《Reader》 Chapter 0 - prologue prologue Reading addict. This is what I heard from my high school homeroom teacher. However, I did not pay attention to it, because just as my teacher said, I really was an addict. I loved to read. Heroism? Fantasy? Writing? Romance? Humanities? Science? Essays? It didn¡¯t matter what genre. Just reading something, and reading itself is what I loved. I am a reading addict. Chapter 1 ¡°You¡¯re reading again?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Soo Hyuk knew that question was towards him but did not respond. He just silently continued to read a book while keeping his mouth closed. Was it fate? Since second grade in elementary school until senior year of high school, Soo Hyuk and Yeon Jeung have always been in the same class. Therefore, Yeon Jeung knew Soo Hyuk very well. He knew already of course, that Soo Hyuk wouldn¡¯t respond. Clunk. Yeon Jeung sat next to Soo Hyuk. And then he lowered his head to identify the book Soo Hyuk was reading. ¡°Oh, [Force Master]?¡± The name of the book was [Force Master]. ¡°Isn¡¯t this what you read a couple months ago?¡± He couldn¡¯t remember exactly. However, he was sure that it was the novel Soo Hyuk saw a few months ago. ¡°It completed with 24 volumes.¡± The reason Yeon Jeung remembered this its because he too read it. At the time, Yeon Jeung read up to 19 volumes. He asked Soo Hyuk. ¡°It¡¯s inside the backpack?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± This time, contrary to what happened prior, Soo Hyuk replied. Yeon Jeung heard Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer and opened his backpack. ¡°Okay, exactly from the 20th volume!¡± Inside the backpack were 10 volumes of books. Amongst them, four volumes were [Force Master]. And the four volumes were what Yeon Jeung needed to read, volumes 20 to volume 23. ¡°I¡¯ll give them to you after I¡¯m done reading!¡± Yeon Jeung stood up from where he was sitting. Thereafter, he went back to his own seat while speaking to Soo Hyuk and began reading the book. Ding dong deng dong ~ The sound of the bell signaling that time has passed and class was starting rang from the speaker. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Soo Hyuk, who was concentrating on a book, closed it with a regretful look on his face. And then he placed the book inside the drawer and checked his timetable. ¡°¡­Oh!¡± Soo Hyuk smiled while checking his timetable. It was because it was time for literature class. There was a lot of reading material in the literature book and Soo Hyuk thought this class wouldn¡¯t be boring as he took the literature book out of the drawer and opened it. Squeak ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m a bit late?¡± Shortly, literature teacher Choon Bok Lee arrived. Soo Hyuk briefly paused reading the book when Choon Bok Lee arrived. ¡°Soo Hyuk Kang.¡± It was because of attendance. The first name to be called during attendance, with roll call number one was Soo Hyuk. ¡°Yes.¡± Soo Hyuk answered while concentrating on the literature book again at the same time. Although he read the literature book a couple times already, just reading itself was fun for Soo Hyuk. The look in his eyes was filled with interest. ¡°Today¡¯s lesson will be on page 98, open the page to 98.¡± Within that time, attendance ended and Choon Bok Lee began class. Of course Soo Hyuk had no intentions of participating in class and did not open his book to page 98. The only reason why Soo Hyuk liked literature class was simply because the literature book had a lot of things to read in it. Soo Hyuk silently continued to read on in the literature book. ¡°We will stop here for today!¡± Choon Bok Lee ended class. And while waiting for the sound of the bell signaling the end of class, began conversing with the students that were sitting in the front. Rustle As soon as the class ended, Soo Hyuk closed the literature book right away. And took out the 24th volume of [Force Master] from the drawer. He loved to read. But reading something new was more fun than something that¡¯s been read a couple times already. Ding dong deng dong~ Shortly, the bell signaling the end of class rang and Choon Bok Lee left. ¡°Hey Hey, did you see the video yesterday?¡± ¡°Pangaea?¡± ¡°Yeah, isn¡¯t it a smash hit?¡± ¡°It was a smash hit. It opens 12/31 of this year right?¡± ¡°Yeah, are you going to do it?¡± ¡°Of course! But are you going back to your capsule? I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to go back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to beg my parents to buy it for me. I passed the admissions exam for college, so don¡¯t you think they¡¯ll buy it for me? I mean, if they don¡¯t, I have lots of time now so I¡¯ll just have to work a part-time job like crazy.¡± ¡°Sigh, I envy your admissions pass.¡± After class ended, the students gathered in groups of twos and threes and began conversing. However, Soo Hyuk did not move from his seat. He only focused on reading his book. Soo Hyuk¡¯s eyes filled with joy. * * * ¡°There¡¯s only one month left until the College Scholastic Aptitude Test! Everyone stop screwing around and study hard! Dismissed!¡± Hyun Gong High School¡¯s gym teacher and third year, room 5¡¯s homeroom teacher, Pil Gyo Kim ended the end-day meeting and immediately left the room. ¡°Wow, he didn¡¯t even wait for us to say good-bye and left?¡± Yeon Jeung had a surprised look on his face as he stood up from his seat. No matter how urgent, Pil Gyo Kim always received good-bye greetings. Seeing that he didn¡¯t receive the greeting, it must¡¯ve been something very urgent. Yeon Jeung slung his backpack over his shoulders and lifted the four volumes of books that were on top of his desk. They were the books Force Master that he borrowed from Soo Hyuk this morning. ¡°I read them well.¡± While carrying the books, Yeon Jeung walked over to Soo Hyuk¡¯s seat and gave the books back to Soo Hyuk. Soo Hyuk was waiting with his backpack open and after he received the books and put them in his backpack, he opened his mouth. ¡°Are you going to go right away?¡± ¡°You¡¯re very interesting.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk had a surprised look in his face because of Yeon Jeung¡¯s irrelevant answer. ¡°When you¡¯re reading a book, you don¡¯t speak like a speech-impaired person but when you¡¯re not reading a book, you¡¯re normal.¡± Soo Hyuk smiled and slung his backpack over his shoulders as Yeon Jeung¡¯s answer connected. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± While carrying his backpack, Soo Hyuk lead and began to move his pace. Yeon Jeung followed behind Soo Hyuk and spoke. ¡°Hey, you have to give me volume 24.¡± Yeon Jeung read up to volume 23. He could not read the last volume, volume 24. Although time was also a factor, it was because Soo Hyuk was reading it. Nevertheless, Yeon Jeung confirmed with his own two eyes Soo Hyuk reading all 24 volumes and taking out a different book during lunchtime. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you in the library.¡± Soo Hyuk replied to what Yeon Jeung said. ¡°You¡¯re going to the library again?¡± ¡°Yes, I need to return and borrow something.¡± While conversing, Soo Hyuk and Yeon Jeung headed towards the library. It was at that moment. ¡°Huh? Hey Soo Hyuk!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk looked forward, towards the sound of the voice that was calling him. And Soo Hyuk was able to see the voice¡¯s owner, who was running fast towards him. ¡°Are you going somewhere?¡± The voice¡¯s owner was the librarian Ji Soo Yang. Ji Soo Yang had an urgent look on her face. In addition, Ji Soo Yang, who should be in the library, was in this place, which meant something had happened. ¡°Yes, a meeting¡¯s been formed hastily. I told Ji Yool about the thing you requested. You¡¯ll be able to go and borrow it.¡± ¡°Ok, thank you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me, then I¡¯ll be leaving now!¡± Soo Hyuk said good-bye to Ji Soo Yang, who approached quickly and disappeared like the wind and began to move towards the library again with Yeon Jeung. ¡°Do you think our homeroom teacher left too because of the meeting?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± Soo Hyuk and Yeon Jeung began to move their pace again after briefly stopping. And before long, the two arrived at the library. ¡°Hello.¡± As soon as Soo Hyuk and Yeon Jeung entered, Ji Yool, who was organizing books, approached. Soo Hyuk replied to Ji Yool¡¯s greeting as he opened his backpack and took out the five books that were inside. He placed them on top of the desk. ¡°I¡¯m returning these, and renting the book teacher asked you to put aside.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She already heard from Ji Soo Yang and knew. After Ji Yool sat down and processed the returns, she proceeded with the rentals of the books Ji Soo Yang had put aside. ¡°But why are you borrowing these books?¡± After the rental process, Ji Yool asked Soo Hyuk as she handed him the books. Soo Hyuk borrowed a total of three books, [The Importance Of Stretching], [If There Was No Gravity What Would Happen To Earth?], [What is Humanities?]. During the three years Ji Yool worked in the library, they were books that were never rented. The three books had no relevance to each other. She couldn¡¯t understand why on earth Soo Hyuk would borrow these books. ¡°What? Of course I¡¯m borrowing them to read.¡± Soo Hyuk replied with an obvious answer to the obvious question that Ji Yool asked, as he placed the books inside his backpack. He then took out the 24 volumes of Force Master and handed them to Yeon Jeung and slung his backpack over his shoulders. ¡°Keep up the good work~¡± After Soo Hyuk accomplished his purpose in the library, he said good-bye to Ji Yool and came out of the library with Yeon Jeung. ¡°Is all of that readable?¡± Yeon Jeung saw the types of books Soo Hyuk borrowed and asked with a fed up expression on his face. ¡°If what you¡¯re asking is talking about understanding, then no.¡± Soo Hyuk answered Yeon Jeung¡¯s question. They have no relevance to each other and are respectively different fields. If you were able to understand just by reading the books then you¡¯d be considered a genius. And not even just a normal genius. However, Soo Hyuk was not a genius. He did not borrow the books to understand them. He borrowed them only to read them. ¡°If it¡¯s only reading that you like, wouldn¡¯t it be better to read a book you can understand that¡¯s also interesting, instead of a book you don¡¯t understand?¡± Yeon Jeung asked once more to Soo Hyuk¡¯s response. If reading was fun, if reading itself was fun, wouldn¡¯t it be better to read a book you can understand, which can make you feel entertained, instead of a book you can¡¯t understand? This is what Yeon Jeung thought. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t completely not understand.¡± Soo Hyuk answered once again to Yeon Jeung¡¯s question. It¡¯s not that he couldn¡¯t completely not understand. When he reads for the first time, he can¡¯t understand the majority of what¡¯s written, but Soo Hyuk doesn¡¯t stop reading after only reading once. He read¡¯s repeatedly a couple of times. As such, reading like that, things that were not understandable became understandable. ¡°Sigh, I can¡¯t understand you.¡± Yeon Jeung shook his head and mumbled as he heard Soo Hyuk¡¯s response. Soo Hyuk grinned as Yeon Jeung mumbled and continued conversing. ¡°See you tomorrow!¡± They conversed like that at school and shortly; it was time for them to part. Yeon Jeung said good-bye to Soo Hyuk and went inside the apartment. ¡°Good-bye.¡± Soo Hyuk waved his hand as he received Yeon Jeung¡¯s good-bye. And after Yeon Jeung was out of sight, Soo Hyuk began to run. Honestly, it was a waste of time to not do anything and just move your pace. Running home will be good for your health and it¡¯ll save time, so it¡¯ll be killing two birds with one stone. Soo Hyuk ran quickly and was able to reach a residential street shortly. Soo Hyuk stopped running when he reached the residential street. And after catching his breath, he began to walk slowly. Thud! Soo Hyuk stopped his steps. In front of Soo Hyuk was a three-story single house. Beep Beep Beep. Soo Hyuk naturally pressed the passcode and opened the door. ¡°¡­¡± Soo Hyuk entered the house and did not say anything. There was no reason to greet. It was because no one was there. It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t have parents. Dual income, because of dual income, Soo Hyuk¡¯s parents left the house early in the morning. This didn¡¯t mean they came home early though. If they came home early, it was at 10 pm, but generally they would come home at 12 am, when it was the start of a new day. Soo Hyuk could only see his parents late at night, and that was if he refused sleep and endured until late at night to see his parents. Universally, it wasn¡¯t a good situation. Nevertheless, this is if the case was literally a universal situation. Soo Hyuk was not a universal child. Although Soo Hyuk was aware that being in a situation where he was alone for the majority of the day was not good, he did not pay much attention to it. The reason why he didn¡¯t pay much attention to it is because he felt that his relationship with his parents was not distant. Because Soo Hyuk¡¯s parents were not able to be with him often, the time they did spend together, they tried to spend more harmoniously. You can say it was slightly a problem of loneliness, but Soo Hyuk had his books. If he had his books, he wasn¡¯t alone. ¡®$50.¡¯ Soo Hyuk took off his shoes and checked the dining table. He smiled as he looked at the $50 and letter on top of it. Soo Hyuk walked towards the dining table and read the letter first. ¡®Traveling.¡¯ Soo Hyuk¡¯s mother wrote the letter. The letter contained contents of going on vacation this weekend and asking to go on a trip. Soo Hyuk placed the letter down and put the $50 in his wallet. ¡®I¡¯ll be able to buy three books.¡¯ The purpose of the $50 was already decided. There were a lot of books Soo Hyuk wanted to buy. After Soo Hyuk drank some water, he went inside his room. Once Soo Hyuk reached his room, he opened his backpack and took out the books that were inside. He began placing them into the first bookshelf that was on the left side. After he placed all of the books inside, Soo Hyuk came out of his room and went up to the second floor. Although the second floor was just as big as the first floor, it didn¡¯t seem big at all. This was because the second floor had layers of bookcases taking place. A library, the second floor compared favorably to a small library as it was prepared with many bookcases and books. ¡°Hah.¡± Soo Hyuk beamed as he looked at the bookcase filled completely with books. Whenever he went to the second floor, the feeling of ease and joy made him smile. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± But, Soo Hyuk wiped the smile off his face as he let out a sigh. It was because he wanted to read the books right away but weren¡¯t able to. Soo Hyuk began moving his pace again and went up to the third floor. Different than that of the second floor, there was not even one book that existed on the third floor. There was only exercise equipment. Yes. If the second floor was a small library then the third floor was a small gym. Chapter 2 The reason Soo Hyuk let out a sigh, as he went up to the exercise equipment filled third floor, is because he had to exercise. Soo Hyuk originally did not exercise. There¡¯s not enough time to even read a book, but exercising? It was unheard of. This Soo Hyuk, the reason he began exercising is because exactly four years ago, he came to a realization. Up to four years ago, once Soo Hyuk sat down he would not move. Is that why? His body became weak and his stamina went down as well. Because his body became weak and his stamina declined, the time for reading shortened little by little. Soo Hyuk was shocked when he found that when his stamina decreased, the time for him to be able to read a book also shortened, so he began to exercise right away. Although, he had thoughts of reading while exercising, he restrained himself. He thought that if he exercised, the time he would get to read would increase. And the way Soo Hyuk thought was exactly right. After three months passed since he started exercising, Soo Hyuk was able to build his stamina so that he could read a lot longer than before. After that, although Soo Hyuk hated exercising, he continued. This was only to lengthen his reading time. ¡°Even though I don¡¯t like it, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡± Soo Hyuk went on top of the running machine. And in order to loosen his body, he began to walk slowly as he turned on the TV. -Hahahahaha! You humans are stupid! As soon as the TV came on, a pretty boy with handsomely good looks, which many women would be bewitched by, appeared. -You guys thought with your strength, you could seal in me, the Prince of Darkness. Hahahahaha! The man¡¯s identity was the Prince of Darkness. And in front of him were a magician, a warrior, a priest, etc., people with different occupations gathered to seal in the Prince of Darkness. ¡°Is this a movie?¡± He didn¡¯t know the exact story, but if it was about the Prince of Darkness and humans it must be a movie. -Wow, team leader Yang, is this really what you call a play video? However, Soo Hyuk soon realized it was not a movie. -Yes! Isn¡¯t it amazing? -To think we¡¯d hit a gold mine! Though I do approve. The graphics are extremely exceptional. Out of all of the games I¡¯ve seen, the graphics are remarkable. -It¡¯s not only the graphics that¡¯s outstanding! Honestly, we are more confident in the story than the graphics. The story! -Oh, then we will be surprised by the graphics and then surprised again with the story? -No! You will be surprised once by the graphics, then fall straight~ into the story. There¡¯s no time to be surprised! The thing he thought was a movie wasn¡¯t a movie, but a game. ¡°Wow, there must be lots of development.¡± Soo Hyuk, as expected, has played a virtual reality game. He¡¯s played FPS and RPG. However, they were not like what just came on, games with extraordinary graphics. Anyhow, the games must¡¯ve advanced during the time Soo Hyuk quit gaming. -When was the hardest time for you? This is what the reporter asked. -The hardest time¡­ And the following answer made Soo Hyuk stop on the running machine. -No matter how I think about it, it was when I made the library. ¡°Library?¡± What do you mean library? Soo Hyuk caught his breath as he focused on the interview. -A library? -Yes, a library! -I¡¯m confused! I thought you would say, magic implementation into the story or when you have to fix a bug. Why was creating a library the hardest for you? Isn¡¯t it something you could just implement? Team leader Yang laughed as he replied to the reporter¡¯s question. -Haha, you¡¯re correct. The building itself, you can just implement. The problem is the books that would fill the library. ¡°¡­!¡± And as soon as Soo Hyuk heard team leader Yang¡¯s response during the interview, his eyes grew wide. * * * ¡°Hoo¡­.hoo¡­.¡± Soo Hyuk breathed coarsely as he pressed the stop button. The speed on the running machine slowly began decreasing, then stopped completely. Only then was Soo Hyuk able to come down from the running machine. He caught his breath as he headed down to the first floor to take a shower and began washing off his sweat. ¡®Pangaea¡­.¡¯ While washing off the sweat, Soo Hyuk recollected on the game he saw while exercising, ¡®Pangaea¡¯. ¡®They said there¡¯s an enormous amount of books.¡¯ Implementing the books in the library was the hardest in Pangaea. After taking a shower, Soo Hyuk walked straight towards the computer. And then began researching information on Pangaea. ¡®December 31¡­.¡¯ Soo Hyuk went onto the official homepage and saw the open date. The open date was December 31. ¡®There¡¯s a little over two months left.¡¯ Today¡¯s October 15, I have to wait two months and fifteen days from now on. After Soo Hyuk checked the open date, he looked for other information. Of course, the only information on the homepage was specifications on the capsule needed for play. ¡®¡­. The specifications are no joke?¡¯ The specs on the capsule needed in order to play Pangaea surprised Soo Hyuk. The capsules he had at the moment made it impossible for him to play. ¡®Well, it has been five years.¡¯ They were capsules he attained five years ago. To spin them in the latest games was irrational and obvious. ¡®I can¡¯t save my allowance.¡¯ In order to play Pangaea, he needed a new capsule. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t save his allowance. Even if he saved his allowance, it wasn¡¯t an amount of money he could purchase it for and above all, if he saved his allowance, he wouldn¡¯t be able to purchase books. The reason he wanted to play Pangaea wasn¡¯t because he wanted to hunt or because he wanted to experience the world of fantasy personally. The library, the reason why Soo Hyuk was showing interest in Pangaea was because of the books inside the library. But in order to read those books, he couldn¡¯t purchase any books? It was a contradiction. ¡®Should I talk to them about it?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought of his parents. Currently, there was only one way that Soo Hyuk would be able to attain a capsule. It was his parents. ¡®Yes, I should talk to them.¡¯ Soo Hyuk stood up in front of the computer as he made his decision. He checked the open time and capsule specifications, as well as everything that was on the official homepage. There was nothing else to find. Soo Hyuk went up to the second floor in order to read a book. * * * ¡°The installation is complete. How you use it¡­¡± ¡°I know how to use it.¡± Soo Hyuk replied, as he cut off the capsule installation engineer. ¡°Oh, okay! Then I hope you have a good time. If something you don¡¯t understand comes up, please refer to the guidebook or call the center and we will resolve it right away!¡± ¡°Okay, good bye.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you!¡± Soo Hyuk returned straight to his room after he hung up with the capsule installation engineer. And with a pleased look on his face, looked at the capsule sitting in the middle of the room. Ultimately, he told his parents and was able to purchase the latest capsule. ¡®I didn¡¯t know they would like it.¡¯ Soo Hyuk was even ready to get in trouble. But contrary to what Soo Hyuk thought, Soo Hyuk¡¯s parents were very much delighted when he asked them to buy him a capsule. ¡®You¡¯re finally playing games!¡¯ Soo Hyuk was unable to forget the delight in his father¡¯s face as he said this. After looking at the capsule, Soo Hyuk came out of his room. He went up to the second floor and took out a book from the fourth bookcase, within all of the ¡®Science¡¯ relevant books. ¡®Forward 5 days.¡¯ After he found out about Pangaea, much time had passed. With the capsule installed, all of the preparations in order to play Pangaea were completed. Now all he had to do was wait for it to open. There were only five days left until the 31st, if he waited five days, he would be able to play Pangaea. ¡®What kind of books are going to be there.¡¯ Soo Hyuk opened his book as he thought about Pangaea¡¯s library. Soo Hyuk looked forward to what types of books would be in the library. * * * Time passed quickly, and it became Pangaea¡¯s open date of December 31st. Soo Hyuk checked the time. ¡¯10 minutes from now.¡¯ The time was currently 11:50. The situation was open time at 12, and 10 minutes left until then. If 10 minutes passes from now, he¡¯ll be able to access ¡®Pangaea¡¯. ¡®I can¡¯t understand why the homepage is opening later¡­.¡¯ While waiting 10 minutes, Soo Hyuk thought to himself. Normally, the homepage is opened before a game opens. Information is opened through the homepage to lead the users¡¯ interests. It is normally like this. But is Pangaea not an ordinary game? They did not open the homepage. To be exact, there was a homepage, but the only thing on there was the open time and capsule specifications. Of course, the homepage was not in this state permanently. One hour after Pangaea would open, on the homepage would be a story and such, with various kinds of information that would come up. It was definite because there was an official announcement from the group ¡®Myung Kyung,¡¯ whom created Pangaea. ¡®Do I have to check, after I come out one hour later?¡¯ Soo Hyuk worried to himself. Once it became 12, he was expected to access ¡®Pangaea.¡¯ However, in order to check the information that were going to come up on the homepage, would he need to come out one hour later? ¡®No, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to focus on hunting.¡¯ After he finished worrying, Soo Hyuk shook his head. First, it wasn¡¯t like he wasn¡¯t going to hunt at all. He was going to, out of curiosity. Shouldn¡¯t he enjoy the game? Therefore, he would hunt in order to see how much of his curiosity would be resolved; he had no thoughts of genuinely hunting. Soo Hyuk¡¯s goal was the library. There was no reason for him to check the various kinds of information on the homepage. Beep beep beep beep! While in that thought, the alarm rang. Soo Hyuk hurriedly turned the alarm off, stood up in front of the computer and went inside the capsule. Inside the capsule, Soo Hyuk implemented ¡®Pangaea,¡¯ which he downloaded prior. After he entered his i.d. and password, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but be amazed when he logged in. Plains, once he logged in, the darkness filled peripheral room changed into plains. Although he saw it in a video, he was shocked when he saw it in person. It was not only this. ¡®Wow, you could feel the air.¡¯ He was able to feel the cool breeze. ¡®Real technology has advanced a lot.¡¯ The virtual reality games that came out a couple years prior couldn¡¯t compare. It was at this moment. [Please move to the house you see in front of you.] As Soo Hyuk was being astonished with the graphic and sensation, the message appeared. Soo Hyuk saw the message and looked forward. ¡®Up until just a moment ago, it wasn¡¯t there?¡¯ In that place, a house that wasn¡¯t there before, appeared. Stomp stomp Just as the message was written, Soo Hyuk walked towards the house. ¡®Do I have to go inside the house?¡¯ Soo Hyuk arrived in front of the house and thought to himself. It said to move towards the house, but he didn¡¯t know if it meant to go in front of the house or to go inside the house. ¡®Nothing¡¯s coming up.¡¯ But even after he arrived in front of the house, no message popped up. I think I need to go inside the house. Squeak After he finished his thought, Soo Hyuk opened the door and went inside. [There is no character.] [A character will be created.] After he stepped inside, a message appeared simultaneously with multiple windows. It was a window where you could control the character¡¯s name and outward appearance. [First, the character name will be created.] A window appeared as well as a message. And within the multiple windows, the window that could create the character name began to twinkle. Chapter 3 ¡°Soo Hyuk.¡± As soon as the message appeared, Soo Hyuk opened his mouth and answered. [Do you want to set-up the character¡¯s name as ¡®Soo Hyuk¡¯?] ¡°Yes.¡± [The character¡¯s name has been set as ¡®Soo Hyuk¡¯.] [The character¡¯s appearance will be set-up.] [Scan in process.] Once the character¡¯s name was set-up, it went straight into the character¡¯s appearance. And then a message appeared stating it was going to scan. A short while after, in front of Soo Hyuk, Soo Hyuk appeared. Soo Hyuk thought to himself as he looked at his character. ¡®Should I continue like this?¡¯ The only thing you can change in the appearance set-up was some height, face, skin, and hair. ¡®Let¡¯s raise only the height.¡¯ It was not very hard to raise the height. You only needed to raise the numerical value. It was also not hard to set the skin color, but he did not want to change it. The problem was the face and hair. A really minute setting was possible that it was feasible to become a different person altogether. ¡®It would take too much time.¡¯ However, it would take too much time to make the type of style he desired. Soo Hyuk wanted to go to the library as soon as possible, so he raised only the height to the maximum value and finished his character¡¯s appearance set-up. [The character has been created.] [In order to gain access, please make contact with the character that¡¯s been created.] Soo Hyuk thought to himself as he saw the message stating that the character¡¯s been created. ¡®Am I unable to decide the starting point?¡¯ The set-up was only the character¡¯s name and appearance. The starting point was not yet decided. ¡®Do I need to access in order to set it?¡¯ By any chance, would you have to connect in order to set the starting point? Soo Hyuk raised his hand and made contact with his character. Woosh. At that moment, Soo Hyuk¡¯s character twinkled. And thereafter a message appeared. [Accessing character ¡®Soo Hyuk.¡¯] [It will be the first connection.] The access message along with the surrounding area was filled with darkness once again. And a short while after, a house appeared again. It was the house where his character was created. ¡®What the, is the starting point random? Or is it already arranged?¡¯ He thought he would be able to decide the starting point once he gained access, but he was wrong. By any chance, was the starting point decided at random? Or was it arranged? While having various thoughts, Soo Hyuk opened the door and came out. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s huge?¡± Soo Hyuk looked around in amazement as he saw several different users. And it was at that moment. [Quest ¡®Find Guide Kajan!¡¯ has been created.] [The quest can be found in the quest window.] The message appeared and Soo Hyuk opened the quest window. Go find Guide Kajan in the central plaza! Quest reward: 1 gold, 1 hard bread ¡®Why is it so unfriendly?¡¯ Soo Hyuk confirmed the quest and frowned. He thought there would be a friendly explanation but the quest did not have any particular explanation. Exactly like what appeared on the message, the contents only stated to find Guide Kajan. Although it showed the location, how would you find the guide if you don¡¯t know where the central plaza is? ¡®Do I familiarize myself by just walking around.¡¯ It was indeed an unfriendly quest. ¡°Where is the central plaza?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I should look for it now.¡± ¡°Wow, I like it because it¡¯s unfriendly.¡± ¡°Why? Does it feel like you¡¯re having an adventure?¡± Soo Hyuk closed the quest window. And looked around his surroundings as he listened to the users¡¯ conversations. While confirming the quest, the users increased drastically. ¡®I think I need to get out of here quickly?¡¯ Soo Hyuk began walking as he watched the quickly increasing number of users. If he stayed still like this, he felt the users would block him, making him unable to move. After Soo Hyuk was able to get away from the starting point, he began walking slowly as he looked around his surroundings. ¡®It feels like I came inside a real novel.¡¯ While reading novels, the feeling of the fantasy world he imagined exuded strongly. ¡°Haha, and?¡± ¡°I just did a rear-side kick! This wound is from then?¡± As Soo Hyuk was walking and looking around his surroundings, he saw others approaching him from the other side and thought to himself. ¡®Should I ask?¡¯ Looking at their attire and image, they did not seem like they were users. No, it was for certain they were not users. How long has the game been open that they were wearing leather armor? They were clearly NPC. After Soo Hyuk finished his thoughts, he approached the NPC. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Huh? Who are you?¡± As Soo Hyuk approached, a man wearing leather armor asked with a puzzled look on his face. ¡°There is something I would like to ask but would it be alright to ask?¡± Soo Hyuk replied to the question the man asked. ¡°If it¡¯s something that I know, I will give you the answer.¡± The man shook his head as if he understood Soo Hyuk¡¯s response. And as soon as the man shook his head, Soo Hyuk quickly opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m trying to go to the central plaza, where do I need to go?¡± The thing Soo Hyuk wanted to ask was the way to get to the central plaza. ¡°The central plaza? If it¡¯s the central plaza.¡± Fortunately, the man knew about the central plaza. ¡°You need to go straight just like this. Then it¡¯ll come out.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± Soo Hyuk was elastic when he heard the man¡¯s response. ¡°Haha, no problem. Is there anything else you¡¯re curious about?¡± ¡°There is one more thing I¡¯m curious about.¡± Soo Hyuk replied to the man¡¯s question. Soo Hyuk was not yet done with his questions. There was still one more thing he was curious about. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Is there a library in here?¡± It was about the library¡¯s existence. ¡°Library?¡± The man tilted his head to Soo Hyuk¡¯s question. ¡°Are you talking about the library that has the books?¡± Just like the central plaza, the man knew about the library as well. ¡°Yes!¡± Soo Hyuk replied with a smile on his face. ¡°Sorry, I have no interest in the library. I¡¯m not sure if there is or isn¡¯t one.¡± However, Soo Hyuk felt regret when he heard the man¡¯s response. ¡®As expected, is there no library because it¡¯s the starting point.¡¯ It was at that moment. A woman standing next to them, listening to the conversation between Soo Hyuk and the man, opened her mouth. ¡°If it¡¯s the library, I know where it is! Haha.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Soo Hyuk looked at the woman. And with the look in Soo Hyuk¡¯s eyes, the woman spoke. ¡°Explaining the road exactly is hard, so if you go north, you¡¯ll find the library.¡± ¡°North?¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re going to the central plaza right? There¡¯s going to be a child named Kajan there. If you ask that child, he will be able to tell you.¡± ¡®Kajan.¡¯ The woman spoke of the character Kajan, it was Guide Kajan for certain. ¡°Thank you.¡± Soo Hyuk thanked the woman. And was it because of the thank you? ¡°I don¡¯t know if Kajan¡¯s going to tell you, just letting you know ahead.¡± The woman answered. ¡°I heard that you need a special something in order to go inside the library.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Soo Hyuk shook his head as he heard the woman¡¯s response and thought to him self. ¡®Do I need some kind of pass?¡¯ He thought he would be able to just go inside, but was wrong. He believed he was going to need some type of pass. ¡°Then we will be leaving now!¡± ¡°Ok, please enjoy your time.¡± Soo Hyuk stopped thinking as the man spoke, and said good-bye once more. The man and woman began laughing again as they disappeared. ¡®They said go straight like this.¡¯ Soo Hyuk also began to walk. If he continued to walk straight just as he was, the central plaza should come out and he¡¯ll be able to meet Kajan. A short while after, Soo Hyuk was able to arrive at the central plaza. Once Soo Hyuk arrived at the central plaza, he scanned the inside of the plaza. ¡®Is it over there?¡¯ While scanning the inside of the plaza for Kajan, Soo Hyuk soon discovered a strange area. It was a place where many others were standing in a long line. They wouldn¡¯t be standing in line for no reason. Soo Hyuk headed towards the area where the line was. ¡°Is this the line?¡± Soo Hyuk stood in line as he asked a woman in front. ¡°Yes.¡± The woman looked at Soo Hyuk¡¯s face and gave a short response. She then looked forward again. It seemed a little cold, but why would that be important? ¡°Thank you.¡± Soo Hyuk showed his thanks. And thereafter, he did not continue a conversation. ¡®I came on the faster side.¡¯ As the time passed, users began to arrive behind Soo Hyuk one after the other. Looking at the long line, he believed he was late, but that was not the case. Soo Hyuk was considerably early. ¡°Next person!¡± The time passed and it became the woman right in front of Soo Hyuk¡¯s turn. Soo Hyuk watched to see in what way the conversation would progress. ¡°Your name?¡± ¡°My name¡¯s Yura.¡± ¡°Ms. Yura! Here you go! Good bye!¡± ¡°Yes, have a nice day.¡± Soo Hyuk tilted his head questioningly as he heard Kajan and Yura¡¯s conversation. ¡®What is this?¡¯ Something was weird. ¡®You introduce your name then you receive a book and that¡¯s the end?¡¯ You say your name and received a book. And that was the end. ¡°Next person!¡± While Soo Hyuk was wondering, it became his turn. Soo Hyuk still wondered as he approached Kajan. ¡°Your name?¡± Soo Hyuk thought to himself as Kajan asked his question. ¡®I¡¯ll know once the conversation progresses.¡¯ Earlier, Yura, who conversed quite naturally with Kajan disappeared. If the conversation progresses, I should be able to know. After Soo Hyuk finished his thoughts, he replied to Kajan¡¯s question. ¡°My name¡¯s Soo Hyuk.¡± ¡°Mr. Soo Hyuk!¡± [Quest ¡®Find Guide Kajan!¡¯ has been completed.] [Acquiring quest reward.] As soon as Kajan called out Soo Hyuk¡¯s name, a message appeared. It was the quest complete message and the reward-acquired message. Rustle. But, Soo Hyuk was unable to pay attention to the message. It was because Kajan had given him a book. He was curious as to what kind of book this book was. [You have acquired the guidebook.] [Quest ¡®Unfold the guidebook!¡¯ has been created.] As soon as he received the book, a message appeared again. The book¡¯s identity was a guidebook. ¡®Is this why she just left.¡¯ The quest was completed and the guidebook received. And a quest was created. Yura¡¯s response was not out of the ordinary. ¡°Good bye.¡± Kajan greeted Soo Hyuk farewell. ¡°There is one more thing I would like to ask.¡± However, Soo Hyuk did not move from Kajan¡¯s greeting. Although he could feel the piercing looks from the users behind him, there was something he had to ask. ¡°I was wondering about the library¡¯s location and what would be needed in order to use it.¡± Chapter 4 The thing Soo Hyuk wanted to ask was the library¡¯s location as well as what would be needed in order to use it. ¡°The library?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°There is a map inside the guidebook. And it¡¯s possible to purchase a library pass at the library for 50 gold.¡± Was it because he was a guide? He answered without even a second of hesitation. ¡°Oh, ok. Good bye.¡± Soo Hyuk felt the piercing looks he was receiving from behind, so he replied and came out. Soo Hyuk walked towards a chair; furnished inside the central plaza, and opened the quest window. Unfold the guidebook received from Kajan! Quest reward: 1 gold, 1 hard bread Just a moment ago when receiving the guidebook, the quest that was created ¡®Unfold the guidebook!¡¯, was exactly like its name. If you opened it, the quest was completed. Soo Hyuk opened the guidebook he held in his hands. [Quest ¡®Unfold the guidebook!¡¯ has been completed.] [Quest reward acquired.] [Quest ¡®Open the character window!¡¯ has been created.] Once the guidebook was opened, a message appeared. ¡®Is it in order?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought to himself as he saw the message and the guidebook¡¯s table of contents. The first explanation inside the guidebook was the character window. And when the guidebook was opened, the quest that was created stated to open the character window. Anyhow, he believed that a quest would be created just like what was written on the table of contents. ¡®Then the inventory should come out.¡¯ After the character window, was the inventory explanation. If what Soo Hyuk was thinking was correct, then the inventory quest would be created. Soo Hyuk opened the character window. [Quest ¡®Open the character window!¡¯ has been completed.] [Quest reward acquired.] [Quest ¡®Open the inventory!¡¯ has been created.] ¡®As expected.¡¯ It was as expected. After the character window, the quest that was created was the inventory. But, Soo Hyuk did not open the inventory right away. It was because he did not yet read the explanation written in the guidebook. Soo Hyuk began to read the explanation regarding the character window. ¡®Physical strength: attack and a little bit of vitality; Physical agility, defense and fatal blow damage; Stamina: vitality and increased efficiency of satiety; Wisdom: magic attack and mana. There are many different types besides the above four stats¡­. Is there no magic defense?¡¯ The very first thing that came out was the explanation of the four basic kinds of stats. Soo Hyuk checked his character window as he read the explanation. Level: 1 Experience: 0% Vitality: 600 Mana: 200 Satiety: 97% Strength: 10 Agility: 10 Stamina: 10 Wisdom: 10 ¡®It¡¯s a little different.¡¯ It was a little different than what was written in the guidebook¡¯s character window. ¡®Is it because I don¡¯t have it yet.¡¯ Soo Hyuk¡¯s character window was different than what was written in the guidebook¡¯s character window; where nationality and occupation did not exist. The reason it was probably non-existent was because there were no nationality and occupation yet. Soo Hyuk read the rest of the explanation regarding the character window. ¡®If satiety becomes 0%, then the entire stat is temporarily 50% reduced? If it becomes -50% you die.¡¯ Soo Hyuk frowned as he read the explanation. ¡®I was persistently going to read books¡­.¡¯ He wanted to sit in the library and persistently read books. However, satiety was the problem. If the satiety becomes 0%, he didn¡¯t mind the stats being reduced; but -50% was different. Death, if satiety becomes -50%, you die. If you die, your level and stats becomes reduced. Level is 1, Stats 1~3 were random. The problem wasn¡¯t the level and stats being reduced. Honestly, Soo Hyuk did not care whether the level and stats were reduced. The problem was that he would not have access to the game for one day; the inaccessible penalty. ¡®To fill satiety, the basics of gold should be needed.¡¯ In order to fill satiety, you would need to eat food. Since Soo Hyuk did not need to cook directly, he would need gold in order to purchase food. ¡®Can¡¯t use real money trading.¡¯ Soo Hyuk would be able to purchase gold with his allowance. However, Soo Hyuk had no thoughts of purchasing them. He had to buy books with his allowance. ¡®Even if I did, right now¡¯s not the time.¡¯ Besides, gold was tremendously expensive in the initial stages of the game. Even if you were to purchase it, it would be best to purchase after some time passed when the gold market was stable. Soo Hyuk read all of the explanation regarding the character window and closed it. And thereafter, he checked the inventory explanation while opening the inventory. * * * Soo Hyuk read everything in the guidebook and completed all of the guidebook quests and was now walking up North. You have completely mastered the basics through the guidebook; you now have only one choice to make. Find the training instructor at one of the beginner training centers located in the East, West, North, or South and talk to them! Quest reward: 2 gold, training sword After the guidebook quest was finished, it was because the quest ¡®Find the training drill instructor¡¯ was created. The quest ¡®Find the training drill instructor¡¯ was just as stated; a quest to find the training instructor. Because the quest took time to complete, in order to complete it, users were dispersed to not only one location, but to four different locations. ¡®Let¡¯s take a look at the library first, then go.¡¯ East, West, North, South, amongst the four different training centers, the reason Soo Hyuk chose the North-training center. It was because of the library. If Soo Hyuk completed the guidebook quests, he would be able to obtain 15 gold. Nevertheless, he would need 50 gold in order to purchase a library pass. That is, since he was short 35 gold, it would be impossible to utilize the library right now. However, Soo Hyuk wanted to see how the library looked, at least on the outside. ¡®If I turn over there, it should come out!¡¯ Soo Hyuk was able to arrive at his destination by looking at the map in the guidebook. ¡®Wow¡­.¡¯ The size of the library was pretty big. It was so big that it couldn¡¯t compare to the size of the school library. ¡®It¡¯s filled with books inside here.¡¯ He already had high expectations. What kinds of books would there be? After Soo Hyuk looked at the library for a short while, he began walking again. ¡®Let¡¯s hurry and save.¡¯ He wanted to save 50 gold quickly. If he saved 50 gold, he would be able to buy a library pass and his urge to read the books inside the library grew within his heart rapidly. It was at that moment. [Satiety has fallen below 50%] ¡®Already?¡¯ Soo Hyuk was surprised when he saw the message reading satiety had fallen to 50%, and opened the inventory. And from the inventory, he took out a hard bread which he acquired after a quest was completed. ¡®I thought I would be able to endure a long time with this.¡¯ Through the rewards, he had acquired 30 hard breads. He thought he would be able to endure a long time with these 30 hard breads, but realized that opposite of what he thought prior; he would not be able to endure for long. ¡®I need to raise the stamina a lot.¡¯ If he raised the stamina, not only will the vitality go up but the satiety efficiency will also rise. He would be able to endure longer with small portions. ¡®Ow, it¡¯s hard.¡¯ Soo Hyuk began eating the hard bread. The hard bread was exactly like its name; it was hard. It wasn¡¯t like a rock, but it was hard enough that it made you think of a rock. ¡®It also doesn¡¯t taste good.¡¯ If it tasted good, he would¡¯ve at least smiled while eating it. However, it also tasted bad. Soo Hyuk frowned as he chomped down and ate the bread. ¡®Stamina right now with 1 bread is 30%.¡¯ After Soo Hyuk ate all of the bread, he checked the satiety, which rose 30%. Soo Hyuk began calculating when he found that one hard bread filled satiety 30%. ¡®If I think of eating 3 breads in one day, I should be able to endure 10 days.¡¯ He didn¡¯t know yet how many he would need to eat in one day. Nevertheless, if he were to eat 1 bread during each meal, he would be able to endure 10 days. After Soo Hyuk finished calculating how long he would be able to endure with the food retained as of now, he closed the inventory. And a short while after, he was able to arrive at his destination. ¡®There¡¯s a lot.¡¯ Was it because he was reading the guidebook meticulously and delaying time? There were already quite a lot of people inside the training center attacking the scarecrow. Soo Hyuk walked towards the scarecrow, past where users were diligently swinging their swords; to the person who was watching the users, who he thought to be the training instructor and approached him. ¡°Hello.¡± Soo Hyuk greeted the training instructor first when he arrived in front of him. ¡°Name.¡± The training instructor did not greet Soo Hyuk back, even after he greeted him. He just asked Soo Hyuk his name as he looked at him indifferently. ¡°My name¡¯s Soo Hyuk.¡± [Quest ¡®Find the training instructor¡¯ has been completed.] [Quest reward acquired.] Once name was given, the quest was completed. ¡°Soo Hyuk, take out the sword in the inventory.¡± Even though they were NPC, because the NPC was intended for beginner training, the training instructor was different than the general NPC, whereas they knew about the inventory. Swish. Just as the training instructor stated, Soo Hyuk opened his inventory and took out the training sword he acquired when he completed the quest just a moment ago. ¡°Destroy the scarecrow with that sword and come back.¡± The training instructor spoke once Soo Hyuk took the sword out. And after the training instructor finished speaking, a quest appeared. Destroy the 2 scarecrows located in the center of the training center! [Training scarecrow: 0/2] Quest reward: 2 gold, Low-grade armor made of rabbit leather ¡®This is why they were hitting it.¡¯ He understood why the users were hitting the scarecrow. ¡°Okay.¡± [Quest ¡®Destroy the scarecrow!¡¯ has been accepted.] Soo Hyuk replied to the training instructor and the quest was accepted. And as soon as Soo Hyuk accepted the quest, the training instructor shook his head towards the scarecrow without saying a word. It was meant to go towards it. Soo Hyuk turned around. And he approached the empty scarecrow users were not hitting and began swinging his sword. Whack! Was it because it was a training sword? It lacked sharpness. He felt like he was beating the scarecrow as he swung his sword, instead of cutting it. ¡®Huh?¡¯ It was at that moment. ¡®What is that?¡¯ Soo Hyuk tilted his head as he discovered something shining in the scarecrow¡¯s armpit area while swinging his sword. Swish! Soo Hyuk swung his sword towards the shiny area in order to solve his curiosity. Whack! As soon as the sword burst, the shiny thing disappeared and a message appeared. [Fatal blow!] [Agility has increased 1.] Chapter 5 ¡®Was it its weak spot?¡¯ The fatal blow that caused the shiny area on the scarecrow seemed like its weak spot. Soo Hyuk swung his sword towards the armpit once again. Whack! Was it because the sparkle disappeared? Different than before, there was no fatal blow. ¡®Does it have to sparkle.¡¯ It doesn¡¯t seem like a certain area is the weak spot, but a sparkle needs to appear in order for it to be a weakness. ¡®Agility.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought to himself as he continued to swing his sword. In Pangaea, besides it being possible to acquire bonus stats of 5 when leveling up, you can also raise the stats through action or behavior. Just a moment ago, it was clear that agility rose because of the fatal blow. ¡®It would¡¯ve been great if stamina went up.¡¯ To Soo Hyuk, agility was not a stat he needed. Agility increases physical defense and fatal blow damage, but because hunting was not his primary goal, to Soo Hyuk, it was a useless stat. If it strengthened the efficiency of satiety and his stamina rose, he would¡¯ve liked it very much; but because it didn¡¯t, he was quite sad. Whack! [Training purpose scarecrow has been destroyed.] It was at that exact moment. A message along with the training purpose scarecrow began to crumble. Soo Hyuk walked away from the demolished scarecrow towards the scarecrow that was next to it and began swinging his sword. Whack! [Training purpose scarecrow has been destroyed.] Shortly after, the second scarecrow was also destroyed. Different than the first scarecrow, the second scarecrow did not have any part of its body sparkle. After Soo Hyuk destroyed the two scarecrows as a condition to complete the quest, he placed his sword inside his inventory and approached the training instructor. It was for the sake of completing the quest. ¡°The scarecrows have been destroyed.¡± [Quest ¡®Destroy the scarecrow!¡¯ has been completed.] [Reward acquired.] Once he spoke, the quest was completed at the same time. Soo Hyuk opened his inventory. Quest reward of 2 gold along with an armor newly appeared. ¡°Good job.¡± Soo Hyuk, who was looking at the armor, focused his attention towards the training instructor as soon as the instructor spoke and closed his inventory. ¡°It is now your turn to try basic hunting. Catch 5 rabbits and bring 3 hides. The rabbits are outside the town.¡± You have learned the basic attack method through the training purpose scarecrow. The training instructor is waiting for you to catch the rabbits and bring its hides. Catch the rabbits and obtain the hides! [Rabbit: 0/5] [Rabbit hide: 0/3] Quest reward: Low-grade leather shoes made from rabbit leather A scarecrow that didn¡¯t move was caught. Now it was time to catch a moving rabbit. ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± [Quest ¡®Rabbit Hunt¡¯ was accepted.] After Soo Hyuk accepted the quest, he said good-bye to the training instructor and came out of the training center. It was because, according to the training instructor, the rabbit was outside of town. ¡®Why did the gold suddenly disappear?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought to himself as he began walking outside of town. The reward for the Quest ¡®Rabbit Hunt¡¯ was only shoes. There was no gold. ¡®Are they not giving gold now?¡¯ By any chance, is gold not going to be provided as a quest reward anymore? ¡®It can¡¯t be like that¡­.¡¯ In order to obtain the library pass, he needs 50 gold. Also, he¡¯ll need a lot of gold for the food he¡¯ll need to eat while reading the books. ¡®Then do I need to earn it by hunting?¡¯ Of course, he didn¡¯t need to obtain gold through the quest reward only. He could obtain it through hunting as well. ¡®Sigh.¡¯ After Soo Hyuk finished his thoughts, he let out a sigh and opened his inventory. It was in order to confirm that the reward acquired from destroying the scarecrow of ¡®low-grade armor made from rabbit leather¡¯ was an option. Limit: None Physical defense power: 50 ¡®As expected.¡¯ Soo Hyuk confirmed the option as if he expected it and shook his head. The item ranking was ¡®common¡¯ for the ¡®low-grade armor made from rabbit leather.¡¯ Common was the lowest ranking out of the 6 levels of item ranking. ¡®However, it¡¯ll still be better than not wearing anything.¡¯ Soo Hyuk took out the armor and wore it. Although it wasn¡¯t a good item, it was better than not wearing anything. A short while after putting on the armor, Soo Hyuk was able to come out of town. ¡°Hey, you! I was already hitting that one!¡± ¡°Sorry. It came out of nowhere.¡± There was already a big crowd outside of town. In order to catch the rabbits, many users were roaming around. The problem was that there were more users than rabbits. ¡®It seems like it¡¯s going to take a long time¡­¡¯ If one rabbit rises, five to six users approach it. In this situation, it will not be easy to catch five rabbits. It was going to take a very long time. ¡®I should move to somewhere else.¡¯ Soo Hyuk decided to move somewhere else. He thought it would be better to go to a place that was a little further away with less competition than to stay in this place where there were lots of competition between users. And just as he thought, Soo Hyuk was correct. The further away from town, the number of users lessened and the number of rabbits increased. And as soon as the number of users was lower than the number of rabbits, Soo Hyuk stopped walking. In order to fill his satiety, Soo Hyuk finished the hard bread leftover from what he ate while walking before. He then took out his sword. ¡®That one!¡¯ He went towards the rabbit closest to him and began swinging his sword. Whack! As expected, the training purpose sword did not cut. It seemed like the rabbit was hit with a club with a dull sound and collapsed to the side. ¡®This doesn¡¯t feel right.¡¯ The graphic being excellent wasn¡¯t always a good thing. However, it was just a game. When Soo Hyuk played different virtual reality games in the past, he killed many rabbits. He walked towards the trembling rabbit that was trying to stand up and swung his sword once more. Whack! The rabbit collapsed again. And the following attack from Soo Hyuk stopped its movement. At that moment, Soo Hyuk was able to see one window. The window allowed you to check the item that was dropped. ¡®Oh, hide!¡¯ The dropped item was a rabbit hide needed in order to complete the quest. Soo Hyuk pressed the acquire button and smiled delightedly as he looked at the rabbit hide that came into his inventory. Soo Hyuk closed his inventory and began walking as he looked for the next rabbit. And when he caught his fifth rabbit. [Level up!] Soo Hyuk was able to level up. First, Soo Hyuk acquired all of the dropped items. He caught five rabbits and earned four rabbit hides. ¡®How much would 1 hide be?¡¯ Although he completed the quest, there was still 1 hide left. Soo Hyuk anticipated how much it would sell for and closed his inventory. He opened the character window. Level: 2 Experience: 1% Vitality: 600 Mana: 200 Satiety: 65% Strength: 10 Agility: 11 Stamina: 10 Wisdom: 10 Bonus Stats: 5 It was to get the bonus stats. ¡°It would be best to put the stats in stamina?¡± The most important stat to Soo Hyuk was stamina. Soo Hyuk thought for a short while, then invested all of the bonus stats into stamina and closed the character window afterwards. And thereafter, in order to go back towards town, he began walking. ¡°Ah! Shit! Stop trying to steal!¡± ¡°Liar, I killed it first?¡± The town entrance still had lots of users and a small number of rabbits, which caused fights to arise. Soo Hyuk passed the users and went inside town, towards the training center. ¡°I¡¯ve caught them.¡± Soo Hyuk arrived at the training center and spoke to the training instructor. ¡°Where¡¯s the rabbit hides?¡± The training instructor asked Soo Hyuk. ¡®Wasn¡¯t it an automatic completion?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought the training instructor¡¯s question was a little odd as he opened his inventory. He thought it would be an automatic completion, but he had to take out the hides and give it directly. ¡°Here you go.¡± Soo Hyuk took out 3 rabbit hides and handed them to the training instructor. The instructor accepted them and placed them behind. [Quest ¡®Rabbit Hunt¡¯ has been completed.] And then a message appeared. ¡®Why didn¡¯t the message to acquire reward appear?¡¯ Different than before, the acquire reward message did not appear. Soo Hyuk saw the message and wondered as he checked his inventory. ¡°¡­¡­.?¡± Soo Hyuk checked his inventory and became flustered. ¡®Why isn¡¯t it here?¡¯ The reward for the quest ¡®Rabbit Hunt¡¯ was shoes. But there was no difference in the inventory from when the rabbit hides were taken out. Was it because the reward-acquired message did not appear? It was at that moment. ¡°It¡¯s over here.¡± The training instructor held out his hands. Soo Hyuk saw the training instructor¡¯s hands and was able to see the shoes he was holding in his hands. It was clearly, the quest reward ¡®low-grade leather shoes made from rabbit hide¡¯. ¡°I¡¯m sure you must¡¯ve been flustered. Up till now, acquiring the reward automatically was out of consideration. However, for future applicable quests, you will need to receive the reward directly from the NPC whom gave you the quest.¡± Soo Hyuk was able to understand why the reward-acquired message did not appear. The automatic acquired rewards up till now were out of consideration for first time players. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is.¡± The training instructor was not done speaking. ¡°It means that the relationship with the applicable NPC is important. Depending on the relationship, the stated reward could be enhanced or weakened.¡± The quest reward is not fixed. Depending on the relationship with the NPC whom gave you the applicable quest, the reward may differ. It can become even better or it can become worse. ¡°Thank you for letting me know.¡± Soo Hyuk replied to the training instructor. Until now, the emotionless training instructor, smiled. ¡°You understood well.¡± The training instructor spat out words that were difficult to understand as he withdrew his hands. ¡®What the?¡¯ After he said thank you, Soo Hyuk tried to obtain the shoes, but became flustered when the training instructor withdrew his hands. Meanwhile, the training instructor held out his hands again. ¡®Sword?¡¯ There were no shoes in the training instructor¡¯s hands. A sword, the training purpose sword could not compare to the sharp sword that was being held. ¡°Take it.¡± The training instructor spoke as he saw Soo Hyuk¡¯s bedazzled face. Soo Hyuk came back to his senses when the instructor spoke, and received the sword. [The training instructor¡¯s gift: sword has been acquired.] As soon as the sword was accepted, the message appeared. ¡®Was it because I said thank you?¡¯ The quest reward was clearly shoes. But, he believed the reward changed because he said thank you. Chapter 6 ¡°It¡¯s time to leave now.¡± The teaching instructor spoke as Soo Hyuk accepted the sword. ¡®Time to leave?¡¯ Soo Hyuk was baffled by what the teaching instructor said. ¡®What the, was the rabbit hunt the last quest?¡¯ Seeing as what the instructor was saying, it didn¡¯t seem like another quest was going to be given. ¡°Go and find Codra in the central plaza. They will take you to the place you want to go to.¡± The teaching instructor continued to speak. ¡°The only thing is, it will not be possible to come back to this town Oren, so if there is anything you need to do here, it¡¯ll be good to finish what you need to here, then go.¡± The training instructor closed his mouth after he finished speaking. Once the training instructor stopped speaking, Soo Hyuk greeted the instructor good-bye and turned around. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought to himself as he opened his inventory, placed his sword inside, and came out of the training center. ¡®I can¡¯t come here again¡­.¡¯ Through Codra, he could go anywhere on the continent. However, if he leaves Oren, he will not be able to return again. ¡®That means the end for the library too.¡¯ Not being able to return to Oren also meant that he would not be able to access the library in Oren again. ¡®What if there was a book that was only in here?¡¯ What if there was a book that existed only at the Oren library? Soo Hyuk would never be able to read it unless he deleted his character and replayed with a new character. ¡®I need to save after all¡­.¡¯ Soo Hyuk frowned. If he was able to return, he was going to save money then return. But, since he is unable to return, he needed to save 50 gold. ¡®The amount of gold I have¡­.¡¯ Soo Hyuk decided to save 50 gold and checked to see how much gold he possessed currently. ¡¯33 gold¡­.¡¯ At the moment, he possessed only 17 gold that he acquired through the quests. He needed another 33 more to move forward. ¡®It¡¯ll come down to how much rabbit hide is going to be sold for.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought to himself as he checked his gold and looked at the rabbit hide left over from completing the quest. At the start of this town, ¡®Oren,¡¯ only rabbits existed. There were no wolves, foxes, bears, or any other monsters. In other words, the only way to earn money was to acquire an item dropped by a rabbit and selling it. And, the only item that a rabbit dropped at this place, ¡®Oren,¡¯ was rabbit¡¯s hide. Shriek! Shortly, Soo Hyuk arrived at the store and took out the rabbit¡¯s hide from his inventory. And he approached the storeowner, Tara and held it out. ¡°How much would you purchase this for?¡± Tara put her head down as Soo Hyuk spoke and looked at the rabbit hide he had held out. And, with a perplexed expression, she looked at Soo Hyuk again and spoke. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t purchase one hide. You have to bring at least 4 hides in order for me to give you 1 gold.¡± Tara¡¯s response of saying sorry puzzled Soo Hyuk, so when Tara finished speaking, there was nothing he could say. Soo Hyuk withdrew the rabbit hide he held out and put it into his inventory. ¡°Oh, I see. 4 hides for 1 gold.¡± And then after, he shook his head as if he understood and came out of the store. Soo Hyuk had a lost look on his face as he began walking and thought to himself. ¡®I thought I would at least be able to get 1 gold for 1 rabbit hide¡­.¡¯ He thought he¡¯d be able to get at least 1 gold no matter what. Or wouldn¡¯t he be able to get 2 gold? What do I do if it¡¯s more than the price? He anticipated the offering price. However, they don¡¯t purchase only one hide? ¡®If it¡¯s 4 hides for 1 gold¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk calculated. ¡®It¡¯s 33 gold.¡¯ He needed 33 gold. ¡®4 multiplied by 33 is¡­.¡¯ Soo Hyuk frowned as he finished calculating. ¡®132 hides?¡¯ In order to make 33 gold he needed 132 rabbit hides. 132 hides were not a small amount. Even if the item was dropped every time he caught a rabbit, he would still have to catch 132 rabbits. ¡®Fine.¡¯ Soo Hyuk frowned as he thought about the immense amount of 132 hides, but soon stopped frowning. ¡®Let¡¯s try until I get exhausted.¡¯ The first time he killed a rabbit, he was repulsed because of the realistic graphic. However, from the second rabbit, he felt like he came inside a real novel, which built his interest. Soo Hyuk pledged to himself to hunt until he lost interest and became tired. ¡°Ah! I told you not to steal!¡± ¡°Bullshit, what do you mean steal, can¡¯t you see the hide came to me? I¡¯m the one who gave the first punch, and you¡¯re the one that stole.¡± A short while after Soo Hyuk made a pledge to himself, he was able to come out of the town. Outside of town, there were a lot more users than before, fighting over ownership of the rabbits. Soo Hyuk passed these users and continued walking. ¡®Wow, there¡¯s a lot here too.¡¯ Soo Hyuk arrived at the place he caught rabbits in order to complete his quest and was unable to stop walking. A minute ago, there were more rabbits than users, but now there were more users than rabbits. Of course there were less users than the town entrance, but to catch 132 rabbits, Soo Hyuk headed for a place with no competition and continued walking. ¡®I can do it here.¡¯ Soo Hyuk continued walking until he found a place where there were less users than rabbits and stopped his steps. He then began to hunt. * * * ¡°Sigh.¡± Soo Hyuk let out a long sigh as he came out of the capsule. Soo Hyuk¡¯s face was filled with regret. ¡®I was only able to catch 70 rabbits.¡¯ His face was filled with regret because he was unable to fulfill his goal. He had only caught 70 rabbits. His goal of 132 rabbits was far from sufficient. ¡®Hide is 50 pieces.¡¯ The problem was that the drop ratio was also regretful. The drop ratio was worse than he thought. He caught 70 rabbits but was only able to get 50 hides. Actually, he already had 1 hide to start off with, which meant he received 49 hides. ¡®I should be able to receive more tomorrow.¡¯ Today, he completed a couple different quests, so he couldn¡¯t say that he spent a lot of time hunting. Tomorrow there are no quests to complete, so he should be able to spend all his time on hunting. ¡®Would I be able to collect 132 hides.¡¯ But he was not certain he would be able to collect 132 hides. Soo Hyuk thought to himself as he approached the computer. Pangaea¡¯s official homepage opened an hour after the servers had opened. Soo Hyuk decided he would check what types of information would be up. ¡°Hmm.¡± There were a lot more information up on the official homepage than he thought. There were considerable amounts of information not only from the company but from users posted. ¡°There¡¯s not much information regarding the library¡­¡± However, there was not much information regarding the library. ¡°Does each library need different things.¡± The information that was posted about the library was that you were unable to blindly use it and the qualifications needed in order to access it. ¡°Nobility? Subject to? What kinds of qualifications are these?¡± Different than Oren¡¯s library where you need only 50 gold to access it, you needed a high ranking for the other libraries. ¡°Is there no library you can easily access?¡± Soo Hyuk researched a little bit more. He wondered if there was or wasn¡¯t a library you can access without nobility or subject to high rankings. ¡°Oh?¡± While researching, Soo Hyuk shortly shouted out an exclamation. ¡°It¡¯s good here!¡± Although it wasn¡¯t a place that didn¡¯t have any qualifications at all, there was a library that had a decent qualification. ¡°If I change into a magician, I can access it.¡± If his occupation were a magician right now, he would be able to access the library. ¡°Matab?¡± Soo Hyuk checked to see where the library was located and found that it was not a state-owned library. The magicians were allied with Matab, a place that held enormous influence that was more than most nations, and Matab maintained the library. ¡°I should ask to be sent to Matab.¡± If he changed to a magician, he would be able to access it. And it was not very hard to change into a magician. The qualifications to change into a magician were to be level 10, and to have wisdom 30. Henceforth, Soo Hyuk formed a plan and stood up from his seat. And then he came out of his room and went up to the second floor. ¡°Since I have to sleep soon¡­¡± Soo Hyuk looked through his bookcase and took out a thin book that seemed like it could be read and finished in an hour. He then came back to his room and began to read the book. ¡®Should I have caught 10 more rabbits, then come out.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought to himself as he read his book. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Soo Hyuk was baffled. ¡®What kind of situation is this.¡¯ The reason Soo Hyuk was baffled, was because of the situation he was in right now. Until now, when Soo Hyuk read a book, he concentrated only on reading. He never thought of anything else. However, even though he was reading a book right now, he was thinking about Pangaea. ¡®Is it because I have that much regret.¡¯ He was clearly thinking about it, because of regret. Soo Hyuk stopped reading briefly. And thought about his regret. Through his thoughts he was able to let go of his regrets completely and began to read his book again. Was it because he let go of his regrets? He had no other thoughts. He was able to concentrate solely on the book. As such, Soo Hyuk fell into the book. * * * ¡°Who¡¯s the user with the highest level right now?¡± Joo Hyuk Yang asked Jang Yool. ¡°Hold on one second.¡± Jang Yool observed the key situation through his five monitors while playing the virtual reality game ¡®Pangaea¡¯ and typed on his keyboard as he replied to Joo Hyuk Yang¡¯s question. And then, on one of his monitors, a new window appeared. Jang Yool looked at the window and spoke. ¡°A user named ¡®HuntingKing.¡¯ He¡¯s level 21.¡± ¡°What? Already?¡± Joo Hyuk Yang heard Jang Yool¡¯s response and was astonished. ¡°Even though only one day has passed?¡± It hasn¡¯t even been a couple days since the game opened. One day, only one day had passed. It was now going to be 2 days, but he was already level 21? ¡°He is a tester.¡± Jang Yool replied as he heard Joo Hyuk Yang¡¯s surprised voice. ¡°Oh.¡± And then Joo Hyuk Yang let out an exclamation as if he understood. ¡°He was a tester?¡± Pangaea had opened after various tests were completed. Not only for internal tests but testers were recruited in secret and tests progressed. ¡°Of course that¡¯s it. A general user to be 21 is irrational.¡± It was not unheard of for a tester to reach level 21. ¡°How many received the title of ¡®Butcher¡¯ in Oren?¡± Joo Hyuk Yang asked. The game¡¯s starting town, ¡®Oren¡¯. Oren¡¯s Butcher was a title that could only be acquired by catching 100 of Oren¡¯s monster rabbits. The title gave the option of general stats: strength, agility, stamina, and wisdom; which increased 3 each and were a title that were of great help in the early stages. ¡°The percentage is 0.7.¡± ¡°Hul, that many people received it?¡± Joo Hyuk Yang heard Jang Yool¡¯s response and was taken aback. It was a title that could be acquired by catching 100 rabbits. He could understand if the number of users was small, but one day has passed and the number of users exceeded 100,000 right now. Moving forward, the outlook should increase. In that type of situation, how is it 0.7%? All of those users didn¡¯t get away from the tutorial zone and captured 100 rabbits? It was hard to believe. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What about the users that acquired special occupations? Are there a lot?¡± ¡°Are you asking about the training engineer? Or the tamer?¡± Jang Yool cross-questioned the question Joo Hyuk Yang asked. Chapter 7 Although Oren wasn¡¯t the only place you can attain the occupation, there was a special occupation you could obtain. It was a trainer or tamer. ¡°Both.¡± ¡°There are 500 trainers, and 3 tamers.¡± ¡°¡­. It¡¯s less than I thought?¡± Users that acquired titles are 0.7%, so Joo Hyuk Yang thought there would also be a lot of users that had special occupations. However, different than what he thought, the number was very low. ¡°It¡¯s because they go down before they achieve the qualifications.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± To become a trainer or tamer, the conditions to change careers were quite difficult. In the case of becoming a trainer, one would need to complete all of the four training centers located in Oren. Only then would one be able to receive the quest to change into a trainer. It was even more difficult to become a tamer. In order to change into a tamer, first, one would need to hurt a rabbit to the point where it¡¯s on the brink of death; then, one would need to eat ¡®a very well baked bread¡¯ that was being sold for 5 gold. And after, that rabbit along with a different rabbit would need to be killed together. Only then would the quest to change into a tamer appear. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s a special occupation¡± If you were to go the ordinary route, it would be a special occupation that couldn¡¯t be attained. ¡°Then, lastly.¡± Joo Hyuk Yang¡¯s question was not yet over. More than the highest-level user, the user that earned a title, and the user that earned a special occupation like trainer or tamer; there was something he was more curious about left. ¡°What about the library?¡± It was the library. ¡°Of course, there is none.¡± ¡°I guess, since it is the first day.¡± ¡°No, even if a couple days pass, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s going to be one. The library at Oren.¡± Not one user has used Oren¡¯s library. No, there won¡¯t be a user that would use it. Jang Yool was certain. ¡®You need 50 gold.¡¯ In order to use Oren¡¯s library, one would need 50 gold. But, 50 gold in Oren was a huge amount of money. Pay that large sum of money to utilize the library? It wouldn¡¯t make sense. There¡¯s no way there would be a user like that. ¡°You never know, there might be one. Maybe there¡¯s some type of hidden piece placed inside?¡± Joo Hyuk Yang said. ¡°Like you said, there may be a user like that.¡± Jang Yool shook his head. Although he thought there would be no way there would be one, like Joo Hyuk Yang said, there may be a user that may think by chance and access the library. ¡°By the way, you couldn¡¯t say that the hidden piece there was a hidden piece, right?¡± It didn¡¯t matter whether or not one used it. The hidden piece in Oren¡¯s library wasn¡¯t considered a hidden piece. It was a piece that could be obtained at any other library. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. During that time, it would be better to raise your level or do a quest.¡± Besides, although it was called a hidden piece, the efficiency wasn¡¯t very good. It was to the point where it would be preferable to raise your level than wasting time trying to obtain the hidden piece. ¡°But, it would shine in the latter half of the game.¡± Of course, the saying was only for beginners. Towards the latter half, it changes. In the latter half, there will be a significant difference between those who have acquired the library¡¯s hidden piece and those who have not. ¡°It¡¯s going to be too late to acquire it then.¡± It becomes more and more difficult to obtain the library¡¯s hidden piece as your level rises. It¡¯s best to acquire the hidden piece at that level. ¡°Huh?¡± It was at that moment. Jang Yool shouted as if he was surprised. ¡°¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joo Hyuk Yang asked Jang Yool as he tilted his head. ¡°A user that¡¯s obtained a first class occupation appeared!¡± ¡°What?¡± Joo Hyuk Yang had to ask Jang Yool again. Just like how items were separated into 6 rankings: common, special, relic, hero, legend, and god; special occupations were also separated into ranks. It was ranked from 1 to 6. To obtain trainer at Oren was ranked 6 and tamer was a fifth ranking occupation. There wasn¡¯t a huge difference between the sixth ranking occupation and general profession; however, from the fifth ranking and above, you could clearly see the difference. But to be ranked in first class? Of course, as great as first class occupation was, it was very hard to promote. If a general profession needed 1 to level up, then first class occupation needed 100. It was not simply experience anymore. For special occupations, in order to level up or raise your skill, one needed to complete a quest. ¡°What kind of occupation is it?¡± Joo Hyuk Yang asked. There wasn¡¯t only one first class occupation. It was quite diverse. Amongst those occupations, he was curious as to which first class occupation was acquired. ¡°It¡¯s the King of Ruin!¡± ¡°¡­ Sigh.¡± Joo Hyuk Yang waited for Jang Yool¡¯s answer with anticipation and let out a sigh of relief as he heard the answer. ¡°What a relief.¡± King of Ruin, just like its first class ranking; was very good. It was definitely a great occupation. However, not only was it difficult to promote, but also the King of Ruin needed another user to support them. King of Ruin was a worse occupation than the general profession if played alone. ¡°But how were they able to achieve the qualifications already?¡± Joo Hyuk Yang could not understand. A condition had to be accomplished in order to receive the quest to change occupations into King of Ruin. There was no way one could fulfill that condition on the first day. He was confused as to how that qualification was achieved. ¡°That is, the qualifications have changed.¡± ¡°¡­ What? The conditions changed?¡± ¡°Yes, Teacher directly changed it?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Joo Hyuk Yang shouted with elasticity as he heard Jang Yool¡¯s response. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure they have their reasons.¡± Joo Hyuk Yang shook his head. After he finished shaking his head, he spoke. ¡°Anyway, monitor the situation. If a message appears, report it to me. Fourth-class ranking Sang Man Lee. You don¡¯t need to report fifth, and sixth-class rankings.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± * * * Beep beep! As soon as the alarm rang, Soo Hyuk opened his eyes instinctively. He stretched and got up from his bed. ¡°It¡¯s the New Year.¡± He looked at his watch. The year had finally changed. Of course, just because the year had changed, it didn¡¯t mean there would be a change in his livelihood. Ever since he became a junior high student, he always spent the New Year alone. He did some light stretching, then sat at his desk and began reading a book. He focused solely on the book for 30 minutes and then closed it. He went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. ¡°I should eat some ramen.¡± There were no side dishes that came into his eyes, so he took out only one egg from the fridge and closed it. Then, he opened the cupboard and took out a ramen. He cooked an egg ramen and took it with him as he walked towards his computer. There were going to be players whom didn¡¯t sleep and played the whole night. He anticipated what types of posts would be up all night and what kinds of things might have happened as he went into the official homepage and clicked on the best bulletin board where all of the popular posts were gathered. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The very first popular post that came into sight was about special occupations. ¡°A special occupation, you say¡­¡± If the entire content in the popular posts were ten, then there was only 1 post that had information regarding the special occupation and 9 about bragging. In the comments, many users asked about how a special occupation was acquired. ¡°It¡¯s more than enough if you¡¯re a magician.¡± Soo Hyuk clicked the back button. He thought about changing his occupation into a magician anyways. He didn¡¯t need information regarding the special occupation nor was he interested. ¡°Title?¡± The second popular post he checked was regarding title. Title: Honey-like information on obtaining a title in Oren. Character Name: Righteous If you kill 100 rabbits in Oren, you can earn the title of Butcher. Strength, agility, stamina, and wisdom will be raised 3 each. Take this honey-like title. For reference, if you go down and catch 100 rabbits, it¡¯s useless. It¡¯s only possible with Oren rabbit. ¡°Oh?¡± He exclaimed as he checked the post. ¡°If I catch a little bit more, does that mean I can obtain it?¡± Currently, after the quest was completed, he had caught 70 rabbits. In order to complete the quest, he caught 5 rabbits before, making it a total of 75. If what the writing in the post were true, then he would need to catch 25 more rabbits in order to acquire the title. He checked the comments in the post in order to figure out if what was written was true or not. If by any chance it were a lie, the responses would not be good. ¡°¡­. Hmm?¡± He frowned as he read the comments. The responses were not good. They were negative. The problem was that it wasn¡¯t negative because it was a lie. ¨CRuka: The time it takes to catch 100 rabbits, I¡¯d rather go down and level up. ¨CDishika: I saw this post and sent my friend first. However, I¡¯m at level 9 and my friend¡¯s at level 15. That bitch. ¨CIshid: Everyone, this post is real. But, it¡¯s better not to do it. It¡¯s inefficient. ¨CScarf Lizard: I acquired the title. There will be a time this title will shine right? The title itself was true. Though, the majority of the comments were negative. If there were a total of 10 comments, then there would be 1 positive comment, and 9 negative ones. 1:9, an overwhelming ratio. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± He pressed the back button. Efficiency was not important to him. He had to capture rabbits anyway. ¡°There isn¡¯t much.¡± Hereafter, he looked at the other popular posts but there wasn¡¯t any information that was of great interest. Just in time, he finished eating his ramen. He then stood up from his seat and after he finished washing the dishes, he connected to ¡®Pangaea.¡¯ ¡®Huh?¡¯ As soon as he was connected, he looked around as he tilted his head. ¡®Where did everyone go?¡¯ It was because he could not see any users. Up until right before he logged out, there were a couple users hard at work catching rabbits. But, where did all of them go? Confused, a smile formed on his face. He didn¡¯t know what was going on, but it wasn¡¯t a bad thing in his perspective. It was because he would be able to catch rabbits continuously. First, he opened his character window. Level: 6 Experience: 1% Vitality: 1860 Mana: 200 Satiety: 85% Strength: 11 Agility: 12 Stamina: 35 Wisdom: 10 ¡°I¡¯m going to collect all of the bonus stats from now on.¡± In order to change into a magician, he needed to become level 10 and have wisdom 30. Currently, to achieve level 10 and wisdom 30, he will need to gather all of the bonus stats received henceforth. If he thought of the title, he could only spare 3. ¡°I have no problem with satiety.¡± There was no problem with satiety because it was at 85%. He closed the character window and opened his inventory. He then began swinging the sword he received from the trainer and headed toward the rabbits. Chapter 8 Slash! ¡®As I thought.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought, as he headed toward the rabbits with his sword. It was something that he had felt yesterday as well, but the sword that he had received from the drill instructor was on a different level than the training sword. The training sword had felt like a club, but the sword that he had received as a gift from the drill instructor felt like an actual sword. Slash! The rabbits that had to be hit 3-4 times before, were now dying with every 2 hits. [You have captured 100 rabbits in Oren.] [Title: Butcher of Oren obtained.] [Information regarding your title may be viewed through your character window.] As Soo Hyuk continued to kill rabbits to obtain their hide and experience, he suddenly received messages. They were messages stating that he had obtained the title ¡®Butcher of Oren¡¯. Soo Hyuk opened his character window again. And, as he now had a title, he clicked on the now activated title button. -Butcher of Oren (Str, dex, vit, wis +3) After confirming his new title, Soo Hyuk closed the character window and continued to focus on his hunt. ¡¯52 more to go.¡¯ Having killed 25 rabbits, he had received another 20 rabbit hides. However, even if he was to combine it with the hide that he collected yesterday, it was still a bit away from his goal of 132. There were still 52 more hide that needed to be collected. ¡®I should be fine if I kill 70 more.¡¯ His previous kill of 70 rabbits had given him 49 rabbit hides. This was the reason why he figured he would be able to obtain his goal with another 70 more rabbits. * * * ¡®Please come out!¡¯ Thought Soo Hyuk, as he attacked with his sword. Slash. The rabbit that had been hit with the sword lay on the ground without any movement. Then, a drop window appeared as Soo Hyuk smiled. ¡°Finished!¡± Within the drop window was a rabbit hide. He had finally completed his goal of 132 rabbit hides. After clicking on the obtain button, Soo Hyuk opened his character window. Level: 8 Experience: 51% Vitality: 2040 Mana: 260 Satiety: 61% Strength: 14 Dexterity: 15 Stamina: 38 Wisdom: 13 Bonus stat: 10 Current level was 8. ¡°Hmm..¡± Looking at his level, Soo Hyuk spat. ¡°As I thought, is level 10 too much.¡± Rabbits were low level monsters. They were nooby monsters that even level 1 characters could kill, so there was definitely a limit with trying to level up with such monsters. ¡°I should go down and level up the remaining 2 levels.¡± Of course, although little, the experience bar still went up. He could eventually hit level 10 if he continued to kill the rabbits. However, he had killed many rabbits until now. So much till the point he was weary. He did not want to hunt anymore. Not only that, but rather than killing the rabbits till level 10, Soo Hyuk figured it would be better to go down and kill some other monsters to help conserve time. ¡®Finally, I¡¯ll be able to get into the library.¡¯ Closing his character window, Soo Hyuk smiled again. Having collected his 132 rabbit hides, he now just had to sell them off to receive the 50-gold needed for the library. He wanted to hurry and sell the rabbit hides, so he began to walk towards the village. ¡°I keep getting ks¡¯ed, so how do they expect anyone to obtain the title?¡± ¡°For those of you who want to receive the title, please head further out. You should be able to obtain it without any issues.¡± Soo Hyuk soon arrived at the village. Different from where he had hunted for his rabbits, the front of the village was still heavily populated. Passing through other users, Soo Hyuk entered the village and headed towards the store. Creak. ¡°Welcome.¡± As soon as he opened the door, the owner of the store, Tara, greeted. ¡°Hello.¡± Responding back to the greeting, Soo Hyuk walked towards Tara. And, at the same time he arrived at his destination, Soo Hyuk opened his inventory and began to take out the rabbit hides. ¡°¡­¡­.!¡± Tara was surprised to see Soo Hyuk pull out so many rabbits hides. 132 wasn¡¯t a small number even for Tara. ¡°Wow, look at that user.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t those all rabbit hides?¡± ¡°How many did he kill?¡± Tara wasn¡¯t the only one to be surprised. The several users that were in the vicinity shopping for items were beginning to gossip while staring at Soo Hyuk. ¡°I¡¯d like to sell all of them.¡± Listening to the users around him, Soo Hyuk spoke to Tara after pulling out all of the rabbit hides. ¡°W, wait a moment.¡± After responding back with a disconcerted voice, Tara began to count the number of rabbit hides on the counter. It took but a moment to count the items, as Tara soon spoke. ¡°There are 132, I¡¯ll give you 35 gold.¡± ¡®Huh? Isn¡¯t it supposed to be 33 gold?¡¯ Soo Hyuk had no choice but to be wary of Tara¡¯s words. 4 rabbit hides equated to 1 gold. In other words, 132 of them equaled 33 gold. There were 2 gold more than normal. ¡®Is it service?¡¯ Am I getting more because I¡¯m selling a lot at once? Having noticed the wariness in Soo Hyuk, Tara continued to speak. ¡°The 2 gold is extra service. You¡¯ve brought so many to me at once, so the least I can do is add a little more.¡± As he had thought, it was service. ¡°Thank you.¡± With those words, Soo Hyuk sold all his rabbit hides. And, he was soon able to receive his 35 gold. ¡®¡­¡­..Heu.¡± As soon as the gold was put into the inventory, the number next to his gold grew. With 35 being added to what he already had, Soo Hyuk had exactly 52 gold now. Seeing the large sum of 52 gold within his inventory, Soo Hyuk automatically smiled. ¡®Let¡¯s buy 2 gold worth of bread.¡¯ Even if he sat there doing nothing, as time went by, his satiety level dropped. Deciding on buying 2 gold worth of bread to help with his satiety, Soo Hyuk left the store. ¡®The bakery is¡­¡­¡¯ Having come out from the store, Soo Hyuk did not immediately head towards the library. The library was his final destination, so he was planning on buying bread before that. Opening his guidebook, Soo Hyuk checked his map, and began to walk towards the bakery. ¡®Wow, it smells so good.¡¯ The closer he got to the bakery, the more his appetite got stimulated. Following the map and smell, Soo Hyuk soon arrived at the bakery. ¡°I¡¯d like to buy this.¡± ¡°3 soft bread huh! That will be 1 gold!¡± There were already several users lined up to buy bread. Soo Hyuk entered the bakery and began to look at the different types of bread and their prices. ¡®They sell hard bread too?¡¯ There were many different types of bread within the bakery. And, amongst them was the hard bread that he had obtained through his quest. Was it because of how hard the bread was? The amount of hard bread that could be bought with 1 gold was quite a lot. ¡¯10 for 1 gold?¡¯ It was no less than 10. If he paid 1 gold, he could receive 10 of the hard bread. ¡®¡­¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought for a moment. The amount of gold that he currently had was 2 gold. With 2 gold, he could buy 20 hard bread that could potentially last him for quite a while. ¡®No, still¡­¡­¡¯ After thinking for a moment, Soo Hyuk looked away from the hard bread. Although it was just to fill his satiety, he had wanted to eat something that was easier to eat. Something that had a bit of taste, and could make him smile. ¡®Soft bread huh.¡¯ Next to the hard bread was the soft bread. It was definitely one that looked much tastier, but Soo Hyuk had no choice but to ponder again. ¡®¡­¡­..1 gold for 3?¡¯ 3 soft bread could be bought with 1 gold. That was quite a difference to the hard bread that was 10 for 1 gold. Soo Hyuk continued to move his feet as he looked around at the other breads. ¡®¡­..¡¯ And, after confirming the other breads, Soo Hyuk found himself back at the hard bread. ¡®Sigh¡­..¡¯ Staring at the hard bread, Soo Hyuk sighed. ¡®Money is the problem. Money.¡¯ He had confirmed the other breads. There were 5 different types of bread that could be bought. However, there were none that could satisfy his satiety for as long as the hard bread could. Soft bread was the next best after the hard bread, but even then, with 3 breads for 1 gold, there was a big difference between it and the hard bread. Slide. Soo Hyuk eventually began placing the hard bread onto the basket that was provided by the bakery. Having placed 20 of them within his basket, Soo Hyuk stood in line. Whether it was the person standing in front of him, or the users that were leaving the bakery, everyone stared at Soo Hyuk¡¯s basket with surprise. ¡®Buying hard bread?¡¯ ¡®No, why is he buying so many? That stone like bread?¡¯ As normal, the reason why the users were surprised was because of the hard bread. ¡°Ummm¡­.¡± A user was unable to contain his curiosity as he asked Soo Hyuk. ¡°Why are you buying that?¡± ¡°For my satiety.¡± ¡°Ah, should I give you some of mine?¡± ¡°What?¡± Being faced with an unexpected question, Soo Hyuk answered with another question. Then, he quickly nodded and spoke. ¡°I¡¯d be very thankful if you could give me some.¡± There was no way to confirm how many books were within the library, but there were probably so many of them in there, that 20 hard bread wouldn¡¯t be enough to suffice. Since, the user was willing to give bread for free, Soo Hyuk definitely had to take it. Even if it was just hard bread. ¡°Here you go.¡± Hearing Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer, the user opened his window and gave 6 of his hard bread. ¡°Thank you.¡± Receiving the bread, Soo Hyuk stored it within his inventory and gave his thanks to the user. ¡°Have fun playing Pangaea.¡± ¡°Yes! You too!¡± The user now walked out from the bakery. ¡°I will give you some as well.¡± ¡°Me too!¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± With that being the beginning, all the users that were leaving the bakery after buying their bread, began to give their hard bread to Soo Hyuk. As Soo Hyuk received the breads, he began to think. ¡®Although this is great, something¡¯s¡­¡­¡¯ Staring at the number of hard bread growing within his inventory, Soo Hyuk felt relaxed. However, that wasn¡¯t the only thing he was feeling. Although it was hard to explain, there was another subtle feeling that he could feel. It was soon Soo Hyuk¡¯s turn to pay. ¡°¡­..It seems like you¡¯ve already received a lot.¡± Having seen everything that had happened just now, the bakery owner Kara, spoke with a disconcerted expression. Chapter 9 ¡°Are you really going to purchase them?¡± Although the hard breads were put out on display, she did not think they would get sold. They were only out on display to fill the display section. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t have any time to spare. I have 20, it¡¯s 2 gold right?¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re correct.¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± He took out 2 gold and purchased 20 hard breads. ¡°Hold on one moment!¡± It was at that moment. The bakery owner, Kara stopped Soo Hyuk in his steps. ¡°¡­¡­¡­..?¡± He turned around and looked at Kara with curiosity as she came out from behind the counter and walked towards the display area. ¡®What is she doing?¡¯ She grabbed the hard bread that was out on display and a couple of soft breads next to it and began walking towards him. ¡°I will give these to you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..!¡± When he saw her grabbing the breads, he thought ¡®is she?¡¯ and was in shock to find that his thoughts were correct when she handed the breads to him. ¡®What the, why?¡¯ Why is she giving me bread all of a sudden? ¡°Thank you.¡± For now, he thanked her and placed the breads in his inventory. He wasn¡¯t going to decline when she was offering. ¡®Why is she giving them to me?¡¯ He thought to himself. He couldn¡¯t understand why she gave the breads to him. ¡°If they weren¡¯t sold by today, I was thinking of throwing them away anyways. Please don¡¯t feel burdened.¡± Kara said to him. He realized something with what she said. ¡®Do I seem pitiful?¡¯ He believed he looked pitiful. Well, he did purchase an outrageous amount of hard bread that no one would eat unless they were really desperate. ¡°Thank you very, very much.¡± He said thanks once more and came out of the bakery. Then he opened his inventory and checked how much hard bread he had. The bread he had originally, the ones he received just a moment ago from the users, the ones he purchased, and the ones he received from Kara totaled 112 hard breads. ¡°If it¡¯s 112 hard breads, I should be able to last a very long time.¡± 112 hard breads was an extraordinary amount. It was to the point where he couldn¡¯t predict how long he¡¯d be able to last with that amount. ¡°She also gave me 6 soft breads?¡± Kara did not give him only hard bread. She also gave him soft bread. ¡°When I feel that I just can¡¯t eat the hard bread anymore, I should eat one of the soft breads.¡± He wondered how big of a difference the taste would be between the soft and hard bread. However, he had no thoughts of eating one just to fill his curiosity. When he just can¡¯t eat hard bread anymore, is when he decided he was going to eat soft bread and closed his inventory. Now that he solved his satiety with plenty of bread, it was now time to head towards his primary goal, the library. Stomp! He left the bakery and continued walking. Shortly after, he arrived at his primary goal, the library. He paused for a short while as he stared at the library and was filled with anticipation. He began walking again and went inside. ¡°Who are you?¡± As soon as he entered, the librarian, Kejan, who was guarding the entrance, asked. Soo Hyuk responded. ¡°I came to utilize the library.¡± ¡°Can you please give me the pass?¡± She held out her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t have the pass, but I¡¯d like to purchase one.¡± He opened his inventory as he spoke. