powers, the situation looked hopeless.

“Crap... so what if I'm Gandálfr! Without the right tools, the weapon I'm holding might as well be a toy!”

This knight, who was once celebrated as a Chevalier, was quite embarrassed.


At that moment... Tabitha informed Saito softly,

“Up there.”

When Saito looked up, what he saw... was a huge shadow... spread over the sky.

“Wh-What is that....”

Truly colossal... nothing else could describe those black wings flying overhead.

Its silhouette looked like a monster spreading its wings...

''Shushushushushu''... a peculiar sound could be heard from it.

The dragon knight's report was not wrong.

Its overall width was more than 150 meters.

“This thing is so big... so it was all true!”

Compared to the flock of gargoyles and the one carrying Louise, this was about 50 times bigger. Apparently, it was an ultra big gargoyle...


It was unreasonable to even think about going against such an opponent.

If they didn't want to die, they had to escape from there.

In spite of that, Tabitha did not try to make Sylphid retreat.

On the contrary, she stopped doing evasive maneuvers and made a beeline towards their target.

“Oi, Tabitha! That's reckless!”

Tabitha stared straight at the gargoyle who was holding Louise.

To stop Tabitha, the gargoyles flew in front of them and targeted Sylphid's wings.

There were seven of them.

It was more than Saito could deal with.

“Run away Tabitha! It’s too dangerous!”

“...You saved me.”

“Eh?”

“I’ll help you save Louise even if it costs me my life.”

So Tabitha was even willing to risk her life for his sake. Bitter at his own helplessness, Saito grinded his teeth.

“Damn it all!!”

Like revolving lanterns, the faces of Louise, Siesta and Colbert flashed across his mind.

''I couldn’t carry out teacher’s last wish.''

''I couldn't do it.''

''I wanted to protecting the one girl I loved but... I CAN’T EVEN DO THAT!''

“Teacher! The things you did, I can't even do half of them... no, not even a tenth of them!”

Facing the sky, Saito yelled.

The seven gargoyles were approaching them from the front...

When they came into contact with each other, Tabitha, Sylphid, and himself would surely be torn apart by those huge claws.
But then, just as Saito thought they were finished...

Flames came shooting out of the massive shadow from above.

The flames erupted over the battlefield.

With a motion like that of a snake, it encircled the gargoyles which were about to attack Saito and turned them into cinders.

Saito and Tabitha were taken aback, and looked up to the sky.

“Why?”

“Ally...?”

Voices could be heard.

“'Not even a tenth of them' you say?”

From the skies, that voice reverberated.

It strangely echoed as if it were transmitted through loudspeakers.

Nevertheless, that voice sounded familiar.

In the laboratory, in the classrooms, in the courtyard... a voice he had heard many times before.

“Teacher?” Saito murmured.

He shook his head after that. It must be a hallucination. Teacher is suppose to be dead.

He's hearing voices that weren't there because he was too stressed out.

The gargoyles' assault continued. Sylphid began to dodge the attacks frantically again. Because of this, Tabitha and Saito could only cling onto it with all their might. They could not counterattack at all.

“You are not me. That's nothing to be ashamed about.”

That voice could be heard again.

Saito lifted his face and yelled,

“Teacher!!”

It was Colbert's voice. There's no mistake about it.

Surprise and delight swept through his heart.

''Guonguonguon''... The noise sounded through the sky.

''Shushushushushushu''... The sound became louder.

The colossal shadow descended slowly, and approached the group who were being attacked by gargoyles.

Saito's mouth was wide open.

W-What huge wings... so this was the object that was described as a ''"bird-like monster"''.

Yeah.

Those were indeed wings. Huge wings which had a span of approximately 150 meters. Behind the wings, several huge propellers were spinning.

The flying object had wings in the shape of a flat isosceles triangle, and the huge propellers were its main driving force.

Quite different from the "mysterious bird", this was the real thing.

And when he saw those propellers... Saito's hopes were realised.

“You're alive...”

Then a sultry woman's voice that they hadn't heard in a while cried out.

“Hey guys, what are you doing? Having fun? Since when did you manage to make friends with gargoyles?”

Tabitha looked up at the owner of the voice.

“I was thinking of secretly arriving at the academy, and show off this ''"Ostrant"'' to surprise you all. But when we returned to Tristain, we made a navigation error and accidentally came here instead.”


“Kirche!”

Sure enough, that was the voice of Kirche who had not shown herself at the academy since taking Colbert's remains to Germania.

Next, Colbert's voice could be heard.

“Anyway... the 'Flying Serpents' are about to move, so be careful.”

“Do a nose-dive!” Saito yelled at Tabitha.

Tabitha nodded. Sylphid lowered her head, and swiftly dived down at once.

''Baraaa... barabararararararaaaaa!'' Many shots were fired from launcher barrels located on the bottom of the ''"Ostrant"''.

From behind the dropping cylinders, ignition fires were lit.

After that, ''shupooooo!'' The sound which he had heard while he was being pursued by the dragon knights in Albion the other day, echoed through the air.

Like fireworks in the night sky, Colbert's Flying Serpents ignited simultaneously.

The tips of the Flying Serpents were equipped with a magic device which transmits "Detect Magic". That magic device would react excitedly at the gargoyles, and the Flying Serpents would quickly dash towards them.

Generally, there were about two or three 'Flying Serpents' pursuing each gargoyle.

At a point-blank range near the gargoyles, the Flying Serpents would explode into pieces, which would scatter at the gargoyles, smashing them to pieces.

The gargoyles could not even think about escaping. One by one, they dropped to the ground.

One of the serpents reacted to Tabitha's magic, and flew towards her.

Saito jumped from the top of Sylphid, and slashed it before it could reach her.

Before he knew it, he could no longer feel even the pain at the side of his stomach.

''The teacher is alive.''

''The person who believed in me...''

''The person who helped me so many times before...''

''And now... he is saving me yet again.''

That fact gave Saito courage.

“I'm not alone.”

The runes on his left hand shone.

Using the explosion just now, grasping Derflinger with his left hand, Saito caught one of the Flying Serpents in the air.

Clinging onto the thing, which had a length about the same as Saito's height, he forcibly turned the head of the Flying Serpent to fly towards the gargoyle which was holding Louise. The magic device which had "Detect Magic" on it, sensed that gargoyle, and rushed swiftly towards it.

On top of the Flying Serpent, Saito adopted a stance as if crouching on top of a surfboard.

He approached the gargoyle in a furious speed.

He timed it properly.

Precisely a second before the collision, Saito leaped from the top of the Serpent, and sliced through the arm which had seized Louise. Just like that, he caught Louise in the sky.

Almost simultaneously, the Serpent that was behind them exploded, and the gargoyle whose arm was sliced through was blasted into smithereens.

They were lifted up by the blast... but Saito did not part with Louise.

Fragments shot into his body, sending intense pain to him.

In spite of that, Saito still did not let go.

They were blown upward by the explosion until they reached the apex, and then dropped due to gravity.

There were traces of tears in Louise's eyes.

Gazing at those tears, Saito began to think of thoughts which pressed heavily upon his heart. In that moment, as if the gargoyle's hypnosis magic suddenly ran out, Louise's eyes suddenly opened.


“Yo, Louise...”

Saito said, and...

“Release me!”

Louise began to struggle.

“I-idiot! We're falling down right now! Stop struggling!”

“I don't care! That's enough, let go of me! I hate you Saito!! Just die! I hate you and Princess the most!! Both of you lied to me together! Absolutely unforgivable!!”
[[Image:ZnT09-245.jpg|thumb]]
“That's just the way it turned out. Really, i-i-its like a misunderstanding...”

Even though Saito tried frantically to sooth her, Louise was still bawling and struggling with her hands. Perhaps she would be accidentally released
like this. It would be terrible if they were to separate in the air.

“I have to calm her down somehow.” Saito thought.

“I hate you! Let me go! I've had enough!”

Looking at the bawling Louise... Saito knew that he could not make her understand with words.

''What should I do...?''

He was troubled. But then Saito looked straight at Louise, and said.

“I love you, Louise. Only you!”

“Liar! I don't believe you! I HATE you!”

Louise grew more and more upset.

''There is no other way. Damn, if things keep continuing like this...''

Saito hugged the raging Louise tightly. Louise was kicking and struggling, nevertheless he pressed his lips hard against hers.

Louise struggled for a while, but eventually and with a muffled "''ngu...''", she stopped resisting and became quiet.

''But if we continue dropping like this we'll still die...'' While he was thinking about that, ''"Buon!"'' A sound was heard, and Tabitha's Sylphid scooped them up with its wings.

Relieved and hugging the still weeping Louise, Saito looked up to the sky...

Under the moonlight, flying magnificently in the sky, the ''Ostrant'' on which Colbert and Kirche were riding could be seen.

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| Back to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter8|Chapter 8]]
| Return to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter9

2015-08-13T09:39:07Z

Iro Daijoubu: /* Chapter Nine: Confrontation with the Mysterious Bird */ rewrite9d

===Chapter Nine: Confrontation with the Mysterious Bird===

Saito exited the main tower and immediately went to Louise's room to find her. However, she had not come back. "What if I can't find Louise..." That was the only thing on his mind.

He had never seen Louise so sad before.

It was his fault... regardless of the circumstances, it was unforgivable.

He wanted to meet her and apologize.

While he was running, Saito imagined Louise's feelings. She saw the princess she esteemed and... the familiar whom she always thought to be faithful, hugging each other as if they were lovers; how much were her feelings hurt?

Although they were not lovers... Louise had seen him allowing Henrietta to go as far as kissing, what a pain it must've been to her! Even thinking about this, Saito's heart ached.

Leaping out of the room, he immediately ran to the courtyard of the academy at night.

In the midst of the almost pitch-black darkness... Louise's figure could not be seen anywhere.

When he was going towards Vestri Courtyard...

The clouds cleared, and the moonlight revealed a figure; a shadow which was sitting on the bench could be seen.

“Louise!”

He unintentionally shouted and rushed forward, only to find that he was mistaken.

“What? Oh, it's you...”

It was Tabitha. Not even attending the ball on such a night, reading a book on a bench to which no one would come; it was really typical of her.

“Hey, did you see Louise?”

Tabitha did not respond.

Staring fixedly at the book, just like that, her body did not stir an inch.

''She didn't hear me?'' He thought, and repeated himself.

“Do you know where Louise is?”

The face which was illuminated by the moonlight, was completely pale.

At that moment... Saito realized that there was a shadow circling in mid-air with its back against the moon.

“What's that? It's not a bird... and it's got legs?”

With the figure of a human and flapping wings, it was a very strange creature. It looked like the demons he saw in manga and television in the former days.

“Gargoyle.” Tabitha said briefly.