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± She replied shortly as she withdrew her hand. ¡°It¡¯s 50 gold, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± He took out 50 gold from his inventory. Kejan then asked. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Soo Hyuk.¡± ¡°Soo Hyuk¡­.¡± She mumbled his name as she began creating his pass. ¡°Here you go.¡± In the meanwhile, he held out 50 gold, as she responded. ¡°Hold on one second, please!¡± It seemed like it was going to take some time to make the pass. ¡°Finished!¡± Soon after, the pass was completed and she held it out. [Oren¡¯s library pass has been acquired.] As soon as he received the pass, a message appeared. He read the message and held out the pass as is and spoke. ¡°I would like to utilize this right now.¡± ¡°Okay, when you leave you can retrieve it.¡± She replied as she took the pass from him and placed it in the storage box behind her. As soon as he heard her response, he walked past the entrance and headed straight into the library. ¡°What is this?¡± Just like how it looked from the outside, the library¡¯s interior was huge. On top of that, there were a lot of books. Of course, he wasn¡¯t tilting his head in wonderment because there were so many books. ¡°Why is it sparkling?¡± The reason why he was tilting his head was because the books that were in the bookcase were shining. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the books again. The books were sill sparking. ¡°What¡¯s that, why isn¡¯t it shining?¡± All of the books were not sparkling. One, there was one book that was not shining. He wondered what kind of book it was and why it didn¡¯t shine as he approached the bookcase that held the book. ¡°Guidebook?¡± The book that was shine-less was a guidebook. ¡°Are the books that I haven¡¯t read sparkling?¡± He thought to himself as he turned away from the guidebook and looked at the shining books. He was not sure. However, in ¡®Pangaea,¡¯ the only book he read was the guidebook; which was the only book that wasn¡¯t sparkling. The possibility was quite high. Rustle. He wanted to find out for himself. He grabbed a couple of books that were next to the guidebook and walked in front of the desk that was placed in the center. He then sat down and began reading one of the books. ¡®It¡¯s a travel journal?¡¯ He was curious as to what types of books there would be. The very first book he read was about someone¡¯s travels. ¨C Arteric 11/23/1252 First day of adventure. I met a wonderful comrade named Hadruss. The beginning¡¯s great. ¨C Arteric 11/25/1252 I met my second comrade. Eurice, she¡¯s extremely beautiful. Hadruss is smiling greatly; I believe he has the same thoughts as I. ¨C Arteric 11/28/1252 The adventures I heard from father are completely different. I¡¯ve already met my third comrade. I think I get along well with Hadruss and Eurice. ¨C Arteric 11/29/1252 I met my fourth comrade. Name¡¯s Caryl, an excellent prosecutor. Tremendously strong. However something¡¯s strange. Aren¡¯t you supposed to like having a strong comrade? Hadruss, Eurice, and Temel¡¯s expressions are not good. ¨C Arteric 12/1/1252 I fought with Okwa. Hadruss¡¯ mistake almost caused Caryl¡¯s death. Atmosphere is not good. ¨C Arteric 12/3/1252 Eventually Caryl left. I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s because of what happened the other day? Now the only ones left are myself, Hadruss, Eurice, and Temel. ¨C Arteric 1/24/1253 Hadruss obtained information regarding the dungeon. He says it¡¯s an ancient magician¡¯s dungeon. It seems dangerous; will we really be able to explore it? I¡¯m anxious. ¨C Arteric 2/2/1253 We found the dungeon. I¡¯m just so happy at the fact that we found the dungeon, but Hadruss, Eurice, and Temels¡¯ expressions are so cold. Is it because they¡¯re nervous? ¨C Arteric 2/14/1253 I¡¯ve finished getting ready to enter the dungeon. I will be entering the dungeon tomorrow. ¨C Arteric 2/15/1253 First day in the dungeon, is it the first day? I cannot tell exactly. Of course, the only thing I can¡¯t tell is the time; dungeon exploration is safe. At least for now. ¨C Arteric 2/16/1253 Eurice got caught in the trap and was badly hurt. Up until yesterday, I thought that we would be able to finish the exploration easily, but I was wrong. Thankfully, Hadruss had a potion that helped heal her quickly. I don¡¯t remember purchasing the potion though, did he have it originally? ¨C Arteric 2/18/1253 The dungeon has so many traps. I said let¡¯s turn back but everyone refused. Hadruss stared at me coldly as his eyes were telling me to go back by myself if I wanted to go back. The Hadruss that I know is completely different than now. No, am I finding out the real Hadruss¡¯ personality now? ¨C Arteric 2/20/1253 I found out a shocking fact today. It was not the first time Hadruss, Eurice, and Temel met. They¡¯ve known each other from the beginning. But why did they act like they met for the first time? ¨C Arteric 2/25/1253 If the information is true, then the only thing left is the trap. I can now see the end of the dungeon. ¨C Arteric 2/27/1253 I¡¯ve been betrayed. Am I going to die like this? ¨C Arteric 3/1/1253 I met the devil. . . Although it was a travel journal, to Soo Hyuk it was also a novel. No, it was a fun novel. He smiled as he read the last page and closed the book. It was at that moment. Swish. [Wisdom has increased by 1.] The book¡¯s sparkle disappeared as the message appeared. Chapter 10 ¡°¡­¡­?¡± He read the message and wondered. ¡°Wisdom increased?¡± Why did wisdom increase all of a sudden? ¡°Is it because I read a book?¡± No matter how he thought, there was only one reason for it. He read a book, he was certain that the reason why wisdom increased was because he finished reading a book. Rustle. Soo Hyuk turned his sight away from the message and looked at a book. ¡°If I read a book I¡¯ve already read will it still increase?¡± By any chance, if he read the book he¡¯s already read, would his stats raise again? ¡°¡­¡­..¡± He thought to himself for a moment as he stared at the book and began reading it again. He wanted to solve his curiosity. ¡°It doesn¡¯t increase.¡± Shortly, he attentively read the book once more. He could find assurance when a message did not appear. A book that¡¯s already been read will not increase your stats if you read it again. A book that hasn¡¯t been read. That is, a book that¡¯s sparkling must be read in order for the stats to increase. Of course, this was not something he was sure of. He placed the travel journal he read twice to the right. Then he grabbed the book that was placed all the way on top of the books he had stacked on his left side. The book was not yet read and was radiating with light and sparkling. He opened the book. This book was also about someone¡¯s travels. Swipe. [Wisdom has increased by 1.] Once he was finished reading the entire travel journal, the sparkle disappeared. Then after, same as before, a message appeared stating that wisdom increased. He opened his character window. Level: 8 Experience: 51% Vitality: 2040 Mana: 300 Satiety: 52% Strength: 14 Agility: 15 Stamina: 38 Wisdom: 15 Bonus Stat: 10 Wisdom increased by 2, making the total 15. ¡°If it¡¯s going to be like this, there¡¯s no need to necessarily gather the bonus stats right?¡± The reason he was trying to gather bonus stats was because he wanted to change into a magician. The qualifications to change into a magician were to be level 10 and have wisdom: 30. If reading a book increases wisdom, then he didn¡¯t need to gather the bonus stats in order to reach the amount of wisdom needed. Even now, didn¡¯t he have 5 bonus stats to spare? ¡°No, even so, because you never know what¡¯ll happen.¡± Nevertheless, reading a book may not increase your stats every time. It may only be the first couple times that it increases. ¡°Let¡¯s be prepared.¡± For now, he invested all the 5 freely available bonus stats into his stamina and closed the character window. ¡°Let¡¯s fill satiety first.¡± He checked his satiety just a moment ago. 52%, it was time to fill his satiety. He opened his inventory and took out a hard bread. ¡°Uh!¡± It was at that moment. ¡°You cannot eat inside here!¡± ¡°Ah! Okay.¡± He stood up from his seat as Kejan shouted. He thought; maybe because he was inside the game he¡¯d be able to; but found that what¡¯s not allowed outside is not allowed inside as well. He went outside of the library and hurriedly chewed the hard bread. Once he finished eating the entire bread and filled his satiety, he came back to his seat and began reading again. Swipe. He finished reading a book and the sparkle disappeared. However, it was different than before. Only the sparkle disappeared and a message did not appear. His stats did not increase. ¡°As I thought.¡± He smiled. Just as he predicted, the number of times your stats could increase was set to a certain amount. No, he couldn¡¯t be certain of this either. It could increase again, so he had to continue reading. Though, there was one thing he was sure of. ¡°It doesn¡¯t increase unconditionally.¡± Just because he read a book didn¡¯t mean that his stats would increase unconditionally as well. Even if he never read that book and it was filled with sparkling light. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I didn¡¯t use it.¡± At the very least, he left some of the bonus stats. He thought he was fortunate as he placed the shine-less book on the right and grabbed one of the sparkling books from the left. He began reading the books in this manner. * * * Destroy 5 Training Purpose Scarecrows! [Training Purpose Scarecrow: 4/5] Quest Reward: 5 gold, training engineer ¡®One more Ahead!¡¯ Need to destroy one more scarecrow moving forward. Leah closed the quest window. Slash! She headed towards the scarecrow in front of her and swung her sword. Whack! [Training Purpose Scarecrow has been destroyed.] It took only one hit; the scarecrow was demolished with one hit. Leah was delighted as she looked at the scarecrow. She then turned her sights away from the scarecrow and looked at her sword. ¡®As expected, it¡¯s beyond comparable!¡¯ Its¡¯ overwhelming performance was incomparable to the training purpose sword. ¡°Hey Leah!¡± It was at that moment. She turned around towards the voice that was calling her. ¡°Hey Gia!¡± The person who was calling Leah was the girl who started ¡®Pangaea¡¯ with her, Gia. ¡°Did you catch all of them?¡± Leah asked Gia as she arrived. ¡°Yeap! You?¡± ¡°Me too!¡± Gia was also trying to complete the quest ¡®The Last Test.¡¯ The two of them conversed amongst each other as they approached the training instructor in order to complete their quests. ¡°They have been destroyed!¡± ¡°We demolished them!¡± They arrived in front of the training instructor and shouted at once. ¡°¡­¡­.good job.¡± Their energetic cry made the training instructor hesitate for a brief moment before he opened his mouth. [Quest ¡®The Last Test¡¯ has been completed.] A message appeared when the instructor spoke. It was a quest complete message. Leah saw the message and smiled as she held out her hand. ¡°Please give me what you promised!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± Leah was not the only one with her hand out. Gia held out her hand as well. They held out their hands because they wanted to receive the quest reward. ¡°Hold on.¡± The instructor chuckled as he held out two pouches. He then placed one in each of the girls¡¯ hands. ¡°Inside there will be the promised tokens.¡± He spoke after he gave the pouches. ¡°Hope you are well wherever you go.¡± He spoke briefly. Leah and Gia said good-bye and left the training center. ¡°Gyah!!!!!! Finally¡­.¡± As soon as they came out of the training center, Gia grinned broadly as she shouted. Though her cry was cut off in the middle. ¡°Hey Gia!¡± Leah had cut off her cry. ¡°Sorry.¡± Gia realized why Leah cut her off and was filled with regret as she apologized. ¡°Never mind, let¡¯s go.¡± She accepted Gia¡¯s apology and quickly checked her surroundings. Thankfully, the users around them didn¡¯t pay much attention to Gia¡¯s cry. Shuffle shuffle. ¡°So, are you really going to go?¡± Gia asked as they began walking. Currently, they were both walking together but their primary goals were different. ¡°Yeah, I have to go.¡± ¡°Do you really think there¡¯s going to be something in the library?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not for certain, but I think there¡¯s going to be something there.¡± Gia was thinking of leaving Oren. However, this was not the case for Leah. Her goal was Oren¡¯s library. ¡°Seeing as how it takes 50 gold to enter, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason for it.¡± She could learn the library¡¯s existence by looking at the map in the guidebook. What type of place is it? By any chance, wouldn¡¯t there be some type of quest? She thought as she went to the library. But, she needed 50 gold to access the library. She was certain when she heard 50 gold was needed. There was going to be something in the library. She believed this because 50 gold was not a small amount of money. Especially, at this tutorial region of ¡®Oren,¡¯ it was an enormous amount of money. To need that large amount of money, there was no way there would be nothing there. ¡®Even if there¡¯s nothing there.¡¯ By some chance, even if there was nothing at the library, she was satisfied with obtaining the training engineer. If it weren¡¯t for the library, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to learn about the training engineer. ¡°I don¡¯t think anything special¡¯s going to be there but¡­.¡± Gia thought differently than Leah. Although she didn¡¯t think there wouldn¡¯t be anything at the library, she just didn¡¯t think there would be anything special there. 50 gold? It wasn¡¯t a practical sum of money. Even after completing the entire training engineer quests, there was 37 gold inside the inventory. Since 50 gold was needed, just like Leah said, there had to be something there. Nevertheless, that something didn¡¯t seem like it was going to be anything special. ¡°Here, 20 gold.¡± Gia took out 20 gold from her inventory and handed it to Leah. ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°No problem, but can I really go down first?¡± ¡°Yeah, head down first and venture around! I¡¯ll head down shortly.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± They paused at the forked road and conversed. As soon as they finished, Gia headed towards the central plaza and Leah towards the North. ¡®I wonder if something¡¯s going to be there?¡¯ Leah thought to herself as she began walking North towards the library. What¡¯s going to be at the library? ¡®Am I not going to be able to change into a training engineer?¡¯ Inside her inventory, she had the token needed in order to change into a training engineer. If she utilized the token she would be able to change into an engineer right away. However, there may be a reason she may not be able to utilize the token. It¡¯s because the library may have an even more special occupation inside. ¡°Lol.¡± She was filled with much anticipation as she walked vigorously. Chapter 11 ¡°Who are¡­¡­ Oh! It¡¯s you.¡± Shortly, Leah arrived at the library. She smiled as she opened her inventory when the librarian, Kejan realized who she was. ¡°It was 50 gold, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She listened to Kejan¡¯s response as she handed over 50 gold. ¡°You said your name was Leah, correct?¡± This time Kejan asked as Leah shook her head. ¡°Yes, my name¡¯s Leah.¡± ¡°Ms. Leah¡­.here you go!¡± It did not take much time to make the library pass and Leah was able to receive it right away. ¡°Will you be using it right away?¡± Kejan asked. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I will hold onto the pass and keep it in storage. When you¡¯re done utilizing the library, you can receive it on your way out.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Leah replied as she handed her pass to Kejan once more. She accepted the pass and Leah headed inside. ¡°¡­¡­.Wow.¡± She stopped her footsteps as she awed in admiration. ¡®It¡¯s beautiful.¡¯ She marveled in the library because of the books that were sparkling inside. When she saw the twinkling books, she felt confident. ¡®I¡¯m certain there¡¯s something here!¡¯ There was something at the library. She felt assured. It was at that moment. Squeak ¡°¡­..?¡± The sound of footsteps made her turn around. She was able to see the person who was making the footsteps. It was a man that looked too old to be called a boy, but looked too young to look like a youth. ¡®Who is he?¡¯ She was a little taken back because she didn¡¯t think anyone would be at the library. ¡®Is it an NPC?¡¯ Is it an NPC, by any chance? ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like he would be a user¡­..¡¯ The likelihood of him being a user was remarkably small. In order to enter this place, one would need a pass. And to purchase a pass, they would need 50 gold. If they were a user, generally they would not pay 50 gold to go to the library. However, because she didn¡¯t know for sure, she approached the man. ¡°Umm, excuse me¡­.¡± She opened her mouth as she stood in front of the man. ¡°¡­¡­..?¡± He looked at her strangely as he heard her voice. She then asked. ¡°Are you a user?¡± There was no reason to drag the time. She was direct with him when she asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Rustle The man replied and began reading a book. She wanted to ask more questions but closed her mouth and thought to herself. ¡®He was a user.¡¯ The man¡¯s identity wasn¡¯t NPC but a user. ¡®I wasn¡¯t the only person to think about the library.¡¯ Indeed, there were an immensely large amount of users whom started ¡®Pangaea.¡¯ It would be weird if there were no users who questioned the library when it needed 50 gold to access. Rustle She turned her sights from the man and looked at the bookcases. She was delighted to see the numerous twinkling books placed in the bookcases and began walking. ¡®¡­¡­..Hm?¡¯ She tilted her head in wonderment. ¡®What is that?¡¯ She thought all of the books were sparkling but that wasn¡¯t the case. There was one book that wasn¡¯t twinkling. ¡®There¡¯s no way¡­..¡¯ There was solely one book that wasn¡¯t sparkling. By chance, wouldn¡¯t it be the something hidden inside the library? She quickly headed towards the bookcase with the un-sparkling book and took it out. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± She frowned. ¡®Guidebook?¡¯ She thought it might be a hidden piece but found that it was a guidebook instead. ¡®Hey, what is this.¡¯ She was disappointed as she placed the guidebook back inside the bookcase. Then she looked at the sparkling books next to it and thought to herself. ¡®What kind of book is it?¡¯ She anticipated what kind of book it would be. ¡®It¡¯s not a dictionary, is it?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t exclude the probability of it being a dictionary. She erased the disappointment from the guidebook and took out the sparkling book with much anticipation. ¡®Rodin?¡¯ The name of the book was ¡®Rodin.¡¯ She was certain it was someone¡¯s name. She returned to the desk and began reading. ¡®It¡¯s a travel journal.¡¯ The journal was about a person who left for an adventure and suffered treachery, then met Satan and got revenge and after listened to Satan¡¯s request. The moment she finished reading the entire book and closed it. Swoosh The sparkle disappeared. ¡°¡­.?¡± She was confused. Why would the twinkled suddenly disappear? ¡°Huh?¡± Soon, a message appeared and she was shocked. [Wisdom has increased by 1.] It was because of the message that stated wisdom increased. ¡®The stats increased?¡¯ She only read a book. There was nothing else she did besides that. But, wisdom increased. ¡®Is this a place where you can receive stats?¡¯ Clearly, it was because she read a book that her wisdom increased. She was sure that this place, the library, was a place where you could increase your stats. Without a word, she brought back the next book. Then, she began roughly, but quickly speed-reading through the book. ¡®¡­¡­¡­.?¡¯ However, this time, a message did not appear. It was not only the message that was different. ¡®Why is it still sparkling?¡¯ The twinkling was the same as before. ¡®If I read a book, then doesn¡¯t the sparkling disappear and I¡¯m given stats?¡¯ That was the situation just a moment ago. She read a book, then the sparkle disappeared and her stats increased. But why is the sparkle not disappearing this time? ¡®Is it¡­¡­.¡¯ Suddenly, a thought occurred as she opened up the book again. This time, there was a difference between what happened just a moment ago and now. ¡®Do I need to meticulously read it one character at a time?¡¯ The first book she read, she read carefully thinking there may be something in the book. And the second time she roughly read the book quickly. That was the only difference between the two. She began reading the book meticulously. And the moment she closed her book. Swoosh [Wisdom has increased by 1.] The sparkle disappeared and a message appeared. ¡®As I thought.¡¯ She was assured. ¡®I have to read carefully?¡¯ The conditions of having the twinkle disappear were being meticulous. ¡®But¡­¡­.¡¯ She thought to herself as she read the message. ¡®Is this it?¡¯ By any chance, at this place, does the hidden piece at the library end with increasing stats? ¡®Can you not change your occupation here?¡¯ Her face was filled with regret as she anticipated a special occupation. Of course, it wasn¡¯t only because of the occupation itself. ¡®It¡¯s so inefficient.¡¯ Increasing stats is extremely important. However, the problem was the time it took to read all of the books. ¡®Preferably, if I went hunting with the time it takes to read a book.¡¯ The only stats you could earn from reading a book were wisdom. That¡¯s not increasing by 3 or 4 but only 1. It would be better to go hunting with the time it took to read because you could increase more of your stats. ¡®If it was strength, agility, or stamina, then it would be different.¡¯ On top of that, wisdom was not a very important stat to her. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t need wisdom at all, but in order for her to change into a close combat occupation, important stats to her were strength, agility, and stamina. ¡®What should I do.¡¯ She contemplated whether she should stay at this place and read to increase wisdom or if she should throw it away and head down to meet up with Gia instead. It was at that moment. -Gia: Hey Leah! Gia spoke over the headphone. -Leah: Yeah. She responded to Gia as she opened the next book. Though, she was unable to read the book as Gia continued speaking. -Gia: Big news! -Leah: Big news? What is it? -Gia: You arrived at the library, right? -Leah: Yeah, I arrived at the library. -Gia: The books there, they sparkle right? ¡°¡­¡­¡­?¡± She was flustered with Gia¡¯s question. ¡®How did she?¡¯ How did she know that the books sparkled? ¡®No way, was there information posted on it?¡¯ By any chance, was there information posted on the Internet about this place? But, even if it was posted on the Internet, there was no way that Gia would be able to find out as she was connected onto the game. -Leah: How¡¯d you know? She asked Gia. She was really curious as to how Gia found this information about the library. -Gia: When I came down and was walking around, I met an NPC that was advertising the library and passing out sparkling books. So I read the book and the twinkle disappeared as my stats increased! So I thought maybe, all of the books inside the library were like this! ¡°¡­¡­.!¡± Leah was unable to say anything to what Gia just said. ¡®The books in this place were not the only ones that could increase your stats?¡¯ She thought that only the books at this place would be able to increase her stats. That¡¯s why she contemplated to herself. If she should stay at this place and read the books to increase her wisdom or if she should meet up with Gia instead. ¡®There¡¯s no reason for me to stay here.¡¯ However, there was no reason for her to question herself. It only had to be a book. It didn¡¯t have to necessarily be a book at this place for the stats to increase. ¡®I should go.¡¯ She stood up from her seat as she decided to go down and hunt as she slowly read a book to increase her stats. It was at that moment when she finished her thoughts and got up from her seat. -Gia: But the conditions to go to the library are crazy. Gia continued speaking. -Gia: The term to utilize the library is 50,000 fame. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Leah thought to herself for a moment as she heard what Gia just said. ¡®No, still.¡¯ Of course the thought did not last very long. No matter how difficult it would be to utilize the library at a different area, it would be a waste to use her time at this place right now. And if she was to work hard, she should be able to meet the standards to utilize the library and then read books to increase her stats. The books will not run away. -Leah: I¡¯ll be going down. She whispered to Gia. She then looked at the man reading a book in front of her. She was not the only person in this place. ¡®Should I tell him?¡¯ Chapter 12 Leah thought to herself as she stared at the man heavily concentrated in his book. She was certain that the reason the man was reading the book was because he wanted to increase his stats. And there was quite a high likelihood that he may believe that only the books in this place increased his stats. ¡®I should tell him.¡¯ She agonized for a brief moment and walked towards the man. ¡°Excuse me.¡± She arrived in front of the man and called to him. ¡°¡­¡­..?¡± Coincidentally he had just finished reading the entire book. He closed it and looked at her. His face was filled with confusion. She opened her mouth. ¡°This place is not the only place you can raise your stats.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± He answered her with a rhetorical question. His voice was filled with embarrassment. She smiled as she heard his disconcerted voice and replied. ¡°Your stats can be increased not only here but elsewhere as well. You only need to read a book.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He responded. ¡°¡­¡­¡­..?¡± This time, she was confused. ¡®Why is his reaction like this?¡¯ Different than before, the man¡¯s voice was very calm. * * * ¡®What does this woman do?¡¯ Soo Hyuk was considerably taken aback. ¡®Why is she bringing up conversation about stats all of a sudden?¡¯ She comes up to me abruptly and says that this place isn¡¯t the only place you could raise your stats? That you only need to read a book for it to increase? What does she want me to do about it? What type of reaction does she want from me? He thought to himself. ¡®Did she want me to be surprised?¡¯ ¡°I told you, you only need to read a book? Not here?¡± She spoke in the meantime. ¡°I know that.¡± His thoughts stopped as soon as she spoke. He shook his head. ¡°Excuse me?¡± She asked with a rhetorical question. She looked flustered. ¡°But why are you here then?¡± It was such an obvious question. ¡°To read the books.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..the books?¡± ¡°Yes, this is a library.¡± He responded to her question as he glanced around their surroundings once and looked at her. She continued to ask questions. ¡°Weren¡¯t you reading because of your stats?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± She did not say a word anymore. She just stared quietly at him for a brief moment and turned around. As soon as she turned around, he opened up a book next to him and began to read. Swish [Wisdom has increased by 1.] Shortly, he read the entire book and closed it. ¡®Did she leave?¡¯ After he checked his message, he looked around the inside of the library. The girl was nowhere to be found. It seemed like she left. ¡®Oh well, it would¡¯ve been different if this place was the only place you could raise your stats.¡¯ If this place were the only place you could increase your stats, then the girl would¡¯ve stayed. Rustle He stood up from his seat. He thought to himself as he began to head towards the bookcase to get a new book. ¡®I wonder how long it¡¯s going to take.¡¯ He was very curious as to how long it would take to read all of the books that were inside of the library. * * * ¡°Ah, it¡¯s finally graduation.¡± Yeon Joong¡¯s voice was filled with regret as he mumbled to himself. ¡°You waited for this moment so much, why are you being like that? Do you regret it?¡± Soo Hyuk asked. ¡°More than regret, I guess you could say something feels empty?¡± He wanted graduation to come so badly. However, when graduation was actually over, there was some type of hollowness. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t feel anything?¡± He asked Soo Hyuk. ¡°Umm¡­..¡± Soo Hyuk murmured to himself as he pondered. He soon finished his thoughts and opened his mouth. ¡°I feel slightly regretful that I won¡¯t be able to access the library. But besides that, not really?¡± He was also regretful. Though, that regret was only because of the library. With his graduation, it was now impossible to access it. Technically, it wasn¡¯t actually impossible. However, in order to utilize the library, he would have to go to school? Time was too precious. ¡®During that time, it would be better to access Pangaea.¡¯ He now had Pangaea. Inside Pangaea, there were still new books that were unread. It would be more efficient to connect to Pangaea and read the books in there than to waste time going to the library. ¡°Welcome!¡± ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s sit here.¡± Shortly, Soo Hyuk and Yeon Joong arrived at a Chinese restaurant and greeted the owner as they grabbed a seat. ¡°What are you going to eat?¡± After they sat down, they went directly into menu selection. ¡°Jjambbong, you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get Jjajangmyun! Graduation = Jjajangmyun.¡± Soo Hyuk chose Jjambbong and Yeon Joong chose Jjajangmyun. Once they finished deciding, Yeon Joong shouted. ¡°Boss! We¡¯ll order! Can we get one jjambbong and one jjajangmyun! Please give us steamed dumplings as well!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Their order was completed with the owner¡¯s response. Yeon Joong stared directly at Soo Hyuk and asked. ¡°Where are you at?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..?¡± Soo Hyuk frowned only one side of his eyebrow as he was taken aback at such a random question. What do you mean where am I at? Am I not at the Chinese restaurant? ¡°Pangaea.¡± ¡°Oh~¡± He exclaimed. He wondered as to what Yeon Joong was talking about, but it was about Pangaea. ¡°Me, well I¡¯m at the library, like always.¡± He replied to Yeon Joong. ¡°What?¡± Yeon Joong was confused as he responded with a counter-question. ¡°You¡¯re still at the library?¡± He cross-questioned because Soo Hyuk was still at the library. ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you staying there too long? A month and a half has already passed. By any chance, you¡¯re not planning on continuing to stay there right?¡± Pangaea opened on 12/31. Today¡¯s graduation date was 2/15. A month and a half had already passed. But he was still at the library? ¡°There are still books that I haven¡¯t read.¡± He had read many, many books. However, he did not read all of the books inside the library. There were still books that sparkled in there. ¡°You¡¯re going to leave after you¡¯ve read all of the books?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Soo Hyuk shook his head. The day he leaves the beginning town of ¡®Oren¡¯ is when he would¡¯ve read the entire books inside the library. As they were conversing, the foods that were ordered came out. ¡°Where are you planning on going after? Have you even decided on that?¡± Yeon Joong asked as he grabbed a steamed dumpling. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of going to Matab.¡± Soo Hyuk replied as he began taking out mussel shells that were in his Jjambbong. ¡°Are you trying to become a Magician?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Then instead of Matab, shouldn¡¯t you go somewhere else?¡± Many users whom chose the path of a Magician headed towards Matab. And a very small minority of users headed towards a different empire and kingdom. However, it was informed that as time passed, it was much better to start from a different nation than to start at Matab. ¡°They say that not only with promoting, but that the NPCs¡¯ personalities are insane?¡± It was not only one or two things that came out. The rate of promotion was bad, treatment was bad; it was better to go to a different nation than Matab in almost every aspect. ¡°They don¡¯t even let you speak to them because your level¡¯s low.¡± They would do that because Matab had plenty of Magicians. On top of that, the majority of the NPCs in Matab were exceptional Wizards. There would be no reason for them to treat noob users that just entered into magic kindly. Plus, wasn¡¯t it overcrowded with users? ¡°There¡¯s a reason I have to go to Matab.¡± Soo Hyuk replied. Promotion? Treatment? He didn¡¯t care for those. There was only one reason he had to go to Matab. ¡°Reason?¡± Yeon Joong asked. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, it¡¯s not because of the library, is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct.¡± Soo Hyuk responded as he ran his chopsticks through his Jjambbong. ¡®Did I take all of them out?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t see any more of the mussel shells. He inhaled a handful of Jjambbong. ¡®Wow.¡¯ He was filled with admiration. ¡®It tastes good.¡¯ The level of spicy-ness was exactly how he liked it. ¡®Would they be able to deliver to my house?¡¯ He thought of the distance between his house and the Chinese restaurant. ¡®I should ask when I leave.¡¯ It was a somewhat vague distance. He ended his thoughts as he decided to ask when he left. He then looked at Yeon Joong. ¡°¡­¡­..?¡± He had no choice but to wonder as he saw Yeon Joong. Yeon Joong would¡¯ve done the same thing, as he was currently holding a steamed dumpling and just staring at Soo Hyuk. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Soo Hyuk asked. ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± Yeon Joong placed the steamed dumpling in his mouth. And as he began chewing on his dumpling, he replied. ¡°Did you, by any chance, start the game to read books?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Soo Hyuk responded as he stretched out his chopsticks towards the dumplings. It was not only because of the books. However, the biggest reason he began Pangaea was because of the books. The cost was way cheaper to read books inside Pangaea than it was to read books in reality. He would be able to read new books infinitely inside of Pangaea. ¡°Are you going to continue to only read books?¡± Yeon Joong asked. ¡°No.¡± Soo Hyuk shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m going to catch monsters and complete quests.¡± He was not thinking of only reading books. He planned on catching monsters and completing quests. Of course there was a reason he wanted to catch monsters and complete quests. ¡®In order to fulfill the qualifications.¡¯ Eventually, he was going to finish reading all of the books in Matab¡¯s library. In order to read new books, he would need to go to a new library. Just like the conditions to become a Magician in order to utilize Matab¡¯s library, there would also be conditions in order to access different libraries. To satisfy these qualifications, he needed to grow his character by catching monsters and completing quests. That was the only reason why he wanted to catch monsters and break quests. ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Yeon Joong shook his head as he spoke. ¡°Then let me know when you need help. I, a Mid-Ranker will help you out!¡± Although he started Pangaea a little later than Soo Hyuk, he devoted all of his efforts into growing his character. All of his efforts made his ranking quite high. Even though his name wasn¡¯t within the 1000th rankings they called Ranker, his name was up in the 3000th ranking they called Mid-Ranker. You could say that help from a Mid-Ranker would be colossal. Also, if you thought of the level Soo Hyuk was, nothing would be impossible. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll certainly remember that you said you¡¯d help.¡± Soo Hyuk smiled as he replied. Chapter 13 ¡°How many books do you have left to read?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact amount but it¡¯s going to take about 2 to 3 weeks to finish reading all of them.¡± Soo Hyuk and Yeon Joong continued on with their conversation. ¡°Wow, minimum 2 weeks?¡± ¡°Yeap.¡± ¡°I¡¯m super jealous.¡± ¡°What¡¯re you jealous about?¡± ¡°You¡¯re wisdom increases when you read a book.¡± Yeon Joong said he was jealous because of the stats. In the case of reading a book, it was already a well-known fact that it would increase your wisdom. ¡°On second thought, I¡¯m suddenly very curious?¡± He continued talking as his face was filled with curiosity as he asked. ¡°What number is your wisdom?¡± He was curious as to how much wisdom Soo Hyuk had because he continued reading since the game opened. ¡°Ummm¡­.¡± Soo Hyuk murmured to himself as he pondered. ¡®The most recent time I checked¡­¡­¡¯ He did not know exactly how much wisdom he had. It was because every time the message stating that wisdom increased popped up, he didn¡¯t open his character window. ¡®Was it 925?¡¯ He recalled the latest wisdom checked and told Yeon Joong. ¡°925.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.?¡± Yeon Joong heard his response and was speechless. However it was only for a brief moment, he then opened his mouth as his face was filled with disbelief. ¡°WHAT?¡± The first thing he did was ask a question. ¡°925? Your wisdom is 925?¡± He continued to ask questions. ¡°Yeap, when I checked, the most recent wisdom was 925. It¡¯s likely that it may be a little higher than that. Because after that, wisdom increased a little more.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Yeon Joong became silent once again. ¡®Crazy.¡¯ He was flustered. ¡®Wisdom¡¯s 925? It¡¯s even higher than that?¡¯ He said his wisdom was 925? No, that it may be a little higher than that? ¡°What level are you?¡± He was deep in thought but asked Soo Hyuk once again. ¡°8.¡± He thought to himself. ¡®Level 8, wisdom¡¯s over 925?¡¯ He asked because he thought his level would be high. However, his level was not high. Soo Hyuk¡¯s level was only 8. But 925? That number was unfathomable. ¡°How many books did you read?¡± He asked after he finished his thoughts. How many books did he read? How many did he read that he was able to attain 925? He was unable to fathom it. No, to be exact, 925 were unattainable just by reading books. ¡°The more you read, doesn¡¯t wisdom stop increasing?¡± In order to raise wisdom by 1, the number of books that needed to be read was different with every user. A user may need to read 2 books to increase by 1, another may need to read 3 to increase, while a different user may need to read 10 to go up. However, there was a commonality amongst all. It was that, the more you read, wisdom did not increase. In the beginning, if you read 3 books for your wisdom to increase by 1, after, it would take 5, 7, 10 books to raise wisdom by 1. ¡°¡­¡­..?¡± Soo Hyuk was confused. ¡°What do you mean? The more you read, it doesn¡¯t increase?¡± He could not understand. ¡°Generally, if you read 1 book, your wisdom increases by 1, right?¡± It did not increase every time. Though, on average, if you read 1 book, it increased by 1. It was very rare when it did not increase. ¡°What?¡± Yeon Joong asked. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that every time you read a book it increased?¡± He was astonished. ¡°Yeah. Practically.¡± Soo Hyuk shook his head. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Yeon Joong did not say a word. He just thought to himself. ¡®Was Oren¡¯s library special?¡¯ Many users experimented with reading books in order to raise their wisdom. Especially those whom wanted to become Magicians went to Matab¡¯s library and read books innumerably and researched a formula to increase wisdom. However, the number of books that needed to be read to increase wisdom by 1 was all different. Ultimately, they were unable to find the exact formula. It was only speculated that there were a lot of things that were in correlation with one another. But, in Soo Hyuk¡¯s case, every time he read a book, his wisdom rose by 1. That is, it wasn¡¯t once or twice, but continued to increase. By any chance, was Oren¡¯s library special? ¡®Or was it his level?¡¯ Oren¡¯s library may not be special. The problem may be his level. His level was 8; it could be that the lower your level, the number of books needed to raise your stats was small. ¡®The possibility was quite high.¡¯ The possibility that it was because of his level was quite high. Although other users have said they read books, they did not continue reading books like Soo Hyuk. They hunted, completed quests, and read books in situations to grow their characters. ¡°You can¡¯t tell anyone about your stats.¡± He said to Soo Hyuk. ¡°The possibility that something troublesome may occur is quite high. Especially if the guild finds out, they¡¯re going to lust heavily for you.¡± It was difficult even for someone over level 100 to reach beyond 900 for wisdom, but only a level 8 surpassed 900. If that fact became known, Soo Hyuk would be dragged into a troublesome situation. Specifically, it was the guilds that were the problem. The strength of the guild members became the guilds¡¯ strength. There would be an enormous amount of guilds that would desire Soo Hyuk. There was a chance that if they weren¡¯t able to have him, they would make it so that no one else would be able to have him. ¡°Of course I know that too.¡± He replied to Yeon Joong. He also knew about this. ¡°I told you because it¡¯s you.¡± He only answered because it was Yeon Joong. If it wasn¡¯t him, he wouldn¡¯t have said anything. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m glad you know about it.¡± He felt relieved when he heard his response. Soo Hyuk opened his mouth. ¡°But, didn¡¯t you say you were going to create a guild?¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not something that you can create easily. I¡¯m only planning on it.¡± * * * ¡°3rd class ranking occupation has been undone!¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Joo Hyuk Yang responded calmly. ¡°Why are you so calm?¡± Jang Yool turned around and asked. ¡°Because it¡¯s not the first or second time it¡¯s been undone. Eh, it¡¯s only 3rd class ranking.¡± It wasn¡¯t the first time a 3rd class ranking occupation was solved. It was already two months since the game opened and five days have passed. During that time, quite a lot of special occupations were undone. 3rd ranking special occupations were not considered shocking anymore. It was at that moment. ¡°Uh?¡± Jang Yool turned to look at his monitor again and shouted. It was filled with panic. ¡°What?¡± Joo Hyuk Yang asked with his ever-calm voice. What type of occupation was undone this time? Or was there a different hidden condition? ¡°That, that is¡­¡­¡± Jang Yool stuttered as he spoke. ¡°A user that has acquired the title of Conqueror at O, Oren¡¯s library has appeared.¡± Rustle! Joo Hyuk Yang stood up from his seat. His composed self was no longer seen. He was shocked. ¡°Conqueror of Oren¡¯s library? Really?¡± Title ¡®Conqueror of Oren¡¯s library¡¯, was created but it was a title that he thought would never be acquired by a user. However, a user that¡¯s obtained that title had appeared. ¡°Yes.¡± Jang Yool shook his head. ¡°Who is it?¡± Who in the world would have obtained this nonsense title? ¡°Hold on one moment.¡± Jang Yool began typing away on his keyboard. And a short while after, a window popped up on one of his many monitors. ¡°It¡¯s a user named Soo Hyuk.¡± He looked at his window and responded. ¡°Soo Hyuk?¡± Joo Hyuk Yang mumbled as he approached Jang Yool. ¡°Let¡¯s look at his information.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jang Yool looked up Soo Hyuk¡¯s information on his monitor. Level: 8 Experience: 51% Vitality: 2540 Mana: 26420 Satiety: 40% Strength: 14 Agility: 15 Stamina: 48 Wisdom: 1321 ¡°¡­¡­¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.!¡± Both Joo Hyuk Yang and Jang Yool looked at the monitor and became silent. They were both astonished as they looked at the information regarding Soo Hyuk on the monitor ¡®This is crazy.¡¯ Joo Hyuk Yang thought to himself as he saw Soo Hyuk¡¯s info. ¡®He¡¯s level 8 but how is his stats.¡¯ His stats were unheard of. The stats were not of a level 8. Though, Joo Hyuk Yang quickly changed his thoughts. ¡®No, the stats may be possible because he¡¯s a level 8.¡¯ On the contrary, his stats were possible because he was level 8. In the case of reading a book that hasn¡¯t been read, users would be able to raise their stats. Stats did not blindly increase. If you read a book that hasn¡¯t been read yet, you would receive special experience called stats experience. In order to increase your stats, you would need to raise that stats experience to its limit. The problem was that the limit to the stats experience was different according to the level of each user. Of course, if your level was low, the experience needed to raise your stats was small and if it were high, even more experience would be needed. In other words, in order to increase your stats easily, you would need to read a lot of books but more importantly your level needed to be low. ¡®But¡­¡­.¡¯ Joo Hyuk Yang was caught in his thoughts as he tilted his head in confusion. There was something he couldn¡¯t understand. It wasn¡¯t the level. On the contrary, he understood the level. What he didn¡¯t understand was¡­¡­. Chapter 14 ¡®Wasn¡¯t it a waste of time?¡¯ What he didn¡¯t understand was the time. Just flipping through the pages didn¡¯t mean that the book was read. If you flipped through, you wouldn¡¯t be able to receive even 1 stat experience. You had to read meticulously. That was the only way you would be able to attain stat experience. Soo Hyuk¡¯s wisdom was over 1300 at the moment. No matter how easy it was to increase your stats because your level¡¯s low, in order to reach over 1300, you would have to read a lot of books. In other words, an immense amount of time was needed. ¡®Was the game boring?¡¯ Even if his stats increased, to invest all that time solely on reading? It didn¡¯t make any sense. By any chance, was hunting boring? Or was there a different reason? ¡®Was it because 50 gold would¡¯ve been a waste?¡¯ There could be a sufficient amount of different reasons. It was the conditions needed to utilize the library. In order to access the library, a special condition needed to be fulfilled. Each library¡¯s qualifications were different. To use Oren¡¯s library, 50 gold was needed. The problem was, the tutorial area of Oren was an area where once someone left; there was no way they could return back. ¡®Okay, 50 gold went into it.¡¯ That is, in order to utilize Oren¡¯s library, he needed to earn 50 gold there. ¡®It could be because it would be a waste.¡¯ 50 gold was not a sum of money that was easy to make. It would be different if he had become a high level, but at that level, 50 gold was a fortune. Especially if it¡¯s in the tutorial area of Oren, you could say it¡¯s an even more enormous amount of money. He could be reading books because it would be a waste after he put in that large sum of money. ¡®Even so, wasn¡¯t it harder to invest in the time to carefully read?¡¯ It was difficult to earn gold, but it was even more strenuous to read all of those books meticulously. No, it was close to nearly impossible. No matter how much of a waste the money would¡¯ve been, to read the books carefully? It would be different if it was the first one or two books, but over 1,000 books? Even if stats were given, for all of that time? Therefore, he thought that although a title was created, no user would acquire it. ¡°Wow, he¡¯s seriously crazy.¡± Jang Yool spoke with admiration. ¡°Since the second day, he only read books in the library? Without missing a day.¡± Joo Hyuk Yang was deep in thought when he heard Jang Yool speak. He finished his thoughts and opened his mouth. ¡°Since the second day?¡± His face was filled with dismay. ¡°Was he playing the game to read books?¡± It was as if he started Pangaea in order to read books. ¡°But this user, this level, with this stats¡­..¡± Jang Yool watched his monitor as he slurred his words. ¡°What about his stats?¡± Joo Hyuk Yang cross-questioned him as he spoke. ¡°Didn¡¯t he achieve that condition?¡± ¡°Condition?¡± Joo Hyuk Yang counter-questioned once more. What does he mean by condition? ¡°What condition?¡± Presently, with his stats, there were so many qualifications that were accomplished. He was curious as to which one Jang Yool was talking about, out of those many qualifications. ¡°The provisional occupation that was made in case a user who conquered Oren¡¯s library came out.¡± ¡°¡­..!¡± He was shocked at what Jang Yool said. And as soon as he was finished speaking, he opened his mouth widely and froze. ¡°Descendants of Medusa¡¯s Shrine.¡± Descendants of Medusa¡¯s Shrine, was a first class occupation. Even amongst the first class occupations, it fought for first place. It was the best, and you could say that it was the strongest occupation. The problem was that if you compared Descendants of Medusa¡¯s Shrine with other first class occupations, promoting was not hard. The reason was naturally because changing occupations was difficult. The condition to change careers was unheard of. He was certain that if this information was released to the public, complaints would come in asking why this occupation was made and if it was ornamental. Nevertheless, the reason why this occupation was created was solely for when a user would conquer Oren¡¯s library. It was in preparation in case, that is, not only to have conquered it but also to have effectively conquered it. You could say that it was a present given to the user for achieving a qualification that didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± He thought that there would be no way the present would be given, so he had buried that side of his memory and forgotten about it. Joo Hyuk Yang did not say a word. No, it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t say anything; he couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°His wisdom¡¯s over 1,000 so the first condition¡¯s been accomplished.¡± His silence made Jang Yool speak. In order to change into Descendants of Medusa¡¯s Shrine, several qualifications were needed. Within them, the first qualification was to have wisdom stats reach over 1000. Soo Hyuk had already achieved the first condition. ¡°No!¡± He tilted his head in confusion as Jang Yool spoke and opened his mouth. ¡°He may decide not to become a Magician?¡± The second qualification was the Magician occupation. It was only possible to change into Descendants of Medusa¡¯s Shrine from a Magician. That is, it was possible only from a General Magician. It was impossible to change from a Special Affiliated Wizard occupation. Exclusively General Wizards could change occupations. ¡°Aye.¡± Jang Yool spoke. ¡°With these stats, if he doesn¡¯t change into a Wizard, what would he change into?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Anyone could see that the stats hit the jackpot to become a Magician.¡± Overwhelming wisdom, you could say it was the optimum stats for a Magician. Anyone who saw would recommend changing into a Wizard with his stats. ¡°Buh, but! He may not go to Matab and could go somewhere else.¡± The third condition was the transfer place. The area you could change into the Descendants of Medusa¡¯s Shrine was the Magicians¡¯ alliance of Matab. In order to transfer into Descendants of Medusa¡¯s Shrine, you had to go to Matab. To be exact, you had to go to a specific building in Matab. However, to become a Wizard, you didn¡¯t necessarily have to go to Matab to do it. It was possible to go to another country to change into a Magician. ¡°These days users gathered suggestions stating that it was better to raise their characters in kingdoms.¡± On top of that, recently there have been a lot of users whom started as Wizards from countries aside from Matab. It was because it was far easier to promote. ¡°But what if he started at Matab? And what if he goes to the library?¡± Though ¡®what if¡¯ was an existing law. If by any chance, he went to Matab and received the quest to change into Descendants of Medusa¡¯s Shrine inside Matab¡¯s library? ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Joo Hyuk Yang responded. His expression was different than before. He was calm and composed. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it.¡± The reason he was calm was because he had finished organizing his thoughts. ¡°With those stats, if he changed into a Magician, then Matab¡¯s NPCs are going to send him a love call to try to give him second, third rate occupations.¡± Soo Hyuk¡¯s stats were colossal. He¡¯s going to transfer into a Wizard at Matab? At the same time he transfers, numerous Matab NPCs are going to lust for him. In the eyes of the NPC, he¡¯s going to look like a prodigy to them. ¡°He would have the opportunity to gain a special occupation, but to decline all of that and go to the library? It wouldn¡¯t make any sense.¡± If you¡¯re a user, you couldn¡¯t help but be taken by a special occupation. To disregard that and go to the library you could become the Descendants of Medusa¡¯s Shrine at? No way. ¡°If he changes into a special occupation, then that¡¯s it for him.¡± In the case of transferring into a special occupation, he would not be able to change into Descendants of Medusa¡¯s Shrine. In other words, Joo Hyuk Yang could relax. ¡°But because you never know.¡± Although he thought that he could relax, in the bottom of his heart there was still uneasiness. ¡°Keep an eye on him.¡± He told Jang Yool. ¡°Got it.¡± He heard Jang Yool¡¯s response and went back to his own seat and sat down. ¡®However¡­¡­..¡¯ He thought to himself. ¡®Even if he attains second, third rate occupations, wouldn¡¯t it still be a problem?¡¯ If you compared them to Descendants of Medusa¡¯s Shrine, there was a huge difference in occupations, but second, third rate occupations were not jobs to be ignored. ¡®Firstly, his stats are out of this world.¡¯ On top of that, wasn¡¯t he a user that had stats that were unheard of? ¡®Even as a General Wizard, his stats could destroy a special occupation.¡¯ Not a special occupation, but as a General Magician, he could crush any other occupations. ¡®¡­¡­¡­..grunt.¡¯ At any rate, he was at a loss. ¡®Why did he only read books at the library?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand. Why did he only read books inside the library? No, even if he did read, it would¡¯ve been good if he hunted and raised his level. ¡®He¡¯s not a user that¡¯s playing the game to really read books, right?¡¯ He thought it didn¡¯t make any sense and smiled as he began his work. * * * [Wisdom has increased by 1.] ¡°Hoo-ah.¡± Soo Hyuk let out a deep sigh as he got up from his seat and walked towards the bookcase. ¡°There¡¯s not much left now.¡± He arrived at the bookcase and took out the sparkling books as he mumbled. For over two months, he constantly read books. The result was that he was able to read almost all of the books inside the library. ¡°There are 5 books.¡± The books that he wasn¡¯t able to read yet and still had their sparkles, were only 5 books. Moving forward, if he read only 5 more books, he would¡¯ve read the entire books in the library. ¡°The time¡¯s just right.¡± He took out a book and checked the time. He had plenty of time to read. He came back to his desk and began reading. [Wisdom has increased by 1.] When he read the first book, his wisdom increased. [Wisdom has increased by 1.] When he read the second book, his wisdom rose again. [Wisdom has increased by 1.] When he read the third book, as expected, his wisdom increased as well. ¡®It¡¯s increasing well.¡¯ He opened the fourth book and thought to himself. Two times before he brought the book and this third time included in succession, wisdom increased five times. Although wisdom rose well, the whole time he read over 1,000 books, there was not a time his wisdom increased five times in a row. That is, he broke a new record. Rustle. He finished reading the entire fourth book and closed it. Unfortunately, the record-breaking ended on the fifth book. ¡®Finally the last one.¡¯ Now there was only one book left. He opened the last book. And then, just like he had been doing this whole time, he meticulously read each word; word by word. Rustle. Shortly, he read the last line and closed the book. [Wisdom has increased by 1.] A message appeared as soon as he closed his book. It was a message that stated his wisdom went up. But, it was not the only message that popped up. [You have read the entire books inside Oren¡¯s library.] [Title: Conqueror of Oren¡¯s library acquired.] Two messages appeared. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.?¡± He saw the messages and became confused. ¡°Title?¡± In the two messages, the terms of acquisition and what the obtained title was were written. ¡°The acquisition¡¯s possible if you read all of the books¡­..¡± He smiled. The condition of acquirement to the title ¡®Conqueror of Oren¡¯s library¡¯ that he secured this time was because he read the entire books inside the library. You could say that it was a very hard condition. Namely, the effectiveness of the title was not going to be ordinary. He opened his character window in order to check the effects of his title. He went directly into his title window and checked its effectiveness. Chapter 15 - Matab -Conqueror of Oren¡¯s library (Wisdom +10) ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk was left speechless after he checked the title, ¡®Conqueror of Oren¡¯s library¡¯. He could only think: ¡®Isn¡¯t this kind of underwhelming after reading all those books.¡¯ The condition to acquire the title was to read all the books. But only 10 extra wisdom? He was left with an empty feeling after comparing the acquisition condition and the effect of the title. Soo Hyuk then closed the title screen and checked his character. Level: 8 Experience: 51% Vitality: 2540 Mana: 26420 Satiation: 40% Strength: 14 Agility: 15 Stamina: 48 ¡°So 1321 wisdom¡­¡­¡± Looking at the overwhelming amount of wisdom compared to the pitiful main stats, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but have a slight smile. Soo Hyuk then closed his character screen and opened the inventory after. It was to recharge his satiation, which was below 50%. ¡°I didn¡¯t know there were some left.¡± He murmured as he took out two pieces of hard bread from his inventory. There were still three left after he took out two. ¡°I should¡¯ve bought a couple more then?¡± This was not the bread he bought before entering the library. He ate all of them in a month before buying some more. Soo Hyuk ate his remaining bread as he looked around the library. It was full of sparkles when he first came here, but after he read all the books, there wasn¡¯t even a sliver of a sparkle to be seen. ¡°Huu-¡± Soo Hyuk let out a satisfied sigh after comparing the current library and when he first came here. And so he ate all his bread while comparing the past and present, then checked the time. ¡°Looks like I have to log out. It¡¯s getting late. Let¡¯s go to Matab tomorrow.¡± It wasn¡¯t compulsory to log out at this time but, he didn¡¯t want to break his promise with himself if there wasn¡¯t something urgent. And Oren was a place you couldn¡¯t return to after you leave. It was only possible after erasing your save file, so he was planning to look around Oren slowly then go to Matab. *** Soo Hyuk left the capsule as he logged out. Feeling a wave of stiffness, he began to stretch. After he finished stretching, he turned on the computer and checked his phone. There were messages from his parents and Yeon Jeong. ¡°So they can¡¯t come home today.¡± The time was different but the content was the same. Soo Hyuk then checked his friend¡¯s message. Yeon Jeong -Did you finish them? The message was simple. After seeing the message, Soo Hyuk called Yeon Jeong on the phone. ¡°Is he gaming?¡± Yeon Jeong did not answer his phone, so he was probably gaming. Soo Hyuk left a message for him and went on the Pangea homepage on his computer. It was to check whether there was any interesting news. ¡°¡­¡­Nothing really happened. What about the notice board¡­¡­ Nope. ¡± As expected nothing came up. After double checking the homepage, Soo Hyuk got up from his seat and went to the 3rd floor. It was time to exercise. *** Beep! Beep! Soo Hyuk woke up to the sound of the alarm. He quickly got up from his bed and started stretching to get rid of his sleepiness. When he checked his phone, there were messages from his parents and Yeon Jeong again. But he quickly froze as he read his parent¡¯s message. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but feel doubt after he checked the message. ¡°Vacation?¡± It was a message about going on a vacation. Of course, that was not strange in itself. The strange thing was the destination. Father Let¡¯s go to Pangea soon! Mother I don¡¯t know if your father told you. There will be a capsule technician coming at 10am! The installation place is the living room! ¡°Pangea?¡± The vacation destination was Pangea. ¡°Were my parents into Pangea?¡± It was my first time hearing it. ¡°Wait, since the capsules¡¯ coming now, they¡¯re going to be just starting?¡± Soo Hyuk replied to the message and opened Yeon Jeong¡¯s message. Yeon Jeong So you finally finished! So when will we go to Matab? You can leave me a message. I¡¯m going to be logged on at around 1 pm. ¡°So the technician is going to come at 10 am.¡± Soo Hyuk¡¯s mother¡¯s text said that the technician¡¯s going to come at 10 am, and Yeon Jeong will be logged on at 1 pm. It seemed like he could finally talk with Yeon Jeong again. Soo Hyuk put his phone down after replying to his message. ¡°The time is¡­¡­8 am.¡± The current time was 8 am with 2 hours left until the installation and 5 hours to the meeting with Yeon Jeong. Soo Hyuk thought about what he could do in that time. ¡°Let¡¯s not log on. There could be a call from Yeon Jeong or the technician. How about exercise?¡± *** ¡°The installation is finished. Sorry for taking so long.¡± The technician said to Soo Hyuk after the installation. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°If there are any problems, please contact me! I¡¯ll come right away!¡± The technician handed Soo Hyuk his contact details while smiling at his comment. ¡°Have a good day, sir!¡± The technician left while saying goodbye after Soo Hyuk received his contacts. And so, Soo Hyuk went back to his room. ¡°We promised to meet at 1pm, so 2 hours should be enough.¡± The promised time was 1pm and the current time was 11am, with 2 hours left until 1pm. Soo Hyuk could easily reach the meeting place within 2 hours. So Soo Hyuk went into his capsule and logged on to Pangea. Whirr! The dark capsule changed to a scene of a library where he previously logged out. Soo Hyuk looked around the library again. It was a very familiar scene. He was very fond of this familiar scene. While looking around with eyes containing a mix of regret, longing and pride, Soo Hyuk turned towards the exit. ¡°Here is your pass.¡± As soon as Soo Hyuk left passed the exit, Kejan the librarian gave Soo Hyuk¡¯s pass back to him. While receiving his pass, he thought, ¡°Now this pass as well¡­¡­¡± He didn¡¯t need it anymore. But it was an item filled with memories. Soo Hyuk opened his inventory and stored his library pass. ¡°Goodbye.¡± He closed his inventory left the library. Soo Hyuk slowly trudged along after he left the library. ¡°Aiahh¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk let out a sound as he admired the architecture around him as he walked. It was 2 months since he started Pangea. However, he spent almost all his time in the library and paid no attention to almost everything else. He hadn¡¯t thought about the buildings in the town then, but the buildings were surprisingly interesting even for a beginner town. It was as if he was in a novel called Pangea. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± After spending 1 hour exploring Oren, he set out towards the town square. Not to mention the meeting time, it was time to go to Matab. ¡°Are you going to be a Brawler?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not even a good job and you can¡¯t change from one special job to another as well.¡± ¡°So what are you going to be?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just be a warrior and stick with the Berserker tree.¡± ¡°Yeah, Berserkers are kind of similar to Brawler.¡± ¡°I think Berserkers are kind of better if you think about the amount of work you have to put in. I can¡¯t grind 24/7 on a game so how can I raise the experience?¡± ¡°Yeah, I agree.¡± ¡°What about you? Are you going to be a Brawler?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m thinking about being a Berserker as well.¡± Soo Hyuk could hear the different users¡¯ conversations as he stood in front of the town square. ¡°Is the Brawler job that bad?¡± Special job ¡®Brawler¡¯. Soo Hyuk also knew about it as well. However, he didn¡¯t think that the users¡¯ opinion of it would be so low. ¡°Yeah, I suppose raising Brawlers are difficult and being difficult to raise doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s more powerful. When Soo Hyuk thought about it, it made sense that people didn¡¯t like the Brawler job as special jobs are harder to raise compared to normal jobs. And it also didn¡¯t mean that they were in a different power level than normal ones. Heavy investment with little return meant that of course the opinion of the Brawler job was going to be bad. And so, Soo Hyuk reached his destination while eavesdropping on other conversations. His destination was where an NPC called Kodra warped other people to the place that they wanted. ¡°I gotta wait a little more¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk thought as he approached Kodra. There were already many people lining up for their turn. Soo Hyuk went to the back of the line and started to wait. ¡°He won¡¯t be late, right?¡± The promised time was 1pm. He wandered around Oren until 12pm and took 10 minutes reaching the town square which meant that there were 50 minutes left. Looking at the lengthening line, he felt a bit nervous. ¡°Next! Next! Next!¡± But when he saw the fast speed of the line, he felt reassured. ¡°Looks like Yeon Jeong won¡¯t be late.¡± ¡°Next!¡± It was finally Soo Hyuk¡¯s turn so he said to Kodra, ¡°Please send me to Matab.¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± In response to his request, Kodra waved his staff at the portal. [Warping to ¡®Alliance of Magicians, Matab¡¯] At Soo Hyuk¡¯s feet a small magic circle appeared with the message. Then the space around him began to distort. The distortion did not last as it the space around him stabilised and a scene appeared in front of him. ¡°Which one is this?¡± The warp destinations were not set in place as there were eight portals in Matab. Warping to Matab could take you to any one of the eight. ¡°I hope it¡¯s Hall No.2.¡± Soo Hyuk wanted to go to Hall No.2 as it was the closest to the meeting place. It wouldn¡¯t even take 20 minutes by walking. ¡°Selling mana potions! They can significantly increase your wisdom stat! Come and take a look!¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for a party to do a quest!¡± ¡°This robe can increase your wisdom by 5 points! We have a red, blue and green robe each!¡± ¡°Selling skill-books! There are ice ball, slow and fire ball books!¡± The distorted space was finally completely stabilised. Soo Hyuk could hear people around him yelling to one another. ¡°Where is this?¡± Soo Hyuk looked around to determine which hall this was. As he looked around, he found a sign which had the location. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but scrunch his face after reading the sign. Chapter 16 - Mid-ranker Yeon Jung -Hall No.3 Soo Hyuk arrived at Hall No.3 ¡°Well that¡¯s just great.¡± Out of all the warp destinations, this was the worst place to arrive at. This was because this hall was the farthest from the meeting place. ¡°Can I just about make it?¡± Because it was so far from the meeting place, he didn¡¯t know how much time it would take. 40 minutes left. ¡°I won¡¯t be late.¡± Soo Hyuk said to himself. Even if Hall No.3 was the farthest, he should be able to make it in 40 minutes. Soo Hyuk quickened his pace as he thought to himself. ¡°Let¡¯s give up now.¡± ¡°But it¡¯ll be a jackpot if we pass!¡± ¡°Hey, we died 3 times already. What about the penalty?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have to worry about the penalty as long we get the prize! And if we quit now, what about the penalties we¡¯ve got so far?¡± ¡°Yeah, like he said, the prize makes up for the penalty. No pain no gain, right? I also don¡¯t want to back out now with all the previous penalties. But I gotta admit that this challenge is almost impossible, you piece of crap.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re so close. Only a little bit further and we get the reward!¡± ¡°O-okay. Two more times. If we fail at that point, I¡¯m not going for triple or double rewards. Only the original, okay?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Hearing the users around him, Soo Hyuk though, ¡°Pass? Is it like a test?¡± Although he was curious, he wasn¡¯t curious enough to ask so he just kept heading to the southern entrance of Central Matab which was the meeting place. ¡°12:57!¡± There was only 3 minutes left. Thankfully, he was nearly at the southern entrance so he would at most be a few minutes late. ¡°Huff¡­Huff¡­Why did we choose the southern entrance?¡± When Soo Hyuk arrived at the southern entrance, he was almost overwhelmed by the crowds. How was he supposed to find Yeon Jung in this place? However¡­ ¡°Hey, Soo Hyuk!¡± Soo Hyuk was standing in the crowd when he heard his name over the other conversations. He turned to the source, searching for the only person who could¡¯ve called out his name. ¡°Soo Hyuk!¡± He kept looking around but he couldn¡¯t see Yeon Jung. Then he heard the yell again. ¡°Where are you! Soo Hyuk!¡± Soo Hyuk pushed aside other people as he kept heading towards the source of the voice. As he was getting closer, the yells continued. Soo Hyuk was pushing and being pushed when he found the person yelling his name. The man was dressed as a War God, with black armour clad around his body. ¡°He¡¯s probably Yeon Jung?¡± A black helmet was on his head so he couldn¡¯t see his face, but it was likely that it was him. No, Soo Hyuk was certain it was Yeon Jung as he was the one shouting his name, so Soo Hyuk approached him. ¡°Soo¡­¡­¡± When he approached the mass of armour, the shouts stopped. ¡°You¡¯re finally here!¡± Of course, the person clad in armour was Yeon Jung. ¡°Wait, first let¡¯s add each other as friends.¡± Yeon Jung said as he took off his helmet. A moment later, a tab appeared in front of Soo Hyuk. It was the friends tab. Soo Hyuk pressed the ¡®accept¡¯ button and the message appeared. -User: [Yeon Jung] is now your friend. ¡°Here.¡± After adding Soo Hyuk as a friend, Yeon Jung held out his hand. Soo Hyuk could see a small pouch in his hand. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Funds!¡± Yeon Jung answered Soo Hyuk¡¯s question with a smile. Inside the pouch was gold. ¡°Thanks.¡± After he received the pouch, Soo Hyuk checked its information for the amount of gold. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± After he looked at the information, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. ¡°2-200 gold?! Can you give this much?¡± Soo Hyuk looked at Yeon Jung with a surprised face. 200 gold? Isn¡¯t this a massive amount? ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s nothing. Look, I¡¯m a mid-ranker, you blockhead.¡± Yeon Jung was above the 2000th rank in Pangea. To him, 200 gold wasn¡¯t that much. ¡°Just take it for now and buy defensive gear with it. And get decent ones. You know how important they are.¡± In the beginning, weapons were important, but defensive gear even more so. This was because there were a lot of cases where you couldn¡¯t find a suitable party so you had to act solo. Especially in Matab, where there were only Magicians crawling all over the place. ¡°Don¡¯t buy any weapons. Maybe not for other people but it¡¯ll definitely be a waste for you.¡± Weapons were of course very important, though not as much as defensive gear. But for Soo Hyuk who just read books all day without hunting or doing quests, Yeon Jung thought it would definitely be a waste. Another point was that Soo Hyuk was going to be a Magician. Magician were generally focused on offense and the wisdom stat, which affected the mana and magic attack stat. Soo Hyuk¡¯s wisdom didn¡¯t make sense for a stranger. Especially for a level 8. His overwhelming wisdom would just make having ordinary weapons obsolete. If a weapon raised his wisdom by 10, the difference it would make wouldn¡¯t be worth paying large amounts of gold for it. It was better to get a weapon that he could use for a long time after he levels up. ¡°No wait, don¡¯t buy defensive gear either.¡± While Yeon Jung was thinking, he suddenly put out a contradictory statement. ¡°Thinking about it, you don¡¯t need to buy them. It¡¯ll still be an instant kill.¡± What he meant was that since the difference in having a weapon or not was negligent, it was the same with defensive gear. He would still one shot those around his level. As for those in higher levels, the low level gear available to Soo Hyuk wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference to them. ¡°Mmm.¡± Soo Hyuk nodded his head at Yeon Jung¡¯s way of thinking. It was better if he didn¡¯t waste gold on low level gear. ¡°I just have to reach level 10.¡± If he reached level 10, more gear would be unlocked for him as well as the Magician job. After that, Soo Hyuk and Yeon Jung walked around the city while talking about various topics. Of course, the conversation didn¡¯t last long like always. ¡°¡­Okay then. I¡¯ll see you later.¡± ¡°Yeah, you too.¡± ¡°Just send a message through the friends chat if you want to ask me something!¡± Yeon Jung then walked through a warp gate after saying goodbye. After Yeon Jung disappeared, Soo Hyuk also started to walk away. It was time to level up. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the southern Hunting Grounds.¡± Although it was called Central Matab, it wasn¡¯t located exactly in the centre. It was actually slightly closer to the southern side. Soo Hyuk was going to the southern Hunting Grounds, which was the closest to him. ¡°Buy some freshly baked bread!¡± While he was walking to the southern Hunting Grounds, he looked towards where the voice was coming from. He could see a bakery filled with delicious looking bread. Soo Hyuk opened his inventory while looking at the bread displayed on the stands. ¡°Hmm, there are only 3 hard breads left. Should I buy some more?¡± Thinking about his satiation, he had to buy bread anyway, so Soo Hyuk entered the bakery. ¡°If you read here, it will say what kind of bread it is!¡± After entering, the worker gave a brief explanation about the bakery. Although he didn¡¯t say anymore, as the bakery was crowded with many customers so he couldn¡¯t spend time explaining where everything was. ¡°The stairs to the second floor are this way!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After Soo Hyuk answered, the worker went away and started explaining to the other customers. Having received the short explanation, Soo Hyuk started to look around the lively bakery. ¡°There¡¯s some hard bread here¡­¡­¡± The first thing that came to his line of sight was the hard bread. But Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t have any thoughts about buying them this time. ¡°Let¡¯s buy the soft bread.¡± Of course, Soo Hyuk wasn¡¯t going to buy the most expensive bread just because he had some money on him. He was thinking about the soft bread, which was above hard bread in the bread hierarchy. Soo Hyuk took some soft bread that was next to the hard bread and started to head towards the counter. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The cashier at the counter made a surprised face at the amount Soo Hyuk was carrying towards her. ¡°10 gold please.¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± Soo Hyuk gave 10 gold to the cashier, who received it with a nervous smile. After he put all his bread in his inventory, he exited the bakery. ¡°Now, what¡¯s my current satiation?¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk checked his status after exiting the bakery. ¡°Hmm, I have to eat.¡± Thankfully, his satiation was just near 50%. Soo Hyuk took out some soft bread from his inventory and started eating. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t say anything as he ate the bread. Instead, there was a smile on his face. The soft bread tasted that good. Of course, it wasn¡¯t the first time tasting it. He also ate some back on Oren, but it wasn¡¯t this tasty. ¡°Was it because I ate too much hard bread?¡± You could say that soft bread was still a cheap bread. No, it definitely was a cheap bread. There was only hard bread below soft bread. So he couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether the taste was from eating too much hard bread. ¡°Anyway, soft bread is really good.¡±, Soo Hyuk thought as he stuffed the other half in his mouth. If soft bread was this good, what about the bread further up the ladder? The best of the best? Would they taste magical and heavenly?¡±(TL: bread cultivation?????) ¡°No, more expensive doesn¡¯t mean tastier.¡± The most expensive bread didn¡¯t mean that the bread was the most delicious. The soft bread could actually be the tastiest, just not the most expensive. But Soo Hyuk still wondered about the bread at the top. *** ¡°Who wants to go hunt wolves with me!¡± ¡°Recruiting people to go fox hunting! I learned Ice Wheel just for this!¡± ¡°Who wants to go fox hunting with us! I¡¯m a Tank and we¡¯ll give generous shares! Preferably Magicians!¡± Soo Hyuk reached the Hunting Grounds while fantasising about bread. The entrance was full of users recruiting for their parties. Of course, Soo Hyuk ignored them and proceeded to the beginner grounds. ¡°Catching rabbits probably won¡¯t do anything.¡± The first monster that Soo Hyuk encountered was a rabbit, however, like most users he ignored it because the EXP that rabbits gave was pitifully few. ¡°Is this already the wild dog area?¡± The second monster he encountered was a wild dog, which were not quite wolves yet or average dogs. Soo Hyuk pulled out his sword from his inventory and approached the dog. Although with Soo Hyuk¡¯s level, he could hunt foxes, but he wanted to hunt wild dogs first as he had no combat experience. ¡°How many should I hunt?¡±, Soo Hyuk thought as he waved his sword. Chapter 17 - Level 10 Schinnggg! The sword cleaved through the air. Kekkk! The dog suddenly exploded with speed as it retreated with a scream. Soo Hyuk stared blankly at the dog who suddenly increased the distance between them before he could hit it. The dog who retreated also looked warily at Soo Hyuk. Woof! The dog suddenly started to dash towards him with a bark. Looking at the dog running towards him, Soo Hyuk lifted his sword to swing it again. But it was as if the dog had read his mind. As it was nearing him, it suddenly jumped up. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Soo Hyuk was startled as the dog suddenly tried to jump over him. But then he suddenly saw a glittering spot on its leg. ¡°A weak spot?¡± It was the weak spot that caused critical hits when hit! Soo Hyuk struck out with his sword at the weak spot and the dog couldn¡¯t dodge it as its body was in mid-air. Puchi! [Critical Hit!] *** ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Jang Yoo was typing on his keyboard while looking at his monitor, when he made a surprised face. He then stood up from his seat and shouted to Yang Joo Hyuk. ¡°Sir!¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡±, Replied Yang Joo Hyuk as he stopped his work and looked at Jang Yoo with a suspicious face. ¡°You know that user from yesterday?!¡± ¡°Soo Hyuk?¡± ¡°Yes! He went to Matab!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk was struck speechless from his subordinate¡¯s reply. Then he stood up from his seat and approached Jang Yoo. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk was still silent as he arrived next to Jang Yoo. He just stared at the screen. ¡°Haah¡­¡± After staring at the screen for a long time, he finally spoke up. ¡°Keep a close eye on him from now on.¡± Matab was the one place Yang Joo Hyuk didn¡¯t want Soo Hyuk to go. ¡°Now the NPCs at Matab will move.¡± Soo Hyuk¡¯s wisdom stat was mind-boggling. If he took a quest for Magicians, then the NPCs will know of his existence and move to him. And moving to him didn¡¯t simply mean to approach him. Greed. The NPCs at Matab will likely see Soo Hyuk as a genius from the heavens. Disciple, no, even if he was not their disciple, they would still want him to join Matab. ¡°What about the jobs I¡¯m doing right now?¡± Jang Yoo was not joking as he asked his team leader. The amount of monitors he had right now was probably not even enough for the number of projects he was overlooking currently. If he took on even a small task now, with his current workload, there was a possibility of him collapsing mentally. ¡°Send a few down to downstairs.¡±, Yang Joo Hyuk told Jang Yoo. Although him and Jang Yoo were the only ones working together, there were many other people on the floor below. The tasks they had were just too important before. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Hearing Yang Joo Hyuk¡¯s reply, a big smile bloomed on his face. ¡°Ah sir, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Can we really not worry about the ¡®Descendent of Odin¡¯?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s fine. The NPCs will take care of it. Plus, do you think he¡¯ll actually go to the library?¡± *** Level: 9 Experience: 98% Vitality: 2790 Mana: 26420 Satiation: 67% Strength: 14 Agility: 15 Stamina: 53 Wisdom: 1321 Soo Hyuk closed his character tab. ¡°One more.¡± He had to hunt one more hound and he would level up. After he closed his character tab, he began sneaking up on a wild dog that he found. The dog was unaware of Soo Hyuk sneaking up on it yet. He jumped at the dog and waved his sword. Kekk! The dog let out a scream as it retreated. Soo Hyuk missed again, but stayed calm from experience and quietly waited and watched the dog. Woof! The awaited situation came. After waiting, it was more waiting. Soo Hyuk waited for the wild dog to jump. The waiting came to an end as the dog jumped again and Soo Hyuk struck at the shining spot on its belly. Pfff! [Critical Hit!] Soo Hyuk saw the message as he heard the familiar sound of the blade sinking into flesh. Of course, just because he performed a critical hit didn¡¯t mean that it was dead yet. He only had to hit it once more as the dog was injured and didn¡¯t have anymore fighting strength left. Schinng! [LEVEL UP!] Soo Hyuk leveled up as expected. But that wasn¡¯t the only message. [You have reached level 10.] [Weak spots will not be displayed from now on.] ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t understand the message. ¡°The weak spots won¡¯t be displayed?¡± The weak spots won¡¯t be displayed. What does this mean? ¡°But displaying the weak spots will also be a problem for the game. It¡¯s not a skill or anything.¡± When he thought about it, showing weak spots was the weird thing. He didn¡¯t even have a special but it¡¯s showing the weak spots like that? Everyone would be waiting until a weak spot showed up on each other before fighting if they kept showing. ¡°Was it to let you know initially that there are weak spots and it will be a critical hit if you hit them?¡± He thought that it made sense that it was to let people know that ¡®If you hit a weak spot, it will be a critical hit!¡¯ After Soo hyuk had this thought, he went to his character tab. Since he was finally level 10, it was time to change into a Magician. Soo Hyuk walked back to Matab while assigning his leftover stat points to his character. ¡°I¡¯ll finally be a Magician.¡± Soo Hyuk closed his character tab with a smile. ¡°How many books will there be?¡± Soo Hyuk was extremely excited about going to the Matab library since he assumed it was bigger than Oren¡¯s. While thinking about the books he could read, Soo Hyuk arrived at the Matab Spire, which was his meeting place with Yeon Jeong. Just like its reputation, Matab was full of many different magic towers and pagodas, which were scattered everywhere. However, there was only one tower that allowed you to change jobs, which was located in the centre of the city. Shaped like giant spire, Matab Spire was the tallest tower in the city and the tip of the tower could just be seen among the clouds. Going through the entrance of the steeple, Soo Hyuk started to climb the stairs inside the tower. Soo Hyuk arrived at the second floor of the tower which was a marketplace just like the first floor. However, not everybody could use the second floor as there was a condition to enter. Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t try to enter as he didn¡¯t fulfil the requirement yet, but that was not where he going anyway. Soo Hyuk kept climbing as he reached the third floor. The third floor was the same, as in that it was also a marketplace but it was only for VIPs. While staring at the Magicians guarding the third floor, he kept climbing. When he arrived at the fourth floor, he didn¡¯t climb any further as this was his destination. The fourth floor was the place where people could be promoted to a Magician, more exactly, people could get a promotion quest. Of course, it wasn¡¯t the only thing you could get. The fourth floor also had many normal quests, and you could also make requests for a quest. For this reason, the fourth floor was also called ¡®Questacon¡¯ as it looked somewhat like a convention of quests. ¡°What quest did you choose?¡± ¡°It says to meet an NPC called Amil.¡± ¡°What, really?!¡± ¡°Huh, why?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? Quests where you meet an NPC have a chance to give a clue about a special job!¡± Soo Hyuk approached the line as he listened to the conversations around him. ¡°There are 12 stations, but the lines are all long.¡± There were actually 15 stations but No.1, 2, 3 were reserved for VIPs. That meant Soo Hyuk and other ordinary users had to go to the other stations. So he chose the station with the shortest line and waited for his turn. Thankfully, there was a reason why this station had the shortest line. Soo Hyuk could see the Magician at the desk working quickly without having idle chatter. It was soon Soo Hyuk¡¯s turn so he went up to the short, bearded Magician at the station. There was a nameplate on the desk that read: [Konten] (TL: pronounced Kon-ten) ¡°How can I help you?¡± Konten asked Soo Hyuk. ¡°I want to change my job to a Magician.¡± ¡°Oh, so you want to be a Magician.¡± Konten nodded in understanding. ¡°First.¡± Konten pulled out a crystal ball from his drawers. Holding the ball out to Soo Hyuk, he said, ¡°Put your hand on the ball please.¡± Soo Hyuk looked at the crystal ball and stuck his hand out. ¡°Don¡¯t pull away until I say so.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± When Soo Hyuk placed his hand, the crystal ball erupted with light. Chapter 18 - The Predicament ¡°It¡¯s already been 10 seconds.¡± 10 seconds have passed since Soo Hyuk put his hand on the crystal ball. He knew that it would only take around 10 seconds to be assigned a quest. Why hasn¡¯t the crystal ball stopped yet? Crack! A faint sound came from the ball. When Soo Hyuk saw the source, he couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. ¡°What?¡± There was a tiny crack in the crystal ball. Soo Hyuk knew the process of becoming a Magician. Everything that happened so far had gone along according to an article on the Pangea homepage, but it was the first time he had seen a crack form. Soo Hyuk looked up at Konten with an awkward smile. Konten¡¯s expression had also changed as he noticed the crack. ¡°You can take your hand off now.¡±, Konten said with an awkward expression. Soo Hyuk hurriedly took his hand off. *** The Matab Steeple management division, Magician Konten. ¡°Haah¡­¡­¡± Konten stared at a lady and the numerous people behind her and sighed. ¡°Too many, just too many. I think I¡¯m gonna die soon.¡± There were too many. ¡°It was good at first.¡± The first time he became a manager, Konten was elated. His status and pay were good even if he didn¡¯t have any talent for magic, but now he felt that every day was extremely tiring. ¡°Thank you for your help!¡± The lady got up from her seat after saying goodbye. ¡°Next person!¡± Konten called in the next person, and the person who was behind the lady sat down. It was an average-looking young man. ¡°How can I help you?¡± ¡°I want to change my job to a Magician.¡± ¡°Oh, so you want to be a Magician.¡± Konten opened his drawer and pulled out the crystal ball. ¡°First.¡± Setting the ball in front of the person, he spoke, ¡°Place your hand on the ball please. Don¡¯t pull away until I say so.¡± People couldn¡¯t become a Magician just because they wanted to. They had to have talent and luck. The crystal ball was a device that could help check their talent through measuring their wisdom. The actual name was the [Wisdom Marble]. People could only become a Magician after having enough wisdom, doing a task, and being at a certain standard. More exactly, after going through a magic course at the Magic Institute of Matab so that Magicians could at least have basic knowledge about magic. ¡°Okay.¡± The man replied to Konten and put his hand on the Wisdom Marble. When he put his hand on the ball, the ball started glowing brightly. ¡°Ohhh!¡± Konten let out a shout after looking at the glowing ball. ¡°The lights¡­¡­!¡± It was the first time Konten had seen lights so bright. The brighter the lights, the more wisdom a person had, but the lights before couldn¡¯t compare to this young man. ¡°Hmm?¡± However, Konten couldn¡¯t help but become awkward as the lights continued for 5 seconds. ¡°What?!¡± The light was becoming stronger over time. The light had become blinding as it continued shining for 10 seconds. ¡°Is it broken?¡± Konten thought as he squinted at the crystal ball. He was using the ball more often now. Perhaps it broke from overuse? It was then¡­ Crack! The ball cracked. ¡°It is broken!¡± Konten was sure after he saw the crack. The ball was definitely broken. It was probably spewing blinding lights like a miniature sun because it was broken. ¡°Still, to break in use.¡± The Wisdom Marbles were known to break when dropped. But it was the first time they broke while being used. Konten spoke to the man with an awkward voice. ¡°You can take your hand off now.¡± The man took his hand off at his words. When he took his hands off the ball, the lights quickly disappeared. Konten withdrew the cracked wisdom marble and got out another one from his drawers. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. Looks like the previous one was broken.¡± Konten explained as he set the wisdom marble again. ¡°Can you place your hand on this again? Please don¡¯t pull away until I say so.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The young man put his hand on the wisdom marble again. Konten attentively watched the glowing ball again. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± After a few seconds, Konten made a confused expression. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The crystal once again started letting out a blinding light after a few seconds. ¡°Wait, what if¡­¡­¡± Konten suddenly thought of something. ¡°Can you raise your hand!?¡± Konten hurriedly shouted. The young man quickly pulled his hand away as if startled by the sudden shout. But could it be because the ball hadn¡¯t cracked yet? The wisdom marble kept glowing radiantly although it wasn¡¯t getting brighter. Looking at the stable light, Konten took out a piece of parchment. It was because he needed another tool to record the information inside the wisdom ball. The tool was the piece of parchment that Konten just pulled out. Of course, it wasn¡¯t ordinary parchment. It was made from the skin of special beasts and it could record the magical information inside the wisdom marble. Konten stuck the parchment onto the crystal, then the calm lights around the ball started to be absorbed into the piece of parchment. While watching the characters form on the parchment, Konten wondered, ¡°How much talent does he have?¡± The amount of light coming from the wisdom marble, Konten had never seen anything like it. How much talent did he have for the wisdom marble to glow that brightly? Swish! Finally, the last bit of light was absorbed into the parchment. Konten then checked the parchment with an excited expression. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The man had seen that there wasn¡¯t much written onto the parchment. But that didn¡¯t stop the young man from wondering why Konten had such a weird expression on his face with his mouth open. Konten finally closed his mouth after staring for a while. Then he thought about the contents of the parchment. ¡°No way, SSS?¡± SSS, that was all the parchment contained. Just the three letters. But the consequences of them were something that he didn¡¯t dare imagine. After all, something like this had never happened before. The SSS grade was somewhat of a joke until today. A fiction. And it was understandable as¡­¡­ ¡°Immeasurable huh,¡± Immeasurable, the SSS grade signified immeasurable potential. What sane person could believe in unlimited talent and potential? Konten tore his eyes from the parchment and forced himself to stare at the young man and spoke, ¡°C-can you please wait a moment?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± If you had just enough talent to be a Magician, according to the rules, you were required to bring monster parts to be registered as a Magician. If you had above average talent, you were told to bring a certificate from the Magician Institute in which proved that you completed the advanced course. If you had exceptional talent, you would just be asked to introduce yourself to various important figures depending on the exact amount of talent. It was the first time Konten saw someone with immeasurable talent. He had no idea how to proceed further. Introduce him to the Magicians? It was SSS. Who would he introduce him to? ¡°If I brought him to the wrong person¡­¡­¡± If he introduced this young man to the wrong person, he was sure to get swept in a storm. A storm that was unprecedented. Konten thought that it was better to ask other people and possibly push the responsibility as well. ¡°Sir, please wait a bit more!¡± After asking the young man once more, Konten got up from his seat and quickly walked up to the Chief floor manager. ¡°Chief Kerza.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Kerza nodded at Konten after hearing his call. ¡°Here, please look at this¡­¡­¡± Konten handed his parchment over to Kerza, who had a puzzled expression.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±, Kerza asked as he received the piece of parchment, but Konten didn¡¯t answer as he would know straight away. Hearing no answer, Kerza looked at the parchment in his hand. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± Kerza made a stupefied expression at the bold SSS on the parchment. ¡°Who is it?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the young man sitting at my desk.¡±, Konten replied to Kerza. His expression was full of certainty. Kerza looked over and saw an average looking young man staring absentmindedly at the people around him. ¡°Did you make sure he wasn¡¯t already a Magician?¡± Kerza asked Konten. ¡°Yes, if he had used magic, the Wisdom Marble wouldn¡¯t have reacted!¡± Konten confidently answered Kerza¡¯s question. The wisdom marble wouldn¡¯t work if magic was applied on it. It was because it directly measures the wisdom stat. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± Kerza nodded to his subordinate¡¯s answer. Kerza also knew about it. It was just that this had never happened before so Kerza was flustered as well. ¡°What should we do about it?¡± Konten asked Kerza. ¡°If we handle this poorly¡­¡­¡± Kerza paused slightly, and continued, ¡°It would be a disaster.¡±, Kerza concluded. Unlimited potential. Anyone the young man was introduced to, would jump with joy. But what about the other people? Wouldn¡¯t they be dissatisfied? And if he was introduced to everybody, they would openly start fighting over him. Order would crumble in the face of immeasurable talent. ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± Kerza couldn¡¯t continue. What would they do? All they could do currently was delay the matter. ¡°It¡¯s not our place to decide on this.¡± Kerza finally spoke. ¡°Then do you mean?¡± Konten asked Kerza with a surprised face. Then Kerza continued with a mysterious smile, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since the Spire Lords have gathered.¡± Chapter 19 - The Wise ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Konten was truly stupefied at Kerza¡¯s comment. ¡°The Spire Lords?¡± The Spire Lords were the leaders of Matab and one would think they were the lords of the Matab Spire, but it was just a title as Matab originally only had the Spire before more were built. The Spire Lords wouldn¡¯t all gather except for situations which could change Matab¡¯s future, because they actually resided in their own towers or they would be adventuring elsewhere. As Matab¡¯s representatives, which was acknowledged as the City of Magicians, the Spire Lords often had more than Kings of nearby Kingdoms. This was because they were considered the face of Magicians and every Magician strove to be as powerful as them. Those venerated Spire Lords were actually gathering? ¡°Just because of one man?¡± It was hard enough to get a glimpse of just one of the lords. Did a man with immeasurable potential have such power? Konten couldn¡¯t help but feel doubtful of Kerza¡¯s words but didn¡¯t voice them. ¡°For now¡­¡± Konten was pulled out of his thoughts with Kerza¡¯s words and listened carefully. ¡°Bring him here. We can¡¯t just make him wait.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Konten quickly dashed back to his station at Kerza¡¯s words. *** ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk stared at the man in front of him. His name was Kerza. Soo Hyuk thought as he faced Kerza, ¡°What kind of situation is this?¡± The atmosphere was very awkward. Soo Hyuk looked away from Kerza and stared at the quest in front of him. [Immeasurable talent] [The talent for magic that you possess is immeasurably great. You, who possesses unlimited potential! Your talent is so outstanding that Kerza cannot answer the questions you might have. Kerza wants to meet you again in two weeks.] [Days left: 14 days] [Quest Reward: ???] [The quest starts as soon as you accept.] [In case of rejection, your relationship with Kerza will fall.] ¡°Meet again in two weeks?¡± Soo Hyuk was here to become a Magician. But they said to come again later. Because he had immeasurable talent. ¡°So it becomes like this when you¡¯re overwhelmingly wiser than other people.¡± The reason for his immeasurable talent was because of his wisdom stat. If he wasn¡¯t so wise, he would¡¯ve become a Magician already. ¡°And it¡¯s not just waiting one or two days.¡± Soo Hyuk¡¯s face contorted slightly as he read the quest. After all, he had to wait an entire 14 days to read in the library! ¡°No, this can¡¯t be right.¡± Soo Hyuk just wanted to get to the library as soon as possible! ¡°I have to reduce the time.¡± Just like how rewards could be discussed further, the content of the quest could also be altered. So Soo Hyuk spoke out to Kerza, hoping to change to date. ¡°Does this mean that I can only be a Magician after two weeks? Or does it normally take this long? ¡°Ahh¡­¡­¡± Kerza opened his mouth in response to Soo Hyuk¡¯s question. And while inspecting Soo Hyuk¡¯s expression, he replied, ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk made a confused face at Kerza¡¯s reply. ¡°The registration for becoming a Magician will be handled by me. But you have to come again after two weeks.¡± As Kerza was replying, he thought, ¡°I should still definitely register him.¡± Soo Hyuk possessed overwhelming talent and the only city of Magicians wasn¡¯t just Matab. There were other Magician cities and nations as well. There was a high possibility that they would discover him as well. So Kerza definitely had to register him before others got their hands on him. ¡°What?¡± Soo Hyuk said to Kerza as he slightly panicked. ¡°I¡¯m not getting the promotion quest after 2 weeks?!¡± Soo Hyuk thought that he would get his promotion quest when he met Kerza again. But it seemed like this was not the case. ¡°Perhaps they¡¯re gonna promote me without a quest?¡± After looking over the things the man called Kerza said, it seemed like this was the case. ¡°Oh-okay.¡± Maybe this quest was unrelated to him becoming a Magician, so he didn¡¯t see any need to change the date anymore. So Soo Hyuk accepted the quest. [Quest ¡®Immeasurable Talent¡¯ was accepted.] ¡°I will register you right away.¡± Kerza said as he broke into a smile. As soon as he said that, a message appeared again in front of Soo Hyuk. [You have been promoted into a Magician.] [As a promotion reward, 10 points of wisdom have been added.] [You have gained the special ability for the stat ¡®Wisdom¡¯.] [Your magic resistance will increase along with your wisdom.] [Skill quest ¡®Magic Missile¡¯ has been created.] ¡°Here you go.¡± Kerza held out his hand towards Soo Hyuk. In his hand was a ¡®Magician¡¯s Token¡¯, which proved that you were a Magician. ¡°Thank you.¡±, Said Soo Hyuk as he received the token. ¡°Then see you in 2 weeks.¡± Soo Hyuk got up from his seat after saying goodbye to Kerza. ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll see you then¡± Kerza also got up after saying goodbye. And so Soo Hyuk headed towards the first floor while checking the message again. ¡°Wisdom¡¯s increased by 10, so my stats are now¡­¡± While reading the message, Soo Hyuk also opened his character profile to look at his stats. Job: Magician Level: 10 Experience: 0% Vitality: 3040 Mana: 26620 Satiation: 65% Strength: 14 Agility: 15 Stamina: 58 Wisdom: 1331 ¡°Oh, I can see my job now.¡± Was it because he was promoted? There wasn¡¯t a job section before. Looking at his job as a Magician, Soo Hyuk broke into a satisfied smile. ¡°Although it rose, it doesn¡¯t seem like it.¡± His wisdom rose by 10. But was it because it was already so high? The Conqueror of Oren¡¯s Library Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t really feel anything. Soo Hyuk kept reading through the message. ¡°I finally have magic resistance.¡± 10 wisdom wasn¡¯t all he gained through the promotion. His wisdom stat itself was also strengthened. Before, it only affected his mana and his magic attack but now, it also strengthened his magic resistance. ¡°Now, skill quests¡­¡± The last message was about the skill quest ¡®Magic Missile¡¯. Soo Hyuk opened his quest tab after checking the message. It was to check for the skill quest. [Skill Quest ¨C Magic Missile] Complete the requirements! [Gold: 190 / 5 ] [Quest Reward: Skill ¨C Magic Missile] The requirements for the quest wasn¡¯t hard. ¡°5 gold.¡± He could complete the quest by just paying 5 gold coins. Since he already had his pouch from Yeon Jeong, he had 190 gold after spending it on soft bread. Soo Hyuk immediately pressed the ¡®Complete Quest¡¯ button. [You have completed the skill quest ¡®Magic Missile¡¯.] [¡®Magic Missile¡¯ obtained!] After completing the quest, Soo Hyuk closed the quest tab and opened the skill tab and checked for the ¡®Magic Missile¡¯ skill. Proficiency: Level 1 (0%) Special effects: 10% chance to stun the target. Mana: 100 Cooldown: 10 seconds ¡°The damage is not shown.¡± The description did not show the damage. The only things shown were proficiency, special effects, the mana needed, and the cooldown time. You could think that it could be a joke. Why is the damage not shown? Doesn¡¯t this not make sense? But it wasn¡¯t a joke. He would have to figure out the system slowly. Soo Hyuk closed his character tab and his skill tab and thought, ¡°Now¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk opened his inventory. Grabbing his ¡®Magician¡¯s Token¡¯, Soo Hyuk let out a smile. ¡°Shall I go to the library?¡± The Matab library required users to be a Magician to enter. Now Soo Hyuk was a Magician and he had his proof of identity. He was thinking of immediately going there. ¡°It was located in the north, right?¡± Soo Hyuk knew about its location even before he came to Matab. After exiting the Matab Spire, he started to head north. * * * The Flame Pagoda. ¡°Is that true?¡± Vice Spire Lord Cordell made a surprised expression. His assistant Kaplan nodded to his question. ¡°Yes, someone with immeasurable talent has appeared.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡­¡± Cordell made a disbelieving face. Immeasurable talent? What was immeasurable talent? Just like it says, it described an individual with talent so great that it couldn¡¯t be measured. ¡°Has it been 30 years?¡± It wasn¡¯t the first time someone with immeasurable talent had appeared. There had been one 30 years ago. That person had risen to become a Spire Lord in just a few years. A person with immeasurable talent was just that great. ¡°Wait¡­¡­Was it measure with the new system?¡±, Cordell asked Kaplan. The new grading system had been made 20 years ago. The old records were no longer known to the public after the new grading system was confirmed to be better than the old grading system at efficiency and also capacity. Did their talent make it through the new Wisdom Balls? ¡°¡­¡­Yes, sir.¡± Kaplan nodded his head once again. Cordell¡¯s jaw dropped in response to Kaplan¡¯s reply. ¡°Was the information sent to the other towers?¡± ¡°Yes, the information came from the Spire. It seems that there¡¯s going to be a gathering at the Spire.¡± ¡°A gathering, huh¡­¡­¡±, Cordell mumbled. ¡°It seems I have to hurry.¡± He had to send the news to the Flame Spire Lord as soon as possible. Chapter 20 - The Lord of Flames and the Book ¡°You may leave.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Kaplan left the room at Cordell¡¯s words. Cordell also left his room not long after Kaplan. Cordell started walking after he left the room. His destination was the Flame Pagoda¡¯s master, Spire Lord Berenice¡¯s room. When Cordell arrived in front of the Spire Lord Berenice¡¯s room, beads of sweat covered his face. Cordell was sweating so much not because he was physically weak, but because of the amount of heat coming from Berenice¡¯s room. Heat hotter than the hottest desert was always wrapped around the greatest resident of Flame Pagoda, the ¡®Lord of Flames¡¯ Berenice¡¯s room. ¡°How does she even sleep here?¡±, Cordell thought as he wiped his sweat. Even the outside of the room was this hot so he could not understand how she managed to live inside the room where it was even hotter. ¡°But how else could she have gotten this powerful.¡± ¡°Miss Berenice!¡± Cordell shouted as he was knocking. ¡°Come in.¡± Berenice¡¯s voice came not long after. Cordell held his breath as the door opened. Hot. Cordell covered his face as hot winds escaped Berenice¡¯s room. If an ordinary person had been in his place, their eyebrows would have been singed off. ¡°Hoo¡­¡­¡± Cordell slowly breathed out as he entered the room. ¡°They¡¯ve increased again.¡± 8 balls of fire circled around Berenice¡¯s slender body. The last time Cordell had seen her, there were only 7 balls of fire. She had grown stronger again. ¡°As expected of her. She¡¯s a complete monster.¡± She wasn¡¯t the Flame Spire Lord for nothing. ¡°What is it?¡± Berenice asked. ¡°It seems that there¡¯s going to be gathering at the Spire again.¡± ¡°What? A gathering? Did a demon lord appear or something?¡± Cordell shook his head. It could be said that the current situation was more unusual than a demon lord appearing. ¡°A person with immeasurable talent has appeared.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°And it was measured with the Wisdom Balls as well.¡± ¡°The Wisdom Balls that Kako designed? It couldn¡¯t be measured with them?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Berenice was struck speechless. ¡°Their talent couldn¡¯t be measured with Kaiko¡¯s Wisdom Balls?¡± Berenice knew very well how ingenious the Wisdom Balls designed by the Earth Spire Lord, Kako were. The Kako, that was known to have immeasurable talent 30 years ago. Kako had mentioned that if her talent was measured again with his improved Wisdom Balls, it wouldn¡¯t immeasurable anymore. Her new Wisdom Balls were that effective. But other people with immeasurable talents? Berenice had believed that she wouldn¡¯t get to see one again in her lifetime. ¡°When is it?¡±, Berenice asked Cordell. She was curious about the gathering. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been decided yet.¡± It was a gathering of whimsical people more influential than kings. Of course they couldn¡¯t choose recklessly. They had to carefully adjust according to the other Lords¡¯ schedule. ¡°When would be the most convenient for you?¡± ¡°I would like to have it arranged as soon as possible.¡± Berenice wanted to have the gathering as soon as possible. No, she just wanted to meet the person responsible for all this. ¡°I¡¯ll try to have it as soon as possible.¡±, Cordell replied to Berenice. Of course, he couldn¡¯t guarantee it. After all, the date had to be convenient to other Spire Lords as well since there were nine other Lords apart from Berenice. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Cordell said to Berenice as he turned back to leave. ¡°¡­¡­Wait!¡± Cordell faced Berenice again after hearing her shout. Berenice asked Cordell when she saw him face her. ¡°How old is this person?¡± ¡°I heard that they¡¯re 20 years old.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Berenice¡¯s eyes widened at his answer. ¡°It is a he? Or a she?¡± Berenice asked him again in an expectant voice. ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s a he.¡± ¡°Oh, i-is that right?¡± Berenice¡¯s expression changed again at his answer. ¡°T-then I¡¯ll take my leave now. Cordell hurriedly left with a flustered voice after her questioning. He thought as he left, ¡°Did she take an interest in someone again?¡± Rated as SSS 31 years ago when she was 5, the Flame Spire Lord Berenice. Was it her original personality? Or was it the influence of her teacher, the former Flame Lord, Serene? For whatever reason, Berenice eagerly sought a partner. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t take action in ways unbefitting of her status(TL: ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)) even if she found a decent man. Unlike her master. (TL: ( ?? ?? ?? )) The problem was, a lot of incidents happened because of that strange tendency even if she didn¡¯t flirt. Cleaning after her mess all day was the Vice Spire Lord, Cordell. ¡°I¡¯m worried after seeing her reaction.¡± Cordell was overcome with a headache when he thought about what she would do. From her 36 year-old perspective, a 20 year-old man with unlimited potential was a chance that would come once in a lifetime. There was a high possibility that Berenice would fall in love and do something stupid again. ¡°No.¡± Cordell suddenly realised, ¡°If it¡¯s a man with immeasurable talent¡­¡­¡± Then it was probably okay. * * * ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk let out a sigh of amazement as he stood in front of the massive building. ¡°Oren can¡¯t even begin to compare to this.¡± The building, which dwarfed the library at Oren, was the Library of Matab. ¡°There¡¯s got to be a lot of books in there.¡± Just from the size of the building, Matab probably possessed significantly more books than the Oren Library. Filled with expectation, Soo Hyuk approached the library entrance. Just like Oren, there was a guard guarding the entrance. Soo Hyuk walked up to the young man guarding the entrance. The young man, who was reading a book, saw Soo Hyuk walk up and nodded to him. ¡°I¡¯m here to use the library.¡±, The man closed his book at Soo Hyuk¡¯s words and stood up with a smile. ¡°Can you show me your token?¡± ¡°Here it is.¡± Soo Hyuk opened his inventory and pulled out his ¡®Magician¡¯s Token¡¯. When the young man was handed the token, he checked it for a moment and then spoke the Soo Hyuk, ¡°Mister Soo Hyuk, you can collect it on your way out. ¡°Thank you, have a nice day.¡± Soo Hyuk passed the man and entered the library. But Soo Hyuk halted when he entered the library. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk looked around the library. ¡°Huh? Why is it so empty?¡± The library had a large area with polished marble at the front which contained desks for reading, and bookshelves on grand mezzanines rising to the ceiling high above. But it was too empty. The library was big, so he had thought that it would be full of people. But it was void of people. Soo Hyuk could only see one or two people and numerous seats were empty. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing for me.¡± If there were too many people, the library might be too noisy or he might not be able to read some books for a long time. Soo Hyuk turned away from the desk and looked at the bookshelves. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk tilted his head in confusion. It was because of the books themselves. In Oren, the library was full of sparkling books except for the one ¡®Guidebook¡¯, but in the Matab Library, he could see a lot of books that didn¡¯t sparkle. ¡°The books probably overlap with Oren¡¯s Library a lot.¡± The books didn¡¯t sparkle for the ones Soo Hyuk had already read. Of course, he wasn¡¯t sure if there was another reason. So, Soo Hyuk approached one of the bookshelves on the ground floor and picked a random book that wasn¡¯t sparkling. ¡°As expected¡­¡­¡± When he checked, the book was one he had already read in Oren¡¯s Library. ¡°Now that I think about it, why wouldn¡¯t two libraries have the same book?¡± Now that he had checked, Soo Hyuk went over to a sparkling book and pulled it out of the shelf. After all, Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t want to read the books he had already read if there were other books that haven¡¯t been read yet. ¡°¡­¡­Hmm?¡± Soo Hyuk froze as he pulled out a fifth sparkling book and squinted at a place while frowning. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Soo Hyuk was staring down the aisle of bookshelves. More precisely, at a book at the end of a bookshelf. ¡°Blue?¡± The book in his line of sight was glowing with a blue light. Soo Hyuk then stared at the books in his hands with a confused expression. ¡°But this is white.¡± The books in his hands were glowing with a faint white light. And it wasn¡¯t just these books. The books in Oren¡¯s Library were glowing with a white light as well. Even more confused, Soo Hyuk stared at the blue book again. ¡°Why is that book glowing blue?¡± Chapter 21 - Pavels Quest Why was it blue? After thinking about it, Soo Hyuk shook his head and walked towards the book. He had to know why it was different from the other books. Arriving in front of the blue book, Soo Hyuk pulled it out and checked the title. Pavel¡¯s Diary. ¡°¡­¡­¡± People shouldn¡¯t judge a book by its cover. Soo Hyuk carried ¡®Pavel¡¯s Diary¡¯ and the other five books and returned to his desk. When he reached the desk, Soo Hyuk placed the books neatly on the desk and picked up a book to read. It was the book that glowed a blue colour. Soo Hyuk held ¡®Pavel¡¯s Diary¡¯ in his hands and flipped to the first page. * * * The Earth Pagoda. ¡°What?! Immeasurable talent?¡± Spire Lord Kako exclaimed with a disbelieving expression. ¡°For real? Are you sure? An SSS was assessed with my Wisdom Balls?¡± A man stood next to Kako, who was spitting questions one after another. He was the Vice Spire Lord of Kako, Leto. Leto was calmly answering all the questions that Kako threw at him. ¡°Yes. It was confirmed.¡± Kako thought after hearing his reply, ¡°Wow, they¡¯re improving quickly over the years.¡± Levels at which talent could be measured had improved tremendously after the emergence of Kako¡¯s new invention. Kako didn¡¯t think she would witness another SSS appear again. But another one appeared just one or two decades after the Wisdom Balls were introduced? ¡°How much talent does that guy have?¡± Kako couldn¡¯t imagine it. After all, no one knew her inventions better than she did. ¡°I want to see him.¡± She wanted to see exactly who could surpass her Wisdom Balls. ¡°The gathering?¡± ¡°As you know, the time for this gathering must not be chosen hastily¡­¡­¡± Leto was correct. This gathering was not like the normal ones where only half the people would turn up, so they had to fit everyone¡¯s schedule by asking every one of the Spire Lords first. ¡°Of course, it looks like everyone will still participate this time.¡± ¡°Right, since it¡¯s an immeasurable SSS talent.¡± Kako thought the same as Leto. Of course every Spire Lord had to participate. Wasn¡¯t it the strongest talent to appear in history? ¡°Although the age does bother me somewhat.¡± Kako had one thing that was troubling her. It was Soo Hyuk¡¯s age. Kako received a SSS grade with the old system 30 years ago along with Berenice who also received it 31 years ago at the age of 5. But this time the talent was 20 years old. 20 years old could be considered having a late start as it was well into the golden age of youth. ¡°But it probably won¡¯t matter since he has an immeasurable level of talent.¡± Although he was old for a beginner, he was still worth all the ruckus that was occurring everywhere. After all, the difference between the new Wisdom Balls and the old measuring device was so large that age wasn¡¯t a major concern. ¡°When would you prefer it to be?¡± ¡°Hmm, not today. Match up the other schedules from tomorrow onwards. As soon as possible.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll try to arrange it as soon as possible.¡±, Leto replied to Kako. ¡°But¡­¡­¡± Leto asked Kako again after his reply, Do you want him?¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡­¡± Kako stuck out her chin as she thought. After arriving at a conclusion, she replied. ¡°It would be good if he came to our tower.¡± If the strongest talent in history came to the Earth Pagoda? The pagoda¡¯s influence would experience a massive boom and exceed the others by far. How could Kako not have any greed for him? ¡°But the thing is¡­¡­¡± There was just one problem. ¡°The competition will be fierce. It would be bigger than the ones I¡¯ve seen so far.¡± It was a competition. The Spire Lords would all compete for him. Kako could still remember the fierce competition over her when her talent was deemed as immeasurable. Every lord would want to take the new talent as a disciple. No, as a successor. ¡°I don¡¯t have full confidence in winning over my seniors.¡± The central Spire was still without a lord. Excluding the Matab Spire, there were 10 Spire Lords including her. Kako was the weakest in terms of seniority and foundation. Kako¡¯s age was also the youngest. She didn¡¯t have confidence in triumphing over her seniors and roping over the new talent. ¡°I see.¡± Leto nodded. ¡°What do you think, Leto?¡± Kako asked Leto. Different from other pagodas and towers, Kako and Leto treated each other more casually despite their positions. It was to the point where if Vice Spire Lord Leto seriously wanted Kako¡¯s position, Kako would give it to him. After all Leto was the one originally eligible for the position and despite that, helped Kako get to where she is today and gave up his position. For this reason, Kako highly respected Leto. ¡°If you really want, why not give up on the new talent for now and get other benefits?¡± Because the value of Soo Hyuk was so high, there were other benefits that could be acquired if one was willing to gave up and reached an agreement with another tower. ¡°You could demand for the 10,000 year-old Ice Crystal Essence that you¡¯ve always wanted from the Ocean Tower, or the Black Dragon¡¯s Core from the Tower of Poison. There¡¯s a lot of options.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Leto¡¯s suggestion made Kako reconsider the situation. ¡°Then should I give up?¡± The value of a SSS grade individual was no doubt extremely high. But was it worth risking getting nothing, or should she just rake in the other benefits while giving up? ¡°But you might not see another person with immeasurable talent again in you life.¡± Leto added to Kako¡¯s thoughts with a smile. ¡°I personally think that the value of this new talent exceeds both the 10,000 year-old Ice Crystal Essence and the Black Dragon¡¯s Core combined.¡± A person with talent that can¡¯t be measured by Kako¡¯s Wisdom Balls, or the 10,000 year-old Ice Crystal Essence and a Black Dragon¡¯s Core. Leto thought the former was absolutely more valuable. No, he was sure of it. * * * The book that sparkled with a blue light, ¡®Pavel¡¯s Diary¡¯. Soo Hyuk was reading the last parts of the book. . . . The end of my life is approaching. What have I got left? My massive wealth? My wide connections? No, all I have left is regret. If I only hadn¡¯t turned my back then¡­¡­. Soo Hyuk closed the book after reading the last page and the lights started to disappear. But when the book turned back into a normal book, a message suddenly appeared. [Special Quest ¡®Pavel¡¯s Inheritance¡¯ has been created.] [Wisdom has increased by 1.] [Wisdom has increased by 1.] ¡°¡­¡­?¡± A quest? ¡°Ahhh¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk nodded in understanding. ¡°So this was why this book looked different.¡± Soo Hyuk had wondered why this book was glowing blue. So the reason was because it gave out special quests. ¡°My wisdom¡¯s also increased more.¡± That wasn¡¯t the only difference. Unlike other books, which only increased his wisdom by 1, the blue books also gave 1 additional point. ¡°What¡¯s this special quest?¡± Soo Hyuk opened his quest tab to check out ¡®Pavel¡¯s Inheritance¡¯. His quest tab only had 2 quests in it. The ¡®Immeasurable Talent¡¯ and ¡®Pavel¡¯s Inheritance¡¯. Soo Hyuk tapped on ¡®Pavel¡¯s Inheritance¡¯. [Special Quest ¨C Pavel¡¯s Inheritance] [Pavel, who made it to the top of the world, was regretting his past actions even as he died. Find the place of Pavel¡¯s regret!] [Quest Reward: ??? ] ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk was even more confused than before after he finished reading the quest. ¡°The place of Pavel¡¯s regret?¡± This condition was what baffled Soo Hyuk. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t in the book.¡± The book didn¡¯t say where ¡®the place of Pavel¡¯s regret¡¯ was, so how was he supposed to find it? After all, it only said that Pavel had regretted, not where he regretted. ¡°Do I have to spend time searching for it based on the clues in the book?¡± But at the same time, it wouldn¡¯t be a special quest he could only get after reading the book if the book already said where it was. ¡°Let¡¯s not do this now.¡± Soo Hyuk closed the quest tab. What he wanted to do now was to read books, not complete quests. Soo Hyuk could take it slow on the special quest as it had no time limit. He put aside the no longer sparkling ¡®Pavel¡¯s Diary¡¯ and picked up a normal glowing book. ¡°But¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but stop and wonder as he opened the book. ¡°Aren¡¯t there other special books?¡± Aren¡¯t there other books like ¡®Pavel¡¯s Diary¡¯? Or colours other than white and blue? ¡°Should I check?¡± Chapter 22 - Yang Joo Hyuks Worry Soo Hyuk looked around his desk. On the bookshelves nearest to him, he could only see the regular white glows. But the bookshelves around him were only a small portion of the books stored in the Matab Library. Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t be sure that other special books weren¡¯t stored deeper in the library. He thought that it was almost guaranteed for there to be another special book. Soo Hyuk stood up and closed the book that he just opened. ¡°Let¡¯s look around first.¡± Soo Hyuk was going to read all the books in the library anyway, so it didn¡¯t really matter whether he read other books first or not. But he was too curious. After putting down the book, he started wandering around the library. ¡°Oh?! Found one already!¡± Not long after he started, Soo Hyuk found a blue sparkle among a sea of white colour. Soo Hyuk quickened his pace towards the book. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± But as he was approaching the book, Soo Hyuk¡¯s body froze. After he quickly came to himself, a smile crept onto his face. ¡°I knew it.¡± Soo Hyuk stared at another bookshelf not far away from him. There was another colour there. ¡°Red.¡± The book was glowing red. Soo Hyuk turned towards the red book and pulled it out. ¡°Now that I know there are other kinds of books.¡± Soo Hyuk had wondered if there were other colours apart from blue and white. Now he knew that there were other kinds of books. Now that he knew, the other colours and their effects didn¡¯t really matter now. So Soo Hyuk went back to his spot and opened up the red book. Of course, as he was going back, he also picked up the blue book from the other shelf. ¡°What would be different this time?¡± The books that glowed blue like ¡®Pavel¡¯s Diary¡¯ gave out special quests. What about the red books? Would they also give special quests? If not, what would it give? Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t know now. He had to read it first. And so, Soo Hyuk flipped to the first page started to read the book sparkling in red. * * * ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Jang Yool was speechless. ¡°T-team leader!¡± Jang Yool shouted as he turned towards Yang Joo Hyuk from his monitor. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk, who was reviewing other projects, turned to look at Jang Yool with a suspicious face. But it changed to a nervous expression after seeing Yang Jool¡¯s worried look. ¡°You have to take a look at this!¡± Yang Joo Hyuk¡¯s nervousness increased several times at his assistant¡¯s words. ¡°¡­¡­What? What¡¯s got you so worked up?¡±, Yang Joo Hyuk asked with an apprehensive tone. What was so serious? ¡°I was finishing up but then¡­¡­¡± Jang Yool paused, then exclaimed, ¡°That Soo Hyuk user went to the Matab Library!¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?!¡± Yang Joo Hyuk leapt up from his seat as bewilderment was added to his already nervous expression. His face flushed red, then turned green as nervousness and surprise alternated in his expression. ¡°Look at the third monitor first.¡±, Jang Yool said to Yang Joo Hyuk when he arrived next to him. Following his words, Yang Joo Hyuk stared hard at the third monitor. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk¡¯s face finally turned pale as he was struck speechless when he looked at the monitor. When he calmed down, suspicion began to surface again his mind. ¡°Why on earth would he do that?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk could not understand. ¡°Did he evade the NPCs somehow?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk was certain that the NPCs would grab hold of him. He didn¡¯t anticipate Soo Hyuk going to the library. ¡°Did he reject them? Or did he already have a special job?¡± Just what had happened in Matab? ¡°Did he already obtain the special job?¡±, Yang Joo Hyuk broke out of his thoughts and asked Jang Yool. ¡°Not yet. He¡¯s a normal Magician for now.¡± ¡°Without the NPCs noticing?¡± ¡°It looks like it, but I can¡¯t say for sure.¡± As he replied to Yang Joo Hyuk, Jang Yool was already furiously typing on his keyboard. When he finished, Jang Yool looked up at Yang Joo Hyuk and said, ¡°The second monitor.¡± At his words, Yang Joo Hyuk looked at the second monitor. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The duo was struck speechless once again as they stared at the second monitor. Especially Yang Joo Hyuk, whose expression just purely contained bafflement. ¡°S-Spire Lords?!¡± Yang Joo Hyuk mumbled, ¡°The Spire Lords will move?¡± And it wasn¡¯t just one. All of them were moving. ¡°His wisdom was enough to mobilise even Spire Lords?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk was the Head Developer for Pangea. He knew a lot of things about the game. But he didn¡¯t know everything there was to know. For example, he hadn¡¯t expect that Soo Hyuk¡¯s wisdom would be enough to cause such a commotion. ¡°If they really moved, I thought it would at most be the Spire Cabinet.¡± Even if the higher people moved, he had thought only the Spire Cabinet would, at most. But the Spire Lords? ¡°So that¡¯s how¡­¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk finally understood how Soo Hyuk was able to go to the library. If all the Spire Lords were moving, then of course it would take some time. Soo Hyuk had sneaked away to the Matab Library in that time frame. ¡°Huh?¡±, Suddenly, Jang Yool let out an awkward sound. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk turned to look at Jang Yool and found that he was staring at the fourth monitor with an embarrassed expression. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±, Yang Joo Hyuk also turned to stare at the fourth monitor as he was asking. ¡°¡­¡­A legacy quest?¡±, Yang Joo Hyuk muttered. ¡°Satisfied the conditions?¡± Information on Soo Hyuk was shown the fourth monitor. ¡°¡­¡­But there¡¯s more.¡± Jang Yool added with a frustrated voice as he began typing on the keyboard once more. Then Soo Hyuk¡¯s character information was replaced with a new screen. ¡°Even the stat quests?¡± Soo Hyuk had also gained a stat quest other than the legacy quests. ¡°How many special quests does the Matab Library contain?¡± ¡°Do you want the ones available to him? Or do you want all of them?¡± ¡°Show the available ones for now.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Jang Yool started typing on the keyboard again and new information was shown on the fifth monitor. ¡°The quests he can get right now are 5 in total.¡± ¡°Including the quests he already has?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Does is include the quest for ¡®Odin¡¯s Descendent¡¯?¡±, Yang Joo Hyuk finally asked Jang Yool. ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡± Jang Yool could only reply with a ¡®yes¡¯. ¡°Huaa¡­¡­¡± Hearing Jang Yool¡¯s reply, Yang Joo hyuk let out a deep sigh. ¡°I thought I already knew all the troublesome rankers.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk had thought that he knew all the users that could affect Pangea greatly. But he was wrong. ¡°Another one appeared. A big one.¡± Another one had appeared. Odin¡¯s Descendent was that troublesome. Looking at the mumbling team leader, Jang Yool said cautiously, ¡°At this rate, he¡¯s going to get the Odin¡¯s Descendent, right?¡± One of the best jobs in Pangea, Odin¡¯s Descendent. Like ¡®Pavel¡¯s Inheritance¡¯, it could be obtained through a book in Matab Library. ¡°For sure, now that he knows what the special books are.¡± Soo Hyuk already knew about the special books since he had already obtained two special quests. Why wouldn¡¯t he go after more if he knew about them? That meant that he was almost guaranteed to get the quest for ¡®Odin¡¯s Descendent¡¯. ¡°Keep watching him.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk said to Jang Yool. ¡°And raise him to Tier 0.¡± Soo Hyuk was originally in Tier 1, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Now that he was going get the ¡®Odin¡¯s Descendent¡¯ job, they could only put him in Tier 0, meant for only the best irregulars. * * * ¡°Finished.¡± Soo Hyuk closed the red book and waited for the system message to appear. The red sparkle on the book had also disappeared. [Special Quest ¡®Vigorous Physique¡¯ has been created.] [Wisdom has increased by 1.] [Wisdom has increased by 1.] ¡°Ohh.¡± Soo Hyuk let out a sound filled with admiration. ¡°So, the red books also give quests. What kind of quest is it?¡±, Soo Hyuk wondered as he opened his quest tab to check the ¡®Vigorous Body¡¯ quest. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Soo Hyuk¡¯s face changed into that of surprise and confusion. Chapter 23 - Spire Lord Pavians plot [Special Quest ¨C Vigorous Body] [Complete the conditions below! Your body will be exponentially strengthened!] [Iron Scarecrows Destroyed: 0 / 50 ] [Drink the Mad Alchemist Kora¡¯s potions: 0 / 2 ] [Quest Reward: Stamina Stat Upgrade] ¡°Stamina stat upgrade?¡± The reward for the quest was surprising, a stat upgrade. Of course, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t know how it was going to be upgraded, but it¡¯s enough that it was going to be upgraded as it was the only stat that Soo Hyuk bothered with anyway. However, his confusion was still not cleared. ¡°The conditions¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk¡¯s pleasant smile faltered as he read the conditions again. Although the reward was good, the conditions made it immensely difficult for him. ¡°It¡¯s 50 gold coins per scarecrow though¡­¡­¡± The iron scarecrow, which had a massive amount of defence and magic resistance. It was also 50 gold coins each. And the condition was to destroy 50 of them. 50 scarecrows. ¡°2500 gold coins?¡± Soo Hyuk needed 2500 gold coins to get 50 iron scarecrows. But the second condition was what baffled him. Drink 2 of the Mad Alchemist Kora¡¯s potions. That was the second condition, but Soo Hyuk was still missing an important detail. ¡°Who the heck is Kora?¡± Soo Hyuk had never heard of Kora before as the name wasn¡¯t even mentioned in the book. ¡°It seems that I have to spend time on this quest as well.¡± The reward was enticing as he needed stamina to increase the satiation efficiency and read more books. However, it wasn¡¯t a quest that he could do in a short amount of time, whether it was because of this Mad Alchemist Kora or gathering 2500 gold coins. ¡°Will I be able to complete it?¡± Soo Hyuk thought as he closed the quest tab. Could Soo Hyuk fulfil the conditions? ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to someday.¡± The good thing was that like ¡®Pavel¡¯s Inheritance¡¯, there was no time limit. Soo Hyuk stopped thinking about the quest and started reading the second blue book. * * * The Tower of Poison. ¡°An immeasurable talent appeared again? Kekeke.¡± The Poison Spire Lord, Pavian, laughed menacingly. ¡°Finally! Finally!¡± The Tower of Poison had never even once possessed an immeasurable talent in all its history. How long had he waited for this day? Even the founding ancestor of the Tower of Poison hadn¡¯t been one, much less the current lord, Pavian. ¡°I have to rope him in no matter what!¡± While immeasurable talents occasionally popped up in all the other towers, the Tower of Poison had never even had one. How long had they endured humiliation and frustration over this? ¡°Hah! That bastard Orek won¡¯t be able to bully us anymore!¡± What Phantasm Citadel?! They¡¯re also just a tower!¡± The tower just in front of the Tower of Poison, the Phantasm Citadel. Spire Lord Pavian was always bullied by the Phantasm Spire Lord Orek, whenever they met. But Pavian couldn¡¯t do anything about it because Orek was also an immeasurable talent. The Phantasm Citadel always either ignored or ridiculed the Tower of Poison. The tenth Poison Spire Lord was suffering the same fate as he was just an ¡®exceptional¡¯ talent. ¡°No matter what I have to sacrifice!¡± Pavian was prepared to pay anything for Soo Hyuk. Just to shut Orek¡¯s mouth. ¡°Kale!¡±, Pavian called his Vice Spire Lord. ¡°What do you require, sir?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Pavian asked Kale. As expected of the Tower of Poison, Kale¡¯s abilities also fell behind other Vice Lords. Kale wasn¡¯t actually number 2 for magical ability in the Tower of Poison, but Pavian had promoted him because he had the brains. ¡°I do have a plan, sir!¡± Kale smiled as he replied to Pavian¡¯s words. He had instantly come up with a plan as soon as he heard of the news from the Matab Spire. ¡°Oh, really?¡± Pavian also erupted into a smile. ¡°Then let me hear the plan!¡± ¡°Yes, sir. First we must set the gathering at the last possible moment.¡± ¡°¡­¡­huh?¡± Pavian tilted his head in confusion at Kale¡¯s words. ¡°Why?¡± Why did they have to set it late? ¡°Don¡¯t we have to grab him as soon as possible?¡± Pavian wanted to go to the gathering as soon as possible. He thought that arriving first and roping him to the Tower of Poison before the others arrived was the best course of action. ¡°No, we can¡¯t do that. The other lords will also arrange it early so we must arrive as late as possible.¡± ¡°Okay, but why?¡± Pavian made an irritated expression. Seeing his superior¡¯s face, he immediately replied, ¡°Because he¡¯s SSS, the immeasurable talent.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Pavian still couldn¡¯t understand Kale¡¯s words. ¡°The other lords definitely won¡¯t give up. That means, the gathering is naturally going to take a long time and that means a stamina race.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Understanding finally dawned on Pavian¡¯s face. He finally knew why they had to push it as far back as possible. ¡°Weren¡¯t you just investigating then? You have to rest and be at your peak condition.¡± Pavian was indeed investigating just now. And he hadn¡¯t just stayed up for one or two days. He hadn¡¯t slept for at least a week. No matter how much he offset his exhaustion with magic, there was a limit. And if he went to the gathering now? He would collapse before long. ¡°And the other lords would gradually feel frustrated and lose their edge.¡± The reason wasn¡¯t just because Pavian needed a rest. If Pavian hadn¡¯t been able to sleep for a week, the other lords will also be suffering from a lack of sleep. If they dragged it out more, the other lords naturally won¡¯t be able to rest properly with their enthusiasm and perform poorly in the gathering. ¡°But¡­¡­¡±, Pavian asked. ¡°What if they start the gathering without us?¡± What if the other towers ignored the Tower of Poison and started without them? Pavian thought that it was highly likely. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°We won¡¯t be the only ones dragging it out.¡± Kale replied as his grin got even wider. ¡°The Steeple of Darkness, as well as the Tower of Healing currently don¡¯t have their Spire Lords at their tower. The Vice Lords attending the gathering? What a joke. They will also try to have it as late as possible so that the Spire Lords will have time to rush back.¡± After all, ignoring one tower was one thing, but ignoring three was another matter altogether. ¡°Then what¡¯s the next step?¡± Pavian asked. Now that he understood the first part, he wanted to know the next part. ¡°We have to win over a tower.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Pavian was once again confused at Kale¡¯s words. ¡°Win over? Who? The others won¡¯t want to give up on this.¡± Win over a tower? It was the immeasurable talent. Who would want to give up on this opportunity? Pavian asked as he tilted his head again. ¡°There¡¯s one place.¡± There was one place that they had had a chance at winning over. ¡°The Earth Pagoda.¡± * * * [Immeasurable Talent] [The talent for magic that you possess is immeasurably great. You, who possesses unlimited potential! Your talent is so outstanding that Kerza cannot answer the questions you might have. Kerza wants to meet you again in two weeks.] [Time left: 7 days ] [Quest Reward: ???] [In case of rejection, your relationship with Kerza will fall.] ¡°There¡¯s still 1 week left.¡± Soo Hyuk could complete this quest once he waited 1 more week. Soo Hyuk wasn¡¯t uncomfortable with this anymore. He was a bit curious at most. He wanted to get this over and done with so that he could read without anything nagging at his mind. Soo Hyuk closed the quest tab and stood up with the read books in his hands. He walked over to the return box and placed the books inside. When he looked inside again, the books had disappeared. They were returned to their original spots. Looking at the empty box, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder how convenient reality would be if they had magic. In this past week, Soo Hyuk had been conquering bookshelves left and right. Of course, it was possible with this speed because he had already read a lot of books in Oren so there were already lots of dull spots. If he hadn¡¯t read all the books in Oren. Then he would¡¯ve only finished one or two bookshelves at his fastest speed. Returning to the bookshelves, he randomly picked out five books and went to his desk. He had already given up searching for special books and just started reading random ones. ¡°Now it¡¯s really only just me.¡± Soo Hyuk thought as he looked around the interior of the library. When he first arrived, there were two users. But it was totally empty now. There was only the occasional librarian showing up. After looking around the library, he went back to reading his book. [Wisdom has increased by 1] His wisdom increased when he finished the first book. [Wisdom has increased by 1] The second book also raised his wisdom. After that, the third and fourth books didn¡¯t. [Wisdom has increased by 1] ¡°The time is¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk checked the time after he returned the books. ¡°I can probably around read four more books.¡± 1 hour and 30 minutes left, Soo Hyuk could usually read four thin books. Soo Hyuk once again headed to the bookshelves. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the next line.¡± The line he was currently on only had three more books left to read. Soo Hyuk pulled out the three books and headed to the next line. When he reached the next line, he pulled out the first glowing book. ¡°How many books are in this line?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The regular sparkling book was halfway out of the bookshelf when Soo Hyuk suddenly froze. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­¡± The reason Soo Hyuk stopped was because in his line of sight, was a special book that he had never seen before. ¡°Purple?¡± Chapter 24 - Arch Mages Descendant Blue, red and now a new colour appeared. Purple. Soo Hyuk put back the book that he was about to pull out and walked towards the bookshelf in the middle of the line. When he arrived in front the bookshelf, Soo Hyuk pulled out the purple book. ¡°Archmage Lapis?¡± The title of the purple book was ¡®Archmage Lapis¡¯. Holding the three white books and the new purple book, Soo Hyuk returned to his desk. As soon as he sat down, he opened a book to the first page. It was of course, ¡®Archmage Lapis¡¯. ¡°Does this book also give a quest?¡± The blue and red books before all gave special quests of different kinds. What will this new book sparkling in purple give? Suppressing his excitement, Soo Hyuk dived into the book with a smile. . . . I raised ten towers. The towers of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Darkness, Light, Healing, Poison and Illusion. I couldn¡¯t manage them all on my own, so I appointed 10 Spire Lords to manage these new towers. . . . I have to choose a successor soon. But no one catches my eye. . . . I couldn¡¯t decide in the end. Oh well, it¡¯s not like I have to have one anyway. The city is currently flourishing as well. . . . I¡¯m sure my successor will appear someday. The book ended with that sentence. Soo Hyuk closed the book silently. A message appeared as the purple sparkle disappeared. [Promotion Quest ¡®Successor of Lapis¡¯ has been created.] [You have obtained ¡®Archmage Lapis¡¯ Letter¡¯] The purple book also gave a quest. But it was slightly different from the blue and the red books. Because the purple books gave out promotion quests and didn¡¯t give any wisdom. ¡°¡­¡­Successor of Lapis?¡± Soo Hyuk was startled after reading the message. ¡°Lapis the Archmage¡­¡­¡± It was because of who Lapis was. ¡°It¡¯s going to be really hard, right?¡± It was the successor of the Archmage. How hard was the quest going to be? But it couldn¡¯t be helped that Soo Hyuk was excited over this. After all, it was bound to give a special job. So, Soo Hyuk opened the quest tab and opened the ¡®Successor of Lapis¡¯ quest. [Promotion Test ¨C Successor of Lapis] [It is your destiny and fortune to become Archmage Lapis¡¯ Successor! Prove your worth by reading ¡®Archmage Lapis¡¯ Letter¡¯!] [Quest Reward: Special Job ¨C Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant ] ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk was left speechless after reading the quest description. ¡°So I just have to read the letter?¡± The quest was way too easy, right? ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything else?¡± Soo Hyuk thought that it was too easy. He just had to read the letter he got along with the quest. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that there¡¯s a catch to reading the letter?¡± Soo Hyuk wondered if there was a special condition or a catch to reading the reader, so to check, he opened his inventory and pulled out the letter. [ Archmage Lapis¡¯ Letter] [You will be teleported to another subspace when you rip the letter.] It was the letter from the Arch Mage, but that was all it contained. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk became suspicious as he stared at the letter. ¡°So, there¡¯s no condition to opening the letter?¡± He had opened the letter easily. ¡°But it says I¡¯ll be teleported the moment I rip the letter.¡± Nothing had happened when he opened the letter, but it seemed as if he had to rip the letter to be promoted. ¡°Where¡¯s the subspace?¡± The problem was the contents of the letter. ¡°I don¡¯t know what could happen if I rip it.¡± But he thought that it couldn¡¯t be a big problem as the quest stated that he would get the special job if he followed the letter. Soo Hyuk first looked at the three remaining books on his desk. He was considering whether to read the books first as he didn¡¯t know what could happen. ¡°Well, the books won¡¯t run away or anything.¡± In the end, Soo Hyuk decided to rip the letter first. Of course, the quest wasn¡¯t going to run away as well, but he was more curious about the quest. Soo Hyuk held the letter with both hands. And pulled it apart. Rippp! The ripped letter disappeared in his hands and a message appeared. [Warping to ¡®Lapis¡¯ Subspace¡¯.] The message appeared according to the letter. Of course, it wasn¡¯t the only one. [You have completed the Promotion Quest ¡®Successor of Lapis¡¯.] [Promoting to ¡®Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant ¡¯¡­¡­] [You have been promoted into the special job, ¡®Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant ¡¯.] [Obtained the skill ¡®Archmage¡¯.] * * * ¡°¡­¡­¡± Jang Yool stared at the monitor blankly. But his expression was slowly hardening. Then suddenly, as if a dam had been broken, various emotions flooded him at once. ¡°Hooo¡­¡­¡± Jang Yool sighed deeply as he calmed his rampant emotions. Then his expression returned to normal, he turned his head and looked at Yang Joo Hyuk. ¡°I have to tell him, right?¡± It was futile to hold this off. He would know about it soon anyway. Jang Yool opened his mouth after steeling himself. ¡°Team Leader.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk didn¡¯t reply to his call. When Jang Yool looked at him, it looked like Yang Joo Hyuk was so absorbed in his work that he hadn¡¯t heard his call. So, Jang Yool said again with a louder voice. ¡°Team Leader!¡± ¡°Hmm, what?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk replied this time. ¡°He was promoted.¡± Jang Yool continued. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Yang Joo Hyuk stood up at his words. His expression was of surprise and resignation. Yang Joo Hyuk asked again as he walked up to Jang Yool. ¡°To what?¡± The Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant was a Tier 1 special job, but it was special even among other Tier 1¡¯s. ¡°Do you mean what attribute?¡± Jang Yool asked back. It was too determined what he had asked about. Yang Joo Hyuk nodded at his words. ¡°Please wait a moment.¡±, Jang Yool said as he began typing on his keyboard. ¡°He was only just promoted.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I suspect that he¡¯s thinking about it now.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk then asked Jang Yool. ¡°He should¡¯ve read the book, right?¡± Apart from the ¡®Arch mage Lapis¡¯, there was another book inside the subspace. The book explained what kind of job ¡®Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant¡® exactly was. ¡°Yes, he has read it.¡± ¡°As expected. So, he should be pondering about the attribute change as we speak.¡±, Yang Joo Hyuk mumbled while slowly nodding his head to Jang Yool¡¯s reply. He then continued. ¡°He should be logging out around this time.¡± ¡°Yes, his usual log out time should¡¯ve been around 30 minutes ago.¡± After all, it wasn¡¯t as if he had a time restriction. He could choose to log out and in whenever he wants. ¡°Looks like he¡¯s logging out later than usual.¡± This was understandable, given that he was in a situation many other users would kill to get. ¡°So he is.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk said absentmindedly as he nodded his head. Breaking out of his thoughts, Yang Joo Hyuk said to Jang Yool, ¡°Tell me his choice as soon as he picks.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Jang Yool replied loudly as Yang Joo Hyuk went back to his seat. * * * The distorted space around Soo Hyuk soon stabilised as the message disappeared. When he could see clearly again, he slowly looked around him cautiously. He discovered that he was in a bright, small chamber with polished marble floors, a modest chandelier on the ceiling with a few other things. ¡°A book?¡± In front of Soo Hyuk was a book on a stand. And behind that, were ten doors with symbols on them. ¡°And where does that lead to?¡± To the right was a tunnel that lead elsewhere. ¡°This is the Archmage¡¯s subspace¡­¡­¡± A book, ten doors and a tunnel to the right. This was the Archmage¡¯s subspace. After he looked around the chamber, Soo Hyuk then checked his message log. [Warping to ¡®Archmage¡¯s Subspace¡¯.] [You have completed the promotion Quest ¡®Successor of Lapis¡¯.] [You have been promoted into the special job, ¡®Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant¡¯.] [You have obtained the skill ¡®Archmage¡¯.] After he finished going through the messages, he then opened his character profile. [User ¨C Soo Hyuk] Job: Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant Level: 10 Experience: 0% Vitality: 3040 Mana: 30420 Satiation: 62% Strength: 14 Agility: 15 Stamina: 58 Wisdom: 1521 His job was changed to ¡®Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant¡¯, but he couldn¡¯t find any changes other than his job. Of course, it was to be expected since he didn¡¯t receive any promotion rewards in the messages. ¡°Well, I just had to be sure.¡± Soo Hyuk had checked hoping that it was a bug, but it didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Soo Hyuk closed his character profile with a dejected expression. However, he still had one more thing to check. Soo Hyuk opened the skill tab and checked for the ¡®Archmage¡¯ skill. But his expression soon changed drastically as he exclaimed. ¡°What the¡­¡­¡± Chapter 25 - The Lapis Subspace [ Archmage] Proficiency: ¨C Special Effect: 100% extra damage upon attacking with magic. The effect skill ¡®Archmage¡¯ was enormous! 100% extra damage with magic attacks! It was like attacking twice with one skill. ¡°So it¡¯s a passive skill?¡± But this was what truly sealed the deal. It was because he didn¡¯t have to cast this skill before attacking. After all, it was basically on at all times! Most supportive skills like ¡®Archmage¡¯ only applied buffs within a short time frame so you had to cast it again once time ran out, which would in turn, deplete your mana further. And to make it worse, there were only a few spells that buffed attack this much. ¡°Isn¡¯t this kind of broken?¡± ¡®Archmage¡¯ was not a buff, it was a passive. That meant that it would keep going indefinitely. Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but think that this was too powerful. ¡°The conditions for a job change aren¡¯t hard at all as well.¡± The reason Soo Hyuk thought all these things was because he had hardly spent any effort. If he took numerous days, or even weeks working to become ¡®Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant¡¯, then it was understandable that the skill was this good. But he only had to read a book, then read a letter. Quest done. The end. That meant that you only had to read a book to be the ¡®Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant¡¯. ¡°Then something else must have triggered. Like reading a specific book or something.¡± Soo Hyuk thought that there was definitely something else to it. After all, it was logical that the more powerful something was, the harder you had to work to get it. ¡°What if it¡¯s like the Infinity Cleaner¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk suddenly thought of the infamous ¡®Infinity Cleaner¡¯. The special job with a cheesy name where you could only raise your level by picking up trash, instead of hunting monsters. (TL: Nice????) You were mistaken if you thought that it was powerful because you could only gain experience through ¡®charitable¡¯ methods. The user who became the ¡®Infinity Cleaner¡¯ had to restart his character from the beginning. What if ¡®Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant¡¯ was a job like that, just with a cool name? ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk shivered at the thought. ¡°No, that can¡¯t be it, with such a powerful passive.¡± Soo Hyuk shook his head to clear up his thoughts and closed the skill tab. Then he walked up to the book on a stand and checked the title. ¡°Is it a guidebook?¡± Although it didn¡¯t sparkle, when he checked the title, this wasn¡¯t the case. The title was ¡®Descendant of Lapis the Arch Mage: What is it?¡¯. It was a book that he had never read before, but it didn¡¯t sparkle. While wondering why, Soo Hyuk opened the book. ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s a guidebook.¡± Soo Hyuk thought as soon as he opened the book. It was because of the table of contents, and the formatting looked similar to a job guidebook. Soo Hyuk began reading through ¡®Descendent of Lapis the Arch Mage: What is it?¡¯ right from the title page. . . . The Descendent of Arch Mage Lapis cannot learn skills from skill books. . . . There are 10 doors in this chamber. The 10 doors signify fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, darkness, light, healing, poison and illusion. You can receive skill quests according to which door you go through. . . . On the occasion where you have conquered all the doors, a quest to become a proper ¡®Archmage¡¯ will appear. . . . The tunnel on the right leads to a magic circle for warping and the Astral Library. The first time you choose to warp through the magic circle, you will obtain the ¡°Lapis Subspace¡¯ skill. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Soo Hyuk, who was slowly reading through the guide, suddenly jumped at this section. His expression was filled with pleasant surprise. ¡°The Astral Library?¡± The reason for his surprise, was of course, the Astral Library. Soo Hyuk hurriedly flipped to the section about the Astral Library and read at breakneck speed. The Astral Library contained all the book in Pangea. Only, there were 5 conditions to using the Astral Library. ¡°All the books?!¡± (TL: Ohhhh??!!!) Soo Hyuk was shaking from excitement after reading about the library. ¡°If I could go to the Astral Library¡­¡­¡± If Soo Hyuk went to the Astral Library? Then he didn¡¯t need the other libraries, as the Astral Library contained all the books in Pangea. Soo Hyuk quickly checked the five conditions. The first condition was becoming a proper ¡®Archmage¡¯. The other four conditions were only possible after becoming a proper ¡®Archmage¡¯, so he couldn¡¯t leave it for last. ¡°¡­¡­¡± (TL: ¡°¡­¡­¡±) Soo Hyuk was speechless when he finished reading the conditions. While frowning heavily, Soo Hyuk thought. ¡°So I have to reach level 900.¡± (TL: ¡°¡­¡­¡±) Soo Hyuk knew how to become an Archmage as the guidebook clearly stated the method. Although he thought about just visiting all the libraries, he quickly rejected the thought. Who said that libraries contained all the books in Pangea? He had to conquer the 10 doors behind the bookstand. Then he could become an Archmage. The problem was actually conquering 10 doors. The first door, he could enter without any conditions. But from the second door, there was a requirement. It was his level. To go through the second door, he had to reach level 100. The third was level 200, the fourth, level 300. And the requirement increased like that. To conquer the final room, he had to reach a staggering level 900! ¡°Maybe for the normal jobs, but this is a special job.¡± Special jobs required more experience to level up than the regular jobs. But to reach level 900 which even common warriors found hard? ¡°And if the first condition is level 900¡­¡­¡± The first condition was this difficult. But the Astral Library required him to fulfil five of them. Although he didn¡¯t know exactly how hard the final four were, he could guess that it was at least on par with the first condition. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s just first read more about the Astral Library.¡± Reaching level 900 was not a normal request. Soo Hyuk tried to temporarily forget about the conditions and started reading more about the Astral Library. ¡°¡­¡­Hmmm.¡± Not long after, Soo Hyuk finished the whole book and closed it. The last part was about compatibility with the different elements and attributes. Although it was already on the Pangea homepage, Soo Hyuk read the section again just in case. Soo Hyuk rose from the floor and looked around the chamber. Staring past the 10 doors, he got up from the floor and stared at the tunnel. ¡°Let¡¯s just get a feel for now.¡± In the right tunnel, there was the magic circle meant for warping and the Astral Library. ¡°There could be something interesting.¡± The things Soo Hyuk could do right now, was to choose one door for now. The first door didn¡¯t have any requirements, so he just had to choose. The next thing was to go to the warp magic circle. But since there could be something there, Soo Hyuk planned to go to the tunnel first. Staring at the tunnel, he started to walk towards the end. And not long after, Soo Hyuk arrived at the end. ¡°So that¡¯s¡­¡­¡± The first thing Soo Hyuk saw after coming through the tunnel, was a giant door. A giant door locked with five giant chains. ¡°That should be the Astral Library.¡± It was definitely the Astral Library. ¡°So, every time you fulfil a requirement, a chain disappears.¡± The amount of chains matched the number of requirements. After admiring the giant door for a while, he turned towards the left. ¡°And that¡¯s the magic circle.¡± Towards the left, was a complicated magic circle. It was the warp portal that the guidebook explained about. ¡°The book said that it gives a skill, right?¡± The guidebook had said that the first time he used the magic circle, it would give him a skill. So, to obtain the skill, he stepped towards the magic circle. Whoosh! [You have obtained the ¡®Lapis Subspace¡¯ skill.] A message appeared as soon as he stepped on the magic circle so, Soo Hyuk first checked the message. It was the message about the ¡®Lapis Subspace¡¯. After he checked the message, he then examined the tab that appeared in front of him. ¡°Can I only go to places that I¡¯ve been before.¡± The tab had two options. The first was the Hall No.3 that Soo Hyuk warped to from Oren. The other one was Matab Library. Satisfied with the magic circle, Soo Hyuk stepped out for now. As soon as he stepped out, the tab disappeared. Soo Hyuk then proceeded to open his skill tab and check his ¡®Lapis Subspace¡¯ skill. [Lapis Subspace] Proficiency: ¨C Special Effect: Warps the user to the Lapis Subspace. Mana: 1 Cooldown: 30 minutes ¡°As expected.¡± He had suspected its effect the moment he heard the name. The ¡®Lapis Subspace¡¯ skill allowed him to warp to this subspace. ¡°These allow me to come and go.¡± Soo Hyuk said as he looked at the magic circle. ¡°And I can only use this skill every 30 minutes.¡± It seemed like a useful skill. ¡°Now¡­¡± Soo Hyuk turned around from the magic circle and stared at the tunnel he had just come through. He was going to choose his attribute now. Soo Hyuk returned through the tunnel and entered the chamber again. He walked to the centre of the chamber, between the door for lightning and the door for darkness. When he stopped at the centre, he looked carefully at each of the 10 doors. From the left most door of fire, it went to the door of water, wind, earth, lightning, darkness, light, healing, poison and finally illusion. After he finished double-checking all the options, Soo Hyuk had to consider what was the best choice. ¡°I can only choose one.¡± One from ten doors. ¡°It has to sustain me until level 100.¡± It has to sustain Soo Hyuk. He couldn¡¯t get any skill books. That meant that one attribute had to sustain him until level 100. ¡°What do I choose?¡± He was really thinking hard. ¡°Healing? Should I choose healing?¡± The first thing he thought of was healing. ¡°No.¡± But he had to reject healing. Sure, healing was definitely useful in a lot of situations, but unless there were any offensive skills, he could only heal himself while the enemy battered him. ¡°If there are no offensive skills, then I¡¯m screwed.¡± The guidebook didn¡¯t include the skills that he could learn. He could only find out after going through a door. ¡°If I only knew what skills there were¡­¡­¡± If Soo Hyuk knew what skills he could learn, then choosing a door would be so much easier. ¡°Should I go with fire?¡± The second thing he thought of was fire. Although he didn¡¯t know what skills it had, wasn¡¯t fire generally offensive in nature? And a lot of monsters generally feared fire. ¡°Lightning seems okay¡­¡­¡± The only offensive element wasn¡¯t just limited to fire. Lightning was offensive as well. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡­¡± He really didn¡¯t know what to choose! Chapter 26 - His Choice ¡°What¡¯s the time?¡± Soo Hyuk suddenly wondered as he snapped out of his thoughts. It was well past his usual log out time. ¡°Wait.¡± Soo Hyuk realised as he looked at the time. ¡°I don¡¯t have to decide now. Let¡¯s decide tomorrow.¡± There was no time limit, so he didn¡¯t have to decide now. After deciding to choose tomorrow, he logged out of Pangea. ¡°Should I ask Yeon Jung?¡± Soo Hyuk muttered as he climbed out of his capsule. Should he call him and get advice from the Midranker, Yeon Jung? ¡°Right, there¡¯s also blogs on the internet.¡± Yeon Jung was a Midranker, but he was also a warrior who didn¡¯t deal with much magic. Soo Hyuk felt that it was good to listen to some suggestions from people on the internet. ¡°Which attribute will be popular?¡± Sitting in front of his computer, Soo Hyuk searched up the official Pangea homepage. Then, in the search bar he searched ¡®Single attribute¡¯. Title: I want to go for a single attribute but what should I choose? ¨C 37 replies Title: Going all in for the illusion faction. Is it worth it? ¨C 48 replies Title: I¡¯m a single element fire user. Now I¡¯m lvl 200. ¨C 97 replies Title: Lightning is the best for a single atr run? ¨C 27 replies Title: Single? Double? Triple? ¨C 68 replies Countless amounts of posts appeared when he searched. Soo Hyuk looked at the top posts and clicked the one with 37 replies. . . . Title: I want to go for a single attribute but what should I choose? Posted by: BuyTheLaw Hello, I¡¯m BuyTheLaw. I want to go for a single attribute run and was wondering what to choose. I heard that doubling or tripling blocks your progress at the beginning, so I want to stick with one attribute. What attributes are the best? I¡¯m thinking Healing or Fire. What do you think? Replies: ¨C IAmTheThief123: Healing¡¯s good! There are too few good healers! When partying, having at least one healer is the way to go! ¨C MagicalFairy2: @IAmTheThief123 you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. You¡¯re not even a magician, right? No, you¡¯re a thief. BuyTheLaw-nim, don¡¯t choose healing. You¡¯ll regret it. When your doing double quests, you¡¯ll never beat them with a healer. -BuyTheLaw: @MagicalFairy2 Then what should I choose? Fire? -MagicalFairy2: Fire¡¯s ok, but I personally recommend lightning. The petrify and stuns are really useful all throughout the game. But you have to go double before lvl 100, because the difficulty spikes around then, so you can¡¯t beat the good quests with just fire or lightning. But before lvl 100, fire and lightning are a good choice. I have to repeat that levelling and raiding isn¡¯t easy once you reach lvl 100. If you¡¯re thinking triple, then do it before lvl 50 even it it slows your progress a bit. . . . ¡°So, do I either go fire or lightning?¡± Many people were recommending fire and lightning. After checking all the replies, he went back to the search results and slowly went through the top posts. . . . Title: Going all in for the illusion faction. Is it worth? Posted by: Illusion Magic I¡¯m considering illusion because of my name. Is this a crazy choice? Replies: ¨C MagicFairy2: Yes. Although it becomes useful once you¡¯re doubling or tripling, it¡¯s just a really bad beginner element. Basically, it¡¯s a crazy choice. ¨C Illusionisbad23: Don¡¯t do illusion. You will regret. I went illusion but soloing is a nightmare, and no one wants me on their team. I wanted to triple, but I couldn¡¯t even double. And it¡¯s not because levelling is difficult. I¡¯m lvl 89. It¡¯s just bad. . . . Title: I¡¯m a single element fire user. Now I¡¯m lvl 200. Posted by: PlayingWithFire I went wind or illusion to raise my stats. But why is doubling so damn hard?! Is there a trick to it? Replies: ¨C MagicalFairy2: If your lvl 200, then I would stay with fire. The difficulty at that level is¡­¡­ You can probably make it with a lvl 400 helper. . . . Lightning is the best for a single atr run? Posted by: LetsGoTriplers333 I was fire then I doubled to lightning. Wow. It¡¯s just a completely new experience. Those stun procs are carrying me every time. It would¡¯ve been easier to double with lightning as the first element. Replies: ¨C ORA ORA ORA: It¡¯s because Triple-nim is doubling. Stuns don¡¯t proc like that on the first day. ¨C TapingHero: What? How did you do it? Going to lightning from fire was really hard for me. What lvl did you try doubling? Pls give me a tip! ¨C LetsGoTriplers333: @ORAORAORA really? @TapingHero I did it in lvl 50. I think skills are more important than levels. You have to learn the ¡®Inferno¡¯ skill. If you cast inferno and retreat, then it works eventually. ¨C TapingHero: Thank you for your tip. ¨C LetsGoTriplers333: Best of luck! . . . Title: Single? Double? Triple? Posted by: WizRadG I was a warrior at first but magic seemed so cool so I changed my class to a Magician, but unlike NPCs, users can only use 3 elements. And you also have to beat quests to use the said elements. How does it work exactly? And what elements are the best? ¨C MagicFairy2: Welcome to world of magic! I¡¯ll explain carefully. So, users can only use 3 elements. 1 element is called single, 2 is double and 3 is triple. Now that you¡¯re a Magician, you have to go to a tower in a magic city. Out of 10 towers, if you pass a test in 1 tower, then you¡¯re a single. After that, if you pass in another tower, then you¡¯re a double, and so on. Which means you just have to pass a test in a tower. But the problem is the quests. The difficulty varies according to each city, but the main thing is that the difficulty spikes for double at lvl 100 and for triple, the difficulty spikes at lvl 50. This means if you¡¯re going double or triple, it¡¯s best to pass before reaching those levels. And reducing levels by death penalties doesn¡¯t work as it records your highest level. Is there anything more you¡¯re curious about? ¨C WizRadG: Thank you for your explanation. Are there any recommendations for what elements to choose? ¨C MagicFairy2: Are you going single? ¨C WizRadG: I¡¯m thinking triple! Although I hear that it¡¯s hard, I¡¯m going to try! ¨C MagicFairy2: If you¡¯re going triple then you have to pass double first, but I recommend fire or lightning. ¨C WiaRadG: And after that?? . . . * * * ¡°¡­¡­Hm.¡± Jang Yool was deep in thought as he stared at the monitor. ¡°As expected. Team Leader!¡± Jang Yool raised his head and called Yang Joo Hyuk. ¡°Did he choose?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk asked as soon as Jang Yool called. ¡°No.¡± Jang Yool shook his head. ¡°He just logged out.¡± Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t choose anything. Although he couldn¡¯t be sure, Jang Yool suspected that he was still thinking about it. Hearing his assistant¡¯s reply, Yang Joo Hyuk nodded his head and asked Jang Yool. ¡°How many Tier 0 users are logged in right now?¡± To Yang Joo Hyuk¡¯s question, Jang Yool checked the 1st monitor. It showed the logs of the Tier 0 users real time. ¡°There¡¯s 2 right now.¡± There were 2 Tier 0s logged on right now. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Scion of the Sword Saint and the Evernight Emperor.¡± ¡°Really? If it¡¯s those two then nothing big will happen. Go and get some sleep.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir! I¡¯ll return soon!¡± * * * ¨C The Magician in my party said fire, water and lightning is pretty good. The other ones are tiring. Illusion and poison especially will drive you crazy if you pick those for a single. Soo Hyuk was calling Yeon Jung. It was to listen to his ideas. ¡°Then do I choose between fire, water or lightning? ¨C Yep. People go with them in most cases¡­¡­¡± Yeon Jung continued with difficulty. -But you don¡¯t know the skills that come with them. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t.¡± ¨C That¡¯s the problem. What would happen if you chose fire, water or lightning but the skills are weird? You said you can¡¯t use skill books. ¡°Mmm.¡± Soo Hyuk agreed with Yeon Jung¡¯s analysis. The attribute was an attribute, but the skills were the problem. The reason fire, water and lightning were so popular was because some of the skills were so beginner friendly. What if he got weird or useless skills? ¡°I thought listening to Yeon Jung would help finalise my decision.¡± Soo Hyuk had thought consulting Yeon Jung would help with his dilemma, but it only got even bigger. ¡°Anyway, you said you were going log in, right. I¡¯ll just choose right now. See you in Pangea.¡± ¨C Okay. Just choose. Soo Hyuk ended his call with Yeon Jung. Then he climbed in the capsule and thought while logging in. ¡°What do I do?¡± Which door was he going to enter? ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste time like this.¡± When he opened his eyes, he could see ten doors in front of him. He wasn¡¯t going to waste time like this. He wanted to go back to the library and read more books. ¡°Okay.¡± Soo Hyuk breathed out as he paced back and forth. ¡°Arch Mage is ultimately just a magician. So, fire, water and lightning. One of the three.¡± Soo Hyuk narrowed his choices down to three. It was the choices that Yeon Jung¡¯s party member had recommended. Fire, water and lightning. ¡°Water is easier to get into a party, but it lacks offensive power compared to fire and lightning.¡± Water was weaker in terms of offense. But it was easier to get into a party than fire or lightning. ¡°The thing is, I¡¯m not going to party.¡± Soo Hyuk¡¯s primary aim was not developing his character. It was books. He was going to spend a lot more time reading than hunting. ¡°Let¡¯s leave out water.¡± He didn¡¯t want to spend his time hunting, but getting a party? It would be too irritating if his party was hunting while he was reading books. So, Soo Hyuk crossed water off. ¡°Fire or lightning.¡± He just had to choose between fire or lightning. The elements recommended most by Pangea forums. Soo Hyuk sat between the two doors and kept thinking. ¡°Yes.¡± Soo Hyuk had decided. He was at an impasse from comparing the two elements. But that was also why he could decide easily. ¡°Aesthetics. Let¡¯s go with fire.¡± The door near the middle, lightning, and the leftmost door, fire. He thought that progressing from the left would look better, so he approached the door of fire. [Enter the Door of Fire?] A system message appeared when Soo Hyuk put his hand on the door. Since he had already decided, he pressed ¡®Yes¡¯ without hesitation. Numerous more messages appeared the moment he pressed [Unsealing the Door of Fire.] [As the first door unsealed, it does not require any conditions.] [Door of Fire unsealed.] [Skill ¡®Archmage¡¯ has strengthened.] [Skill quest ¡®Fireball¡¯ has been generated.] [Skill quest ¡®Fire Bolt¡¯ has been generated.] [Skill quest ¡®Inferno¡¯ has been generated.] [Skill quest ¡®Flame World¡¯ has been generated.] [Skill quest ¡®Hellfire¡¯ has been generated.] [Skill quest ¡®Firestorm¡¯ has been generated.] [Skill quest ¡®Fire Wall¡¯ has been generated.] [Skill quest ¡®Raging Flames¡¯ has been generated.] [Skill quest ¡®Wildfire¡¯ has been generated.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± Chapter 27 - Fire Magician ¡°How many is this?¡± Most of the messages were for skill quests. There was so many that he couldn¡¯t see the first message anymore. Soo Hyuk scrolled up the message logs to see what the first message was. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± When he saw the first message, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. ¡°Archmage strengthened?!¡± It was because of this. ¡°What the¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk hurriedly opened his skill tab. The ¡®Archmage¡¯ skill originally gave him 100% extra damage with magic attacks. And that broken passive was strengthened? He was bursting with curiosity as he pressed on the ¡®Archmage¡¯ skill. [ Archmage] Proficiency: ¨C Special Effects: 1. 100% extra damage upon attacking with magic. 2.Fire attribute skill cooldowns reduced by 10 seconds. Soo Hyuk could only sigh in admiration as he read the effects of his new upgraded skill. ¡°Cooldown reduced by 10 seconds?¡± The extra special effect was a reduce in fire skill cooldowns. Although it was only for fire magic, the effect of a 10 second cooldown reduction was life-savingly massive. ¡°Jackpot.¡± Soo Hyuk was still sighing with admiration and amazement when he closed the skill tab. Now, it was time to see his new skill quests. [Immeasurable Talent] [The talent for magic that you possess is immeasurably great. You, who possesses unlimited potential! Your talent is so outstanding that Kerza cannot answer the questions you might have. Kerza wants to meet you again in two weeks.] [Time left: 7 days ] [Quest Reward: ???] [In case of rejection, your relationship with Kerza will fall.] . . . [Special Quest ¨C Pavel¡¯s Inheritance] [Pavel, who climbed to the top of the world, was regretting his past actions even as he died. Find the place of Pavel¡¯s regret!] [Quest Reward: ??? ] . . . [Special Quest ¨C Vigorous Body] [Complete the conditions below! Your body will be exponentially strengthened!] [Iron Scarecrows Destroyed: 0 / 50 ] [Drink the Mad Alchemist Kora¡¯s potions: 0 / 2 ] [Quest Reward: Stamina Stat Upgrade] . . . [Special Quest ¨C Celta¡¯s Inheritance] [The Phantom Celta, the thief without bloodstains, hid his lifetime wealth on a secret location. Find his hidden wealth!] [Quest Reward: ??? ] . . . When he opened his quest tab, the first quests on the list were the quest from Kerza, and the two blue books and a red book. But Soo Hyuk was here for the new skill quests, so he kept scrolling down. [Skill Quest ¨C Fire Ball] Complete the conditions below! [Gold : 185 / 20 ] [Quest Reward: Skill ¨C Fire Ball] . . . [Skill Quest ¨C Fire Bolt] [Complete the conditions below!] [Grade 5 Mana Stones : 0 / 10 ] [Flame Stone : 0 / 1 ] [Gold : 185 / 50 ] . . . Soo Hyuk had only one thought after looking through all the quests, ¡°Crazy¡­¡­¡± It was crazy. ¡°This many skills for a level 10?¡± He didn¡¯t know the door would give this many quests, and Soo Hyuk was only a pitiful level 10. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t ¡®Hellfire¡¯ an advanced skill meant for level 200?¡± There were skills that normal Magicians could only learn after being level 200. Of course, the conditions were crazy hard as well. ¡°But if Yeon Jung helps me¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk had Yeon Jung, a Midranker. If he agreed to help, then most of the conditions would be a piece of cake. ¡°Heh¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk smiled widely as he read the skill quests. After all, Soo Hyuk was the sort of person who took joy from reading the wall of texts from advertisements. (TL: On some channels in KR, there are 5 min ads with the T & Cs written in full.) * * * Matab Central Spire, Level 9 Meeting Room. In the massive meeting room, there were 5 men and 4 women seated around a massive table. They were the leaders of Matab City, the Spire Lords. ¡°When¡¯s that bastard Pavian coming?¡± The Illusion Lord Orek muttered. They were here for the gathering, but it didn¡¯t start yet. It was because a person was missing. ¡°Even if he delayed it for a week, he shouldn¡¯t be late. Right, Berenice?¡± Orek said to the Flame Lord Berenice, who was sitting next to him. But before she could reply, the door opened and Poison Lord Pavian strode in. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late!¡± Pavian greeted the other Lords cheerfully. ¡°Heh, you¡¯re finally here, you bastard.¡± Ignoring Orek, Pavian had a wide smile on his face as he sat down at his spot. ¡°Kachu-nim, let¡¯s begin.¡± Not the most powerful, but the oldest Spire Lord, the Lord of Healing, Kachu. ¡°Pavian, you always come so late.¡± Kachu said as he stood up from his seat. ¡°Now, it¡¯s been a long time everyone. But since it¡¯s not a situation where I can just treat you all to a drink, let¡¯s cut straight to the point.¡± And so, the gathering began. * * * [You have completed the special quest ¡®Larkan¡¯s First Inheritance¡¯] Walter stared at the message for a long time. ¡°I actually did it¡­¡­¡± When he had first got the quest, he didn¡¯t think that he could do it, but after trying for so long, he finally beaten the quest. ¡°So, this is the reward?¡± Walter said to himself as he looked down at a little chest. ¡°It¡¯s got to be amazing after I tried so hard.¡± Walter muttered as he reached towards the little chest. The quest was difficult. Even when he was a level 150 magician with triple attributes, the quest was the hardest that he had ever done in Pangea. [You have obtained ¡®Larkan¡¯s treasure chest¡¯] A message appeared the moment his hand touched the chest. Then the chest disappeared from his hands and appeared in his inventory. Brimming with excitement, Walter hurriedly opened his inventory and checked the reward. [ Larkan¡¯s treasure chest] [This chest is the first inheritance of the Hero of the Pantane War, Larkan. It contains one of Larkan¡¯s relics inside.] Walter burst out laughing when he finished checking the description. Forcibly calming himself, he took out the chest from his inventory and opened it carefully. The chest was replaced with another item and a message when he opened it. [ Larkan¡¯s Staff] [Conditions: ] 1. Magician 2. Level 160 [Physical attack: 200 ] [Magic Attack: 300 ] [Special Effects: ] +10 wisdom ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± Walter signed in admiration at his new staff. ¡°Magic attack is 300? And with +10 wisdom? This is amazing.¡± The staff was unbelievably powerful. ¡°If I didn¡¯t go to the library¡­¡­¡± Walter shivered at the thought. If he didn¡¯t go to the Matab Library, he wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain this quest. ¡°I would¡¯ve missed this honeypot.¡± He wouldn¡¯t have been able to obtain this powerful staff. ¡°I just have to raise my level by 10.¡± Walter was currently level 150, but he had to be 160 to wield this staff. He was going to grind levels when he got back. But even before that, he wanted to visit the library one more time. ¡°I have to check the library one more time.¡± Walter had got this quest from the Matab Library, but the library was huge. He had only explored a portion of it when he found a book glowing blue. Will there be more of those books? No, there has to be. He had gotten Larkan¡¯s inheritance quest by reading that blue book, and there could be more of those books in the library. Stopping his thoughts, Walter took out a scroll from his inventory and ripped it. Whoosh! There was a burst of light, and Walter disappeared from his spot. He had teleported outside the Flame Pagoda of Matab City. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s a decent location.¡± The Flame Pagoda was close to Walter¡¯s destination, the Matab Library. It was certainly better than Southern Entrance or the Tower of Poison. ] As he was walking towards the library, he thought, ¡°Next to the book was the second and the third book.¡± The book that gave ¡®Larkan¡¯s First Inheritance¡¯ was called ¡®the Legend of Larkan¡¯. Next to the book were the sequels to the book. The reasons Walter had ignored them was because unlike the first book, they were glowing white. ¡°But you never know.¡± Walter had completed the first inheritance, so then the second book might be unlocked now. When he thought this, he subconsciously quickened his pace and arrived at the library a few minutes later. When he arrived at the entrance, he shoved his ¡®Magician¡¯s Token¡¯ towards the NPC and went inside. ¡°It¡¯s totally empty.¡± The library had some people when he had first got the quest, but now, it was totally empty. He couldn¡¯t see a single person around. ¡°Well, gaining wisdom through levelling is more efficient than reading books.¡± After some thought, Walter could understand why libraries were unpopular. Levelling did give more wisdom stats, but it might be different in the future, as the true charm of the libraries were the special quests it gave. Walter looked around the library briefly from his spot and started walking to a bookcase. His destination, was of course, ¡°The Legend of Larkan¡°. When the bookcase came within his line of sight, he suddenly stopped. Then tilted his head in confusion and wondered. ¡°Huh? There wasn¡¯t a blue book here before though?¡± When he received the quest, the only blue book was the first volume of ¡®the Legend of Larkan¡¯ and the blue glow disappeared when he finished the book. Then what was the blue glow he could see now? ¡°Did the books switch positions?¡± Had the library switched some books around? Did some other book replace ¡®The Legend of Larkan¡¯? ¡°Maybe repeats?¡± While thinking such thoughts, he neared the bookcase. When he arrived in front of the bookcase, he couldn¡¯t help but be startled. It wasn¡¯t a switch or a repeat. ¡°The second volume?¡± The blue book was the second volume of ¡®The Legend of Larkan¡¯. ¡°It was definitely white though.¡± It was definitely white the last time he was here. But it suddenly turned blue? It was too weird. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it was actually because I completed the first quest?¡± Chapter 28 - The Young Man Did the second volume turn blue because he completed the first inheritance quest? ¡°Is there a requirement to unlocking more quests?¡± No matter how he looked at the situation, the second book only changed because he fulfilled some condition. Although he wasn¡¯t sure why the first volume was glowing blue in the first place, he knew why the second volume was. Completion of the first inheritance quest. That was the requirement. After he stared at the book glowing in blue, he turned his head to look at the first and third volumes. The first volume was not sparkling like the books next to it. ¡°The third volume is still white.¡± The third book was still the same as when he got the quest. Only the second volume had changed. ¡°And if I completed the second books quest¡­¡­¡± The third volume could change to a blue colour like the second book. He only had to read the second volume, get the quest and complete it. Walter snapped out of his thoughts and looked back towards the second volume. It was time. Walter had started to take the first step when¡­¡­ Whoosh! Something suddenly appeared in front of him! A split second later, Walter realised that it was a young man. Calming himself, Walter thought. ¡°So there are still people going to the library.¡± He had even considered the possibility of the library being forgotten. But it seemed like this was not the case, as there was a user in front of him. The young man suddenly turned around and met eyes with Walter. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± To break the awkward atmosphere, Walter forcibly smiled and greeted the other user. ¡°H-hello.¡± ¡°Ah, Nice to meet you too.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± An awkward silence fell again after the greeting. After a few seconds, the young man turned around and started to walk away. ¡°No, wait.¡± Walter was pulling out the second volume of ¡®The Legend of Larkan¡¯ when he suddenly looked at the first volume. Walter had just had a sudden thought. ¡°Can other people still do the quests that I¡¯ve completed?¡± Walter was curious about whether the special quests could be repeated. At least, he wanted to know if it was possible for ¡®Larkan¡¯s First Inheritance¡¯. ¡°If he can see blue too¡­¡­¡± That meant that people could get the special quests that other people had completed. ¡°I have to ask.¡± Walter was planning to ask the young man from before whether he thought the book was glowing blue or white. Of course, you needed to fulfil a requirement for the book to glow blue, but Walter was not worried about that as he was just a new Magician at level 10 when he got the quest. Although he didn¡¯t know what the requirement was, he couldn¡¯t think of anything else that might¡¯ve triggered the blue glow. This meant that the young man had most likely also fulfilled the requirement. Walter pulled out the first volume and headed towards where the young man had gone. The young man was sitting at a desk when Walter found him again. He was reading a book while surrounded by 4 other books. The books were also all glowing with a white colour. Walter approached the desk and sat down on the chair opposite to the young man, waiting for the other person to make eye contact. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± However, the young man didn¡¯t make eye contact no matter how hard Walter stared at him. Walter was gradually getting more and more flustered the longer he waited. ¡°What kind of concentration is this?¡­¡­¡± At first, Walter had just patiently waited. He had also coughed slightly to get his attention. But the young man hadn¡¯t reacted at all! He was focused completely on reading his book. ¡°If this goes on, I¡¯d feel guilty for interrupting.¡± Walter wanted to excuse himself now. But how could he excuse himself to the other party if they weren¡¯t even paying attention? ¡°But his reading speed is really fast.¡± How long would he take to finish the book? Walter had even started counting! ¡°It looks like it¡¯s going to take some time.¡± The young man was reading at an unbelieving fast rate. It was hard to believe that he¡¯d read every single word before flipping the page. But the book also one of the thicker books in this library. No matter how fast he read, it going to take some time. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s wait.¡± After pondering hard, Walter ultimately decided to wait for the young man to finish. Of course, he wasn¡¯t just going to sit there. Walter put the first volume of ¡®The Legend of Larkan¡¯ on the desk and started reading the second volume. * * * ¡°And that¡¯s all of them.¡± Soo Hyuk had read all the skill quests and closed the tab. He was currently walking in the tunnel, towards the warp magic circle. He had nothing to do here. The next time he was going to come here was probably when he reached level 100 and could open another door. Soo Hyuk arrived at the end of the tunnel and stepped on the magic circle. A screen with the warp options appeared, and Soo Hyuk tapped on Matab Library. [Warping to ¡®Matab Library¡¯.] A magic circle lit up at the same time as the message appeared, and the surrounding space began to distort. After a flash of bright light, Soo Hyuk found himself in a familiar scenery. Soo Hyuk turned to a bookcase to pick up a book. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± When he turned around, he suddenly saw another man right in front of him. There was an awkward silence. ¡°H-hello.¡± Sensing the awkward atmosphere, the man smiled while greeting him. Soo Hyuk hurriedly greeted him back and after another round of awkward silence, he hastily turned around and went to a desk. ¡°They cleaned it up as expected.¡± Soo Hyuk saw his old spot when he arrived at the clearing filled with desks. He had previously left three books there, but it was empty now. He had already realised this when he was reading through his quests. Soo Hyuk picked random books from a nearby bookcase and started reading at a desk. ¡°Wow, this is quite thick.¡± Soo Hyuk thought as he admired the book that was nearly 2 times as thick as the other books. Soo Hyuk was especially fond of thick books since he could read more without interruption. Soo Hyuk had also chosen 4 other books aside from the thick book. Soo Hyuk had started reading the thick book as soon as he sat down at a desk. [Wisdom has increased by 1.] [Wisdom has increased by 1.] Soo Hyuk smiled at the messages. Although thick books took a longer time, if they were thick enough, they also gave extra wisdom. ¡°Thick books are more comfortable to read, and they also give more wisdom.¡± Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t know in the beginning, but as he read more books in the Matab Library, he had discovered this fact. The fact that even the white books could give 2 points of wisdom if they were thick enough. Like now, when he gained 2 wisdom. Soo Hyuk looked up from the now dark book as he closed it. But Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but panic slightly when he looked up. ¡°¡­¡­Huh.?¡± Soo Hyuk stared at the young man on the other side of his desk with a flustered expression. It was the person who greeted him previously in the library. ¡°Why¡­¡­¡± Why was the young man sitting opposite him? There were lots of spare seats around them. In fact, there was no one else inside the library currently. So why did he choose to sit opposite him? ¡°Ah!¡± While Soo Hyuk was deep in thought, he suddenly heard a voice. He looked towards the source of the voice, which was the young man that he had been thinking about. ¡°So, you finished reading.¡± Said the young man when Soo Hyuk made eye contact. ¡°¡­¡­Did he wait for me?¡± From the way he talked, it seemed like this was the case. ¡°Why though?¡± He was unfamiliar to Soo Hyuk. A stranger. ¡°Does he need something from me?¡± As Soo Hyuk was thinking, he asked the unfamiliar young man. ¡°Did you perhaps wait for me?¡± ¡°Yes, I waited for you to finish that book.¡± The young man replied as he nodded to his question. ¡°Why did you wait for me?¡± Soo Hyuk asked again. He was curious as to why this unfamiliar man had waited this long for him. ¡°So, the thing is¡­¡­¡± The young man started to say, he held up a book while grinning. It was a normal white book. ¡°The Legend of Larkan 1?¡± Soo Hyuk checked the title and looked up at the young man again. Why did this person suddenly give this book to me? Sensing his suspicion, the young man said to Soo Hyuk. ¡°What colour do you see?¡± His question was simple. It was about the colour of the book. ¡°You mean the glow, right?¡± Soo Hyuk asked the young man, just to make sure. ¡°Yes.¡± The man replied while nodding. ¡°White.¡± ¡°White?¡± The young man repeated. ¡°Yes.¡± This time, Soo Hyuk nodded. ¡°Is something there?¡± Soo Hyuk wondered as he stared at ¡®The Legend of Larkan 1¡¯ in the young man¡¯s hands. ¡°Why is he asking me that?¡± While he was wondering, the young man suddenly exclaimed. ¡°I see. Thank you for your answer!¡± ¡°Did you wait just to ask that question?¡± The young man did not immediately reply to his question. ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡± Then, looking like he decided something, he continued. ¡°Perhaps.¡± As soon as the young man opened his mouth again, Soo Hyuk also concentrated. ¡°Do you know the blue glow?¡± ¡°Yes, I know about it.¡± Not only the blue glow, Soo Hyuk also knew about the red and purple colours. Soo Hyuk answered while nodding. ¡°Then this makes this a lot easier.¡± The young man then continued. ¡°Actually, this book is blue for me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Really?¡± Soo Hyuk was flustered again. The young man was holding ¡®the Legend of Larkan 1¡¯, and it was definitely white. But it was blue for him? ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk suddenly thought of a possibility. ¡°It¡¯s different for every user?¡± Then Soo Hyuk changed his thought after considering the situation more. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be like that.