“You...!” At the moment he said that, Tabitha waved her staff.

''Buoo!'' A gush of air expanded towards him, and Saito was blown off his feet.

“What are you...!”

Not even having the time to shout, ice arrows aimed at Saito and flew towards him.

At a place somewhat far from the Academy of Magic, Louise was crying endlessly.

“Cruel... too cruel... why, why!”

Pitch black darkness was all around her.

It was as if she was left behind, all alone in this world. Yet, right now she was not fearful of the darkness. Rather, Louise felt it gave her broken heart comfort.

“Unforgivable... cruel... absolutely unforgivable...”

Her words and tears flowed endlessly together. Her misery kept feeding on itself.

She repeated those same words, over and over, and then...

“What's unforgivable?”

In the middle of the darkness, a voice could be heard.

Louise who was in a state of confusion, felt something reverberating inside her heart.

“I was betrayed. That's why, it's unforgivable.”

“By whom were you betrayed?”

“By someone who was dear to me...”

“Well then, you must take revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“It's unforgivable right? If that's the case, you must take revenge. You can do it. User of the great Void.”

At that, Louise came to her senses.

“...Who are you?”

“One of your friends. Since long ago... one who serves your people.”

“Who are you! Come out!”

Louise shouted into the darkness. Then she remembered the previous incident in Albion.

“Myoznitnirn?”

“You got it; but you're still wrong.”

She focused her eyes... and a winged shadow came into sight.

“...Gargoyle?”

As Louise was about to stand up,

“Don't worry. I will not harm you.”

The gargoyle which had appeared from the dark headed towards Louise's feet and crouched down reverentially.

“What... what's your intention! Myoznitnirn! You said you won't harm me! Then come out! Come and face me!”

However, the gargoyle opened its mouth.

“For what happened before, I apologize. But, that was a so-called test. To determine whether you deserve to be our ally or not.”

“Stop lying! You think I would believe those words?”

“Then, ask yourself. In this world, whose words do you believing in?”

Louise was speechless. Just a while ago... wasn't she betrayed by the two she believed in the most?

“My master can show you the way.”

“A lie... that's a lie!”

Louise's voice was becoming increasingly softer.

“The only one who can truly understand you... is a fellow user of Void. We want you to lend us your power.”

“...My power?”

“It's natural for you to be cautious. Yet, excessive caution would turn your eyes away from the truth.”

Whether or not it was magic, the gargoyle's voice was enchanting.

Gradually, Louise's caution disappeared.

Louise, who was confused because of her grief, did not know that she was falling for a trick.

“You, are you really my friend?”

“Of course.”

“My friend? You won't betray me?”

“I will definitely not betray you.”

The gargoyle slowly turned around, and showed Louise it's back.

“Please ride on me. Oh great master of the Void.”

Louise could not resist that voice any more.

She felt the gargoyle's back... and Louise's senses gradually faded. Slowly, as if she was falling asleep, Louise laid down on the gargoyle's back.

''Gaa!''

''Gagaa!''

''Gagagagagaaa!''

A storm of Windy Icicles - one of Tabitha's strongest attacks, flew towards him. Saito tumbled sideways to avoid them.

Clearly, it was an attack whose aim was to... kill Saito.

If he had not undergone Agnes' training, he would not have been able to evade them.

“What the heck!? What do you want!?”

Saito yelled in anger. He did not understand the reason behind this attack at all.

“Oi! Tabitha! You, what the hell... wh-!”

The response was magic.

Tabitha scattered Windy Icicles in all directions, surrounding him, and sent them flying.

''Bashushushushushuuu!''

After the smokescreen of water vapour produced by the countless Windy Icicles cleared up...

Contrary to her expectations, rather than seeing a skewered figure, Saito was standing there with Derflinger unsheathed. The Windy Icicles were absorbed by Derflinger, while the remaining ones were swiped away by Saito with his blade.

“What on earth, what's your reason? Why did you attack me? Explain!”

Tabitha lifted her staff.

“Because of a command.”

“Command? Who commanded you!”

As expected, her reply was magic.

Saito gripped Derflinger tightly and leaped. He planned to shorten their distance in one movement... and knock down the staff Tabitha was holding. But Tabitha reacted to Saito's movements and leaped, passing by him. Her body moved agilely, just like the traditional Wind element which she prided in.

As if she were a clockwork puppet, Tabitha combined her body's skills and magic to dodge the sword Saito brandished.

“!?”

She was jumping up and down, evading the sword, and at the same time,

“Deru Bagaraasu.”

She chanted the spell, and subsequently, used magic to fly past him. Very slowly, as if she was chasing cotton wool.


And then, sometimes, she would utter incantations which would cause attacks like bee stings.

The air was distorted, and it attacked Saito.

“Air Hammer.”

At that instant the sword was already set up, but, taken by surprise, Derflinger could not absorb it.

Receiving the full blow, Saito was hurled into air.

“Damn...”

However, that attack did not carry strong powers.

It seemed that both sides lacked decisive blows. Just to match with Gandálfr's speed she had to put in a lot of effort.

Because she did not have enough time for her chants, she could not use strong incantations. Naturally, the Windy Icicles and Air Hammers were weakened.

Yet, Tabitha was fast.

With a small and light body, her movements were faster than Wardes whom he had fought before this.

“The way this person moves. They are the movements of an assassin.”

Derflinger revealed its feelings.

“Assassin?”

“Yeah. Avoiding direct battles, and when the opponent reveals his weakness, deciding the victor in an instant. That girl's one by one strikes are not very strong. Her moves and speed are extraordinary though.”

“...Why is she doing so well, considering she's only holding a staff?”

“Partner's heart is uncertain, that's why.”

“That's very true! Why am I fighting her...!?”

Saito could not even display half of his usual power.

Unable to understand her reason for attacking, he could not fight Tabitha.

Before he knew it, in his defensive battle, Saito was driven into a corner. No... even if he could utilize Gandálfr's full power, Saito would not be able to fight Tabitha seriously. Even now, he could only draw his sword to try his best to knock off Tabitha's staff. Saito was that kind of person.

The offense and defense strikes continued back and forth...

Saito and Tabitha were confronting each other within a distance of 15 mails.

It was scarcely an interval.

Instantly, Saito retreated slightly beyond the distance which he could plunge forward towards her immediately.

A distance at which Tabitha could avoid if he were to plunge forward towards her...

That was the same for Saito as well. Even if Tabitha uttered any spell... he had the confidence to deal with it from this distance.

“Oi! It's about time you give me a straight answer...”

At that moment,

“Are you having trouble dealing with him?”

As if reverberating in their heads, a voice could be heard from above the sky.

The gargoyle which they had seen before, was carrying something behind it and circling them.

It was a shadow.

In the moonlight, pink hair shone.

“LOUISE!”

Louise's body was seen, carried on the back of a gargoyle, she seem to have fainted.

Saito unconsciously tried to run toward where Louise was... but before he could do that, Tabitha blocked his path.

“You... step aside!”

With eyes that revealed no emotion, Tabitha glared at Saito.

“There is no reason for her to step aside. This child is the Knight of the North Parterre. Our loyal watchdog.”

“Watchdog?”

“Isn't this amusing? Chevalier versus Chevalier. A combination for which my master would be jumping with delight.”

Tabitha bent her body slightly and readied her staff.

Heavy...

The atmosphere appeared to have turned heavy abruptly.

Her magical powers manifested into an aura, which drifted about around Tabitha, like a heat haze. Under the illumination of the moonlight, that aura squirmed about demonically.

Blue.

An aura that embodied Tabitha's power.

Saito gulped.

This girl's magical power was not just for show.

“Oi, Tabitha. Since Louise is at stake, I'll have be serious.”

“...”

“Because you are strong, I can't go easy on you.”

Tabitha started to recite spells.

“Hey, Gandálfr. If you aren't serious, you'll get hurt. Don't you get it? If you continue like this, you can't save your precious master.”

“Step aside Tabitha! Just step aside!”

[[Image:ZnT09-229.jpg|thumb]]

Ignoring his angry yell... Tabitha continued chanting her spell.

"Laguz Water Is Isa Hagalaz"

At the same time Tabitha rotated her staff to match the chant.

Magical power formed around her body like a serpent and changed into a huge ice javelin.

Guided by the staff... the ice javelin turned.

While turning, it kept on swelling... larger, sharper, and the blue radiance kept increasing.

Derflinger muttered.

“That 'Javelin'... its destructive power is strong. Don't get hit partner, or we'll be done for.”

“Oi, Tabitha! To save Louise I might have to kill you! Do you understand!?” Saito yelled.

“That is the same for this child as well.”

The gargoyle's shout reverberated from above.

“Do it! Partner!”

Saito shook his head as if giving up, and jumped.

Simultaneously, Tabitha swung her staff downwards.

With a wave of the staff, the huge Javelin aimed down and shot towards Saito.

The sword and the Javelin intersected each other.

Dissected by the sword, the Javelin broke and shattered into pieces.

But amidst the icy debris, Saito was hit by ice splinters which rained down like broken glass.

“Chi-!” Tabitha growl.

Finding a gap between the ice splinters, Tabitha brandishing her staff to fire off another Javelin.

“The first round was a decoy!”

Derflinger shouted.

Tabitha had completed two javelins at the same time just now.

“Uooooooo...!”

Together with his scream, the runes on Saito's left hand shone.

In a split second, he rushed over and knocked Tabitha down.

Straddling her small body with his knees, Saito pointed his sword at her.

But Tabitha would not release her staff.

“Throw away your staff!”

Saito shouted, as he readied his sword fiercely over her head.

Tabitha stared at Saito motionlessly.

Those eyes were... completely cold. It was unknown what kind of emotion laid hidden behind them.

The only thing they expressed was, "I will defeat the enemy".

The enemy that was in front of her.

That's what those eyes seem to say.

Magical mist gathered around Tabitha's staff, the ice spell 'Javelin' was formed. Just by lowering her staff... the spear would be unleashed, and would pierce through Saito's body.

Without the slightest hesitation, Tabitha waved her staff.

“Stop!!”

Saito yelled, and swung his sword downward.

The ice spear was activated, and ''Bang!'', both Saito and Tabitha was enveloped by a mist of water vapour.

Tabitha gazed at Saito, dumbfounded.

Saito's sword was stabbed into the ground beside Tabitha's face.

Tabitha's 'Javelin' which shone with a pale light... pierced Saito's side. Red blood flowed from Saito's wound... and dripped onto Tabitha's cheeks.

The snow white cheeks were stained in red.

“...Why?”

Without moving an inch, Tabitha asked Saito.

''Saito ought to have impaled me by now.''

Yet, Saito pointed his sword away.

“Dunno... I pointed it away unconsciously. How shameful... and I have to protect Louise... why did I spare the enemy...? I...”