¡± The books are different for every user? Then it was too unfair. Some users would get good quests while some would get bad ones. In ¡®Pangea¡¯, hard work and effort was a large part of the game. There was some luck, but ultimately, you had to work hard to be good at the game. But if the quests that users could get from the library depended solely on luck, then a hardworking user might get a trash title while a casual user might get a godly item with just more work than usual. Soo Hyuk thought that this wasn¡¯t the case as it was just too unfair. ¡°Then it¡¯s special requirements?¡± Soo Hyuk had read many books so far, and there was a lot of fantasy novels set in Pangea. Although it wasn¡¯t all of them, some required certain conditions to be fulfilled to get a special item. Soo Hyuk thought that special quests also worked the same way. ¡°And this book.¡± The young man pulled out another white book, and continued, ¡°It was white at first but turned blue.¡± Soo Hyuk finally came to a conclusion after hearing his words. Chapter 29 - The Gathering Complications ¡°There are special requirements.¡± Soo Hyuk was sure of it. If a user fulfilled the requirements for receiving a quest, then the book would change colour. ¡°The reason I asked this. I already completed this quest. But can other users also complete it after me? I was curious.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Soo Hyuk exclaimed in realisation at the young man¡¯s words. He had figured out why this person had asked about the colour of the book. ¡°That being said.¡± Soo Hyuk had also thought about this as well. ¡°If you see white, then I think that you can¡¯t clear quests that other people have already cleared.¡± Said the young man. ¡°Yes, but¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk tilted his head at his words. He thought that there was an important detail missing. ¡°It could be because I haven¡¯t fulfilled the requirements, right?¡± It could also be because Soo Hyuk hadn¡¯t fulfilled the requirements yet, so there was still a possibility of the book turning blue. ¡°Can¡¯t it be because I haven¡¯t fulfilled the requirements?¡± Soo Hyuk asked the young man. ¡°No. You should¡¯ve cleared the requirements. When I got the quest, I had just become a Magician at level 10.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk trailed off. According to his words, Soo Hyuk should¡¯ve fulfilled the requirements to receive this quest. But it was white instead of blue. ¡°Yes. That means that if a quest is cleared, it returns to being white. Of course, some quests could be cleared multiple times.¡± Soo Hyuk nodded to his words. Silence descended again after the discussion. Before the silence could turn too awkward, the young man stood up from his seat. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get going now.¡± The young man said to Soo Hyuk as he stood up. ¡°Ah, yes. It was nice meeting you.¡± Soo Hyuk said back as he bowed slightly. The young man smiled at the gesture and then headed towards the library entrance. After young man left, Soo Hyuk started cleaning up his desk. ¡°If you complete a quest then other people cannot complete it again.¡± According to the young man¡¯s words, special quests can only be received once. No, more precisely, it can only be completed once. Because you can¡¯t get the reward if it has already been completed. ¡°So, it¡¯s a race.¡± A race to see who would find and complete it first. ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± The inheritance and the stat quests that he got weren¡¯t completed yet. But the promotion quest ¡®Successor of Lapis¡¯ was. Doesn¡¯t that mean the ¡®Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant¡¯ is unique to Soo Hyuk? But it wasn¡¯t confirmed. There could be other routes to change into the ¡®Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant¡¯. Just because it was a special job didn¡¯t mean only one person could get it. ¡°¡­¡­Hoo.¡± Soo Hyuk breathed out deeply. He cleared his mind and opened another book. Within seconds, Soo Hyuk was in his own world. * * * ¡°Here¡¯s your token.¡± ¡°Thank you for work!¡± Greeting the NPC, Walter exited the library and received his token. Then, he thought while walking down to the street outside the library. ¡°I think he¡¯s going to be big.¡± He felt that they would meet again. And that the young man will bring a storm to Pangea soon. ¡°That concentration. Plus, he knows about the blue books as well.¡± He had other reasons other than his gut feeling. First, that young man had an unimaginable amount of concentration. But that wasn¡¯t all. He was reading a white book with that amount of concentration, and it didn¡¯t seem to be blue to him either. If that man had been reading like that until now, Walter couldn¡¯t imagine how much wisdom he had. Second, he also knew about the blue books. Most users didn¡¯t know about the white books, much less the blue books. This was because an overwhelming majority of users had never even visited a library before, and there weren¡¯t any articles about them on the Pangea homepage. Of course, friends could tell each other, but no one had uploaded any articles on the homepage. Which meant that most people didn¡¯t know about them since there was no information about them. Walter was the same. He never told anyone about them or uploaded any article except for Soo Hyuk just now. The reason he revealed it to Soo Hyuk, who already knew about it anyway, was to figure out the system and to make a friend. Maybe he knew more than Walter did. If he did, then maybe he should ask the next time they meet. Walter stopped at a bench and opened his quest tab to see his new quest. [Special Quest ¨C Larkan¡¯s Second Inheritance] [Where is the actual grave of Larkan? There is a clue near the Alerian Mountain Range. Find the clue and grave!] [Quest Reward: ??? ] ¡°The Alerian Mountain Range¡­¡­¡± Walter had to go to the Alerian Mountains for the quest. ¡°This is going to be hard.¡± Pangea had a massive world, but Walter knew too well about the Alerian Mountains. No, there was no way he couldn¡¯t know. It was where the top rankers were hunting currently. Those monsters are at level 300. The Alerian Mountains was a place where even rankers could die if they were careless. Even if he was a triple element Magician, exploring the Alerian Mountains was a mere pipe dream for Walter at his level. ¡°Let¡¯s grind levels for now.¡± Walter closed the quest. It wasn¡¯t a quest that he could complete currently. After he closed the quest, he started walking towards the Hunting Grounds. * * * ¡°Haa¡­¡­There wasn¡¯t a decision made today either.¡± The Lord of Healing Kachu muttered softly while sighing. It was currently the fourth day since the gathering began. ¡°We have to come to a decision by tomorrow.¡± The immeasurable talent was going to a Central Spire two days from now. They had to choose which tower he was going to go to before then. ¡°How did it even leak?¡± They had to choose tomorrow. The reason was because the information had already spread to other factions in Pangea. ¡°That Perin already knows.¡± The Imperial Head Mage of the Pade Empire, who has magic power and influence equal to the 10 Spire Lords of Matab. Originally, he was visiting Kachu as an old friend, but now the circumstances had changed because he had heard about the new immeasurable talent. ¡°At this rate, the Empire will snatch the new talent.¡± If the Empire really did snatch the new talent, it would be worse than other Spire Lords taking the talent. ¡°We have to decide one soon.¡± Kachu looked at each of the Spire Lords. ¡°I have to go for the push.¡± Like the other Spire Lords, Kachu also desired the immeasurable talent. But he also didn¡¯t want his greed to cause the worst situation. If they didn¡¯t come to a decision, Kachu was going to push the talent into a random tower irrespective of the others¡¯ opinions. ¡°You all look tired.¡± Kachu began. ¡°Why don¡¯t we start again tomorrow after getting a good rest.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°A good idea.¡± The other Spire Lords agreed to Kachu straight away as if they¡¯d waited for his words. Then, the seats started emptying one after another. Kachu also got up from his seat and headed to a magic circle to warp to the Tower of Healing. Kachu had set his destination and the magic circle started to light up. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Kachu looked back at that moment. ¡°Pavian?¡± It was Pavian, who had arrived late to the gathering. He had stood up. However, Pavian didn¡¯t head to his magic circle. Kachu kept looking at Pavian to see where he was going. ¡°Kako?¡± * * * Pavian was heading towards the Earth Spire Lord, Kako. ¡°As expected.¡± Kako thought when she noticed Pavian heading towards her. ¡°Leto was right.¡± He had told her that someone was likely to approach her. ¡°If it¡¯s the Tower of Poison¡­¡­¡± Pavian hadn¡¯t reached Kako yet, but she already guessed his reason for approaching. ¡°Black Dragon¡¯s Essence!¡± Thinking of the treasure that she wanted, Kako stared at the approaching Pavian with an expectant smile. ¡°Kako.¡± Pavian called as he pulled out the seat next to Kako and sat down. ¡°Can we talk for a bit?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You already know.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Hehe.¡± Kako smiled even wider to Pavian¡¯s words. ¡°What do you want?¡± Pavian asked Kako. ¡°The Black Dragon¡¯s Essence.¡± Kako replied bluntly. ¡°¡­¡­Hmm.¡± Did Pavian not expect her answer? Or was he considering the worth of the Black Dragon¡¯s Essence? Pavian was locked in thought at Kako¡¯s answer. Of course, he was only pretending. ¡°Okay.¡± Pavian said to Kako after some thought. ¡°If the SSS grade comes to us, we¡¯ll give you 200g of the essence.¡± ¡°200g?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Why? Is it not enough?¡± Pavian made a flustered expression at Kako¡¯s reaction. ¡°No, it was more than I thought. I expected around 100g.¡± Kako replied to Pavian. At her unexpected words, Pavian smiled slightly and continued, ¡°Then you¡¯ll help us?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± But before Pavian could react, Kako hurriedly added. ¡°But!¡± She hadn¡¯t ended yet. ¡°Change the terms.¡± Pavian¡¯s terms were only applied if the Tower of Poison got the talent. What if Kako helped but they still couldn¡¯t snatch the talent? Then they would get nothing after helping the Tower of Poison and giving up their chance. That meant that the deal was heavily favouring the Tower of Poison, and Kako wanted to juice all the benefits. ¡°¡­¡­How?¡± Actually, Pavian was already considering changing the terms. After all, Kako was no fool. How would she accept the deal without some guarantee? ¡°Give the Essence first. Then I¡¯ll help.¡± ¡°Hoo.¡± Pavian sighed in relief. ¡°Yeah, I already expected this, didn¡¯t I?¡± Kako¡¯s change was one of the things Pavian had already considered, so Pavian couldn¡¯t help but sigh in relief when he heard it. ¡°So..¡± Pavian said as he raised his hand. ¡°We¡¯ll send it to you by today.¡± Pavian smiled as he held out his hand. Translator and Editor Notes: I still don¡¯t know Kako¡¯s gender¡­¡­ ~MagicFishCat Chapter 30 - The Conclusion of the Gathering ¡°Just what am I doing?¡± Jang Yool sighed while frowning. ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± He had ignored it at first, but now he just couldn¡¯t understand. Jang Yool turned to stare at Yang Joo Hyuk, who was leaning on his chair on his break. ¡°Team leader.¡± Jang Yool called Yang Joo Hyuk. ¡°Hmm.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk answered back without moving. He was still leaning while closing his eyes. ¡°This user, Soo Hyuk. He just keeps reading books.¡± It was already 7 days since he changed jobs to ¡®Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant¡¯, and six since he chose his first element. But after that, he just kept reading books. Apart from reading, he only bought bread from the local bakery. He wasn¡¯t even attempting any quests. Jang Yool could understand not doing the inheritance and the stat quests as they were currently too hard for Soo Hyuk. But why wasn¡¯t he even attempting the skill quests? Does he not want any skills? Jang Yool couldn¡¯t understand Soo Hyuk, who was still reading books. Is he not the ¡®Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant¡¯? It was so good that they were monitoring his activity at the Tier 0 level along with other top rankers. If he has this kind of job, why was he still reading? ¡°Do we need to keep monitoring him at Tier 0?¡± Soo Hyuk hadn¡¯t even fired ¡®Magic Missile¡¯ once. No matter how powerful his job was, all he was doing was reading. ¡°I think he¡¯s playing Pangea just to read book, so we don¡¯t need to constantly monitor him.¡± All the Tier 0 players were players that could massively affect the game. But reading wasn¡¯t going to do anything, right? ¡°Can¡¯t we just lower him to Tier 1? There are lots of Tier 0s popping up recently so it¡¯s more tiring to even monitor all of them.¡± Soo Hyuk himself wasn¡¯t the only reason as well. The other users on Tier 0 were acting like Tier 0s, with the forums exploding every day with stories of them. ¡°Mmm¡­¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk thought about Jang Yool¡¯s words. ¡°Well you¡¯re not wrong.¡± Jang Yool wasn¡¯t wrong. They had made the job with the expectation that it wouldn¡¯t be discovered for a while. That¡¯s why when Soo Hyuk was made ¡®Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant¡¯, they put him in Tier 0 straight away. But unlike their worry, he was just cooped up in the Matab Library, reading books every day. ¡°But the thing is¡­¡­¡± Just because it wasn¡¯t wrong didn¡¯t mean that it was a good idea. Yang Joo Hyuk wasn¡¯t going to remove Soo Hyuk from Tier 0. ¡°If you think about it¡­¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk slowly said to Jang Yool. ¡°Soo Hyuk is basically like a nuke right now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ohh.¡± Jang Yool nodded to his words as if he had just realised something. ¡°Even if could be never used, are you just going to not care about it?¡± The destructive potential of ¡®Arch Mage¡¯s Descendant¡¯ was like a nuke right now. Just because he¡¯s reading now didn¡¯t mean that he would read forever. ¡°You definitely wouldn¡¯t.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk was sure that he would erupt someday. ¡°Maybe if the books were infinite¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk was only reading books until now. Maybe if the books were infinite, he would keep reading, as he seemed like that sort of person. But the books at Matab weren¡¯t infinite. ¡°Ahh¡­¡­¡± Jang Yool sighed deeply. * * * Matab Central Spire 7th Floor. Unlike other towers in Matab, the Central Spire didn¡¯t have a lord. It wasn¡¯t that there wasn¡¯t a spot. The person who founded Matab, Arch Mage Lapis. Lapis was the lord of the Central Spire, but there was no one else after that. For another to appear, there has to be a unanimous decision between the 10 Spire Lords, but who would gain the approval of all the Spire Lords? It was impossible unless they were an Arch Mage. And so, the Lord of Matab Spire was left empty after Lapis. But that didn¡¯t mean there couldn¡¯t be a Vice Lord in the Central Spire. Unlike the Lord, the Vice Lord didn¡¯t need the approval of the Spire Lords, so there was a Vice Lord of the Central Spire. He was Vice Lord Koel. Vice Lord Koel was currently staring at a crystal ball. The crystal ball was spewing light. This crystal was like a Wisdom Ball, except Kako hadn¡¯t made this. It was made from far more rarer materials and had a different purpose from the Wisdom Balls. Of course, since it was so expensive, there was only one, and it had been passed down from the previous Vice Lord. It was passed down from the first Vice Lord of Central Spire. ¡°Finally¡­¡­¡± Koel thought as he stared at the crystal ball. ¡°A successor has appeared.¡± Arch Mage Lapis, also the Lord of Matab Spire, and Matab City. The crystal ball¡¯s purpose was to detect when the successor of Lapis had appeared. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know where the successor is.¡± The crystal ball couldn¡¯t locate the successor, only detect when they appeared. ¡°I will wait for you¡­¡­¡± When Matab was founded, Lapis was the Lord of the Spire and City itself. And in that era, the Central Spire held absolute authority. But when Lapis passed away, the Spire¡¯s authority began to decline. Although it was still the biggest and most popular tower, the other Spire Lords held all the authority over the city. But if the Lord of the Spire came back? Then they would turn the situation around. ¡°May you grow quickly.¡± * * * ¡°Then the new talent will go to the Tower of Poison.¡± The long gathering had finally ended. ¡°YES!!! HAHAHAHAA!!!¡± Pavian screamed internally while smiling. ¡°But¡­¡­¡± Pavian turned his head to stare at the Flame Spire Lord Berenice. ¡°Why did she help me?¡± The Earth Pagoda had helped like promised. But it wasn¡¯t only the Earth Pagoda that had helped. The Flame Pagoda had also helped for some reason. But Berenice hadn¡¯t helped in the beginning. Only after Kako showed her support did Berenice also help. Pavian had barely managed to seize the new immeasurable talent because of their help. But why did Berenice help him? ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡­¡± Pavian always had a nagging suspicion at the back of his mind during the gathering. ¡°Is it that nasty habit of hers again?¡± Pavian knew Berenice well. And not only Pavian. All the other Lords also knew about her strange tendency. ¡°A 20-year-old male¡­¡­¡± If it was Berenice, then it was expected that she would pay interest to any young males that stood out. And the balance was tilted due the Kako¡¯s support of Pavian. Even if Berenice hadn¡¯t helped, Pavian thought that Kachu would help the Tower of Poison anyway as the Earth Pagoda had showed support. Berenice probably wanted a chance to meet this new talent by also showing her support. Of course, he couldn¡¯t be absolutely sure. ¡°Let¡¯s just ask.¡± Pavian decided to ask Berenice about it later. ¡°What if she is interested in him?¡± What would Pavian do then? ¡°Let¡¯s just help her.¡± Always pay enmity and kindness back. That was Pavian¡¯s long-standing rule. He was going help get Berenice what she wants in return for her support. ¡°But¡­¡­¡± At that moment, the Light Spire Lord Konan opened his mouth. ¡°¡­¡­What are you going to do?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Pavian asked as he snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Konan. ¡°Poison magic is special. Not everybody can use it. No matter how talented he is, if he has weak affinity with poison, then he could poison himself.¡± Konan continued, ¡°What are you going to do if he has weak affinity?¡± Poison magic required a particular talent more than any other magic. That talent was poison resistance. No matter how talented you were at poison magic, if you weren¡¯t resistant, then you could poison yourself. What if the new talent has weak poison resistance? ¡°If that happens.¡± Pavian replied. ¡°We will go along with your suggestions.¡± ¡°Can I take that as you are willing to hand him over to other towers if this is the case?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Pavian nodded. ¡®If it¡¯s poison resistance, then I can just strengthen it.¡¯ Such things as weak poison resistance won¡¯t happen. Pavian too had weak poison resistance at the beginning. Weak to the point that he almost couldn¡¯t use his superior talent at poison magic at all. But the previous Poison Spire Lord had forcibly strengthened his resistance. If the immeasurable has weak poison resistance? Then he could just strengthen it. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go first.¡± Pavian rose from his seat. The other Spire Lords also stood up while smiling and headed to their warp magic formations. * * * [Wisdom has increased by 1.] A message appeared the moment he closed the book. Soo Hyuk rose up from his seat to return the book. When he returned all the books, Soo Hyuk opened his skill tab. [Immeasurable Talent] [The talent for magic that you possess is immeasurably great. You, who possesses unlimited potential! Your talent is so outstanding that Kerza cannot answer the questions you might have. Kerza wants to meet you again in two weeks.] [Days Left: 0 days ] [Quest Reward: ??? ] [In case of rejection, your relationship with Kerza will fall.] ¡°Let¡¯s get going now.¡± 2 weeks had passed. The promised time was approaching. ¡°Here is your token.¡± ¡°Have a nice day.¡± Soo Hyuk received his token and said goodbye to the librarian. Then he started to head towards the Central Spire. ¡°I don¡¯t need a special job now.¡± Soo Hyuk thought as he walked. The reason for this quest was to meet an NPC. But now, he already possessed a special job, so he couldn¡¯t change jobs anymore. Before he had a special job, he would¡¯ve been excited, as there was a real possibility of gaining ¡®a special job¡¯. But now, he didn¡¯t need it anymore. ¡°I can¡¯t use a skill book as well.¡± The NPC might had also given Soo Hyuk a skill book. But now that he couldn¡¯t use skill books anymore, Soo Hyuk just wanted to get this over and done with. ¡°I would¡¯ve just cancelled if it weren¡¯t for Kerza being the one that made me a magician.¡± The reason he was going anyway, instead of just cancelling, was because he couldn¡¯t do it. More precisely, he could do it, but then his relationship would fall, and his token would get taken away. And if his token got taken away? Then Soo Hyuk wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the library anymore. There were still many more books to read in the Matab Library, so Soo Hyuk had to read them all. ¡°Eheww¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk sighed deeply while he closed his skill tab. Chapter 31 - Adilos Troubles ¡°Who wants to team up with me on a double quest? I¡¯m a level 87 healing and illusion double!¡± ¡°Recruiting people for a triple quest with a level 39 triple! I have fire, water and earth magic!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll buy that Flame Stone!¡± ¡°Selling Marks of Wind! I spend a lot of effort to get these! There are only 2 left!¡± Soo Hyuk arrived at the Northern entrance of the Central Spire. Similar to the Southern entrance, there were a lot a of people around the Northern entrance. Soo Hyuk passed these users and went into the Spire. Then, he climbed up the stairs to the fourth floor. ¡®So, I just walk up to him?¡¯ When Soo Hyuk arrived at the fourth floor, he spotted Kerza behind his station. There was no one lining up in front of him. But since his station wasn¡¯t for ordinary users, it made sense that there was no one in line. While thinking this, Soo Hyuk walked up to Kerza. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Suddenly, an unfamiliar man in a line next to him blocked Soo Hyuk with his arm. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk stopped before he could bump into the man¡¯s arm and looked at the man with a suspicious gaze. ¡°You have to line up.¡± The man said when Soo Hyuk looked at him. When Soo Hyuk heard his words, he could understand what the man was worried about. ¡®Does he think I¡¯m cutting the line?¡± Although Soo Hyuk could understand what the unfamiliar man was worried about, that wasn¡¯t his intention in the first place. ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Soo Hyuk replied as he pushed past the man¡¯s arm and continued heading towards Kerza. Maybe Kerza sensed someone looking at him, when Soo Hyuk was approaching him, he looked up from his work and spotted Soo Hyuk. ¡°You¡¯re finally here!¡± Kerza exclaimed as he stood up. And a message appeared in front Soo Hyuk at that moment. [You have completed the Quest ¡®Immeasurable Talent¡¯.] It was the quest completion message. ¡°Hello.¡± Soo Hyuk greeted Kerza. Kerza signalled him to sit down on the chair opposite him and tidied up his desk. ¡°So¡­. I came here because you told me to.¡± Soo Hyuk just wanted to finish this quickly. He had to get back to the library and his books! ¡°Here you go.¡± Maybe Kerza sensed his mood. After rummaging his drawer for a bit, he handed him an envelope without any introductions. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk looked at the envelope and looked up at Kerza again. Thinking that Soo Hyuk was expecting an explanation, Kerza said. ¡°Take this to the Tower of Poison.¡± As soon as he finished, a message appeared again. [To the Tower of Poison] [The NPC you need to meet is at the Tower of Poison. Take the envelope from Kerza and go to the Tower of Poison!] [Quest Reward: ??? ] [Cannot Reject, Cannot Cancel] Looking at the quest, Soo Hyuk thought. ¡®¡­¡­There¡¯s no time limit.¡¯ Unlike the ¡®Immeasurable Talent¡¯ quest, ¡®To the Tower of Poison¡¯ didn¡¯t have a time limit. ¡®Then do I really have to go?¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t cancel or reject this quest, but that was it. If he wanted, he could probably leave it alone indefinitely. There was no need to cancel or reject. ¡®Phew¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Soo Hyuk replied while sighing and smiling in relief. Then when he received the envelope, two messages appeared. [You have accepted the quest, ¡®To the Tower of Poison¡¯.] [You have obtained ¡®Kerza¡¯s Recommendation¡¯.] After he checked the messages, he stood up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Soo Hyuk bid farewell to Kerza while putting away the envelope. ¡°Yes, have a nice day.¡± After he separated from Kerza, Soo Hyuk headed down to the first floor of the Spire. He was going to head back to the Matab Library. But when he was leaving through the northern entrance, he heard a shout. ¡°W-wait!¡± Soo Hyuk could tell that the owner of the voice was running towards him from his breathlessness and hoarse voice. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk turned around to look for the owner of the voice. ¡®The person from before?¡¯ Soo Hyuk tilted his head when he realised who the owner of the shout was. Soo Hyuk had seen him before, but he didn¡¯t know him either. The person who shouted was the man from the fourth floor who previously blocked Soo Hyuk. ¡°Do you have business with me?¡± Soo Hyuk asked the man with a polite smile. ¡°I-I have something to ask.¡± Then the man¡¯s next words transformed his smile into a heavy frown. * * * ¡®Oh, f*ck.¡¯ Adilo cursed internally. ¡®What is this bullsh*t.¡¯ Why did he have to line up? Adilo was very frustrated at his current situation. Of course, he could skip the line just because he was frustrated. The reason he was lining up, wasn¡¯t because he wanted to take a quest or become a Magician. He wouldn¡¯t be so frustrated if this was the case. The reason he was so annoyed was because he had to line up for another person. ¡°Why did I brag?¡± When he was on lunch break at his company with his colleagues, the topic turned into Pangea. Adilo was currently over level 200. Since the topic was about Pangea, he had bragged about his progress, and the CEO¡¯s son took interest in the conversation. The problem occurred when the CEO¡¯s son asked for help, since he had only just started Pangea. Reject his request? Adilo had only just bought a house with a loan from the company. He couldn¡¯t do it, so he had to help the CEO¡¯s son after work. But he was helping in Pangea¡­¡­ -TheGrandMage: Where are you? -Adilo: I¡¯m lining up at the fourth floor. -TheGrandMage: I¡¯m at the third floor right now. -Adilo: Okay! Adilo replied in the chat and looked towards the staircase. He was waiting for the CEO¡¯s son to come up. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ There was a young man who was ignoring the line. ¡®Cutting the line?¡¯ Was he going to cut the line? ¡°Excuse me.¡± Adilo stretched out his hand to block the young man ¡°¡­¡­?¡± The young man looked at Adilo with a suspicious expression when he was blocked. Noticing his expression, Adilo continued. ¡°You have to line up.¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± The young man pushed aside his hand while replying. Then he continued walking to the front. ¡®If he knows then why?¡­¡­Hmm?¡¯ Why is he still walking if he knows? While having this thought, he followed the young man with his eyes. But when he saw the young man going past the normal station, he was slightly embarrassed and surprised. ¡®But over there¡­¡­¡¯ The young man was heading towards the Head Manager of the fourth floor, Kerza. There were 12 spots where normal users used, and then there were 3 meant for the special users. The young man was greeting Kerza, who manned the station meant for the most special people. ¡°Wha¡­¡­?¡± Why was he sitting there? What kind of person was he? ¡°Park Kyung-Ho?¡± Adilo was pulled out of his thoughts after the familiar voice. ¡°You¡¯ve come.¡± Adilo hurriedly handed his spot back to the CEO¡¯s son. Then he glanced at Kerza¡¯s station. ¡®An envelope?¡¯ Kerza was handing the young man a sealed envelope. What was in the envelope? ¡°What¡¯s over there?¡±, Kim Hyuk, the CEO¡¯s son asked Adilo. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s where people go for special business.¡± ¡°Special business?¡± ¡°Yes, either for people with special jobs or for special quests¡­¡­¡± ¡®Wait¡­¡­F*ck.¡¯ Adilo, who was answering Kim Hyuk, internally cursed again. Because the look in Kim Hyuk¡¯s eyes had changed. ¡®Why did I say that?¡¯ Kim Hyuk was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and he also had a massive ego. He was interested in the special jobs before this, so it was almost impossible for him to not show any interest. Adilo thought that something very nasty was going to come up again. ¡°Then is that person doing something special over there?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And it could be about special jobs?¡± Kim Hyuk asked. ¡°There¡¯s a possibility.¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious about what he¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± Adilo suddenly felt very flustered. ¡°I said I¡¯m curious. About whether if it¡¯s about a special job or not.¡± Kim Hyuk said calmly. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Adilo lamented at Kim Hyuk¡¯s orders. He had said that he was curious. But it also meant something else. ¡°I¡¯ll find out right away.¡± Adilo conceded in a small voice. Kim Hyuk didn¡¯t say anything to Adilo¡¯s reply. He merely tilted his head to the young man. ¡®Now I have to do this as well. Damn it.¡± Adilo swore while he looked over at the special station. The young man was getting up right now. ¡®Well, I was curious too. Hahaha¡­¡­¡¯ Adilo pondered about how he could approach the young man. ¡®How should I ask? He won¡¯t just tell me if I randomly come up to him¡­¡­¡± Should he tell his job first? But it was just a normal job unlike the young man¡¯s. He definitely wouldn¡¯t tell him like that. ¡®Force him?¡¯ There was always that option. There was a high possibility if he threatened with a PK. (TL: Player Kill) If you died in Pangea, you would lose 1 level, three points from all your stats, lose one random possession, and 24-hour inaccessibility penalty. While Adilo was thinking, the young man had already left the fourth floor. Adilo was staring at the staircase where the young man had gone down when he felt a chill down his spine. Kim Hyuk was staring at him with a chilling gaze. Seeing the cold gaze, Adilo hastily made an awkward smile and quickly chased after the young man. ¡°Let¡¯s just ask first.¡± There was the possibility that he would just tell him. Adilo quickly came to a decision while he was in pursuit. ¡®He¡¯s fast.¡¯ Adilo hurriedly looked around the 1st floor. Did he have something urgent? The young man was walking abnormally fast. ¡®There he is!¡¯ Adilo finally managed to spot him near the Northern entrance. ¡°W-wait!¡± Adilo shouted while he ran after him. ¡°¡­¡­Do you have some business with me?¡± ¡°I-I want to ask you something.¡± Adilo hurriedly said when the young man responded. ¡°Can you tell me what you were doing at Kerza¡¯s desk?¡± The young man didn¡¯t immediately reply. But Adilo could also guess the answer from his frown. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Adil¡¯s guess was right. The young man turned around again and walked away. Looking at the young man¡¯s silhouette, Adilo thought. ¡®I knew this would happen.¡¯ It was an obvious conclusion. Who was going to tell what? If he returned now, he going to get reprimanded for not fulfilling the request, giving up too easily, and lack of ability. ¡®Let¡¯s follow him.¡¯ Adilo started tailing the young man from a distance. He could give up, but maybe he could discover something interesting. ¡®But, I¡¯m really curious now as well.¡¯ Adilo thought as he tailed the young man. ¡®What did they talk about? What¡¯s that envelope?¡¯ There was a user who talked with Kerza before. He was now flying his banner as a Midranker. ¡®Should I kill him? He might drop the envelope.¡¯ His mind was wandering to all sorts of thoughts. * * * Soo Hyuk smiled when he reached the library. He had finally taken care of everything. He didn¡¯t need to do any quest or whatever. There was only the bliss of reading books left now. ¡®I understand why he came after me¡­¡­¡¯ Of course, there was still something on his mind. It was the man who came after him at the Spire. ¡®Yeah, I don¡¯t care. It looked like he gave up anyway.¡¯ Getting rid of the thought, Soo Hyuk approached the library entrance. Chapter 32 - Yeon Jungs Guild ¡°Here¡¯s my token.¡± Soo Hyuk walked up to the librarian and opened his inventory. Then he gave the NPC his token and entered the Matab Library. ¡®As expected.¡¯ The library was empty again. Feeling the cosiness of the library, Soo Hyuk leisurely walked to a bookcase full of shining books. ¡®How many months is this going to take?¡¯ Soo Hyuk wondered as he pulled out a book. How much time was he going to take to finish all the books in the library? ¡®1 year?¡¯ The Matab Library truly had thousands of books in its shelves. Of course, there were many books that he had originally read in Oren, but that was a small majority of the books stored here. ¡®I don¡¯t really think I¡¯ll need one year.¡¯ Soo Hyuk shook his head at the thought. He believed that he should be able to finish all the books under one year. Soo Hyuk returned to a desk, while carrying all the books that he had picked. When he arrived at a desk, he quickly sat down and opened a book. [Wisdom has increased by 1.] After he finished the fifth and final book, Soo Hyuk checked the time. ¡®1 hour and 40 minutes. So, 20 minutes for an average size book.¡¯ It didn¡¯t take long to finish all five books. ¡®Looks like I can read 6 books at once if it¡¯s only this thick.¡¯ Most of the books in the library weren¡¯t particularly thick or thin. He felt that he could read six at once as long as he didn¡¯t pick a thick book. And so, Soo Hyuk decided to read six books at once if they weren¡¯t too thick. ¡°Hmm?¡± When Soo Hyuk stood up from his seat, he noticed the notifications in his friends chat. ¡®Yeon Jung sent me some messages.¡¯ Yeon Jung had sent Soo Hyuk some messages while he was reading. ¨C Yeon Jung: What¡¯s up? ¨C Yeon Jung: Why aren¡¯t you answering? ¨C Yeon Jung: Are you reading books? Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t know if Yeon Jung was still online since the chat didn¡¯t show the time they were sent. So, Soo Hyuk checked Yeon Jung¡¯s friend profile. Thankfully, Yeon Jung was still in Pangea, and he hadn¡¯t blocked his friend messages. ¨C Soo Hyuk: What is it? Soo Hyuk sent Yeon Jung a message and waited for his reply. He didn¡¯t wait long as the message came straight after. ¨C Yeon Jung: You book addict! You only reply back after 30 minutes?!¡± Soo Hyuk found out the time Yeon Jung had sent his messages. It was around 30 minutes ago. ¨C Yeon Jung: I made a guild. And from his next message, Soo Hyuk found out the reason behind his messages. ¨C Soo Hyuk: Already? Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. Around one month ago, they once talked about guilds in Pangea. In Pangea, guilds weren¡¯t easy to form, as there were multiple conditions that you had to fulfil. It was harsh to the point where even Yeon Jung, a mid ranker, had to carefully consider them. Yeon Jung had said that he was planning to form one soon. That conversation was one month ago, but he formed one so suddenly? ¨C Yeon Jung: Heh, I had good luck. But something really troublesome came up, so I can¡¯t let you join right now. ¨C Soo Hyuk: Something troublesome? What is it? ¨C Yeon Jung: Do you know ¡®Desolate¡¯? ¨C Soo Hyuk: Of course. Isn¡¯t it the top guild currently? Desolate was the current top guild in Pangea. Rankers that were 1st, 3rd, and 10th all belonged to this guild. ¨C Yeon Jung: We got into a bit of conflict with them. ¨C Soo Hyuk: What? Why? ¨C Yeon Jung: Because of hunting and relationship problems among the members. It¡¯s not to the point of a guild war, but we still swear and insult each other whenever we meet. So I can¡¯t really let you join right now because you could get PKed. Although Soo Hyuk possessed a unique job and had overwhelming wisdom, he was still very vulnerable to player kills. Not to mention that most of the members in Desolate also had unique jobs. And Soo Hyuk¡¯s wisdom still couldn¡¯t compensate for his low level against the rankers. Basically, if Desolate really tried, then they could kill Soo Hyuk easily. ¨C Soo Hyuk: OK Soo Hyuk sent a message in affirmation. He didn¡¯t need to be in a guild. He could just join later. ¡®Well, that¡¯s too bad.¡¯ Although Soo Hyuk was somewhat disappointed at the situation of the guild, he was mainly disappointed in another matter. ¡®I have to get his help with the skill quests.¡¯ Soo hyuk currently possessed many skill quests, and he couldn¡¯t complete a majority of them on his own. But listening to Yeon Jung, it seemed as he couldn¡¯t help him right now. Of course, skill quests also weren¡¯t very urgent. They had no time limit, so he could complete them slowly. ¡®I¡¯m only going to read books anyway.¡¯ He was planning to finish all the books in Matab Library before grinding levels. ¨C Yeon Jung: Sorry. -Soo Hyuk: No worries, but what¡¯s the guild name? Soo Hyuk asked Yeon Jung. Although he wasn¡¯t going to join now, he wanted to know the name since it was Yeon Jung¡¯s guild. Yeon Jung¡¯s reply soon came. ¨C Yeon Jung: Reader * * * ¡°You couldn¡¯t even find out about that?¡± Kim Hyuk rebuked while frowning. ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± As expected, Adilo couldn¡¯t do anything but apologise. ¡°I even waited for you. I invested a lot of time into waiting for you, but you only managed to find his destination?¡± He had already predicted this outcome. Adilo had also got reprimanded by his superiors many times, so he was able to tolerate the insults. ¡°Hey, look at that.¡± ¡°Yeah, what kind of crap show is that? Kekeke.¡± But the ridicule of other users made it more difficult to control his temper. ¡®F*ck.¡¯ Adilo cursed internally while he clenched his fists. ¡®Keep calm. Breathe.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t erupt. He had to endure it. Maybe if he was alone, but he was with Kim Hyuk, the CEO¡¯s son right now. ¡®So, we have to go to the library now?¡¯ Kim Hyuk thought. All the ridicule was going in one ear and going out the other. He knew where the young man was. Kim Hyuk was going to log out when he finished rebuking. Adilo could go to that library in his place. ¡®But what if he moves to another place?¡¯ Kim Hyuk was worried because there was no guarantee that the young man would stay in the library. ¡°Park Dae-Ri.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Adilo replied while waiting for the admonishment to end. Was it finally going to end? ¡°It was just finding out about what he was doing. Is that so hard? How did you even ask, for you to not even find out about that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± It hadn¡¯t ended yet. ¡°If he didn¡¯t talk, then you should¡¯ve just given him some gold for the information. Is gold that precious to you?¡± The users were still laughing and ridiculing them. Listening to all the laughers and insults, Adilo¡¯s anger just kept rising and rising. ¡°Make sure that it doesn¡¯t happen next time.¡± ¡°Yes, I was wrong this time.¡± And the admonishment finally ended. ¡°Hoo¡­¡­¡± Adilo breathed out deeply to expel all his anger. Kim Hyuk had already logged out. ¡®Will he still be there?¡¯ Adilo started heading towards the library. ¡®Please be there¡­¡­¡± He had to find out what the young man had talked about with Kerza. ¡®What if it¡¯s actually some big stuff¡­¡­¡¯ The corners of his mouth tilted up at this thought. * * * ¡°Did they meet?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk asked. ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡­¡± Jang Yool faltered when he tried to answer. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk started to become suspicious after seeing Jang Yool¡¯s behaviour. ¡°Just what is it? For you to be like that.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk stood up from his seat and walked towards Jang Yool. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± But when he saw the monitor next to Jang Yool, he couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head. ¡°Why is he at the library?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk turned to look at Jang Yool. ¡°Why? What happened? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to go to the Tower of Poison? Why is Soo Hyuk at the library?!¡± Yang Joo Hyuk and Jang Yool already knew about how the gathering had ended. They thought he would head to the Tower of Poison. But their expectation was wrong. Soo Hyuk still headed to the same place. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. I also thought that he would go to the Tower of Poison after receiving the quest.¡± Jang Yool couldn¡¯t answer Yang Joo Hyuk¡¯s question. After all, he couldn¡¯t know what Soo Hyuk was thinking. Yang Joo Hyuk didn¡¯t say anything to his reply. He just looked at the monitor again with a lost expression. * * * ¡°Here you go.¡± Adilo handed his ¡®Magician¡¯s Token¡¯ to the NPC librarian and enter the library. Adilo looked around the interior at the desks and bookshelves. It was to find the young man from before. ¡°¡­¡­He¡¯s here!¡± Adilo finally found his target. ¡°Books? Does it have to do with books?¡± The young man was reading a book. Did the envelope say something about books? Adilo approached the young man. While making his footsteps loud, Adilo waited in front of the young man, thinking that he would look up. ¡°¡­¡­¡± But the young man didn¡¯t notice him at all. So he tapped the desk while frowning. Tap! Tap! The sound echoed loudly. But the young man still didn¡¯t look at him. ¡®What is this?¡¯ So Adilo had to cover up the book with hand. At that moment, the young man suddenly looked up with a heavy frown. The young man glared at Adilo and asked. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I have something to ask.¡± ¡°I already answered.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea to change your mind.¡± Adilo said with a cold smile. ¡°No.¡± The young man still didn¡¯t change his mind. He pushed aside Adil¡¯s hand and started reading again. Looking at the young man, Adilo suddenly turned around. ¡°Tch, I would¡¯ve let him live if he told me nicely.¡± Now that he had been rejected again, he would have to resort to death threats now. He would have just let him live if he¡¯d cooperated, but the young man was stubborn to the end. ¡®If only the Library wasn¡¯t a No-PK zone.¡± This person was disgustingly lucky, to head to one of the few PK-restricted zones. He would¡¯ve killed him if that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡®He¡¯ll come out soon.¡¯ The young man had two books around him. If Adilo just patiently waited for a while, he would definitely come out. Since outside the Library, wasn¡¯t PK restricted, he would kill him as soon as he came out. ¡®His envelope has to drop though¡­¡­¡± And so Adilo quietly waited outside the library while praying that the envelope would drop. Chapter 33 - Unexpected Turn of Events I¡¯ll finally be able to see her again. . . . Soo Hyuk read the last passage and closed the book. The white glow of the book disappeared, and a message appeared. [Your satiation had dropped below 50%] ¡°Hmm?¡± Soo Hyuk, who was expecting a wisdom increase, was left flustered at the sudden notice. ¡®Was the book too thin?¡¯ His wisdom probably didn¡¯t increase because the book was too thin. Soo Hyuk stood up and went to lounge area to refill his satiation. When Soo Hyuk arrived at the lounge area, he opened his inventory to eat his soft bread. As he brought out 2 soft bread, he thought. ¡®Looks like I have to buy more bread.¡¯ In his inventory, there was enough bread left for one more reading session. ¡®I¡¯ll buy them tomorrow.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t going to buy them today, as he was planning to just spend the day reading comfortably. Soo Hyuk started to eat the bread calmly. When he finished eating the last crumbs, his satiation rose to to 90%. After he checked his satiation, Soo Hyuk exited the lounge area and went to a bookshelf. Soo Hyuk thought as he pulled out a book. ¡®Is that person waiting outside?¡¯ That stranger had followed him out the Central Spire and had also come to the library almost two hours later. ¡®It¡¯s likely from the way he followed me all the way here.¡¯ Around 1 hour had passed since that strange man had come to the library and pestered Soo Hyuk, but Soo Hyuk still had a feeling that the man was still close by. ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought that it didn¡¯t matter anyway. Even if the man was going to harass him outside, rather than stubbornly not answering, he wasn¡¯t going to exit the library at all. Soo Hyuk pulled out six books from the bookshelf and returned to his desktop read. ¡°When is he going to come out?¡± Adilo said to himself while frowning. ¡°It¡¯s already been an hour.¡± Adilo had patiently waited for an hour, yet there was no sign of the young man coming out at all. ¡°Is he just really slow at reading?¡± Adilo wondered. ¡°Let¡¯s just wait a bit more.¡± Adilo decided to wait a bit more for the sake of the mysterious envelope. 30 minutes passed again. Adilo was still outside, waiting. But one could tell he starting to get irritated from his scary expression. ¡®He should¡¯ve finished that book by now.¡¯ No matter how slow he was, Adilo thought that it would be enough to finish that one book. Eventually, Adilo couldn¡¯t endure anymore and went inside again. ¡°Here you go.¡± Adilo slapped his token at the NPC and stomped inside the library. When he entered the library, he immediately spotted the young man, who was surrounded by books again. Adilo approached the young man while trying to look intimidating. However, the young man didn¡¯t even glance at him again. Adilo had already sort of expected this, so he then checked the books that were piled up on the desk. ¡®This crazy bastard.¡¯ They weren¡¯t the books from 1 hour and a half ago. ¡®He¡¯s reading again.¡¯ They were new books. This made Adilo wonder about whether there were some important secrets in book. ¡®Is there something like a big secret in the books?¡¯ The books did give you wisdom, but it was terribly inefficient. All the users already knew that the levelling was more time efficient than reading. This man probably also knew about it as well, and yet, he was reading a book with five others piled around him. ¡®No, even if there were¡­¡­he¡¯s reading too many books for there a to be a secret hidden in them.¡¯ He had five books before, but now, there were six. Were they somehow all related? ¡®But the titles are all different.¡¯ They weren¡¯t a series or even about the same topic. ¡®Then is it for the wisdom?¡¯ Then there was only one reason left. The wisdom bonuses. (TL: But what about the reason why people read this book? Webnovels like this doesn¡¯t even make you smarter.) ¡®Isn¡¯t that pretty dumb?¡¯ Adilo thought that it was too foolish. ¡®Argh¡­¡­¡¯ Adilo¡¯s face scrunched up. He thought that his head was going to explode from the sheer stupidity of this man. ¡®Such a waste of time.¡¯ Adilo was waiting for the young man to come out of the library to get his envelope. He had waited for than an hour by now. ¡®I can¡¯t just give up like this.¡¯ By now, Adilo wanted the envelope not because of Kim Hyuk, but to satisfy his own curiosity. He had never thought of being so close to the realm of the special class users until now. That was why he wanted to know so badly. ¡®He will most likely leave if I stop him from reading.¡¯ Just because PK was impossible didn¡¯t mean that other aggressive actions were, so Adilo covered the young man¡¯s book with his hand again. When his book was covered, the young man looked up with a hostile glare. ¡°What is it this time?¡± The young man asked with a low voice. ¡°Tell me.¡± Adilo asked with a ¡®polite¡¯ smile. ¡°¡­¡­No.¡± The young man then slapped away his hand and started reading again. Adilo covered it again. The young man looked up again with intense anger written on his face. He then questioned menacingly, ¡°Are going to keep doing this until I tell you?¡± ¡°Yep, are you going to tell me now?¡± The young man didn¡¯t say anything for a while. After glaring at Adilo like he was his most hated nemesis, he just stood up silently. ¡®Is he leaving now?¡¯ Adilo thought while smiling. Was he finally going to leave? But his smile quickly turned into a frown as he watched the young man. The young man was not going outside. ¡®¡­¡­The private room?¡¯ The young man was headed towards the private reading room. Although it charged 5 gold for 1 hour of use, they wouldn¡¯t get interrupted by other people. ¡®Sh*t. This f*cking son of a b*tch.¡¯ Adilo swore crazily as he glared at the young man entering the private room. He couldn¡¯t even watch him now. ¡®Sh*t. I have to log out soon.¡¯ It was almost time to log out. Although he could hold out for longer, the young man couldn¡¯t be interfered now, and he had to go to work early tomorrow. ¡®If only I didn¡¯t have to go to work.¡¯ This was too unlucky. ¡®You better be here tomorrow.¡¯ Adilo glared at the young man one more time and logged out. * * * [5 gold have been spent] [Time left: 60 minutes] Soo Hyuk was smouldering inside while he entered the room. ¡°How much bread is five gold?¡± The main reason he couldn¡¯t do the skill quests was because of gold. After all, he didn¡¯t need to spend gold on a skill that he wasn¡¯t going to use now. Soo Hyuks stingy about gold that way. But now, he was spending gold for a completely nonsensical reason of hiding from a stalker in a game. Soo Hyuk flipped open the first book and thought. ¡®That weirdo wouldn¡¯t still be outside, right?¡¯ But what if he was still there? ¡®I can¡¯t just stay in here forever¡­¡­¡¯ It was impossible to stay in here for long. It was possible for one or two hours, but he needed to pay an unbearable amount of gold that could be used for buying more bread. ¡®Do I have to read next to the NPC?¡¯ The private reading room wasn¡¯t the only way to be uninterrupted. Users wouldn¡¯t be able to be violent around the librarian. In that situation, the librarian¡¯s eject ability will be activated and that person won¡¯t be able to enter the library for a month. ¡®What if he comes back after an hour?¡¯ There librarian wasn¡¯t completely foolproof, because he didn¡¯t always stay in one spot. The librarian would be wandering around the library most of time, and now was one of those times. ¡®No, let¡¯s not worry about it. He can¡¯t keep waiting for me. Let¡¯s just read.¡¯ Getting rid of his worry, Soo Hyuk dived into the book once again. * * * ¨C Kim Hyuk: I¡¯m busy today so I won¡¯t be able to log on today. ¡°Nice!¡± Park Kyung-Ho exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m free from that nightmare today! HAHAHA!¡± Park Kyung-Ho laughed crazily. The reason Park Kyung-Ho was so excited was because he didn¡¯t have to teach that little bastard today. ¡°Now, he should be at the library, right?¡± Park Kyung-Ho had something to do. He had thought that accompanying Kim Hyuk in Pangea would complicate his schedule, but it looked like his worries were unfounded. Park Kyung-Ho put down his smartphone and climbed into his capsule. He thought while he connected to Pangea. ¡®Will he still be at the private room?¡¯ When he logged on to Pangea, Park Kyung-Ho no, Adilo went straight away to the library. When he entered the library, Adilo dashed straight to the private rooms and checked if they were available. ¡®He¡¯s not here?¡¯ The young man wasn¡¯t in the private room today. After checking the private rooms, Adilo headed to the common reading area to see if he was here. Adilo found the young man not long after. ¡®Where is he going?¡¯ Adilo had just caught him walking outside the library. Adilo didn¡¯t know where he was heading, but that wasn¡¯t important right now. What mattered was the fact that he was heading outside. Adilo followed the young man outside at a distance. When they came outside, Adilo quietly closed the distance while planning his next move. ¡®An electro ball should be enough to one-shot him.¡¯ (TL: think pokemon) The young man¡¯s level was not that high. The reason Adilo thought that was because the young man¡¯s equipment only consisted of common clothes and a low-grade leather armour. It was the gear that you got from the tutorial village. Literally no one except the newbies would wear them. Adilo thought that no matter how high his level was, it was level 40 at most. A level 40 coupled with a Magician¡¯s low vitality and his low-level equipment would be instantly killed with just an electro ball from Adilo. ¡°Electro ball.¡± Adilo conjured an electro ball as soon as he was close enough. When the electro ball was fully formed, he dashed madly towards the young man and threw the electro ball. ¡®What will he drop?¡¯ Adilo wondered with a sinister smile as he watched the electro ball fly towards the young man. In his mind, the young man¡¯s death was already guaranteed. ¡®He better drop the envelope.¡¯ [You have attacked user ¡®Soo Hyuk¡¯.] [Your relationship user ¡®Soo Hyuk¡¯ has fallen to ¡®hostile¡¯.] The electro ball exploded. ¡®So, his name is Soo Hyuk.¡¯ Adilo found out Soo Hyuk¡¯s character name from his attack. ¡®What will he drop?¡¯ Adilo stared at the explosion while he tilted his head in thought. What items would he drop? ¡°¡­¡­?¡± But when the dust cleared, Adilo could still see Soo Hyuk safe and sound. ¡®What? He didn¡¯t die?¡¯ He was convinced that the attack had hit Soo Hyuk. But he didn¡¯t die. ¡®How¡­¡­?¡¯ Adilo quickly shook his head to clear his mind and activated electro ball again. ¡°Electro ball.¡± Although he didn¡¯t know why Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t die, he quickly aimed the electro ball at Soo Hyuk again. The spell cackled with electricity as it flew through the air. But as it was nearing Soo Hyuk, something completely unexpected happened. As the electro ball was about to hit Soo Hyuk, green gas filled the air instantly. The electro ball exploded at the moment it hit the green gas, but the explosion was nullified by the gas. ¡®¡­¡­What is that?!¡¯ Adilo panicked at the sudden appearance of the mysterious green gas. When he was desperately trying to figure out his next action, the green gas engulfed Adilo and messages started to appear. [You have been poisoned by the Blood Troll¡¯s Poison.] [You have been inflicted bleed for 1 minute.] [You have been poisoned by the Red Snake Kapouri¡¯s Poison.] [You have been paralysed for 5 minutes.] * * * The Tower of Poison. ¡°He still hasn¡¯t arrived yet?¡± Pavian asked. ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡± Kale answered. He was at a loss as well. ¡°Didn¡¯t he get the envelope?¡± ¡°Yes, he did.¡± ¡°Then why isn¡¯t he coming?!¡± Kale was trying to come up with reasons as to why the new talent still hadn¡¯t arrived as Pavian fired off question nonstop. ¡°Well, he did leave the Spire¡­¡­¡± The Central Spire had contacted them and said that the new talent had left already. Did something happen on the way? ¡°Haa¡­¡­¡± Pavian sighed deeply. ¡°The Central Spire isn¡¯t even that far from here. Enough time should¡¯ve passed for someone to arrive at the tower with plenty of time left over. So why wasn¡¯t he here yet?! ¡°Wait,¡± ¡®Could it be¡­¡­¡¯ Pavian suddenly froze. It was like he had been struck by lightning. ¡°Kidnapped?¡± Chapter 34 - The Lord of Poison ¡°Maybe he got kidnapped!¡± Pavian stood up and said to Kale. ¡°Kidnapped?¡± Kale couldn¡¯t understand Pavian¡¯s words for a while. Kidnapped? What did he mean? ¡°Yes! Kidnapped! He got kidnapped on the way!¡± Being kidnapped, it was a perfectly plausible explanation. After all, wasn¡¯t he a once-in-a-century immeasurable talent? ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s definitely possible.¡± Kale nodded to Pavian after considering his words. ¡°I should have gone myself!¡± Now fully convinced that Soo Hyuk had been kidnapped, Pavian grinded his teeth as he muttered. If Pavian had been there, then the safety of the new talent would¡¯ve been guaranteed! After all, who would dare to kidnap someone under a Spire Lord¡¯s care? Even other Spire Lords wouldn¡¯t be able to. ¡°Kale!¡± Pavian yelled. ¡°Yes!¡± Kale answered. ¡°Find him!¡± Pavian yelled again. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Kale rushed out of the room as soon as he answered. After Kale left, Pavian sat down again and thought. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ Who would dare to kidnap the immeasurable talent? ¡®I don¡¯t know for sure, but.¡¯ Pavian pulled out a bunch of vials from his sleeves. ¡®I¡¯ll kill him.¡¯ (TL: I like him.) He wouldn¡¯t kill them straight away. He would slowly torture them with poison until they begged to be killed. Pavian would then finally kill them with the most painful method he knew. Pavian finished pulling out all sorts of vials from his clothes and started double-checking all his personal poison for the upcoming torture. * * * ¡°What, really?¡± Kale asked again. ¡°Ye-¡° ¡°This isn¡¯t time for jokes. He¡¯s seriously angry this time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really not joking sir.¡± Kale was speechless at the Magician¡¯s words. Like Pavian, he had also been fully convinced that the immeasurable was kidnapped, but the Magician¡¯s words changed everything. Kale had sent teams of Magicians varying from Rank 1 to Rank 6 to investigate. They were finally able to locate the talent. He wasn¡¯t kidnapped, or in any sort of trouble. ¡°He went to the library?¡± The immeasurable talent had gone to the Matab Library. ¡°Why did he go there? Why didn¡¯t he come straight here? Why would he do that?¡± Kale felt like he was going crazy. Why didn¡¯t he go straight to the Tower of Poison? ¡°I¡¯ll continue my work then.¡± Kale¡¯s subordinate, Rank 1 Magician Peru said. ¡°Okay, but it¡¯s true, right?¡± Kale asked again as he held up a piece of paper. ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s true.¡± Peru answered. He then said goodbye and and exited the room. Kale stared at Peru¡¯s back as he exited and turned his head towards the piece of paper. ¡°Eheww¡­¡­¡± Kale sighed deeply and also went out of the room. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t deceive me like that.¡± After coming out of Peru¡¯s room with the paper in hand, he headed to Spire Lord Pavian¡¯s room. But when he arrived outside the room, his face crumbled. ¡®What is this¡­¡­¡¯ There was a fishy smell coming from the room. ¡®Is he concocting a new kind of poison?¡¯ Kale couldn¡¯t recognise the smell even though he was the Vice Lord. Just in case, Kale wrapped his mana around him to protect himself and knocked on the door. ¡°Wait a bit!¡± Kale heard Pavian¡¯s voice from inside the room. ¡°You can come in now!¡± Kale opened the door at Pavian¡¯s words. As soon as he entered, his mana cloak changed colour. ¡°¡­¡­Woah.¡± Kale was shocked at the phenomena. ¡®What did he make?¡¯ If Pavian told Kale to wait, then it was definitely dangerous. It looked like Pavian couldn¡¯t fully get rid of the poison, but that tiny bit of poison managed to change the colour of Kale¡¯s mana. It was definitely an extremely dangerous poison. Pavian was sitting inside with a dignified expression. ¡°Did you find him?¡± ¡°Yes, please look at this.¡± Kale handed the sheet of paper to Pavian. Pavian received the paper and looked at the information. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Pavian¡¯s dignified expression turned into a confused one as he kept reading. ¡°What?¡± Pavian exclaimed. Kale opened his mouth to explain to Pavian. ¡°It¡¯s exactly as it¡¯s written.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Then he wasn¡¯t kidnapped?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kale nodded. Kale then tiled his head. Pavian wasn¡¯t saying anything. ¡°Haa¡­¡­¡± Pavian sighed deeply. ¡°What a relief.¡± He had thought that the immeasurable talent was kidnapped, but it seemed like this wasn¡¯t the case. It was truly a relief for Pavian. ¡°Okay. But why did he go to the library?!¡± The paper said that he had gone to the library, but not why. ¡°I think we have to ask that ourselves.¡± Kale also didn¡¯t know the reason. ¡°Okay!¡± Pavian stood up energetically. ¡°I¡¯ll bring him here now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Really?¡± Kale couldn¡¯t help but do a double take. ¡°Will you be going personally?¡± ¡°Yep. I want to move my body around a bit.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I understand. Then I¡¯ll go prepare¡­¡­¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to prepare anything. I¡¯ll just go now.¡± As Pavian said that, the staff on the corner of the room flew over to his hand. ¡®Now, where exactly is the library?¡¯ Pavian tried to recall where the library was. But since he had visited the library a long time ago, he couldn¡¯t remember fully. In the end, he just chose a warp circle near the library. Whoosh! Pavian looked around him when he arrived at his first destination. ¡®It¡¯s been a while.¡¯ Pavian could see the library towering near him. He started to walk to the library. ¡°Hmm?¡± Pavian suddenly stopped, and a massive amount of mana erupted from him. ¡®Who dares?¡¯ To fire a spell in Matab, you needed to be at least a Rank 1 Magician and you also had to be registered in the Spire. Pavian felt a magical fluctuation that wasn¡¯t of like Rank 1 Magician. Pavian turned towards where he felt the magic fluctuation and rushed there. ¡®Which bastard is it?!¡¯ Who was using magic so blatantly? ¡°It¡¯s that bastard! Who¡¯s he attacking¡­huh?¡± When he saw who the magic was aimed at, he couldn¡¯t help but help panic greatly. ¡®Why¡­¡­¡¯ It was someone who should not be here. The individual he had seen countless times through pictures. Pavian¡¯s goal for coming here. It was the young man with immeasurable talent. ¡°Electro ball.¡± Pavian heard a voice and felt a great burst of magic at the same time. Pavian hastily made a poison fog inside his palm and unleashed it towards the spell. ¡®This retarded son of a b*tch!¡¯ The electro ball was drowned in the poison fog and extinguished. Pavian then pounced menacingly at the caster like a war god and howled, ¡°Junior you dare!!!¡± * * * [You are paralysed for 2 seconds.] [You were attacked by user ¡®Adilo¡¯.] [Your relationship with user ¡®Adilo¡¯ is now ¡®hostile¡¯.] Soo Hyuk on his to buy some bread. But a message suddenly appeared as he lost feeling in his body. ¡®What?¡¯ He panicked. ¡®Adilo?¡¯ Soo Hyuk looked at the message. The attacker was called Adilo. He wanted to see what he looked like, but he couldn¡¯t move straight away as he was paralysed. But when he checked his stats, he was shocked. ¡®F*ck, this crazy bastard.¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but swear at the attacker. His original 3000 health was reduced to a dangerous 500. 2500 were gone in one attack. 2 seconds passed agonizingly slowly. When he wasn¡¯t paralyed anymore, Soo Hyuk quickly rolled away to look at the attacker. He had to know who this crazy ¡®Adilo¡¯ was. When Soo Hyuk rolled away and turned to look at the battlefield, he saw many things. ¡®That creepy stalker?¡¯ First, Soo Hyuk could recognise the attacker. It was the creepy stalker that followed himto the library and threatened him. ¡®Am I going to die?¡¯ Second, he could see the second electro ball cackling with electricity fly towards him. 500 health left, was he going to die like this? ¡°Hmm?¡± Third, Soo Hyuk noticed a green fog that suddenly appeared in front of the electro ball. Soo Hyuk tilted his head in confusion at the sudden appearance of the fog. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ When the green fog expanded, he couldn¡¯t see Adilo anymore. But the green fog had blocked the electro ball for him. Soo Hyuk hurriedly looked around him to check who his saviour was, but he couldn¡¯t see anyone that might¡¯ve fired the fog. Since Adilo hadn¡¯t fired it, it must have been someone else. ¡®Who was it?¡¯ But then, he heard a crazy shout. ¡°Junior you dare!!!¡± Soo Hyuk finally found the person. He was angrily staring at where Adilo was with a look that could kill. Although he couldn¡¯t see Adilo now, he was sure that the unfamiliar man was glaring at Adilo. Who was he? ¡®But¡­¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk turned his head to stare at the mass of green fog again. ¡®This guy is insane.¡¯ He didn¡¯t think that Adilo would try to kill him because he didn¡¯t answer his question. Soo Hyuk found this too absurd. What if the other man hadn¡¯t been able to save him? He would¡¯ve died. ¡®If only I was stronger than him.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought. What if he was stronger than Adilo? Adilo wouldn¡¯t even dare to make a move. This had all happened because he was too weak. ¡®I have to be an Archmage quicker.¡¯ Originally, Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t have any plans for hunting yet. He was going to read all the books in Matab Library before he tried to become an Archmage. But it looked like he had to adjust his schedule. This type of incident didn¡¯t happen often. In fact, it could never happen again. But it wasn¡¯t set in stone. There was always that possibility. Soo Hyuk decided to level up to prepare for the future. And when Soo Hyuk just made the decision, the green fog dissipated. When the fog disappeared fully, Soo Hyuk saw an unexpected scene. Adilo, who could casually fire an attack that almost killed him, was lying down on the ground, dead. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Soo Hyuk turned away from the corpse to the mysterious man that saved him. ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you so much.¡± Soo Hyuk sincerely thanked the man for saving him. ¡°No, I¡¯m the one that¡¯s thankful. You could have been hurt after all.¡± But when the mysterious man replied, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t understand what he meant. ¡®He knows me?¡¯ He thought that the man had just saved him on a whim. But it seemed like there was more to the story. ¡°Do you perhaps, know me?¡± Soo Hyuk asked. In reply to his question, the man just smiled widely. ¡°¡­¡­Do you know who I am?¡± The man questioned back. ¡®Huh? Do I know him?¡¯ But Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t recognise his face no matter how hard he racked his brain. ¡°No, it¡¯s my first time meeting you¡­¡­¡± If there was one thing he was confident of, it was his memory. Soo Hyuk was sure that it was his first time seeing this man. Soo Hyuk spent most of his in the library, so he didn¡¯t even meet a lot of people. ¡°So, I don¡¯t know who you are¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk¡¯s voice trailed off as he continued speaking. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡­¡± The strange man laughed in response to his words. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this. Aren¡¯t you too cut off from the world?¡± The mysterious man then continued, ¡°My name is Pavian.¡± ¡°Pavian?¡± Pavian, he had heard that somewhere before. Soo Hyuk desperately tried to recall where he had heard it from. Then Soo Hyuk suddenly froze, and slowly looked up at the mysterious man. ¡°The Poison Spire Lord?¡± Chapter 35 - Fireball Pavian, the Poison Spire Lord was named Pavian. ¡°Are you the Poison Spire Lord?¡± Soo Hyuk asked Pavian. He wanted to check if he was really talking with a Spire Lord or not. ¡°Yes! So you do know my name!¡± Pavian answered energetically while smiling. At that moment a message appeared in front of Soo Hyuk. [The Poison Spire Lord has a good impression of you.] [Your relationship with Pavian has risen.] ¡®¡­¡­Huh.¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but panic at his situation. The person in front of him wasn¡¯t just a random user on the street. It was the Poison Spire Lord, one of the leaders of Matab City. Soo Hyuk checked his quest tab while carefully watching Pavian. [To the Tower of Poison] [The NPC you need to meet is at the Tower of Poison. Take the envelope from Kerza and go to the Tower of Poison!] [Quest Reward: ??? ] [Cannot Reject] [Cannot Cancel] ¡®Is it because of this?¡¯ The reason for Pavian¡¯s sudden appearance was most likely because of this quest. No, it was certain. Nothing else could explain this situation. ¡°You have the envelope that Kerza gave you, right?¡± Pavian asked. Soo Hyuk, who was looking at his quest tab, nodded in response to his question. ¡°Yes.¡± Soo Hyuk still had the envelope. It was ¡®Kerza¡¯s Recommendation¡¯. ¡°Can I see it?¡± Soo Hyuk opened his inventory according to Pavian¡¯s words. But when he brought out the envelope, he thought. ¡®Is it okay to give it to him? What if the quest doesn¡¯t get completed¡­¡­¡¯ To complete the quest, he had to go to the Tower of Poison and give the envelope to an NPC. Even if Pavian was the Lord of the Tower of Poison, was it okay to give the envelope to him? What if the quest still didn¡¯t get completed? What would he do then? ¡®No, it¡¯ll be fine.¡¯ The conditions of a quest could change depending on the circumstances. He could complete the quest by talking to an NPC at the tower. Similarly, he could also talk to Pavian right now, who was also an NPC of the Tower. Worst-case scenario, he could just talk to Kerza again and get another recommendation letter from him. After finally deciding, Soo Hyuk handed the envelope to Pavian. When Pavian received the envelope, a message appeared again. [You have completed ¡®To the Tower of Poison¡¯.] The quest was completed as expected. Soo Hyuk turned to watch Pavian again. Pavian was currently reading the note inside the envelope. Suddenly, he smiled and shouted. ¡°¡­¡­YES!¡± What made him so glad? While Soo Hyuk was pondering that question, Pavian had put away the note and said to Soo Hyuk. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Beg your pardon?¡± Soo Hyuk did a double take at his words. Let¡¯s go? Go where? ¡®The Tower of Poison?¡¯ Soo Hyuk suddenly had an uncomfortable feeling. ¡°To the Tower of course. We have lots of tests to run. Come on.¡± Pavian said excitedly to Soo Hyuk. ¡°Um¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk interrupted. * * * ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kale looked at Pavian curiously. ¡°Why are you alone?¡± Kale was confused because Pavian had come alone despite saying that he was going to bring the new talent. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡­¡± Pavian trail off. Then he smiled and continued. ¡°He¡¯s more interesting than I thought.¡± ¡°Pardon? Interesting?¡± Interesting? Kale couldn¡¯t understand what Pavian was talking about. Pavian continued while Kale was confused. ¡°Yep. He said he had something to do first so he would come tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Did you at least find out who he is?¡± ¡°Of course. That why I said he was interesting.¡± * * * ¡°Have a good day, sir!¡± ¡°Yes, have a nice day!¡± After he came out of the bakery, he headed towards the library again. ¡®2 hours and 30 minutes.¡¯ He had 2 hours and 30 minutes left until his log out time. He still had to log out 2 hours and 40 minutes later even if he extended his time as much as possible. It was because the had a rare family gathering this evening. When he arrived at the library, he reviewed the day¡¯s events. Unlike usual, today was really hectic. From attempted PKs to a meeting with a Spire Lord and a new quest as well. ¡®Tomorrow huh.¡¯ Soo Hyuk checked the quest Pavian had given him. [Pavian¡¯s Respect] [Pavian has respected your wishes. Find Pavian tomorrow!] [Time left: 24 hours] [Quest Reward: ??? ] [Cannot Reject] [Cannot Cancel] It was a quest automatically generated from delaying another quest. If he still had more time left, he would¡¯ve gone. However, the log out time was already set, so he couldn¡¯t go if he didn¡¯t know how long it would take. If he was late, his parents would be disappointed, and things would get complicated. But much to his relief, Pavian was nice enough to delay it to tomorrow. ¡®Hmm, how should I allocate my time?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought with a frown. ¡®I have to go to the Tower of Poison, read books, and hunt now as well.¡¯ Soo Hyuk was going to change his schedule from now on. Originally, most of his time was spent reading, but now, Soo Hyuk was willing to invest time into levelling as well. Soo Hyuk was going to read all the books in the Matab Library first, but that all changed due to the PK incident earlier today. ¡®Let¡¯s read in the morning, hunt in the afternoon, and then read again in the evening.¡¯ Soo Hyuk set his schedule like this first. Just because he said he was going to hunt didn¡¯t mean that he would automatically be able to hunt. He had to slowly learn. ¡®Since I have to go to the tower tomorrow, I¡¯ll have to see how it goes.¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t just adapt to the new schedule straight away. There was also the fact that he had a promise with the Poison Spire Lord tomorrow. ¡°Here you go.¡± Soo Hyuk passed his token to the librarian and went inside. ¡®I can read around 7 books today.¡¯ Soo Hyuk headed straight to a bookshelf. He had around 2 hours and 30 minutes left. This was enough to finish 7 books with a couple of minutes to spare. * * * BEEP! BEEP! The alarm rang inside the room. Soo Hyuk woke to the sound of his alarm and struggled to get up. He still had a hangover from last night. ¡°¡­¡­Mmm.¡± After he got up, Soo Hyuk left his room to quench his thirst. After he left the room, he glanced towards the porch. ¡®So they left already.¡¯ Soo Hyuk could only see his shoes on the shoe shelf near the entrance. ¡®Will they be okay? They drank a lot more than me.¡¯ Soo Hyuk was worried about his parents who had drank more than him last night. Soo Hyuk then climbed to the 3rd floor and started stretching to prepare for a workout. ¡®Let¡¯s go to Matab now.¡¯ He didn¡¯t have to wait until the exact time he had promised. After all, the quest only said to come the next day. ¡®Although the ¡®tests¡¯ worry me slightly.¡¯ Test, Pavian had used the word test. ¡®I hope it¡¯s nothing weird.¡¯ He hoped that the ¡®tests¡¯ that Pavian was going to make him do were nothing weird. Banishing those thoughts, Soo Hyuk finished exercising and took a shower. When he returned to his room, Soo Hyuk checked his phone. There were multiple new messages. After replying to the messages, he climbed into his capsule and logged onto Pangea. When his vision cleared, he found himself in the familiar surroundings of the Matab Library. His eyes wandered over to the bookshelves near him, but in the end he headed outside. After receiving his token, he opened his quest tab. ¡¯10 hours.¡¯ He had 10 hours left to complete the quest. However, his aim in opening his quest tab wasn¡¯t to check the time, as it wasn¡¯t important right now. What he wanted to do, was to complete the skill quests from the Door of Fire. The only skill he had right now was ¡®Magic Missile¡¯. ¡®If I¡¯m hunting¡­¡­¡¯ The cooldown for magic missile was 10 seconds. He wouldn¡¯t bother unlocking the other skills if it had no cooldown, but since it did, he had to have other skills in his arsenal. It wasn¡¯t that hunting was impossible with only magic missile. In fact, it would be extremely easy. With his overwhelming wisdom and the ¡®Archmage¡¯ passive, he could easily crush any beginner monster with ease. But what if it missed? Then he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything, even with his stats. His physical stats were low, so he could only desperately try to fend off the monster while his skill recharged. He currently had many skill quests that he could attempt, but he could only complete one right now. ¡®It¡¯s the fire ball.¡¯ Soo Hyuk could only complete the ¡®Fire Ball¡¯ quest now, since all the other quests required different conditions like rare items or monsters. ¡®Let¡¯s just do the fireball quest now.¡¯ The Fireball quest that he didn¡¯t complete because he never felt the need was finally completed at this moment. [Fireball] Proficiency: Level 1 (0%) Special Effects: 20% chance to burn your target. Mana: 150 Cooldown: 15 seconds Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t bother with the proficiency, effects or mana, since he was going to one-shot the monsters anyway, besides, his wisdom allowed him to possess a massive amount of mana in reserve as well. ¡®15 seconds¡­¡­¡¯ That meant that Soo Hyuk only cared about the cooldown time. ¡®10 seconds, 15 seconds.¡¯ The magic missile was 10 seconds and the fireball was 15 seconds. In 30 seconds, Soo Hyuk could fire magic missile 3 times and the fire ball 2 times. ¡®That means that on a one-shot basis, I can hunt 5 monsters.¡¯ He could hunt 5 monsters in 30 seconds. ¡®That¡¯s not bad¡­¡­¡¯ 5 monsters in 30 seconds wasn¡¯t slow. Plus, the monsters were going to be around mid-level so his rate of growth would be fast. ¡®If only the experience was the same as the regular jobs¡­¡­¡¯ Unlike normal jobs, special jobs required more experience to level up, but this wasn¡¯t always the case, as all special jobs were unique in their own way. However, usually the stronger the class was, the more experience they needed to level up. In Soo Hyuk¡¯s mind, the Archmage¡¯s Descendant was an awesome, unique job, even among other special jobs, so it made sense for it to require a greater amount of experience to level up. While he was lost in thought, Soo Hyuk finally arrived at his destination. ¡®So I have to go to the fourth floor and show this token?¡¯ Pavian told Soo Hyuk to come up to the 4th floor and show them the token that he had given him. So Soo Hyuk followed Pavian¡¯s instructions and headed up to the 4th floor. When he arrived at the 4th floor, he saw a man and a woman guarding the entrance. When they saw Soo Hyuk, the man showed a suspicious expression while the woman showed a surprised one. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± The man opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. It was because the woman had covered his mouth with her hand before he could say anything. ¡°¡­¡­¡± At the woman¡¯s actions, the man turned to stare suspiciously at her, but the woman didn¡¯t show any reaction. No, the woman didn¡¯t even notice that the man was staring at her. She was still watching Soo Hyuk intensely. After a few seconds, the woman opened her mouth to speak. Chapter 36 - Hunting Start! ¡°Do you perhaps have an appointment with master¡­¡­¡± The man, who was eyeing the woman with a suspicious glare, swung his head around and scrutinized Soo Hyuk with a surprised expression after hearing her words. ¡°Yes.¡± In response to the woman¡¯s words, Soo Hyuk opened his inventory and showed them the token that Pavian had given him. Surprise once again appeared on their faces as they inspected the token in Soo Hyuk¡¯s hands. ¡°I¡¯ll guide you to master.¡± The woman said to Soo Hyuk. She started walking further into the floor and Soo Hyuk hurriedly followed her. * * * ¡°Team leader!¡± Yang Joo Hyuk, who was concentrating on his work, jumped at Jang Yool¡¯s sudden shout. Yang Joo Hyuk then raised his head to look at Jang Yool with a frown. ¡°What?¡± ¡°This¡­¡­this¡­¡­this is too strange!¡± Jang Yool stammered. Yang Joo Hyuk began to feel anxious from his tone of voice. ¡®¡­¡­What happened this time?¡¯ This wasn¡¯t the first time Jang Yool had erupted like this. He had previously erupted two times before. The previous incident¡¯s impact had almost crashed the official Pangea forums. Just what had happened this time? ¡°I think there¡¯s a bug.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk, who was wondering what had happened, jumped up from his seat at Jang Yool¡¯s words. ¡°Bug? There¡¯s a bug?¡± Bugs? Yang Joo Hyuk wondered what the big deal was this time. But this was too out of the blue for him. ¡°Really?¡± No, the suddenness wasn¡¯t a problem for now. The problem was the severity of Jang Yool¡¯s reaction. Yang Joo Hyuk hastily went over to Jang Yool¡¯s desk. ¡°Look at this!¡± Jang Yool exclaimed when Yang Joo Hyuk arrived next to him. He was pointing at the fourth monitor. Yang Joo Hyuk tilted his head when he looked at it. ¡°¡­¡­What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°This is the Poison Master¡¯s Blessing, right?¡± ¡°Yep, it is.¡± ¡°The Archmage¡¯s Descendant just got it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk said with a small voice. Some special jobs received special perks the moment they changed into them. The Poison Master was one of them. ¡°The Archmage¡¯s Descendant got the Poison Master¡¯s Blessing?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± When Yang Joo Hyuk heard the tone of his voice, it really seemed to be true. ¡°Wait.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk hastily returned to his seat. Yang Joo Hyuk started typing furiously on his keyboard before his butt hit his chair. Then he stopped abruptly. He was frowning heavily. ¡°It¡¯s not a bug.¡± He confirmed to Jang Yool. ¡°What? It¡¯s not a bug?¡± Jang Yool panicked at Yang Joo Hyuk¡¯s words. The Archmage¡¯s Descendant had somehow gotten his hands on the Poison Master¡¯s unique perk. And yet, it wasn¡¯t a bug? ¡°If you consider it, it¡¯s not an exclusive perk that Poison Masters get. It¡¯s something the Poison Spire Lord gives. It¡¯s just that Poison Masters are guaranteed to get it when they¡¯re promoted. So, you don¡¯t have to be a Poison Master to get the blessing¡­¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk trailed off. ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± Jang Yool¡¯s voice also trailed off. ¡°What if¡­¡­¡± Jang Yool continued. ¡°The other blessings¡­¡­?¡± The Poison Magician exclusive job, ¡®Poison Master¡¯. Other than the Poison Master, there were also exclusive jobs for the other nine elements, and correspondingly, nine other blessings. ¡°Hmm.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk nodded slowly. Then Jang Yool replied with a surprised tone. ¡°What the heck.¡± * * * ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay. Tell me if there¡¯s anything you need!¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll get going now.¡± Soo Hyuk said goodbye to Pavian and left his room. After leaving the room, he opened his quest tab. [The 30-Day Endeavor] [You, who lacks poison resistance! Pavian will boost your immunity. Take Pavian¡¯s poison once a day!] [Take Pavian¡¯s Special Poison: 0 / 30 ] [Quest Reward: Title ¨C Poison Maestro ] The tests Pavian mentioned. It was taking poison. It¡¯s aim was to increase Soo Hyuk¡¯s poison resistance. Why he had to increase his resistance he didn¡¯t know, but he had no reason to refuse if it was safe. ¡°I guess ill have to come back tomorrow as well¡­¡­¡±¡¯ The one thing he didn¡¯t like was the time. He had to take poison once a day for 30 days, so he had to visit the Tower of Poison every day, for 30 days. ¡®Well, at least taking poison doesn¡¯t take that long.¡¯ The good thing was that he only had to stay over at the Tower of Poison for a short period of time each visit. ¡®The time is¡­¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk checked the time as he left the Tower of Poison. ¡®Should I read? Or hunt?¡¯ Soo Hyuk had decided to read in the morning, hunt in the afternoon, and read again in the evening. But the current schedule was too tight with the addition of the new quest. ¡®Let¡¯s just go hunting.¡¯ In the end, Soo Hyuk decided to go hunting. It was because reading now conflicted too much with the time allocations of his new schedule. Soo Hyuk opened his character tab after deciding to hunt. User: Soo Hyuk Occupation: Archmage¡¯s Descendant Level: 10 Experience: 0% Health: 3040 Mana: 36620 Satiation: 72% Strength: 14 Agility: 15 Stamina: 58 Wisdom: 1831 After he became a Magician he hadn¡¯t hunted even once. Because of this, he was still level 10. ¡®The wild dogs are too weak for me to level quickly.¡¯ In the Southern Beginner Hunting Grounds, there were rabbits and wild dogs to hunt. Although the dogs were suitable to hunt until level 12, Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t think so. The reason the suitable hunting level was level 12 was because it was relatively safe, but it didn¡¯t really matter for him. ¡®It¡¯s either the Western or the Eastern Hunting Grounds.¡¯ The Western and Eastern Hunting Grounds. They weren¡¯t for beginners anymore. It was a place where users around level 20 to 30 hunted. ¡®The Eastern one is closer, so I¡¯ll go there.¡¯ The Tower of Poison was situated in the Eastern part of the city. That meant that the Eastern Hunting Ground was closer to Soo Hyuk. After he decided on his destination, Soo Hyuk started walking towards the Eastern Hunting Ground. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a party! I¡¯m a level 20 Healing Magician! I¡¯ve already learnt 3 spells!¡± ¡°Looking for a Water Magician who can cast Ice Fog! I¡¯m a Lightning Magician!¡± Soo Hyuk arrived at the Eastern Hunting Ground not long after heading out. He could see numerous users searching for party members at the entrance. Of course, Soo Hyuk passed by them without a thought as he had no intention of joining a party. As he entered the hunting ground, Soo Hyuk could see users hunting foxes. While he watched the various users hunting, he thought. ¡®Hunting 5 in 30 seconds is going to be hard.¡¯ Was it because there were a lot of users? Or was it originally like this? There were fewer foxes then Soo Hyuk had initially thought. He thought that he could easily hunt 5 in 30 seconds but realised that it wasn¡¯t realistic. It wasn¡¯t a matter of cooldown, Soo Hyuk realised as he began to search for foxes. ¡°Wah, isn¡¯t that the Poison Tower robe?¡± ¡°Is he a Poison Magician?¡± ¡°Huh, is he actually going to use poison?¡± ¡°Hey, at least he can catch the foxes. But anything beyond wolves¡­¡­¡± ¡°Kekeke.¡± Soo Hyuk heard the nearby users whispers while he was resting after hunting. Soo Hyuk knew that they were laughing at him, because he was wearing the poison tower robe. The robe that Spire Lord Pavian had given him. ¡°Magic missile.¡± Soo Hyuk fired a missile at a nearby fox he had found. The magic missile flew at a high speed and struck the fox. The fox was killed in one hit. Soo Hyuk saw the rare drop window after the fox was killed. [You have acquired: ] ¨C 1 fox pelt Soo Hyuk had gotten a piece of fox skin. When he turned around, he could see the users murmuring amongst each other. Was it because he had killed the fox in one hit? None of them were laughing now. They just stared at the dead fox and then turned to stare at Soo Hyuk with wide eyes. Smiling at their reactions, Soo Hyuk just turned around and started searching for more foxes. ¡®How much has it risen.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he opened his character tab. He wanted to check how much experience he had gained, but when he saw his character profile, he stopped dead in his tracks. ¡®1%?!¡¯ His 0% experience had risen to 1%. In disbelief he closed his character tab and opened it again. But he hadn¡¯t seen wrong. ¡®¡­¡­5 times more?¡¯ The reason he closed and opened his character tab was because his experience had only risen by 1%. If a level 10 player with a normal job hunted a fox, his experience would rise by 5%. That meant he would be level 11 after hunting 20 foxes. ¡®Even if it¡¯s a special job, 5 times is too much!¡¯ Special jobs did require more experience to level up, but Soo Hyuk believed that 5 times more completely blew the scale out of proportion. Normal jobs only had to hunt 20 foxes, but he had to hunt 100. ¡°This is bullshit.¡± Soo Hyuk cursed. 100 foxes? ¡®No, it just means that my job is that much better.¡¯ Soo Hyuk tried to convinced himself. The amount of experience required to level up differed from job to job, but the better jobs usually required more experience. The Archmage¡¯s Descendant required five times more experience to level up. That just meant that it was that good. ¡®And I can kill them in one hit anyway.¡¯ One hit with his magic was enough to kill them. That meant it wouldn¡¯t necessarily take a long time to hunt 100 foxes. In fact, it could be faster than some normal jobs. Soo Hyuk closed his character tab and stared off into the distance. ¡®Should I go further in and hunt wolves?¡¯ If a user ventured a little further, wolves would start to appear. Wolves were stronger than foxes but they also gave more experience. That meant Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t have to hunt 100 of them to level up. ¡®There¡¯s less competition as well.¡¯ Hunting for wolves also had less competition. They did give more experience, but not many players hunted wolves, not out of choice, but because wolves were too difficult. Wolves moved in packs and had the ability to call for other allies, so players generally hunted bears who were usually solitary instead. ¡®Wolves will still die in one hit anyway.¡¯ Soo Hyuk¡¯s wisdom stat was staggering, so wolves would also die in one hit like the foxes. After all, there wasn¡¯t any competition, so Soo Hyuk decided to hunt wolves. ¡°Wait.¡± As he began to walk, he suddenly stopped. ¡®Should I just hunt bears?¡¯ With his wisdom, bears were also going to die in one hit. Bears gave more experience and had a better item drop rate than wolves. So Soo Hyuk considered hunting bears. ¡®No, there¡¯s more competition so it could get annoying.¡¯ Soo Hyuk shook his head after thinking a little. The competition for hunting bears would be even greater than foxes, as they were bigger and slower than wolves. So, all the higher level players would be hunting bears. If Soo Hyuk charged in one-shotting bears, it was likely that the players would either kill him or try to party with him, and either option was bothersome for him. He would just hunt more wolves if this was the case. After he finished thinking, Soo Hyuk continued heading deeper. Chapter 37 - The Crazy Battle ¡°Fireball.¡± ¡°Magic missile.¡± Soo Hyuk killed foxes on his way to the deeper parts of the hunting ground. ¡®How much would these cost?¡¯ The fox pelts that he had obtained after hunting numerous foxes. What was their value in comparison to the rabbit pelts that he sold back in Oren? They had to cost at least 1 gold each, right? ¡®There¡¯s still the money Yeon Jung gave me but¡­¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk still had most of the gold that Yeon Jung had given him, but that was only because he had only spent it on bread. If he was going to buy equipment and other items, he would definitely need a lot more gold. Especially for the rare items that he needed to complete the skill quests. Rustle! Soo Hyuk abruptly halted his steps at the faint noise. He then carefully observed his surroundings. Awoo? Awooooo! He had finally arrived at the deeper parts of the hunting ground. Nearby there were two wolves howling at each other. Although he didn¡¯t know what they were howling about, he still raised his sword. Unlike rabbits, wild dogs and foxes, wolves were more aggressive monsters. Soo Hyuk was planning to attack before they noticed him. ¡°Fireball.¡± Soo Hyuk conjured a fireball into his hand. His target was the wolf on the right. Whoosh! Right after he threw the fire ball, Soo Hyuk muttered. ¡°Magic missile.¡± The magic missile was sent flying towards the wolf on the left. Awoo. Awoooo! Even with the fireball and the magic missile hurtling towards them, the wolves still didn¡¯t notice. Bang! The fireball exploded on the right wolf first. Awoo? Only after its companion had been burnt to a crisp did the remaining wolf on the left notice Soo Hyuk. But unfortunately for the wolf that was the moment the magic missile arrived. Bang! The wolf was hit by the magic missile and it was blasted away, its life having left its eyes before it hit the ground. ¡®As expected.¡¯ Wolves died in one hit whether whether they were hit with fireballs or magic missiles. Smiling, Soo Hyuk checked his drops. [You have acquired: ] ¨C 2 wolf pelts ¨C 1 wolf paw ¨C 1 wolf fang When the right wolf died, it had only dropped one wolf pelt, while the left wolf dropped a paw and a fang as well. ¡®So wolves are the real start?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought while staring at the wolf paw and fang. In Pangea, users had a lot of diverse ways to make money. The most basic way was to sell monster drops. Although no one knew where the idea had come from, almost everyone acknowledged that the first real item drops started from wolves. Rabbits, dogs, and foxes didn¡¯t drop and items worth mentioning, and even obtaining any drops was rare. The wolf drops were also bad, but the quality and rarity were a significant improvement from the rabbits, dogs, and foxes. Basically, there were more things to sell. Soo Hyuk collected all the dropped items and opened his character tab while observing his surroundings. ¡®No players or monsters.¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t see any players or monsters around. No matter how annoying hunting wolves was, Soo Hyuk thought there were too few players. After confirming that he was safe, Soo Hyuk looked back at his character profile. Occupation: Archmage¡¯s Descendant Experience: 15% Health: 3040 Mana: 36620 Satiation: 72% Strength: 14 Agility: 15 Stamina: 58 Wisdom: 1831 His experience before hunting the two wolves was 12%. ¡®3% for hunting 2 wolves?¡¯ His experience had increased to 15% after hunting 2 wolves. ¡®1.5% for 1 wolf?¡¯ Wolves gave 1.5 times more experience than foxes. Although Soo Hyuk expected more, he couldn¡¯t deny that this would accelerate his leveling speed by a huge amount. Soo Hyuk was leisurely one-shotting wolves as he walked along among the undergrowth. The biggest group he had seen only had 3 wolves, so while he suffered some injuries, it was nothing life threatening. Awooo! Soo Hyuk suddenly heard a howl near him. It was coming from his back. Soo Hyuk closed his character tab and turned around hurriedly. Awooo! A wolf was eyeing Soo Hyuk cautiously while howling repeatedly. Soo Hyuk smiled at the wolf. The main reason players avoided wolves was because of this cry. This cry drew other nearby wolves to the howling wolf. ¡®How many will come?¡¯ How many wolves would answer the cry? ¡°Fireball.¡± Things would get tricky if too many came. Even if he could kill the wolves in one shot, he only had two skills. Plus, 10 and 15 seconds on a battlefield was a long time. Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t wait for the wolf any longer and threw the fireball he had prepared. Bang! The item drop window appeared when the fireball exploded. ¨C 1 wolf pelt ¨C 1 wolf fang Preparing for the incoming wolves, Soo Hyuk quickly glanced around, cautiously watching for any wolves while collecting the drops. ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡± Soo Hyuk saw 2 wolves quickly dashing towards him. When the first one was within firing range, Soo Hyuk fired the magic missile. The wolf couldn¡¯t avoid the magic missile as it was already moving too fast. The wolf at the front was blasted away and crashed to the ground, dead. ¡®This cooldown is a problem.¡¯ Soo Hyuk¡¯s expression was gloomy despite the fact that he had killed the charging wolf. It was because there was still one more wolf left. Awoo! Reaching Soo Hyuk, the wolf leapt from a short distance away, suddenly appearing in his face. The fireball was recharged at that moment. ¡°Fireball!¡± Bang! [Level Up!] The level up message appeared as the wolf was burnt to ashes by the fireball. But Soo Hyuk wasn¡¯t in a situation where he could leisurely view his character tab. There were still more wolves running towards Soo Hyuk. The wolves were still dashing fearlessly at him despite the death of their comrade. ¡®4 wolves.¡¯ There were 4 wolves heading towards him. They were each separately approaching from the north, south, east and west respectively. ¡®Can I survive?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he mentally prepared for the wolves. Currently, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t use his skills, fireball and magic missile, and in addition, his health was below 1000 from the previous battles. ¡®One attack will deal 50 damage.¡¯ The exact damage wasn¡¯t fixed. The attack power was different with every wolf, but usually around 50 health would be lost every time an attack connected. ¡®I have to dodge well.¡¯ It was going to be a close battle. He would die if he wasn¡¯t careful. ¡®I should¡¯ve bought some potions.¡¯ Soo Hyuk wasn¡¯t talking about mana potions, as mana wasn¡¯t a problem for him with his outrageous wisdom stat. What he needed was health potions. Soo Hyuk regretted not buying health potions before going hunting. His initial plan was to go fox hunting. Foxes weren¡¯t a problem for him so he hadn¡¯t bought any health potions. However at this point in time that was a decision that he was regretting greatly. Then, the first wolf made its move. Awoo! While Soo Hyuk was regretting his decision, the first wolf had already began dashing towards him. It was the wolf behind Soo Hyuk. The other wolves followed its lead and started charging as well. Soo Hyuk also moved at the same time as the three other wolves. He ran straight ahead away from the wolf that moved first. Soo Hyuk charged towards the wolf in front of him and waved his sword at it. The wolf in the front crouched to avoid the blade and while the wolf had stopped moving, Soo Hyuk rolled past it and sprung back to his feet. While Soo Hyuk was rolling past the wolf to his front, the wolf behind him had already leapt towards him while swinging its claws viciously. ¡°Magic missile!¡± Soo Hyuk hastily fired magic missile the moment it was recharged. His target was the wolf he had rolled past, the one who had dodged his sword strike. When he fired the missile, the wolf behind him slashed him across his back and quickly retreated. Bang! The wolf in front of him couldn¡¯t dodge and it was blasted away. There were only 3 wolves left now. But it was also the start of the true battle. There was now 10 seconds until magic missile recharged, and 5 seconds until fireball recharged. You may think that this was a short period of time, but he was in a battle, where a split second would decide between life and death. Soo Hyuk brandished his sword threateningly at the wolves who were now in front of him. Regardless, the wolves charged at Soo Hyuk straight away. Was it because of how awkwardly he had waved his sword? The one good thing was that now all the wolves were in front of him. He started to run away from them. Of course, he got caught not long after. The wolves flew after him and steadily shaved away his health. ¡°Fireball!¡± Soo Hyuk threw a fireball at a wolf while he watched his health drop. The fireball exploded on the wolf that was swinging its claws at him. ¨C 5 wolf pelts ¨C 3 wolf fangs ¨C 4 wolf paws Soo Hyuk¡¯s item drop window was updated when the wolf died, but right now, he couldn¡¯t care less about the drops. There were still 2 wolves left. ¡®Phew, I managed to hold out.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he began to turn around to face the wolves. He had managed to survive long enough for his skills to recharge again. ¡°Magic missile.¡± ¡°Fireball.¡± Soo Hyuk fired his skills at the same time the moment he turned around. Awoo! The spells exploded on the wolves and ended his desperate battle for survival. Soo Hyuk sighed as he began to catch his breath. ¡°There won¡¯t be any more wolves, right?¡± Soo Hyuk looked around at his surroundings. Thankfully, he only saw the corpses of wolves lying around. ¡°That hunt was crazy¡­¡­I¡¯m not doing that again.¡± He had cast spells as soon as they finished their cooldown. Not 1 second was wasted. There were just that many wolves. ¡°Anyway, they dropped quite a large haul of loot.¡± Soo Hyuk said as he glanced at his drop window. ¡°How much time has passed?¡± When Soo Hyuk checked the time, he was left speechless. ¡®No way.¡¯ He had thought that a long time had passed, but this wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°7 minutes?¡± Only 7 minutes had passed since his encounter with the 2 wolves. ¡°I also levelled up?¡± He had hunted numerous wolves since then. But 7 minutes? He had thought that it would take 5 times longer than normal jobs, but this situation was too absurd. ¡®Jackpot.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t absurd in a bad way. He had thought it would take a long time to level up, but it only took him 7 minutes. ¡®Well, I can kill 10 in a minute.¡¯ Now that he thought about it, 10 wolves in a minute. Even if it took 5 times more experience, it didn¡¯t mean that it would take 5 times as long. ¡®Okay!¡¯ Soo Hyuk smiled. Thump! Thump! Soo Hyuk suddenly heard a booming sound. He turned around to look at the source of the noise. ¡®Footsteps?¡¯ It sounded like footsteps. But it wasn¡¯t the footsteps of a wolf. It was way too loud to be a wolf. Thump! Thump! ¡®What is it? A bear?¡¯ Did a bear somehow make its way over here? Soo Hyuk stared cautiously at the direction the noises were coming from. But what he saw was far worse than a mere bear. Chapter 38 - King of Wolves [Warning!] [The King of Wolves has appeared!] A message appeared. ¡®Wolf!¡¯ It had the appearance of a boss monster. Soo Hyuk looked at the wolf king and thought. ¡®It¡¯s massive¡­¡­¡¯ It was indeed a boss monster. The other wolves couldn¡¯t hold a candle to it, especially its sheer size. It extruded a dominating aura as it stalked towards him. ¡®Can I beat it?¡¯ Soo Hyuk fell into doubt after seeing its size. Would he be able to hunt it? He could one-shot regular wolves, but this was a different kettle of fish. It possessed dozens of times more health than the other wolves. If he couldn¡¯t kill it in two hits with fireball and magic missile, he would have to hold out for at least another 10 seconds with less than half of his health remaining. But the question remained, could he endure for 10 seconds? Thump! Thump! Soo Hyuk desperately considered his options as the distance between him and the wolf king continued to shrink. Although the Wolf King was moving slowly, it¡¯s size rendered the distance between them into a trivial matter. Soo Hyuk considered his options, he had to decide whether he would run or fight. Any later, and the wolf king would spot him and force him to fight. ¡®Okay.¡¯ He had made up his mind. ¡®My health isn¡¯t even half full right now.¡¯ If Soo Hyuk had full health, he would have a higher chance of killing the Wolf King. But in this situation where he had less than half health, trying to kill the Wolf King would be too much of a gamble. If his initial fireball and magic missile failed to kill the wolf king, then he would be as good as dead. ¡®The death penalty is pretty serious as well.¡¯ He would¡¯ve gone all out if there was no death penalty, but there was a penalty, and a it was nothing to scoff at. A 24 hour ban, the loss of 1 level, all stats would randomly drop by 1-3 points and one random personal item would be dropped. The loss of one item wasn¡¯t a big problem for him, as he didn¡¯t have anything valuable on him. The problem was the rest of the penalties. He wouldn¡¯t be able to log on for 24hours, and he would have to compensate the loss of a level with more time spent hunting to regain his level. ¡®Let¡¯s run away for now.¡¯ Soo Hyuk turned around and quietly escaped from the massive Wolf King. * * * Eastern Hunting Ground, Bear Habitat. Roar! The bear swung its massive paws with a roar. The healing Magician in front of the bear quickly dodged it¡¯s claws and rolled away. The healing Magician then hurriedly got up and looked warily at the bear, who was also staring at Kyuu. ¡°When will Ice Fog be ready?¡± Kyuu asked her two companions. ¡°The cooldown¡¯s almost done!¡± ¡°Electro Ball and Chain Lightning are also ready!¡± Her two companions replied. Roar! When Kyuu heard their answers, she once again dodged to the side to avoid the bear¡¯s claws. But this time, she couldn¡¯t fully dodge the attack. ¡°Ugh!¡± Kyuu was slashed across the chest and she lost a portion of her health. She continued dodging, all the while healing herself with magic. As she rolled away again, one of her teammates shouted. ¡°Ice Fog!¡± A pale-blue fog descended upon the bear. [Bear¡¯s speed is reduced by 20%] Ice Fog was a skill which reduced movement indiscriminately, allies as well as foes would be affected. After seeing the message, Kyuu threw herself out of the fog as fast as she could possibly move. ¡°Now!¡± Kyuu shouted as she exited the fog. ¡°Electro Ball!¡± When he heard Kyuu¡¯s shout, Kevin quickly fired his Electro Ball at the bear. The Electro Ball flew at a high speed towards the bear and exploded after hitting its chest. The Electro Ball was two times bigger than it¡¯s initial size after being enhanced by the ice fog. Roarrr! The bear howled in pain. But Kevin knew they couldn¡¯t kill a bear with just one Electro Ball. ¡°Chain Lightning!¡± That was why he had prepared a Chain Lightning before he fired the Electro Ball. When he cast Chain Lightning, a chain of electricity burst out of his staff and flew towards the bear. When the Lightning Chain entered the Ice Fog, it was also enhanced like the Electro Ball. The Chain Lightning then crashed onto the struggling bear. Boooom! After taking the Ice Fog enhanced Electro Ball and Chain Lightning the bear couldn¡¯t take any more. After howling and groaning in pain, the struggling bear died inside the Ice Fog. ¡°We did it!¡± ¡°Well done, everyone.¡± ¡°Haha, we did it!¡± After they killed the bear, Kyuu, Kato, and Kevin sat down together and rested. ¡°Wow, this is tiring.¡± ¡°We should¡¯ve started somewhere else.¡± ¡°Yeah, the parties would have been more balanced as well.¡± Matab city was a Magician¡¯s world. Warrior? Thief? There was no such thing, so of course the parties would be unbalanced. It was to the point where healing magicians had to act as tanks. ¡°Has Ice Fog reset yet?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s get started again.¡± The three magicians finished their rest and stood up. Then they started searching the surrounding area for more bears. ¡°Hey! We found it first!¡± ¡°What a joke. Can¡¯t you see our fog?¡± The other players were already fighting bears. No, since there were so many players, they had even started fighting amongst themselves. Hunting bears was already difficult but the competition to get the dibs was often even more difficult. ¡°Can we just go to the wolf area?¡± Kyuu suggested. ¡°Will we be able to last?¡± Kato asked in response to Kyuu¡¯s question. ¡°I think it¡¯s going to be difficult.¡± Kevin agreed with Kato. The reason that there was so much competition for the bears was because no-one was willing to hunt wolves, they were just too hard. In Matab, where parties only had Magicians, facing wolves who attacked with numbers was impossible. ¡°And we can¡¯t control the battle as well.¡± When fighting bears, Kyuu could draw its attention while the others attacked it, but it was impossible with wolves. With a large number of wolves, Kyuu wouldn¡¯t be able to draw their attention. No, even if she could, she would just die instantly. ¡°What about picking off lone wolves on the outskirts of the wolf territory?¡± Kyuu suggested to Kato and Kevin. ¡°We can always run away if we¡¯re near the edge. And I think hunting any more bears is going to be quite difficult.¡± It wasn¡¯t that bears were hard to fight, it was because they were hard to find with all the other players also hunting bears. ¡°Hmm, what does Kevin-nim think?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± After she persuaded Kevin and Kato, Kyuu took the lead as their party walked towards the wolf territory. ¡°I think 4 wolves is okay.¡± ¡°Mm, we did manage to hunt four at once before.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s run if there¡¯s five wolves.¡± Their party was discussing tactics when they arrived at the edge of the wolf territory. They could only spot one wolf in the surrounding area. ¡°I¡¯ll draw it over.¡± Kyuu said as she began approaching the wolf. ¡°Wait.¡± Kevin called out to Kyuu before she went too far. Hearing his voice, Kyuu turned to look at Kevin curiously. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit weird?¡± Kevin said as he stared at the defenceless wolf while frowning. ¡°This is a bit weird. It should have at least sensed something by now.¡± ¡°Why does it keep staring further in the forest?¡± The wolf was acting strangely. It was staring fixedly at the depths of the forest while totally ignoring its surroundings. ¡°Is there something deeper in the forest?¡± Kevin thought out loud as he turned to stare cautiously at the deeper regions of the forest. Was there something in the forest that could scare wolves? Crash! The party suddenly heard a loud crash from the area the wolf was staring at. Then a message appeared. [The king of the forest, King of Wolves had been defeated.] [All wolves will fall into a ¡®fear¡¯ state for 5 minutes.] Kyuu tilted her head in confusion at the sudden message. ¡®The Kings of Wolves died?¡¯ What was the King of Wolves? Numerous players had once ventured deep into the wolf territory to search for the boss monsters but no one had managed to defeat it then. How could it have just suddenly died? ¡®Did a Ranker come?¡¯ Of course, this wasn¡¯t the first time the Wolf King had been defeated. But every time it was killed, it was the work of high-level players and rankers. Kyuu then turned to ask her party. ¡°Should we continue?¡± * * * Soo Hyuk smiled as he checked his inventory. He currently had 20 health potions. Soo Hyuk had returned to the city at top speed after escaping from the King of Wolves. Then, after he had eaten lunch, he bought 20 health potions from the marketplace. ¡°I¡¯ve also learned Fire Bolt.¡± [Fire Bolt] Proficiency: Level 1 (0%) Special Effects: 30% chance to burn the target. Mana: 300 Cooldown: 20 seconds Activation time: 2 seconds Soo Hyuk had bought the items needed to complete the Firebolt skill quest at the Flame Pagoda in the city after his fiasco in the woods. ¡°If only I had more money.¡± Soo Hyuk had only managed to complete the ¡®Firebolt¡¯ quest. He would¡¯ve attempted the other quests if he had enough money, but in the end, he was disappointed. ¡°This much should be enough.¡± Soo Hyuk now had 3 skills, and he also possessed 20 health potions. Now, he had no reason to run away if the wolf king appeared again. Awoo! When he heard the howl, Soo Hyuk quickly closed all the system tabs he had open. Awooo! The wolf had already noticed Soo Hyuk and was calling for its allies. -Awoo! Soo Hyuk silently stared at the howling wolf. He was making sure that it would attract enough wolves before he killed it. ¡°Firebolt.¡± The casting time for firebolt was 2 seconds, which meant that it would take 2 seconds for the spell to completely form. But Soo Hyuk was different from other users. After he changed his job to ¡®Archmage¡¯s Descendant¡¯, he unlocked the passive, ¡®Archmage¡¯. And after he opened the Door of Fire, it had evolved so that the casting time for fire skills would be reduced by 10 seconds. That meant Soo Hyuk could instantly cast firebolt. (TL: I¡¯m sorry. The archmage passive didn¡¯t reduce the cooldown, it reduced the casting time. So please forget about that previous translation.) Whoosh! The firebolt flew towards the wolf with a whistling sound. Bang! His other spells couldn¡¯t compare with Firebolt in terms of speed. The firebolt crashed heavily into the wolf and exploded. ¨C 1 wolf pelt ¨C 1 wolf fang Soo Hyuk collected the dropped items and waited for the approaching wolves. The hunt had started. ¡°Magic missile!¡± ¡°Fireball!¡± ¡°Firebolt!¡± ¡°Magic missile!¡± Soo Hyuk fired all his spells nonstop. ¡®As expected.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought. The situation was countless times better than when he only had 2 skills. He hadn¡¯t even gotten injured once. ¡°Aren¡¯t there more coming?¡¯ Soo Hyuk wondered as he looked at his surroundings which were littered with the carcasses of dead wolves. It seemed like he had annihilated every wolf in the area. Soo Hyuk collected the dropped items and opened his character tab. ¡°Mmm.¡± Soo Hyuk smiled after seeing his current experience. ¡®It¡¯s a lot considering it¡¯s only been 5 minutes.¡¯ His level hadn¡¯t risen, partly because of the massive amount of experience needed to level up his unique job, but it was impressive considering he had only hunted of 5 minutes so far. Soo Hyuk closed his character tab and looked around. ¡®But aren¡¯t there too few of them?¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t see any wolves, but he hadn¡¯t spotted any players either. Of course, that wasn¡¯t a bad thing for him, as he wouldn¡¯t have to meet any competition. ¡®There¡¯s a forest.¡¯ Soo Hyuk arrived in front of a forest after travelling across a large expanse of grassland. The forest was also part of the wolf territory. The only problem was that unlike the grasslands behind him, the trees and the thick shrubs would obstruct his vision. ¡®Let¡¯s go in anyway.¡¯ He decided. After all, Soo Hyuk wasn¡¯t the only one whose field of vision was obstructed. The wolves would be too. Plus, he could use the trees as cover. ¡®¡­¡­Hmm?¡¯ Soo Hyuk stopped not long after he enter the forest. He could see a lone wolf in the trees. ¡®It¡¯s too far.¡¯ Although he didn¡¯t know the exact distance between the wolf and himself, it was still too far to aim his skills properly. There was also another reason he didn¡¯t fire. ¡®Why is it so big?¡¯ The wolf was huge. It was far bigger than the regular wolves. Soo Hyuk wouldn¡¯t really be able to see the shape of a normal wolf over that distance, but right now he could clearly make out its ears. What if it wasn¡¯t a normal wolf? ¡®Wolf King!¡¯ Chapter 39 - Scourge of Wolves It was definitely the Wolf King. ¡®Yes!¡¯ He would repay it for his earlier humiliation. Soo Hyuk slowly approached the Wolf King. Walking towards the Wolf King, Soo Hyuk checked his surroundings for any other stray wolves that could interfere with his fight. It would make the fight unnecessarily harder if ordinary wolves also got involved. ¡®Hmm, there are lots of wolves around. Is it because it¡¯s a boss monster?¡¯ Soo Hyuk counted 2 wolves to his left and 3 wolves to his right as he approached the Wolf King. ¡®I¡¯ll have to take care of them first.¡¯ Deciding to kill the wolves on the right first, Soo Hyuk turned away from the Wolf King and headed towards the 3 wolves on the right. ¡®Will the Wolf King notice the explosions?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he stopped at a suitable distance from the wolves. All his spells made a loud noise when they exploded. No matter how far away the Wolf King was, it was certain to hear at least one explosion. ¡®I¡¯ll retreat right after I cast all of my skills.¡¯ Soo Hyuk wouldn¡¯t be able to fight the Wolf King while his skills were on cooldown. He then rapidly cast all of his skills one after another, targeting the wolves. ¡°Firebolt, Fireball, Magic Missile.¡± Soo Hyuk fired the firebolt which had the longest cooldown time first. Bang! Bang! Bang! The wolves died instantly after getting hit by the spells. Soo Hyuk hurriedly collected all the drop items and dashed away. ¡®As expected.¡¯ Looking back from a safe distance, Soo Hyuk saw the Wolf King and the two other wolves moving towards the location where the 3 wolves had died. Soo Hyuk waited for a few minutes in a safe hiding place then cautiously crept back. ¡®They left.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t see the Wolf King anymore. It seemed to have gone back to its original spot. However, he could still see the other two wolves resting beneath a tree. ¡°Fireball, magic missile.¡± He didn¡¯t need Firebolt to take care of the remaining wolves, as there were only two wolves left. Jumping out from behind the tree he was hiding behind, Soo Hyuk fired the spells he had prepared at the clueless wolves. Bang! Bang! Explosions sounded out once again in the forest as his spells landed on the 2 resting wolves. Soo Hyuk hastily collected the drop items and quickly retreated again. Thump! Thump! The Wolf King ran to investigate the explosions, his footsteps booming equally as loud. Then after a few seconds of looking around , it returned to its original position again. Soo Hyuk waited calmly for his cooldowns to reset. Of course, he wasn¡¯t just resting, he was also checking for more wolves. ¡®There aren¡¯t any more wolves.¡¯ Apart from the 5 wolves he killed, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t see any more wolves in the vicinity. There could be more behind the Wolf King, but there were currently none around him. After he looked around once more, he slowly approached the Wolf King. His cooldowns had ended, and seeing there were no other wolves, it was his only target. ¡®If I can¡¯t kill it in three hits,¡¯ Soo Hyuk only had 3 skills in his arsenal. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to do anything for 10 seconds.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t attack at all as he had a sword, but it was more efficient to run away while he waited for his skills to reset again. ¡®I have to run away as soon as I fire my skills.¡¯ [Warning!] [The King of Wolves has appeared.] When Soo Hyuk got within a certain distance of the Wolf King, a message appeared. Growl- The Wolf King also stood up when the message appeared, then it turned to face Soo Hyuk. Soo Hyuk shouted the moment the Wolf King turned towards him. ¡°Firebolt!¡± He started with firebolt. ¡°Fireball! Magic missile!¡± Bang! Bang! Bang! Dust clouds appeared around the explosions. ¡®¡­¡­Shit.¡¯ Soo Hyuk frowned. Although he couldn¡¯t see the Wolf King because of all the dust, no kill message nor a drop message had appeared. That meant that it wasn¡¯t dead yet. His decision to retreat earlier in the morning when he first encountered the Wolf King was the right decision. Soo Hyuk started to move away from the dust clouds, but he stopped not long after. ¡®Why isn¡¯t it coming after me?¡¯ The Wolf King wasn¡¯t moving, but it wasn¡¯t dead either. Plus, whenever a boss monster was killed, a kill message would appear. ¡®¡­¡­Don¡¯t tell me!¡¯ Soo Hyuk suddenly thought of a possibility. ¡®Is it stunned?¡¯ Magic missiles had a 10% chance to stun targets. With that in mind, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but think that the wolf king was stunned. ¡®Huh.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t even considered this possibility so far, because everything had instantly died without the chance to be afflicted by status ailments. ¡®How long will it be stunned for?¡¯ The stun time wasn¡¯t fixed, much like the damage. The species of monster, its defence and the level of the caster were all factors that affected the duration of a stun. If you were too weak, then the monster could straight up ignore the stun, but Soo Hyuk possessed an outrageous amount of wisdom, which meant that the wolf wouldn¡¯t be able to emerge unscathed. ¡®It¡¯s a boss so maybe¡­¡­¡¯ Growl! The wolf suddenly leapt up when Soo Hyuk was thinking, and rushed towards him. ¡®What? It hasn¡¯t even been 5 seconds!¡¯ Soo Hyuk hurriedly turned tail and ran from the Wolf King while preparing a health potion just in case. Then he checked the cooldown for Magic Missile. ¡®6, no 5 seconds.¡¯ Magic Missile still had 5 seconds left until he could use it again, but the Wolf King didn¡¯t wait for it to recharge and arrived right behind him in just 2 seconds. The Wolf King casually swung its powerful front paw at Soo Hyuk. As he stared at the incoming strike, Soo Hyuk prayed, ¡®Please don¡¯t let me die in one hit.¡¯ Soo Hyuk¡¯s wisdom had only risen so high through levelling and reading countless books. All of his bonus stat points went to stamina, which was the stat that had the biggest effect on his healthpool. As a result, he had way more health than other magicians of the same level. Plus, even if the Wolf King was a boss monster, it was the boss of a beginner area. Granted, it would be much stronger than a regular monster, but it would be too powerful if one casual swipe could deal 3000 damage. The claws struck his back and sent him flying. While he was in the air, reeling from the impact, Soo Hyuk fought against his dizzying headache as he struggled to check his remaining health. ¡®500?¡¯ The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he checked the damage. It was only 10 times a regular wolf¡¯s attack. It wasn¡¯t a big problem for Soo Hyuk, who had over 3000 health and 20 health potions. ¡°Ugh!¡± Soo Hyuk crashed into a tree after being sent flying by the attack. An extra 200 damage was dealt because of the impact of the crash. Soo Hyuk quickly opened the potion he was holding and drank it while he stood up shakily. -Roar! Soo Hyuk then turned to face the charging Wolf King and murmured, ¡°Magic Missile.¡± The cooldown time was up. It was now his turn. Bang! The Magic Missile crashed into the charging wolf, blasting it away. But unlike last time, it wasn¡¯t stunned. More specifically, it couldn¡¯t be stunned. [The King of Wolves has been defeated.] [All wolves will fall into a ¡®fear¡¯ state for 5 minutes.] [You have slain the King of Wolves alone.] [Title: Scourge of Wolves received.] [Level Up!] The Wolf King had been defeated by the magic missile. ¡®Nice!¡¯ Soo Hyuk grinned at the messages. He had levelled up and received a title as well. Then his grin widened further when he checked the drops. ¨C 1 Wolf King¡¯s Pelt ¨C 1 Wolf King¡¯s Fang ¨C 1 Wolf King¡¯s Gauntlets ¨C 1 Wolf King¡¯s Boots ¡®2 rare drops!¡¯ The Wolf King had dropped 2 pieces of gear. He had been afraid that he wouldn¡¯t receive any rare drops. In Matab, boss raids didn¡¯t happen often as there were only magicians. But on the other regions, a large boss raid would happen every time a boss respawned, and only a few people would be able to obtain rare items or equipment. Soo Hyuk was relieved that he had gotten 2 pieces of rare gear. Rustle-rustle. ¡®¡­¡­?¡¯ Soo Hyuk suddenly heard the crunch of leaves underfoot. Someone or something was clearly moving in his direction. It definitely wasn¡¯t a wolf¡¯s footsteps. And that wasn¡¯t the end of the problem, there was more than one set of footsteps. Soo Hyuk first hid behind a tree a few metres away from him. He waited for a little while, and he began to hear voices along with the distant footsteps. ¡°Huh, there¡¯s no one here?¡± ¡°I think it was a high-level player. Looks like they used a rare scroll.¡± ¡®¡­¡­Players?¡¯ Soo Hyuk was surprised when he heard the voices. It was because he hadn¡¯t encountered even one player when he was hunting wolves. ¡°But isn¡¯t it kind of scary here?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s return to the edge of the forest.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go.¡± The players disappeared after a few minutes. But Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t return to the corpse even after they left. He had already looted everything. Soo Hyuk walked in the opposite direction the players went. He then opened his character tab after leaving the forest. ¡®Level 12¡­¡­¡¯ If you considered the amount of time Soo Hyuk had spent on the hunt, then he was staggeringly fast at levelling. Soo Hyuk assigned all his bonus stat points into stamina then opened his title list to check his new title. -Scourge of Wolves (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Wisdom +1) ¡®All stats are raised by one.¡¯ His new title raised all his basic stats by one. ¡®It¡¯s not bad.¡¯ Although it wasn¡¯t great, it wasn¡¯t bad either. In Pangea, where the effects of your titles would stack, titles that gave special effects or extra stats were considered valuable. Soo Hyuk then closed his character and title tabs and opened his inventory. He was going to check his new gear. [Wolf King¡¯s Gauntlets] Conditions: Level 10 Physical defence: 70 Special Effects: Agility +3 He checked the gloves first. The level restriction was level 10. Even if it could be considered a low-leveled piece of gear, it gave 3 extra agility which would make it popular amongst players who focused on agility. Even up to mid-leveled players. Soo Hyuk equipped the gauntlets and checked the boots next. [ Wolf King¡¯s Boots] Conditions: Level 10 Physical Defence: 100 Special Effects: Agility +3 The effect of the boots was similar to that of the gauntlets. The only difference was that it had a higher physical defence. Soo Hyuk equipped the boots as well and closed his inventory. ¡®Hunting will probably be less painful now.¡¯ Before he had equipped the new gear, the wolves dealt around 50 damage each hit. Just because his physical defence had risen by 170 didn¡¯t mean that they wouldn¡¯t deal any damage at all, but it would be reduced by a large amount. ¡®Let¡¯s keep hunting.¡¯ Soo Hyuk had planned to hunt more after he checked his equipment, so he started searching for wolves again. * * * ¡®He looks tired.¡¯ If he wasn¡¯t tired after all that work, then he wouldn¡¯t be human. Yang Joo Hyuk decided not to wake Jang Yool and concentrated on his own work. A few minutes later¡­ ¡°Hyak!¡± Yang Joo Hyuk, who was concentrating on his work, heard Jang Yul¡¯s surprised voice. ¡°What kind of nightmare did you have?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk teased as he heard Jang Yool¡¯s panicked breathing. Of course, he was still concentrating on his work. ¡°N-no, it¡¯s not that.¡±, Stuttered Jang Yool. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Then Yang Joo Hyuk felt something was wrong after hearing Jang Yool¡¯s voice. Jang Yool¡¯s voice was always hoarse for 5 minutes after waking up. That meant, his previous shout wasn¡¯t due to a nightmare. Yang Joo Hyuk turned to stare at Jang Yool, who had a flustered expression on his face. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°He¡¯s started hunting.¡± ¡°Hunting?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk was taken aback by him. Hunting? How could that make Jang Yool exclaim so strangely? ¡°The Archmage¡¯s Descendant.¡± Jang Yool replied. ¡°He¡¯s already level 18.¡± Chapter 40 - Plentiful Harvests ¡°What? What do you mean level 18?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Wasn¡¯t he level 10 just before?¡± The levels of Tier 0 players were regularly checked, and the last time they checked, the Archmage¡¯s Descendant was only a level 10. ¡°Yes, he was¡­¡­¡¯ Jang Yool nodded. Yang Joo Hyuk then continued. ¡°Even if he can one-shot monsters around his level, this leveling speed still doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± A day hadn¡¯t passed since the last check, it had only been a few hours. More precisely, only 2 hours had passed. 8 levels in a mere 2 hours? That could be achieved if he could hunt without any competition, but the beginner levels fostered the most competition in the game. So how did he raise his level by 8 in such a short amount of time? ¡°Did he go to a high-level hunting area?¡± Maybe he went hunting in an area not meant for level 10s? ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± Jang Yool shook his head at Yang Joo Hyuk¡¯s guess. ¡°Then how?¡± ¡°He hunted wolves.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Wolves?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jang Yool confirmed as he nodded once again. ¡°In Matab, because there are only Magicians the players don¡¯t tend to hunt in wolf territory.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk sighed in resignation. ¡°Is he still hunting? If he¡¯s at level 18, then wolves won¡¯t grant much experience anymore.¡± He asked Jang Yool. Even normal jobs at level 18 found levelling through hunting wolves gruelling, but Soo Hyuk was the Archmage¡¯s Descendant, a job which required five times more experience. ¡°No, he¡¯s stopped hunting now.¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t moved anywhere else?¡± ¡°Well, he went to the library again.¡± * * * ¡°Magic Missile.¡± Bang! The wolf was blasted away by the Magic Missile. Soo Hyuk turned his line of sight away from the dead wolf and scanned the surrounding area. After he confirmed that no more wolves were nearby, he collected the drops of the dead wolves. ¨C 14 wolf pelts ¨C 5 wolf paws ¨C 7 wolf fangs Even though he collected the drops frequently while hunting, there were still many drops left. Soo Hyuk then opened his inventory to check how many pelts, paws and fangs he had gathered so far. ¡°Hmm, how much are these all worth?¡± How much gold would he obtain after he sold them? With a satisfied expression, Soo Hyuk closed his inventory and opened his status window. Soo Hyuk¡¯s expression darkened instantly when he checked his character profile. More exactly, he was frustrated. Occupation: Archmage¡¯s Descendant Level: 18 Experience: 9% Health: 5250 Mana: 36620 Strength: 15 Agility: 25(+6) Stamina: 99 Wisdom: 1832 ¡°Do I have to move to a different area now?¡± When he hit level 17, he had felt the effect of the low experience that the wolves gave. Going forwards, Soo Hyuk knew that it would take even longer for him to reach level 19. ¡°Yeah, I even got a new title as well.¡± Soo Hyuk could easily pick off wolves now. He had gained another title while hunting wolves. It was ¡®the Scourge of Wolves¡¯. (TL: The name of the old title fit better. Sorry for the inconvenience as I¡¯m translating on the fly right now. This kind of thing is exactly why I reduced the sponsored chapters. The title he got from killing the King Wolf will be changed to Conqueror of the Wolven Forest.) -The Scourge of Wolves (Agility +3) It increased agility by three, which Soo Hyuk thought was meaningless for him. ¡°Let¡¯s stop hunting wolves. I think it¡¯s better to move onto a new area.¡± He no longer had reason to stay here, as he had even gained the ¡®Scourge of Wolves¡¯ title. It was more efficient to go hunt higher level monsters. Soo Hyuk closed his status window and started walking back to the city. His hunt had ended. It was time to go to the library. ¡°Who wants to hunt bears with me! I¡¯m a level 25 Fire Mage!¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for a party! I¡¯m a level 19 Healing Mage and I have experience hunting bears!¡± Soo Hyuk arrived at the Eastern Gate not long after. The number of players looking for a party hadn¡¯t reduced since morning. Soo Hyuk passed them and entered the city. ¡°Let¡¯s sell all the drops first.¡± He had something to do before going to the library. It was selling the monster materials that he had collected from hunting. He was going to sell all the monster materials that he had obtained from his hunting trip. ¡°The wolf drops sell for more at the Earth Pagoda, right?¡± He could sell items in places other than the Central Spire, and prices were different at every market. It was because different towers wanted different things. The wolf pelts, paws and fangs that he currently had in his inventory sold for more at the Earth Pagoda. At least, that was what the internet said. He would go to the Central Spire if he only had one or two drops, but with his massive stash, he chose to go to the Earth Pagoda. ¡°Welcome!¡± Soo Hyuk had finally arrived at the Earth Pagoda. ¡®There are a lot of players here.¡¯ The Earth Pagoda didn¡¯t just buy the wolf drops for more. Low-level monsters like foxes and bears were also sold at a high price. For that reason, the Earth Pagoda always had a lot of players visiting. Soo Hyuk got in line at one of the booths in the Pagoda. ¡°How can I help you?¡± ¡°I want to sell some materials.¡± It was Soo Hyuk¡¯s turn after a few minutes. He opened his inventory at the NPC¡¯s word and started taking out the monster materials, starting with the wolf pelts. ¡°It¡¯ll take a minute. There¡¯s a lot.¡± Soo Hyuk currently possessed 932 wolf pelts. Although his inventory had infinite storage, he could only bring out ten items at a time. Soo Hyuk unceasingly pulled out pelts in stacks of ten, but when he reached his 40th stack, the NPC hurriedly stopped him with a flustered expression on his face. ¡°¡­¡­Wait!¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk stopped taking out the pelts and stared at the NPC Karl in confusion. ¡°How many more do you have?¡± Karl asked when he saw that Soo Hyuk had stopped. Soo Hyuk checked his inventory at Karl¡¯s request. He had brought out a total of 400 pelts, so there was ¡®only¡¯ 532 pelts left in his inventory. ¡°532.¡± Karl choked when he heard the amount. After calming himself, he stuttered with a pale face. ¡°Kek¡­¡­Y-you sure have a lot of wolf pelts. Can we move spots? This location isn¡¯t suitable for such a large deal.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Soo Hyuk returned all his pelts back into his inventory. Unlike taking things out, storing items in the inventory didn¡¯t have a limit. Soo Hyuk then followed Karl inside the tower. ¡°Those were wolf pelts, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°How the f*ck¡­¡­¡± ¡°Is he a high-level player?¡± ¡°Well even if he¡¯s a high rank player, he¡¯s a Poison Magician, so hunting monsters on the same level is impossible.¡± ¡°Yeah, kekeke.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s still amazing. I mean how many days would that take?¡± The players around him whispered to each other after he left with Karl. Soo Hyuk managed to catch a few snippets as he walked away. It seemed there was a big misunderstanding. Of course, he didn¡¯t correct them, as he had no reason to. He just quietly followed Karl. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start again here.¡± Karl said after he stopped. In front of him was a massive table. Soo Hyuk then started taking out his items again. ¡®Hah¡­¡­taking items out from the inventory is also quite an undertaking.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t easy taking out 932 wolf pelts. Plus, there were still paws and fangs left. ¡°That¡¯s all of them.¡± Soo Hyuk said to Karl after taking out the last 2 pelts. ¡°Ah, can you please wait a bit?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Karl then began to check the quality of the pelts. ¡°Although some are a little burned, they are in a good condition overall.¡± Karl, who had been assessing the pelts for quite a long time suddenly said to Soo Hyuk, ¡°How about 700 gold?¡± ¡°¡­¡­700 gold?¡± Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but do a double take. ¡®Isn¡¯t that too much?¡¯ In the Central Spire, most people gave 1 gold for 2 wolf pelts. Using this exchange rate, Soo Hyuk would¡¯ve gotten 466 gold. ¡®That must be why there are a lot of buyers and not many sellers there.¡¯ The Central Spire had a lot of players who were looking to buy items. He had originally thought that coming here was a waste of time, but now he understood why people bothered to make the trip to the Earth Pagoda, even if they were on the other side of the city. ¡°Okay. I accept.¡± Soo Hyuk replied. ¡°Thank you for your patronage.¡± Karl replied back with a smile. The table suddenly shone with a bright light, then all the pelts disappeared. A new message appeared. [You have sold over 500 items at once.] [Title: Peddler received.] ¡°Here you go.¡± Soo Hyuk turned away from the message and looked at Karl in response to his words. He was holding out a little pouch. Soo Hyuk took the pouch from Karl. It contained 700 gold, but it was light. When he put the pouch away into his inventory, a message appeared. [You have received 700 gold.] The pouch disappeared the moment it entered his inventory, but he still received the 700 gold. ¡°Once again, thank you for your patronage.¡± Karl said. But Soo Hyuk wasn¡¯t done. While Karl was speaking he had brought out a stack of 10 wolf fangs. ¡°Then I look forward to¡­¡­¡¯ Karl suddenly froze when he spotted the fangs in Soo Hyuk¡¯s palm. Soo Hyuk then said to Karl, ¡°I still have more things to sell.¡± ¨C ¡°Hahaha! Have a good day! Please look for me again in the future! Hahaha¡­¡­¡¯ ¡°Yes, have a good day.¡± Soo Hyuk bid farewell to the ecstatic Karl and headed towards the library. As he walked towards the library, he checked his new title, ¡®Peddler¡¯. ¨C Peddler (Strength, Stamina +5) ¡°Wow.¡± Soo Hyuk sighed in admiration when he checked the title¡¯s effects. It increased his strength and stamina by five. ¡°This title is no joke. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s recorded either.¡± Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t remember seeing the ¡®Peddler¡¯ title in the Pangea fan databases on the official website. If this information was made known to the general playerbase, then it would be sure to create a storm, considering how easy it was to obtain. At least, it was easy for him. ¡°Heh.¡± And as Soo Hyuk looked at the gold in his inventory, he couldn¡¯t help but grin widely. He had sold the wolf pelts for 700 gold, the fangs for 400 gold and the paws for 400 gold respectively. In total, he had received a massive 1500 gold for just 2 hours of hunting. ¡®The value of gold will fall at this rate.¡¯ Soo Hyuk suddenly had the thought that the value of gold would fall as players discovered more and more things in Pangea. ¡®I can learn from this.¡¯ Soo Hyuk closed his inventory. With 1500 gold, he could complete a few more skill quests. Although he didn¡¯t choose where to hunt next, more skills would be beneficial to him. While thinking about his future skills, Soo Hyuk finally arrived at the library. ¡°Here you go.¡± Soo Hyuk pulled out his ¡®Magician¡¯s Token¡¯ and handed it to the NPC librarian as he entered the library. Then, he headed straight for the bookshelves. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk suddenly froze when he saw the bookcase next to him. He had already read every single book on that bookshelf. He was sure of it, but¡­¡­ ¡°Blue?¡± A book on the bookshelf was shining blue. Chapter 41 - New Quests and Skills ¡°Did I fulfil a new condition?¡± The colour of a book would change if a specific condition was fulfilled. Seeing the colour of a book he had already read turn blue, it seemed Soo Hyuk had fulfilled the conditions to receive a special quest. He quickly walked over to the blue book and checked its title. ¡°Wolf Hunter Karu?¡± The title of the book was ¡®Wolf Hunter Karu¡¯. Although he wasn¡¯t completely sure exactly what the condition he had fulfilled was, it definitely had something to do with the wolves that he had hunted earlier today. With the book in his arms, Soo Hyuk started searching for other books that might¡¯ve changed. ¡°Aren¡¯t there any more?¡± Soo Hyuk walked between all the bookshelves that he had already read. It was to check for any other books that could have changed their colour like ¡®Wolf Hunter Karu¡¯. ¡°There aren¡¯t any others.¡± A maybe was a maybe. There were no more books that had changed. Soo Hyuk picked out five more white books from a bookshelf and walked over to a reading desk. The first book he opened was the ¡®Wolf Hunter Karu¡¯. . . . In the end I couldn¡¯t catch the wolf that stole my family¡¯s heirloom. . . . Soo Hyuk read the last passage of the book then closed it. He had thought that the contents would have changed, but they were the same as when the book was white. [Special Quest ¡®Karu¡¯s Heirloom¡¯ has been created.] The blue light disappeared, and a message window appeared before him when he closed the book. His wisdom didn¡¯t increase. Was it because he had read the book once before? After confirming that it hadn¡¯t increased, Soo Hyuk opened his quest tab to check his new quest. [Special Quest ¨C Karu¡¯s Heirloom] The wolf hunter Karu¡¯s family¡¯s heirloom was stolen by a wolf. Retrieve the necklace from the wolf! [King of Wolves : 0 / 1 ] [Wolves : 0 / 100 ] [ Karu¡¯s Necklace : 0 / 1 ] [Quest Reward: ??? ] Soo Hyuk thought as he read the quest details. ¡®Do I have to hunt wolves again?¡¯ Soo Hyuk had planned to stop hunting wolves. Instead he was going to hunt harder monsters like bears. No, there was too much competition for bears, so he would aim higher. Those were his plans, but after receiving the quest, it seemed that he was going to have to hunt wolves again. ¡®The problem is this necklace.¡¯ Hunting wolves wasn¡¯t a difficult task. He could easily hunt over 100 wolves and the Wolf King in two hours. But he also had to find a necklace. ¡®Is it a rare drop? From the Wolf King?¡¯ He also needed this ¡®Karu¡¯s Necklace¡¯ to complete the quest. The book had said that a wolf had taken it. ¡®It said the wolf was big, so it must¡¯ve been the Wolf King.¡¯ The book had mentioned that the wolf was far larger than ordinary wolves, so it must¡¯ve been the Wolf King. ¡®Will the necklace be a guaranteed drop now that I¡¯ve received the quest?¡¯ What if the Wolf King didn¡¯t drop the necklace? It was a boss monster, which meant that it would take a long time to respawn. ¡®It would be good if it dropped the necklace the first time.¡¯ Soo Hyuk prayed as he closed his quest tab. Then, he put aside ¡®Wolf Hunter Karu¡¯, and started reading the other books. * * * ¡°How long will you wait?¡± Kale asked. Pavian fell in thought at Kale¡¯s question. ¡®Even if I taught him now, he would just be poisoned.¡¯ Poison magic didn¡¯t differentiate between friend and foe. All magic didn¡¯t, to a certain extent, but poison magic even more so. Even the caster was susceptible to its effects. So, to effectively cast poison magic, the caster had to be resistant to poison first. ¡®He has extraordinary talent, so the process will be quicker as well.¡¯ What would happen if Soo Hyuk, who was deemed an immeasurable talent, used poison magic? Then it would be able to display its full potential on the battlefield. But right now because poison magic used indiscriminate attacks, teaching Soo Hyuk would be just suicide. ¡®Since teaching him now would only bring him harm.¡¯ After gathering his thoughts, Pavian replied to Kale. ¡°29 days later?¡± The process of strengthening had already started. His poison resistance would be strong enough to practise poison magic after 29 more days. Pavian would then personally teach Soo Hyuk all about poison magic. ¡°I see.¡± Kale replied while nodding. ¡°Then I will prepare for that day.¡± The reason Kale asked Pavian when he would start teaching was because poison magic required ingredients and items, and the consumption of Poison Magicians was often higher than Magicians who practiced other branches of magic. Some of the materials they needed were also exceedingly rare. ¡°Mm, prepare well. Especially the Karass Poison.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Oh! And.¡± Pavian added. ¡°I should meet with Berenice.¡± * * * The sparkle disappeared. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± There was no message. ¡®Is it because I levelled up?¡¯ Soo Hyuk wondered. Yesterday he couldn¡¯t be sure because he didn¡¯t read that many books. But today, Soo Hyuk was able to confirm after reading more books. ¡®My wisdom rises slower than before.¡¯ Before he levelled up, almost every book that he read would increase his wisdom. But now, his wisdom rose once every two books. Of course, there were times when it continuously rose, but that was only when he was reading thick books. ¡®My level only rose by 8 though¡­¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk had only gained 8 levels since the last time he had come to read books. ¡®Well, that¡¯s unfortunate.¡¯ Soo Hyuk got up from his seat. Although it was unfortunate that his wisdom rose slower than before, he couldn¡¯t just stop levelling up. Soo Hyuk left the library after returning his books. He then planned out the day¡¯s schedule while heading to the Tower of Flame. ¡®For now, let¡¯s buy the item for the skill quests at the Tower of Flame.¡¯ Soo Hyuk currently had 1500 gold. If it was the old Soo Hyuk, he would just let it sit in his inventory, but now he had a use for it. ¡®Then I should go to the Tower of Poison afterwards to take my daily dose of poison.¡¯ (TL: bruh) Soo Hyuk then decided to go to the Tower of Poison after the Tower of Flame. He had to visit everyday for the quest. ¡®Then I¡¯ll go hunt more wolves.¡¯ After deciding his schedule for the day, Soo Hyuk opened his quest tab. ¡®What skill should I learn?¡¯ Soo Hyuk had to decide which skill quest he would complete. He first picked out the quests that only required materials to complete. He then eliminated the quests with materials that he couldn¡¯t obtain at the Tower of Flame. ¡®There¡¯s four.¡¯ There were 4 skill quests that met his conditions. [Skill Quest ¨C Inferno ] Complete the conditions below! [Grade 4 Mana Stones : 0 / 10 ] [Flame Stone : 0 / 2 ] [Quest Reward: Skill ¨C Inferno] . . . [Skill Quest ¨C Fire Wall ] Complete the conditions below! [Grade 4 Mana Stones : 0 / 20 ] [Flame Stones : 0 / 5 ] [Quest Reward: Skill ¨C Fire Wall] . . . [Skill Quest ¨C Firestorm] Complete the conditions below! [Grade 3 Mana Stones : 0 / 10 ] [Flame Stones : 0 / 5 ] [Eye of Incandescence : 0 / 1 ] . . . [Skill Quest ¨C Flame Dance] Complete the conditions below! [Grade 4 Mana Stones : 0 / 5 ] [Lesser Demon Soulstone : 0 / 1 ] [Quest Reward: Skill ¨C Flame Dance] . . . Inferno, Fire Wall, Firestorm and Wildfire. Soo Hyuk knew that it wasn¡¯t possible to learn all of them right now, so he thought carefully which ones to choose first. ¡°It¡¯s expensive.¡± Grade 5 Mana Stones cost 10 gold. The grades above it, the Grade 4 and Grade 3 Mana Stones cost 50 gold and 200 gold each respectively. That meant that it wasn¡¯t possible to complete all the quests with his current amount of gold. ¡®Firestorm isn¡¯t possible right now.¡¯ Let alone the other materials, Firestorm needed 10 Grade 3 Mana Stones. That was 2000 gold. With his current wealth, he couldn¡¯t even fulfil the mana stone requirements. ¡®I can learn Inferno.¡¯ Flame Stones cost 30 gold each, and together with the mana stones, the total cost of the skill would be 560 gold. Soo Hyuk had enough gold to learn Inferno twice over. ¡®But if I learn Inferno, I won¡¯t be able to learn Fire Wall.¡¯ If Soo Hyuk learned Inferno, he wouldn¡¯t have enough gold leftover to learn Fire Wall. To learn Fire Wall, he needed 1150 gold. That meant that Soo Hyuk would have to choose between Inferno or Fire Wall. ¡®Let¡¯s check Flame Dance.¡¯ Of course, he didn¡¯t have to choose right now. He hadn¡¯t calculated how much Flame Dance would cost yet. If Flame Dance went over 400 gold, he would have to choose Fire Wall over Inferno and Flame Dance. But if it didn¡¯t cost over 400 gold? He would definitely choose Fire Wall over Inferno. Inferno dealt damage over time to a single target, while Fire Wall dealt AOE damage over time. Soo Hyuk closed closed his quest tab as he neared the Tower of Flame. He then lined up at a booth in the Tower. Like the Tower of Earth, the Tower of Flame also had a lot of players. ¡°How can I help you?¡± It was finally Soo Hyuk¡¯s turn. ¡°How much is a Lesser Demon Soulstone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s 100 gold.¡± The NPC Pero replied to his question. ¡®Then.¡¯ Soo Hyuk quickly calculated the cost of Flame Dance. ¡®5 Grade 4 Mana Stones and a Lesser Demon Soulstone cost 350 gold.¡¯ After he finished calculating, Soo Hyuk opened his mouth. ¡°Can I buy 1 Lesser Demon Soulstone, 25 Grade 4 Mana Stones and 5 Flame Stones?¡± ¡°So, 100, 1250 and 150 gold¡­¡­That¡¯s 1500 gold in total, sir.¡± Pero held out his hand. Soo Hyuk brought out 1500 gold from his inventory. When he brought out the gold, it was in the form of a silver pouch. Pero received the pouch with a smile and said. ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± Pero opened a door behind him, disappearing inside. Coming out not long after, he held a little package in his hands. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Soo Hyuk exited the Tower of Flame with his package after thanking Pero. Now that he had all the items, it was time to complete the quests. [You have completed the Skill Quest ¨C Fire Wall] [You have obtained skill, ¡®Fire Wall¡¯.] [You have completed the Skill Quest ¨C Flame Dance] [You have obtained skill, ¡®Flame Dance¡¯.] . . . [Fire Wall] Proficiency: Beginner Level 1 (0%) Special Effects: Reduce target¡¯s speed by 20% Mana: 1000 Cooldown: 2 minutes Activation Time: 10 seconds Effect Duration: 10 seconds . . . [Flame Dance] Proficiency: Beginner Level 1 (0%) Special Effects: Casts ¡®Flame Dance¡¯ again on an enemy within 5m if the target dies in 10 seconds. (Limit: 7 times) Mana: 300 Cooldown: 1 minutes Activation Time: 5 seconds Effect Duration: 10 seconds Soo Hyuk mumbled as he checked the descriptions for Fire Wall and Flame Dance. ¡°They would be great for fights against multiple opponents.¡± Not to mention Fire Wall, even Flame Dance was really good. Even if the damage turned out to be relatively low, killing a wolf in seconds would be a piece of cake with his wisdom. In other words, the wolves near him would be burnt to a crisp once Flame Dance was cast. Soo Hyuk then headed to the Tower of Poison while admiring his new skills. Chapter 42 - Misadventures in the Tower of Poison Soo Hyuk arrived at the Tower of Poison and climbed the stairs to the 4th floor. The 4th floor was still guarded by the man and the woman he saw previously. Soo Hyuk pulled out Pavian¡¯s token as he approached them. ¡°You don¡¯t need to show the token anymore.¡± The woman said when he showed them the token. Then, like yesterday the woman walked further inside the floor while motioning for Soo Hyuk to follow. Soo Hyuk hurriedly put away his token and followed the woman. Tap. Tap. ¡°Lord Pavian.¡± The woman arrived in front of a large room and knocked on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± Pavian¡¯s voice sounded from within. The woman opened the door then retreated to the side. Soo Hyuk passed the woman and entered the room. ¡°Welcome!¡± Pavian welcomed Soo Hyuk with a wide smile. Soo Hyuk could see Pavian holding a vial with purple liquid inside. ¡®What kind of poison will it be today?¡¯ [You have been poisoned by Pavian¡¯s Special Poison.] [You are paralysed for 30 minutes.] The moment the message window appeared, Soo Hyuk froze and dropped to the ground. More precisely, he lost all feeling and control over his body except for his eyeballs. ¡®30 minutes? This is crazy.¡¯ Soo Hyuk cursed internally as he moved his eyes to check the message. He was going to be paralysd for 30 minutes. ¡®Then he can¡¯t help me like yesterday.¡¯ Yesterday, when he took Pavian¡¯s poison for the first time, he had been inflicted with bleeding. The duration was 10 minutes. Of course, because of his low level there was no way Soo Hyuk could have survived alone. But he had the Poison Spire Lord next to him. With his assistance, the bleed damage was reduced to 1 damage per second, and Soo Hyuk ended up surviving the ordeal. However, paralysis had a completely different effect. Paralysis was not life threatening, and would go away once the duration of the poison ended. In other words, Soo Hyuk could only lie there, paralysed for 30 minutes. ¡®Such a waste of time.¡¯ Even if it was for a quest, Soo Hyuk was annoyed at the fact that he could do nothing except stare at a wall for 30 minutes. [You have been infused with Pavian¡¯s mana.] [You are now paralysed for 27 minutes.] ¡®Hmm?¡¯ A message window suddenly appeared again without any warning. Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t understand the message at first. ¡®The time was reduced?¡¯ His original 30 minutes of paralysation had decreased to 27 minutes. [You have been infused with Pavian¡¯s mana.] [You are now paralysed for 22 minutes.] [You have been infused with Pavian¡¯s mana.] [You are now paralysed for 18 minutes.] The messages didn¡¯t end with the first one. Pavian¡¯s mana was infused into his body every 15 seconds, and the paralysis duration would reduce everytime it did so. ¡®At this rate, it won¡¯t even take 10 minutes.¡¯ Everytime Pavian¡¯s mana was infused, the paralysis duration would shorten by 3-5 minutes. It seemed like this session was going to end sooner than yesterday¡¯s session. [You have been infused with Pavian¡¯s mana.] [You have been paralysed for 1 minute.] In less than 2 minutes, the original 30 minutes was reduced to 1 minute. And after that 1 minute had passed, Soo Hyuk regained control of his body, he could feel his fingers and toes again. ¡°Hmm, maybe it¡¯s because of his large mana pool. The paralysis finished much sooner than I thought it would.¡± Pavian mumbled as Soo Hyuk stood up slowly. ¡°Are we finished for today?¡± Soo Hyuk asked. ¡°Yes, we are.¡± Pavian answered with a smile. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be back tomorrow.¡± Soo Hyuk bade farewell to Pavian and exited the room. He then made his way outside the tower and opened the quest tab. [The 30-Day Endeavour] You, who lacks poison resistance! Pavian will boost your immunity. Take Pavian¡¯s poison once a day! [Take Pavian¡¯s Special Poison: 2 / 30 ] [Quest Reward: Title ¨C Poison Maestro] ¡®28 more days to go.¡¯ After 28 days his quest would end, meaning that he wouldn¡¯t have to visit the Tower of Poison after that. Soo Hyuk scrolled down further to look at Karu¡¯s Heirloom quest. [Special Quest ¨C Karu¡¯s Heirloom] The wolf hunter Karu¡¯s family¡¯s heirloom has been stolen by a wolf. Retrive the necklace from the wolf! [King of Wolves : 0 / 1 ] [Wolves : 0 / 100 ] [Karu¡¯s Necklace : 0 / 1 ] [Quest Reward: ??? ] ¡®Time to go back to wolf territory.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he looked at the quest. ¡®Can I complete it today?¡¯ Soo Hyuk had assigned himself 6 hours for hunting. Then he would head back to the library after 6 hours had passed. ¡®I can probably do it.¡¯ Today was different from yesterday. He could already breeze through the wolves, and the additions of the skills Fire Wall and Flame Dance would only enhance his speed. For him, 6 hours would be more than enough to complete the quest. After closing the quest tab, he passed through the gates of Matab city and headed towards the Eastern Hunting Ground. When he arrived it was deserted, he couldn¡¯t spot a single player in the wolf territory. Was it because it was unpopular? ¡°Firebolt.¡± Bang! The firebolt landed next to a wolf and the wolf was blasted away by the explosion, its life gone before it hit the ground. A nearby wolf started howling after seeing its corpse blasted away by an explosion. ¨C Awoooo! A normal player would¡¯ve killed it before it could alert more wolves, but Soo Hyuk just watched the wolf howl with amusement in his eyes. ¡®They¡¯re here.¡¯ Soo Hyuk muttered when he spotted the silhouettes of more wolves in the trees. ¡°Magic Missile.¡± Bang! The howling wolf was killed instantly by his spell. Soo Hyuk looked around at the approaching silhouettes and prepared to face them. ¡®There are five coming.¡¯ Soo Hyuk counted five wolves around him. ¡®Let¡¯s try Flame Dance.¡¯ The wolves also weren¡¯t approaching close together, they were coming from different directions, so Soo Hyuk decided to use Flame Dance. It felt a bit wasteful to use Fire Wall straight away. When the first wolf entered the range of his spells, Soo Hyuk muttered. ¡°Flame Dance.¡± When the skill activated, a ball of fire half as big as Fireball appeared in midair and flew towards the wolf. The ball of fire exploded with a bang when it hit the wolf. Bang! A drop window appeared as soon as it exploded, but Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t afford to care about it now. Growl! It was because a wolf leapt towards him from behind when the fireball exploded. The fireball instantly reappeared and exploded on the leaping wolf, killing it in one hit. After that, the small fireball flew towards any wolves that got within 5 metres and only disappeared after all five of the wolves were slaughtered. ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but sigh in admiration. ¡°Flame Dance is amazing.¡± Flame Dance wasn¡¯t a skill that someone at his current level could learn. If he was just a normal Magician, he would have to wait until he was level 50 to learn the skill. His ridiculously high wisdom coupled with a high level skill, used on small fry like wolves only resulted with the total annihilation of the enemy. Soo Hyuk collected all the dropped items and cautiously looked around at his surroundings. ¡®Three behind and two in front.¡¯ There were still wolves coming. The previous five wolves were only the first wave. There would be at least two more waves after the first. ¡°Magic Missile.¡± Soo Hyuk began his hunt. [Special Quest ¨C Karu¡¯s Heirloom] The wolf hunter Karu¡¯s family¡¯s heirloom has been stolen by a wolf. Retrive the necklace from the wolf! [King of Wolves : 0 / 1 ] [Wolves : 100 / 100 ] [Karu¡¯s Necklace : 0 / 1 ] [Quest Reward: ??? ] Soo Hyuk frowned while he checked the quest. ¡°Just where is the Wolf King?¡± After killing 100 wolves he had immediately started searching for the Wolf King, but even after an hour of hard searching, he couldn¡¯t find neither hair nor hide of it. ¨C Awoo! ¡°Magic Missile.¡± Soo Hyuk had first hunted only 100 wolves for the quest, but the number now probably exceeded 200 after he began searching for the Wolf King. However, no matter how many wolves he hunted, he still couldn¡¯t find any signs of the Wolf King. As Soo Hyuk was starting to get irritated, he felt a familiar sensation. Boom! The ground shook slightly. Boom! The sound of approaching footsteps. Soo Hyuk stopped walking when he heard the booming footsteps, then he turned towards the direction it came from. Boom! Although Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t see what it was yet, he already knew what was causing the earth to tremble. ¡®The Wolf King!¡¯ It was definitely the Wolf King. He couldn¡¯t see its shape yet, but he knew that the Wolf King was the only thing in the forest capable of making the earth tremble like that. ¡®Finally!¡¯ Soo Hyuk started walking towards where the shaking was coming from. A message window appeared not long after. [Warning!] [The King of Wolves has appeared!] ¡®It¡¯d better drop the necklace.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he looked at the message window. There was another quest condition apart from killing the Wolf King. He also needed Karu¡¯s Necklace. ¡®If it doesn¡¯t drop¡­¡­¡¯ What if the Wolf King didn¡¯t drop the necklace? He would have to wait until it respawned and hunt it all over again. Of course, he couldn¡¯t just wait there for it to respawn. After all, who knew when it would respawn again? ¡®I would have to go to the Western side.¡¯ There was another wolf territory on the Western Hunting Grounds. If Karu¡¯s Necklace didn¡¯t drop, then he would have to go to the west and hunt another Wolf King there. Soo Hyuk passed a tree and finally caught sight of the Wolf King. Growl! With a low growl, the Wolf King started running towards him. ¡°Magic Missile.¡± Soo Hyuk fired a magic missile towards the running Wolf King. He prayed while watching the magic missile fly towards the Wolf King. ¡®Please stun it!¡¯ There was a 10% chance of a stun with magic missile. Soo Hyuk prayed for the wolf to get stunned as he wanted to experiment something. Bang! The magic missile exploded on the Wolf King. Soo Hyuk smiled when he saw the Wolf King crash to the ground. He had succeeded. He then hurriedly shouted before the stun lost effect. ¡°Fire Wall!¡± The thing Soo Hyuk wanted to test was the power of Fire Wall. He wanted to know exactly how much damage it dealt. He couldn¡¯t do it on normal wolves, as they died instantly to Magic Missile. They were just too weak. A magic circle appeared beneath the stunned Wolf King. Then, a massive column of fire rose up from the magic circle. ¨C Roaarrr! The Wolf King roared in pain as it was engulfed in flames. ¨C Roaarrr! 1 second passed like that. Crash! [The King of Wolves has been defeated.] [All wolves will fall into a ¡®fear¡¯ state for 5 minutes.] The King of Wolves fell down, never to move again. ¡®I thought it would be quite weak because it was an AOE skill¡­¡­¡¯ Fire Wall was an AOE skill, so he had thought that the damage wouldn¡¯t be as strong. But after seeing its effects first hand, he was forced to change his mind. Looking away from the message window, Soo Hyuk excitedly checked the drop window. Chapter 43 - The Reward ¨C 1 Wolf King¡¯s Pelt ¨C 1 Wolf King¡¯s Fang ¨C 1 Wolf King¡¯s Gauntlets ¨C 1 Karu¡¯s Necklace ¡°Nice!¡± Fortunately, the Wolf King had dropped Karu¡¯s Necklace. Soo Hyuk collected the drops and opened his quest tab. When he scrolled down to the Karu¡¯s Heirloom quest, he could see the ¡®Complete¡¯ button. ¡°I wish the other inheritance quests were this easy.¡± Soo Hyuk currently had many other specials quests in his quest tab, but they were too difficult for him to complete at this point in time. While wishing that they were easier, Soo Hyuk completed the quest. [You have completed the Special Quest ¨C Karu¡¯s Heirloom] [Rewards Received.] Soo Hyuk opened his inventory after he checked the message window. He wanted to know what the rewards were. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk made a puzzled expression when he opened his inventory. ¡°What? A map?¡± The reason for his puzzlement was because the reward was a map. Soo Hyuk checked the map description. [Karu¡¯s Treasure Map] Soo Hyuk was filled with anxiety when he checked the description. It was too vague. ¡®Heroic?¡¯ Moreover, the rarity of the map was heroic. Not normal or rare, it was heroic. It was the next best rarity after God and Legend! ¡®No, a map is still a map.¡¯ Soo Hyuk pulled the map out, while trying to suppress his nervousness. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± When he opened the map, again his nervous expression was completely replaced with puzzlement. ¡®Matab Library?¡¯ The reason Soo Hyuk was puzzled, was because the words ¡®Matab Library¡¯ were written on the top of the map. Karu¡¯s Treasure Map showed the interior of the Matab Library. ¡®Huh, is there a treasure hidden in the library?¡¯ A library? It was too unexpected, even for Soo Hyuk. He then spotted a red dot which marked the location of the treasure. ¡®This is a bookshelf¡­¡­¡¯ The red dot was indicating a specific bookshelf. Why was it pointing at a bookshelf, which had nothing but books? ¡®¡­¡­No.¡¯ Soo Hyuk tilted his head as he thought, ¡®It probably won¡¯t be another quest.¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t be another quest. There might be something hidden within. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he put away the map. ¡®Should I go to the library now? Or should I keep hunting?¡¯ According to his schedule, it was still time to hunt. ¡®Well, I¡¯ll go there anyway. Let¡¯s keep hunting for now.¡¯ Soo Hyuk decided. He was planning to go to the library after hunting anyway, but he met his next problem after deciding to keep hunting. ¡®What should I hunt next?¡¯ His problem was that he couldn¡¯t decide what to hunt next. He had no reason to hunt wolves anymore, as he had already completed the quest related to them. ¡®Let¡¯s skip the bears.¡¯ Normally, players at Soo Hyuk¡¯s level would hunt bears, but from looking at the number of players crowding the entrance, he could already tell that it would be a waste of time. ¡®Goblins? Treants?¡¯ He had two options.The Goblin Fields in the Northern Hunting Grounds, or the Bloodless Forest west of the wolf territory. The Goblin Fields had monsters around level 20~40 and the Bloodless Forest had monsters around level 30~50. ¡®Let¡¯s just go to the Bloodless Forest, since it¡¯s closer and the trees are weak to fire.¡¯ After making up his mind, Soo Hyuk made his way out of the wolf forest. His destination was the home of the Treants, the ¡®Bloodless Forest¡¯. Treant Habitat, The Bloodless Forest. Monsters around level 30~50 inhabited the Bloodless Forest. They were¡­ ¨C Graaahhh¡­¡­.Raauuuggghhhh~ The Screaming Ironbarks, a zombie tree with screaming leaves and¡­ Clang! Clang! The Bloodless Treants. Using their numerous whiplike branches and enormous mouths with deadly precision, they bullied players into submission. . Those were the two species of monster in the Bloodless Forest. ¡°Flame Dance.¡± Soo Hyuk cast Flame Dance at the steadily advancing trees and a small ball of fire flew towards a Screaming Ironwood. The Ironwood was instantly reduced to ashes and disappeared. The little fireball then reappeared and shot towards the Bloodless Treant. Like the Screaming Ironwood, the Bloodless Treant was incinerated in less than 3 seconds. [Level Up!] After the Bloodless Treant was killed a message window appeared. It was a level up notice. Soo Hyuk collected the drop items and opened his status window. Occupation: Archmage¡¯s Descendant Level: 31 Experience: 1% Health : 8600 Mana: 36780 Satiation: 51% Strength: 20 Agility: 25(+6) Stamina: 164 Wisdom: 1840 Bonus Stat Points: 5 When Soo Hyuk had just completed ¡®Karu¡¯s Heirloom¡¯ and first entered the Bloodless Forest, he had only reached level 18. ¡®It¡¯s really fast.¡¯ A day hadn¡¯t even passed since then and Soo Hyuk was already level 31. Besides, wasn¡¯t his job the Archmage¡¯s Descendant, which required five times more experience to level up? This speed couldn¡¯t be compared to his leveling speed while he was hunting wolves. ¡®Isn¡¯t it obvious though?¡¯ The difference between treants and the wolves was like heaven and earth. This included their levels and the amount of experience they gave. Soo Hyuk assigned all his stat points into stamina and closed his status window. ¡®If only I knew that it was this easy earlier¡­¡­¡¯ Players didn¡¯t usually hunt wolves because they were difficult to hunt, but also because their drops were bad. This meant that there was no competition. Was it because they were weak to fire? Hunting Ironwoods and Bloodless Treants was similar to hunting wolves. Rather, it was easier since treants didn¡¯t usually team up like wolves did. If he had known this earlier, he would¡¯ve entirely skipped wolves. ¡®Yeah, my wisdom was high enough anyway.¡¯ Soo Hyuk¡¯s wisdom didn¡¯t belong to someone at level 31. To get to Soo Hyu¡¯s level of wisdom, one had to invest all their bonus stat points on wisdom, until level 360. ¡®I also have lots of health.¡¯ Since he didn¡¯t need to invest any stat points into wisdom, he had assigned all of them into stamina. As a result, he had way more health than other Magicians. ¡®I need to have more confidence.¡¯ (TL: This warped perception¡­) He needed to have more confidence in himself. ¡®If my progress slows down, let¡¯s immediately go to a higher-level area.¡¯ His progress would slow sooner than later. He was going to head straight for higher-level areas when it did. Of course, he would carefully choose what area he would go to. After all, he had to be able to hunt the monsters there. His attack power was high enough, but the monsters¡¯ attack power would rise as well. No matter how high his health was, it was still to the standard of a level 30. He could die from one mistake. ¨C Raaauuurrrghhh A Screaming Ironbark appeared next to him and opened its mouth to swallow him. ¡°Fireball.¡± Soo Hyuk continued hunting. ¡®2 hours left. How many levels can I gain?¡¯ He thought while burning down more treants. * * * Yang Joo Hyuk and Jang Yool conversed while staring at a monitor. ¡°The Archmage¡¯s Descendant deserves to be a top tier job. It needs five times more experience and yet¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡­¡± The subject of the conversation was Soo Hyuk. ¡°Why did he suddenly start hunting?¡± Jang Yool couldn¡¯t understand. Why did Soo Hyuk suddenly start hunting? ¡°He was cooped up in the library until now.¡± Soo Hyuk hadn¡¯t bothered to learn any of his new skills previously. ¡°He was reading like his life depended on it.¡± For months he only read books. What had suddenly driven him to start hunting? ¡°He didn¡¯t finish all the books either.¡± They could understand if he left after finishing all the books in the Matab Library, but there were still a lot of books he hadn¡¯t read yet. ¡°Although we don¡¯t know the exact reason.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk started. The reason Soo Hyuk, who looked like he started Pangea to read books, started hunting. ¡°It probably has something to do with Pavian.¡± They didn¡¯t know the exact reason why Soo Hyuk suddenly started hunting, but Jang Yoo Hyuk was sure that it had something to do with Pavian. ¡°Since he¡¯s started hunting after he met him.¡± Soo Hyuk had started hunting after he first met Pavian. ¡°Pavian didn¡¯t give him a hunting quest though.¡± Pavian had given Soo Hyuk a quest, but it was completely unrelated to hunting. All it required was for him to visit the Tower of Poison everyday for 30 days. ¡°It should have something to do with Pavian.¡± Jang Yool nodded at Yang Joo Hyuk¡¯s assumption. ¡°Ah!¡± Jang Yool suddenly exclaimed in surprise when he looked at the monitor again. ¡°He leveled up again¡­¡­¡± The reason for his surprise was because Soo Hyuk had leveled up again. ¡°Level 40 already¡­¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk mumbled. ¡°Even the Hunting King isn¡¯t this fast¡­¡­¡± The Hunting King. A tester who used his prior in game experience to dominate other players. Of course, he wasn¡¯t Rank 1. But if he had registered for the rankings when the game was first released, he would¡¯ve got Rank 1 without exception. But even the Hunting King didn¡¯t level as fast as Soo Hyuk. ¡°At this rate, he¡¯ll reach level 100 soon.¡± Jang Yool asked Yang Joo Hyuk. ¡°He probably would.¡± ¡°Then he would unlock the second door, right?¡± Jang Yool continued asking, after Yang Joo Hyuk nodded. ¡°Well¡­¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk tilted his head, unlike his last reaction. ¡°Unlocking doors becomes more difficult after the first one. Even if he¡¯s the Archmage¡¯s Descendant, he shouldn¡¯t be able to unlock it straight away.¡± The first door had no requirements, but from the second door onwards, there were special quest which had to be completed to unlock more doors. They were also immensely difficult, even for the Archmage¡¯s Descendant. * * * Soo Hyuk silently looked down at the map once more. In front of him was the bookshelf marked on the map. ¡°Hah¡­¡­¡¯ He sighed deeply. Chapter 44 - Familiar Face ¡°So it turned out to be a quest¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk had hoped that it wouldn¡¯t be a linked quest, but the reality was cruel. On the spot the red dot indicated on the map, was a blue book. It was also a book he had read before. Soo Hyuk checked the title again. ¡°Karu the 1st¡± The title of the book was Karu the 1st. ¡®A linked quest¡­¡­¡¯ He had wished for a normal quest but it turned out to be a linked quest. Although linked quests usually gave better rewards, their difficulty was usually significantly higher. Soo Hyuk pulled ¡®Karu the 1st¡¯ out from the bookshelf, then walked to another bookshelf. After he picked out five more books, he went to a reading desk and opened ¡®Karu the 1st.¡¯ . . . Who can take my treasure? . . . ¡®As expected, the contents of this book didn¡¯t change either.¡¯ Soo Hyuk had read the book before but he wondered if the contents might¡¯ve changed. But it looked like the contents of books would stay the same no matter what. Soo Hyuk then closed the book. [Special Quest ¨C Karu¡¯s Treasure Trove has been created.] [¡®Karu¡¯s Treasure Map¡¯ has been consumed.] [You have obtained ¡®Karu¡¯s Treasure Map 2¡¯.] The blue light disappeared from the book and a message window appeared. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± He thought that only one message would appear, but he received three messages after reading the book. With a puzzled expression, Soo Hyuk opened his quest window and checked his new quest. [Special Quest ¨C Karu¡¯s Treasure Trove] Follow the map and find Karu¡¯s treasure trove! [Quest Reward: ??? ] ¡®¡­¡­As expected.¡¯ Was it because it was a linked quest? Unlike ¡®Karu¡¯s Heirloom¡¯, the description for ¡®Karu¡¯s Treasure Trove¡¯ was vague. ¡®No, the map could be really detailed.¡¯ There was also the fact that this quest had a map to guide him unlike most other special quests. Even if the description was vague, the map could be detailed. Didn¡¯t the previous treasure map give an extremely detailed directions, clearly depicting the Matab Library? Soo Hyuk closed his quest window and opened his inventory. He then brought out the new map and looked at the title. ¡®¡­¡­Devil¡¯s Nest?¡¯ Soo Hyuk¡¯s expression hardened when he opened the map. Devil¡¯s Nest. The words Devil¡¯s Nest were written on top of the map. It was the first time he had heard of it. Since he didn¡¯t know where this Devil¡¯s Nest was, how could he complete the quest? ¡®Hmm?¡¯ He suddenly had a thought. ¡®Maybe Yeon Jung knows?¡¯ Maybe Yeon Jung, who had stepped into the world of rankers long ago, knew where the Devil¡¯s Nest was? Soo Hyuk opened his friend window and checked Yeon Jung¡¯s status. ¡®¡­¡­hmm, do not disturb¡¯ Yeon Jung was currently blocking all notifications. Disheartened, Soo Hyuk closed his friend window and reopened his inventory. ¡®Let¡¯s take it slow.¡¯ If the quest location wasn¡¯t near Matab, it would be difficult for him. No, he wouldn¡¯t even bother trying at all. That is, until he read all the books in Matab Library, he wasn¡¯t going to leave the city. Soo Hyuk stopped thinking about the quest and dived into the stack of books on his left. * * * ¡°Will you go to the Tower of Wind now?¡± ¡°I will. Deputy Park, thank you for your time. ¡°No, it was my pleasure.¡± Adilo replied in response to Kim Hyuk¡¯s words. ¡®He actually managed to obtain a special job in the end¡­¡­¡¯ Kim Hyuk had been harping on about special occupations since the start, and he had obtained one in the end. ¡®A Rank 4 Magician.¡¯ Adilo, who started as a Rank 6 Magician, could only become a Rank 4 Magician after hitting level 200. But Kim Hyuk managed to start as a Rank 4 Magician. ¡®There¡¯s nothing money can¡¯t solve¡­¡­¡¯ Adilo experienced first hand the full might of money while guiding Kim Hyuk. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow then.¡± Kim Hyuk said. ¡°Have a nice day, sir.¡± Adilo said while dripping with politeness. Then when Kim Hyuk logged out, Adilo let out a sigh in relief. ¡°Hah¡­¡­¡± Adilo slowly smiled after ridding himself of his polite attitude. ¡®I¡¯m finally free.¡¯ Following Kim Hyuk and coaching him was quite the chore for Adilo. But now, he was free to do whatever he wanted. Adilo shivered with joy at his freedom. Then he had a thought. ¡®Is he still at the library?¡¯ He had tried to kill him, but he himself was killed instead. 5 days had passed since then would he still be at the library? ¡®Let¡¯s check first.¡¯ He was free to do whatever he wanted anyway, so Adilo decided to check if the player called Soo Hyuk was still reading at the library. Was it his newfound freedom? Or was it the anticipation? Whatever the reason, Adilo found himself almost skipping towards the library. ¡®But what exactly happened then?¡¯ The poison that had killed him when he tried to kill Soo Hyuk. ¡®It definitely wasn¡¯t him.¡¯ Soo Hyuk definitely wasn¡¯t the one that had cast the poison skill. After all, he was clearly a beginner. ¡®Did a passing ranker decide to help?¡¯ Was it a passing ranker that decided to help? ¡®No, the Tower of Poison doesn¡¯t have any good players.¡¯ Adilo scratched his head. It wasn¡¯t that no one used poison magic, there were simply no rankers or exceptional players that used poison magic. No matter how low a Magician¡¯s health was, Adilo was still level 200. If someone managed to kill a level 200 like him with poison so easily, then they would definitely be famous already. ¡®This is dogshit even if I think about it.¡¯ His anger soared as he thought about how he had suffered during the last few days. When he died, his level had dropped to level 199. He wouldn¡¯t have been so angry if he had been killed in a fierce battle, but he had died in such a nonsensical way. ¡®Even if I don¡¯t know who did it, I¡¯ll kill that piece of shit who killed me if I meet him¡­¡­¡¯ Adilo, who was vowing his revenge, suddenly froze. He then smiled menacingly at a young man coming his way. ¡®He¡¯s actually still here!¡¯ Adilo thought with pleasant surprise. Over 5 days had passed, so he only had faint hopes of seeing him. But in front of him was the man he was here for: Soo Hyuk. ¡®Poison tower robe!¡¯ Adilo noticed the difference in his gear straight away. Before, he was wearing gear made of rabbit pelts, but now he was wearing a poison tower robe. ¡®I knew it! The sneaky piece of shit is related to this bastard!¡¯ Adilo was certain. Although he didn¡¯t know who killed him, they probably had some connection with Soo Hyuk. Adilo looked around to check for any suspicious characters that might protect Soo Hyuk. He didn¡¯t want to get ambushed again. ¡®They¡¯re not here.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t see any players around, just NPCs. ¡®I¡¯ll finish him in one shot this time!¡¯ He decided as he stared at Soo Hyuk who was coming in his direction. He was going to be serious this time. Previously, he had waited after attacking, because he thought Soo Hyuk was already dead. That was what lead to his downfall. However this time, he wasn¡¯t going to wait. He would go all out and pour attack after attack on him. But then¡­¡­ ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Soo Hyuk suddenly stopped walking, and called out in a wary voice. Seeing his guarded body language and voice, Adilo could tell that Soo Hyuk had recognised him. ¡®Well, I made all that ruckus in the library after all.¡¯ It would be weird if Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t recognise his face after he threatened him. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ ¡°Electro Ball.¡± Adile began casting Electro Ball straight away. ¡°Magic Missile!¡± Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t stay still either. ¡®Magic Missile?¡¯ Magic Missile? Was this guy a troll or what? ¡®Well, he might not have learnt any poison magic yet. From what he could see, Soo Hyuk¡¯s level was too low to learn any poison spells. He could understand Soo Hyuk¡¯s situation right now. Of course, he didn¡¯t stop himself from laughing even when he understood. ¡®I don¡¯t even need to dodge.¡¯ The Magic Missile was flying towards him, but it was a beginner skill. He didn¡¯t need to dodge this low-level skill from a low-level player. It would be more efficient to fire another spell instead. ¡°Lightning Spear!¡± Adilo cast Lightning Spear as he stared at the incoming Magic Missile. At that moment, Soo Hyuk¡¯s voice sounded again. ¡°Firebolt!¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Adilo faltered for a moment at Soo Hyuk¡¯s shout. Did he hear wrong? Firebolt? ¡®Double!¡¯ As the Firebolt flew towards him he realised Soo Hyuk wasn¡¯t just a poison Magician. He was a double magician who controlled two elements, fire and poison. ¡®Hmm, a bug?¡¯ Adilo thought as he frowned while staring the Firebolt hurtling towards him. Like Lightning Spear, Firebolt required a small amount of time to completely activate. Soo Hyuk had somehow completed his firebolt before Adilo, even though Adilo had started casting earlier. No, it had been instantly formed when he had cast the spell. Was it a bug? [You have attacked player ¡®Soo Hyuk¡¯.] [Your relationship with player Soo Hyuk is now ¡®Hostile.¡¯] (TL: this phrase above is pretty confusing. Basically, it¡¯s not about his relationship, it¡¯s something like the start of a fight and that they¡¯re fighting each other. Relationships are only for NPCs. Probably. I¡¯ll leave the raw below and if anyone has a suggestion, say in the comments or message me in discord.) [Your Crime Count has risen.] While Adilo was busy brooding over Soo Hyuk¡¯s Firebolt, his Electro Ball exploded on Soo Hyuk. At that moment, Lightning Spear also finished activating and flew towards Soo Hyuk. Just after the Lightning Spear was fired, Soo Hyuk¡¯s Magic Missile and Firebolt also arrived. [You are stunned for 3 seconds.] A message window warned as the Magic Missile hit him. ¡®Ah! F*ck!¡¯ Curses came out of his mouth on their own. Of course, he didn¡¯t actually say them out loud, because he couldn¡¯t move, instead he cursed internally. ¡®How did the stun take effect?!¡¯ Magic Missile¡¯s special effect had a 10% chance to stun the target. Adilo had thought that it wouldn¡¯t take effect because of its low chance, but it did. (TL: This guy hasn¡¯t experienced gacha battles.) ¡®I can¡¯t dodge it.¡¯ Since he was stunned, Adilo couldn¡¯t avoid the Firebolt which was just behind the Magic Missile. ¡®How much damage did I take.¡¯ Of course, he wasn¡¯t worried. Magic Missile and Firebolt were both beginner spells, so he had no reason to worry. Adilo moved his eyes and checked his status window. ¡®¡­¡­Huh?¡¯ Adilo was alarmed when he saw how much health he had left. ¡®What? Why¡­¡­¡¯ The reason for his sudden panic was because he only had half of his health left! Adilo moved his eyes just in time to see the Firebolt only centimetres away from him. ¡®W-wait, st¡­¡­.¡¯ Boom! The message window appeared when the firebolt exploded. Adilo grinded his teeth as he stared at the message. [You died!] ¡°F*CCKKK!¡± Adilo no, Park Kyung Ho cursed furiously as his surroundings faded into darkness save for the message. When he came to himself in the capsule, he shivered. ¡°What! The! F*CK!¡± He swore loudly. ¡°Why! What! Why! Why! F*ck!¡± He couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°AARRGGGHHH!¡­Hoo¡­Hoo¡­¡­¡± Park Kyung Ho screamed loudly then breathed deeply to forcibly calm himself down. As his madness dissipated, he thought of Soo Hyuk¡¯s face again. ¡°This dog bast¡­hoo¡­hoo¡­¡­right, was he a ranker catfishing as a noob?¡± Was he a high level player pretending to be a newbie? ¡°My healthpool isn¡¯t particularly small either, so to kill me with a Magic Missile and a Firebolt¡­¡­¡± He hadn¡¯t been killed by advanced spells. And the only people who could kill like that were¡­¡­ ¡°At least a Midranker.¡± Park Kyung Ho gulped in fear when he finished his thoughts. He had provoked a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing. And to make it worse, he had tried to kill him on two occasions. ¡®I¡¯m screwed.¡¯ Chapter 45 - Berenice Soo Hyuk stared at the corpse at his feet. Its identity was the man who had tried to kill him 5 days ago, Adilo. ¡°So the creepy stalker came back¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk had thought that he had seen the last of him, but the stalker had managed to surprise him again. ¡®It was good to level up before this.¡¯ He had resolved to level up quickly after the PK incident, so that he could be prepared for any future incidents. Looking at Adilo¡¯s body, he knew he had made the right decision. What if he was still that weak level 10 a few days ago? He didn¡¯t have Pavian with him this time. He would¡¯ve died, there was no questioning it. ¡®Hmm, he dropped something.¡¯ When players were killed, they dropped a random personal item, like monsters. But unlike monsters, killed players didn¡¯t display a drop window. Instead, they would actually drop the item physically near their body. (TL: For people too used to SAO death games, killing is normal in these types of VRMMOs.) Soo Hyuk could see a faint shine under Adilo¡¯s body. He hastily kicked the body away to reveal the item. Although it was a virtual world, Soo Hyuk was reluctant to touch a corpse with his hands. ¡®A ring?¡¯ After flipping Adilo¡¯s body over, a ring appeared on the ground where his body lay. Soo Hyuk collected the ring and stored it inside his inventory to check its information. [You have obtained the Twilight Ring.] Soo Hyuk figured out the name of the ring through the message window. [Twilight Ring] Conditions: None Special Effects: +10 Strength +10 Agility +10 Stamina +10 Wisdom ¡°Ohhh¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk sighed in admiration when he checked the item description. There were some decent options. ¡°All stats increased by 10?¡± The Twilight Ring increased all basic stats by 10, so it was a 40 point increase to your total stats. ¡°He must¡¯ve worked hard for this.¡± Soo Hyuk stared at Adilo¡¯s body after closing the item description. With an item this good, he couldn¡¯t possibly be a beginner. No, there was a possibility, but it was close to 0. ¡°Thankfully my wisdom was high enough to kill him. After he was promoted to a Magician, his wisdom stat was upgraded so that his magic defence was proportional with his wisdom. However, he still received a massive amount of damage. Adilo definitely wasn¡¯t a beginner. After equipping the Twilight Ring, Soo Hyuk opened his status window. Occupation: Archmage¡¯s Descendant Level: 80 Experience: 31% Health: 21800 Mana: 38200 Satiation: 53% Strength: 30 (+10) Agility: 35 (+16) Stamina: 424 (+10) Wisdom: 1910 (+10) After checking his character window he thought. ¡®Should I start investing my stat points into wisdom?¡¯ After 5 days of hunting, Soo Hyuk had risen from level 10 to level 80. Now when he read books, his wisdom didn¡¯t rise easily. Now he had to read 3-4 books to expect his wisdom to rise by 1 point. Was it because of his rise in levels? ¡®I think I have enough stamina for now.¡¯ His total healthpool had exceeded 20,000. It was an abnormal amount of health for a Magician, especially if you considered his level. To be honest, it was a bit excessive. If one didn¡¯t consider his wisdom, they would say something was wrong with his head for investing his points like that. ¡®Mmm, let¡¯s invest some points into wisdom from now on.¡¯ 424 stamina was enough for now. Soo Hyuk decided to invest some points into wisdom, then he closed his status window. He then headed to the Tower of Poison. ¡®The problem is levelling from now on.¡¯ Soo Hyuk hadn¡¯t even hunted all day, yet he had climbed at an unbelievable speed to level 80. His job was also the Archmage¡¯s Descendant which required 5 times more experience than normal jobs. The main reason for this speed was because he had hunted at hunting grounds which were more advanced than his level. ¡®But why aren¡¯t there any higher level hunting areas in Matab?¡¯ Soo Hyuk wasn¡¯t planning to leave Matab until he had read all the books in the library, but there were no more hunting areas that could satisfy his standards. The most advanced hunting areas around Matab were the Balum Mountains. However the monsters that inhabited the the Balum Mountains were orks, ogres and trolls, which were around level 70-95.. ¡®I can reach level 100 but¡­¡­¡¯ He could get to level 100 fairly easily, but going any further would drastically slow down his speed. ¡®Hmm, I think level 100 will be enough until I read all the books.¡¯ He could also unlock his second door when he¡¯s at level 100. ¡®Which door should I unlock?¡¯ His thoughts slowly transformed into which element he should unlock next. He had chosen fire as his first element. What should he choose next? ¡®Should I choose after looking at the conditions?¡¯ His first door didn¡¯t have any conditions to unlock, but from the second door onwards, there were certain conditions that needed to be met in order to open them. ¡®Yeah, I don¡¯t know what the conditions will be.¡¯ The conditions for the doors could be all different, so he didn¡¯t need to brood over this now. He would decide once he reached level 100. Soo Hyuk soon arrived at the Tower of Poison. When he climbed up to the 4th floor, he could only see the woman, the man was missing. Of course, that wasn¡¯t important. He was only here to see Pavian after all. ¡°Is the Tower Lord in right now?¡± Soo Hyuk asked the woman. It wasn¡¯t his first time asking. He would come here everyday after reading and hunting, but Pavian would sometimes be missing and he would have to wait for him. Since he didn¡¯t want to waste time waiting, he would swap his evening reading time with the time he would spend at the Poison Tower. If Pavian wasn¡¯t there after he hunted, the Poison Tower visit would eat into his reading time. Eating into his hunting time was okay, but he couldn¡¯t waste the time he had assigned for reading. ¡°Yes, he is waiting in his room.¡± The woman answered. ¡®Phew¡¯ Soo Hyuk sighed in relief. He then followed the woman to Pavian¡¯s room. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Soo Hyuk tilted his head in confusion when he arrived outside Pavian¡¯s room. The man who was missing previously was standing outside the room as well. ¡°Is the master still not finished?¡± The woman asked the man. ¡°He hasn¡¯t¡± The woman then turned to Soo Hyuk with an embarrassed expression and said, ¡°Could you please wait a bit? It won¡¯t take long.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Soo Hyuk replied while nodding. A few minutes later¡­¡­ The door to Pavian¡¯s room opened and a woman wearing a red robe came out. Soo Hyuk met eyes with the woman. ¡°Is it him?¡± The woman asked while staring at Soo Hyuk. The question wasn¡¯t aimed at him though. The man who was originally waiting outside replied with a slight bow, ¡°Yes.¡± Soo Hyuk thought when he observed his attitude. ¡®She must be someone important.¡¯ The man was a high ranking Magician who was respected by others around him. But he was extremely respectful to the woman in red. ¡°Let¡¯s meet again next time!¡± The woman exclaimed. ¡°¡­¡­Ah, yes.¡± Soo Hyuk faltered slightly at the woman¡¯s sudden shout. ¡°Soo Hyuk-nim has come.¡± ¡°Come in!¡± Hearing Pavian¡¯s voice, Soo Hyuk snapped out of his thoughts and entered the room. * * * ¡°So you haven¡¯t told him anything?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve told him everything, except the part about becoming my successor. I think it¡¯s too early for that.¡± Pavian replied to Berenice¡¯s question. ¡°He has enormous talent, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to bloom properly if I appoint him my successor straight away.¡± After explaining how problematic it would be if Soo Hyuk wasn¡¯t able to grow enough to lead the tower, Berenice finally nodded her head in understanding. ¡°But why do you want to see me?¡± Berenice cut straight to the point. The Poison Tower Lord had called the Flame Tower Lord for a talk. Berenice knew it was about the immeasurable talent, but she didn¡¯t know the exact reason. ¡°You said you were going to talk about the immeasurable talent with me.¡± Berenice wouldn¡¯t have gone if Pavian summoned her for an insignificant reason, but if it was about the immeasurable talent, she was full of curiosity. ¡°I want to ask something first.¡± Pavian replied in response to Berenice¡¯s words. He had also been curious about this for a long time. ¡°Why did you help me?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s obviously because¡­¡­¡± Berenice suddenly trailed off. ¡°I have to tell the truth, right?¡± Berenice asked with a refined smile. ¡°Is the reason what I¡¯m thinking it to be?¡± Pavian asked back. ¡°Yes, probably¡­¡­¡± Berenice replied after switching to an extremely wide smile. ¡°I see.¡± Pavian said as he nodded slowly. ¡°Did you call me because of this?¡± Berenice asked Pavian. ¡°Well, that and a few other things.¡± Pavian stopped nodding and cut straight to the point. ¡°You see, I sent someone to protect him in case of incidents¡­¡­¡± The talk continued for a long time. ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you next time.¡± Berenice stood up after the long talk ended. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll see you soon.¡± The talk had proceeded in a positive direction. With a cheerful smile, Pavian sent Berenice off. Then Berenice opened the door and walked out of the room. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Berenice suddenly stopped outside the room and stared at something. Pavian scratched his head in confusion. ¡®What¡¯s she doing?¡¯ As he was wondering what had happened, his assistant¡¯s voice sounded. ¡°Soo Hyuk-nim has come.¡± ¡®Ah¡­¡­¡¯ Now he knew why Berenice had stopped. Pavian grinned widely and shouted, ¡°Come in!¡± * * * ¡®It¡¯s paralysis again.¡¯ The poison that Pavian had prepared today was a paralysis poison. [You have been infused with Pavian¡¯s mana.] [You are now paralysed for 27 minutes.] ¡®Haa, how good would it be if it was paralysis everyday.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he stared at the message window. Pavian had prepared many different kinds of poison. So far, he had suffered through bleeding, paralysis, freezing and blindness but he knew there were many more kinds. Soo Hyuk was most fond of being paralysed. It took the shortest time out of all of the different kinds of poison. [You have been infused with Pavian¡¯s mana.] [You are now paralysed for 1 minute.] The messages kept appearing and his eventually the duration of the paralysis was reduced to 1 minute. After he regained control over his body, Soo Hyuk checked his quest window. [The 30-Day Endeavor.] You, who lacks poison resistance! Pavian will boost your immunity. Take Pavian¡¯s poison once a day! [Take Pavian¡¯s Special Poison: 5 / 30 ] [Quest Reward: Title ¨C Poison Maestro] ¡®Haa¡­¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk sighed at the fact he would have to come here for 25 more consecutive days. ¡®Well, he said he would teach me magic when we finished.