Saito murmured with an anguished-looking face.

“But... you had saved us so many times, I suppose I can't kill you...”

“...”

“I wanted... to protect the people I most hold dear in life... even so, how could I sacrifice such another...?”

Tabitha's eyes opened big.

After that... from the inside of the transparent, blue eyes, tears welled up, overflowed from the side of her eyes... and trailed down her cheeks.

“What's the matter? What are you crying for? Your task hasn't finished yet. Deliver the finishing blow quickly!” The gargoyle demanded.

Tabitha sprang up, and with "Wind Break," blew the falling Saito off.

“Ouch!”

Tumbled over, Saito tried to stand up... but the side of his stomach hurt, and his body went numb- he could not move.

Tabitha waved her wand for a few times.

“Gou!” She shouted, and a whirlwind suddenly revolved around Tabitha, enveloping her.

In the midst of that, snow fragments glistened, sparkling.

''Will I be killed by this beautiful snow...?'' In a daze, Saito thought...

Tabitha did not aim her staff at Saito, but at the gargoyle, and fired.

Mixed with snowflakes, the raging wind attacked the gargoyle with sheer force, cutting off its wings and knocking it to the ground. Louise, who was on the gargoyle, was thrown off at the same time.

Tabitha turned around toward Saito.

“Finish it off.”

Holding his wounded side, Saito moved towards the gargoyle, who was struggling to fly away.

“Oh my... Knight of the North Parterre. A pet dog defying its master?”

Tabitha lifted her staff.

“...Don't misunderstand. Never once have I swore allegiance to you people.”

The gargoyle, struggling with its severe wounds, spoke in a small voice.

“I will report on your treachery. Besides, we've already captured our intended prey.”

The moment those words were said...

A huge shadow fell from the sky.

With wings spanning 30 meters... it was a gigantic gargoyle.

“Hu-Huge!!”

This gargoyle was many times bigger than the one before.

Grabbing the unconscious Louise with its left hand, it quickly rose in the air.

By a mere flap of the wings of the gigantic gargoyle, Saito and Tabitha were blown away and hit the ground hard.

Tabitha, who recovered quickly, whistled.

Giving off a roar, Sylphid flew and landed in front of Tabitha.

Nimbly straddling the dragon, Tabitha called out to Saito.

“Come on.”

While holding his injured side, Saito climbed onto Sylphid's back. Tabitha held out her hand, helping him up.

“Chase them.”

At Tabitha's brief command, and with a ''Kyui'' sound, Sylphid soared into the sky.

Saito and Tabitha were riding Sylphid on its back, pursuing the huge gargoyle. Was Myoznitnirn controlling the gargoyles from somewhere...? Her figure could not be seen on its back.

“Hey Tabitha. Tell me. Why did you attack me? Who are those people?”

Tabatha who was looking straight forward....

“We'll talk afterwards.” She murmured.

“Got it,”

Saito nodded. Indeed, now wasn't the time to listen to the reasons.

The flying speed of the gargoyle, flapping its wings, wasn't all that fast. Tabitha's Sylphid managed to catch up with it easily.

Its brutal form was exposed under the moonlight.

Before he realized it, Saito recalled the rumor he heard in the dining hall.

The huge wings which a dragon knight witnessed over Tristanian skies...

That figure must of been the one mistaken for a bird monster.

Its true appearance had to be this one.

The rumors that its wings span was 150 meters simply had to be an exaggeration.... The size might have appeared a few times larger due to the darkness and fear.

“Get closer! I’m ready!”

Tabitha nodded, and ordered Sylphid.

“Closer.”

"''Kyui''", at that moment when Sylphid purred...

In the sky, small black dots started to gradually appear.

“Wh-What is that...?”

They were gargoyles.

Like a flock of crows, the gargoyles, whose numbers covered the sky, flew towards them.

Moving by magic and their yellow eyes shining, The gargoyles started to surround Sylphid.

“Shit!”

There were already about several dozen near them.


To stop them from approaching the huge one carrying Louise, the gargoyles attacked with their claws and fangs.

“Kyui, kyui!”

Sylphid let out a terrified sound.

Tabitha chanted 'Windy Icicle' again... but only one of them fell. Because of her previous battle with Saito, it seemed like her willpower had depleted.

Saito grinded his teeth.

Without a good machine-gun and Gandálfr's powers, the situation looked hopeless.

“Crap... so what if I'm Gandálfr! Without the right tools, the weapon I'm holding might as well be a toy!”

This knight, who was once celebrated as a Chevalier, was quite embarrassed.


At that moment... Tabitha informed Saito softly,

“Up there.”

When Saito looked up, what he saw... was a huge shadow... spread over the sky.

“Wh-What is that....”

Truly colossal... nothing else could describe those black wings flying overhead.

Its silhouette looked like a monster spreading its wings...

''Shushushushushu''... a peculiar sound could be heard from it.

The dragon knight's report was not wrong.

Its overall width was more than 150 meters.

“This thing is so big... so it was all true!”

Compared to the flock of gargoyles and the one carrying Louise, this was about 50 times bigger. Apparently, it was an ultra big gargoyle...


It was unreasonable to even think about going against such an opponent.

If they didn't want to die, they had to escape from there.

In spite of that, Tabitha did not try to make Sylphid retreat.

On the contrary, she stopped doing evasive maneuvers and made a beeline towards their target.

“Oi, Tabitha! That's reckless!”

Tabitha stared straight at the gargoyle who was holding Louise.

To stop Tabitha, the gargoyles flew in front of them and targeted Sylphid's wings.

There were seven of them.

It was more than Saito could deal with.

“Run away Tabitha! It’s too dangerous!”

“...You saved me.”

“Eh?”

“I’ll help you save Louise even if it costs me my life.”

So Tabitha was even willing to risk her life for his sake. Bitter at his own helplessness, Saito grinded his teeth.

“Damn it all!!”

Like revolving lanterns, the faces of Louise, Siesta and Colbert flashed across his mind.

''I couldn’t carry out teacher’s last wish.''

''I couldn't do it.''

''I wanted to protecting the one girl I loved but... I CAN’T EVEN DO THAT!''

“Teacher! The things you did, I can't even do half of them... no, not even a tenth of them!”

Facing the sky, Saito yelled.

The seven gargoyles were approaching them from the front...

When they came into contact with each other, Tabitha, Sylphid, and himself would surely be torn apart by those huge claws.
But then, just as Saito thought they were finished...

Flames came shooting out of the massive shadow from above.

The flames erupted over the battlefield.

With a motion like that of a snake, it encircled the gargoyles which were about to attack Saito and turned them into cinders.

Saito and Tabitha were taken aback, and looked up to the sky.

“Why?”

“Ally...?”

Voices could be heard.

“'Not even a tenth of them' you say?”

From the skies, that voice reverberated.

It strangely echoed as if it were transmitted through loudspeakers.

Nevertheless, that voice sounded familiar.

In the laboratory, in the classrooms, in the courtyard... a voice he had heard many times before.

“Teacher?” Saito murmured.

He shook his head after that. It must be a hallucination. Teacher is suppose to be dead.

He's hearing voices that weren't there because he was too stressed out.

The gargoyles' assault continued. Sylphid began to dodge the attacks frantically again. Because of this, Tabitha and Saito could only cling onto it with all their might. They could not counterattack at all.

“You are not me. That's nothing to be ashamed about.”

That voice could be heard again.

Saito lifted his face and yelled,

“Teacher!!”

It was Colbert's voice. There's no mistake about it.

Surprise and delight swept through his heart.

''Guonguonguon''... The noise sounded through the sky.

''Shushushushushushu''... The sound became louder.

The colossal shadow descended slowly, and approached the group who were being attacked by gargoyles.

Saito's mouth was wide open.

W-What huge wings... so this was the object that was described as a ''"bird-like monster"''.

Yeah.

Those were indeed wings. Huge wings which had a span of approximately 150 meters. Behind the wings, several huge propellers were spinning.

The flying object had wings in the shape of a flat isosceles triangle, and the huge propellers were its main driving force.

Quite different from the "mysterious bird", this was the real thing.

And when he saw those propellers... Saito's hopes were realised.

“You're alive...”

Then a sultry woman's voice that they hadn't heard in a while cried out.

“Hey guys, what are you doing? Having fun? Since when did you manage to make friends with gargoyles?”

Tabitha looked up at the owner of the voice.

“I was thinking of secretly arriving at the academy, and show off this ''"Ostrant"'' to surprise you all. But when we returned to Tristain, we made a navigation error and accidentally came here instead.”


“Kirche!”

Sure enough, that was the voice of Kirche who had not shown herself at the academy since taking Colbert's remains to Germania.

Next, Colbert's voice could be heard.

“Anyway... the 'Flying Serpents' are about to move, so be careful.”

“Do a nose-dive!” Saito yelled at Tabitha.

Tabitha nodded. Sylphid lowered her head, and swiftly dived down at once.

''Baraaa... barabararararararaaaaa!'' Many shots were fired from launcher barrels located on the bottom of the ''"Ostrant"''.

From behind the dropping cylinders, ignition fires were lit.

After that, ''shupooooo!'' The sound which he had heard while he was being pursued by the dragon knights in Albion the other day, echoed through the air.

Like fireworks in the night sky, Colbert's Flying Serpents ignited simultaneously.

The tips of the Flying Serpents were equipped with a magic device which transmits "Detect Magic". That magic device would react excitedly at the gargoyles, and the Flying Serpents would quickly dash towards them.

Generally, there were about two or three 'Flying Serpents' pursuing each gargoyle.

At a point-blank range near the gargoyles, the Flying Serpents would explode into pieces, which would scatter at the gargoyles, smashing them to pieces.

The gargoyles could not even think about escaping. One by one, they dropped to the ground.

One of the serpents reacted to Tabitha's magic, and flew towards her.

Saito jumped from the top of Sylphid, and slashed it before it could reach her.

Before he knew it, he could no longer feel even the pain at the side of his stomach.

''The teacher is alive.''

''The person who believed in me...''

''The person who helped me so many times before...''

''And now... he is saving me yet again.''

That fact gave Saito courage.

“I'm not alone.”

The runes on his left hand shone.

Using the explosion just now, grasping Derflinger with his left hand, Saito caught one of the Flying Serpents in the air.

Clinging onto the thing, which had a length about the same as Saito's height, he forcibly turned the head of the Flying Serpent to fly towards the gargoyle which was holding Louise. The magic device which had "Detect Magic" on it, sensed that gargoyle, and rushed swiftly towards it.

On top of the Flying Serpent, Saito adopted a stance as if crouching on top of a surfboard.

He approached the gargoyle in a furious speed.

He timed it properly.

Precisely a second before the collision, Saito leaped from the top of the Serpent, and sliced through the arm which had seized Louise. Just like that, he caught Louise in the sky.