¡¯ Pavian had said two days ago, that the reason he was strengthening his poison resistance was so that he could teach him magic. Soo Hyuk closed his quest window and asked Pavian. ¡°Will you be here tomorrow?¡± Soo Hyuk was planning to avoid the times Pavian would be elsewhere. ¡°Yes, for the time being.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll come again tomorrow.¡± Soo Hyuk stood up at Pavian¡¯s answer and bade him farewell. ¡®I can hunt for 4 hours.¡¯ Soo Hyuk decided when he checked the time. There was still 4 hours until his log out time. ¡®How many levels can I climb?¡¯ Soo Hyuk wondered as he made his way towards the Balum Mountains. He could see his level rising continuously. But he wouldn¡¯t be able to get far. Chapter 46 - Orc Hunting [Your satiation has dropped below 50%] ¡°Ah, that surprised me.¡± Was it because of the PK incidents with Adilo? Soo Hyuk almost thought that he was being attacked when an unexpected message popped up. After checking the message window, Soo Hyuk opened his inventory and took out a piece of honey bread. Although it was quite expensive at 2 gold per piece, Soo Hyuk had collected quite an amount of gold through hunting. Plus, he thought that it was worth the price. (TL: honey bread) After finishing the honey bread, Soo Hyuk checked his rising satiation. Not long after eating the bread, he arrived at the Northern Gates of Matab city. ¡°Who wants to hunt goblins!¡± ¡°Looking for people to go orc hunting!¡± Like the Eastern and Western Gates, the Northern Gates also had a lot of players looking for parties. ¡®There are less people than yesterday?¡¯ If there was one difference that he had to point out, it would be the number of players the Northern Gates had compared to other gates. The Northern Gates had fewer players than the other gates. The other day, Soo Hyuk had figured out the reason behind this. It was because there were other better hunting areas for players around level 100, so there was no reason to hunt here. That meant the players would just move to the better areas in other regions. There was also the fact that Matab was a horrible environment for partying. There were only Magicians here, but in other regions, there were other classes such as warriors and thieves. Players would be able to find better-balanced parties in other regions, that¡¯s why many players were leaving Matab each day. ¡®Looks like I can hunt comfortably today.¡¯ Of course, it was the best situation for Soo Hyuk who didn¡¯t want to be in a party. He could also avoid conflict with other players if he had less chance of running into them. Soo Hyuk entered the Bulam Mountains while listening to the echoing shouts of the other players. ¡°Lightning Spear!¡± ¡°Ice Fog!¡± ¡°Quickly heal me!¡± ¡°Heal please!¡± The first place Soo Hyuk arrived at was a place called the Goblin Fields. Goblin archers and warriors around level 20~40 resided here. Due to the fact that goblins had a high item drop rate and were relatively easy to hunt, there were a lot of players hunting here. Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t even have to use any magic, because as soon as a goblin respawned, they would be instantly locked on and hunted down by a nearby party. That meant that Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t have to waste any mana killing level 20~40 goblins. ¡®Me skipping this area was divine will.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he looked at two parties fighting over a goblin. He had previously skipped this area and instead hunted the Bloodless Forest. Watching the intense competition, he knew he had made the right choice. After crossing the Goblins Fields, Soo Hyuk finally arrived at the entrance to the Bulam Mountains. Looking at the tall mountains stretching into the distance, he thought. ¡®What should I hunt?¡¯ To the East was the orc territory, to the West was ogres, and in between them was the trolls. Orcs gave less experience than trolls or ogres, but there were many of them. Trolls gave a decent amount of experience and he could also find them relatively easily. Finally, ogres gave lots of experience, but only if he managed to find one. ¡®With my skills, orcs would be the best.¡¯ Soo Hyuk decided after looking over his skills, as they were suited to fights against many enemies. ¡®I can wipe out a group with Firestorm. If there¡¯s a boss, I can cast Inferno.¡¯ Of course, he had also learned Firestorm and Inferno with his gold. [Inferno] Proficiency: Beginner Level 1 (10%) Special Effects: 100% chance to burn the target. Mana: 200 Cooldown: 1 minute Activation Time: 3 seconds Effect Duration: 20 seconds . . . [Firestorm] Proficiency: Beginner Level 1 (22%) Special Effects: 50% chance to burn targets Reduce targets speed by 20% Mana: 500 Cooldown: 1 minute 30 seconds Activation Time: 15 seconds Effect Duration: 1 minute The spell that dealt the most damage, Inferno, and the spell with the biggest effect range, Firestorm. Before he had learned these skills, he had been hunting fairly easily, but now hunting was as easy as walking. After checking the skills, he turned towards the east and entered the mountain range. ¨C Eeek! A human! Soo Hyuk met an orc the moment he stepped inside a forest. ¡®It¡¯s a scout.¡¯ The orc was wearing a helmet with one feather attached to it. One feather meant that it was a scout. ¨C Intruder! Eeek! The orc rushed towards Soo Hyuk while yelling. ¡°Magic Missile.¡± Soo Hyuk muttered, and a blue ball of energy flew out of his hands and crashed into the orc. Bang! The orc was blasted away after only taking a few steps. Soo Hyuk collected the item drops from the orc and continued walking further inside the forest. ¡®Where could it be?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he looked around at his surroundings. Ever since he ran into the orc scout, he had been searching for something. ¡®What village was it this time?¡¯ Soo Hyuk was searching for an orc village. Orc scouts always patrolled around an orc village, so that meant a village was near him right now. ¨C Hee? ¨C A human. Hoo. ¨C Intruder! Soo Hyuk suddenly ran into three orcs. ¡°Flame Dance.¡± He quickly cast Flame Dance before the orcs could attack him. The small ball of fire flew towards the orcs and reduced them to ash instantly. Was he getting closer to a village? He was encountering more and more orcs as time passed. The orcs weren¡¯t a danger to him since they weren¡¯t high leveled or a boss. Soo Hyuk, who was hunting orcs as he searched for a village, came to a sudden stop. He was currently standing on top of a cliff. When he looked down the cliff, Soo Hyuk said to himself while smiling. ¡°Found it.¡± * * * ¨C Huh, what¡¯s that? The Orc Chieftain Talon of the Sun Tribe, exclaimed while snorting. ¨C It looks like a fire. Hurr. Vice Chieftain Ados replied in response to Talon¡¯s words. ¨C Hmph, I know that already. Talon said as his expression crumbled. ¨C What I want to know is, why is the fire spinning in circles? Talon asked again while he stared at the tornado of fire in the distance. -Don¡¯t know. Grunt. Ados also didn¡¯t know the reason. -But. Isn¡¯t that our village? Ados said while squinting his eyes to look closer, but at his words, Talon¡¯s expression gradually turned into that of panic. -Heeek! Really?! Talon sped towards the fire tornado after realising that his village was in danger. Unlike normal orcs, Talon was 4 metres tall and just as heavy. The ground was trembling as he rushed through the mountain. Ados also sped after his Chief, trying his best not to fall behind. ¨C Heeaaak! Talon finally arrived at where the fire tornado was raging on. It was his village. He couldn¡¯t do anything but dumbly stare at the fire consuming village. ¨C Why¡­¡­Heek¡­¡­ He couldn¡¯t understand why this was happening. ¡°Oh, it came!¡± Talon suddenly heard a voice coming from another direction. ¡®Human?¡¯ There was a lone human standing there. Why was a human here? ¡®Wha, wait did he do it?!¡¯ The moment Talon realised, his eyes reddened with rage while he howled. ¨C Roaarrr! Talon took out a battleaxe from his belt while howling. But, the moment he lifted his battleaxe, the human spoke. ¡°Inferno.¡± * * * [Level Up!] The message window appeared. But he didn¡¯t even look at the message once. It was already the third time leveling up, and he was checking his character real time through the status window. ¡®Hmm, it¡¯s rising quickly.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought. His experience was still climbing higher. ¡®The Firestorm¡­¡­¡¯ The cause of his rapid rise was his Firestorm. His Firestorm was currently raging inside a village, killing everything in its path. ¡®It should¡¯ve appeared by now.¡¯ Soo Hyuk looked around the village as the orcs died left and right. ¡®Is this village different?¡¯ Soo Hyuk was waiting for someone. Suddenly. [Warning!] [The Chieftain of the Sun Tribe, Talon has appeared.] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s finally here!¡± Soo Hyuk exclaimed excitedly when the message window appeared. He had been precisely waiting for the boss of the village, Talon. Soo Hyuk turned towards the entrance of the village as he shouted. There was a massive orc there, the Chief of the village, Talon. ¡°Inferno.¡± He cast Inferno on the orc boss straight away. At the same time, the orc Chief was lifting his battleaxe to charge at him. Small flames started to appear on the orc¡¯s body, but the flames gradually grew bigger over time, burning away at his body. ¨C Heeek! When the flames appeared, Talon tried to extinguish them with his free hand, but there were just too many flames and he only had one hand. Realising that he couldn¡¯t smother the flames, Talon chose to kill Soo Hyuk first. ¡°Magic Missile.¡± But Soo Hyuk¡¯s attacks hadn¡¯t ended yet. ¡°Firebolt.¡± Soo Hyuk rapidly fired spells one after another. The magic missile and firebolt flew towards Talon, who was still charging crazily towards Soo Hyuk. But as the spells were hurtling towards Talon, he completely ignored the red and blue streaks and charged into them with a berserk expression. Bang! Bang! Was it because of the flames burning him? Or his state of madness? When the spells crashed into Talon, he still didn¡¯t make any movements to dodge. ¨C You¡­¡­Graa¡­¡­ When he was hit by Soo Hyuk¡¯s spells, Talon wasn¡¯t reduced to ash or blasted away. While groaning, Talon shakily walked step by step in Soo Hyuk¡¯s direction with battleaxe still in his hand. But after only a few steps, he collapsed to his knees with a sigh and and his eyes lost their luster. ¨C My tribe¡­why¡­¡­ [The Chieftain of the Sun Tribe, Talon has been defeated.] [The Sun Orcs will fall into ¡®chaos¡¯ state for 10 minutes.] [The Sun Orcs¡¯ attack will be increased by 50% due to their ¡®chaos¡¯ state.] [The Sun Orcs¡¯ defence will be decreased by 50% due to their ¡®chaos¡¯ state.] With the appearance of the message windows, Soo Hyuk cluelessly checked the drop window and collected the items drops from Talon. The drop window contained all the drops from the orcs killed by his Firestorm, but there was one item that caught his eye. ¡®Rare gear!¡¯ It was a piece of equipment of the Chieftain. [Level Up!] Another message appeared while he was cheerfully checking the item drops. It was a level up notice. ¡®As expected from a boss monster.¡¯ A boss monster was a boss monster. He had just leveled up, but he leveled up again from the boss¡¯ experience alone. Boss¡¯ truly had a lot of experience. ¨C Heek! Soo Hyuk suddenly heard the loud breath of an orc. ¡®Hmm? Is it a returning scout?¡¯ Had a scout returned to the village? Soo Hyuk turned around to face the new orc, but he couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. ¡®What?¡¯ There was an orc at the village entrance, but it wasn¡¯t a normal orc. ¡®Why is it so big?¡¯ The orc was massive. Although not as big as Talon, it was a lot bigger than regular orcs. ¡®It can¡¯t be another boss¡­¡­¡¯ He was sure that it wasn¡¯t a boss, since the boss message hadn¡¯t appeared. ¡®It¡¯s an Elite monster!¡¯ If it was stronger than regular monsters but wasn¡¯t a boss, there was only one other possibility. An Elite monster! Twang! ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk was readying his magic when his expression changed into that of bewilderment as the twang of a bow sounded. ¡®An arrow?¡¯ The orc was suddenly pierced in the forehead by an arrow. ¨C Kek¡­¡­ The orc collapsed face first and a voice sounded from behind it¡¯s body. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s this?¡±¡± Chapter 47 - Bane of Trolls While looking at the orc, Soo Hyuk saw the man who called out from the entrance. ¡®Is that a User?¡¯ A guild mark was above the man¡¯s head, so he was definitely a user. ¡®Is he an archer?¡¯ In addition, the user was holding a bow, not a wand, and had a Dagger at his waist. Obviously not a wizard. ¡®Is it over?¡¯ There were only wizards in the Tower. There were no other jobs. Being an archer, the user looked like he was from another area. ¡®Why?¡¯ Soo Hyuk wondered ¡®There were many other good hunting grounds. Why did he come here?¡¯ ¡°Hello.¡± The user greeted Soo Hyuk while he was thinking. ¡°My name is Doran.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Hello.¡± Soo Hyuk also greeted Doran who introduced himself, lapsing into an awkward silence. ¡°That¡­Sorry. I didn¡¯t know you were hunting.¡± Doran broke the silence, apologizing. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Soo Hyuk, who never thought he would apologize, shook his head to Doran¡¯s sudden apology. ¡°I wasn¡¯t hunting.¡± Again, they lapsed into silence¡­ -Good! It was neither Soo Hyuk nor Doran that broke the silence. Fire Storm¡¯s duration was over and the orcs that had not yet died began to run. ¡°Fire Dance.¡± With five orcs coming in, Hyuk cast Fire Dance. Within seconds, all five Orcs died and the drop window was updated. Hyuk pressed {OK} to acquire all the items in the Drop Window. Then he looked back at Doran. Doran opened his mouth. ¡°I want to ask a question.¡± ¡°¡­What is it? ¡± ¡°Did you hunt down the village yesterday?¡± Doran¡¯s words were surprising. ¡®How did he know?¡¯ Soo Hyuk hunted down the village the day before as Doran said. But how did Doran know that? ¡°Yes, but how did you¡­¡± ¡°Ah, so you doing it as well!¡± Doran exclaimed, with much excitement. ¡°I¡¯m hunting them for fun because I have the equipment for it. I found a village yesterday and it was empty. So I asked. Haha.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°Are you going to keep hunting Orcs?¡± Soo Hyuk thought at Doran¡¯s question. ¡®If you hunt an orc, you don¡¯t get shit?¡¯ ¡®Doran said he was doing this for fun. In other words, he wasn¡¯t hunting with experience points in mind. What if I answered that I would keep hunting orcs? Am I not doing that right now? Or would it not bite me in the ass later? Did Doran notice Soo Hyuk¡¯s apprehension? Or was it because Soo Hyuk said nothing? Doran continued. ¡°If you¡¯re hunting orcs, I¡¯m going to hunt trolls!¡± At Doran¡¯s words, Soo Hyuk gave up. ¡®Is it because of Adilo?¡¯ It seemed that Soo Hyuk was worried after being influenced by Adilo¡¯s PK attempt. Wasn¡¯t there a condition for that? PTSD or something? ¡°For the time being I¡¯m going to be hunting orcs.¡± Soo Hyuk replied. ¡°All right.¡± Doran nodded and looked at Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer. Then he smiled and said ¡°I am going to go, then. Have fun!¡± ¡°Yes, goodbye.¡± Doran turned back when Soo Hyuk said goodbye and immediately left the village. After Doran went out of sight, Soo Hyuk also exited the village. It was a fact that he had already destroyed the village, so Soo Hyuk had no reason to be in the village. Soo Hyuk opened the character window as he left: Job: Archmage Level: 85 Exp: 4% Health: 21,800 Mana: 38,200 Satiation: 51% Strength: 30 (+10) 40 Agility: 35 (+16) 51 Stamina: 424 (+10) 434 Wisdom: 1910 (+10) 1920 Bonus Stats: 25 ¡®85, huh?¡¯ Clearing the villages only once had granted him tremendous experience. My leveling is going to slow down now.¡¯ It was a lot of experience, but it¡¯s slower compared to his leveling yesterday, and it was going to slow down even more. He closed the character window after investing all of the bonus stats in Wisdom and opened his inventory to check Boss Monster Taran¡¯s drops. Class: Warrior Physical Defense: 200 Movement Speed -20% Class: Warrior Physical Defense: 200 Movement Speed -10% ¡´Sharp Two-Handed Axe> Restrictions: Strength 200 Physical Attack: 150 Attack Speed -20% Taten dropped three pieces of equipment. ¡®I¡¯ll sell these later.¡¯ The options weren¡¯t bad, but they weren¡¯t what Soo Hyuk could use. Tatan only dropped equipment for warriors. There was no one to buy them, after all. Sell to NPCs? The loss was too big for users to tolerate. There was no shortage of inventory and there was no reason to sell to NPCs. ¡®Why is there no auction house in Matab?¡¯ In the capital of an empire or kingdom, there was usually an auction house, making it easy to trade. Strangely, Matab did not have an one. The Spires, which had more influence than some countries, strangely had no auction houses. It made no sense that there was no auction house, so Soo-hyuk closed his inventory. He began to look around and move on. [You have killed 5000 trolls.] [Title: Bane of Trolls] ¡®Nice!¡¯ Doran saw the message and opened the title window to see the title¡¯s effect. ¡®Will it boost my health again, like the title from when I hunted 1000 trolls?¡¯ The title [Troll Slayer] increased his stamina by 10. This title, which needs 5000 trolls, would also boosthis stamina. -[Bane of Trolls] (+20 Stamina) ¡®Also.¡¯ Doran, after confirming the effect of the title, nodded. The effect was as expected. Doran closed the title window and checked the character window. Class: Archer of Death Level: 321 Experience: 2% Health: 53990 Mana: 2700 Satiation: 21% Strength£º 922 (+150) Agility £º 1821 (+250) Stamina: 711 (+190) Wisdom £º 135 (+20) Bonus Points: 10 ¡®It¡¯s enough, I won¡¯t die in Alterion anymore.¡¯ Very often, he died by a narrow margin, but now he wouldn¡¯t. The slightly lacking health is now compensated for with his recently acquired titles. Doran closed the character window and started moving. ¡®I think 10,000 will give you a title, too¡¯. But that would be another 5,000. I can¡¯t play too much anymore because of the competition. No matter how important titles are, leveling was also important. ¡®Should I start hunting Ogres?¡¯ The only thing you could get from trolls were items. But Ogres granted titles as well. In addition, there wasn¡¯t much difference in the hunting speed either. ¡®Yes, let¡¯s move to ogres.¡¯ Doran decided to hunt some ogres and turned around. It was then. -Fabi: Don¡¯t talk. A Whisper came from the favorite of the guild ¡°Hwarang¡± that Doran belonged to ¡®I sent you a whisper earlier and it seemed like you just confirmed.¡¯ Doran stopped and checked the surroundings and whispered to Fabi. Doran: Really? -Fabi: At least a double, level 300, and seems to have no guild? -Doran: Absolutely not! -Fabi: That¡¯s enough for guilds already. I guess. Where are you hunting? -Doran: Hey, Ruin and Hoyte. They don¡¯t have a guild. -Fabi: So far, except for the psychos. One has a crazy title, and the other one is crazy about PK. Can you compare them? Is that user a psycho? -Doran: No, he isn¡¯t. But he¡¯s real! Oh, why is it that the deputy guild leader is not authorized to send guild join requests? I¡¯m feeling salty. Fabi¡¯s reaction was so frustrating. ¡®It¡¯s natural not to believe it.¡¯ Of course it was frustrating, but Fabi¡¯s reaction was not incomprehensible. When he first saw the user they were whispering about, Doran also thought he was an NPC. It was because the guild mark was not visible. But after talking to him, Doran realized it was not NPC, but a user. ¡®You still need to believe.¡¯ Wearing the Poison Tower¡¯s robes and has fire magic. He was at least a double. Additionally, he immediately killed the orcs with a low-level spell, Fire Dance. Usually, it was not that strong. He was estimated to be a ranker near level 300 from the damage output. Guild power in the current Pangea is determined by the power of the users belonging to the guild. The stronger the users, the stronger the guild. In other words, Doran thought that they must embrace the user without a guild and sent a whisper to Fabi. -Fabi: Bullshit. But it was frustrating because Fabi didn¡¯t believe it. ¡®If I could, I¡¯d do it myself.¡¯ If he knew how Fabi would have responded, he would have added the user as a friend. ¡®Should I go to him now?¡¯ Doran thought. The man said he was going to hunt Orcs for now. Okay. Let¡¯s go.¡¯ Doran worried for a while, then he made a decision. He turned to the orcs instead of the ogres, and began to move. -Doran: Wait, I¡¯m looking for him now. Doran sent a whisper to Fabi while walking. -Fabi: Yeah, he¡¯s not level 300. If he¡¯s over level 250 and is not part of a guild, I will give you 5000 gold. When he joins the guild, you get an additional 5000 gold. -Doran: I¡¯ll get him. -Fabi: Yeah, and I¡¯m going to go hunting. They ended their conversation and Doran laughed. ¡®That¡¯s and easy 5000 gold in the bag.¡¯ Wearing the Poison Tower Robe and using fire magic, him being a double was certain. The level was a problem, but if his damage was that high, 300 was guaranteed. That 5000 gold was his. ¡®Getting him to join the guild was a problem. I don¡¯t know whether or not he has joined a Guild. Maybe there was a special reason he hasn¡¯t entered a guild. Even if he doesn¡¯t join the guild, I will still add him as a friend.¡¯ Networking was also a strength. Doran skipped along happily worrying about what items to buy with the gold he wass going to get from Fabi. Chapter 48 - Networking -Human¡­human¡­It¡¯s strong¡­ Thud! The huge orc fell down. [The Chieftain of the Red Orc Tribe Caussus, has been defeated.] [The Red Orcs will fall into ¡®Chaos¡¯ state for 10 minutes.] [The Red Orcs¡¯ attack will be increased by 50% due to their ¡¯Chaos¡¯ state.] [The Red Orcs¡¯ defence will be decreased by 50% due to their ¡®Chaos¡¯ state.] When the orc fell a message window appeared, while looking at the window Soo Hyuk thought. ¡®Good thing.¡¯ . . . When he left the Sun Tribe Orcs village, there was an hour and 30 minutes left. Soo Hyuk was unsure if he would be able to find an orc village, but he was lucky to find one in only an hour. He had 30 minutes to attack the village. 30 minutes was enough to destroy the village, no the entire 30 minutes was not needed as Soo Hyuk killed the Boss and wiped out the village in less than 30 minutes. Someone who could destroy the village at such speed was rare. Soo Hyuk checked the drop item window. -197 orc skins -111 orc teeth -21 orc eyeballs -Cowboy¡¯s Paddle Unfortunately, only one item dropped. ¡®It¡¯s got a name.¡¯ Soo Hyuk checked the named item¡¯s information after opening his inventory. Nevertheless, the named item wouldn¡¯t sell in Matab. Soo Hyuk closed his inventory. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be better to log out in this place? I¡¯ll be hunting here in the Bulam Mountains anyway, so there is no need to increase travel time back and forth to Matab.¡¯ Soo Hyuk looked around the empty village and logged out. Soo Hyuk took off his helmet, exited the capsule, and immediately checked his phone. ¡®Oh, I¡¯ve finally got the date.¡¯ There was a message from his mother and father. It was about a family trip in Pangea. ¡®It¡¯s the perfect timing, 4 weeks from now.¡¯ The trip was scheduled to be in 4 weeks and the Tower of Poison quest also ends in 4 weeks. The timing was just right. Soo-hyuk replied and dropped his phone as he sat down at the computer. He checked what happened while he was connected. As soon as the computer booted up, Soo Hyuk went to the official Pangea homepage and checked the posts in the popular forum. ¡°Huh ¡­¡± While reading the top posts, Soo Hyuk sighed. ¡°Only stories about rankers come up.¡± He was sighing because all the top posts were about rankers or named users. Soo Hyuk looked through the popular forums posts and the other forums posts. The other forums posts were no different from popular forum posts. Most of the stories were related to the posts name. . . . Title: May I have a Pancam payment¡­ . . . Pangea Cam, or Pancam for short, was a site that collected a variety of information. It was a paid site that bought and sold various information. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t have the quest information, but I don¡¯t need it right now.¡± Soo Hyuk had no need for information at the moment. He had several legacy quests, but didn¡¯t need the information right away. Soo Hyuk closed the homepage and checked the time. ¡°I only have an hour to read before I need to sleep.¡± Soo Hyuk confirmed the time and headed to the bookshelf. . . . . Doran cast the skill ¡®Arrow of Death¡¯. Arrow of Death had a 30 minute cooldown time. When the skill was cast an arrow with black smoke flowing out of it materialised. Doran then fired the arrow. ¨C Pch! The arrow was aimed at the chest of an orc running at Doran. When the arrow hit the orc¡¯s chest the black smoke soaked into its body. The orc¡¯s skin began to turn black, spreading out from where the ¡®Arrow of Death¡¯ hit. In less than 5 seconds the orc¡¯s entire skin turned black, and in that moment it suddenly exploded out in an enormous radius killing all the nearby orcs caught up in the explosion. Doran, who had killed a group of orcs in just one attack, murmured while looking at the drop message. ¡°Obviously you were hunting an orc. You said you were going to hunt orcs. Where are you?¡± Doran had already been looking for the user for two hours, but there was no trace to be found. ¡°Where are you hunting? Did you log out?¡± Doran nodded in thought. ¡°That could have happened.¡± It made sense. It was nearing dusk and it was a time when many users logged out. It was also possible that the user had logged out. ¡°He said ¡®for the time being¡¯.¡± The user said he would hunt orcs for the time being. ¡°I¡¯ll see him around.¡± ¡®If I keep hunting orcs, I will find you.¡¯ ¡®I have to work on a title, because of this guy I didn¡¯t hunt trolls.¡¯ Doran also had to hunt the orcs. He hadn¡¯t got all their titles yet. Doran confirmed the dropped items and moved on. . . . . -It¡¯s in 4 weeks! That¡¯s 27 days from now. Don¡¯t forget! ¡°Yes, I know.¡± -I¡¯ll be in touch! ¡°Yes, good bye.¡± Soo Hyuk dropped his phone after finishing his call with his father and focused on the book again. [Ring ring ring!] After 30 minutes of focusing on the book, the alarm Soo Hyuk set started to ring. ¡°Is it time already?¡± Soo Hyuk closed the book, turned off the alarm, and got up. He rose from his seat and stretched to relax his body before connecting to Pangea. Soo-Hyuk entered the capsule and connected to Pangea. Soo Hyuk logged back into the Red Orc Tribe village. ¡®Did monsters respawn while you were logged out?¡¯ A lot orcs were roaming around the previously empty village. ¡®What?¡¯ Soo Hyuk met eyes with a snorting orc in the distance. ¡°Firestorm.¡± Soo Hyuk immediately cast Firestorm. Firestorms cast time was 15 seconds. Of course, Soo Hyuk had the skill ¡®Archmage¡¯ which reduced cast time by 10 seconds, so Firestorm could be used within 5 seconds of casting. But that 5 seconds was a problem. ¡®Can I make it?¡¯ Soo Hyuk looked at the casting bar progressing in front of his eyes. ¡®Can I hold on for 5 seconds without being attacked?¡¯ -Human! Human! Die! The orc tilted its head and began to run towards Soo Hyuk with a club in its hands. It was right in front of him since it was running quickly. -Human! Kill it! Die! Soo Hyuk cast Magic Missile and eagerly watched his spell blow up the orcs club. -Suaak! Stick! ¡®Nice.¡¯ It made a big difference. The orcs could easily cancel magic casting if they didn¡¯t spend time screaming. -Swoo Heok! Soo Hyuk watched the huge tornado of fire. While watching Firestorm, he cast Firebolt on another orc trying to attack him with a club. Soo Hyuk turned back to see the orc falling to the firebolt. Firestorm swept away the orcs in its radius. -Human! Human! -Intruder! Kill it! -Kill it! Kill it! Was it because of the firestorm or the screams of so many orcs dying in the firestorm? Orcs ran out of the buildings behind him and rushed at Soo Hyuk alongside the orcs who were already outside. ¡°Firebolt, Magic Missile, Flame Dance, Firebolt.¡± Soo Hyuk fired his magic at the coming orcs. [Warning!] [The Chieftain of the Red Orc Tribe Kauso, has appeared.] -Human! How dare you attack our village! Soo-Hyuk, who was casting magic and slaughtering orcs looked at the massive orc screaming from the buildings entrance. Kauso started running at him with a club in each hand. ¡°Inferno.¡± He didn¡¯t know a boss would appear now. Soo Hyuk quickly ran away after casting Inferno on Kauso, he had to buy time for his skills cool downs. ¡°Magic Missile!¡± Soo Hyuk quickly cast magic missile. Of course, he didn¡¯t have to wait long. Magic Missile¡¯s cooldown was short. -One human¡­ Kauso, who lost much of his life to Inferno during his charge, fell to a magic missile. [The Chieftain of the Red Orc Tribe Kauso, has been defeated.] [The Red Orcs will fall into ¡®Chaos¡¯ state for 10 minutes.] [The Red Orcs¡¯ attack will be increased by 50% due to their ¡¯Chaos¡¯ state.] [The Red Orcs¡¯ defence will be decreased by 50% due to their ¡®Chaos¡¯ state.] A message appeared and Soo Hyuk started cleaning up the rest of the orcs in the village. ¡°Hey!¡± It was then. After Soo Hyuk had finished cleaning up the remaining orcs, he heard a voice behind him and quickly turned back. ¡±¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk confirmed it was Doran¡¯s voice. ¡®Didn¡¯t he say he was going to hunt trolls?¡¯ Why did Doran, who was going to hunt trolls, come here? Doran shouted at Soo Hyuk who was puzzled. ¡°I was looking for you!¡± ¡°Me?¡± Soo Hyuk responded to Doran. ¡®No way PK? How did he find me?¡¯ Soo Hyuk wondered as Doran asked. ¡°Yes, do you want to join our guild?¡± ¡°¡­ Your guild? ¡± ¡°Yes, I want you to join my guild.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Soo Hyuk told Doran, who was waiting for his answer. ¡°I have already decided to join a friend¡¯s guild¡­¡± Soo Hyuk already had a guild waiting for him. A top ranked guild, at that. ¡°Oh, so be it.¡± In response to Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer, Doran murmured with a sad expression. Then he said to Soo Hyuk. ¡°Then can you add me as a friend?¡± Soo Hyuk stared at Doran. ¡®What? It¡¯s weird to just ask that suddenly. We didn¡¯t hunt together, and have only met once. Should I add someone who doesn¡¯t know my name?¡¯ Doran didn¡¯t know Soo Hyuk¡¯s character¡¯s name and unlike Doran, Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t reveal his character name. Sending a friend request to someone you don¡¯t know¡­ ¡®Why does he want me to add him?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought about it. Meanwhile, Doran was thinking. ¡®Honestly, Pangea¡¯s networking is important, so I want to be friends with him. There may be some benefits in being humble.¡¯ ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡®It¡¯s a network.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought again. ¡®Yes, Pangea is a network.¡¯ In Pangea, personal strength is important, but networking is also important. Doran is not weak and is strong enough to kill an Elite monster in one shot. Soo Hyuk wasn¡¯t forced to accept so he didn¡¯t reject Doran¡¯s request. ¡®It¡¯s not difficult to remove a friend if you don¡¯t want to be friends anymore.¡¯ After thinking, Soo Hyuk responded to Doran. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you! What¡¯s your character name? ¡± ¡°Soo Hyuk.¡± ¡°Just wait a bit!¡± Doran responded with a smile. Soon after, a friend request window appeared. Soo Hyuk accepted. Soo Hyuk then opened the friend window and checked Doran¡¯s level. ¡®¡­ Huh?¡¯ Soo Hyuk did not panic and confirmed Doran¡¯s level. ¡®321?¡¯ 321¡­ Doran¡¯s level in the friends status window was clearly 321. The only thing you can see through the friends status window is the level and 321 was his level. Soo Hyuk looked embarrassed and looked at Doran. Doran was too embarrassed to look at Soo Hyuk. Chapter 49 - Trolls Blood Join our discord to get latest updates about the translations. Translator: Tlatchga Proofreader: TheMonitor ¡°The Arrow of Death.¡± Doran chanted, shooting an Arrow of Death at the ogre in front of him. ¡®How is he so strong at that level?¡¯ Doran didn¡¯t understand at all. ¡®His damage doesn¡¯t make sense. Is he using ¡®God¡¯ grade equipment?¡¯ ¡®God¡¯ is the highest grade yet. Doran thought that Soo Hyuk was wearing a lot of ¡®God¡¯ grade items. ¡®Absolutely not the damage of a level 90¡­ more like a level 300,¡¯ Doran estimated Soo Hyuk¡¯s level to be about 300. In reality, Soo Hkuk was only level 90. Doran once again opened his friend¡¯s window to check Soo Hyuk¡¯s level. As he did so, Soo Hyuk¡¯s level increased from 90 to 92. ¡®Hunting like that with that attack¡­¡¯ Based on Soo Hyuk¡¯s ridiculous magic attack, hunting and leveling was extraordinarily fast. ¡®Are wizards normally this strong?¡¯ Wizards, in general, were not this strong of a job. ¡®No, there¡¯s something about Soo Hyuk. I am not a wizard myself, but I¡¯ve met many wizard users, and they were never as strong as a Soo Hyuk.¡¯ -Oh my! Doran threw an arrow at the ogre in front of him. It was then. -Year Round: Doran! -Doran: What¡¯s up, Year Round? Doran and Year Round talked through whispers. ¡®Is it true?¡¯ The conversation came to Soo Hyuk. Doran had become friends with a high value user. Year Round was surprised that Doran managed to befriend someone. -Doran: So you¡¯ll let me invite him, Guild Leader! -Yeae Round: Yes, I¡¯ll let you invite him after the Guild Meeting. Doran: Isn¡¯t that a while away? -Year Round: I told I¡¯d have news in five days, so I have to wait until then. -Doran: We have to recruit him. Please tell me when the results. A favor to me. -Year Round: Okay! Year Round ended his whisper with Doran. -Lilith: Year Round, where are you? As soon as Year Round finished whispering with Doran, a new whisper conversation began. The whisperer was assistant guild leader and magician Lilith. Lilith and Year Round often hunted together. -Year Round: I¡¯m in the bull lizard area right now. Where are you? -Lilith: I¡¯m already here! Come find me at the entrance? -Year Round: Alright! I¡¯m heading over. The Year Round ended his whisper with Lilith and started a whisper conversation with Soo Hyuk as he headed to the hunting ground entrance Year Round: Are you really Doran¡¯s friend? Soo Hyuk cast a Fireball and replied to Year Round. -Soo Hyuk: Of course. -Year round: How did you become friends? Soo Hyuk could not respond immediately, as an orc was charging at him. ¡°Fire Bolt.¡± Soo Hyuk whispered to Year Round after seeing a small fireball hit the orcs. -Suh Hyuk: I just wanted to be friends -Year Round:With Doran? -Soo Hyuk: Uh, I refused to join the guild, so I him I¡¯d add him as a friend. -Year round: Huh, really? Soo Hyuk felt something strange in Year Round¡¯s response and asked why. -Soo Hyuk: Why? -Year round: Doran doesn¡¯t make friends. Suh Hyuk understood why Year Round gave a strange reaction. -Year round: Anyway, you made a good friend. Doran is a very loyal friend. -Hyuk: And you? -Year round: Hey, don¡¯t compare him with me. Soo Hyuk laughed at Year Round. -Year Round: Bye, I¡¯m going hunting now! In the following Year Round¡¯s whisper, Soo Hyuk did not answer and closed the whisper and opened Year Round¡¯s character window. Occupation: Archmage Level £º 92 Experience: 25% Health: 22000 Mana: 39400 Satiation: 51% Strength£º 40 (+10) Agility £º 35 (+16) Stamina: 424 (+10) Wisdom: 1970 (+10) ¡®Slow.¡¯ Soo Hyuk¡¯s level is now 92. His level-up speed was decreasing- the experience required to level up increased by 25% per level. Suh closed his character window. ¡®The title is okay regardless.¡¯ Soo Hyuk had killed an orc and gotten a title. It was called the ¡°Orc Slayer.¡± Orc Slayer (+10 Strength) The title boosts strength by 10. Strength increases physical attack power and some health. It wasn¡¯t a useless stat, but a stat that wasn¡¯t needed as much as agility or stamina. ¡®Yes, let¡¯s move on to the trolls.¡¯ He decided to stop hunting orcs. Soo Hyul opened a friend¡¯s window and checked Doran¡¯s status and sent a whisper. ¡®You asked me to talk to you.¡¯ Doran had told Soo Hyuk to tell him when you¡¯re done hunting for orcs when parting after adding each other as friends. -Hyuk: Doran. -Doran: Yes? -Hyuk: I¡¯m done hunting orcs now. -Doran: Ah! Yes, thanks for letting me know! -Suyuk: No problem. Have fun! -Doran: Suhyuk! Later, let¡¯s run a dungeon together! -Hyuk: Sure! Soo Hyuk finished his whisper and closed the window window. Soon after, he was able to leave the orc zone and reach the troll area. Looking around for trolls, Soo Hyuk thought ¡®It would be nice if the trolls also had villages.¡¯ Unlike orcs, trolls do not live in villages, at least in the Boulem Mountains. ¡®It takes a long time to find trolls. ¡® At least one and as many as four at a time. In other words, using a Fire Storm to kill a troll was inefficient. For the time being, Fire Storm would not be used for hunting. Of course, if there is nothing to hunt, Soo Hyuk would use the magic to increase its proficiency. It didn¡¯t matter if it was on cooldown while hunting- Soo Hyuk wasn¡¯t using it anyways. ¡°Fire Storm.¡± Soo-hyuk, who decided to raise his proficiency at this time, cast Fire Storm. Five seconds passed, the casting bar disappeared, and a massive tornado appeared in front of it. It was then. 2 Troll Tendons -Troll leather A drop window appeared. Looking at the drop window, Soo Hyuk turned his head towards the firestorm. Trolls hidden in the trees were caught in the Fire Storm. Soo Hyuk checked the drop items . And began to search for trolls in earnest. Upon returning to Matab, Soo Hyuk walked to the library and opened his inventory. ¡®Wow¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk opened his inventory and admired the value of its contents. ¡®9 thousand gold.¡¯ At present, the amount of gold in the leather possessed was over 9000. Considering that the level of leather is not level 100 mobs, it was a huge amount of money. The current gold price was 10,000 won for 100 gold. ¡®The fee to play is 810,000 won.¡¯ A total of 10% of all sales fees, including taxes, will be lost. ¡®There are many reasons for dark gamers.¡¯ To those who sell game money or items or information, Pangea is just another game. ¡®Would you like to sell some books?¡¯ Soo Hyuk suddenly thought seriously. He had already completed his skill quests that could be completed in Matab. There was no reason to spend gold right now. ¡®Yes, let¡¯s get rid of a little.¡¯ After thinking, Suh made a decision. ¡®Sell the leather and¡­ ¡­¡¯ Books that Soo Hyuk had wanted to buy but could not because he had run out of pocket money. ¡®I should sell them when I go to the Tower of Magic tomorrow.¡¯ There was no need to cash out urgently. When he went to Tower of Magic, he would stop by the bank to exchange gold for Won and closed his inventory. ¡°Hello!¡± Soon when Soo Hyuk arrived at the library, he greeted the NPC, who gave him a ticket, and went into the library to move on to the bookshelf. ¡®Doran said trolls gave titles after huntin 1000 and 5000.¡¯ Doran hunted the trolls and gave him information about the titles. Advanced information about titles earned from hunting trolls. If you get the two titles, stamina increases by 30. Stamina, unlike strength and agility, was very important for Suh Hyuk. They were titles that he must obtain. Hunting 5000 trolls to catch to get 2 titles. It would never be a small number, but Soo Hyuk did not worry about the titles. Rather, he was worried when hunted got 5,000 trolls, would it be enough experience to level up to level 100? No matter how much experience Archmage requires to level up, Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t need to share experience with parties. Suh Hyuk, who reach level 100, arrived at the bookshelf and looked at the bookshelf. Even though he had already conquered the bookcase, Soo Hyuk stared at it. The reason for this was the Wolf Hunter Karuz, which had recently turned blue. Soo Hyuk, who thought that the book that would change color again, also checked the bookcases that he conquered afterwards. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Soo Hyuk stopped. ¡®Is it real?¡¯ He saw a book that changed color. ¡®Yellow.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t the blue, red, or purple that he¡¯d seen before. It was yellow. Suh Hyuk went to the bookshelf and checked the title of the yellow book. ¡®Troll¡¯s Blood.¡¯ The title of the book is about the blood of the troll. Perhaps certain conditions were achieved with respect to the trolls. Soo Hyuk took the book about troll¡¯s blood and took another step. Soo Hyul took out five white books. With six books in total, Suh returned to his desk and started reading. Naturally, the first thing he read was the book about troll¡¯s blood. Can man gain the power of troll¡¯s blood? If they could, humans could become ridiculously strong. No, they would certainly become strong. After reading the end of the book, Soo Hyuk closed it. The yellow light disappeared and a message appeared. [Special quest ¡°Replay of Trolls¡± was created.] ¡®Yellow quest: Yellow was different, but not that different. SooHyuk opened the quest window and confirmed the details of the quest ¡°Replay of Trolls.¡± ¡°¡­ Uh?¡± Soo Hyuk was surprised by the quest¡¯s contents. Chapter 50 - The Twin Headed Troll Join our discord to get latest updates about the translations. Translator: Tlatchga Proofreader: TheMonitor ¡®The rewards¡­ ¡­ . £¬ It was because of the reward. ¡´Special Quest: Replay of Trolls¡µ Kill trolls and collect their blood! [Trolls Killed: 0/4000] [Troll¡¯s Blood: 0/500] Quest Reward: Skill-Blood of the Troll The reward for completing the quest ¡°Troll Regeneration¡± was a skill. ¡® Yellow was a skill?¡¯ Red quests gave a stat enhancement and Soo Hyuk had not yet been rewarded for a blue quest, but it should be an item reward. Now he discovered that yellow quests gave skills. The reward changed based on the color of the quest book. Soo Hyuk confirmed the quest conditions. After confirming the conditions, Soo Hyuk¡¯s face crumpled. ¡®4000?¡¯ The completion condition was absurd. He had to hunt 4000 trolls. Of course, this was not a problem. Soo Hyuk was originally planning on hunting up to 5000 trolls. ¡°500 troll blood ?£¬ Suh¡¯s face was crumpled because of the second condition. ¡®I have 30 and need 500?¡¯ The troll¡¯s blood has the worst drop rate. He had already collected about 30, but it had a low drop rate. Of course, you could also buy troll¡¯s blood, but it was expensive. Troll blood has a low drop rate, supply could not keep up with demand. Troll¡¯s blood is currently priced at 90 gold. To buy 500 would 45,000 gold. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ Soo worries as he thinks. ¡®I have to catch 5000 trolls anyway, and there¡¯s no time limit.¡¯ Even if Soo Hyuk hunted up slowly, the quest wouldn¡¯t disappear. After thinking about it, Soo Hyuk closed the quest window and started reading books. ¡°When is your vacation?¡± sked Seong-il. Soo Hyuk answered the question swallowing his coffee. ¡°In 23 days.¡± ¡®Why are you so curious about our vacation?¡¯ Soo Hyuk smiled tiredly. ¡°Where are you going to travel?¡± Sung Il asked again. It was Soo Hyuk that went on vacation. This time he wondered Soo Hyuk was going. ¡°This time?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Where you recommended.¡± ¡°¡­ Me?¡± Sung-Il leaned his head back. Until now, he had never suggested a travel destination to Soo Hyuk. Where did he recommend Soo Hyuk go? ¡°Herdin.¡± Soo Hyuk said to Seongil, looking up. And Sung-Il exclaimed ¡°Is this trip to Pangea?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not joking.¡± Sung-Il nodded. Herdin, the seaside city of Pangea. Herdin¡¯s beach was truly beautiful. ¡°It¡¯s cheap to go there.¡± ¡°True.¡± In his mind, Sung-Il nodded. Since it¡¯s a game, it¡¯s relatively inexpensive. ¡°But do you have a character?¡± Asked Sung-il, who stopped nodding. ¡°Of course! I started playing over the break. I¡¯m in Herdin now.¡± ¡°Wait, really? You play Pangea? Huh.That¡¯s surprising. ¡± Ring ring ring! Soo Hyuk¡¯s alarm went off while they were talking, signaling the end of his break. Soo Hyuk turned off the alarm and logged into Pangea. ¡°Is everything already ready?¡± Pavian asked with a surprised look. ¡°Yes.¡± Kale answered and Pavian asked again. ¡°Even the Kara¡¯s poison?¡± Kara¡¯s poison was the hardest to get among the supplies. It was Kara¡¯s poison that he thought it would take two months to collect. ¡°Yes, I have obtained 20 bottles.¡± They only needed 5 bottles of Kara¡¯s poison, but Kale had prepared 20 bottles, four times that. Pavian murmured at Kale¡¯s answer. ¡°Mmm, we still have 20 days. It¡¯s not time to Kara¡¯s poison yet. We must strengthen Soo Hyuk¡¯s poison immunity first. Good work.¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t bad to be finished preparing quickly. ¡°No! If you need anything more, please tell me. ¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m off.¡± Kale said goodbye to Pavian and left the room. Kale left the room and Pavian thought to himself. ¡®Everything is now prepared¡­ I have all the materials I need to teach Soo Hyuk magic. The only thing left is Suh Hyuk¡¯s poison immunity. What about his talent in poison magic?¡¯ The immeasurable talent is not superior in all magic. In particular, poison magic was a very tricky magic. Pavian was excited to see Soo hyuk learn how to use it. ¡°Soo Hyuk is here.¡± ¡°Send him in.¡± [Favian infuses his mana into you.] [You are paralyzed for 15 minutes.] [Favian infuses his mana into you.] [You are paralyzed for 10 minutes.] Soo Hyuk thought while looking at the messages. ¡®Can get to level 100 today? It¡¯s been five days since I started hunting trolls, but I haven¡¯t reached level 100 yet.¡¯ The experience needed increased significantly, and the experience from trolls is low compared to level 95 monsters, slowing Soo Hyuk¡¯s leveling speed. I¡¯m already at 40%. I¡¯m already level is 99. Four hours shouldn¡¯t be enough. ¡® [Favian¡¯s infuses his mana into you.] While paralyzed, the paralysis time was reduced by one minute, and within one minute, Soo Hyuk was released from paralysis. ¡°See you tommorow!¡± Suh Hyuk quickly rose from his seat. He greeted Pavian and left the room and opened his quest window. ¡´30 Day Journey¡µ You lack immunity to poison. Pavian is going to boost your immunity. Take Pavian¡¯s poison once a day! [Special poison taking of Pavian: 10 / 30] Quest reward: Title: Poison¡¯s Master ¡®It¡¯s already been ten days.¡¯ From the Tower of Poison, Soo Hyuk strolled towards the north entrance. ¡´Special Quest-Replay of Trolls¡µ Kill the trolls and save the blood! [Troll £º 3527/4000] [Troll¡¯s Blood: 139/500] Quest Reward: Skill- Troll¡¯s Regeneration Soo Hyuk sighed inside as he looked at the quest ¡°Troll¡¯s Regeneration¡±. ¡®I¡¯ll finish hunting the trolls today easily.¡¯ The first completion condition could be achieved by hunting today. The problem was that the blood didn¡¯t drop at all. After the quest was created, Hyuk hunted 3527 trolls. But while the many trolls were killed, the troll¡¯s blood dropped only 139 times. ¡®I have to catch more anyway, but¡­¡¯ The completion requirement is 4,000, but to earn the title, Soo Hyuk must catch more trolls. ¡®But it¡¯s still not enough¡­ Even hunting another 10,000 trolls might not give me enough¡­¡¯ ¡®Did I sell too much gold?¡¯ Soo Hyuk had been cashing gold for four days and currently only has 6,000 gold. What if he hadn¡¯t sold his gold? What if he had bought troll¡¯s blood with it? ¡®No, I couldn¡¯t have bought all of the troll¡¯s blood anyways.¡¯ Soo Hyuk shook his head. He hadn¡¯t cashed out that much gold. . Even without cashing out, it was impossible to buy enough blood to complete the quest. ¡®Can¡¯t I just catch 10,000 of them anyways?¡¯ When Doran gave information about the title, there was an additional statement. 10,000 will also give you a title. Of course it wasn¡¯t certain. Even Doran also had not hunted 10,000 yet. ¡®I have a lot of free time anyway¡¯ Soo Hyuk, who had no intention of getting out of the Pagoda for a while, had a lot of time. Is there no better hunting ground?¡¯ In addition, the highest level hunting ground around the Matab was the Boulem Mountains. ¡®Yes, let¡¯s do it.¡¯ Hyuk made the decision to hunt 10,000 trolls. ¡°Hunting Goblins!¡± ¡°Orc hunting party. Waiting for healers!! ¡± Soo Hyuk arrived at the north entrance and moved while listening to the users call out. Shortly after arriving at the Boulem Mountains, Soo Hyuk stopped for a while, then started moving again. The center of the Boulem Mountains was where the trolls spawned. Soo Hyuk quickly found three trolls, only one being immediately visible. Soo Hyuk cast Fire Dance, killing the three trolls, and confirmed the dropped items. -2 troll hides -Blood of a troll -2 troll tendons ¡®Nice!¡¯ Soo Hyuk smiled. A Troll¡¯s Blood dropped on the first try. It was a good start. Soo Hyuk closed the drop window and started looking for trolls again. ¡°Fire Bolt!¡± ¡°Magic Missile!¡± ¡°Flame Spear!¡± ¡°Fire Dance!¡± Suh Hyuk quickly killed all of the trolls he found. ¡°Fire Storm!¡± Of course, he did not forget to raise the proficiency of the intermediate Fire Storm. Soo Hyuk, who was rapidly slaughtering the trolls stopped. -Bang! It was due to the sound of an earthquake. ¡®What was that?¡¯ The few days he had hunted trolls, Soo Hyuk had never or felt the mountain range quake. Maybe someone else is hunting? Then an alert window appeared. [Warning! The Twin Headed Troll, Arger appears.] ¡®There was a boss monster?¡¯ Seeing the warning message, the appearance boss monster was clear. ¡®I thought there wasn¡¯t.¡¯ Soo Hyuk hunted many trolls and never saw a boss monster, so he thought there was no boss monster. He was wrong- he¡¯d just never encountered it before. -Thud! Once again in Soo Hyuk¡¯s ears were ringing. The noise was louder than before. Soo Hyuk turned his head from the message to see where the noise was coming from and he turned his head to see four eyes staring at him from the trees. Chapter 51 - Opening the Second Door Soo Hyuk¡¯s first thought was that Argor was massive. The trees weren¡¯t small but Argor¡¯s head towered over even the tallest branch. -Ugh! -Uuoo! Argor¡¯s two heads grunted and Soo Hyuk saw the massive club flying towards him. It tore through the tree branches as the troll smashed its club down on Soo Hyuk. Soo Hyuk quickly threw himself out of the way after seeing the club crashing through the tree. Bang! Argor¡¯s club then shattered the earth and shook the ground. ¡®So this is the cause.¡¯ Soo Hyuk learned the identity of the earthquakes. ¡®Won¡¯t I die if I¡¯m hit by that?¡¯ Soo Hyuk had a lot of health, but not a lot of defense. He would almost certainly die if he misstepped and was hit. -Hnng? -Ugh! Is it because of his dodging? Arger¡¯s two heads grunted at each other, almost as if they were conversing. The reason for their action wasn¡¯t important. What mattered was the opening that was created. Soo Hyuk took this delay to take the initiative and cast a Firestorm. -Ugh! -Uh huh! A tornado of fire arose and the two heads of Arger roared in pain. ¡°Inferno.¡± Soo Hyuk saw Arger charging at him after the roar, so he retreated and cast Inferno. All over, Arger¡¯s skin began to burn. ¡°Magic Missiles, Firebolt, Fireball.¡± Suh Hyuk¡¯s attack did not end with Inferno. Inferno was merely the beginning. Arger stopped moving under the onslaught of spells and Soo Hyuk stopped retreating at this sight. -Uuoooh! Arger wasn¡¯t dead. The message did not appear and the right head was screaming. ¡®Is one head dead?¡¯ Unlike the grunting right head, the left head was silent. Its eyes were closed and its head drooped down. ¡®So the heads die one by one. I thought they¡¯d die at the same time.¡¯ Soo Hyuk smiled as he learned something new. ¡°Magic Missile!¡± Learning was learning and hunting was hunting. Under Soo Hyuk¡¯s renewed round of spells, the left was killed as well and a system message appeared. [Argor, the Twin Headed Troll, had been killed] [Level up!] Soo Hyuk was pleasantly surprised when he checked the message. He didn¡¯t think he would level up from this. Even if Argor was a boss monster, he had thought that he wouldn¡¯t gain much experience, but he was proven wrong. ¡°Looks like I gained a lot of experience.¡¯ Soo Hyuk opened his status window. Class: Archmage¡¯s Descendent Level £º 100 Experience: 0% Health: 22500 Mana £º 40240 Satiation: 62% Strength£º 40 (+10) Agility £º 35 (+16) Stamina: 434 (+10) Wisdom £º 2012 (+10) Stat points: 5 The target level 100. ¡®I¡¯m finally level 100.¡¯ Level 100 was a significant level for Soo Hyuk. ¡®Can I open the second door now?¡¯ The minimum level to open the second door was 100. Soo Hyuk closed his character window after investing the bonus stats in wisdom and opened the drop window. ¡°Keuk.¡± Soo Hyuk, after checked the drop window, exclaimed. It wasn¡¯t because of gear. No pieces of equipment had dropped. -Twin Headed Troll¡¯s Leather -Twin Headed Troll¡¯s Head -Twin Headed Troll¡¯s Tendon -Twin Headed Troll¡¯s Blood ¡®Troll¡¯s Blood?¡¯ Soo Hyuk rejoiced because of the Twin Head Troll¡¯s Blood. After all, the twin head troll was also a troll, and like general trolls, the drop rate of blood was extremely low. The problem was that Twin Headed trolls were few in number. The first twin headed troll that he encountered even turned out to be a boss! The blood of twin head trolls, which were small in number and had a low drop rate, was priced at a high amount. ¡®1000 gold!¡¯ 1000 gold. In cash, the current price of the Twin Headed Troll¡¯s Blood was 100,000 won. Of course, that wasn¡¯t the only drop he got. He had also obtained leather, hair and tendons from Argor. ¡®How much is this worth?¡¯ Soo Hyuk pondered with a smile. It was then. ¡°Hey, there it is!¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t it moving?¡± Soo Hyuk heard voices approaching in his direction. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Soo Hyuk looked towards the source of the voice with a puzzled look. He could see two people coming through the trees toward him. No, to be exact, they were approaching Argor¡¯s body. ¡°Fuck, it¡¯s dead!¡± ¡°Heuk! Why?!¡± Seeing the two¡¯s reactions, Soo Hyuk hid himself in the undergrowth and listened to the conversation between the two. ¡°I told you to come early. Once every 10 days, are you stupid?¡± ¡°No, I thought I would never be users high enough level enough to hunt here even if they managed to find it by chance¡­¡± ¡°Oi, you were late.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m getting annoyed. ¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Soo Hyuk thought while listening to the two¡¯s conversations, ¡®I don¡¯t think I should stay here.¡¯ The two guys were in a bad mood. If he was found, things would quickly get out of control. ¡®Should I finish hunting?¡¯ Soo Hyuk still had some time left for hunting, but it wasn¡¯t necessary to stick to the schedule so strictly. ¡®No, they could be weird people.¡¯ He could get in an unpleasant situation if he got involved with them. One example was Adilo. ¡®I¡¯ll have to open the door anyway.¡¯ In addition, since he was level 100, Soo Hyuk needed to open the door. Soo Hyuk decided to finish his hunting session and cast the skill ¡®Lapis Subspace¡¯. [Warping to the Archmage¡¯s Subspace.] The message appeared and the surrounding space distorted under the effect of the spell.. After a while, the distorted space was repaired and Soo Hyuk arrived at the Archmage¡¯s Subspace. After arriving, Soo Hyuk looked to his front. There were 10 doors. The door of fire was open and the rest of the doors were tightly closed. Soo Hyuk thought while staring at the nine closed doors. ¡®Which door do I open? I can only open one door.¡¯ Soo Hyuk¡¯s first glance went to the door of poison. ¡®No, Pavian will teach me poison magic.¡¯ Looking at the door of poison, Soo Hyuk shook his head. When the quest ¡¯30 -Day Endeavour¡¯ was completed, Pavian would teach him poison magic in person. ¡®Since I have a skill quest, I don¡¯t have to open the door of poison.¡¯ Opening the door of poison would create numerous skill quests. What if Fabian¡¯s reward shows up as a skill quest? Opening the door of poison will result in duplicated skill quests. It was better to exclude the door of poison from the choices. Suh Hyuk looked away from the door of poison and thought about the remaining eight doors. The next one he looked at was the door of water. ¡®Water¡¯s pretty good.¡¯ It was not a bad element, but it was not a good match for Soo Hyuk¡¯s fire magic as water and fire weren¡¯t compatible. ¡®There is a good point, though.¡¯ Of course, there were certain advantages. It was that the weaknesses of each element were compensated to some extent by the other. There are monsters that are hard to catch with fire property magic. For example, the Phoenix. The Phoenix even regained health from fire attacks. If he tried to hunt it now, Soo Hyuk would only be able to use magic missile. On the other hand it was weak to water. In other words, by opening the door of the water, Soo Hyuk would be able to easily catch the Phoenix-like monsters that are difficult to hunt with fire. ¡®Earth is not bad¡­ ¡­ The next door was the door of earth. Earth was not bad either. Moreover, unlike water, it wasn¡¯t conflicting with fire ¡®But it¡¯s not a good choice.¡¯ But that was it. It wasn¡¯t good or bad. For Soo Hyuk, it was ¡®just earth¡¯. Soo Hyuk then looked at the door of the wind. Fire and wind had good compatibility. It was because they strengthened each other. If Soo Hyuk wanted the best synergy with fire, he needed to open the door of wind. Suhye suddenly frowned. ¡®You need to fulfil a condition to open the door.¡¯ When the door of fire was opened, it was opened without any conditions. But that was only for the first time. From the second time onwards, there were conditions to opening the door. ¡®The condition is not listed.¡¯ Soo Hyuk looked through the book on the podium. The book did not say what the conditions for opening the doors were. ¡®Are the conditions all different?¡¯ Soo Hyuk stared at the book then looked back at the doors. Each door symbolised a different element. Were there different conditions for each element? ¡°Huh¡­¡± Soo Hyuk sighed. ¡®Let¡¯s check.¡¯ It was something to check. Soo Hyuk approached the door of the wind first and placed his hand on it like when he opened the door of fire. [Do you want to open the door of the wind?] A window appeared when I touched the door of the wind. ¡®Do I have to accept?¡¯ The conditions did not appear. They seemed to appear only after opening the door. Soo Hyuk closed the window. It was impossible to check the conditions. ¡®What do I do.¡¯ Closing the window, Soo Hyuk thought. ¡®I have to think carefully.¡¯ If he opens the door this time, he has to wait until level 200 for another door. Another 100 levels. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to be able to raise his level to 200. Didn¡¯t Soo Hyuk need five times more experience than a normal job? His levelling speed now was extremely fast, but as his level goes up, his speed would slow down. ¡®Okay.¡¯ After thinking, Soo Hyuk made his decision. ¡®Considering the synergy, it has to be wind.¡¯ After making his decision, Soo Hyuk reached out to the door of the wind. [Do you want to open the door of the wind?] The window appeared and Soo Hyuk pressed OK. Then a message appeared. [Opening the door of wind.] [Number of currently open doors: 1] [The Wind Golem is summoned.] [Defeat the Wind Golem.] Chapter 52 - The Wind Golem ¡®A wind golem?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought while looking at the message. ¡®Do I just have to kill this golem?¡¯ The system message only said to defeated the wind golem. Was this the only condition? ¡®I¡¯ll know when I¡¯ve actually defeated it.¡¯ Soo Hyuk looked around to determine where the wind golem was spawning. ¡®It¡¯s spawning in the middle of the room.¡¯ The magic circle appeared in the center of the room and slowly formed the golem from the head down. ¡®Do I have to wait until it is completely summoned?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought while looking at the golem. It was not completely summoned yet. ¡°Magic Missile.¡± Soo Hyuk cast a magic missile at the wind golem being summoned. The Magic Missiles disappeared as they struck the golem. [Wind Golem is being summoned.] [Attacking is impossible until summoning ends] ¡®It doesn¡¯t work.¡¯ Soo Hyuk waited patiently after reading the message. ¡®¡­¡­How big is it? ¡® Soo Hyuk tensed up as he waited for the golem¡¯s summoning to complete. The ceiling of chamber was really high, yet it seemed as if the golem¡¯s head could almost touch the ceiling. -Test Start The golem announced the start of the trial. ¡°It knows how to talk?¡± Soo Hyuk said to himself as the golem spoke. ¡°Magic Missile.¡± Is it because the summoning was over? The Magic Missile did not disappear this time as it did before. The Magic Missile flew at the golem at high speed, but the golem¡¯s next actions was completely unexpected. -Dispel Shuaakk! Magic Missile suddenly disappeared. ¡®What?¡¯ Soo Hyuk stunned at this sight. ¡®It used Dispel?¡¯ Soo Hyuk never thought the golem would use Dispel. Before he could recover from his shock, the golem moved towards him. The golem was not too fast, but his body was so large that it quickly closed the distance between them. Soo Hyuk hurriedly recovered from his shock as the golem advanced towards on him and yelled, ¡°Fireball!¡± This time, he cast Fireball. The golem didn¡¯t react to the Fireball speeding towards him and let the Fireball explode on it. Looking at the wind golem that had stiffen due to the Fireball, Soo Hyuk thought, ¡®It has cooldowns!¡¯ Fortunately, the golem¡¯s Dispel seemed to have a cooldown. * * * ¡°Uh¡­?¡± The voice of Jang Yool echoed through the office. Yang Joo Hyuk turned his head to look at Jang Yool. ¡°He somehow managed to reach level 100.¡± Level 100. Pangea wasn¡¯t in it¡¯s beginning stages anymore, yet Jang Yool was only reporting about a level 100? However, he soon realised who he was talking about from Jang Yool¡¯s nervous attitude and opened his mouth to ask. ¡°The doors?¡± ¡°He¡¯s doing the quests right now.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk rose from his seat and moved behind Jang Yoo. ¡°Which element did he choose?¡± ¡°Wind.¡± ¡°Wind? Not poison? ¡± ¡°Yes, I think he chose wind because of its synergy with fire. He probably also thinks that Pavian could teach him poison magic. Maybe he doesn¡¯t know that he can¡¯t learn other skills except through skill quests.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk thought after listening to Jang Yool¡¯s reply. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be hard if it was the wind?¡¯ Fire and wind had good synergy. Of course, wind also had a resistance to fire. It was never easy to set the wind on fire. Fire and wind had no distinctive weaknesses against each other. In other words, the difficulty of the opening quests was relatively high, especially if he had only just reached level 100. ¡®At his current state, he¡¯ll only be able to unlock Poison.¡¯ Yang Joo Hyuk, who thought Soo Hyuk would open the door of Poison, asked again as soon as he returned to his seat. ¡°What is the situation?¡± The opening quests are really hard, but Soo Hyuk¡¯s stats were nothing to scoff at. Yang Joo Hyuk was curious about how things were going. ¡°Because of his high vitality, he¡¯s holding up well¡­ ¡­¡± ¡°The golem?¡± ¡°No. Soo Hyuk. ¡± Yang Joo Hyuk nodded and muttered to himself. ¡°He¡¯s doing better than I thought. I wonder if he¡¯ll be able to open any door other than poison¡­¡± * * * [Movement speed is reduced by 30%.] Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t pay attention to the message. He already guessed its contents as he felt his movements slow down drastically. The reason he couldn¡¯t turn to look at the message: -Bang! The golem was repeatedly battering at Soo Hyuk as he desperately retreated. ¡°Fire Ball!¡± Soo Hyuk threw himself out of the golem¡¯s range and cast Fireball at the golem. -Dispel The fireball, however, disappeared as soon as it appeared. Soo Hyuk bitterly thought to himself while dodging. ¡®Dispel¡¯s cooldown is already over?¡¯ If he had known that Dispel¡¯s cooldown was already over, he would have used a Magic Missile to offset it instead. While sporting a expression, Soo Hyuk hurried cast Magic Missile. ¡°Magic Missile!¡± The Magic missiles flew to the golem at high speed. However, despite being hit by the Magic Missile, the golem only paused slightly as if nothing had happened, the golem reached out again. Soo Hyuk jumped sideways to dodge the golem¡¯s fist. ¡®How much health does it have?!¡¯ Soo Hyuk was in a situation where his skills were all on cooldown, but the golem showed no signs of collapse. Rather, it was Soo Hyuk who showed signs of falling. ¡®I already used up all my potions¡­¡¯ Without potions, Soo Hyuk had no way to heal and he would eventually be defeated by the golem. ¡®Is running away the option?¡¯ If he continued like this, he really might die. Soo Hyuk continued fighting, but with the intention of running away. ¡°Firebolt!¡± Soo Hyuk cast Firebolt and the Firebolt flew towards the golem at high speed. But when the Firebolt hit the golem, the golem stopped moving. Shuuak! Then the patterns hidden within its body starting shining intensely. ¡®What? Why is it shining? Is it finished?¡¯ As Soo Hyuk was confused over the golem¡¯s suddenly change, a system message appeared. [The Golem of the Wind has dropped below 50% health.] After seeing the message, Soo Hyuk was speechless. ¡®I attacked it so much, bot only did 50%?¡¯ Soo Hyuk frowned at the following message. He had struck the golem numerous times with all of his spells, yet the golem only lost 50% of its health. [The Wind Golem begins its first awakening.] ¡®And what is this awakening?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought while frowning heavily at the message. Awakening in a situation where he was half-dead? In addition, the message stated that it was its first awakening. That meant there could be a second awakening or even a third one. Soo Hyuk then turned to the look at the shining golem. ¡°Fireball.¡± Soo Hyuk fired a Fireball at the golem. Bang! The golem showed no response, possibly because it was awakening. ¡®Did it take damage or not?¡¯ It was a problem. What if the golem was invincible in this state? The skill would be wasted. While Soo Hyuk worried, another message appeared. [The First Awakening is complete.] -Five Golem¡¯s voice was heard again alongside the message. -Four Golem was counting down. -Three Soo Hyuk wondered as the golem counted down. -Two ¡®What¡¯ll happen when it reaches one?¡¯¡¯ -One When the countdown reached one, the golem suddenly vanished. Soo Hyuk looked around in surprise, trying to find the golem. ¡®Huh, where did it¡­¡¯ -Wind Soo Hyuk heard the voice of the golem above him and reflexively lifted his head to see the golem falling from the sky. Around the golem was a semi-transparent barrier of wind circling around its body. Soo Hyuk instinctively had a strong feeling that he would die if the golem hit him and tried to throw himself out of the way. Bang! Unfortunately, Soo Hyuk could not completely avoid the golem¡¯s strike. The glancing blow sent Soo Hyuk flying into the air. ¡®I¡¯m not dead.¡¯ Fortunately, although he was caught in a blast, he survived. If Soo Hyuk hadn¡¯t avoided a direct blow, he would¡¯ve died. Soo Hyuk checked his remaining health and froze in astonishment. ¡®200?¡¯ It was because he only had 200 health remaining. ¡®Damn.¡¯ Soo Hyuk¡¯s face crumpled. Even though he still had health left, it wasn¡¯t enough to even endure a single blow from the golem. He was also flying through the air from the blast at the moment. That meant that he had a high chance of dying from fall damage. ¡®Damn it, am I going to die like this?¡¯ Soo Hyuk turned his head to check where he was flying towards. It was a wall. Bang! [You were defeated by the Wind Golem.] [You have failed the Trial of Wind.] [Only the access penalty will be applied.] [The Door of Wind is closed.] ¡®Uh?¡¯ After seeing the message, Soo Hyuk was dumbfounded. ¡®Only the access penalty?¡¯ There are a total of four death penalty for death. A decrease in levels and stats, dropping items, and an access penalty. But only one of these four penalties was applied. ¡®Is it a special situation?¡¯ It was likely that this was a special situation. ¡®The door of the wind closed. I can probably choose another door, but the test is no joke.¡¯ After logging out from Pangea, Suh Hyuk exited the capsule. The conditions for opening the door were too difficult. ¡®If only I stocked up on potions¡­¡¯ Even if Soo Hyuk had more potions, it would still be hard. One attack from the awakened wind golem had depleted a majority of his health. ¡®It was that strong after only the first awakening, too¡­¡¯ The problem was the primary awakening. What is the second awakening be like if this was the first awakening? The secondary awakening would not be weaker than primary awakening. ¡®Elements also have strengths and weaknesses. Just as fire and wind are synergistic, there are properties that are weak to fire. Perhaps I should use that? Weak to fire¡­ ¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk remembered what element was weak to fire and frowned. ¡®There¡¯s only poison?¡¯ Chapter 53 - Wind Golems Might Soo Hyuk thought again as he entered the capsule. ¡®Poison is the only element fire is strong against¡­¡¯ Pavian had promised to teach him poison. It was a bit wasteful to unlock the Door of Poison now. ¡®Let¡¯s challenge the Wind Golem after buying more potions.¡¯ Soo Hyuk died against the Wind Golem because he couldn¡¯t replenish his health. If he prepared lots of potions beforehand, he might last against the Wind Golem. He quickly ran bought potions and entered the library again. ¡®This much should be enough.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he stared at the 100 potions in his inventory. ¡®I managed to bring its health down to 50% with 20 potions.¡¯ With 100 potions, he had a definite chance at defeating the Wind Golem. ¡®I even bought special potions from the Tower of Poison.¡¯ To prepare against any unexpected situations, Soo Hyuk had bought special potions. [Warping to Archmage¡¯s Subspace.] Soo Hyuk teleported to the subspace with ¡®Lapis Subspace¡¯ and immediately walked to the Door of Wind. ¡®Oh, right.¡¯ Soo Hyuk first reached out to the Door of Earth beside the Door of Wind. [Do you want to open the Door of Earth?] ¡®Phew, the other doors still work.¡¯ Fortunately, he could still attempt the other doors after failing. After declining, Soo Hyuk touched the Door of Wind. [Do you want to open the Door of Wind?] The system message appeared, and Soo Hyuk pressed ¡®YES¡¯ once more. [Opening the Door of Wind.] [Number of attempts: 1 ] [Summoning the Wind Golem.] [Defeat the Wind Golem.] Soo Hyuk quickly turned around as numerous messages appeared. Shuaak. Once again, the magic circle appeared in the centre of the room, and the golem started to materialise. -Test Sta¡­ The golem spoke in a mechanical voice as the magic circle disappeared, but it couldn¡¯t finish. ¡°Magic Missile.¡± Soo Hyuk had cast Magic Missile the moment it was completely formed. -Dispel The golem didn¡¯t continue and cast dispel at the incoming spell. ¡®As expected.¡¯ Soo Hyuk had cast Magic Missile as he had expected it would dispel. ¡°Firestorm.¡± He cast Firestorm straight after the Magic Missile was dispelled. He needed 5 seconds to complete the spell. He thought as he stared at the casting bar. ¡®Will I make it?¡¯ Yesterday, he could only use it because the 10% stun chance on Magic Missile had activated. But this time, the golem wasn¡¯t stunned. Boom! Boom! Soo Hyuk looked back and forth between the casting bar and the golem running towards him. The casting bar was almost filled, but the golem was also nearing him at an uncomfortable rate. As the golem was almost upon him, the casting bar disappeared as flames appeared all around the golem to form a massive tornado. Soo Hyuk hurriedly threw himself out of the golem¡¯s range after Firestorm was cast. Bang! The golem¡¯s fist crashed into the spot he was in a second ago. ¡°Inferno.¡± Now, only spells that didn¡¯t have an activation time were left. Soo Hyuk cast spell after spell as he quickly retreated from the golem. [The Wind Golem¡¯s health has dropped below 50%] [Beginning the first awakening.] It was the start of the 1st awakening. ¡®Already?¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at the message. ¡®I only used 10 potions!¡¯ He had used over 20 potions on his first try, but he had only used 10 potions this time. ¡®I¡¯ve gotten familiar to its movements.¡¯ After all, he managed to dodge more attacks than last time. ¡®This is an opportunity.¡¯ The golem took 5 seconds to complete its awakening. He could begin casting Firestorm now. ¡°Firestorm.¡± The casting bar charged up as patterns began glowing on the golem. When the casting bar was halfway full, [The Wind Golem¡¯s first awakening has completed.] -5 The golem started counting down from 5. -4 The casting bar was fully charged up when the golem reached 4. -3 Flames started appearing around the golem. Kuaa! The wind golem was drowned in flames as Firestorm was cast. -2 However, the golem didn¡¯t stop counting down. Soo Hyuk gulped as he prepared to dodge the overwhelming strike from the awakened wind golem. -1 The golem disappeared from its spot. -Wind Without looking upwards, Soo Hyuk threw himself towards the front. Bang! The golem landed on his previous spot a split second after he dodged, but like yesterday, the shockwave from the strike sent him flying again. ¡®Yes!¡¯ Fortunately, he had managed to completely avoid the strike unlike yesterday. He crashed into the chamber wall and dropped to the ground. While shakily standing up, he quickly took a health potion. -5 But as the golem started counting down again, his expression hardened in caution. ¡®What? It¡¯s going to keep attacking like this?¡¯ Soo Hyuk restored all his health using the extra buffer time, and an instant before the golem finished counting, he cast Magic Missile. ¡°Magic Missile.¡± He had been hoping for the stun to activate, but things didn¡¯t go his way. After being hit by the Magic Missile, the golem disappeared again like nothing happened. -Wind The golem¡¯s emotionless voice sounded from above. Soo Hyuk once again tried to dodge. Bang! This time, he couldn¡¯t perfectly dodge and was caught in the aftermath tornado. He once again got up and fired magic spells in the short time frame while replenishing his health. This process was repeated multiple times. While firing magic spells, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but wonder. ¡®Isn¡¯t there a second awakening?¡¯ Because of the way the first awakening was worded, he believed that there would be a second awakening. But after attacking the golem multiple times, there was still no sign of a second awakening. ¡®I only have 40 potions left.¡¯ He now took 3 potions instead of 2 each time the golem attacked, and he only had 40 potions left. ¡°Magic Missile!¡± Soo Hyuk fired the Magic Missile at the wind golem. -5 Bang! The Magic Missile exploded on the still golem. ¡®Did it take damage?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t see the golem¡¯s health as the Magic Missile exploded. Since there wasn¡¯t a system message notifying whether it took damage or not, he had no way of knowing if it was taking damage. Then a series of messages appeared. [The Wind Golem¡¯s health has dropped below 50%.] [Beginning the second awakening.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soo Hyuk was struck speechless when he checked the messages. ¡®50%? What¡¯s this bullshit, it was 50% before.¡¯ The previous message had stated that the wind golem¡¯s health had already dropped below 50% before its first awakening. Then why did the system message say 50% again? ¡®Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s getting healed every awakening?¡¯ Soo Hyuk grinded his teeth with anger when he thought this. No matter how much he denied it, it was highly likely that it was getting healed to full health every awakening. Soo Hyuk breathed out to calm himself and stared cautiously at the wind golem. [The Wind Golem¡¯s second awakening has completed.] -3 The golem started counting down as soon as the message appeared. Unlike the first awakening, it started from 3 this time. -2 Soo Hyuk tensed up, ready to dodge. -1 The golem vanished from its spot. -Wind When Soo Hyuk heard the golem¡¯s voice, he panicked greatly. ¡®What?¡¯ It was similar to the first awakening, except for one crucial difference. ¡®Why is it so fast!¡¯ The speed, the speed of the golem couldn¡¯t be compared to its first awakening. Bang! Soo Hyuk was blown away before he couldn¡¯t even react. [You were defeated by the Wind Golem.] [You have failed the Trial of Wind.] [You will only receive the access penalty.] [The Door of Wind is closed.] The messages flashed as Soo Hyuk¡¯s vision darkened. * * * Soo Hyuk¡¯s body was covered in sweat when he exited the capsule. ¡®What? How¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand. ¡®How am I supposed to beat that?¡¯ His health was almost full, yet he was defeated in one hit. Although it was a direct hit, dealing more than 20,000 damage in one hit? It wasn¡¯t made to be doable. ¡®I can¡¯t do it.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t even use potions. How could he use potions if he was instantly killed? ¡®Do I really have to follow the elemental advantages?¡¯ Since wind was impossible for him currently, the only possible option left was poison, as he suspected that the other doors were similar in difficulty. ¡®Poison¡­¡¯ The problem was that only poison was weak against fire. The situation was risky and uncertain as Pavian could really teach him poison or he could just give him skill books, which Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t learn from. ¡®Should I delay it until I level up more? I don¡¯t need to open a door right now after all.¡¯ Soo Hyuk nodded as he had this thought. The second door was impossible for level 100s, but he didn¡¯t need to unlock them right now. He could wait until he levelled up more. ¡®Yes, let¡¯s wait until I improve. I¡¯m not in a hurry anyway.¡¯ Soo Hyuk could easily hunt all the monsters around Matab with just basic spells. That meant that he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to unlock another door. Soo Hyuk snapped out of his thoughts and headed to a bookshelf to read. His face as he walked towards a bookshelf was full of determination. * * * ¡®Is he still doing the trial?¡¯ Yang Joo Hyuk wondered as he stared at the monitor. ¡°Yool?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is he still doing the trial?¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Jang Yool was momentarily confused by Yang Joo Hyuk¡¯s sudden question. ¡°The Archmage.¡± ¡°Ah! No. He stopped 6 days ago, after the second attempt. He¡¯s only been going to the library, the hunting areas and the tower of poison.¡± ¡°What?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but ask back. ¡°He didn¡¯t try again?¡± He was sure that he would try and try again. But he just quit? ¡°Yes.¡± Jang Yool nodded to his question. ¡°I suspect he¡¯s trying to get stronger for the trial.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk was locked in thought after Jang Yool¡¯s reply. ¡®Was it too hard?¡¯ He hadn¡¯t thought that the Archmage¡¯s Descendant would give up after two attempts. ¡°Tell me when he tries again.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk went back to his work after his order. * * * ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± Soo Hyuk came out of Pavian¡¯s room after saying goodbye to Pavian. Then he opened his quest window as he headed north. [30-Day Endeavour] You, who lacks poison resistance! Pavian will boost your immunity. Take Pavian¡¯s poison once a day! [Take Pavian¡¯s Special Poison: 20 / 30 ] [Quest Reward: Title ¨C Poison Maestro] ¡¯10 more days left.¡¯ 20 days had already passed since he had started this quest. He would be able to complete the quest and learn new magic 10 days later. Soo Hyuk then scrolled down to check another quest. [Special Quest ¨C Troll¡¯s Regeneration] [Trolls: 4000 / 4000 ] [Troll¡¯s Blood: 391 / 500 ] Quest Reward: Skill- Troll Blood] It was the special quest ¡®Troll¡¯s Regeneration¡¯. He had already completed the first conditioin of hunting 4000 trolls. There was only the second condition left. ¡®Should I just buy them?¡¯ Of course, he could complete the quest straight away as he had amassed enough gold to buy 109 Troll¡¯s Blood. ¡®No, I want to hunt 10,000 trolls first.¡¯ The reason he didn¡¯t buy the blood was because he wanted to hunt 10,000 trolls first. There was no point in buying the blood now when trolls were going to drop them as he hunted. ¡®I can probably finish it today.¡¯ Soo Hyuk was close to reaching 10,000 kills. Close enough to finish it by today. So, he would first hunt trolls then buy the rest of the troll blood depending on how much blood he got. ¡®After the quest, I¡¯ll focus on reading.¡¯ And so, Soo Hyuk arrived at the Balum Mountains and started hunting for trolls. ¡°Fireball!¡± ¡°Magic Missile!¡± Soo Hyuk slaughtered his way through the troll forest, then not long after, the message finally appeared. [You have hunted 10,000 trolls.] [You have obtained the title ¨C Enemy of all trolls.] He finally completed his goal. ¡®I got a title like Doran-nim predicted.¡¯ Soo Hyuk opened his status window to check the effect of his new title. Occupation: Archmage¡¯s Descendant Level: 102 Experience: 62% Health: 28500 Mana: 40800 Satiation: 62% Strength: 40 (+10) Agility: 35 (+16) Stamina: 554 (+10) Wisdom: 2040 (+10) ¡®Woah.¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t look away from his stats. In his line of sight was stamina. ¡®It rose by 100?¡¯ Previously, his stamina was 454, but after he obtained the ¡®Enemy of all trolls¡¯ title, it had risen to 554! Soo Hyuk excitedly checked the title to see if there were any extra effects. -Enemy of all trolls (Stamina +100) ¡®Crazy.¡¯ Although it didn¡¯t have any extra effects, an extra 100 stamina was already extremely powerful. ¡®I have to tell him.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t an understatement to say that he had only gotten this title because of Doran¡¯s information. Soo Hyuk opened his friends window to message Doran when¡­ Boom! Chapter 54 - Troll Blood Soo Hyuk felt the ground shake along with a loud boom. Then a system message appeared. [Warning!] [Twin Headed Troll, Arger has appeared.] It was the appearance of a boss monster. ¡®Ah, the boss has already respawned.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought of the conversation between two men 10 days ago as he read the messages. ¡®The boss respawns today.¡¯ The two men had said that the respawn time for Arger, the Twin Headed Troll, was 10 days. It seemed like Soo Hyuk managed to meet Arger again on the day of its revival. ¡®What should I do? They could already be chasing this boss.¡¯ The two men knew about the respawn time of Arger, so they could be approaching this place right now. No, they could already be here. What if he attracted unnecessary resentment because he hunted the boss? ¡®Wait.¡¯ Soo Hyuk frowned as he thought. ¡®The boss monster doesn¡¯t belong to them in the first place, so why am I mulling over this?¡¯ Soo Hyuk realised that he didn¡¯t need to brood over this issue anymore. Twin Headed Troll Argor was a boss in Pangea. It didn¡¯t belong to them in any way, so they couldn¡¯t say anything about it. ¡®I¡¯m sure there aren¡¯t that many stoneheads.¡¯ Of course, there was the possibility of the two men not showing the ¡®proper¡¯ manners inside Pangea, but it couldn¡¯t be as bad as Adilo. After finalising his thoughts,Soo Hyuk headed in the direction of the boom earlier. Not long after, he could see Arger advancing in his direction through the thick tree branches. ¡°Firestorm.¡± Soo Hyuk cast Firestorm while staring at the nearing Arger. 5 seconds after, a tornado of flames appeared around Arger. -Uuaaaa! -Uuuaaaa! Arger¡¯s two heads roared in pain with a painful expression. ¡°Inferno, Magic Missile, Firebolt, Fireball.¡± Soo Hyuk quickly cast his spells one after another before Arger could recover. He wanted to defeat Arger quickly. ¡°Flame Dance.¡± When he cast Flame Dance, the left head slackened while closing its eyes. The right head followed not long after. [Twin Headed Troll, Arger, has been defeated.] ¡®It¡¯s a lot faster than before. My stats aren¡¯t that much higher either.¡¯ The stats of Soo Hyuk 10 days ago and the current Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t have a huge difference. His wisdom had only risen by a little bit, but the boss hunt had become shorter compared to 10 days ago. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s because of the skill proficiency?¡¯ Although his stats weren¡¯t that different, most of his spells had risen to the intermediate proficiency from beginner. That meant his skills were stronger than before. Soo Hyuk checked the drop window. -Twin Headed Troll¡¯s Hide -Twin Headed Troll¡¯s Head -Twin Headed Troll¡¯s Tendon -Twin Headed Troll¡¯s Blood ¡®Huh, it dropped again?¡¯ Soo Hyuk tilted his head after he checked the drop window. ¡®Does the drop rate increase for boss monsters?¡¯ The rare troll¡¯s blood appeared again. Of course, he wasn¡¯t complaining. Soo Hyuk pressed OK and collected the drops from Arger. ¡°Ah, fuck!¡± ¡°What! How?!¡± At that moment, Soo Hyuk heard two people¡¯s voices nearing him. Soo Hyuk first hid behind a thick tree and checked the source of the voice. ¡°Shit, it was hunted again!¡± ¡°This, how¡­¡± ¡°This bastard moves so fast.¡± They were the two men from 10 days ago. ¡°Hah, what guild did this? It¡¯s obvious that it¡¯s one of those top guilds.¡± ¡°Top guilds don¡¯t grow from trees you know.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°Nmm¡­¡± Soo Hyuk cast Archmage¡¯s Subspace like before. He had no need to keep hiding. [Warping to ¡®Archmage¡¯s Subspace¡¯.] The distorted space was repaired. After arriving at the subspace, Soo Hyuk stared at the nine doors. He then checked his inventory while walking towards the tunnel on the right. ¡®I only have to buy 80 more.¡¯ There were 420 troll¡¯s blood in his inventory. If he collected 80 more, then he would be able to complete the skill quest. ¡®I¡¯ll just buy the rest.¡¯ Soo Hyuk decided to buy the rest of the blood and closed his inventory. ¡®Ah, I forgot.¡¯ Soo Hyuk then opened his friends window. ¡®Good, he¡¯s online.¡¯ After checking Doran¡¯s status, Soo Hyuk sent a message to him. ¨C Doran: Wow, thank you for the information! ¨C Soo Hyuk: You¡¯re welcome~ After thanking Soo Hyuk, Doran faced Pavi, who was resting next to him and said, ¡°Hey, jackpot.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a jackpot?¡± ¡°A title that gives 100 stamina!¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Pavi almost doubted his ears. ¡°100 stamina?¡± A title that gives 100 stamina? Pavi couldn¡¯t believe it. It was plausible if it was an item, but since it was a title, he couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Bullshit¡­is it true?¡± Of course, Doran had already expected Pavi¡¯s reaction. ¡°What kind of title gives 100 stamina.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true! Someone told me just now.¡± Pavi stared at Doran with suspicion in response to his words. ¡°¡­From who?¡± ¡°Yeon Jung-nim¡¯s friend!¡± ¡°Ah, the person you met hunting orcs?¡± ¡°Yep, he hunted 10,000 trolls just now and gained the title.¡± Pavi frowned frowned as he listened to Doran. ¡°10,000?¡± ¡°Yeah! Isn¡¯t it unbelievable? I¡¯m going to hunt trolls whenever I¡¯m free from now on. If it¡¯s 100 stamina¡­¡± Doran chuckled brightly after trailing off. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right.¡± Doran once again became serious and asked Pavi. ¡°What¡¯s the situation with the Desolate guild?¡± ¡°About Yeon Jung-nim?¡± ¡°Mmm, I think it turned out well since he hasn¡¯t contacted us ¡­¡± Yeon Jung had promised them that he would contact them if he needed help. Doran too didn¡¯t have a good relationship with the Desolate guild, but since he hadn¡¯t contacted them, it seemed like it was resolved without significant losses. ¡°It ended with that Kefan leaving.¡± ¡°Huh? What about that bastard Commander? It all started with that guy PKing.¡± ¡°Commander is the right-hand man of the Nebula faction. Would Nebula let go of him so easily? He drew the line at Kefan.¡± The cause of the situation was a user called Commander. But Commander was the right-hand man of one of the five factions in Desolate, the Nebula faction. Instead of Commander, Kefan was the one who took the blame. ¡°What about Kefan? That guy¡¯s personality is so rotten. Did he really leave quietly?¡± Doran asked. Kefan was famous for his irritable personality and Doran knew that it wasn¡¯t just rumours. Did Kefan, who could be called the symbol of contentiousness, really leave without a fight? ¡°I don¡¯t know. Something must¡¯ve happened behind the scenes.¡± Pavi replied to Doran¡¯s question. Although he wasn¡¯t certain, there was a high chance that something had happened behind the scenes. ¡°Anyway, apparently there¡¯s going to be a new guild in Hedlin.¡± ¡°The coastal city?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± * * * ¡°Have a good day, sir!¡± ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll come again.¡± Soo Hyuk bid farewell to Karl and left the Tower of Earth. Then he opened his quest window as he headed towards the library. [Special Quest ¨C Troll¡¯s Regeneration] Hunt trolls and drain their blood! [Trolls : 4000 / 4000 ] [Troll¡¯s Blood : 500 / 500 ] [Quest Reward: Skill ¨C Troll Blood] After selling the drops Soo Hyuk had bought the last 80 troll¡¯s blood. As a result, he had fulfilled all the conditions to complete the quest. ¡®What kind of skill will it be?¡¯ The quest reward was skill ¨C Troll Blood. ¡®Is it a healing skill?¡¯ He was looking forward to the new skill. Soo Hyuk press ¡®COMPLETE¡¯ with an excited expression. [Special Quest ¨C Troll¡¯s Regeneration has been completed.] [Skill ¨C Troll Blood has been obtained.] The usual system message appeared as Soo Hyuk quickly opened his skill window. Then he checked the ¡®Troll Blood¡¯ skill. ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± Soo Hyuk suddenly stopped his steps when he checked the new skill. His face was full of disbelief as he stared at his skill window. ¡®Did I see wrong?¡¯ Soo Hyuk rubbed his eyes and double-checked the skill again. ¡®No, I didn¡¯t¡­¡¯ [ Troll Blood] Special Effects: 1. Health recovery rate 200% 2. Increases total amount of health by 100% ¡®100% extra health¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk was in disbelief because of the second effect of the skill. Increase by 100%? Instead of increasing his health by hundreds, his health had doubled. ¡®It¡¯s also a passive.¡¯ What made it truly fraudulent was the fact that it was a passive skill. In Pangea, there were lots of buffs that increased your total health for a fixed duration. But most of them were actives, not passives. His skill ¡®Troll Blood¡¯ was a passive though, and one that doubled his health at that. ¡®What is this cheat skill¡­¡¯ It even increased his recovery rate by 200%! Soo Hyuk felt similar to when he had first checked his Archmage passive. A scam. Soo Hyuk closed his fraudulent skill description and opened his character window. He had to check if it was real or not. Occupation: Archmage¡¯s Descendant Level: 102 Experience: 62% Health: 56200 Mana: 40800 Satiation: 58% Strength: 40 (+10) Agility: 35 (+16) Stamina: 1108 [554 (+10)] Wisdom: 2040 (+10) ¡°Crazy.¡± After checking his new stats, Soo Hyuk automatically exclaimed with admiration. The difference before and after ¡®Troll Blood¡¯ was huge. ¡®It went over 50,000?¡¯ His original twenty-thousand health had risen to over fifty thousand. ¡®I have more health than mana now¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk¡¯s mana was extremely high due to his unbelievable wisdom, but his healthpool had surpassed the amount of mana he had. ¡®With this much¡­¡¯ He thought as he stared at his enormous health. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t I be able to open the door?¡¯ The Door of Wind that he had put off for later. Wouldn¡¯t it be possible now with his health? ¡®No. This problem can¡¯t be solved with just more health.¡¯ But after remembering his fight with the Wind Golem, Soo Hyuk realised that more health wouldn¡¯t be enough to beat its speed. Rather than health, he needed more defence and evasion. After settling his thought, Soo Hyuk closed his character window and continued heading to the library again. Chapter 55 - An Unexpected Change ¡°Here you go.¡± After arriving at the library Soo Hyuk gave his token to the librarian and strided through the entrance. Inside the library, he headed towards a bookshelf while thinking, ¡®Will there be more?¡¯ Will there be another coloured book this time? ¡®Yellow would be best.¡¯ The shocking passive ¡®Troll Blood¡¯. Soo Hyuk looked forward to more yellow books because of that fraudulent skill. Soo Hyuk started slowly search through the books after reaching the bookshelves. But it seemed he hadn¡¯t fulfilled anymore conditions since there were only white books around him. ¡®There¡¯s none. Well, it¡¯s true that I only hunted trolls.¡¯ He had even managed to get the title ¡®Enemy of all Trolls¡¯! ¡®How long will it take?¡¯ He thought as he pulled out books from a new bookshelf. How much longer would it take for him to read all the books in Matab Library? ¡®There¡¯re still a lot of books left¡­¡¯ The library was huge. ¡®But there¡¯s a lot of copies of the same book.¡¯ He was thinking about the books that were in Oren Library. There were copies of the same book in Oren, around 4. However, in Matab, there were around 5 to 10 copies of the same book. As a result, the bright while lights in the library was rapidly dwindling. At this, it wouldn¡¯t take very long to conquer the entire library. After choosing 6 books from the bookshelf, Soo Hyuk returned to his reading desk. Then he opened his book. He was full of concentration as he started reading. * * * ¡°Hah, I¡¯m going crazy.¡±, Yang Joo Hyuk thought as he stared at the monitor. ¡®Level 500 already is too fast.¡¯ The player who climbed at an amazing speed from day 1, Hunting King. His current status had recently reached level 500. For some reason, Hunting King hadn¡¯t put his name on the rankings. But what if he suddenly did? ¡®It would be a big issue. The number 1 is going to change after all.¡¯ The current no. 1 ranker was level 398. Number 2 was 393. There was a difference of 5 levels, but Hunting King was level 500, with an enormous 102 level differences. ¡®Even if he was a tester, this speed is too fast.¡¯ A 102 level difference. His levelling speed was unmatched among other users. Being a tester, Hunting King had a lot of initial knowledge about Pangea. And using that knowledge, he monopolised all the best hunting areas. ¡®What are the other testers even doing.¡¯ Of course, there were also other testers. They were also showing an extremely fast growth, but it felt severely lacking compared to Hunting King. ¡°Team leader.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk turned to the person calling him. It was Jang Yool. ¡°What is it?¡± He asked. ¡°It¡¯s tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­Tomorrow?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk cocked his head in confusion. Was there something important tomorrow? ¡°Ah!¡± He then quickly realised what Jang Yool was talking about. ¡°Has that much time passed already?¡± Time really flew when he was busy. ¡°Tell me when he completes it.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk turned back around after Jang Yool replied. Then he called Jang Yool once more as he faced his computer. ¡°Yool-ah¡±(TL: Casual way of calling first names.) ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Where is he now?¡± ¡°He¡¯s in the library.¡± * * * Ti-li-ling! The alarm rang inside the exercise room. Hearing the alarm blare, Soo Hyuk climbed down from his treadmill. His expression was full of energy as he stopped the alarm. ¡®It finally came.