Almost simultaneously, the Serpent that was behind them exploded, and the gargoyle whose arm was sliced through was blasted into smithereens.

They were lifted up by the blast... but Saito did not part with Louise.

Fragments shot into his body, sending intense pain to him.

In spite of that, Saito still did not let go.

They were blown upward by the explosion until they reached the apex, and then dropped due to gravity.

There were traces of tears in Louise's eyes.

Gazing at those tears, Saito began to think of thoughts which pressed heavily upon his heart. In that moment, as if the gargoyle's hypnosis magic suddenly ran out, Louise's eyes suddenly opened.


“Yo, Louise...”

Saito said, and...

“Release me!”
[[Image:ZnT09-245.jpg|thumb]]
Louise began to struggle.

“I-idiot! We're falling down right now! Stop struggling!”

“I don't care! That's enough, let go of me! I hate you Saito!! Just die! I hate you and Princess the most!! Both of you lied to me together! Absolutely unforgivable!!”

“That's just the way it turned out. Really, i-i-its like a misunderstanding...”

Even though Saito tried frantically to sooth her, Louise was still bawling and struggling with her hands. Perhaps she would be accidentally released
like this. It would be terrible if they were to separate in the air.

“I have to calm her down somehow.” Saito thought.

“I hate you! Let me go! I've had enough!”

Looking at the bawling Louise... Saito knew that he could not make her understand with words.

''What should I do...?''

He was troubled. But then Saito looked straight at Louise, and said.

“I love you, Louise. Only you!”

“Liar! I don't believe you! I HATE you!”

Louise grew more and more upset.

''There is no other way. Damn, if things keep continuing like this...''

Saito hugged the raging Louise tightly. Louise was kicking and struggling, nevertheless he pressed his lips hard against hers.

Louise struggled for a while, but eventually and with a muffled "''ngu...''", she stopped resisting and became quiet.

''But if we continue dropping like this we'll still die...'' While he was thinking about that, ''"Buon!"'' A sound was heard, and Tabitha's Sylphid scooped them up with its wings.

Relieved and hugging the still weeping Louise, Saito looked up to the sky...

Under the moonlight, flying magnificently in the sky, the ''Ostrant'' on which Colbert and Kirche were riding could be seen.

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| Back to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter8|Chapter 8]]
| Return to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter9

2015-08-13T09:35:59Z

Iro Daijoubu: /* Chapter Nine: Confrontation with the Mysterious Bird */ rewrite9c

===Chapter Nine: Confrontation with the Mysterious Bird===

Saito exited the main tower and immediately went to Louise's room to find her. However, she had not come back. "What if I can't find Louise..." That was the only thing on his mind.

He had never seen Louise so sad before.

It was his fault... regardless of the circumstances, it was unforgivable.

He wanted to meet her and apologize.

While he was running, Saito imagined Louise's feelings. She saw the princess she esteemed and... the familiar whom she always thought to be faithful, hugging each other as if they were lovers; how much were her feelings hurt?

Although they were not lovers... Louise had seen him allowing Henrietta to go as far as kissing, what a pain it must've been to her! Even thinking about this, Saito's heart ached.

Leaping out of the room, he immediately ran to the courtyard of the academy at night.

In the midst of the almost pitch-black darkness... Louise's figure could not be seen anywhere.

When he was going towards Vestri Courtyard...

The clouds cleared, and the moonlight revealed a figure; a shadow which was sitting on the bench could be seen.

“Louise!”

He unintentionally shouted and rushed forward, only to find that he was mistaken.

“What? Oh, it's you...”

It was Tabitha. Not even attending the ball on such a night, reading a book on a bench to which no one would come; it was really typical of her.

“Hey, did you see Louise?”

Tabitha did not respond.

Staring fixedly at the book, just like that, her body did not stir an inch.

''She didn't hear me?'' He thought, and repeated himself.

“Do you know where Louise is?”

The face which was illuminated by the moonlight, was completely pale.

At that moment... Saito realized that there was a shadow circling in mid-air with its back against the moon.

“What's that? It's not a bird... and it's got legs?”

With the figure of a human and flapping wings, it was a very strange creature. It looked like the demons he saw in manga and television in the former days.

“Gargoyle.” Tabitha said briefly.

“You...!” At the moment he said that, Tabitha waved her staff.

''Buoo!'' A gush of air expanded towards him, and Saito was blown off his feet.

“What are you...!”

Not even having the time to shout, ice arrows aimed at Saito and flew towards him.

At a place somewhat far from the Academy of Magic, Louise was crying endlessly.

“Cruel... too cruel... why, why!”

Pitch black darkness was all around her.

It was as if she was left behind, all alone in this world. Yet, right now she was not fearful of the darkness. Rather, Louise felt it gave her broken heart comfort.

“Unforgivable... cruel... absolutely unforgivable...”

Her words and tears flowed endlessly together. Her misery kept feeding on itself.

She repeated those same words, over and over, and then...

“What's unforgivable?”

In the middle of the darkness, a voice could be heard.

Louise who was in a state of confusion, felt something reverberating inside her heart.

“I was betrayed. That's why, it's unforgivable.”

“By whom were you betrayed?”

“By someone who was dear to me...”

“Well then, you must take revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“It's unforgivable right? If that's the case, you must take revenge. You can do it. User of the great Void.”

At that, Louise came to her senses.

“...Who are you?”

“One of your friends. Since long ago... one who serves your people.”

“Who are you! Come out!”

Louise shouted into the darkness. Then she remembered the previous incident in Albion.

“Myoznitnirn?”

“You got it; but you're still wrong.”

She focused her eyes... and a winged shadow came into sight.

“...Gargoyle?”

As Louise was about to stand up,

“Don't worry. I will not harm you.”

The gargoyle which had appeared from the dark headed towards Louise's feet and crouched down reverentially.

“What... what's your intention! Myoznitnirn! You said you won't harm me! Then come out! Come and face me!”

However, the gargoyle opened its mouth.

“For what happened before, I apologize. But, that was a so-called test. To determine whether you deserve to be our ally or not.”

“Stop lying! You think I would believe those words?”

“Then, ask yourself. In this world, whose words do you believing in?”

Louise was speechless. Just a while ago... wasn't she betrayed by the two she believed in the most?

“My master can show you the way.”

“A lie... that's a lie!”

Louise's voice was becoming increasingly softer.

“The only one who can truly understand you... is a fellow user of Void. We want you to lend us your power.”

“...My power?”

“It's natural for you to be cautious. Yet, excessive caution would turn your eyes away from the truth.”

Whether or not it was magic, the gargoyle's voice was enchanting.

Gradually, Louise's caution disappeared.

Louise, who was confused because of her grief, did not know that she was falling for a trick.

“You, are you really my friend?”

“Of course.”

“My friend? You won't betray me?”

“I will definitely not betray you.”

The gargoyle slowly turned around, and showed Louise it's back.

“Please ride on me. Oh great master of the Void.”

Louise could not resist that voice any more.

She felt the gargoyle's back... and Louise's senses gradually faded. Slowly, as if she was falling asleep, Louise laid down on the gargoyle's back.

''Gaa!''

''Gagaa!''

''Gagagagagaaa!''

A storm of Windy Icicles - one of Tabitha's strongest attacks, flew towards him. Saito tumbled sideways to avoid them.

Clearly, it was an attack whose aim was to... kill Saito.

If he had not undergone Agnes' training, he would not have been able to evade them.

“What the heck!? What do you want!?”

Saito yelled in anger. He did not understand the reason behind this attack at all.

“Oi! Tabitha! You, what the hell... wh-!”

The response was magic.

Tabitha scattered Windy Icicles in all directions, surrounding him, and sent them flying.

''Bashushushushushuuu!''

After the smokescreen of water vapour produced by the countless Windy Icicles cleared up...

Contrary to her expectations, rather than seeing a skewered figure, Saito was standing there with Derflinger unsheathed. The Windy Icicles were absorbed by Derflinger, while the remaining ones were swiped away by Saito with his blade.

“What on earth, what's your reason? Why did you attack me? Explain!”

Tabitha lifted her staff.

“Because of a command.”

“Command? Who commanded you!”

As expected, her reply was magic.

Saito gripped Derflinger tightly and leaped. He planned to shorten their distance in one movement... and knock down the staff Tabitha was holding. But Tabitha reacted to Saito's movements and leaped, passing by him. Her body moved agilely, just like the traditional Wind element which she prided in.

As if she were a clockwork puppet, Tabitha combined her body's skills and magic to dodge the sword Saito brandished.

“!?”

She was jumping up and down, evading the sword, and at the same time,

“Deru Bagaraasu.”

She chanted the spell, and subsequently, used magic to fly past him. Very slowly, as if she was chasing cotton wool.


And then, sometimes, she would utter incantations which would cause attacks like bee stings.

The air was distorted, and it attacked Saito.

“Air Hammer.”

At that instant the sword was already set up, but, taken by surprise, Derflinger could not absorb it.

Receiving the full blow, Saito was hurled into air.

“Damn...”

However, that attack did not carry strong powers.

It seemed that both sides lacked decisive blows. Just to match with Gandálfr's speed she had to put in a lot of effort.

Because she did not have enough time for her chants, she could not use strong incantations. Naturally, the Windy Icicles and Air Hammers were weakened.

Yet, Tabitha was fast.

With a small and light body, her movements were faster than Wardes whom he had fought before this.

“The way this person moves. They are the movements of an assassin.”

Derflinger revealed its feelings.

“Assassin?”

“Yeah. Avoiding direct battles, and when the opponent reveals his weakness, deciding the victor in an instant. That girl's one by one strikes are not very strong. Her moves and speed are extraordinary though.”

“...Why is she doing so well, considering she's only holding a staff?”

“Partner's heart is uncertain, that's why.”

“That's very true! Why am I fighting her...!?”

Saito could not even display half of his usual power.

Unable to understand her reason for attacking, he could not fight Tabitha.

Before he knew it, in his defensive battle, Saito was driven into a corner. No... even if he could utilize Gandálfr's full power, Saito would not be able to fight Tabitha seriously. Even now, he could only draw his sword to try his best to knock off Tabitha's staff. Saito was that kind of person.

The offense and defense strikes continued back and forth...

Saito and Tabitha were confronting each other within a distance of 15 mails.

It was scarcely an interval.

Instantly, Saito retreated slightly beyond the distance which he could plunge forward towards her immediately.

A distance at which Tabitha could avoid if he were to plunge forward towards her...

That was the same for Saito as well. Even if Tabitha uttered any spell... he had the confidence to deal with it from this distance.

“Oi! It's about time you give me a straight answer...”

At that moment,

“Are you having trouble dealing with him?”

As if reverberating in their heads, a voice could be heard from above the sky.

The gargoyle which they had seen before, was carrying something behind it and circling them.

It was a shadow.

In the moonlight, pink hair shone.

“LOUISE!”

Louise's body was seen, carried on the back of a gargoyle, she seem to have fainted.

Saito unconsciously tried to run toward where Louise was... but before he could do that, Tabitha blocked his path.

“You... step aside!”

With eyes that revealed no emotion, Tabitha glared at Saito.

“There is no reason for her to step aside. This child is the Knight of the North Parterre. Our loyal watchdog.”

“Watchdog?”

“Isn't this amusing? Chevalier versus Chevalier. A combination for which my master would be jumping with delight.”

Tabitha bent her body slightly and readied her staff.

Heavy...

The atmosphere appeared to have turned heavy abruptly.

Her magical powers manifested into an aura, which drifted about around Tabitha, like a heat haze. Under the illumination of the moonlight, that aura squirmed about demonically.

Blue.

An aura that embodied Tabitha's power.

Saito gulped.

This girl's magical power was not just for show.

“Oi, Tabitha. Since Louise is at stake, I'll have be serious.”

“...”

“Because you are strong, I can't go easy on you.”

Tabitha started to recite spells.

“Hey, Gandálfr. If you aren't serious, you'll get hurt. Don't you get it? If you continue like this, you can't save your precious master.”

“Step aside Tabitha! Just step aside!”

[[Image:ZnT09-229.jpg|thumb]]

Ignoring his angry yell... Tabitha continued chanting her spell.

"Laguz Water Is Isa Hagalaz"

At the same time Tabitha rotated her staff to match the chant.

Magical power formed around her body like a serpent and changed into a huge ice javelin.

Guided by the staff... the ice javelin turned.

While turning, it kept on swelling... larger, sharper, and the blue radiance kept increasing.

Derflinger muttered.

“That 'Javelin'... its destructive power is strong. Don't get hit partner, or we'll be done for.”

“Oi, Tabitha! To save Louise I might have to kill you! Do you understand!?” Saito yelled.

“That is the same for this child as well.”

The gargoyle's shout reverberated from above.

“Do it! Partner!”

Saito shook his head as if giving up, and jumped.

Simultaneously, Tabitha swung her staff downwards.

With a wave of the staff, the huge Javelin aimed down and shot towards Saito.

The sword and the Javelin intersected each other.

Dissected by the sword, the Javelin broke and shattered into pieces.

But amidst the icy debris, Saito was hit by ice splinters which rained down like broken glass.

“Chi-!” Tabitha growl.

Finding a gap between the ice splinters, Tabitha brandishing her staff to fire off another Javelin.

“The first round was a decoy!”

Derflinger shouted.

Tabitha had completed two javelins at the same time just now.

“Uooooooo...!”

Together with his scream, the runes on Saito's left hand shone.

In a split second, he rushed over and knocked Tabitha down.

Straddling her small body with his knees, Saito pointed his sword at her.

But Tabitha would not release her staff.

“Throw away your staff!”

Saito shouted, as he readied his sword fiercely over her head.

Tabitha stared at Saito motionlessly.

Those eyes were... completely cold. It was unknown what kind of emotion laid hidden behind them.

The only thing they expressed was, "I will defeat the enemy".

The enemy that was in front of her.

That's what those eyes seem to say.

Magical mist gathered around Tabitha's staff, the ice spell 'Javelin' was formed. Just by lowering her staff... the spear would be unleashed, and would pierce through Saito's body.

Without the slightest hesitation, Tabitha waved her staff.

“Stop!!”

Saito yelled, and swung his sword downward.

The ice spear was activated, and ''Bang!'', both Saito and Tabitha was enveloped by a mist of water vapour.

Tabitha gazed at Saito, dumbfounded.

Saito's sword was stabbed into the ground beside Tabitha's face.

Tabitha's 'Javelin' which shone with a pale light... pierced Saito's side. Red blood flowed from Saito's wound... and dripped onto Tabitha's cheeks.

The snow white cheeks were stained in red.

“...Why?”

Without moving an inch, Tabitha asked Saito.

''Saito ought to have impaled me by now.''

Yet, Saito pointed his sword away.

“Dunno... I pointed it away unconsciously. How shameful... and I have to protect Louise... why did I spare the enemy...? I...”

Saito murmured with an anguished-looking face.

“But... you had saved us so many times, I suppose I can't kill you...”

“...”

“I wanted... to protect the people I most hold dear in life... even so, how could I sacrifice such another...?”

Tabitha's eyes opened big.

After that... from the inside of the transparent, blue eyes, tears welled up, overflowed from the side of her eyes... and trailed down her cheeks.

“What's the matter? What are you crying for? Your task hasn't finished yet. Deliver the finishing blow quickly!” The gargoyle demanded.

Tabitha sprang up, and with "Wind Break," blew the falling Saito off.

“Ouch!”

Tumbled over, Saito tried to stand up... but the side of his stomach hurt, and his body went numb- he could not move.

Tabitha waved her wand for a few times.

“Gou!” She shouted, and a whirlwind suddenly revolved around Tabitha, enveloping her.

In the midst of that, snow fragments glistened, sparkling.

''Will I be killed by this beautiful snow...?'' In a daze, Saito thought...

Tabitha did not aim her staff at Saito, but at the gargoyle, and fired.

Mixed with snowflakes, the raging wind attacked the gargoyle with sheer force, cutting off its wings and knocking it to the ground. Louise, who was on the gargoyle, was thrown off at the same time.

Tabitha turned around toward Saito.

“Finish it off.”

Holding his wounded side, Saito moved towards the gargoyle, who was struggling to fly away.

“Oh my... Knight of the North Parterre. A pet dog defying its master?”

Tabitha lifted her staff.

“...Don't misunderstand. Never once have I swore allegiance to you people.”

The gargoyle, struggling with its severe wounds, spoke in a small voice.

“I will report on your treachery. Besides, we've already captured our intended prey.”

The moment those words were said...

A huge shadow fell from the sky.

With wings spanning 30 meters... it was a gigantic gargoyle.

“Hu-Huge!!”

This gargoyle was many times bigger than the one before.

Grabbing the unconscious Louise with its left hand, it quickly rose in the air.

By a mere flap of the wings of the gigantic gargoyle, Saito and Tabitha were blown away and hit the ground hard.

Tabitha, who recovered quickly, whistled.

Giving off a roar, Sylphid flew and landed in front of Tabitha.

Nimbly straddling the dragon, Tabitha called out to Saito.

“Come on.”

While holding his injured side, Saito climbed onto Sylphid's back. Tabitha held out her hand, helping him up.

“Chase them.”

At Tabitha's brief command, and with a ''Kyui'' sound, Sylphid soared into the sky.

Saito and Tabitha were riding Sylphid on its back, pursuing the huge gargoyle. Was Myoznitnirn controlling the gargoyles from somewhere...? Her figure could not be seen on its back.

“Hey Tabitha. Tell me. Why did you attack me? Who are those people?”

Tabatha who was looking straight forward....

“We'll talk afterwards.” She murmured.

“Got it,”

Saito nodded. Indeed, now wasn't the time to listen to the reasons.

The flying speed of the gargoyle, flapping its wings, wasn't all that fast. Tabitha's Sylphid managed to catch up with it easily.

Its brutal form was exposed under the moonlight.

Before he realized it, Saito recalled the rumor he heard in the dining hall.

The huge wings which a dragon knight witnessed over Tristanian skies...

That figure must of been the one mistaken for a bird monster.

Its true appearance had to be this one.

The rumors that its wings span was 150 meters simply had to be an exaggeration.... The size might have appeared a few times larger due to the darkness and fear.

“Get closer! I’m ready!”

Tabitha nodded, and ordered Sylphid.

“Closer.”

"''Kyui''", at that moment when Sylphid purred...

In the sky, small black dots started to gradually appear.

“Wh-What is that...?”

They were gargoyles.

Like a flock of crows, the gargoyles, whose numbers covered the sky, flew towards them.

Moving by magic and their yellow eyes shining, The gargoyles started to surround Sylphid.

“Shit!”

There were already about several dozen near them.


To stop them from approaching the huge one carrying Louise, the gargoyles attacked with their claws and fangs.

“Kyui, kyui!”

Sylphid let out a terrified sound.

Tabitha chanted 'Windy Icicle' again... but only one of them fell. Because of her previous battle with Saito, it seemed like her willpower had depleted.

Saito grinded his teeth.

Without a good machine-gun and Gandálfr's powers, the situation looked hopeless.

“Crap... so what if I'm Gandálfr! Without the right tools, the weapon I'm holding might as well be a toy!”

This knight, who was once celebrated as a Chevalier, was quite embarrassed.


At that moment... Tabitha informed Saito softly,

“Up there.”

When Saito looked up, what he saw... was a huge shadow... spread over the sky.

“Wh-What is that....”

Truly colossal... nothing else could describe those black wings flying overhead.

Its silhouette looked like a monster spreading its wings...

''Shushushushushu''... a peculiar sound could be heard from it.

The dragon knight's report was not wrong.

Its overall width was more than 150 meters.

“This thing is so big... so it was all true!”

Compared to the flock of gargoyles and the one carrying Louise, this was about 50 times bigger. Apparently, it was an ultra big gargoyle...


It was unreasonable to even think about going against such an opponent.

If they didn't want to die, they had to escape from there.

In spite of that, Tabitha did not try to make Sylphid retreat.

On the contrary, she stopped doing evasive maneuvers and made a beeline towards their target.

“Oi, Tabitha! That's reckless!”

Tabitha stared straight at the gargoyle who was holding Louise.

To stop Tabitha, the gargoyles flew in front of them and targeted Sylphid's wings.

There were seven of them.

It was more than Saito could deal with.

“Run away Tabitha! It’s too dangerous!”

“...You saved me.”

“Eh?”

“I’ll help you save Louise even if it costs me my life.”

So Tabitha was even willing to risk her life for his sake. Bitter at his own helplessness, Saito grinded his teeth.

“Damn it all!!”

Like revolving lanterns, the faces of Louise, Siesta and Colbert flashed across his mind.

''I couldn’t carry out teacher’s last wish.''

''I couldn't do it.''

''I wanted to protecting the one girl I loved but... I CAN’T EVEN DO THAT!''

“Teacher! The things you did, I can't even do half of them... no, not even a tenth of them!”

Facing the sky, Saito yelled.

The seven gargoyles were approaching them from the front...

When they came into contact with each other, Tabitha, Sylphid, and himself would surely be torn apart by those huge claws.
But then, just as Saito thought they were finished...

Flames came shooting out of the massive shadow from above.

The flames erupted over the battlefield.