¡¯ The reason for his joy. ¡®The final day of the quest.¡¯ His month-long endeavour was finally coming to an end. Full of energy, Soo Hyuk ran down to the first floor and raced to his room after quickly taking a shower. Then after briefly checking his phone, he connected to Pangea. The darkness inside the capsule changed to the scene of the Matab library. Soo Hyuk exited the library and headed to the Tower of Poison while opening his quest window. [30-Day Endeavour] You, who lacks poison resistance! Pavian will boost your immunity. Take Pavian¡¯s poison once a day! [Take Pavian¡¯s special poison: 29 / 30 ] [Quest Reward: Title ¨C Poison Maestro] He would gain the title ¡®Poison Maestro¡¯ after finishing the quest. He was eager to discover the title¡¯s effects. ¡®It would be good, right?¡¯ He didn¡¯t know what the effects would be, but it couldn¡¯t be bad. It had taken an entire month, and more than anything, Pavian himself had given this quest. There was no way that it could be bad. ¡®Titles are good but¡­¡¯ Pavian had also promised him something else. It was magic. Pavian told Soo Hyuk that he would teach him poison magic. ¡®Please let it be another quest.¡¯ Of course, just because Pavian said he would teach him didn¡¯t mean he would be able to learn it. This was because Pavian could teach him through skill books. Because of the special characteristics of Archmage¡¯s Descendant, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t learn skills from skill books. While praying that it wouldn¡¯t be a skill book, Soo Hyuk closed the quest window. A few minutes after, Soo Hyuk arrived at the Tower of Poison and naturally climbed up to the 4th floor. Like usual, the women at the entrance escorted him to Pavian¡¯s room. Tap! Tap! ¡°Soo Hyuk-nim is here.¡± ¡°Come in!¡± At Pavian¡¯s words, the women opened the door and stood to the side. Soo Hyuk entered the inside. ¡°You came.¡± Soo Hyuk asked as soon as he entered. ¡°Is that the last poison?¡± As he sat down, he could see a vial on the table mixed full of unfamiliar liquids. ¡°Hmm, this is the last one.¡± Pavian held out the vial as he replied. Soo Hyuk took the vial from Pavian and drained all its contents in one gulp. ¡®Oh? It¡¯s quite sweet?¡¯ Soo Hyuk realised as the poison passed down his throat. All the poison so far hadn¡¯t tasted very good. But was it because this one was special? Its sweetness stood out from rest of the poison he had taken so far. ¡®But why isn¡¯t a message yet?¡¯ He wondered as he waited. System message alerting him of various status conditions usually popped up straight away. But this time, the system messages didn¡¯t appear after a few seconds. ¡°How¡¯s the taste?¡± Pavian asked at that moment. ¡°It¡¯s quite sweet.¡± Soo Hyuk replied. ¡°Really?¡± Pavian erupted into a bright smile at his words. ¡°¡­?¡± Why did Pavian suddenly smile? ¡°To think that poison was sweet, your resistance has risen quite a bit. It¡¯s a success!¡± Pavian shouted when Soo Hyuk was feeling doubtful. [Quest ¡¯30 Day-Endeavour¡¯ has been completed. [Title: Poison Maestro has been obtained.] ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk realised as he stared at the sudden messages. ¡®You have to resist the last poison to succeed.¡¯ This seemed likely as this was an originally quest aimed to raise his poison resistance. If he was still poisoned at the last day, then could it really be called a success? ¡®Is he going to teach me poison magic now?¡¯ Soo Hyuk looked away from the system message and asked Pavian. ¡°Umm¡­what method will you use to teach me magic?¡± This was particularly important. He had to know if he was going to get a skill book or a skill quest. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Pavian rose from his seat at Soo Hyuk¡¯s words. Then he walked over to the bookshelf on the left. ¡®I have to read those as well¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but crave for the books on the bookshelf. It was full of silver shine. ¡®Wait a minute.¡¯ Soo Hyuk¡¯s expression hardened as a thought crossed his mind. ¡®Why a book¡­¡¯ Pavian had pulled out a book from the bookshelf. ¡®It¡¯s not a skill book.¡¯ Skill books didn¡¯t have the colourful shine unlike normal books. That meant, the book Pavian had pulled out wasn¡¯t a skill book. ¡®Then a skill quest? But it¡¯s white.¡¯ The book that Pavian pulled out was white, not yellow. ¡°Here you go.¡± While Soo Hyuk¡¯s mind was in a mess from the unexpected situation, Pavian held out four shining white books to him. Soo Hyuk stared at the books then at Pavian, expecting an explanation. ¡°When using magic, your own path is very important. That¡¯s why I believe that it¡¯s unhealthy for others to teach you. For me anyway.¡± Soo Hyuk sense of crisis was rising as Pavian continued, ¡°Look at the book and move your mana.¡± His sense of crisis was still growing gradually. ¡°With your talent, you should succeed in one or two tries.¡± Seemingly not sensing Soo Hyuk¡¯s discomfort, Pavian continued his instructions. ¡°You also have no risk of poisoning yourself now. Haha!¡± Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed. ¡®What¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a skill book or a skill quest. ¡®Move my mana according to the book?¡¯ How would a user like Soo Hyuk move their mana? ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯ This couldn¡¯t be it. It was a chance to learn magic from the Poison Spire Lord himself. He wasn¡¯t going to let this once-in-a-lifetime chance go to waste. ¡®I have to get a quest.¡¯ He had to push Pavian for a skill quest. ¡°Ah!¡± But he has surprised once again when he heard Pavian¡¯s following words. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared all the materials needed to use poison, so you can come get them whenever you like. You can either come to me or Kale. ¡°¡­Materials?¡± ¡°Hmm, to cast poison magic, you need many things. If you ever need anything, tell me anytime. I¡¯ve gotten everything there is to get.¡± Soo Hyuk gulped in response to Pavian¡¯s words. ¡®All the materials used for poison magic?¡¯ His mind, which was set on a skill quest, changed when he considered the weight behind those words. ¡®All the materials? Then¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t need to spend any gold into casting poison magic. It was a reward comparable to a skill quest as he would probably save thousands of gold in the future. He would be stupid if he didn¡¯t take advantage of this. ¡®If I challenge the Door of Poison¡­¡¯ If he was given a skill quest, then it would overlap with the skills he gained from opening the Door of Poison. But the situation had changed now. He wouldn¡¯t be able to learn magic from Pavian, but all the materials were prepared for him. Plus, they would try to acquire any materials that he could need. ¡®Doesn¡¯t this also mean that I can complete most of the skill quests at once?¡¯ The skill quests for poison magic likely needed poison materials like the quests for fire magic. Hence, he wouldn¡¯t be able to learn poison magic from Pavian, but he would be able to complete most of the poison skill quests at once. ¡°If you¡¯re confused about something, then feel free to ask me.¡± Soo Hyuk was sucked out of his thoughts when Pavian spoke. Then matching Pavian¡¯s smiling face, he replied, ¡°Yes!¡± Chapter 56 - Door of Poison Yang Joo Hyuk and Jang Yool were chatting while watching the monitor. ¡°Wow, he finally finished the quest.¡± ¡°Time truly passes quickly. It¡¯s already been a month.¡± The subject of the conversation was Soo Hyuk. ¡°But what will he do now?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°He¡¯s learnt that he can¡¯t learn magic from Pavian. Won¡¯t he try to open the Door of Poison now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s definitely possible.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk nodded. Jang Yool¡¯s words had credibility as Soo Hyuk now couldn¡¯t learn from Pavian so he could end up choosing the Door of Poison. Of course, nothing was certain. There were 8 choices and at the end of the day, the choice of all up the Soo Hyuk. ¡°If he chooses the Door of Poison¡­¡± As Jang Yool trailed off, Yang Joo Hyuk finished the sentence for him. ¡°It would be a piece of cake considering his new title.¡± He might even feel that the Door of Poison was too easy. With the Poison Maestro title, the difficulty of the Door of Poison would drop to the point where it would feel like the Door of Wind was a scam. ¡°Oh?¡± Jang Yool suddenly exclaimed. ¡°He went to the subspace.¡± * * * After the quest was completed, Soo Hyuk engaged in some small talk with Pavian before putting the books in the inventory and leaving. ¡®All right. I¡¯ll challenge the Door of Poison.¡¯ Previously, he was thinking about the Door of Wind, but that had now changed. He had to open the Door of Poison. ¡®But is it possible?¡¯ There was still one thing nagging at his mind. ¡®Although the boss would take more damage,¡¯ Fire was strong against poison. He would be able to deal a lot more damage to the poison golem than the wind golem. ¡®The problem is the amount of damage that I take.¡¯ In the second awakening of the wind golem, he had taken more than 20,000 damage in one hit. Even if his health had doubled, would he be able to handle the poison golem? ¡®Let¡¯s try first.¡¯ If he was being honest, he didn¡¯t really need to unlock another door straight away. He had planned to level up more and acquire better gear. But since the situation had changed like this, shouldn¡¯t he at least try once? Wrapping up his thoughts, Soo Hyuk opened his character window. Occupation: Archmage¡¯s Descendant Level: 102 Experience: 62% Health: 56200 Mana: 41200 Satiation: 54% Strength: 40 (+10) Agility: 35 (+16) Stamina: 1108 [554 (+10)] Wisdom: 2060 (+10) ¡®There¡¯s no stat change.¡¯ Soo Hyuk looked at his character status first before he challenged the Door of Poison. Is stats hadn¡¯t changed at all. Next, Soo Hyuk clicked on his list of titles. Then he checked the information for ¡®Poison Maestro¡¯. ¡°¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk burst into a bright smile while feeling admiration. -Poison Maestro (1. You will not be poisoned by your own poison. 2. You will not be poisoned by ordinary poison.) ¡®Isn¡¯t this really good?¡¯ It was almost a jackpot. The main reason why poison magic was unpopular was because the users had a chance to poison themselves when casting poison magic. But the new title completely removed that disadvantage. Plus, he wouldn¡¯t be affected by ordinary poison. ¡®Now it has to be poison no matter what.¡¯ After pledging to choosing poison again, Soo Hyuk closed all his windows and warped to the subspace. [Warping to the Archmage¡¯s Subspace.] The space around him was distorted with the message then he arrived safely at the subspace. As soon as the space around was stabilised, Soo Hyuk headed towards the Door of Poison. After stopping in front of the door, Soo Hyuk reached out and touched the door with his hand. Then a system message appeared. [Would you like to open the Door of Poison?] Soo Hyuk pressed YES and more windows popped up. [Opening the Door of Poison.] [Number of attempts: 1] [Summoning the Poison Toad.] [Survive for 30 minutes or defeat the Poison Toad.] ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk noticed unlike the Door of Wind, the boss for the Door of Poison was a toad, not a golem. ¡®Poison Toad? Is it different for every door?¡¯ It seemed like the clear conditions for every door was different. ¡®Survive for 30 minutes.¡¯ Instead of defeating the toad, he could choose to survive for 30 minutes. What did this mean? It meant that the Poison Toad would be harder. He would have to be more cautious. Soo Hyuk turned around to see the toad being summoned. There was the same magic circle in the middle of the chamber, and the toad was gradually forming from its head. ¡°Magic Missile.¡± Soo Hyuk fired a magic missile at the toad. [The Poison Toad is being summoned.] [Attacking is impossible until it is completed summoned.] ¡®This is the same.¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t attack the toad while it was being summoned like the wind golem, so he waited for the summoning to finish. -The test is starting. The toad croaked after it was completed formed. It sounded noticeably different from the Wind Golem. ¡°Magic Missile.¡± Soo Hyuk cast magic missile once again. It was to see if it would dispel like the wind golem or use another method. Bang! But the poison toad didn¡¯t do anything. The magic missile managed to land a solid hit on the toad. At that moment. Shuaa! The moment the magic missile exploded on its skin, it started to emit green gas from its pores. The gas travelled at a tremendous speed and filled up the entire chamber in no time. ¡®Poison?¡¯ The gas was released from its body. This was probably the reason why there was another way to clear the trial. The poison gas filled up the entire chamber, so Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t dodge in any direction. Then something magical happened. [You have resisted.] [You have resisted.] [You have resisted.] [You have resisted.] Endless messages appeared. ¡°¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk was momentarily confused by the endless messages before realising. ¡®¡­Ah!¡¯ ¡®The Poison Maestro!¡¯ This was the effect of the second function of the ¡®Poison Maestro¡¯ title. ¡®Then is this ordinary poison?¡¯ The green gas around him appeared to be composed of common poison. ¡®Is this it?¡¯ The first way to clear this trial was to survive for 30 minutes. This looked ridiculously easy as he kept resisting all the poison. That meant, all he had to do was stand there and he would win. ¡®No, there¡¯s got to be something else.¡¯ There was no way that it would be this easy. Soo Hyuk could make out the toad¡¯s shape as he looked through the fog. ¡®Should I attack? Or not?¡¯ The toad had started releasing poisonous gas when it was hit by the magic missile. What if the gas got stronger every time he attacked it? ¡®It could also get stronger over time.¡¯ Waiting was also dangerous. What if the poison got stronger as more time passed? Then was a possibility that his title¡¯s ability wouldn¡¯t be able to resist the poison anymore. ¡®The poison is getting stronger even now.¡¯ The green colour was getting darker. He would be poisoned at this rate. ¡®Right, there are more chances anyway.¡¯ He didn¡¯t forget the fact that his aim today was to test the waters. Soo Hyuk made his decision as he considered this fact. ¡°Firestorm.¡± Soo Hyuk cast Firestorm. The casting bar appeared and due to him taking no damage so far, he was able to safely cast the spell. Huaa! The flaming tornado appeared around the poison toad. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s disappearing?¡¯ The green fog started getting lighter when the firestorm appeared. ¡®The fire is burning away the poison.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he stared at the still motionless toad. The firestorm was burning the poison as it left the poison toad¡¯s body. As a result, the surroundings were gradually getting clearer every second. ¡°Fireball, Inferno, Firebolt, Flame Dance.¡± Soo Hyuk continuously fired spells at the toad. ¡®Does it also have phases?¡¯ The wind golem had the 1st and the 2nd awakenings. Would the poison toad have something similar? At that moment. -Congratulations for passing. He heard the toad¡¯s croaky voice. ¡®Pass?¡¯ AS he was confused from the sudden situation, [You have defeated the Poison Toad.] [You have fulfilled the conditions.] [The Door of Poison is opened.] [Skill ¡®Archmage¡¯ has been strengthened.] [Skill quest ¡®Acid Blast¡¯ has been generated.] [Skill quest ¡®Poison Fog¡¯ has been generated.] [Skill quest ¡®Poison Sphere¡¯ has been generated.] [Skil quest ¡®Poison Field¡¯ has been generated.] [¡­] ¡®¡­The end?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s this easy?¡¯ It too was easy. Like a walk in the park. Soo Hyuk felt uncomfortable even as he looked through the messages. ¡®The difficulties are too far apart.¡¯ Soo Hyuk frowned heavily. He could feel his anger rising even though he had already decided to unlock poison. Even if fire was strong against poison, wasn¡¯t this too much? Afer checking the messages, Soo Hyuk opened his quest window. He wanted see the conditions for the quests. ¡®Good.¡¯ Soo Hyuk¡¯s gloomy frown reverted back to a bright smile as he read the completion requirements. The conditions were what he expected. ¡®Now should I go to get the materials?¡¯ Soo Hyuk closed his quest window and opened his skill window. The ¡®Archmage¡¯ passive was strengthened like when he unlocked the fire element. He was excited to see the new improvements. ¡°¡­¡± Soo Hyuk¡¯s smile stiffened when he read the information. ¡°These crazy¡­¡± Curses automatically came out of his mouth. ¡°This dog fraud¡­¡± Chapter 57 - Sudden Windfall ¡°This dog fraud¡­¡± [ Archmage] Proficiency: ¨C Special Effects: 1. 100% extra magic damage 2. Magic casting time is reduced by 15 seconds. 3. There is a set chance to poison the target when attacking with magic. Soo Hyuk thought as he read the information on ¡®Archmage¡¯. ¡®Casting time reduced by 15 seconds?¡¯ Previously, it was reduced by 10 seconds, but now, an extra 5 seconds had been reduced. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the problem. ¡®Why isn¡¯t the fire option there?¡¯ The fire option had disappeared when Archmage was strengthened a second time. ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯ Originally, the option reduced the casting time of all fire magic. ¡®It reduces casting time for all magic?¡¯ However, the crazy thing was that it now reduced the casting time of all magic by 15 seconds. All magic. ¡®Does a special buff occur when I unlock more magic?¡¯ The added third option didn¡¯t even enter his eyes. He was fixated on the fraudulent second option. He was locked in thought as he read the information over and over again. He then closed the skill window while sighing and looked over at the remaining 8 doors. ¡®What element should I unlock at level 200?¡¯ He was able to unlock an element every 100 levels. What would he need the most then? ¡®Let¡¯s reach that stage first.¡¯ He was currently level 100. It was going to take a long time to reach level 200, much longer than reaching level 100. Soo Hyuk decided to confront it when it comes and entered the tunnel to head to the warp circle. ¡®I should ask for the materials now rather than later.¡¯ He had originally planned to head to the library, as that was his usual schedule after hunting. But due to the sudden circumstances, he decided to tweak his schedule for today. Soo Hyuk finally stepped on the warp circle and teleported back to the Tower of Poison. ¡°Then lastly, 100 Grade 3 mana stones!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Pavian couldn¡¯t say anything. He just stared blankly at Soo Hyuk. Soo Hyuk awkwardly stared back. ¡°¡­Should I come tomorrow?¡± ¡°¡­Ah?¡± Pavian awoke from Soo Hyuk¡¯s question and nodded absentmindedly. ¡°Ah, uh, sure! We¡¯ll prepare them by tomorrow.¡± ¡°Phew, then I¡¯ll come again tomorrow!¡± Soo Hyuk stood up from his seat and said goodbye to pavian. As he was standing up, Pavian suddenly asked, ¡°Can you really use poison magic?¡± ¡°Yep! See you tomorrow!¡± They had become close enough that they could address each other casually long ago. Soo Hyuk said goodbye again and exited the room. Pavian was still staring blankly at the door when he suddenly came to himself and looked closely at the list of materials. ¡®He needs this much materials?¡¯ Pavian started shaking as he looked over the list of materials repeatedly. He then started laughing while yelling loudly, ¡°Haha! As expected of the immeasurable talent!¡± Only a few hours had passed since he had passed on the books to Soo Hyuk, but it looked it he instantly grasped most of the content. He was overflowing with a ridiculous amount of talent. ¡®But he won¡¯t be able to use poison magic perfectly.¡¯ No matter how high his talent was, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use poison magic perfectly in such a short amount of time. After all, grasping was different from perfecting. But the important part was that he had been able to grasp poison magic in just a few hours. Rustle Pavian also stood up not long after. Then while holding the list of materials, he headed to Kale¡¯s room. Tap. Tap. ¡°Kale!¡± Pavian shouted while knocking on Kale¡¯s door. Kiieek After a few seconds, Kale opened the door and came out. ¡°What¡¯s the mat-¡° ¡°Here!¡± Pavian stuffed the list into Kale¡¯s hands before he could finish speaking. Kale stared confusedly at Pavian before looking at the paper in his hands. ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Can you prepare them by tomorrow?¡± ¡°¡­Tomorrow?¡± ¡°Hmm. Is it possible?¡± In response to Pavian¡¯s words, Kale read over the list of materials again. After a moment of silence, he raised his head and replied to Pavian. ¡°It¡¯s possible if I start now. But where are you using them¡­¡± ¡°The Tower of Poison¡¯s new hope needs them.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, sir.¡± * * * ¡°Hello.¡± Soo Hyuk gave the librarian his token while smiling widely. He then entered the library and thought while walking. ¡®Hedlin of Raman Kingdom, is it?¡¯ His family trip was only 3 days away. Unlike usual, his parents had decided to go to somewhere in Pangea instead of reality. The destination was Raman Kingdom¡¯s coastal city of Hedlin. It was a famous tourist city in Pangea as well as reality. ¡®How much will be the warp cost?¡¯ Matab was situated in the middle of the continent, while Raman Kingdom was located in the south, occupying the coast. There was considerable distance between Matab and Raman Kingdom. ¡®I¡¯ll have to warp at least 4 times. Fortunately, I can use Archmage¡¯s subspace on the way back.¡¯ Although he had to warp at least 4 times, that was just for reaching Hedlin. As long as he didn¡¯t visit the subspace on Hedlin, he be able to teleport to the subspace then to Matab. As he was deep in thought. His steps suddenly halted. ¡®¡­What?¡¯ Soo Hyuk¡¯s expression was full of confusion and surprise as he stared at a spot. ¡®Purple?¡¯ The cause of his confusion and shock was a book on a bookshelf. It was glowing purple. ¡®Special classes shouldn¡¯t be able to other classes?¡¯ This was the reason for his confusion in seeing a purple book. Changing classes should be normally impossible for a special class. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s not a class change?¡¯ Because of his previous experience, he thought that purple books signified class changed. But thinking about it now, this didn¡¯t seem to be the case. To see exactly what was going on, Soo Hyuk approached the purple book. ¡®But, there wasn¡¯t really anything I did.¡¯ He had already read this book. Since the colour had changed, it meant Soo Hyuk had fulfilled some sort of condition. But he hadn¡¯t done anything special since the last time he came here. Soo Hyuk approached the purple book with suspicion now on his face and checked the title. ¡®Oh?¡¯ Soo Hyuk instantly understood the situation when he read the title. It was called ¡®Poison Magic¡¯. But that wasn¡¯t it, as there was a tiny word on the corner on the bottom right of the book. ¡®Lapis.¡¯ The word ¡®Lapis¡¯ was written on the cover. He had failed to notice it last time since it was so faded. ¡®Archmage Lapis? Is it that Lapis?¡¯ (TL: Lapis will be changed to Lapid as some) How could he fail to recognise the name? Lapis was the original Archmage that founded Matab and Soo Hyuk¡¯s class was Archmage¡¯s descenaent. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t recognise it. ¡®Was opening the Door of Poison the condition?¡¯ Soo Hyuk believed this was the most likely scenario. ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk suddenly had a thought and looked around at the books around him. It was to check for books about other elements. ¡®Not here.¡¯ Since there was a book about poison magic, there was bound to be a book about fire magic. He had opened the door of Fire first. If it existed, then he simply hadn¡¯t found it yet. ¡®Is it even in the Matab Library?¡¯, He couldn¡¯t help but think. But there was a section that he hadn¡¯t looked at yet. It was the bookshelves on the opposite end of the library. ¡®Let¡¯s check.¡¯ Soo Hyuk tightly held the purple ¡®Poison Magic¡¯ in his hands and started walking. He passed shelf after shelf until he stopped at a purple shine. ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± The purple book was in one of the farthest bookshelves. Soo Hyuk quickly walked up to the book and pulled it out from the bookshelf. ¡®As expected!¡¯ The title of the book was ¡®Fire Magic¡¯. The word ¡®Lapid¡¯ was faintly written on the cover as well. Soo Hyuk held both ¡®Poison Magic¡¯ and ¡®Fire Magic¡¯ and returned to his usual reading spot. ¡®What sort of quests will they give?¡¯ He felt excited at the new discoveries and wondered what quests he would get. Soo Hyuk first opened ¡®Fire Magic¡¯ and started reading the book. . . . Primordial Flame is¡­ . . . Soo Hyuk cocked his head as he read the book. ¡®Primordial Flame? Was there such a skill?¡¯ The reason for his confusion was because of a spell that appeared in the book. ¡®Fire Magic¡¯ explained about the properties of fire and the various kinds of spells. But Soo Hyuk had never heard of ¡®Primordial Flame¡¯ before. ¡®Do I have a quest about it?¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t stand his curiosity and tore his eyes from the words on the book to the words on the skill window. He had gathered all the fire skill quests to a separate section. As numerous skill quests appeared, he patiently read through them all. ¡®No, I don¡¯t.¡¯ He had even double-checked, but he still couldn¡¯t find the quest. ¡®The Door didn¡¯t give me all the skills?¡¯ When he had gotten advanced spells like Hellfire, he had assumed that he had received quests for all the spells. But it seemed this wasn¡¯t the case. ¡®Maybe the book will give me the quests?¡¯ There was the possibility that this book would supply him with the missing skill quests. With this thought in mind, he started to read again. A while later, Soo Hyuk finished reading and closed the book. Shuaak! The purple shine disappeared, and a message appeared. [Wisdom has risen exponentially.] ¡°Hmm?¡± Soo Hyuk was flustered at its unexpected contents. ¡®Wisdom has risen exponentially?¡¯ He had expected it to give a skill quest for Primordial Flame or something similar, but this didn¡¯t turn out to be the case. Soo Hyuk then hurriedly opened his character window, expecting the worst. But the reality was¡­ ¡®A troll¡­¡¯ It was at this moment that Soo Hyuk¡¯s brain stopped functioning. Class: Archmage¡¯s Descendant Level: 102 Experience: 62% Health: 56200 Mana: 51200 Satiation: 54% Strength: 40 (+10) Agility: 35 (+16) Staina: 1108 [554 (+10)] Wisdom: 2560 (+10) ¡®¡­500?¡¯ After a long time, Soo Hyuk was able to come back to himself. ¡®It rose by 500?¡¯ His 2060 wisdom rose to 2560. The book had given him 500 wisdom. Then with a stiff expression, he turned to the book next to him, ¡®Poison Magic¡¯. ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡®This as well?¡¯ Feeling apprehension as well as anticipation, Soo Hyuk dived straight away into ¡®Poison Magic.¡¯ ¡®This has missing spells as well.¡¯ There were numerous spells which weren¡¯t in his quests in ¡®Poison Magic¡¯, like Primordial Flame. ¡®I¡¯m certain that Archmage Lapid knew how to cast them.¡¯ Lapid had known how to cast these spells. Then how would Soo Hyuk be able to acquire them? Soo Hyuk shook his head to clear his thoughts and eventually finished the book. [Wisdom has risen exponentially.] The same message as ¡®Fire Magic¡¯ appeared as the book lost its purple shine. Soo Hyuk, who hadn¡¯t closed his character window from before, moved his eyes and looked at his new stats. ¡®500.¡¯ 500 wisdom had risen as expected. While staring at his wisdom, which had instantly risen from 2000 to 3000, Soo Hyuk thought. ¡®There are eight more books like this.¡¯ He had read two books: ¡®Fire Magic¡¯ and ¡®Poison Magic¡¯. There were still eight more such books left, and they would most likely raise his wisdom by 500 as well. ¡®My wisdom can rise by 4000 through these books alone.¡¯ Of course, he still had to open the corresponding doors. ¡®Level 900¡­¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t be easy in any way. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± With a sigh, Soo Hyuk rose up from his seat while closing his character window. ¡°Let¡¯s just read more books.¡± He then started heading towards the bookshelves. Chapter 58 Shuaak! The white glow faded away as Soo Hyuk closed the book. His wisdom didn¡¯t rise this time. Soo Hyuk put aside the now dull book and checked the time. ¡®It¡¯s 2 pm. They should be ready by now.¡¯ He was thinking about the materials Pavian had promised, as a day had already passed since he had requested for the materials. ¡®Then should I get going?¡¯ Soo Hyuk stood up from his seat and came out of the library after returning the books. He then headed towards the Tower of Poison while checking his skill quests. [Skill Quest ¨C Acid Spray] Meet the following conditions! [Gold : 15900 / 30 ] [Quest Reward: Skill ¨C Poison Blast] . . . [Skill Quest ¨C Poison Fog] Meet the following conditions! [Gold : 15900 / 100 ] [Paralysis Extract : 0 / 10 ] [Quest Reward: Skill ¨C Poison Fog] All the skill quests from the Door of Poison were separated into a separate category like the fire skill quests. As he stared at the skill quests, he determined. ¡®The ones I can¡¯t complete right now are¡­¡¯ Not all quests needed various materials and gold to complete. Instead, they required specific achievements like hunting a particular monster. ¡®These three.¡¯ [Skill Quest ¨C Poison Dragon] Meet the following conditions! [Black Dragon : 0 / 1 ] [Black Dragon¡¯s Heart : 0 / 1 ] [Poison Essence : 0 / 10 ] Quest Reward: Skill ¨C Poison Dragon . . . [Skill Quest ¨C Encroach] Meet the following conditions! [Zombie : 0 / 5000 ] [Dullahan : 0 / 200 ] [Lich : 0 / 200 ] Quest Reward: Skill ¨C Encroach . . . [Skill Quest ¨C Miasma Release] Meet the following conditions! [Hydra : 0 / 1 ] [Hydra¡¯s Saliva Gland : 0 / 1 ] [Gold : 15900 / 10000 ] Quest Reward: Skill ¨C Miasma Blast Soo Hyuk shook his head after he checked the three quests. The conditions were almost impossible! ¡®How much do I have to level up to complete them?¡¯ The conditions for the skill ¡®Encroach¡¯, required him to hunt numerous zombies, dullahan and liches. Although it would take a long time, it was barely doable, since he was someone who had hunted 10,000 trolls. But the story was different if it was the Black Dragon or the Hydra. It was almost impossible to raid black dragons and hydras alone, even if his level was over 200 or perhaps even more. Soo Hyuk moved all the quests that he could complete now into the first section on his skill window. It was to clean it so that he could navigate more easily. And so, Soo Hyuk left the three hardest skill quests in the third section and eventually arrived at the Tower of Poison. Tap. Tap. ¡°Soo Hyuk-nim is here.¡± As usual, the women guarding the fourth floor announced his arrival and waited for Pavian¡¯s reply. However, Pavian¡¯s reply was different from what they expected. ¡°Oh? Wait a minute, I¡¯ll go out.¡± After a few seconds, the door was opened and Pavian strode out of his room. ¡°Now, shall we go?¡± Pavian said to Soo Hyuk. ¡°¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t understand his words. Go where exactly? Then, Pavian, who had read his thoughts, continued. ¡°We can¡¯t test magic in my room, especially with all the materials. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Soo Hyuk replied to Pavian¡¯s words. Then Pavian took the lead and started walking while Soo Hyuk hurriedly followed after him. And so, Soo Hyuk and Pavian kept climbing down stairs until Pavian stopped at the 3rd underground floor. ¡®Hmm? Where is it?¡¯ The 3rd underground floor was shaped similarly to a massive hall, and it was completely empty. Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t find the materials anywhere despite looking around everywhere around the hall. ¡°Here.¡± At that moment. ¡±This has everything you need.¡± Pavian said while holding out a pouch. ¡°In here?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Soo Hyuk received the pouch from Pavian. [You have obtained Pavian¡¯s Pouch.] A message then appeared and Soo Hyuk immediately checked the item information. [Pavian¡¯s Pouch] You will receive various items when the pouch is used. ¡®It¡¯s a consumable.¡¯ He had thought that it would be a special item, but it was just a consumable. However, it wasn¡¯t anything major, so he immediately decided to use it. As a result, numerous system messages started appearing in his vision. [You have obtained 200 Grade 5 Mana Stones.] [You have obtained 350 Grade 4 Mana Stones.] [¡­] Soo Hyuk stared blankly at the suuden messages, before recovering and opened his quest window. All the skill quests in the first section had their ¡®COMPLETE¡¯ buttons glowing. Staring at them with satisfaction, Soo Hyuk started completing the skills quests. [You have completed Skill Quest ¨C Acid Spray.] [You have learned Skill ¨C Acid Spray.] [You have completed Skill Quest ¨C Poison Fog.] [You have obtained Skill ¨C Poison Fog.] [¡­] ¡°Now, try casting a poison spell.¡± Pavian said while Soo Hyuk completing the quests. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Soo Hyuk nodded in response to his words and hurriedly completed his quest. He then spoke to Pavian, ¡°Um, how should I show you the magic¡­¡± The underground hall was completely empty, so Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t have something he could fire his spells at. How could he randomly cast poison magic in this empty space? ¡°Ah, wait a moment.¡± In response to Soo Hyuk¡¯s question, Pavian pulled out another pouch from his robe. He then pulled something out of the pouch and set it in dront of him. ¡®¡­Iron Scarecrows?¡¯ He had wondered what Pavian had taken out. It was an Iron Scarecorw. A scarecrow with ridiculously high physical defence as well as magic resistance. ¡®Oh well, I needed to destroy some anyway.¡¯ One of the conditions for the stat quest ¡®Vigorous Body¡¯, was destroying Iron Scarecrows. ¡®But how many is he taking out?¡¯ Pavian didn¡¯t show any signs of stopping. He was still setting up Iron Scarecrows at a set distance from each other. Then after 20 scarecrows were installed, Pavian came back to Soo Hyuk and said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about them breaking. They¡¯re my specially-made Iron Scarecrows. Since their magic resistance is higher than the normal ones in the market, you can go all out with the magic.¡± Soo Hyuk nodded at Pavian¡¯s reminder, and focused on the scarecrows, while Pavian moved out of the way. ¡°Poison Fog.¡± As soon as Pavian was out of range, Soo Hyuk cast Poison Fog. It¡¯s original casting time was 15 seconds, but it was cast instantly because of the Archmage passive. Shuaak! The poison fog was cast around a scarecrow and then rapidly expanded towards the other scarecrows. At that moment, Pavian¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡®¡­What?¡¯ Pavian stared incredulously at the expanding poison fog. ¡®How did he cast it so fast?¡¯ Soo Hyuk had instantly cast the Poison Fog spell, while seasoned magicians could only do it in around 2-3 seconds. Pavian was greatly surprised at this situation. ¡®It¡¯s m-melting?¡¯ The scarecrow at the very centre had started melting from the poison. His specially-requested Iron Scarecrows were being destroyed by a beginner magician! It had greatly increased magic resistance, so how was it melting? At that moment. ¡°Poison Sphere.¡± Soo Hyuk cast his second spell, ¡®Poison Sphere¡¯. His target was the scarecrow on the far left, which was unaffected by the fog. A green sphere the size of a small soccer ball instantly appeared in his hand and flew towards the scarecrow. Bang! The Poison Sphere crashed into the scarecrow and scattered poison in the explosion. Pavian could then see it. His Iron Scarecrow which had half of its body dissolved. ¡°¡­Stop.¡± Soo Hyuk was about to cast another spell but stopped at Pavian¡¯s instructions. ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you next time.¡± ¡°Yes! Make sure to visit once every three months! Don¡¯t forget!¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Soo Hyuk left Pavian with a goodbye and climbed up the stairs to the 1st floor. Pavian stared at Soo Hyuk starting to climb the stairs then looked back at his scarecrows. They were in perfect condition before but now, they were unrecognisable. ¡®I was planning to give him advise¡­¡¯ Unfortunately, Soo Hyuk had completely demolished the scarecrows with his magic. ¡®It was perfect, no it was even beyond that.¡¯ Unlike his expectations, Soo Hyuk¡¯s magic turned out to be flawless, not flawed. ¡®It was strong. Especially his casting speed.¡¯ Instant casting. In that scene, Soo Hyuk had looked like an experienced magician, rather than an inexperienced one. ¡®Is it an ability of the immeasurable talent?¡¯ That was a plausible theory, although he had no evidence. ¡®Well, I was worried for nothing in the end.¡¯ He had been worried about Soo Hyuk¡¯s affinity with poison magic. Even if he was the immeasurable talent, there was no guarantee that he would be talented in every field. But now, it seemed as though he had been worried for nothing. ¡®Hee¡­¡¯ Pavian smiled widely. He then faintly waved his hand and the destroyed scarecrows were returned to his pouch. After retrieving the scarecrows, Pavian climbed up the stairs to head back to his room. * * * Outside the Tower of Poison, Soo Hyuk started walking back to the library. ¡®Which library should I go to next?¡¯ It was worrisome. ¡®I¡¯ll have read all the books in the library by next month.¡¯ His family trip was just 2 days away. Judging from his speed and the books left, he would be able to finish the books in Matab Library in a month. The problem was, where would he go next? ¡®Also, why are their conditions so difficult?¡¯ The conditions for Matab were easy to fulfil. You just had to be a magician to enter. But the other libraries were different, as they all had difficult conditions. Be a noble, be an official etc. They were quite diverse. ¡®Let¡¯s worry about it when the time comes.¡¯ Soo Hyuk decided as he sighed. It wasn¡¯t urgent so he had no need to worry about it now. Soo Hyuk shook his head to clear his thoughts and continued walking with a more relaxed expression. * * * ¡°This is all I can do for you. Sorry.¡± ¡°Haha, no problem. This is enough for me. If you do any more, the others will start complaining and make a mess.¡± Kefan replied to Commander as they walked down the beach. They had just met with Hedlin¡¯s mayor and Raman Kingdom¡¯s marquis, Cavell. ¡°What about the plan? Do you even have one? As you might¡¯ve seen, Cavell won¡¯t easily give us the representative guild position.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Commander replied to Kefan¡¯s question. ¡°Tourist City Hedlin!¡± Hedlin was regarded as a tourist city for its beautiful beaches. People even considered Hedlin as a vacation spot even though it was in a virtual reality. It was that beautiful. Every street in Hedlin was bustling with users and NPCs, busily going about their lives. ¡°What would happen if the merry atmosphere was ruined by an unfortunate incident?¡± If an unfortunate incident such as murders happened, from Hedlin¡¯s perspective, it would be a very big hit. It would damage their reputation as one of the best tourist sites. ¡°They would search for people who can restore the public¡¯s sense of safety. Hehe.¡± Kefan burst into a wide smile as he concluded. ¡°¡­As expected.¡± After listening to Kefan¡¯s conjecture, Commander smiled faintly and replied. ¡°You have great foresight. You¡¯re a very promising person.¡± ¡°Is that a compliment?¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± Commander smiled and cocked his head at Kefan¡¯s words. ¡°Anyway, try your best. Contact me if a problem suddenly pops up. I will try my best to help you then.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be on my way. See you next time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll report soon!¡± Commander walked away from Kefan after saying goodbye. Meanwhile, Kefan opened his friend window after Commander left. ¡°Who should I use¡­¡± His friend tab was filled with various users. Kefan scrolled down, trying decide who to choose for this job. ¡°Hmm, how about this guy?¡± Chapter 59 Translator: MagicFishCat Proof-reader: TheMonitor Stopping his scroll button at around the middle of the list, Kefan looked at a user profile and muttered. ¡°Loken¡¯s group has enough ability and they¡¯re also fitting for this task.¡± The name in his sight was called Loken. Always travelling together in a group, Loken and his men were people who took on dirty jobs and enjoyed causing chaos. For the upcoming task, ability wasn¡¯t the only thing that was important. Trust was also crucial. Maybe not if it was a normal task, but the one thing that mustn¡¯t happen was the details leaking out. ¡°Since they¡¯re in the Demon Guild, they¡¯re trustworthy.¡± The Demon Guild. It was a guild that performed all sorts of murky tasks and was full of people like Loken¡¯s group. Because of the nature of their guild, it would be impossible for them to survive if they couldn¡¯t maintain confidentiality. For this reason, Kefan didn¡¯t need to worry about leaks. ¡°Okay.¡± After deciding on Loken, Kefan sent a message to Loken. -Kefan: Loken-nim? ¡°So how is it?¡± Kefan asked. ¡°If we accept your request.¡± Loken smiled in the middle of his sentence. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be able to set foot into Hedlin anymore.¡± What would happen if they accepted the job? They wouldn¡¯t be able to appear in Hedlin again. No, it would be to the point where they wouldn¡¯t be able to stay in the Raman Kingdom easily. ¡°And Hedlin is a city with many quests.¡± Hedlin was famous for being a beautiful tourist destination. Was it cause and effect? Because of the high number of users and NPCs visiting, there were always a high amount of jobs and quests in circulation. Accepting Kefan¡¯s request meant giving up on those quests. ¡°Haha, is it because of that?¡± Kefan took out out a small pouch. ¡°I¡¯ll give you this much.¡± Inside the pouch was gold. ¡°I think 20 thousand gold is enough.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Loken pondered while staring at the pouch filled with 20 thousand gold. After a few seconds, Loken spoke to Kefan. ¡°Can I consult the others about it? This isn¡¯t something I can decide on my own.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll be waiting for your answer.¡± Loken stood up from his seat after Kefan¡¯s words and went through the door to his back. ¡°So what happened?¡± ¡°Why was Kefan looking for you?¡± Two men were waiting for Loken outside. They were Mandara and Aiden. In response to their questions, Loken sat down on the chairs next to them and answered. ¡°You know that Kefan made a new guild in Hedlin.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It was called Solitude or something.¡± ¡°Yep, Solitude. But they¡¯re aiming for the representative guild spot.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mandara and Aiden couldn¡¯t help but react to Loken¡¯s remark. ¡°The representative spot? For Hedlin?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Who are they kidding, a new guild taking the representative spot? And it¡¯s Hedlin instead of some beginner town? Don¡¯t tell me the request was to help them get the spot?¡± Loken chuckled at Mandara¡¯s words. ¡°Hey, do you think that¡¯s possible? No, it¡¯s not that.¡± They were capable but not enough to get Kefan the representative seat. ¡°Our task is PKing.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mandara and Aiden immediately became suspicious of Loken. PK? What did that have to do with the new guild? ¡°Tomorrow at 10 am, near the warp gate, kill indiscriminately regardless of their identity. Then the Solitude guild will hunt us down. When they do, one person will die and the rest will escape. Of course, that person will be me.¡± ¡°Wait, time out.¡± Mandara and Aiden hurriedly interrupted Loken. ¡°PK indiscriminately? Near the warp gate? We¡¯ll be turned into fugitives.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s bound to be our last task in Raman Kingdom. But the compensation is 20k gold.¡± 20 thousand gold as a reward? Mandara and Aiden were greatly surprised again. They stared at each other then turned to Loken as he continued. ¡°So how about it? Will you do it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Mandara and Aiden both fell into deep thought at Loken¡¯s words. After a while, Mandara spoke first. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. It¡¯s about time to level up a bit more, right? And since the reward is 20 thousand gold¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine as well. We¡¯re getting less quests here than before anyway. I¡¯ll also do it for 20 thousand.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re both agreeing, right?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll accept it.¡± Loken then stood up and entered Kefan¡¯s room again. ¡°Did you consider the request?¡± Kefan asked Loken as he came in. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll accept your task.¡± Loken answered Kefan¡¯s question. Kefan smiled brightly in response and pulled out the pouch. ¡°Tomorrow 10 am, near the warp gate. We will arrive approximately 10 minutes after. Until then¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll PK while trying not to die. Don¡¯t worry so much.¡± ¡°Of course, then I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± Kefan stood up and exited the house. He then started heading towards the guild base. ¡®It¡¯s finally begun.¡¯ Tomorrow, he would acquire the representative seat for Hedlin. * * * ¡°When are we going?¡± ¡°Hmm, should we go in 10 minutes?¡± Ji Song and Ji Su were discussing their schedule. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave for Hedlin now.¡± Soo Hyuk, who was listening to their conversation, stood up. Ji Song and Ji Su¡¯s avatars were currently in Hedlin, but Soo Hyuk¡¯s was in Matab. This meant that he had to set off early. ¡°So where are we going to meet?¡± Soo Hyuk asked as he opened the door to his room. ¡°Near the warp gate, there¡¯s a restaurant called Wanderer¡¯s Wind. We¡¯ll be sitting on the seats outside.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll meet you soon!¡± ¡°See you later!¡± Soo Hyuk entered his room after Ji Song¡¯s answer. He then immediately connected to Pangea. Inside Pangea, Soo Hyuk exited the library and headed towards the warp gates. ¡®First stop is Urdan.¡¯ Soo Hyuk analysed his route as he headed towards the warp gates. ¡®Then switch gates and go to Arman.¡¯ To get to Hedlin, he needed to use a warp gate in Raman. However, it wasn¡¯t possible to go to Raman Kingdom from Matab in one jump. ¡®Then I can go to Hedlin. So, 3 jumps in total.¡± To get to the Raman Kingdom, he had to pass the Pade Kingdom in the middle. Then from Pade Kingdom¡¯s city Urdan, he would move to Raman Kingdom¡¯s Arman, from which he would warp to Hedlin. After confirming his route, Soo Hyuk arrived at the warp gate a few minutes later. An endless stream of people was coming and going from Matab¡¯s warp gates. Lots of people were lining up for Soo Hyuk¡¯s warp gate as well. ¡®Six to ten¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk checked the time. ¡®It looks like I¡¯ll be a bit late.¡¯ He thought while gazing at the winding line. There was only 6 minutes until the meeting time. ¡®I should¡¯ve went yesterday.¡¯ He had thought about going to Hedlin early, but he gave in to the temptation of books in the end. If he had known that things would end up like this, he would¡¯ve left early anyway, Soo Hyuk sighed regretfully, and hurried got in line before it got any larger. ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± After a few minutes, it was finally Soo Hyuk¡¯s turn. In front of him was an NPC called Cade. ¡°I want to go to Urdan.¡± ¡°The Pade Kingdom?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be 50 gold.¡± Soo Hyuk took out 50 gold in the form of a pouch and gave it to Cade, who took it and then said. ¡°Then please stand on the magic circle.¡± Soo Hyuk climbed on the magic circle at Cade¡¯s instructions. A moment later, the circle lit up and a message appeared as the space around him started distorting. [10 seconds until warp.] 10 seconds was the time it took to warp from Matab to Urdan. After 10 seconds, the space around him was repaired completely. Around him was the scene of Pade Kingdom¡¯s city, Urdan. ¡®Wow, the atmosphere¡¯s so different.¡¯ It was completely different from Matab. Of course, there was no time to be absorbed in the atmosphere, so Soo Hyuk immediately warped to Arman. [5 seconds until warp.] Was it because of the shorter distance? For the warp from Urdan to Arman, it only took 5 seconds. After arriving at Arman, Soo Hyuk immediately headed to the next warp gate. Thankfully, the line here was shorter than before. ¡®2 minutes late.¡¯ It was 10:02. ¡®They should have just connected, right?¡¯ His parents had said that they would meet at 10am. That meant that they would currently be waiting for him right now. ¡®I have to hurry.¡¯ Soo Hyuk sped slightly as he headed towards the warp gate. ¡°Hey, apparently Hedlin¡¯s in a mess right now.¡± ¡°Huh, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± At that moment. ¡°Demon Guild¡¯s Loken. You know him, right?¡± ¡°Of course. His group¡¯s infamous. I watch videos about them all the time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s got into them, but they¡¯re PKing all over the place there. Near the warp gate.¡± A conversation between two users entered his ears. ¡°Eng? Really?¡± ¡°Yep, they¡¯re targeting the beginners. It¡¯s really chaotic over there.¡± ¡°Wow, since they¡¯re the Demon guild, won¡¯t even high-level users have trouble? The local authorities won¡¯t be able to stop them.¡± ¡°Probably. Knights will have to be sent out. It¡¯ll take at least 30 minutes to settle the situation.¡± Soo Hyuk, who had stopped to listen to their conversation, quickened his pace once again. No, he soon started running. Then when he arrived at the warp gate, he opened his inventory while shouting at the NPC. ¡°To Hedlin please!¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be 70¡­¡± ¡°Here!¡± Soo Hyuk stuffed the pouch in the NPC¡¯s hands. [5 seconds until warp.] As he stared at the twisting space, he prayed. ¡®Please¡­¡¯ After 5 seconds, the surrounding space was repaired and Soo Hyuk bolted out of the magic circle. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°No idea. Is it an event?¡± ¡°No, what kind of event has PKing in it?¡± ¡°Where are the guards?¡± Soo Hyuk could see a sea of heads from the platform. From their reactions, it looked like the PKs hadn¡¯t ended yet. ¡®It can¡¯t be.¡¯ Soo Hyuk felt uneasy at the thought of Wanderer¡¯s Wind, the meeting place for his family vacation. What if the PKs were happening near there? With a panicked frown, Soo Hyuk followed the direction of the people¡¯s screams. ¡°What? Who are you! Ack!¡± ¡°S-save me!¡± ¡°Help!¡± His panic only grew larger and larger as he listened to the unending screams. He then soon arrived at the crime scene. ¡°¡­Hah.¡± Soo Hyuk sighed with relief as he looked around. The PKs weren¡¯t happening around the meeting place, Wanderer¡¯s Wind. After confirming that his parents were nowhere to be found, Soo Hyuk looked around. He had to find Wanderer¡¯s Wind quickly. ¡®¡­Hmm?¡¯ Then not long after, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but panic again. He had finally found Wanderer¡¯s Wind, but there were numerous corpses in front of it. ¡®¡­Ah, i-it can¡¯t be.¡¯ Soo Hyuk slowly approached Wanderer¡¯s Wind and started checking the bodies one by one. ¡°Hey, hey, look at that bastard. He¡¯s looting the bodies.¡± ¡°Wah, he should have some sense. How could he in this situation?¡± The users around Soo Hyuk started talking and pointing at him. It was a misunderstanding, but he had no intention of resolving the misunderstanding. He was just hurriedly checking the bodies. Flinch. Soo Hyuk suddenly halted his steps. His eyes slowly turned cold as his chest heaved. And when his aura completely transformed, Shuaak! Two bodies that were in front of him disappeared into light particles. Then Soo Hyuk, who was staring at the light particles slowly disappearing, quietly turned around as people desperately ran past him. ¡°Help me!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± In his line of sight were three men mercilessly killing people around them. ¡®Those dogs.¡¯ Chapter 60 - Those close to him Proof-reader: TheMonitor They had touched those they shouldn¡¯t have. ¡°Firebolt.¡± Soo Hyuk immediately fired a Firebolt at a man holding a bow. He had thought about using poison magic, but it¡¯s area of effect was too big. Innocent people could get involved if he did. Shuaa! The Firebolt flew towards the archer. The archer tried to dodge but¡­ Bang! The Firebolt was so fast that the archer couldn¡¯t dodge in time. As the archer collapsed, system messages appeared in front of Soo Hyuk. [You have attacked user Mandara.] [You have entered an ¡®enemy¡¯ state with user Mandara.] [You have entered an ¡®enemy¡¯ state with Mandara¡¯s party members.] [User Mandara has a high infamy score.] [Your infamy score will not rise.] But Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t pay any attention to the messages. ¡®He¡¯s not dead?¡¯ Mandara had been blasted off his feet, but Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t see the distinctive black aura that appeared when one was dead. ¡®Well, they were able to cause this much chaos in this city.¡¯ They had been PKing with reckless abandon in the city of Hedlin. It would be weird they didn¡¯t have the ability to survive a ¡®mere¡¯ Firebolt from Soo Hyuk. ¡®But why isn¡¯t he moving?¡¯ The archer called ¡®Mandara¡¯ wasn¡¯t moving despite being alive. ¡°Poison blast.¡± [TL: I don¡¯t know what happened with Acid Spray. It looks like the author changed it.] As Soo Hyuk was feeling suspicious of Mandara¡¯s inaction, he fired Poison Blast. Then the other two men reacted as the Poison Blast flew towards them again. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Soo Hyuk?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t time yet.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t with the Solitude guild. It looks like he¡¯s attacking us for another reason.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t recognise us.¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t he getting up already?¡± They had been chatting relaxedly as they stared at Mandara who had been hit by the Firebolt. They hadn¡¯t been cautious as the spells fired at them were low-level, but when the Poison Blast hit Mandara, they were flustered as Mandara¡¯s body was faintly covered in the black light of death. ¡°Ah?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Loken and Haiden froze up as they confirmed that Mandara had been killed. ¡°¡­He died in two hits?¡± ¡°he doesn¡¯t seem to be a simple player.¡± Their bloodthirsty atmosphere had been completely replaced by anxiety as they felt apprehension towards the unknown user who fired low-level spells with power comparable to advanced spells. Then the unknown user cast another spell. ¡°Inferno.¡± There were spells that users could avoid if they were skilled enough and those that couldn¡¯t be avoided no matter what. The ones that could be dodged were spells like magic missile and fireball. While a famous spell that belonged in the latter category was the spell that Soo Hyuk had just cast, Inferno. How could they evade a spell that had no form? [You have attacked user ¡®Haiden¡¯.] [User Haiden has a high infamy score.] [Your infamy score will not rise.] ¡°Ah?¡± Then the target of Inferno, Haiden, let out a panicked scream. ¡°Fuck! My health¡­¡± But, before Haiden could finish, he was cut off by a incomprehensible sight. A rising black light. After instantly killing Mandara and Haiden, he turned towards the last remaining man. ¡°Huh? W-what? W¡­¡± The man was panicking at the sudden loss of his comrades. Soo Hyuk fired a magic missile at the pathetic sight. Bang! Was it because magic missile was slower than his previous spells? Or did he feel fear at the loss of his comrades? Whatever the reason, the man managed to dodge the incoming magic missile by throwing himself to the ground. ¡°Excuse me. Our guil¡­¡± ¡°Fireball.¡± Loken couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. Soo Hyuk had fired ignored him and fired a fireball at him. ¡°Ah! Shit!¡± He wasn¡¯t even trying to negotiate with him?! While swearing, he swung his spear at the fireball, trying to snuff it out. Bang! [You have attacked user ¡®Loken¡¯.] [User Loken has a high infamy score.] [Your infamy will not rise.] His fireball crashed into Loken¡¯s spear at that moment. Loken then stopped moving. He wasn¡¯t dead yet. ¡®What?¡¯ Soo Hyuk suddenly felt uneasy. It was because Loken had almost looked embarrassed at that moment. Suppressing his confusion, Soo Hyuk cast another spell. ¡°Poison Sphere.¡± The poison sphere flew towards the unmoving Loken and exploded into green mist. He still wasn¡¯t dead, but when hit by poison sphere, the target would get poisoned. Although he didn¡¯t know what type of effect it caused, the black light appeared around Loken not long after. ¡°Kek, Loken was bullied to death!¡± ¡°Crazy, who is that person?¡± ¡°He looks like a ranker.¡± ¡°Yeah, if Loken¡¯s group was beaten that easily, then¡­¡± The surrounding users started gossiping, but Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t have any interest in them. He immediately logged out. As he disconnected from Pangea, he thought in his head. His first family trip. Ruined by a couple of thugs. It turned out to be the worst experience ever. ¡®Those dogs.¡¯ [You have been attacked by user ¡®Soo Hyuk¡¯.] [You have entered an ¡®enemy¡¯ state with user ¡®Soo Hyuk¡¯.] [You have been poisoned by Crimson Snake Kapouri.] [You are paralysed for 1 minute.] ¡®What?¡¯ Mandara was flustered. It was because he suddenly was paralysed. ¡®Soo Hyuk? Is he from the Solitude guild?¡¯ Although he couldn¡¯t move his body, he could still check the messages. Had th Solitude guild arrived early? ¡®But why did they paralyse me¡­¡¯ Loken had decided to be the person who was to die. But was there a reason to paralyse him? And not 1 or 2 seconds, but for a whole minute? ¡®Don¡¯t tell me, it¡¯s another person?¡¯ Mandara wanted to check the situation. However, he couldn¡¯t, since he was paralysed. [You died.] Then another message appeared in his sight. ¡®Eh?¡¯ Mandara was confused by the sudden message, but he was logged out of Pangea immediately after. ¡°What just happened?¡± Mandara no, Kim Woo Hyuk, muttered as he climbed out of his capsule. He was genuinely confused. ¡°A slip-up? Or is it really another party?¡± To check whether it was Solitude¡¯s mistake or another party, Kim Woo Hyuk sat in front of his computer. ¡°Argh, did I step on dogshit today? Fuck.¡± Whether it was an accident or not, it didn¡¯t change the fact that he died. Banging on his desk, Kim Woo Hyuk swore wildly to cool his anger. On the computer, he messaged on his chat group, which showed Haiden and Loken connected to Pangea. -Kim Woo Hyuk (Mandara): Tell me what happened next after you log out. After leaving the message, Kim Woo Hyuk started browsing the Pangea homepage. Then not long after, he got a notification from his chat group. Kim Woo Hyuk checked the chat room immediately. -Cha Ju Yun (Haiden): Fuck! I died! AAAAAAAAA! -Kim Woo Hyuk (Mandara): What? You too? What happened? -Cha Ju Yun (Haiden): I don¡¯t know. Fuck! Kim Woo Hyuk was left flustered at Cha Ju Yun¡¯s unexpected message. ¡®Then it¡¯s not Solitude¡­ They could accidently kill the wrong person. But killing two instead of one? If so, then I¡¯m certain. It was the work of a third party, not Solitude.¡¯ -Kim Woo Hyuk (Mandara): Then that bastard doesn¡¯t belong to Solitude. -Cha Ju Yun (Haiden): The Solitude guild? No, he¡¯s not in a guild. I didn¡¯t see a guild mark. -Kim Woo Hyuk (Mandara): What? Then a solo player? -Cha Ju Yun (Haiden): Yep. It looked like it. -Kim Woo Hyuk (Mandara): But I¡¯ve never seen his name before. What about you? -Cha Ju Yun (Haiden): I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a famous ranker. It¡¯s my first time as well. -Kim Woo Hyuk (Mandara): Then is he an unofficial ranker? -Cha Ju Yun (Haiden): Seems like it? -Kim Woo Hyuk (Mandara): No, but then he should at least know of our guild, right? Is our guild less known then I thought? Cha Ju Yun (Haiden): If he did it while knowing who we are, then isn¡¯t he more scary? At that moment. -Yang Myong Soo (Loken): Fuck. I died as well. Yang Myong Soo had entered the chat. -Kim Woo Hyuk (Mandara): What, you died as well? -Yang Myong Soo (Loken): Yeah. I couldn¡¯t even talk to him. -Yang Myong Soo (Loken): What do we say to Kefan? It¡¯s got to be chaotic over there. -Yang Myong Soo (Loken): Ah, fuck. -Cha Ju Yun (Haiden): Will you report to the guild? -Yang Myong Soo (Loken): Even if I don¡¯t, Kefan will. -Kim Woo Hyuk (Mandara): I¡¯m going crazy. ?? -Yang Myong Soo (Loken): Ah, they¡¯re calling me right now. Wait a bit. After Yang Myong Soo left, the chat room was momentarily silent. Kim Woo Hyuk closed the chat room and started browsing the home page. Then after a few minutes, the chat icon flashed, and Kim Woo Hyuk immediately went back to the chat room again. -Yang Myong Soo (Loken): Ah, I¡¯m going crazy as well. -Cha Ju Yun (Haiden): Why? -Kim Woo Hyuk (Mandara): Did they demand the money back? -Yang Myong Soo (Loken): No, they said to try again after our penalties are over. Then they said to track down and kill the bastard that killed us with the guild. -Kim Woo Hyuk (Mandara): Wow, the guild¡¯s on fire today as well. -Cha Ju Yun (Haiden): But seeing as how he destroyed us, he¡¯s a ranker grade. -Kim Woo Hyuk (Mandara): Even if he¡¯s a ranker, he¡¯s alone. We can take him down with numbers. -Cha Ju Yun (Haiden): That¡¯s right. But how do we even find him? He¡¯s not on a guild as well. -Kim Woo Hyuk (Mandara): What, we can just release the kids. -Yang Myong Soo (Loken): Isn¡¯t that the Demon guild¡¯s speciality? Doing something even if we know it¡¯s crazy. * * * ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should¡¯ve arrived earlier.¡± Soo Hyuk apologised. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, why are you sorry in the first place?¡± ¡°Yeah, those guys were the bad guys!¡± Ji Song and Ji Soo retorted to Soo Hyuk while shaking their heads. Then after talking about various subjects for a while, Soo Hyuk went back to his room. ¡®Those bastards.¡¯ No matter how much he thought about it, it wasn¡¯t enough to kill them once. ¡®Why do they perform those kinds of rotten acts?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand at all. Why do they do those kinds of things? And why target beginners? ¡®For fun?¡¯ Was it for fun? Killing those weaker than them was fun? Soo Hyuk picked up his phone and called his friend. ¡®He¡¯s not on Pangea at this time.¡¯ Soo Hyuk called Yeon Jung. Then after a few seconds, Yeon Jung answered the call. ¡°Yeon Jung-ah, I¡¯m curious about something.¡± Soo Hyuk cut straight to the chase. ¡°Do you know about the Demon guild?¡± -The Demon guild? I know one of them. ¡°Their mark has a monster with three horns on its head. -Ah! I know about them. Why do you ask? ¡°What kind of guild is it?¡± -Hmm? What do you mean? ¡°Well, actually¡­¡± Soo Hyuk told Yeon Jung about what had just happened in Hedlin. -What? Those crazy dog bastards. Yeon Jung shouted in fury after hearing Soo Hyuk¡¯s story. -We left them alone because they were too dirty, but they went too far this time. Soo Hyuk-ah, you have to quickly join my guild. ¡°Hmm?¡± Soo Hyuk was confused by Yeon Jung¡¯s sudden suggestion. He was planning to in the first place, but he didn¡¯t why the conversation had suddenly gone in this direction. -You said you killed them, right? ¡°I did.¡± Dead. They were instantly killed by his hands. -The funny thing about the Demon guild, is that if someone touches even one of their members, he will be hunted down mercilessly. Even if they¡¯re the ones in the wrong. You¡¯ll likely meet the same fate. ¡°What? Revenge, not an apology? What kind of guild is that.¡± Instead of apologising, they would hunt him down. Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t see how that was logical at all. -Anyway, my guild has a bit of a reputation. If you join my guild, they won¡¯t be able to touch you easily. From this, Soo Hyuk was able to find out why Yeon Jung wanted him to join his guild. ¡®But¡­¡¯ However, Soo Hyuk opened his mouth as he thought about something. ¡®I can¡¯t just let them go like this.¡¯ Even if it was a game, he had felt indescribable pain when he stared at his parents¡¯ corpses. It was horrible. While recalling his feeling in that moment, Soo Hyuk said to Yeon Jung. ¡°Yeon Jung-ah. Sorry. I won¡¯t be able to join right now.¡± -What? Why? ¡°Your guild could be harmed because of me.¡± -¡­What are you going to do? ¡°I don¡¯t have an exact plan yet.¡± Soo Hyuk smiled as he replied to Yeon Jung. ¡°By the way, do you know where the Demon guild¡¯s base is located?¡± It was a cold smile filled with pain and anger. Chapter 61 - The Demon Guild -Thanks for telling me. ¡°Hey, I was joking! You¡¯re overreacting! Facing against an entire guild alone? Even if you use guerrilla tactics, it¡¯ll be impossible!¡± -You said that the guys I killed were on the strong side, right? Then I can kill the others easily as well. ¡°No, they have too many people.¡± -I have magic. And I¡¯m not going to charge recklessly at their base. I have a plan in mind. ¡°You just said you didn¡¯t have a plan!¡± -I just thought of it. Yeon Jung couldn¡¯t say anything to that. -Then I¡¯m going. His phone went silent. ¡°That crazy person¡­¡± Yeon Jung muttered as he slowly put away his phone. ¡°Even if the Demon guild¡¯s filled with dogs, they can¡¯t be taken lightly.¡± They weren¡¯t particularly strong, but still couldn¡¯t be underestimated. ¡°Soo Hyuk sounds like he¡¯s really angry this time.¡± Since he hadn¡¯t been present on the scene, he had no way of knowing the exact story. However, Yeon Jung had noticed from his tone, atmosphere and the current situation, that Soo Hyuk was enraged. ¡°If he¡¯s angry like then¡­¡± Over the years that they¡¯d known each other, Yeon Jung had only seen Soo Hyuk get angry a few times. But the few times he did still sent shivers down his spine. ¡°Should I worry about the Demon guild instead?¡± * * * The Demon guild¡¯s guild house. ¡°The username was Soo Hyuk, and he wore a robe from the Tower of Poison¡­¡± Haggis lifted his head while frowning heavily. ¡°Then those three got done in by a magician?¡± He asked the master of the Demon guild, Baal, who was sitting opposite of him. ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Baal answered Haggis¡¯ question and went back to his book. ¡°Okay, but shouldn¡¯t they be able to beat a magician if they teamed up together? What did Mandara do? He¡¯s supposed to be the wizard killer.¡± Haggis continued, ignoring the fact that Baal was still reading a book in front of him. ¡°He died first after being caught by surprise.¡± Baal answered while turning a page in his book. ¡°That magician isn¡¯t normal, since Mandara died in two hits.¡± ¡°Two hits? Mandara?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Haggis exclaimed silently in surprise at Baal¡¯s words. ¡°Ask Rhino about it.¡± Haggis suggested. Rhino was a magician who used poison. Of course, he wasn¡¯t a normal magician, as he was the vice head of the Tower of Poison in Hadrac. ¡°Since we fed him a lot of gifts, he¡¯ll cooperate nicely.¡± The Demon guild had a unique relationship with Rhino, built upon numerous bribes. ¡°About who he is, and where he is¡± Magaician Soo Hyuk, who wears the Poison Tower¡¯s robe. That was equivalent to him belonging to the Tower of Poison. Rhino was sure to provide them with information. ¡°Okay! Then should we send them to Hedlin?¡± ¡°Do it.¡± * * * After ending his call with Yeon Jung, Soo Hyuk reviewed what he had just heard. ¡°Hadrac¡­¡± The city founded by the Mercenary King Hadrac. The Demon guild¡¯s base was in Hadrac. Soo Hyuk set down his phone and went to his computer. It was to research more into the Demon guild. Soo Hyuk went into the official Pangea website and searched ¡®Demon guild.¡¯ It turned out to be fairly a well-known guild like Yeon Jung said. ¡®¡­It¡¯s a group of crazy people.¡¯ He thought as he read through the posts about the Demon guild. The Demon guild was weirder than how Yeon Jung had described them. ¡°You can only join when you¡¯re not wanted?¡± The information that caught his eye was the conditions for joining. You could only join when your infamy score was low enough that you weren¡¯t wanted by authorities. ¡°They also have a lot of enemies.¡± Being a criminal guild, they obviously had a lot of enemies. And it wasn¡¯t just one or two. They had enemies all over the land. ¡°Then how are they surviving?¡± He couldn¡¯t understand how the Demon guild was still intact. After more research, he found out the reason. There were many reasons why, but there were two notable ones. First, the guild members didn¡¯t operate in an area where an arrest order had been given. Second, those who killed the guild members were hunted and killed at least 5 times. They were the main reason why people didn¡¯t go after the Demon guild. ¡°This is why he called them dirty.¡± He realised why Yeon Jung had called them ¡®dirty bastards¡¯. He hadn¡¯t paid much attention when Yeon Jung mentioned them, but he realised the nature of these ¡®hunts¡¯ from the users who hunted by them. ¡°Hmm.¡± Soo Hyuk got up from his seat, then started walking to his capsule. ¡®How would they try to find me?¡¯ The Demon guild would try to hunt him down from now on. But all they knew about him was his name and appearance. The problem was that there could be multiple users of the same name, and people could change their appearance by swapping around their gear. ¡®Will they just go around killing people conspicuously?¡¯ They could perform another tragic act like Hedlin¡¯s incident. ¡®Anyway,¡¯ What method the Demon guild used didn¡¯t matter. The only important part was that they would try to hunt him down. ¡®Those bastards. When apologising isn¡¯t enough, they go around hunting more people instead?¡¯ If he didn¡¯t have enough strength in this situation, he would have experienced a heart-tearing pain. But Soo Hyuk had strength. Didn¡¯t he easily kill the three men in Hedlin? Soo Hyuk looked around his surroundings once he connected to Pangea in his capsule. The corpses had disappeared, and the people around him were going about their day like nothing had happened. The atmosphere was too different from 1 hour ago. Soo Hyuk observed the heads of people going past him. He was checking their guild marks. ¡®They¡¯re not here.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t see any Demon guild marks in the end. ¡®Well, only an hour has passed.¡¯ Only an hour had passed since he had killed Loken, Haiden and Mandara. It would be unusual if the Demon guild reacted so quickly. After confirming that there were no Demon guild members around him, Soo Hyuk teleported to his subspace. [Warping to the Archmage¡¯s Subspace.] When he arrived at the familiar chamber, Soo Hyuk walked through the tunnel on the right and headed for the magic circle. Then using the magic circle, he teleported again to Matab. ¡®I came back.¡¯ Arriving at the Matab Library, Soo Hyuk handed in his token and headed towards the bookshelves. He should¡¯ve been enjoying his time with his family by now, but things had gone astray. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± He boiled with anger every time he thought of it. While frowning heavily, Soo Hyuk pulled the books out of the shelves and returned to the reading desk. ¡®I will show them¡­¡¯ He thought as he opened the book. ¡®What a real demon looks like.¡¯ * * * ¡°Soo Hyuk?¡± Rhino asked. ¡°Yes. Do you who he is?¡± Haggis answered with his own question. Perhaps Rhino knew who he was? ¡°No, I¡¯ve never heard of him.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Hmm, can you tell me why you¡¯re looking for him?¡± Rhino asked again. A magician of the Tower of Poison, Soo Hyuk. He was curious why Haggis was looking for him. ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± Haggis paused briefly at Rhino¡¯s question. ¡®Is it okay to tell him?¡¯ The Demon guild¡¯s relationship with Rhino was strong. But they didn¡¯t know who Soo Hyuk was, and Rhino also didn¡¯t know who he was. ¡®What if he turns out to be Rhino¡¯s friend¡¯s friend?¡¯ He could turn out to be important to Rhino through said friend. If that turned out to be the case, the Demon guild could have a difficult situation on their hands. ¡®No, that¡¯s not likely, considering Rhino¡¯s personality.¡¯ As he was considering whether to tell Rhino or not, he was reminded of Rhino¡¯s temperament. He would value money above a friend¡¯s friend. ¡®Plus, we have a reasonable justification.¡¯ Rhino was sure to help them upon hearing their justification. ¡°Our guild members were attacked by him. Three of them.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Rhino was surprised by Haggis¡¯ sudden answer. ¡°Then¡­is it for revenge?¡± He asked Haggis carefully. ¡°We want an apology, but we will have our revenge if he refuses.¡± Honestly, they didn¡¯t want an apology. They were still planning on killing him even if he did give one, but he didn¡¯t need to say that to Rhino. ¡°Hmm.¡± Rhino fell silent at Haggis¡¯ answer, while Haggis stared expectantly at Rhino. After a few seconds, Rhino opened his mouth. ¡°Alright. I will help you this once. But it¡¯s going to take some time¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Haggis smiled at Rhino¡¯s answer. Then he opened his inventory and took out a pouch filled with different kinds of rare jewels. ¡°This is from our leader, Baal.¡± Haggis said as he handed the pouch over to Rhino. Rhino was silent during the whole process, but he couldn¡¯t hide his eyes shining with greed. Intoxicated with greed, Rhino grabbed the pouch from Haggis and checked its contents. A few moments later, Rhino looked up from the pouch with a huge grin on his face. ¡°Come tomorrow. I¡¯ll find out by then.¡± The wait was shortened. ¡°Yes, I understand. Then I¡¯ll come again tomorrow.¡± Haggis stood up from his seat with a grin of his own. * * * ¡°What do we do if those freaks are still there?¡± ¡°Yeah, what should we do¡­¡± Soo Hyuk, who was listening to their worries, stood and said confidently, ¡°Please wait for a bit. I¡¯ll check first.¡± If those three bastards were still in Hedlin, another PK incident might happen. To prevent this, Soo Hyuk stood up, went to his capsule and connected to Pangea first. ¡°Archmage¡¯s Subspace.¡± Soo Hyuk cast Archmage¡¯s Subspace as soon as he appeared in the library. [Warping to the Archmage¡¯s Subspace.] The moment Soo Hyuk appeared in the subspace, he turned right and walked through the tunnel to the magic circle. After taking a warp gate to Hedlin, he became able to teleport to Hedlin with the magic circle in the Archmage¡¯s Subspace. He stood on the magic circle and warped to Hedlin. ¡°Help me!¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± Screams filled his ears the moment he arrived at Hedlin. Soo Hyuk frowned as the sudden noise assaulted his ears. ¡®These bastards.¡¯ He had tried to check just in case, but it was really happening again. Soo Hyuk shoved past the panicked people and found them again. Loken, Haiden and Mandara. ¡®Doing this again as soon as the penalty¡¯s over?¡¯ Upon death, there was a 24-hour access penalty. But they were causing chaos the moment their penalty was over? ¡®They must be genuinely crazy.¡¯ ¡°W-why! You freaks!¡± ¡°What kind of¡­ack!¡± The ongoing slaughter. ¡®Should I kill them?¡¯ Soo Hyuk was conflicted as he stared the black light of death erupting one after another. ¡®Their guildmates will appear if I do though.¡¯ He had the ability to end this atrocity right now, but there was still one thing nagging at his mind. It was the Demon guild. ¡®Damn it. If only I wasn¡¯t on a holiday with my family.¡¯ If he had no commitments on his schedule, he would¡¯ve slaughtered them like lambs. But today was his replanned family trip. If he killed them now, the Demon guild members would come, and they would have to delay their holiday again. ¡®But¡­¡¯ His reason was faltering in front of dying users and NPCs around him. ¡°But why are only those three moving? Why aren¡¯t the rest of the Demon guild moving?¡± ¡°It looks like they¡¯re searching for somebody?¡± At that moment. ¡°¡­Mmm?¡± The conflicted Soo Hyuk caught onto a conversation between the users around him. ¡°Ain¡¯t they looking for the user from yesterday?¡± ¡°Ah, that Soo Hyuk user?¡± Soo Hyuk looked around after listening to the conversation between the spectating users. He saw eight people with the three-horned demon mark on their heads. Chapter 62 - Conspiracy ¡®They should be waiting for me to take action.¡¯ Soo Hyuk determined as he stared at the Demon guild users. He hadn¡¯t thought of the possibility that they would be lying down in ambush. What if he had recklessly charged in? ¡®I would be in trouble.¡¯ The Demon guild members would appear, and he would be ganged up upon 1:11. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Soo Hyuk first put away his poison tower robe to his inventory, but that was it. He had no idea what to do next. Loken, Haiden and Mandara were still slaughtering left and right. He couldn¡¯t kill them as he had his family trip today, and he felt extremely uncomfortable just doing nothing. ¡®Haa¡­okay.¡¯ A few moments later, Soo Hyuk finally decided. ¡®If I don¡¯t take action in this situation, then I¡¯m just as bad as them.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a normal fight between different parties. It was a one-sided slaughter against innocent people. If he didn¡¯t act out when he had the power, he would be the same kind of scum as the Demon guild. ¡®They will understand.¡¯ If he died and couldn¡¯t go to the trip, his parents would understand. Wrapping up his thoughts, Soo Hyuk stepped forward. At that moment. ¡°These bastards! What kind of place do you think this is!¡± A hot-blooded voice entered his voice just as he about to cast a spell. Soo Hyuk paused and turned to look at the source of the shout. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ Numerous users were racing down the streets. He was able to determine that they were users from the shining marks on their heads. ¡°It¡¯s the Solitude guild!¡± ¡°The Solitude guild!¡± Soo Hyuk found out the identity of the unknown users from the shouts of people around him. ¡°Murdering in broad daylight? Just what do you think Hedlin is?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know who you¡¯re messing with!¡± The users from the Solitude guild started attacking Loken¡¯s group immediately. At the sudden unexpected situation, Soo Hyuk backed up and observed the scene. ¡°Shit!¡± ¡°Do you know who we are?!¡± In response to their attack, Loken, Haiden and Mandara started cursing at them furiously. Then a few moments later, Loken¡¯s body was covered in black light. He was dead. ¡°Don¡¯t think there¡¯s something off?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This entire thing looks really awkward.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you just can¡¯t see well?¡± Users around him conversed while watching the battle between Solitude and Loken¡¯s group. Soo Hyuk, who was observing and listening to the conversations, thought the same. ¡®So I¡¯m not the only one was thinks that.¡¯ Soo Hyuk was feeling suspicious as well. ¡®Why does it look fishy?¡¯ Everything from the entrance of the Solitude guild to the battle was fishy and awkward. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± After observing the battle more, Soo Hyuk was able to figure out the problem. ¡®Why aren¡¯t they attacking?¡¯ They were within striking range, yet they didn¡¯t attack. Solitude was merely chasing Haiden and Mandara¡¯s tail. Observing the obsurd scene, Soo Hyuk felt like he was watching a tap slowly dripping water. ¡°Hey, where did the Demon guild guys go?¡± ¡°Oh? Yeah? They were right there a second ago.¡± ¡°Did they run away?¡± ¡°Well, the Solitude guild¡¯s leader was originally from Desolate after all.¡± When Soo Hyuk heard the conversations of users around him, he hurriedly looked around for the Demon guild members. ¡®Where did they go?¡¯ The eight users from the Demon guild had disappeared without a trace while Solitude and Loken¡¯s group were fighting. Where could they have gone? ¡®At this rate¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk glanced at the two men running away, Haiden and Mandara. ¡®There won¡¯t be a big problem even if I die.¡¯ The situation had changed a lot when Solitude had appeared. Soo Hyuk cast Inferno. The target was the escaping Haiden. It was because Haiden knew what his face looked like. [You have attacked user ¡®Haiden¡¯.] [You have entered an ¡®enemy¡¯ state with user Haiden.] [You have entered an ¡®enemy¡¯ state with user Haiden¡¯s party members.] [User Haiden has a high infamy score.] [Your infamy score will not rise.] The messages appeared as Haiden was hit by Inferno. Then after a few seconds, Haiden¡¯s body was faintly covered in black light. ¡°Soo Hyuk, that fucking bastard!¡± Mandara also stopped escaping when Haiden collapsed. Then he shouted while looking around desperately. ¡°Where is he! Where is he!¡± After receiving no answer, he looked at the Solitude guild members. ¡°¡­¡± He then tilted his head in confusion. ¡®Why are they panicking?¡¯ The Solitude guild was panicking. Mandara should be the one panicking, not Solitude, so he was genuinely confused as to why they were panicking. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ The panicking Solitude members¡­ ¡®Are they actually tormenting me?¡¯ They should be trying to capture him, but looking at them now, weren¡¯t they trying to bully and torment him? ¡°Fuck!¡± Mandara, who couldn¡¯t find Soo Hyuk in the end, started running again while swearing. Then Solitude started chasing after him again. Watching this comical scene, Soo Hyuk wondered, ¡®Perhaps this entire incident was planned by Solitude?¡¯ The Demon guild was full of rotten weirdos, but they didn¡¯t wantonly do random massacres. This incident was definitely planned by someone else. Although he wasn¡¯t certain, the Solitude guild was a likely candidate. ¡®Why though?¡¯ If Soo Hyuk was correct and Solitude was the culprit behind the massacres, then what? What was their aim? Why go about this kind of method? ¡®To gain popularity?¡¯ Cause a massacre and stop the said massacre? They popularity would certainly rise. What it so simple? ¡®No, they¡¯re fairly famous, so they don¡¯t need to do this.¡¯ The Solitude guild was founded by a former Desolate member. All the users already knew about Desolate. They¡¯re popularity was enough. It was too the point where their popularity would fall if people discovered that they failed to stop it straight away. ¡°I swear there¡¯s something off about this¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, there is something odd.¡± ¡°Hey, is that important? What¡¯s important is that they¡¯re beating the Demon guild scum! I wish Solitude would chase the Demon guild forever.¡± ¡°That¡¯s also correct. I also don¡¯t to see the Demon bastards ever again.¡± ¡°But at this rate, won¡¯t they get the representative spot for Hedlin? There¡¯s recently a rumour about that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine as long as they chase out the Demon guild!¡± ¡°Do they get the position just because you¡¯re fine with it? The mayor is the one that decides.¡± ¡®¡­Representative guild?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought when he heard the conversation again. ¡®Maybe they¡¯re actually aiming for the representative spot?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t be sure yet. Someone other than the Demon guild could be the true culprit and there was a high probability as well. Soo Hyuk decided to investigate further. ¡®If they really did hire the Demon guild¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk stared at the small silhouette of Mandara and Solitude with cold eyes. After staring at them, he then logged out. * * * ¡®It¡¯s been a while.¡¯ After looking at the magnificent sight of the Tower of Poison, Rhino walked through the entrance of the grand tower. Then he climbed the stairs to the 3rd floor and stopped at the stairs leading to the fourth. ¡®Hmm, do I have to?¡¯ The fourth floor had the lord and the vice lord¡¯s rooms. [TL: NOT Spire Lords.] ¡®No, I didn¡¯t go for official business.¡¯ Rhino considered greeting the head, but soon shook his head. He hadn¡¯t left for pleasant business. It was best to keep it in the dark. After all, the Spire Lord could nag him for more details. Rhino turned his head and started climbing again. Then he stopped at a door. He stared at the doorplate hanging on the door. -Rupert ¡®To think he¡¯s still using this room.¡¯ 5 years. He had thought that Rupert would change rooms but after 5 years, he was still living in the same room. Tap. Tap. Before the person inside could answer, Rhino barged into the room. ¡°Who is¡­ah!¡± The number 1 magician of the Tower of Poison and the owner of this room, Rupert, saw Rhino and made a surprised expression. ¡°Look who it is! It¡¯s Rhino!¡± The surprised Rupert came up to Rhino with a hand outstretched for a handshake. Rhino shook his hand with a smile and stared the Rank 1 Poison Magician of Hadrac. ¡°What¡¯s going on? You hadn¡¯t returned once since going to the country.¡± Rupert was the one who spoke first. Rhino hadn¡¯t returned since going to the countryside of Hadrac as a branch head. What made him return so suddenly? ¡°I¡¯m also curious of one thing as well after seeing your face.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not overjoyed at seeing my face?¡± [TL: A korean pun where the ¡®as well¡¯ part is spelt the same as overjoyed.] ¡°Haha.¡± Rhino started talking about his stories with Rupert. ¡°But what made you so curious that you travelled all the way over here?¡± Rupert asked suddenly. Rhino hadn¡¯t returned even once after leaving for the country. What had made him so curious that he suddenly returned here just to satisfy his curiosity? ¡°Mmm, well the thing is¡­¡± Rhino trailed off as he tried to answer Rupert¡¯s question. ¡®I can tell him the truth, right? He¡¯ll find out anyway.¡¯ Rupert would find out even if he didn¡¯t tell him. Managing information about their magicians was one of his jobs after all. ¡°I want to have information on a magician that belongs to the Tower of Poison.¡± Rhino told the truth in the end. ¡°Eh?¡± Rupert couldn¡¯t help but cock his head at the unexpected answer. ¡°You returned here just to find out about one magician?¡± Rupert hadn¡¯t even considered the possibility of Rhino coming back just to find out about one magician. He had expected a completely different answer. ¡°Yes, a person I know was attacked by a magician belonging to the Tower of Poison.¡± Rhino continued while smiling at Rupert¡¯s reaction. ¡°¡­What?¡± Rupert exclaimed while frowning at Rhino¡¯s words. ¡°Is it true?¡± Rupert asked Rhino while maintaining his frown. ¡°I didn¡¯t see it myself. I just heard from a friend. But that person was wearing our tower¡¯s robes. It could be someone else, but if it was then I wanted to know what exactly happened.¡± Of course, his aim wasn¡¯t to find out what had happened. It was to pass the information on the magician to someone else. But he couldn¡¯t tell Rupert this. If Rupert found out his true aim, then this trip was as good as failed. He didn¡¯t want to disappoint his old friend. ¡°Who was it? Why did he do that? I don¡¯t know either. Tell the name. I¡¯ll find him immediately.¡± Was it because Rhino had returned after a long time? Rupert decided to wholeheartedly help Rhino. In response to Rupert¡¯s words, Rhino replied while grinning. ¡°His name was Soo Hyuk.¡± Rupert was full of excitement as he asked, but the moment Rhino replied, his excitement completed vanished from him. ¡°W-who did you say?¡± He asked again while stuttering. ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± Meanwhile, Rhino couldn¡¯t understand Rupert¡¯s reaction. Why did his expression change so quickly? Rhino answered once more as his suspicion started to rise. ¡°Soo Hyuk.¡± Chapter 63 ¡°Did you say Soo Hyuk? Are you sure?¡± Rupert asked again hastily. ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong?¡± From Rupert¡¯s reaction, it was obvious that he knew this Soo Hyuk. There seemed to be more to the story than Rhino had known, but Rupert¡¯s reaction made it seem like they weren¡¯t too friendly or close. And so, Rhino replied, ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± After receiving Rhino¡¯s answer, Rupert nodded absentmindedly and closed his mouth. ¡®Soo Hyuk-nim attacked someone?¡¯ Soo Hyuk attacked someone? Rupert couldn¡¯t believe it. Rhino¡¯s words had been shocking in itself. ¡°Is he someone you know?¡± Rhino asked. ¡°I know him.¡± Rupert answered as he snapped out of his thoughts. ¡°How could I not know him¡­¡± Magicians below the Rank 2 didn¡¯t know Soo Hyuk that well. But most of the Rank 1 magicians knew very well about him. Wasn¡¯t he the immeasurable talent? ¡®Although I don¡¯t know the circumstances behind this¡­¡¯ Rupert stared at Rhino with a regretful look. ¡®And even if he was the one in the wrong.¡¯ He didn¡¯t what happened, or who¡¯s fault it was, but even it turned out to be Soo Hyuk¡¯s fault, ¡®I can¡¯t do anything about it.¡¯ That¡¯s right. Rupert couldn¡¯t do anything. Even if they were far away from each other, wasn¡¯t he the peak existence that lead the Tower of Poison? ¡°Is he someone close to you? Then can you introduce him to me?¡± Rhino was continuing while Rupert was feeling conflicted. ¡®I have to tell him.¡¯ Rupert thought as he stared pitifully at Rhino. Although he couldn¡¯t help him get revenge, he could help him avoid a potential mishap. If he didn¡¯t, this matter could blow out of hand. ¡°First, I have to tell you exactly who Soo Hyuk-nim is.¡± ¡°Nim? Why are you attaching honorifics to him?¡± Rhino asked in response to Rupert¡¯s words. Rupert was a Rank 1 magician. Who was Soo Hyuk, that a Rank 1 magician had to use honourifics? ¡®Just who is he?¡¯ ¡°Soo Hyuk-nim is¡­¡± Rupert paused briefly, then continued after letting out a small sigh. ¡°The next Spire Lord.¡± There was a brief silence, then when Rhino finally processed Rupert¡¯s words, his pupils enlarged to twice their size. He was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t let out a single sound from his mouth. ¡°W-what did you say?¡± Rhino finally asked. He was still stuttering from the impact of those words. ¡°I said he¡¯s the next Spire Lord.¡± Rupert answered again. Rhino¡¯s expression twisted at his answer. What kind of¡­ The situation had gotten out of control. ¡®The next Spire Lord?¡¯ ¡°Isn¡¯t he just someone with the same name? Aren¡¯t there other Soo Hyuks?¡¯ Rhino asked fearfully. ¡°No.¡± Rupert immediately rejected Rhino¡¯s assumption with a shake of his head. ¡°In the Tower of Poison, there¡¯s only one magician with the name ¡®Soo Hyuk.''¡± Rhino couldn¡¯t say anything to that. ¡°¡­Hoo.¡± Rhino, who had returned to Hadrac¡¯s outskirts, sighed deeply. ¡®What do I do now?¡¯ He was troubled greatly. ¡®The next Spire Lord¡­¡¯ Rhino wasn¡¯t a low rank magician of course, but the existence of a Spire Lord was much higher than the likes of him. ¡®I can¡¯t just ask more about him.¡¯ How could information about the next Spire Lord be easily revealed? ¡®Do I have to tell them?¡¯ Today, he was planning to visit the Demon guild¡¯s vice master, Haggis. Should he tell Haggis about what he had found out? ¡®No matter how greedy I am¡­¡¯ Greed. Rhino knew full well how greedy he was. But he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to pass on confidential information about the next Spire Lord. ¡®I don¡¯t want to die.¡¯ He could die as a consequence. No, he would die. ¡®But then there¡¯s the Demon guild¡­¡¯ Rhino also knew the nature of the Demon guild. They wouldn¡¯t stop even if they got an apology from Soo Hyuk himself. ¡®Then wouldn¡¯t it be better to tell them?¡¯ Rhino pondered. If he didn¡¯t tell them what they were dealing with, then it could become a bigger problem. Then wouldn¡¯t it be better to tell them in this situation? ¡®They wouldn¡¯t be able to touch him anyway.¡¯ The next head of the Tower of Poison. A mere Demon guild wouldn¡¯t be able to touch them. ¡®No, it could be possible.¡¯ Rhino changed his thought soon after. Looking at their past actions, they would still attack someone even if that someone was the next Spire Lord. ¡®Should I just pretend not to know?¡¯ If he played dumb? ¡®They won¡¯t find out anyway.¡¯ All Demon guild knew about Soo Hyuk was his name and that he belonged to the Tower of Poison. They wouldn¡¯t be able to find and kill the next Spire Lord with just that amount of information. ¡®Okay.¡¯ Rhino decided to play dumb and stopped brooding over this issue. Tap. Tap. At that moment. ¡°Vice lord, the vice master of the Demon guild has come.¡± Haggis had arrived. * * * ¡°Is a guild mark the thing on top their heads?¡± ¡°And they look the same as the bastards that killed us?¡± Soo Hyuk was thinking while listening to his parent¡¯s conversations. ¡®Why has the Demon guild bastards increased so suddenly?¡± Just before they logged out, the Demon guild members had appeared again. And there were more than ever. ¡®I thought they wouldn¡¯t appear today.¡¯ Soo Hyuk had thought that he wouldn¡¯t see the Demon guild again for a while after the Solitude incident. But contrary from his expectations, the Demon guild members were running around everywhere. ¡®Thankfully, they don¡¯t what my face looks like.¡¯ There were only two people in the Demon guild that knew his face. Loken and Haiden. However, Loken had died to the Solitude guild and Haiden had died to him. As an added measure, he had stopped wearing his poison tower robe. As a result, the Demon guild members couldn¡¯t recognise Soo Hyuk¡¯s identity. At that moment. ¡°Ah! What was that!¡± An unknown charged into a Demon guild member running past him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It was an accident¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t an accident. It was clearly a charge. How could he call it an accident? Yet the user insisted it was an accident anyway. Soo Hyuk was speechless as he watched the scene. ¡®Where do you even find these kinds of weirdos?¡¯ The user¡¯s charge would¡¯ve been sensed as an attack and the enemy message would¡¯ve been sent to both. Consequently, they would find out each other¡¯s names. If a stranger suspiciously approached then suddenly charged at you, you would probably remember their names. ¡®This can¡¯t go on.¡¯ He had originally thought that today would be an enjoyable day, but changed his thought. As this rate, there was a likely chance that he would get exposed. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t usually care about this, but he wasn¡¯t alone. If he was exposed, then his parents would be in danger as well. ¡®I have to divert their attention.¡¯ Soo Hyuk opened his mouth and called his parents. ¡°Mum, dad.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Ji Song and Ji Soo looked at Soo Hyuk when he called them. ¡°Please go on first.¡± Soo Hyuk continued. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Is there something urgent?¡± His parents asked in worry. Previously, Hedlin had been once again enveloped in chaos as the Demon guild and Solitude appeared one after another. They had been worried as Soo Hyuk had logged in just before that incident. ¡°I¡¯m just going to buy some food.¡± He couldn¡¯t tell them the truth. But he wasn¡¯t going to lie either. He was really thinking of buying some tasty food on the way back. ¡°Hmm? Food?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go together!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. The shop¡¯s a bit far from here. I¡¯ll come back soon!¡± Soo Hyuk refuted while shaking his head. They couldn¡¯t go with him. ¡°How will you find us?¡± ¡°Dear! You can use the chat function.¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll send you a message later.¡± ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll go ahead first.