With a motion like that of a snake, it encircled the gargoyles which were about to attack Saito and turned them into cinders.

Saito and Tabitha were taken aback, and looked up to the sky.

“Why?”

“Ally...?”

Voices could be heard.

“'Not even a tenth of them' you say?”

From the skies, that voice reverberated.

It strangely echoed as if it were transmitted through loudspeakers.

Nevertheless, that voice sounded familiar.

In the laboratory, in the classrooms, in the courtyard... a voice he had heard many times before.

“Teacher?” Saito murmured.

He shook his head after that. It must be a hallucination. Teacher is suppose to be dead.

He's hearing voices that weren't there because he was too stressed out.

The gargoyles' assault continued. Sylphid began to dodge the attacks frantically again. Because of this, Tabitha and Saito could only cling onto it with all their might. They could not counterattack at all.

“You are not me. That's nothing to be ashamed about.”

That voice could be heard again.

Saito lifted his face and yelled,

“Teacher!!”

It was Colbert's voice. There's no mistake about it.

Surprise and delight swept through his heart.

''Guonguonguon''... The noise sounded through the sky.

''Shushushushushushu''... The sound became louder.

The colossal shadow descended slowly, and approached the group who were being attacked by gargoyles.

Saito's mouth was wide open.

W-What huge wings... so this was the object that was described as a ''"bird-like monster"''.

Yeah.

Those were indeed wings. Huge wings which had a span of approximately 150 meters. Behind the wings, several huge propellers were spinning.

The flying object had wings in the shape of a flat isosceles triangle, and the huge propellers were its main driving force.

Quite different from the "mysterious bird", this was the real thing.

And when he saw those propellers... Saito's hopes were realised.

“You're alive...”

Then a sultry woman's voice that they hadn't heard in a while cried out.

“Hey guys, what are you doing? Having fun? Since when did you manage to make friends with gargoyles?”

Tabitha looked up at the owner of the voice.

“I was thinking of secretly arriving at the academy, and show off this ''"Ostrant"'' to surprise you all. But when we returned to Tristain, we made a navigation error and accidentally came here instead.”


“Kirche!”

Sure enough, that was the voice of Kirche who had not shown herself at the academy since taking Colbert's remains to Germania.

Next, Colbert's voice could be heard.

“Anyway... the 'Flying Serpents' are about to move, so be careful.”

“Do a nose-dive!” Saito yelled at Tabitha.

Tabitha nodded. Sylphid lowered her head, and swiftly dived down at once.

''Baraaa... barabararararararaaaaa!'' Many shots were fired from launcher barrels located on the bottom of the ''"Ostrant"''.

From behind the dropping cylinders, ignition fires were lit.

After that, ''shupooooo!'' The sound which he had heard while he was being pursued by the dragon knights in Albion the other day, echoed through the air.

Like fireworks in the night sky, Colbert's Flying Serpents ignited simultaneously.

The tips of the Flying Serpents were equipped with a magic device which transmits "Detect Magic". That magic device would react excitedly at the gargoyles, and the Flying Serpents would quickly dash towards them.

Generally, there were about two or three 'Flying Serpents' pursuing each gargoyle.

At a point-blank range near the gargoyles, the Flying Serpents would explode into pieces, which would scatter at the gargoyles, smashing them to pieces.

The gargoyles could not even think about escaping. One by one, they dropped to the ground.

One of the serpents reacted to Tabitha's magic, and flew towards her.

Saito jumped from the top of Sylphid, and slashed it before it could reach her.

Before he knew it, he could no longer feel even the pain at the side of his stomach.

''The teacher is alive.''

''The person who believed in me...''

''The person who helped me so many times before...''

''And now... he is saving me yet again.''

That fact gave Saito courage.

“I'm not alone.”

The runes on his left hand shone.

Using the explosion just now, grasping Derflinger with his left hand, Saito caught one of the Flying Serpents in the air.

Clinging onto the thing, which had a length about the same as Saito's height, he forcibly turned the head of the Flying Serpent to fly towards the gargoyle which was holding Louise. The magic device which had "Detect Magic" on it, sensed that gargoyle, and rushed swiftly towards it.

On top of the Flying Serpent, Saito adopted a stance as if crouching on top of a surfboard.

He approached the gargoyle in a furious speed.

He timed it properly.

Precisely a second before the collision, Saito leaped from the top of the Serpent, and sliced through the arm which had seized Louise. Just like that, he caught Louise in the sky.

Almost simultaneously, the Serpent that was behind them exploded, and the gargoyle whose arm was sliced through was blasted into smithereens.

They were lifted up by the blast... but Saito did not part with Louise.

Fragments shot into his body, sending intense pain to him.

In spite of that, Saito still did not let go.

They were blown upward by the explosion until they reached the apex, and then dropped due to gravity.

There were traces of tears in Louise's eyes.

Gazing at those tears, Saito began to think of thoughts which pressed heavily upon his heart. In that moment, as if the gargoyle's hypnosis magic suddenly ran out, Louise's eyes suddenly opened.


“Yo, Louise...”

Saito said, and...

“Release me!”

Louise began to struggle.

“I-idiot! We're falling down right now! Stop struggling!”

“I don't care! That's enough, let go of me! I hate you Saito!! Just die! I hate you and Princess the most!! Both of you lied to me together! Absolutely unforgivable!!”

“That's just the way it turned out. Really, i-i-its like a misunderstanding...”
[[Image:ZnT09-245.jpg|thumb]]
Even though Saito tried frantically to sooth her, Louise was still bawling and struggling with her hands. Perhaps she would be accidentally released
like this. It would be terrible if they were to separate in the air.

“I have to calm her down somehow.” Saito thought.

“I hate you! Let me go! I've had enough!”

Looking at the bawling Louise... Saito knew that he could not make her understand with words.

''What should I do...?''

He was troubled. But then Saito looked straight at Louise, and said.

“I love you, Louise. Only you!”

“Liar! I don't believe you! I HATE you!”

Louise grew more and more upset.

''There is no other way. Damn, if things keep continuing like this...''

Saito hugged the raging Louise tightly. Louise was kicking and struggling, nevertheless he pressed his lips hard against hers.

Louise struggled for a while, but eventually and with a muffled "''ngu...''", she stopped resisting and became quiet.

''But if we continue dropping like this we'll still die...'' While he was thinking about that, ''"Buon!"'' A sound was heard, and Tabitha's Sylphid scooped them up with its wings.

Relieved and hugging the still weeping Louise, Saito looked up to the sky...

Under the moonlight, flying magnificently in the sky, the ''Ostrant'' on which Colbert and Kirche were riding could be seen.

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| Back to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter8|Chapter 8]]
| Return to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume9 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter9

2015-08-13T09:30:48Z

Iro Daijoubu: Undo revision 457267 by Iro Daijoubu (talk)

===Chapter Nine: Confrontation with the Mysterious Bird===

Saito exited the main tower and immediately went to Louise's room to find her. However, she had not come back. "What if I can't find Louise..." That was the only thing on his mind.

He had never seen Louise so sad before.

It was his fault... regardless of the circumstances, it was unforgivable.

He wanted to meet her and apologize.

While he was running, Saito imagined Louise's feelings. She saw the princess she esteemed and... the familiar whom she always thought to be faithful, hugging each other as if they were lovers; how much were her feelings hurt?

Although they were not lovers... Louise had seen him allowing Henrietta to go as far as kissing, what a pain it must've been to her! Even thinking about this, Saito's heart ached.

Leaping out of the room, he immediately ran to the courtyard of the academy at night.

In the midst of the almost pitch-black darkness... Louise's figure could not be seen anywhere.

When he was going towards Vestri Courtyard...

The clouds cleared, and the moonlight revealed a figure; a shadow which was sitting on the bench could be seen.

“Louise!”

He unintentionally shouted and rushed forward, only to find that he was mistaken.

“What? Oh, it's you...”

It was Tabitha. Not even attending the ball on such a night, reading a book on a bench to which no one would come; it was really typical of her.

“Hey, did you see Louise?”

Tabitha did not respond.

Staring fixedly at the book, just like that, her body did not stir an inch.

''She didn't hear me?'' He thought, and repeated himself.

“Do you know where Louise is?”

The face which was illuminated by the moonlight, was completely pale.

At that moment... Saito realized that there was a shadow circling in mid-air with its back against the moon.

“What's that? It's not a bird... and it's got legs?”

With the figure of a human and flapping wings, it was a very strange creature. It looked like the demons he saw in manga and television in the former days.

“Gargoyle.” Tabitha said briefly.

“You...!” At the moment he said that, Tabitha waved her staff.

''Buoo!'' A gush of air expanded towards him, and Saito was blown off his feet.

“What are you...!”

Not even having the time to shout, ice arrows aimed at Saito and flew towards him.

At a place somewhat far from the Academy of Magic, Louise was crying endlessly.

“Cruel... too cruel... why, why!”

Pitch black darkness was all around her.

It was as if she was left behind, all alone in this world. Yet, right now she was not fearful of the darkness. Rather, Louise felt it gave her broken heart comfort.

“Unforgivable... cruel... absolutely unforgivable...”

Her words and tears flowed endlessly together. Her misery kept feeding on itself.

She repeated those same words, over and over, and then...

“What's unforgivable?”

In the middle of the darkness, a voice could be heard.

Louise who was in a state of confusion, felt something reverberating inside her heart.

“I was betrayed. That's why, it's unforgivable.”

“By whom were you betrayed?”

“By someone who was dear to me...”

“Well then, you must take revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“It's unforgivable right? If that's the case, you must take revenge. You can do it. User of the great Void.”

At that, Louise came to her senses.

“...Who are you?”

“One of your friends. Since long ago... one who serves your people.”

“Who are you! Come out!”

Louise shouted into the darkness. Then she remembered the previous incident in Albion.

“Myoznitnirn?”

“You got it; but you're still wrong.”

She focused her eyes... and a winged shadow came into sight.

“...Gargoyle?”

As Louise was about to stand up,

“Don't worry. I will not harm you.”

The gargoyle which had appeared from the dark headed towards Louise's feet and crouched down reverentially.

“What... what's your intention! Myoznitnirn! You said you won't harm me! Then come out! Come and face me!”

However, the gargoyle opened its mouth.

“For what happened before, I apologize. But, that was a so-called test. To determine whether you deserve to be our ally or not.”

“Stop lying! You think I would believe those words?”

“Then, ask yourself. In this world, whose words do you believing in?”

Louise was speechless. Just a while ago... wasn't she betrayed by the two she believed in the most?

“My master can show you the way.”

“A lie... that's a lie!”

Louise's voice was becoming increasingly softer.

“The only one who can truly understand you... is a fellow user of Void. We want you to lend us your power.”

“...My power?”

“It's natural for you to be cautious. Yet, excessive caution would turn your eyes away from the truth.”

Whether or not it was magic, the gargoyle's voice was enchanting.

Gradually, Louise's caution disappeared.

Louise, who was confused because of her grief, did not know that she was falling for a trick.

“You, are you really my friend?”

“Of course.”

“My friend? You won't betray me?”

“I will definitely not betray you.”

The gargoyle slowly turned around, and showed Louise it's back.

“Please ride on me. Oh great master of the Void.”

Louise could not resist that voice any more.

She felt the gargoyle's back... and Louise's senses gradually faded. Slowly, as if she was falling asleep, Louise laid down on the gargoyle's back.

''Gaa!''

''Gagaa!''

''Gagagagagaaa!''

A storm of Windy Icicles - one of Tabitha's strongest attacks, flew towards him. Saito tumbled sideways to avoid them.

Clearly, it was an attack whose aim was to... kill Saito.

If he had not undergone Agnes' training, he would not have been able to evade them.

“What the heck!? What do you want!?”

Saito yelled in anger. He did not understand the reason behind this attack at all.

“Oi! Tabitha! You, what the hell... wh-!”

The response was magic.

Tabitha scattered Windy Icicles in all directions, surrounding him, and sent them flying.

''Bashushushushushuuu!''

After the smokescreen of water vapour produced by the countless Windy Icicles cleared up...

Contrary to her expectations, rather than seeing a skewered figure, Saito was standing there with Derflinger unsheathed. The Windy Icicles were absorbed by Derflinger, while the remaining ones were swiped away by Saito with his blade.

“What on earth, what's your reason? Why did you attack me? Explain!”

Tabitha lifted her staff.

“Because of a command.”

“Command? Who commanded you!”

As expected, her reply was magic.

Saito gripped Derflinger tightly and leaped. He planned to shorten their distance in one movement... and knock down the staff Tabitha was holding. But Tabitha reacted to Saito's movements and leaped, passing by him. Her body moved agilely, just like the traditional Wind element which she prided in.

As if she were a clockwork puppet, Tabitha combined her body's skills and magic to dodge the sword Saito brandished.

“!?”

She was jumping up and down, evading the sword, and at the same time,

“Deru Bagaraasu.”

She chanted the spell, and subsequently, used magic to fly past him. Very slowly, as if she was chasing cotton wool.


And then, sometimes, she would utter incantations which would cause attacks like bee stings.

The air was distorted, and it attacked Saito.

“Air Hammer.”

At that instant the sword was already set up, but, taken by surprise, Derflinger could not absorb it.

Receiving the full blow, Saito was hurled into air.

“Damn...”

However, that attack did not carry strong powers.

It seemed that both sides lacked decisive blows. Just to match with Gandálfr's speed she had to put in a lot of effort.

Because she did not have enough time for her chants, she could not use strong incantations. Naturally, the Windy Icicles and Air Hammers were weakened.

Yet, Tabitha was fast.

With a small and light body, her movements were faster than Wardes whom he had fought before this.

“The way this person moves. They are the movements of an assassin.”

Derflinger revealed its feelings.

“Assassin?”

“Yeah. Avoiding direct battles, and when the opponent reveals his weakness, deciding the victor in an instant. That girl's one by one strikes are not very strong. Her moves and speed are extraordinary though.”

“...Why is she doing so well, considering she's only holding a staff?”

“Partner's heart is uncertain, that's why.”

“That's very true! Why am I fighting her...!?”

Saito could not even display half of his usual power.

Unable to understand her reason for attacking, he could not fight Tabitha.

Before he knew it, in his defensive battle, Saito was driven into a corner. No... even if he could utilize Gandálfr's full power, Saito would not be able to fight Tabitha seriously. Even now, he could only draw his sword to try his best to knock off Tabitha's staff. Saito was that kind of person.

The offense and defense strikes continued back and forth...

Saito and Tabitha were confronting each other within a distance of 15 mails.

It was scarcely an interval.

Instantly, Saito retreated slightly beyond the distance which he could plunge forward towards her immediately.

A distance at which Tabitha could avoid if he were to plunge forward towards her...

That was the same for Saito as well. Even if Tabitha uttered any spell... he had the confidence to deal with it from this distance.

“Oi! It's about time you give me a straight answer...”

At that moment,

“Are you having trouble dealing with him?”

As if reverberating in their heads, a voice could be heard from above the sky.

The gargoyle which they had seen before, was carrying something behind it and circling them.

It was a shadow.

In the moonlight, pink hair shone.

“LOUISE!”

Louise's body was seen, carried on the back of a gargoyle, she seem to have fainted.

Saito unconsciously tried to run toward where Louise was... but before he could do that, Tabitha blocked his path.

“You... step aside!”

With eyes that revealed no emotion, Tabitha glared at Saito.

“There is no reason for her to step aside. This child is the Knight of the North Parterre. Our loyal watchdog.”

“Watchdog?”

“Isn't this amusing? Chevalier versus Chevalier. A combination for which my master would be jumping with delight.”

Tabitha bent her body slightly and readied her staff.

Heavy...

The atmosphere appeared to have turned heavy abruptly.

Her magical powers manifested into an aura, which drifted about around Tabitha, like a heat haze. Under the illumination of the moonlight, that aura squirmed about demonically.

Blue.

An aura that embodied Tabitha's power.

Saito gulped.

This girl's magical power was not just for show.

“Oi, Tabitha. Since Louise is at stake, I'll have be serious.”

“...”

“Because you are strong, I can't go easy on you.”

Tabitha started to recite spells.

“Hey, Gandálfr. If you aren't serious, you'll get hurt. Don't you get it? If you continue like this, you can't save your precious master.”

“Step aside Tabitha! Just step aside!”

[[Image:ZnT09-229.jpg|thumb]]

Ignoring his angry yell... Tabitha continued chanting her spell.

"Laguz Water Is Isa Hagalaz"

At the same time Tabitha rotated her staff to match the chant.

Magical power formed around her body like a serpent and changed into a huge ice javelin.

Guided by the staff... the ice javelin turned.

While turning, it kept on swelling... larger, sharper, and the blue radiance kept increasing.

Derflinger muttered.

“That 'Javelin'... its destructive power is strong. Don't get hit partner, or we'll be done for.”

“Oi, Tabitha! To save Louise I might have to kill you! Do you understand!?” Saito yelled.

“That is the same for this child as well.”

The gargoyle's shout reverberated from above.

“Do it! Partner!”

Saito shook his head as if giving up, and jumped.

Simultaneously, Tabitha swung her staff downwards.

With a wave of the staff, the huge Javelin aimed down and shot towards Saito.

The sword and the Javelin intersected each other.

Dissected by the sword, the Javelin broke and shattered into pieces.

But amidst the icy debris, Saito was hit by ice splinters which rained down like broken glass.

“Chi-!” Tabitha growl.

Finding a gap between the ice splinters, Tabitha brandishing her staff to fire off another Javelin.

“The first round was a decoy!”

Derflinger shouted.

Tabitha had completed two javelins at the same time just now.

“Uooooooo...!”

Together with his scream, the runes on Saito's left hand shone.

In a split second, he rushed over and knocked Tabitha down.

Straddling her small body with his knees, Saito pointed his sword at her.

But Tabitha would not release her staff.

“Throw away your staff!”

Saito shouted, as he readied his sword fiercely over her head.

Tabitha stared at Saito motionlessly.

Those eyes were... completely cold. It was unknown what kind of emotion laid hidden behind them.

The only thing they expressed was, "I will defeat the enemy".

The enemy that was in front of her.

That's what those eyes seem to say.

Magical mist gathered around Tabitha's staff, the ice spell 'Javelin' was formed. Just by lowering her staff... the spear would be unleashed, and would pierce through Saito's body.

Without the slightest hesitation, Tabitha waved her staff.

“Stop!!”

Saito yelled, and swung his sword downward.

The ice spear was activated, and ''Bang!'', both Saito and Tabitha was enveloped by a mist of water vapour.

Tabitha gazed at Saito, dumbfounded.

Saito's sword was stabbed into the ground beside Tabitha's face.

Tabitha's 'Javelin' which shone with a pale light... pierced Saito's side. Red blood flowed from Saito's wound... and dripped onto Tabitha's cheeks.

The snow white cheeks were stained in red.

“...Why?”

Without moving an inch, Tabitha asked Saito.

''Saito ought to have impaled me by now.''

Yet, Saito pointed his sword away.

“Dunno... I pointed it away unconsciously. How shameful... and I have to protect Louise... why did I spare the enemy...? I...”

Saito murmured with an anguished-looking face.

“But... you had saved us so many times, I suppose I can't kill you...”

“...”

“I wanted... to protect the people I most hold dear in life... even so, how could I sacrifice such another...?”

Tabitha's eyes opened big.

After that... from the inside of the transparent, blue eyes, tears welled up, overflowed from the side of her eyes... and trailed down her cheeks.

“What's the matter? What are you crying for? Your task hasn't finished yet. Deliver the finishing blow quickly!” The gargoyle demanded.

Tabitha sprang up, and with "Wind Break," blew the falling Saito off.

“Ouch!”

Tumbled over, Saito tried to stand up... but the side of his stomach hurt, and his body went numb- he could not move.

Tabitha waved her wand for a few times.

“Gou!” She shouted, and a whirlwind suddenly revolved around Tabitha, enveloping her.

In the midst of that, snow fragments glistened, sparkling.

''Will I be killed by this beautiful snow...?'' In a daze, Saito thought...

Tabitha did not aim her staff at Saito, but at the gargoyle, and fired.

Mixed with snowflakes, the raging wind attacked the gargoyle with sheer force, cutting off its wings and knocking it to the ground. Louise, who was on the gargoyle, was thrown off at the same time.

Tabitha turned around toward Saito.

“Finish it off.”

Holding his wounded side, Saito moved towards the gargoyle, who was struggling to fly away.

“Oh my... Knight of the North Parterre. A pet dog defying its master?”

Tabitha lifted her staff.

“...Don't misunderstand. Never once have I swore allegiance to you people.”

The gargoyle, struggling with its severe wounds, spoke in a small voice.

“I will report on your treachery. Besides, we've already captured our intended prey.”

The moment those words were said...

A huge shadow fell from the sky.

With wings spanning 30 meters... it was a gigantic gargoyle.

“Hu-Huge!!”

This gargoyle was many times bigger than the one before.

Grabbing the unconscious Louise with its left hand, it quickly rose in the air.

By a mere flap of the wings of the gigantic gargoyle, Saito and Tabitha were blown away and hit the ground hard.

Tabitha, who recovered quickly, whistled.

Giving off a roar, Sylphid flew and landed in front of Tabitha.

Nimbly straddling the dragon, Tabitha called out to Saito.

“Come on.”

While holding his injured side, Saito climbed onto Sylphid's back. Tabitha held out her hand, helping him up.

“Chase them.”

At Tabitha's brief command, and with a ''Kyui'' sound, Sylphid soared into the sky.

Saito and Tabitha were riding Sylphid on its back, pursuing the huge gargoyle. Was Myoznitnirn controlling the gargoyles from somewhere...? Her figure could not be seen on its back.

“Hey Tabitha. Tell me. Why did you attack me? Who are those people?”

Tabatha who was looking straight forward....

“We'll talk afterwards.” She murmured.

“Got it,”

Saito nodded. Indeed, now wasn't the time to listen to the reasons.

The flying speed of the gargoyle, flapping its wings, wasn't all that fast. Tabitha's Sylphid managed to catch up with it easily.

Its brutal form was exposed under the moonlight.

Before he realized it, Saito recalled the rumor he heard in the dining hall.

The huge wings which a dragon knight witnessed over Tristanian skies...

That figure must of been the one mistaken for a bird monster.

Its true appearance had to be this one.

The rumors that its wings span was 150 meters simply had to be an exaggeration.... The size might have appeared a few times larger due to the darkness and fear.

“Get closer! I’m ready!”

Tabitha nodded, and ordered Sylphid.

“Closer.”

"''Kyui''", at that moment when Sylphid purred...

In the sky, small black dots started to gradually appear.

“Wh-What is that...?”

They were gargoyles.

Like a flock of crows, the gargoyles, whose numbers covered the sky, flew towards them.

Moving by magic and their yellow eyes shining, The gargoyles started to surround Sylphid.

“Shit!”

There were already about several dozen near them.


To stop them from approaching the huge one carrying Louise, the gargoyles attacked with their claws and fangs.

“Kyui, kyui!”

Sylphid let out a terrified sound.

Tabitha chanted 'Windy Icicle' again... but only one of them fell. Because of her previous battle with Saito, it seemed like her willpower had depleted.

Saito grinded his teeth.

Without a good machine-gun and Gandálfr's powers, the situation looked hopeless.

“Crap... so what if I'm Gandálfr! Without the right tools, the weapon I'm holding might as well be a toy!”

This knight, who was once celebrated as a Chevalier, was quite embarrassed.


At that moment... Tabitha informed Saito softly,

“Up there.”

When Saito looked up, what he saw... was a huge shadow... spread over the sky.

“Wh-What is that....”

Truly colossal... nothing else could describe those black wings flying overhead.

Its silhouette looked like a monster spreading its wings...

''Shushushushushu''... a peculiar sound could be heard from it.

The dragon knight's report was not wrong.

Its overall width was more than 150 meters.

“This thing is so big... so it was all true!”

Compared to the flock of gargoyles and the one carrying Louise, this was about 50 times bigger. Apparently, it was an ultra big gargoyle...


It was unreasonable to even think about going against such an opponent.

If they didn't want to die, they had to escape from there.

In spite of that, Tabitha did not try to make Sylphid retreat.

On the contrary, she stopped doing evasive maneuvers and made a beeline towards their target.

“Oi, Tabitha! That's reckless!”

Tabitha stared straight at the gargoyle who was holding Louise.

To stop Tabitha, the gargoyles flew in front of them and targeted Sylphid's wings.

There were seven of them.

It was more than Saito could deal with.

“Run away Tabitha! It’s too dangerous!”

“...You saved me.”

“Eh?”

“I’ll help you save Louise even if it costs me my life.”

So Tabitha was even willing to risk her life for his sake. Bitter at his own helplessness, Saito grinded his teeth.

“Damn it all!!”

Like revolving lanterns, the faces of Louise, Siesta and Colbert flashed across his mind.

''I couldn’t carry out teacher’s last wish.''

''I couldn't do it.''

''I wanted to protecting the one girl I loved but... I CAN’T EVEN DO THAT!''

“Teacher! The things you did, I can't even do half of them... no, not even a tenth of them!”

Facing the sky, Saito yelled.

The seven gargoyles were approaching them from the front...

When they came into contact with each other, Tabitha, Sylphid, and himself would surely be torn apart by those huge claws.
But then, just as Saito thought they were finished...

Flames came shooting out of the massive shadow from above.

The flames erupted over the battlefield.

With a motion like that of a snake, it encircled the gargoyles which were about to attack Saito and turned them into cinders.

Saito and Tabitha were taken aback, and looked up to the sky.

“Why?”

“Ally...?”

Voices could be heard.

“'Not even a tenth of them' you say?”

From the skies, that voice reverberated.

It strangely echoed as if it were transmitted through loudspeakers.

Nevertheless, that voice sounded familiar.

In the laboratory, in the classrooms, in the courtyard... a voice he had heard many times before.

“Teacher?” Saito murmured.

He shook his head after that. It must be a hallucination. Teacher is suppose to be dead.

He's hearing voices that weren't there because he was too stressed out.

The gargoyles' assault continued. Sylphid began to dodge the attacks frantically again. Because of this, Tabitha and Saito could only cling onto it with all their might. They could not counterattack at all.

“You are not me. That's nothing to be ashamed about.”

That voice could be heard again.

Saito lifted his face and yelled,

“Teacher!!”

It was Colbert's voice. There's no mistake about it.

Surprise and delight swept through his heart.

''Guonguonguon''... The noise sounded through the sky.

''Shushushushushushu''... The sound became louder.

The colossal shadow descended slowly, and approached the group who were being attacked by gargoyles.

Saito's mouth was wide open.

W-What huge wings... so this was the object that was described as a ''"bird-like monster"''.

Yeah.

Those were indeed wings. Huge wings which had a span of approximately 150 meters. Behind the wings, several huge propellers were spinning.

The flying object had wings in the shape of a flat isosceles triangle, and the huge propellers were its main driving force.

Quite different from the "mysterious bird", this was the real thing.

And when he saw those propellers... Saito's hopes were realised.

“You're alive...”

Then a sultry woman's voice that they hadn't heard in a while cried out.

“Hey guys, what are you doing? Having fun? Since when did you manage to make friends with gargoyles?”

Tabitha looked up at the owner of the voice.

“I was thinking of secretly arriving at the academy, and show off this ''"Ostrant"'' to surprise you all. But when we returned to Tristain, we made a navigation error and accidentally came here instead.”


“Kirche!”

Sure enough, that was the voice of Kirche who had not shown herself at the academy since taking Colbert's remains to Germania.

Next, Colbert's voice could be heard.

“Anyway... the 'Flying Serpents' are about to move, so be careful.”

“Do a nose-dive!” Saito yelled at Tabitha.

Tabitha nodded. Sylphid lowered her head, and swiftly dived down at once.

''Baraaa... barabararararararaaaaa!'' Many shots were fired from launcher barrels located on the bottom of the ''"Ostrant"''.

From behind the dropping cylinders, ignition fires were lit.

After that, ''shupooooo!'' The sound which he had heard while he was being pursued by the dragon knights in Albion the other day, echoed through the air.

Like fireworks in the night sky, Colbert's Flying Serpents ignited simultaneously.

The tips of the Flying Serpents were equipped with a magic device which transmits "Detect Magic". That magic device would react excitedly at the gargoyles, and the Flying Serpents would quickly dash towards them.

Generally, there were about two or three 'Flying Serpents' pursuing each gargoyle.

At a point-blank range near the gargoyles, the Flying Serpents would explode into pieces, which would scatter at the gargoyles, smashing them to pieces.

The gargoyles could not even think about escaping. One by one, they dropped to the ground.

One of the serpents reacted to Tabitha's magic, and flew towards her.

Saito jumped from the top of Sylphid, and slashed it before it could reach her.

Before he knew it, he could no longer feel even the pain at the side of his stomach.

''The teacher is alive.''

''The person who believed in me...''

''The person who helped me so many times before...''

''And now... he is saving me yet again.''

That fact gave Saito courage.

“I'm not alone.”

The runes on his left hand shone.

Using the explosion just now, grasping Derflinger with his left hand, Saito caught one of the Flying Serpents in the air.

Clinging onto the thing, which had a length about the same as Saito's height, he forcibly turned the head of the Flying Serpent to fly towards the gargoyle which was holding Louise. The magic device which had "Detect Magic" on it, sensed that gargoyle, and rushed swiftly towards it.

On top of the Flying Serpent, Saito adopted a stance as if crouching on top of a surfboard.

He approached the gargoyle in a furious speed.

He timed it properly.

Precisely a second before the collision, Saito leaped from the top of the Serpent, and sliced through the arm which had seized Louise. Just like that, he caught Louise in the sky.

Almost simultaneously, the Serpent that was behind them exploded, and the gargoyle whose arm was sliced through was blasted into smithereens.

They were lifted up by the blast... but Saito did not part with Louise.

Fragments shot into his body, sending intense pain to him.

In spite of that, Saito still did not let go.

They were blown upward by the explosion until they reached the apex, and then dropped due to gravity.

There were traces of tears in Louise's eyes.

Gazing at those tears, Saito began to think of thoughts which pressed heavily upon his heart. In that moment, as if the gargoyle's hypnosis magic suddenly ran out, Louise's eyes suddenly opened.


“Yo, Louise...”

Saito said, and...

“Release me!”

Louise began to struggle.

“I-idiot! We're falling down right now! Stop struggling!”

“I don't care! That's enough, let go of me! I hate you Saito!! Just die! I hate you and Princess the most!! Both of you lied to me together! Absolutely unforgivable!!”

“That's just the way it turned out. Really, i-i-its like a misunderstanding...”

Even though Saito tried frantically to sooth her, Louise was still bawling and struggling with her hands. Perhaps she would be accidentally released
like this. It would be terrible if they were to separate in the air.

“I have to calm her down somehow.” Saito thought.

“I hate you! Let me go! I've had enough!”

Looking at the bawling Louise... Saito knew that he could not make her understand with words.

''What should I do...?''

He was troubled. But then Saito looked straight at Louise, and said.

“I love you, Louise. Only you!”

“Liar! I don't believe you! I HATE you!”

Louise grew more and more upset.

''There is no other way. Damn, if things keep continuing like this...''
[[Image:ZnT09-245.jpg|thumb]]
Saito hugged the raging Louise tightly. Louise was kicking and struggling, nevertheless he pressed his lips hard against hers.

Louise struggled for a while, but eventually and with a muffled "''ngu...''", she stopped resisting and became quiet.

''But if we continue dropping like this we'll still die...'' While he was thinking about that, ''"Buon!"'' A sound was heard, and Tabitha's Sylphid scooped them up with its wings.

Relieved and hugging the still weeping Louise, Saito looked up to the sky...

Under the moonlight, flying magnificently in the sky, the ''Ostrant'' on which Colbert and Kirche were riding could be seen.

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