¡± And so, Ji Song and Ji Soo headed to the beach after Soo Hyuk persuaded them. Soo Hyuk sent them off with a smile then turned around. ¡®I¡¯ll have to buy a mask.¡¯ First, he searched for a clothing shop. He was planning to buy a mask. Although there were already people that knew his face, there was no need for more people to know. Ring ring! Soo Hyuk was able to find a clothing shoop a few minutes after. ¡°Welcome!¡± The shopkeeper welcomed him with an enthusiastic voice as he entered the shop. ¡°Hello.¡± Soo Hyuk greeted the shopkeeper and looked around the shop. There were various types of clothes, and most importantly, masks displayed all around the shop. ¡°What might you be looking for?¡± The shopkeeper approached him and asked. ¡°I want to look at some masks that are popular.¡± Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t like the so called ¡®latest trends¡¯, but in this situation, it was best to buy popular items. This was because people couldn¡¯t easily track him. ¡°Ah! So you¡¯re looking for the trending masks right now! Could you please come this way?¡± At Soo Hyuk¡¯s words, the shopkeeper led him to a stand where masks were displayed, and picked up a mask. ¡°This is the recently popular red fox mask. We currently only have 3 more in stock. You were extremely lucky.¡± ¡°How much is this?¡± Soo Hyuk asked straight away. ¡°5 gold! It¡¯s on the cheap side as well.¡± ¡°Then give me one.¡± Soo Hyuk said as he pulled out 5 gold from his inventory. Then after checking the gold, the shopkeeper handed him the red fox mask. ¡°Have a nice day.¡± ¡°Please come again!¡± Soo Hyuk came out of the shop after buying his mask. Then he started searching for other clothing shops. ¡®Let¡¯s buy a few more.¡¯ He was planning to buy more masks to confuse the Demon guild by switching them frequently. The reason he didn¡¯t all of them from one shop was because of possible unknown trackers. Although unlikely, it never hurt to be safe. And so, after buying different kinds of masks, Soo hyuk headed to the warp gates. After arriving at the warp gates, he got in line while equipping his fox mask. When it was his turn, he warped to Hadrac. ¡°Hey, have you heard? The war between Laind Kingdom and Kesud Kingdom? ¡°Of course. They¡¯re apparently recruiting lots of people for the war.¡± ¡°Did you see the announcement that the guild master put up?¡± ¡°Gilma put up a notice?¡± ¡°Yep, a job apparently came in from the Laind Kingdom. They¡¯re accepting any members that want to participate.¡± Near Hadrac¡¯s warp gates, numerous users were bustling around. He could also see some Demon guild members. ¡®I can¡¯t kill them here.¡¯ He could attract unwanted attention if he killed them in this crowded place. Innocents could also get caught in the crossfire. Soo Hyuk started walking away from the warp gates. His destination was the Demon guild¡¯s headquarters. He had gotten the information from Yeon Jung and he could pinpoint the exact location with the help of the internet. And so, Soo Hyuk was soon able to arrive in front of the Demon guild¡¯s headquarters. ¡®It¡¯s bigger than I thought? And they¡¯re also ranked amongst the top.¡± The Demon guild¡¯s base was massive. The rumour that the Demon guild was capable of competing over the top spot in Hadrac didn¡¯t seem to be false. After taking in the sights, Soo Hyuk stared at the Demon guild members coming and going from their guild house and softly muttered, ¡°Poison Fog.¡± Chapter 64 A green fog suddenly appeared at Demon guild¡¯s entrance, and with it came countless messages. [You have attacked user ¡®Rakol¡¯.] [You have entered an ¡®enemy¡¯ state with user Rakol.] [User Rakol has a high infamy score.] [Your infamy score will not rise.] [You have attacked user ¡®White¡¯.] [You have entered an ¡®enemy¡¯ state with user White.] [User White has a high infamy score.] [Your infamy score will not rise.] [..] Soo Hyuk was staring into the silent fog, preparing for any Demon guild members that might charge out. From their silhouettes, he could tell that some were trying to escape disorderly, while some weren¡¯t moving at all. ¡®Is it paralysis?¡¯ The users that weren¡¯t moving inside the fog must¡¯ve fallen in a paralysis state. ¡°Soo Hyuk? Isn¡¯t this bastard the one we were searching for? The one with a kill order?¡± ¡°This fucker doesn¡¯t know any fear! Where does he think this is!?¡± ¡°What, he¡¯s here?¡± ¡°He¡¯s crazy.¡± ¡°Is he that Soo Hyuk?¡± ¡°I think so? Didn¡¯t they say he wasn¡¯t in a guild? This bastard¡¯s not in one either.¡± Soo Hyuk checked inside the fog just in case, but they were all Demon guild members. The users that could still move were haphazardly trying to escape while cursing loudly. It was a pandemonium in there. Meanwhile, there were a few people that the fog couldn¡¯t cover or those that managed to escape the fog. ¡°Flame Dance.¡± Soo Hyuk first aimed Flame Dance at the Demon guild members that the poison fog couldn¡¯t affect. Shuak! The small wisp of fire flew from his hands and wreaked havoc amongst the Demon guild members. After that, he continuously cast magic after magic at the escaping guild members. ¡°Firebolt, Poison Sphere, Poison Blast, Poison Chains, Firestorm.¡± [You have attacked user ¡®Raiden¡¯.] [You have entered an ¡®enemy¡¯ state with user Raiden.] [User Raiden has a high infamy score.] [Your infamy score will not rise.] [You have attacked user ¡®Kyakya¡¯.] [You have entered an ¡®enemy¡¯ state with user Kyakya.] [User Kyakya has a high infamy score.] [Your infamy score will not rise.] Numerous messages appeared every time he cast a spell. As Soo Hyuk glanced at the messages, he thought, ¡®Fortunately, they¡¯re all criminals.¡¯ All the Demon guild members had a high infamy score without exception, which meant that his own infamy score wouldn¡¯t rise even if he killed them. If some of them had a low infamy score? He himself could be branded as a criminal after this. As he leisurely fired one spell after another, the Demon guild were falling around him like flies. At that moment. ¡°Hey! Look at that fucker!¡± ¡°This crazy bastard! Soo Hyuk heard faint cries from behind his back. The other Demon guild members were returning after getting a message. ¡°Magic Missile, Inferno.¡± He first cast his available magic at the returning Demon guild members. As they collapsed without any resistance, he thought. ¡®I think this is enough for them to divert their attention for a while.¡¯ He had killed Demon guild members right in their turf. If nothing unexpected happened, the members in Hedlin would be called back to investigate around Hadrac. ¡®I¡¯ll see you again after my holiday.¡¯ After swearing in his mind, Soo Hyuk then ran to a corner. Making sure he was out of sight, he then teleported to the Archmage¡¯s Subspace. ¡°Archmage¡¯s Subspace.¡± [Warping to the Archmage¡¯s Subspace.] Soo Hyuk took his mask off when he arrived at the subspace. Then he started walking towards the tunnel to head back to Hedlin. ¡®They were a lot weaker than I expected.¡¯ He had expected that they wouldn¡¯t be very difficult. The three men that he had killed first: Loken, Mandara and Haiden, were treated as being on the strong side of the Demon guild. But it turned to be not ¡®not hard¡¯, but ¡®very easy¡¯. ¡®Maybe I should¡¯ve cleaned them out completely?¡¯ While reflecting, he arrived at Hedlin. ¡°Please wait!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be using it first!¡± Soo Hyuk, who had arrived at Hedlin, saw the Demon guild members rushing to the warp gates. They were trying to cut the line so that they could use the warp gates faster. It was likely because of the turmoil in Hadrac. ¡®It worked out as I expected.¡¯ Soo Hyuk sighed in relief while looking around. He would¡¯ve been in a tough spot if they hadn¡¯t reacted to his actions, but it had turned out well. ¡®I can finally relax with my parents in peace.¡¯ He had successfully diverted their attention from Hedlin, so his plan was a resounding success. After glancing at the panicking Demon guild, he headed for a bakery. He had promised his parents after all. ¡°Welcome!¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Soo Hyuk looked around the bakery after receiving the baker¡¯s greeting. The stock ranged from the basic hard bread to the crazy high-end bread that cost over 30 gold. ¡®Should I buy some of everything?¡¯ His situation was different from when he first started Pangea. Bread costing 30 gold were in his range of ¡®acceptable¡¯. So, he bought 3 of each kind except the hard bread. Walking out of the bakery, he sent a message to his dad, Ji Song. -Soo Hyuk: Dad, where are you? -Ji Song: Oh, is this how you do it? -Ji Song: Ah, I did it! -Ji Song: Come to the third gate! I¡¯ll be waiting there! -Soo Hyuk: I¡¯ll be right there. Soo Hyuk smiled after sending the message. He could enjoy his holiday now. * * * Baal asked disbelievingly. ¡°Rhino said he didn¡¯t know?¡± He was suspicious. Rhino should¡¯ve been able to dig up information about some poison magician, but he suddenly couldn¡¯t? Haggis replied to Baal¡¯s question. ¡°Yes, he doesn¡¯t know. He said there a poison magician like that.¡± Rhino definitely said that he didn¡¯t know. That there was no such poison magician. Then, Baal remarked at Haggis¡¯ answer. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s weird. They clearly said that it was a poison tower robe. He was also a user, not an NPC. And for users to be able to wear the Tower of Poison¡¯s robe, they had to pass their test first. There no other way to get a poison tower robe. One couldn¡¯t exchange, drop or buy it as well. ¡°Did Loken make a mistake somehow?¡± There was a possibility that this Soo Hyuk was wearing something similar to the poison tower¡¯s robe. ¡°But Haiden couldn¡¯t have mistaken it as well¡­¡± Baal considered the possibility that Loken could¡¯ve mistaken it, but immediately rejected the thought. Two people couldn¡¯t make the same mistake. There was a possibility, but it would be pitifully low. ¡°But the thing is¡­¡± Haggis opened his mouth while Baal was muttering to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t think Rhino¡¯s telling the truth.¡± ¡°¡­Hmm¡± Baal cocked his head at Haggis¡¯ words. ¡°What do mean, he¡¯s not telling the truth? How could you tell?¡± ¡°His eyes.¡± During the conversation, Haggis had always had an uncomfortable feeling. ¡°How should I put it, it was like he was pretending not to know.¡± ¡°What?¡± Baal exclaimed in surprise. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not 100% sure.¡± Haggis quickly continused at Baal¡¯s reaction. He wasn¡¯t certain, it was merely a gut feeling. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Baal murmured. ¡°If it¡¯s as you said¡­¡± Baal trailed off but then quickly continued. ¡°Then he must be at a tricky location, or he¡¯s someone out of our leag¡­¡± At that moment, Baal suddenly froze with a confused frown. ¡°¡­?¡± Haggis made a suspicious expression at Baal¡¯s sudden change. Why had he stopped talking? Did something big happen? ¡°Haa¡­ Unbelievable.¡± Baal muttered quietly. ¡°What happened?¡± Asked Haggis. ¡°Well¡­¡± Baal then trailed off again. Then he looked at the message again. -Rako: Soo Hyuk suddenly appeared at the guild house! He¡¯s attacking the guild members. ¡®This crazy bastard.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t put it any other way. Baal turned his eyes away from the message to Haggis, who was waiting for his answer. ¡°This Soo Hyuk apparently just outside the door?¡± ¡°What?¡± Haggis frowned at the unexpected answer. ¡°Is he insane?¡± Did he even know where this was? ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Haggis sighed as he stood up from his seat. He hadn¡¯t planned to be actively involved with the hunt, but it couldn¡¯t be helped now since Soo Hyuk was at the front door. After exiting the room, he kept walking to the gates of the guild house. When he came out of the building, Haggis could see a thick green gas covering the gates. ¡®¡­Poison fog?¡¯ Haggis thought as he stared at the green gas. The reason other members couldn¡¯t get in was likely because of the poison fog. ¡°Is that a poison fog?¡± He asked a nearby guild member. ¡°It is.¡± The guild member replied while nodding. ¡°Isn¡¯t there anyone who can use wind or fire magic?¡± Haggis then asked the guild members in his surroundings. They could blow away the poison gas with wind or fire magic, but no one answered his call. Haggis stared at the silent guild members gripping various weapons like swords and spears and sighed deeply. ¡®Do I have to break through with force?¡¯ It seemed like the only way they could get past the poison fog was to break through forcibly. After steeling himself, Haggis plunged himself into the thick green fog. [You have been poison by the Blood Troll¡¯s Poison.] [You will bleed for 1 minute.] [You have been poisoned by Snake Venom.] [You will be frozen for 1 minute.] [All movement speed will be reduced by 10%] [You have entered an ¡®enemy¡¯ state with user ¡®Soo Hyuk¡¯.] Numerous messages appeared when he entered the poison fog. Then when he looked at the status ailments, Haggis quickly checked his health while running. ¡°This fucking scam.¡± Haggis hurriedly opened his inventory and took out a health potion after he looked at his current health. His health was depleting at an outrageous rate. Then after taking the potion and successfully breaking through the fog, Haggis couldn¡¯t help but curse again. ¡°Fuck! What the heck is this!¡± A massive fire tornado was coming towards him. Haggis hesitated for a moment, then jumped into the green gas again. Then while taking a health potion again, he ran towards the guild house. ¡°Eh, vice guild master?¡± The guild members who were waiting outside the fog made a surprised expression when Haggis appeared again in a ragged state. They were confused about why Haggis had come back so quickly, but Haggis wasn¡¯t in a situation to explain. Haggis quickly took a purifying potion to get rid of his bleeding and frozen state, then sent Baal, who was still in the room, a message. -Haggis: Outside¡¯s a complete mess. -Baal: What do you mean? -Haggis: There¡¯s poison fog, fire tornados and shit at the gates! -Baal: What? Firestorm? -Haggis: Yes! First call back the guys in Hedlin. No one here can resolve the situation! -Baal: Alright. Shuaak! The poison fog disappeared when he ended his talk with Baal. It looked like the effect duration had run out. When Haggis looked outside, he couldn¡¯t seethe Firestorm either, but he frowned when he looked at what was there. ¡®Shit.¡¯ There were numerous corpses everywhere. And the mark of the Demon guild was still glowing faintly on the corpses. Chapter 65 - Crazy Bastard!!!" Translator: MagicFishCat Proof-reader: TheMonitor ¡°Did you like our holiday?¡± Ji Soo smiled at Ji Song¡¯s question. ¡°Of course I did! We didn¡¯t have to prepare anything, so we could just enjoy the holiday!¡± ¡°Same! I also liked that we didn¡¯t have to book anything.¡± Soo Hyuk thought as he looked at his excitable parents. ¡®It was considerably more comfortable than the previous holidays.¡¯ Pangea was convenient as you didn¡¯t have to prepare for a trip or book a hotel. One of the reasons Pangea was becoming so popular was because of this. ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for those Demon guild bastards.¡¯ Of course, it wasn¡¯t all fun and games. His parents had been killed once by the Demon guild. If it weren¡¯t for them, this holiday would¡¯ve been perfect. ¡®What kind of people would chase people down instead of apologising after that?¡¯ His anger grew every time he thought of them. Suppressing his anger in front of his parents, Soo Hyuk concentrated on eating his apple. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go first.¡± Soo Hyuk finished his apple a few minutes later and stood up after speaking to his parents. He then went to his room and checked the time. ¡®3 hours. Hmm, what should I do?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he stared at his capsule. He still had 3 hours left until his normal log out time, so he was contemplating whether he should connect to Pangea now. ¡®Mmm¡­okay.¡¯ He came to a decision after a few seconds. He reached out to his capsule. Shuaak! When Soo Hyuk connected to Pangea, he could see the sea with the brilliant night sky hanging over the waves. ¡°Wow, to think I would be able to see a sight like this¡­¡± ¡°I know right?¡± There were still a lot of people left on the beach. They were all sitting or lying on the sand with their partners and their families, looking at the stars. Of course, his aim today wasn¡¯t to see the ocean at night. Glancing at the calm waves one last time, Soo Hyuk then turned around and started trudging towards the warp gates. As he was heading towards the warp gates, he opened his inventory and took out a mask. ¡®I¡¯ll use this mask this time.¡¯ The mask depicted a fierce bear, with glaring eyes and sword-like fangs. He had previously bought different kind of masks to keep the Demon guild from recognising him. He was going to use a bear mask instead of a fox mask, as the Demon guild was going to be vigilant against a fox mask. Soo Hyuk smoothly donned the bear mask and soon arrived at the warp gates. Was it to look at the famous night sky of Hedlin? Whatever the reason, there were lots ofusers arriving from other places and less people using the warp gates to travel to other places. ¡°Hey, have you heard?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The Solitude guild!¡± The conversations of other users made its way to Soo Hyuk, who was lining up to use the warp gates. ¡°Ah! Weren¡¯t they appointed as the representative guild?¡± ¡°It¡¯s got to be because they stopped the Demon guild¡¯s massacre last time.¡± ¡°Apart from that, they apparently threw around a lot of gold as well.¡± As he listened to the conversations of users around him, he thought, ¡®So, they became the representative guild of Hedlin.¡¯ It was an interesting piece of news, but it had no relation to Soo Hyuk as of now. Then, he heard another interesting piece of news straight after. ¡°Then have you heard of the other rumour?¡± ¡°What rumour?¡± ¡°That the Solitude guild was the one who hired the Demon guild in the first place!¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s going to far. Do you actually think that the Solitude guild is that crazy?¡± ¡°Well, your word also make sense¡­¡± ¡®If Solitude was the one that hired the Demon guild¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk was troubled by the possibility. He wasn¡¯t feeling guilty about his revenge on the Demon guild, as they still were the ones that carried out the deed, but because of the Solitude guild¡¯s strength. That strength would get in his way of revenge. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ It went without saying that he would also get revenge on the true conspirers however, harassing the Solitude guild was on a different dimension than harassing the Demon guild. The Solitude guild was founded by a former member of the number 1 guild, Desolate. This kind of background made it so that all sorts of users were attracted by Solitude. As a result, the size of Solitude outgrew the Demon guild until it was incomparable to the Demon guild. ¡®My infamy score will rise like a rocket.¡¯ Another problem was that members of Solitude didn¡¯t have a high infamy score. In the situation where he killed them, his infamy would rise without end. ¡®But the worst problem is that Solitude was appointed as the representative guild of Hedlin.¡¯ This meant that Hedlin would be supporting the Solitude guild as Solitude was now the face of Hedlin, at least in terms of guilds. Consequently, him going against Solitude was equivalent to going against Hedlin itself. ¡®But it¡¯s not confirmed yet.¡¯ These were all mere possibilities currently. This rumour could always turn out to be false, and Soo Hyuk wasn¡¯t a person that would act recklessly without evidence. ¡°Where are you heading to?¡± Soon, it was Soo Hyuk¡¯s turn. After replying, he stood on the magic circle and was teleported to Hadrac. ¡°Did you hear about the Demon guild?¡± ¡°The thing that happened yesterday?¡± ¡°Yeah, that.¡± ¡°Apparently ¡®all hell broke loose¡¯ at their front gates, at least according to my friend. Keke, those dogs. Didn¡¯t I say that something would happen to them eventually?¡± The conversations of users around him reached his ears as he made his way to the Demon guild¡¯s guild house. Unlike Hedlin, the users here were all talking about the Demon guild and the incident yesterday. It seemed he attracted the attention of other users as well as the Demon guild. ¡®Well, I expected it.¡¯ The Demon guild was one of the top guilds in Hadrac, and that meant anything that happened in the open would be instantly known to users who stayed in Hadrac. ¡°This bastard! Don¡¯t wear the fox mask!¡± ¡°This crazy person! Why do you care!¡± While heading to the Demon guild¡¯s base, Soo Hyuk found two users fighting over a mask. The users around him had already noticed the commotion and they were surrounding the scene. ¡®Demon guild?¡¯ One of the users fighting belonged to the Demon guild, while the other was trying to wear the fox mask that he wore yesterday. Normally, he wouldn¡¯t care about this sort of brawl, but the Demon guild¡¯s reaction to the mask made him halt his steps. ¡°What? Don¡¯t you know we announced not to wear this mask?¡± ¡°And why should I listen your guild¡¯s ramblings?¡± ¡°This bastard can¡¯t listen to reason.¡± ¡°Eihh? Since when was your guild reasonable?!¡± After a fierce argument, the Demon guild member and the unknown started fighting each other with the intent to kill. The fight didn¡¯t last long however, as one collapsed under the other¡¯s wild flurry of strikes. ¡°This son of a bitch dared to yell at me while being all bark no bite?¡± The Demon guild member spat at the corpse of the unknown user and looked around at the whispering users. At his murderous glare, the rabble of users quieten down and slowly retreat. Meanwhile, Soo Hyuk gave him an indifference glance and went on his way. Of course, he wasn¡¯t just walking away. ¡°Inferno.¡± [You have attacked user ¡®Daredevil¡¯.] [You have entered an ¡®enemy¡¯ state with user ¡®Daredevil¡¯.] [User ¡®Daredevil¡¯ has a high infamy score.] [Your infamy score will not rise.] He had stealthily cast Inferno at Daredevil before walking away. ¡°Ah?¡± Daredevil exclaimed with surprise. Soo Hyuk wasn¡¯t the only one the messages appeared for, as Daredevil had also seen the messages. Daredevil¡¯s health was low from his previous fight so as a result, he had fallen with black light shining around in under 3 seconds. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°What? Black light?¡± ¡°How did he die?¡± The retreating users murmured with surprise when they noticed the state of Daredevil. As for Soo Hyuk, he was pushing past the gathering users as he quickened his pace towards the Demon guild¡¯s base. ¡®I can¡¯t let him tell the Demon guild first¡­¡¯ He thought as he quickened his pace. Daredevil had been logged out of Pangea however, contacting the Demon guild was still possible even when he was offline. That meant that Daredevil could notify the Demon guild before Soo Hyuk could arrive first, and that was precisely what Soo Hyuk was also trying to prevent. ¡°Poison fog.¡± Soo Hyuk soon reached the Demon guild¡¯s guild house and cast poison fog immediately. And the result¡­ [You have attacked user¡­] [You have attacked¡­] [You have entered an ¡®enemy¡¯¡­] [You have¡­] [User ¡®Kaz¡¯ has a high¡­] [User¡­] [Your infamy will¡­] [¡­] Soo Hyuk briefly glanced at the message out of the corner of his eye, then payed them no more attention. ¡°Poison Sphere, Poison Chain, Firebolt.¡± The densely clustered spells flew out of the poison fog and assaulted the guild house, killing multiple users in the process. ¡®Let¡¯s keep going for 1 month.¡¯ He thought as Demon guild members collapsed again and again inside the dense green fog. ¡®Yeah, I¡¯m just messing around for around 10 minutes at most. I can¡¯t be lenient with these kinds of bastards.¡¯ He had considered forgive and forgetting, but every time he saw or even heard the words ¡®Demon guild¡¯ it was as though his parents¡¯ dead bodies were right in front of him again. And every time that happened, anger like nothing he had felt before would rise from inside him. So just by investing 10 minutes of his time, he believed that he was helping other people avoid what he had gone through. ¡®That much should keep them in control.¡¯ The Demon guild¡¯s hirer. Soo Hyuk often wondered who was behind the massacre that day, but it was just easier to point his anger and pain at a tangible enemy, unlike a mystery enemy that he didn¡¯t know the identity of. He had interrogated Demon guild members in the past, but all he got out of them was the fact that their mouth was tight. ¡®This much should do it¡­¡¯ After killing a few more users, Soo Hyuk ran around a corner again and teleported to his subspace again. ¡°Archmage¡¯s Subspace.¡± [Warping to Archmage¡¯s Subspace.] The distorted space was repaired, and the familiar sight of the chamber filled his eyes again. Ignoring the doors to his front, he instead turned to his right and walked through the tunnel. The reason Soo Hyuk logged in wasn¡¯t to just get revenge. Soo Hyuk stood on the warp circle as it lit up, and soon he was at the Matab Library again. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Oh! It¡¯s been a while.¡± After exchanging greeting with the librarian NPC, he handed in his token and headed to the bookshelves. * * * Bang! ¡°This crazy f*cker! Dog bastard! Motherf*cker!¡± Haggis cursed crazily as he threw his desk around the room. Baal, who was sitting opposite of him, was wearing a heavy expression. It wasn¡¯t because of Haggis¡¯ harsh swear words. ¡®XXX.¡¯ It was because he was also swearing under his breath. ¡°Soo Hyuk that bastard! F*ck! AAAAHH!¡± Meanwhile, Haggis was expressing his emotions through his entire body. He stomped around the room, smashing vase and throwing chairs. Obviously avoiding Baal. ¡°It¡¯s the tenth day already!¡± Haggis shouted with frustration. The entire guild thought that he was insane after he had come to attack the first time. But after the tenth attack, they were genuinely convinced that¡­ ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with his head! He¡¯s crazy, I tell you! CRAZY!¡± And he wasn¡¯t a normal crazy person. He was like the culmination of crazy. The apex. Wait, no. Crazy wasn¡¯t enough to describe him, not by a mile. The current Soo Hyuk was so crazy that they couldn¡¯t accurately describe him with the language known to man. Soo Hyuk was using hit and run against them every day, but the problem was that they couldn¡¯t do anything about it. He always came at a random time, so they were always caught unaware, and he was also strong enough to get away without a scratch. ¡°Are we just going to let him do as he likes?¡± Haggis asked Baal. ¡°And because of that crazy bastards, users are wearing more masks now! They¡¯re f*cking ignoring us!¡± Fox mask, then a bear mask, then a sheep mask, and so on. Soo Hyuk was switching masks every time he appeared. And as a result, the guilds with grudges against the Demon guild had started to wear masks as well. But as if that wasn¡¯t enough, because of the continuous surprise attacks, members were starting to leave, and the guild¡¯s jobs were also decreasing. ¡°I want to catch him as well.¡± Baal opened his mouth. Of course Baal wanted to catch him. From his position as the guild master, Soo Hyuk was akin to his worst enemy. ¡°But how?¡± How could they stop him? Haggis fell silent at Baal¡¯s question. ¡°We don¡¯t have any information on that XXX.¡± Baal raised his voice, which was filled with frustration. They didn¡¯t have any plausible information on him; he had no guild, no fame, no known connections etc. All knew were his name and finding someone in Pangea just through just their name was almost impossible. However, there were still two people who knew his appearance: Loken and Haiden. The problem was their memory. The two of them remembered Soo Hyuk¡¯s face incorrectly, and as a result, they were almost driven mad trying to draw a montage while listening to their arguments. ¡°I want to hire top rankers, but we have no information on him! We¡¯re going to have to give them something to work towards!¡± Baal had reluctantly come to the conclusion that the Demon guild couldn¡¯t stop Soo Hyuk on their own. His solution: hire top rankers to hunt Soo Hyuk in this his place. However, because they had no leads on him, even the top rankers wouldn¡¯t be able to hunt him. At that moment. ¡°¡­This f*cking XXX! RAARGH!¡± Baal screamed as he jumped up from his seat and bolted out of the room. Haggis, who was left alone, stared dumbfoundedly at Baal¡¯s sudden outburst, then hurriedly chased after him. When Haggis finally caught up to Baal outside the guild house and followed Baal¡¯s gaze, he could see a mass of green rising up from the front gates. Chapter 66 - His Plans Translator: MagicFishCat Proof-reader: TheMonitor ¡®This bastard is here again¡­!¡¯ Haggis had faintly suspected when Baal suddenly screamed and ran out, but his suspicions turned out to be true. ¡°What are you sh*ts doing! Hurry up and move!¡± Baal shouted at the guild members around him. At his shout, the uneasy guild members entered the guild house one by one and waited for the poison fog to wear out. ¡®Sigh, this is all we can do¡­¡¯ Haggis lamented as he waited inside the building, watching the magic circle slowly trying to counteract the poison. When the magic circle had finally gotten rid of the poison fog, the sullen guild members came out one by one. Was it because Haggis and Baal were with them? When the Demon guild members caught sight of Soo Hyuk¡¯s back running away, they yelled with bloodshot eyes and started chasing after him. ¡°This bastard? Where do you think you¡¯re going!!!¡± Haggis shouted the loudest as they chased Soo Hyuk down the street. But Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t respond to their provocations and disappeared behind a corner. When Soo Hyuk disappeared from their eyes, Baal and the Demon guild increased their speed even more until they also arrived at the corner. And when they did¡­ ¡°RAAARGH!¡± ¡°This XXX!!!¡± ¡°Again, and again!¡± ¡°Heuk¡­heuk¡­this is bullying¡­¡± Baal¡¯s entire group broke down cursing and screaming with agony as they glared at a desolate spot on the road. * * * [Warping to the Archmage¡¯s Subspace.] Soo Hyuk had just teleported to his subspace and was walking to the warp circle. ¡®They¡¯re adapting quickly.¡¯ It was 8 days since he started attacking the Demon guild¡¯s guild house, and 10 days since he had first encountered them. ¡®They¡¯ve even installed a magic circle.¡¯ His poison fog had disappeared much quicker than last time, can the cause was the newly installed magic circle. ¡®Hmm, I¡¯ll have to change it up a bit. First, the magic circle¡¯s diameter isn¡¯t that big¡­¡¯ The magic circle that had appeared today didn¡¯t have a large diameter, so he could work around that. And so, when Soo Hyuk was planning his next attack¡­ -Yeon Jung: Soo Hyuk-ah. A message came from Yeon Jung. At his sudden message, Soo Hyuk stopped what he was doing and replied to his message. -Soo Hyuk: Mmm. Soo Hyuk stepped on the warp circle and warped to Matab as he sent the message. -Yeon Jung: Oh? You replied immediately? Where are you right now? -Soo Hyuk: I¡¯m heading to the library. Why? -Yeon Jung: Yes, I thought so. -Yeon Jung: So, when are you going to join our guild? Soo Hyuk figured out the reason for Yeon Jung¡¯s message as he read Yeon Jung¡¯s message. -Soo Hyuk: Please wait a bit more. He replied. Soo Hyuk still had business with the Demon guild. He couldn¡¯t expose Yeon Jung¡¯s guild right now. -Yeon Jung: Is it because of the Demon guild? Yeon Jung obviously knew about what he had been doing over the past couple of days. It was one of the hot issues on the Pangea forums, so there was no way the well-informed Yeon Jung wouldn¡¯t know. -Soo Hyuk: Yes. -Yeon Jung: How much longer are you going to keep this up? Yeon Jung asked at Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer. He was curious. The Demon guild was being beaten, no, punished by Soo Hyuk. So much so, that Yeon Jung couldn¡¯t overcome his curiosity and ended up asking Soo Hyuk. -Soo Hyuk: Well, I originally wanted to go for a month¡­ -Yeon Jung: A month? -Soo Hyuk: Yeah, but I¡¯m considering changing it. -Soo Hyuk: I think it¡¯s going to end in under a month. His pain was slowly disappearing every time he woke up. -Yeon Jung: Then tell me when it ends. -Soo Hyuk: Alright. -Yeon Jung: Oh, how much more books do you have to go through? He was talking about the books in Matab Library. -Soo Hyuk: I think I¡¯m going to be done in a week. -Yeon Jung: You really are crazy. Crazy fast. How did you even¡­ -Yeon Jung: Anyway, what are you going to do after that? Will you go to another library? -Soo Hyuk: I probably will. -Yeon Jung: Do you have any idea where you¡¯ll go? Soo Hyuk fell into thought at Yeon Jung¡¯s question. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Where should he go? ¡®Hadrac looked okay when I checked it out¡­¡¯ Was it because he had visited Hadrac frequently over the last few days? Whatever the reason, Soo Hyuk had gotten curious about the library at Hadrac. Hadrac¡¯s library wasn¡¯t as big as the Matab Library, but it wasn¡¯t small either. ¡®The entry conditions seem okay as well.¡¯ The size of the library was important, to Soo Hyuk, the entry conditions for libraries were more important. After all, what use was the libraries use, if he could only admire the architecture and not the books? The conditions for Hadrac¡¯s library was a little more difficult than Matab¡¯s library. No, to be more precise, rather than more difficult, it required him to put more effort than the Matab Library. Hadrac was a city-state and a mercenary state at the same time. To access Hadrac¡¯s library, he only needed to fulfil either one of two conditions. ¡®To be an A-rank mercenary.¡¯ The first condition was to be an A-rank mercenary. Like Matab¡¯s Central Spire, Hadrac also had its Mercenary¡¯s Agency. In the Mercenary¡¯s Agency, you could rise up the ranks through completing the quests commissioned there. In other words, if he completed quests fast enough, then he would be able to enter the Hadrac Library. ¡®It would¡¯ve been perfect if Yeon Jung¡¯s guild was based in Hadrac.¡¯ The second condition was to be in a S-rank guild. In that situation, one could freely use the library without being an A-rank mercenary. But the second condition had a catch. Soo Hyuk had already planned to join ¡®Reader¡¯, but the second condition only applied to guilds based in Hadrac. This meant that the second condition was as good as non-existent for Soo Hyuk. -Soo Hyuk: I¡¯m considering Hadrac. -Yeon Jung: What? Hadrac? -Yeon Jung: What about the Demon guild? Won¡¯t they bother you? The current atmosphere in Hadrac was akin to a war zone. It was because of Soo Hyuk and the Demon guild. Although not big in terms of the entire continent, the Demon guild was a colossal giant in Hadrac, and from the Demon guild¡¯s perspective, they couldn¡¯t let Soo Hyuk go peacefully. -Soo Hyuk: I¡¯m not going to move there right now. He hadn¡¯t yet conquered the Matab Library plus, Hadrac was still one of many candidates. If he found a better library, he would move there instead. -Soo Hyuk: And if I do, I¡¯ll just have to make sure they learn their lesson before I move. He had no need to maintain this current situation with the Demon guild. He would let the situation settle down a bit, before dealing a finishing move towards them. -Soo Hyuk: Then I¡¯m going to read now. -Yeon Jung: Sure. Make sure to contact me if something happens! Soo Hyuk no longer replied to Yeon Jung¡¯s messages, as he walked towards the bookshelf to pull out a book. * * * ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk breathed out deeply while stretching his stiff back. ¡°I¡¯m finally done.¡± He had finished all the day¡¯s work at last. A satisfied smile emerged from his face as he continued to stretch his neck next. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ While bending back from stretching his back, Yang Joo Hyuk turned his neck to stare at Jang Yool¡¯s back. Jang Yool was still typing on his keyboard with his eyes glued to the monitor. ¡°Yool-ah.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk called out to him. ¡°Yes?¡± Jang Yool replied while still staring at the monitor. ¡°Tell me situation on the special grade users.¡± Because he had concentrated on his work the entire day, he hadn¡¯t yet checked out the situation on the various special grade users. ¡°All of them?¡± ¡°Are there any users that did anything big?¡± ¡°Well yes.¡± The special grade users were all users who could heavily influence the situation of the game. Correspondingly, they usually attracted a lot of attention from the public. But none of the recent news drew Yang Joo Hyuk¡¯s attention. ¡°Well, there¡¯s only the Hunting King and Soo Hyuk.¡± Jang Yool said as he replied to Yang Joo Hyuk. The special grade users weren¡¯t all in one grade either. They were separated into separate grades within the special grade itself. Yang Joo Hyuk was staring at the names on the top of the list. Hunting King and Soo Hyuk. However, unlike most special grade users, these two preferred playing quietly. Hunting King usually only hunted various monsters or progressed on quests, while Soo Hyuk usually only read books at the Matab Library. But if they were to suddenly erupt one day, the entire continent could experience a big change. ¡°Please wait.¡± Jang Yool started typing on his keyboard, then opened his mouth after a few seconds. ¡°The Hunting King is currently hunting.¡± The Hunting King¡¯s name was mentioned first. ¡®As expected.¡¯ After all, the Hunting King was hunting most of the time. ¡°What about the quest?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk asked. ¡°He has almost completed the condition, and he¡¯s probably going to turn into a Celestial soon.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk nodded knowingly in response to Jang Yool¡¯s words. ¡°What about Soo Hyuk?¡± ¡°He¡¯s reading.¡± ¡°Does he still look for the Demon guild nowadays?¡± The first time Soo Hyuk had attacked the Demon guild, Yang Joo Hyuk had been extremely surprised, as this was the first time he had acted like that. ¡°I think he¡¯s very angry.¡± ¡°Well, seeing as two people close to him died right in front of him.¡± He could understand the situation. Soo Hyuk had gone on a trip with two people, then they had suddenly died to the Demon guild. ¡°Looking at it now, it seems like they were his parents.¡± ¡°Yes, I think so too. Over 10 days and he¡¯s still going at it after all.¡± It was already the tenth day since Soo Hyuk started to tussle with the Demon guild. From this, they could assume that those two people weren¡¯t simple friends. ¡°Ah! Right!¡± As they were mulling over Soo Hyuk¡¯s revenge, Jang Yool suddenly exclaimed. ¡°It looks like he¡¯s going to conquer the Matab Library soon.¡± ¡°¡­Already?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk was surprised again by Jang Yool¡¯s words. ¡®Wow, time passes fast.¡¯ It seemed like yesterday when he had just conquered the Oren Library, but it was the Matab Library soon? He then opened his mouth and wondered, ¡°Will he look for another library again?¡± ¡°Well looking at his actions¡­¡± Jang Yool¡¯s words trailed off until he was silent. His past actions seemed to suggest that he would indeed go to another library and conquer it as well. ¡°¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk was silent as he thought the same as Jang Yool. Then he opened his mouth again as a thought popped up. ¡°Tell me when he moves to another library.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At Jang Yool¡¯s reply, Yang Joo Hyuk stood up from his seat and went over to the next room. As he opened the door to the resting room, he thought, ¡®I wonder what Teacher would think.¡¯ He had already told his teacher about the Archmage¡¯s Descendant and his situation; however, the teacher had told him to stop worrying. He still couldn¡¯t understand why his teacher, who had put his everything into Pangea, would react like that. ¡®If I could only access all the information¡­¡¯ There were things even Yang Joo Hyuk couldn¡¯t check. If he just had that information, he could deduce the various users¡¯ thought processes. It was truly a pity. ¡®Ehew, I¡¯ll be able to someday.¡¯ There was a reason for everything. He believed that it was the same for this as well. Ridding himself of his whimsical thoughts, Yang Joo Hyuk lay down on his bed in the resting room, and a few seconds later, soft snores could be heard in the room. Chapter 67 - Talk Translator: MagicFishCat Proof-reader: TheMonitor [Your wisdom has increased by 1.] Soo Hyuk stood up as he checked the system message. He then returned the books that he had read and as he walked to the warp gates, he thought. ¡®Should I talk with them now?¡¯ His anger at the Demon guild had mostly subsided after yesterday¡¯s raid. ¡®They should be really tired mentally.¡¯ Soo Hyuk suspected they were almost driven crazy by now. ¡®They better tell me who¡¯s behind this.¡¯ He was planning to interrogate about the true perpetrator of the Hedlin massacre during his talk. ¡®But what if they still don¡¯t tell me?¡¯ Of course, there was still the possibility that they would keep choosing to be stubborn. In that situation, he would continue raiding the Demon guild¡¯s guild house until they folded. Arriving at the warp gates, Soo Hyuk put on his original red fox mask and warped to Hadrac. ¡°Wow, the Demon guild guys are still around.¡± ¡°They¡¯re apparently on the verge of falling to A-rank and they don¡¯t want to show their faces.¡± The conversations of users around him entered his ears as he headed to the Demon guild¡¯s base. He looked around at his surroundings at their gossips and sure enough, there were only one or two Demon guild members out on the streets. Slightly surprised at the news of the Demon guild¡¯s fall, Soo Hyuk finally arrived at the Demon guild¡¯s guild house. However, he couldn¡¯t even see a soul around the guild house, unlike out in the streets. ¡®Is it because of me?¡¯ While wondering if it was because of his recent attacks, Soo Hyuk stood firmly outside the guild house as he waited for Demon guild members to appear. ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± Then a few minutes later, one member came out from the inside out the building, and when he saw Soo Hyuk, he couldn¡¯t help but stare suspiciously. ¡°Fox mask?¡± The Demon guild member frowned as he noticed Soo Hyuk¡¯s fox mask. Then while frowning, he stealthily checked above the mysterious figure¡¯s head to check for a guild mark. When he saw that this person didn¡¯t have a guild mark, he swallowed nervously as he got in a stance. Staring at the Demon guild members reaction, Soo Hyuk smiled in amusement before asking loudly, ¡°I want to have a word with your guild master.¡± ¡°¡­Soo Hyuk?¡± The Demon guild member cautiously opened his mouth in response to Soo Hyuk¡¯s words. ¡°Yes.¡± At Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer, the Demon guild member reflexively shifted his feet while being lost for words. ¡°Please call the guild master. The deputy if that¡¯s not possible.¡± * * * ¡°17 days.¡± Baal muttered to himself. 17 painful days had passed since Soo Hyuk¡¯s first attack on their headquarters. In that time, numerous guild members had left the guild as they couldn¡¯t find any way to stop his merciless assault. And to rub salt into the wound, their job requests had decreased significantly as well ¡®But if we fall into A-rank¡­¡¯ All of these were insignificant in front of the crisis looming above, falling to A-rank. The NPCs that gave guild quests usually contacted the higher ranked guilds first. What would happen if they fell to A-rank? The Demon guild wouldn¡¯t receive any more guild quests and as a result, more and more users would leave the guild. In other words, Soo Hyuk¡¯s consistent guerrilla attacks were bringing down the entire guild. ¡®We have to negotiate with him.¡¯ Hiring top rankers to hunt Soo Hyuk? Gave up. There was just too little information, so the only method left was to negotiate with him. The problem was how he was going to bring him to a table. Baal hadn¡¯t even exchanged a word with him so far, and they had no way to contact or locate him. ¡®Do we really have to make a public announcement?¡¯ Although it would be effective in getting the word out, countless people would laugh at them at their show of passiveness. ¡®What if he doesn¡¯t accept even then?¡¯ Baal was gradually falling into the vicious cycle of depression. At that moment. Tap. Tap. ¡°¡­?¡± Baal, who was deeply locked in thought, looked up to the door with a suspicious expression at the knocks. But then, what came next made him jump up with disbelief. ¡°Guild master, Soo Hyuk wants to talk to you.¡± Shocked to his core, Baal hurriedly went over to the door and opened it. Outside, he saw a familiar face belonging to his guild standing alone. ¡°What do you mean?!¡± Baal half-yelled at the guild member. ¡°I saw Soo Hyuk just now. He said that he wanted to talk to you¡­¡± ¡°Talk?¡± Baal was confused by the sudden turn of events. Talk? He was the one that originally wanted to talk! ¡°Yes.¡± The guild member replied, unaware of Baal¡¯s inner turmoil. ¡°T-that, where is he now?¡± ¡°He¡¯s waiting outside the building.¡± The Demon guild¡¯s guild house. Baal¡¯s personal room. There were two men sitting opposite each other. They were Demon guild¡¯s master Baal and Demon guild¡¯s ruin Soo Hyuk. ¡°My parents died in front of me.¡± Baal was struck speechless at Soo Hyuk¡¯s reply. ¡®To think it was this kind of reason¡­¡¯ He had always wondered why this was being done to them, but now he understood. Although it was virtual reality, his parents had died in front of him. And murdered by the Demon guild no less. How could any child with morals stand that? It just VR you say? It was precisely because it was VR that Soo Hyuk could freely vent his emotions, unlike reality. ¡®F*ck.¡¯ Of course, just because he understood his motives didn¡¯t mean that he wasn¡¯t annoyed anymore. In fact, he was even more annoyed that Soo Hyuk had a perfectly justifiable reason for his actions. But he was forced to suppress his emotions in front of Soo Hyuk, who had absolute dominance over this conversation. ¡°I am curious about one thing.¡± Soo Hyuk continued. ¡°Your client.¡± Baal was surprised at his request. ¡®Well, it¡¯s expected.¡¯ Soo Hyuk wouldn¡¯t let go the mastermind, if he had the will to torment them over 17 days. ¡®But¡­¡¯ Baal was troubled. ¡®If I tell him¡­¡¯ There would be negative results whichever decision he made. ¡®Kefan won¡¯t let this go.¡¯ Loken was the one who had received the task, but Baal also knew about the client. It was the Solitude¡¯s master Kefan, who was a former member of Desolate. Their strength so high that it was incomparable to the Demon guild. The reason they hired a guild much weaker than them was because the contents of the task was too dirty for them to carry out themselves. If today¡¯s matter was to become known, then Kefan would definitely go after the entire Demon guild. ¡®But on the other hand¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk was likely to continue his assault if they sided with the Solitude guild, and he would be truly merciless this time. He had already caused an enormous amount of damage to the guild. Personally, Baal felt that it was better to offend Solitude than Soo Hyuk. ¡°Who was it?¡± Soo Hyuk asked again while Baal was locked in thought. At his question, Baal steeled himself and put out a condition first. ¡°If we tell you the client, then could you please tell me what you¡¯ll do to them?¡± At his condition, Soo Hyuk replied, ¡°That depends on who it is. If I can¡¯t afford to handle them¡­¡± ¡®Like the Solitude guild.¡¯ Soo Hyuk secretly thought. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to delay it.¡± ¡®I¡¯ll have to wait patiently until I gain more power.¡¯ The Solitude guild was strong. They were in a different dimension compared to the Demon guild, so he couldn¡¯t do anything to them currently. He was planning to delay his revenge until a chance came. ¡°I see.¡± Baal said while nodding in response to Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer. ¡®Although he¡¯s strong, he¡¯s not an opponent for Solitude.¡¯ Furthermore, the Solitude guild didn¡¯t have a high infamy score. Which meant that his infamy score would rise if he killed them, and NPCs would start to interfere with him. Baal then opened his mouth as he concluded his thoughts. ¡°If we tell you the client, then your relationship with our guild¡­¡± Although his voice grew fainter and eventually disappeared, Baal still stared intently at Soo Hyuk. There was no need to say more. He had already gotten the message across. ¡°Then there won¡¯t be any reason for me to look for you any longer.¡± Baal couldn¡¯t help but curse as Soo Hyuk replied. ¡®Sh*t. The Demon guild had suffered an almost irreparable amount of damage. Although he knew that this was the best possible outcome, Baal was still indignant at the fact that Soo Hyuk had gotten away scot free. But he had to accept anyway, as Soo Hyuk had approached them himself. He would come to regret it if he angered Soo Hyuk now. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you.¡± * * * ¡°What? Just like that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Baal replied to Haggis. ¡°No, why? Look how much we¡¯ve suffered! And it just ends like this¡­!¡± ¡°And if it didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill him when he comes again!¡± ¡°But how? And even if we kill him, won¡¯t he just come back?¡± Haggis fell silent at Baal¡¯s remark. It was true that he would be able to relieve some of his anger if they somehow managed to kill Soo Hyuk. But that would be it. Dying wasn¡¯t permanent, nor did it erase the character data. Haggis knew very well, that killing Soo Hyuk would just bring him back with hotter anger and more venomous eyes, and that would be the end of the Demon guild. ¡°What we have to think about now is the future, about how we prevent this sort of thing from happening again. Not the present. Demon guild¡¯s ruin had been calmed. Soo Hyuk wouldn¡¯t attack them again. What they had to think about now was ¡®how do we prevent another Soo Hyuk?¡¯. If another Soo Hyuk did appear, there were only two ways to deal with them. ¡°Hiring a top ranker or becoming as strong as a top ranker.¡± In the Soo Hyuk incident, there had been no user strong enough to stand against him. In other words, they had to get stronger. * * * -Yeon Jung: What? Solitude? The Solitude guild was behind this? -Soo Hyuk: Yep. -Yeon Jung: Those bastards! There¡¯s still something wrong with their heads! ¡°¡­Ohh?¡± Soo Hyuk, who was currently heading to the Matab Library, became curious at Yeon Jung¡¯s reaction. -Soo Hyuk: Why? Did they do something previously? -Yeon Jung: Do still remember when I told you about the trouble with Desolate? -Soo Hyuk: Yeah, I heard it was solved nicely. -Yeon Jung: Well, that incident was caused by the current Solitude members. -Yeon Jung: They were expelled from Desolate because of that, but they still haven¡¯t learnt their lesson? Crazy bastards. -Yeon Jung: So, what are you going to do now? He asked as he changed the subject. -Soo Hyuk: Hmm, I don¡¯t know yet. At least I can¡¯t go against them now. -Yeon Jung: Meaning you will some day? -Soo Hyuk: I have to, it was because them that my parents were killed and this bullshit began in the first place. His parents had been Pked by the Demon Guild, but attacking the Demon guild had only been a means to an end ever since he learned that there was someone else behind the massacre. Now that he had found out about the Solitude Guild, there no way he would let them off without some, no a lot of suffering. Chapter 68 - Mercenary Agency Translator: MagicFishCat Proof-reader: Asada -Yeon Jung: Tell me when you¡¯re about to start. The Reader Guild will help you as much as we can. We¡¯ve always wanted to bash their empty heads in, haha. So, make sure to tell me! It¡¯s also your guild from now on as well! -Soo Hyuk: I will. -Yeon Jung: So, when are you going to join? -Soo Hyuk: Whenever you want me too. I don¡¯t have anything holding me back now. -Yeon Jung: Okay, then I¡¯ll contact you when we¡¯re ready! -Soo Hyuk: Sure. Soo Hyuk, who had just arrived at the library, ended his chat with Yeon Jung, then entered the library after handing in his token. As he was picking books from a bookshelf, he thought, ¡®Now there¡¯s only two days¡¯ worth of books left.¡¯ There weren¡¯t many unread books left in the library. Staring at the remaining books on the bookshelf, he suspected that he would finish them by the day after tomorrow. Soon, he managed to pick out the usual six books, he went back to his reading desk and dived into the world inside them. * * * Jang Yool shook slightly as he stared at a monitor intently. ¡®Finally.¡¯ With his voice tinged with excitement, Jang Yool turned his around at Yang Joo Hyuk and shouted, ¡°Team leader!¡± ¡°Mnn?¡± When Yang Joo Hyuk replied with a grunt, Jang Yool continued, ¡°He¡¯s conquered it!¡± ¡°Conquer?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk was confused by the sudden shout. Conquered? Conquered what exactly? Looking at the confused Yang Joo Hyuk, Jang Yool continued, ¡°The Matab Library!¡± * * * Since his holiday and conflict with the Demon Guild had ended, Soo Hyuk had gone back to his usual routine of reading every day, except that he hadn¡¯t been hunting recently. As he opened the shining white book, he thought, ¡®This is the last one.¡¯ There were no more unread books in the library anymore. The book he had opened now was the last glowing book in the library. . . . The day it is freed from its seal, darkness shall engulf the world again. . . . Soo Hyuk closed the book as its white glow disappeared and the system message appeared. [You have read all the books in the Matab Library.] [You have obtained title: Conqueror of Matab Library.] [You have conquered 2 libraries.] [You have obtained title: One Who Likes Books.] ¡°Hmm?¡± Soo Hyuk cocked his head at the unexpected messages. ¡®Bookworm?¡¯ He had expected to get the title ¡®Conqueror of Matab Library¡¯, but the second title caught him off guard. ¡®To think I got two titles¡­¡¯ Excited by the unexpected rewards, Soo Hyuk hastily opened his character window. Class: Archmage¡¯s Descendant Level: 102 Experience: 62% Health: 56200 Mana: 63800 Satiation: 84% Strength: 40 (+10) Agility: 35 (+16) Stamina: 1108 [554 (+10)] Wisdom: 3190 (+10) ¡®Does it increase my wisdom?¡¯ His wisdom had increased a lot from the last time he checked. To confirm, he opened the title window and checked the effects of the two titles. -Conqueror of Matab Library (Wisdom +100) The first thing that came into his sight was the ¡®Conqueror of Matab Library.¡¯ ¡®Increased by 100?¡¯ The ¡®Conqueror of Matab Library¡¯ title had the same effect as ¡®Conqueror of Oren Library¡¯, which was increasing his wisdom. But maybe it was because of the library¡¯s larger size, the amount of wisdom was also in another scale. After admiring his new title, Soo Hyuk moved onto ¡®One Who Likes Books¡¯. -One Who Likes Books (When reading books, gain extra stat experience.) ¡°¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk tilted his head as he read the effects. ¡®Stat experience? What¡¯s that?¡¯ Soo Hyuk had never heard of stat experience before. What did it mean by stat experience? ¡®It is that?¡¯ He suddenly remembered when his wisdom would rise when he read a book. Of course, it didn¡¯t rise every time, as it depended on thickness of the book, how many books he¡¯d read etc. He suspected that something was behind this inconsistent increase, but it seemed like that something was stat experience. ¡®As for how much it gives, I¡¯ll have to find out by reading. I have to quickly decide on a library as well.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t test it in the Matab Library, as he had just conquered it. There weren¡¯t any more books that he could get stat experience from. Concluding his thoughts, Soo Hyuk stood up from the desk and started looking over the bookshelves one last time after returning the books. It was to check whether another book had changed colour. ¡®There aren¡¯t any.¡¯ After looking over all the bookshelves and finding no new books, Soo Hyuk directly logged out of Pangea. When he got up from the capsule, he went straight to his computer and opened the Pangea homepage. ¡°Where should I go?¡± Title: Just what the heck is the boss monster inside the Library of Darkness? [5] Title: Is level 150 enough to hunt in the Library of Darkness? [12] Title: I¡¯m lvl 140 and I¡¯m trying to go to the Library of Darkness, but where is it? [17] When he typed ¡®library¡¯ in the search bar, numerous results appeared. But they weren¡¯t the information that he wanted. ¡®So confusing.¡¯ The posts that appeared were all about a hunting ground named ¡®Library of Darkness¡¯. He had thought at first that it was a library without any conditions, but it was a hunting ground with the name ¡®library¡¯ in it without containing any books. To narrow the search results, Soo Hyuk wrote an extra word after ¡®library¡¯ in the search bar and pressed [SEARCH]. Title: Kozan Kingdom¡¯s Royal Library access conditions. [9] Title: List of library enter conditions that I know about. [14] Title: There¡¯s a library in Oren, but what kind of condition is 50 gold! [23] When Soo Hyuk added the word ¡®conditions¡¯, the information that he wanted appeared in the results. ¡°Hoh, there¡¯s a lot more now?¡± He could see a lot more posts about libraries than when he searched for it previously. ¡°List of library enter conditions?¡± Plus, there was was a particular post that attracted his attention, but he started reading from top to bottom nonetheless. Title: Kozan Kingdom¡¯s Royal Library access conditions. Posted by: ArchaeologyIsMyDream I found the need to use the Kozan Kingdom¡¯s Royal Library for a quest. But the condition was weird. I need an item called ¡®Kozan Kingdom¡¯s Recognition¡¯, but how do I obtain it? Just to be sure, there¡¯s no other way to access the library, right? Replies: -MasterOfEveryThing: You can only get the Kozan Kingdom¡¯s recognition with conributions. To my knowledge, less than 100 people have managed to contribute enough get the item. It¡¯s just one of those hard-to-get items. -ArchaeologyIsMyDream: Really? I need it to use the Royal Library¡­ MasterOfEveryThing: The conditions for using the Royal Library are difficult to achieve, and it¡¯s the same for a lot of other ones. The easiest one is probably the Matab Library, because you only need to change your class. ¡°Hmm.¡± Soo Hyuk complained in his head as he read through the replies. ¡®Why are the conditions for the libraries so difficult?¡¯ While sighing out of disappointment, Soo Hyuk went back to the results page and quickly switched to a smile. The next post was one he anticipated. Title: List of library enter conditions that I know about. Posted by: TheInfiniteLibrarian 1. Oren Library: 50 gold. 2. Matab Library: Magician Class 3. Pade Kingdom¡¯s Imperial Library: Unknown. Suspect that nobility or title is needed as approaching the Imperial Palace is required. 4. Pade Kingdom¡¯s Great Library: Position above viscount or recognition as a great person. 5. Pade Kingdom¡¯s City of Ailin¡¯s Library: Over level 500 ¡°Oh.¡± Soo Hyuk sighed in admiration as he scrolled through the article. It went above and beyond his expectations. ¡°Did this person go around only figuring out about the conditions?¡± There weren¡¯t just one or two libraries listed in the post. Other than the ones you found out in the beginning, the conditions for libraries was surprisingly hard to discover, so to know this much information, Soo Hyuk¡¯s couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this person had spent a lot of time searching for these data. However, he still frowned when he finished going through the list. ¡°Is there only Hadrac?¡± There were a lot of false information on these forums, so he couldn¡¯t be sure if this was true. But even if it was, Hadrac was still the quickest way. After going through a few more posts, he decided. ¡°There¡¯s only Hadrac.¡± In his current state, the library that he could us the fastest was the Hadrac Library. After deciding, Soo Hyuk lightly cooked up some ramen for lunch then connected to Pangea. ¡®Let¡¯s come again after opening another door.¡¯ Soo Hyuk, who had connected to Pangea again, looked around at the library that he had spent months in. It wasn¡¯t a permanent parting. He still had to come after opening the third door to read the book again. ¡°Archmage¡¯s Subspace.¡± [Warping to the Archmage¡¯s Subspace.] Soo Hyuk warped to his subspace, then warped again from the magic circle to Hadrac. When the distorted space was repaired, the familiar sight of Hadrac¡¯s warp gate site filled his view. He then headed towards the Mercenary Agency while wondering, ¡®How long will it take to become an A-rank?¡¯ The conditions to enter Hadrac¡¯s library was to either be an A-rank mercenary or belong in a S-rank guild based in Hadrac. Since Soo Hyuk was planning to join Reader, which wasn¡¯t based in Hadrac, he could only take the first route. ¡®Hua, the differences are too big.¡¯ Not many users could rise to A-rank yet, but there were still a lot of information about them on the web. The problem was that the amount of time they took to get to A-rank varied vastly. Some people took 4 months while some took a mere month. ¡°Who wants go on an orc subjugation mission? It¡¯s D-rank! Above Level 100 only!¡± ¡°Where can I buy orc blood? Oh, I don¡¯t care about the varieties. So that place¡­¡± Soo Hyuk eventually arrived at the Mercenary Agency, where numerous users were exchanging items, information etc outside. ¡®It¡¯s crowded.¡¯ There were truly an enormous number of users around and inside the Mercenary Agency. Judging from the number of users that he could see crowded around the building, there was likely a long line awaiting inside as well. He confirmed his prediction a moment later a he entered the Mercenary Agency and saw the winding lines behind the counters. The length of the lines was all around the pace. One line had 10 people, while another had over a hundred users lined. The reason for this phenomenon was ranks. ¡®The C-rank is massive.¡¯ The rank where the most people belonged to was C-rank. The number of counters set up C-ranks were also the highest, five counters. Bypassing the rowdy lines, Soo Hyuk arrived at the F-rank line. F-ranks consisted of people who were looking to register or people who had yet to complete many quests. Of course, there were only five people lining up on the F-rank counter. While thinking that his turn should come fairly quickly, Soo Hyuk lined up at the back. ¡°Next person!¡± It was Soo Hyuk¡¯s turn not long after. ¡°What have you come here for?¡± The NPC asked him as Soo Hyuk sat down on the seat opposite him. ¡°I want to register as a mercenary.¡± ¡°Ah! So you want to register as a mercenary.¡± The NPC then handed him a piece of paper and continued, ¡°Could you please place your hand on this crystal ball.¡± Soo Hyuk wasn¡¯t surprised at their method as he had read about it before and put forward his hand as if he had waited for it. [You will bleed for 10 seconds.] A message appeared as he placed him hand on the ball. Since he knew about this as well, he didn¡¯t panic. ¡°Next, could you place your hand on this?¡± At the NPC¡¯s words, Soo Hyuk put his hand down on the boxed section on the piece of paper to stamp his hand. Next, the NPC took back the paper and after checking the handprint briefly, he said, ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± When Soo Hyuk nodded, the NPC walked to the door on his back and went through it after opening. Then, the NPC came back after a few minutes, and in his hand, was a square wooden seal. It was the Mercenary Token. ¡°Here is your proof of identity.¡± The NPC said as he handed the Mercenary Token. The letter F was inscribed on the token. ¡°Your current rank is rank F. Would you like an explanation?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± Soo Hyuk politely refused when the NPC offered to explain. Since he already researched before, there was no point in wasting his time listening to an explanation. After refusing, Soo Hyuk tilted his head and asked, ¡°Can I have a look at the ranked mission catalogue?¡± From E-ran onwards, you had to complete a lot of regular missions to attempt a ranked mission, but F-ranks could try straight away. ¡°Ranked missions?¡± At Soo Hyuk¡¯s request, the NPC asked again with a surprised voice. Ranked missions were of a higher difficulty than regular missions and this newbie wanted to attempt them right after registration. ¡°Yes.¡± Soo Hyuk confirmed while nodding. ¡°Then please wait¡­¡± At Soo Hyuk¡¯s unwavering answer, the end of the NPC¡¯s words trailed off as he started searching his drawers. Then after a few seconds, the NPC pulled out a separate sheet of paper and held it out to Soo Hyuk. ¡°You can tell me which one you want to attempt.¡± The sheet of paper was a list of F-ranked missions. Soo Hyuk received the list from him and started looking through the mission. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ As Soo Hyuk was about to turn to the next page, he froze in surprise. -Alchemist Kora¡¯s Ingredients! ¡®Kora?¡¯ A familiar word entered his sight. He had read it somewhere before. As he was searching through his memories for the word ¡®Kora¡¯¡­ ¡°Ah!¡± Soo Hyuk exclaimed in realisation and hurriedly opened his quest window. Chapter 69 - Ranked Mission Translator: MagicFishCat Proof-reader: Asada [Special Quest ¨C Vigorous Body] Complete the conditions below! Your body will be strengthened exponentially. [Iron Scarecrows Destroyed: 50 / 50 ] [Drink Mad Alchemist Kora¡¯s special potions: 0 / 2 ] [Quest Reward: Stamina Stat Upgrade] The reason Soo Hyuk was familiar with the name Kora was because of this quest. The stat quest he got from reading a red book in the Matab Library. ¡®Is it this Kora?¡¯ Was the Kora in the ranked mission the same as the one in his stat quest? To confirm it, Soo Hyuk closed his quest window then looked up at the waiting NPC. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing I want to ask you about.¡± ¡°Ah, please ask.¡± ¡°Do you know about this person, alchemist Kora?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± The NPC didn¡¯t know an alchemist called Kora, whether it was the Mad Alchemist or another person. At his reply, Soo Hyuk carefully re-read the ranked mission ¡®Alchemist Kora¡¯s Ingredients¡¯ again. -Alchemist Kora¡¯s Ingredients. Prepare 50 Orc Eyeballs, 2 Ogre Hearts, 20 Rabbit Livers. Completion Reward: 50 gold and 5 Kora¡¯s special potions ¡°I¡¯ll go with this one.¡± Soo Hyuk said to the NPC after he saw the rewards. Although he wasn¡¯t sure if the potions mentioned here were the same as the ones in his stat quest but there was a high chance that they were one and the same. ¡®The ingredients¡­¡¯ For the materials he had to gather were 50 orc eyeballs and 2 ogre hearts, which have an extremely low drop rate. Rabbit livers were also hard to get. In other words, it was a fairly difficult mission. ¡®But I have money.¡¯ The reason Soo Hyuk chose this quest other than the rewards, despite its difficulty, was because he could just buy the materials from places like Hadrac¡¯s Auction House. There was no need to stubbornly grind for them. [You have selected the quest ¡®Alchemist Kora¡¯s Ingredients.] ¡°When you complete the missions, please go up to the second floor.¡± The NPC added. Basically, the 1st floor was for receiving missions, while the 2nd floor was for when they were completed. ¡°I will.¡± Soo Hyuk, who was looking at the message, stood up at the NPC¡¯s words, then exited the Mercenary Agency. His destination was the Hadrac Auction House. After waking for a couple of minutes, he arrived in front of the Auction House. Standing in front of the entrance, he opened the quest window to double-check the new quest ¡®Alchemist Kora¡¯s Ingredients.¡¯ [Alchemist Kora¡¯s Ingredients] Alchemist Kora is making special potions, but he needs the items mentioned below. [Orc Eyeballs: 0 / 50 ] [Ogre Hearts: 0 / 2 ] [Rabbit Livers: 0 / 20 ] [Quest Reward: 50 gold, 5 Mad Alchemist Kora¡¯s special potions] Soo Hyuk froze when he read the quest description. ¡®I was right!¡¯ The Kora in the ranked mission and in the stat quest are the same person. The quest rewards confirm it. ¡®If I complete this, then I can do the stat quest as well.¡¯ If he completed this quest then he would receive 50 gold and 5 Kora¡¯s potions and to complete the second condition of the ¡®Vigorous Body¡¯ quest, he needed to drink 2 potions. In other words, this ranked mission was the last step to getting the stamina stat upgrade. ¡®How will it change?¡¯ He felt expectant at the prospect. ¡°Buying items! Any quick sales?¡± ¡°I¡¯m buying japtems! I¡¯ll take anything! Just come, I¡¯ll give good money!¡± [1] ¡°Selling heroic grade protective gear! For warriors! I can¡¯t stress how much they¡¯ll benefit to warriors around level 100!¡± Around the entrance of the auction house, numerous users were yelling loudly in their spots, hoping to get a bargain. Soo Hyuk passed by them casually and entered the auction house. Soo Hyuk looked around the interior after he entered the auction house. ¡®Are the auctions that way?¡¯ He wondered. There were a lot more users on the left side of the building than the right side. The left side seemed to be where live auctions were taking place. Of course, his aim today wasn¡¯t in the live auctions. After briefly glancing at the heated atmosphere on his left, Soo Hyuk turned to his right and started walking. ¡°What can I help you with?¡± ¡°Can you open the auction window?¡± Soo Hyuk answered. Suuak! A giant window in front of Soo Hyuk at his words. It was the auction window. Soo Hyuk, fascinated by a new feature, started browsing through the auction window in a curious manner. ¡®First¡­¡¯ The first thing he checked was the ¡®orc eyeballs¡¯. Because they had a good drop rate, there were plenty in stock. ¡®1 gold for an eyeball? It¡¯s cheaper than I thought?¡± The prices were also cheap at 1 gold per eyeball. If he bought all 50, than it would cost 50 gold, and that was practically pocket change for Soo Hyuk. Without hesitating, Soo Hyuk pressed ¡®buy¡¯. [You have acquired 50 orc eyeballs.] After the eyeballs, was the ogre hearts. Soo Hyuk typed ¡®ogre heart¡¯ in the search bar, but fell into thought at the prices. ¡®150 gold¡­¡¯ The ogre hearts were incomparably more expensive than the orc eyeballs. 150 gold per heart, 300 gold for two. In cash, it was 30,000 won. ¡®Hmm, it¡¯s just 30,000 won.¡¯ It was expensive, but he could handle it. [You have acquired 2 ogre hearts.] After buying the ogre hearts, Soo Hyuk searched for rabbit livers at last. ¡°¡­Ei,¡± Soo Hyuk shook his head when he checked the prices. ¡®Why are they so expensive? 3 gold for one?¡¯ The rabbit livers were more expensive than he expected. He had thought that they would be 1 gold per liver, the same as ogre eyeballs, but it seemed he was wrong. ¡®Are the drop rates that bad?¡¯ They also had less in stock than the eyeballs. Of course, he still had to buy them, even if they were expensive. [You have acquired 20 rabbit livers.] After buying the livers, Soo Hyuk closed the auction window. He then exited the auction house and headed to the Mercenary Agency while opening his quest window. [Alchemist Kora¡¯s Ingredients] Alchemist Kora is making special potions, but he needs the items mentioned below to complete them. [Orc Eyeballs: 0 / 50 ] [Ogre Hearts: 0 / 2 ] [Rabbit Livers: 0 / 20 ] [Quest Reward: 50 gold, 5 Mad Alchemist Kora¡¯s special potions] He had gathered all the materials needed to complete the quest. Now he just needed to check in in the Mercenary Agency. After a few minutes, Soo Hyuk arrived at the Mercenary Agency. When he climbed to the 2nd floor, he noticed that it was more peaceful than the bustling 1st floor. Also, instead of counters separated by ranks, they were all integrated. ¡°Could you show me your mercenary token?¡± As a result, Soo Hyuk could check in without lining up. ¡°Here.¡± Soo Hyuk pulled out his Mercenary Token from his inventory at the NPC¡¯s words. When the NPC received the token, she placed the magic circle-engraved token on a metal surface. Shuuak! Then as a soft light appeared and disappeared around the token, a message appeared. [You have completed quest ¡®Alcemist Kora¡¯s Ingredients¡¯!] ¡°So it was a ranked mission. From E-rank onwards, your name will be engraved on your token, so could you tell me your name?¡± The NPC said as he was reading the message. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Soo Hyuk.¡± ¡°Then please wait¡­¡± At Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer, the NPC stood up from her stood and entered a room behind her. Then not long after, the NPC came back with two things in her hands. One was an iron Mercenary Token and the other was a little box. ¡°Here is your token and the mission rewards.¡± The NPC said as she held the token and the box out to Soo Hyuk. ¡®Now I¡¯m like a real mercenary.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he stared at the iron Mercenary Token. The F-rank token had been made of wood and was only a single F inscribed on the surface. But the E-rank token had the rugged iron look and his name was engraved with the E as well. Staring at the token, he felt like he was a mercenary in the books he had read. ¡°Goodbye.¡± After saying goodbye to the NPC, Soo Hyuk stood up from his seat and looked for the E-rank counters when he came down to the 1st floor. ¡®They¡¯re both long.¡¯ For E-ranks, there were two counters that they could use, and the length of both lines were roughly the same. Soo Hyuk first lined up on the right line and opened the box that he received as the mission rewards. [You have acquired 50 gold.] [You have acquired 5 Mad Alchemist Kora¡¯s special potions.] After he read the messages, Soo Hyuk checked the information for Kora¡¯s special potions. [Mad Alchemist Kora¡¯s Special Potions] Upon use gain one of the effects below. Recover 30% health Recover 30% mana Recover 15% health then +1000 to your total health for 10 minutes +10000 total health for 20 minutes +10000 total mana for 20 minutes ¡®It¡¯s just a potion.¡¯ Since there was ¡®Mad¡¯ attached to the name, he thought there would be some quirky effects, but it was just a ¡®normal¡¯ potion. ¡®If it¡¯s like this, then I don¡¯t need to save them.¡¯ There was no need to save them for later when the stamina stat upgrade was fight as his doorstep. Soo Hyuk quickly drank 2 potions and opened his quest window. The [COMPLETE] had appeared for the ¡®Vigorous Body¡¯ special quest. Once again feeling expectant, Soo Hyuk press [COMPLETE]. [You have completed the special quest ¡®Vigorous Body¡¯.] [Stat ¡®Stamina¡¯ gains an extra effect.] [Every 1 stamina, more health will rise.] ¡°¡­¡± Soo Hyuk cocked his head as he read the messages. ¡®More health will rise?¡¯ The upgrade that my stamina stat got an increase in health gained. In his opinion, it was slightly regretful as he was expecting something like a defence buff. ¡®Hmm, how much has it risen¡­¡¯ With a regretful expression, Soo Hyuk opened his character window. Then when he checked his stats, his regretful expression was wiped off and replaced by pleasant surprise. ¡°Next person!¡± The NPC shouted. It was Soo Hyuk¡¯s turn now. But he didn¡¯t walk forward. More exactly, he hadn¡¯t heard his shout. ¡®This scam¡­¡¯ He was looking at his health absentmindedly. Class: Archmage¡¯s Descendant Level: 102 Experience: 62% Health: 111600 Mana: 63800 Satiation: 74% Strength: 40 (+10) Agility: 35 (+16) Stamina: 1108 [554 (+10)] Wisdom: 3190 (+10) His health had jumped straight to 100,000. ¡®How much has it risen by?¡¯ Normally, users gained 50 health per stamina point. But from this stat upgrade, the health gain rate had grown enormously. Soo Hyuk calculated. How much had it gone from 50 per point? ¡®¡­100.¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but gulp as he finished his calculations. His health gain rate had grown to 100 per point. In other words, by 100%. Don¡¯t forget that he also had the passive skill ¡®Troll Blood¡¯. Normal users gained 50 health every time their stamina increased, but Soo Hyuk¡¯s increased by 200. A X4 difference. An incomparable difference. Chapter 70 - E-Rank Translator: MagicFishCat Proof-reader: Asada ¡°Next person?¡± The NPC called out to Soo Hyuk again. ¡°Excuse me. It¡¯s your turn now.¡± At the NPC¡¯s call, the users that were behind Soo Hyuk all haggled at him with annoyed voices. ¡°Ah, yes. Sorry.¡± Finally snapping out of his thoughts, Soo Hyuk closed his character tab and walked forward to the NPC. ¡°What have you come here for.¡± ¡°I want to see the mission catalogue.¡± Soo Hyuk answered while getting out his new token from his inventory. The NPC quickly verified the token, then pulled out a stack of papers from his drawer and handed them to Soo Hyuk. It was the E-rank mission catalogue. ¡°Tell me after choosing.¡± At the NPC¡¯s words, Soo Hyuk received the paper from the NPC and started looking through the different missions. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Soo Hyuk cocked his head as he read through the list. ¡®Are they only in F-rank?¡¯ What Soo Hyuk was looking for was a mission that required gathering items to complete, but he couldn¡¯t spot them anywhere so far on the list. ¡®Hmph.¡¯ When Soo Hyuk arrived at the last mission on the list without any progress, he let out a dissatisfied grunt and went back to the first page again. ¡®This is probably the next best one.¡¯, He thought while staring at the very first on the list. It was an orc hunting mission, and since there were a lot of orcs around Hadrac¡¯s outskirts, it wouldn¡¯t take a long time. ¡°I¡¯ll choose this mission.¡± [You have selected the quest ¡®Orc Village Investigation¡¯,] After he received the mission from the NPC, Soo Hyuk came out of the Mercenary Agency and opened his quest window. [Orc Village Investigation] Orcs have been appearing near the city of Hadrac. Go to their village and stop them! [Orcs: 0 / 200 ] [Quest Reward: 200 gold] ¡®The NPC said that the orcs were everywhere except on the southern side.¡¯ After remembering what the NPC said before, Soo Hyuk closed his quest window and turned towards the east. There was no particular reason, just that the closest city gates to the agency were the eastern gates. ¡°Who wants to go goblin hunting together!¡± ¡°Looking for people to hunt tigers together! We have healers and tanks already! Just need a damage dealer! Magicians are welcome!¡± Soo Hyuk was met with a scenery similar to the Matab city gates as he arrived at the crowded east gate. ¡®Gates are gates.¡¯ He thought as he looked around at the numerous users searching for a party. Of course, he wasn¡¯t planning to join a party himself, so he headed out alone to the hunting areas around Hadrac. -Human! -It¡¯s a human! Soo Hyuk entered the ¡®Goblin Plains¡¯ not long after he headed out. Immediately, goblins jumped at him ferociously, swinging their short weapons. ¡°Flame Dance.¡± Meanwhile, Soo Hyuk was unfazed by their sudden attacks as he calmly cast Flame Dance and burned the goblins down to ashes. ¡°Firebolt.¡± ¡°Poison Sphere.¡± ¡°Poison Chains.¡± For the next ten minutes, goblins kept leaping at him from the tall grass, while Soo Hyuk reacted quickly with various spells with Soo Hyuk coming out victorious each time. And so, he was able to escape the goblin plains and arrive at the Kamain Mountains, the habitat of the orcs. ¡°Looking for a party!¡± ¡°We need a healer! Is there a healer anywhere? Our party member is dying! We¡¯ll give you compensation!¡± Like the city gates, the entrance to the Kamian Mountains also had a lot of users camped around it. They were calling out to each other, trying to get into parties and whatnot. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that a poison magician?¡± ¡°Wow, a poison magician.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a poison magician, right?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°That user, I respect him. How did make it here with poison magic? I heard it was a crazy hard element.¡± As Soo Hyuk was walking through the crowds of users, his ears picked up a conversation between three users, who were talking loudly while pointing at him. ¡®Is it just those guys, or are poison magicians generally badly received?¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he listened to their conversation. He had already known that poison magicians were the least popular out of all the elements, both as an element and a choice in hunting parties. However, it seemed he had underestimated just how much they were looked down on. ¡°Excuse me Mr Magician, do you want to party with us? ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m already in a party.¡± ¡°Are you perhaps a healing magician? Can we hunt in a party?¡± ¡°Do we leave immediately if I do?¡± Magicians were few in number in Hadrac, so there were naturally many trying to party with them. In other words, magicians were popular. However, no one could be seen trying to approach Soo Hyuk. ¡®Even though I wasn¡¯t going to party up¡­¡¯ If someone had come up to him asked to party up, he would¡¯ve refused them without hesitation. But even so, seeing no one approaching him left him with a bad aftertaste. At that moment. ¡°Excuse me!¡± As he was feeling grumpy about his poor popularity, someone walked up to him and blocked his path. ¡°Eh?¡± Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but feel flustered as he stared at a woman in front of him. ¡°Hello!¡± The woman greeted him cheerfully. ¡°Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.¡± Soo Hyuk tentatively greeted her back as he tried to hide his confusion. ¡°Do you remember me?¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± However, he ended up falling deeper into confusion at the woman¡¯s next question. ¡®Do I know her?¡¯ Remember? Did he know her before? All sorts of questions popped into existence, yet he still couldn¡¯t remember. ¡®Did she make a mistake? But now that I look at her again, she seems familiar¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t deny that there was a familiar feeling coming from the woman. He felt that the memory was just an arm¡¯s reach away, yet he couldn¡¯t quite get his head around it. ¡°So you don¡¯t remember!¡± The woman then arbitrarily came to a conclusion by herself when she noticed his reaction. Though she wasn¡¯t wrong, he was still frustrated. ¡°Oren library? Do you remember now?¡± ¡°¡­Ah!¡± Soo Hyuk exclaimed in realisation when she offered a hint. ¡®It was that woman!¡¯ The woman that he had met at the Oren Library. She had rattled on about how wisdom could be increased in other ways, how reading was inefficient, and so on. Of course, he didn¡¯t look down on, or even have a negative feeling about her because of it. ¡°Ah, hello again.¡± Soo Hyuk greeted the woman again after he remembered her. ¡°You finally remembered!¡± The woman exclaimed while smiling in response to his greeting. ¡°Did you perhaps come here to hunt orcs?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s because of a mission.¡± ¡°Then do you want to hunt together? We have a healer, a tanker and everything!¡± The first person to offer to team up. Although it raised his self-esteem slightly, it was a shame that he had to refuse. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I need to hurry somewhere else after hunting for a while.¡± He answered. He was not hunting to level up. He was hunting for a mission. 200 orcs? It would be over in a blink of an eye. Partying on the other hand would slow him down to a crawl. ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± The woman made a regretful expression at his answer and said goodbye with a slight bow. ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you next time! Have fun hunting!¡± The woman then reverted to her usual cheerful tone and ran back to her waiting party members. ¡°Do you know him?¡± ¡°Yep. He¡¯s the person I met at the library.¡± ¡°Ah, that person who used the library just to read books?¡± Her conversations with her party rang out as Soo Hyuk started walking again. -Chueek! -Human! Chueek! ¡°Panther-nim! A heal please!¡± ¡°Stream of Life!¡± Was it because they were near the outskirts? ¡°Hey, where are the orcs?¡± ¡°Should we go in more?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s.¡± There were more users than the orcs, so hunting near the entrance would take a longer time than in the depths of the mountains. ¡®I¡¯ll just use the subspace on my way back.¡¯ And so, he head further inside the mountains. -Chueek! Humans! Chuueek! -Kill him! Gueek! ¡°Heal, heal please! Quickly!¡± ¡°It¡¯s on cooldown! Use a potion first!¡± Soo Hyuk could still faintly hear the yells of various users as he kept walking. Then at some point, silence descended as users disappeared from around him. -Uuek? -Human, chueek. As Soo Hyuk approached the orcs, he thought, ¡®Now let¡¯s hunt these orcs.¡¯ He could hunt without fear now that the competitors was far away from him. He was more afraid of user ambushes than the monsters. ¡°Flame Dance.¡± Beginning with the tow orcs in front of him, he began his slaughter. ¡°Firestorm!¡± ¡°Poison Storm!¡± ¡°Poison Cloud!¡± A new drop appeared every second. ¡®The eyeballs¡­¡¯ The most eye-catching drop was the sheer number of eyeballs in the drop window. ¡®This is why it was 1 gold.¡¯ He had been wondering why the monster drop was so cheap but looking at the continuously rising eyeballs, the reason was obvious. Then Soo Hyuk, who was still firing spells at the orcs, checked his quest window to see his progress. After a few more spells, the nearly full count was satisfied and his hunt ended. ¡°Archmage¡¯s Subspace.¡± [Warping to the Archmage¡¯s Subspace.] * * * Mercenary Agency 2nd floor. ¡®Unbelievable.¡¯ Rowling, who was one of the receptionists on the 2nd floor, muttered in shock. ¡®How long has it been since he received the mission?¡¯ Although he asked in his head, he already knew the answer. ¡®It hasn¡¯t even been 1 hour yet! He already hunted 200 orcs in that time?¡¯ He had already verified that this was true through the Mercenary Token. There had never been a case where the token was false, but that meant that this man had indeed hunted 200 orcs. But there was another problem. ¡®An E-rank did this?¡¯ Rowling had a blank look on his face as he struggled to get his around. ¡°Am I done?¡± The man asked. ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Looking at the man who had a dumb expression on his face, Rowling couldn¡¯t help but get a bit angry. ¡°Then could you return my token?¡± But the man¡¯s next words woke him up from his daze and he hurriedly returned the token. He then also took out the box containing the rewards. ¡°Then goodbye.¡± Once the man received his token and rewards, he returned to the 1st floor with a goodbye. Meanwhile, Rowling stared at the man¡¯s descending back and thought, ¡®Soo Hyuk¡­¡¯ The man¡¯s name was Soo Hyuk. ¡®I¡¯ll have to pay attention to him.¡¯ ¡°Could you please show me your token?¡± Rowling resumed his work with Soo hyuk on the back of his mind. Then 50 minutes after. ¡°¡­¡± Rowling was surprised again by a person who had walked up to him. ¡®Again? How¡­¡¯ The man from 50 minutes ago. That Soo Hyuk had returned in lightning speed again. ¡°Here you go.¡± Soo Hyuk was holding out his mercenary token. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me he completed another mission?¡¯ People only came up to the 2nd floor for one reason only. The completion of a mission. Rowling received Soo Hyuk¡¯s token with a flustered face. ¡®Crazy!¡¯ When Rowling looked at the records on the token, he couldn¡¯t help but scream inside. ¡®He hunted 50 ogres?!¡¯ The records clearly showed that he had received a mission about hunting ogres. Ogres weren¡¯t weak in any way. With their powerful physique, even hunting one was difficult. But this man had just set a record for fastest time to hunt 50 ogres. ¡®Not even 1 hour!¡¯ Hunting 50 ogres was hard in itself, but doing it in under an hour? This Soo Hyuk was definitely not at the standard of an E-rank. When his soul was about to escape from his mouth, ¡°Did you finish?¡± Soo Hyuk asked. ¡°Y-yes, could you please wait a moment?¡± Rowling hurriedly returned his token and reward. When Soo Hyuk received them, he stood up and walked down to the 1st floor just like before. ¡®Don¡¯t tell he¡¯s going to come again?¡¯ Rowling muttered as he stared at the disappearing figure. He had a bad feeling about this. Then 1 hour later, his hunch came true. ¡°Here you go.¡± Soo Hyuk, who was still nonchalantly handing him his token. At such a man, Rowling couldn¡¯t do anything but stare with his jaws on the floor. Chapter 71 - Missions Translator: MagicFishCat Proof-reader: Asada [You have completed the quest ¡®Troll Subjugation¡¯.] [You now have the qualification to rank up.] [You can now attempt a promotion mission.] Soo Hyuk thought as he stared at the notifications. [TL: system messages will be notifications and notification window from now on.] ¡®That was faster than I thought.¡¯ He had only done 3 missions. ¡®I expected at least 10.¡¯ When he had researched into the mercenary system, he found that although it differed with the difficulty, it took users around 10 missions to be able to ascend into D-rank. ¡®Is it because I was quick?¡¯ He had only completed 3 missions. There was too much of a difference, so he tried to think of possibilities. ¡°Next person.¡± Soon, it was Soo Hyuk¡¯s turn so he snapped out of his thoughts and sat down on the chair. Then while handing the mercenary token, he said, ¡°I want to see the promotion missions.¡± [TL: Ranked missions will be changed to promotion missions because it makes more sense.] At Soo Hyuk¡¯s request, the NPC took his token and gave him the promotion mission catalogue. Meanwhile, Soo Hyuk received the catalogue from the NPC and immediately started flpping through it. -Havik Orc Village Extermination Rewards: 1000 gold Time limit: 1 week -Twin Headed Ogre Katuru Subjugation Rewards: 500 gold, 2000 Hadrac Contribution Points Time Limit: None -Sage Hadila¡¯s Request Rewards: Hadila¡¯s Robe Like that, Soo Hyuk flicked through all the missions before coming back to the first page. ¡®The village extermination looks okay.¡¯ Most of the missions were either defeating boss-grade monsters or completing requests from various NPCs. The boss hunts were popular amongst the users however, it took time to even find the around the vast wilderness outside Hadrac. In other words, there was a likely chance that they could take a long amount of time to complete. Meanwhile, NPC requests weren¡¯t safe either. Since he didn¡¯t know what kind of request they were going to make, it was all up to luck. He wasn¡¯t willing to take that chance. ¡®Looking at the title, it could contain a map.¡¯ The first mission ¡®Orc Vilage Extermination¡¯ clearly stated that it was the Hevik Villgae that was to be exterminated, and quests like these usually included a map. Making his decision, Soo Hyuk returned the catalogue and said, ¡°I want to select the first mission.¡± [You have selected the quest ¡®Havik Orc Village Extermination¡¯.] [You have acquired a map of Havik.] He thought as he looked at the notifications. ¡®As expected.¡¯ There was a map included in the quest information. Soo Hyuk then got back his token and stood up from his seat. He then exited the Mercenary Agency and opened his inventory and quest window. He wanted to check the information on his new quest. [Orc Village Extermination] Near the Kamian Mountains is a town called Toria. Recently, orcs have been invading Toria and the town has been suffering serious damage. Investigations showed that they were Havik Orcs. Exterminate the Havik Orc Village and reduce the number of orcs! [Havik Orcs: 0 / 500 ] [Havik Orc Chief Karashi: 0 / 1 ] [Time Left: 7 days] [Quest Reward: 1000 gold] . . . [Havik Orc Village Map] A map showing the location of Havik in the Kamain Mountains. After checking the quest, he closed the quest window and took out the map from his inventory. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ The map only showed two things: the entrance of the Kamian Mountains and the location of the orc village. Soo Hyuk carefully looked over the map, then put it back in his inventory as he started heading to the Kamain Mountains. ¡®What? That user?¡¯ Koma Guild¡¯s scouter Roa stared at a young man with confusion. ¡®Wasn¡¯t he here just a moment ago?¡¯ That user had just been here an hour age. ¡®He definitely left after getting a mission.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t seen wrong. Roa had been observing him with interest because he didn¡¯t belong to a guild, and he had clearly left an hour ago. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me he completed one in that short amount of time?¡¯ Roa attentively watched the young man. Not long after, the man stood up from his seat and exited the agency. Roa quickly chased after him. ¡®¡­Map?¡¯ The young man was looking at a map outside the agency. ¡®Did he get it from his mission?¡¯ What kind of map was it? Did it have something to do with a mission? ¡®That means it¡¯s not a normal mission¡­¡¯ Of course, it could be completely unrelated to a mission, but what if it was? Question marks kept appearing on his head. ¡®Should I follow him?¡¯ At that moment, the young man started walking. ¡®Yeah, I can recommend him into our guild.¡¯ The man wasn¡¯t in a guild, as shown by his lack of guild mark. After pondering briefly, Roa decided to follow the man. When he arrived at the Kamain Mountains, Soo Hyuk took out his map again. ¡®So I have to go that way.¡¯ Soo Hyuk walked around the mountains as he followed the map. His destination was the Havik Village. The further he walked, the less users he could spot around him. ¡°Poison Sphere.¡± ¡°Firebolt.¡± ¡°Fireball.¡± Meanwhile, the number of encounters with orcs were increasing. When he was trekking through the undergrowth, Crack! The sound of a tree branch breaking came from behind. ¡°¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk quickly turned his head around and tilted his head. ¡®What was that?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t see anything unusual. ¡®I definitely heard a sound. Did I just hear wrong?¡¯ What was that sound? Raising his caution, Soo Hyuk turned around and continued on his way. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Then after a few minutes, he stopped again. ¡®Did I arrive already?¡¯ A crude barricade entered his sight. Had he arrived at the village? To answer his own question, Soo Hyuk took out the map again. [TL: the map doesn¡¯t track your own location.] ¡®It looks like the mountains are smaller than I thought.¡¯ He had expected his trek to take some time, but he had arrived before he knew it. It was then. -Chueek! ¡°Magic Missile.¡± At the orc¡¯s sudden appearance, Soo Hyuk reflexively fired a magic missile at it. As the orc was blasted away into oblivion, he checked his quest progress. [Orc Village Extermination] Near the Kamian Mountains is a town called Toria. Recently, orcs have been invading Toria and the town has been suffering serious damage. Investigations showed that they were Havik Orcs. Exterminate the Havik Orc Village and reduce the number of orcs! [Havik Orcs: 0 / 500 ] [Havik Orc Chief Karashi: 0 / 1 ] [Time Left: 7 days] [Quest Reward: 1000 gold] ¡°¡­¡± Soo Hyuk was left flustered at his situation. ¡®Ah.¡¯ The orc had died, and even dropped a tendon. But why was the count still 0, not 1? ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk frowned as a thought struck him. ¡®This isn¡¯t the village?¡¯ The orcs he had to hunt weren¡¯t any orcs. They were Havic orcs that were only found near their village. As for this orc, they definitely weren¡¯t Havic orcs. ¡®I knew it!¡¯ The fact that an orc this near a village wasn¡¯t a Havic orc meant that the village in front of him was the wrong village. ¡®I thought it was too fast.¡¯ He then started walking towards the unknown village. ¡®Well since I¡¯m here,¡¯ The orcs in the Kamain Mountains were around level 100-130. In other words, it was a very good hunting area for him currently. Deciding to clean up this village, Soo Hyuk walked past the entrance into the village and quietly muttered, ¡°Poison Storm.¡± Chuuuaak! -Chueek! -Hu¡­Kuaack! The orcs that had been running towards Soo Hyuk screamed in pain as the poison gas swept towards them. As they dropped like flies, his drops started rapidly increasing. ¡®¡­Sun Orcs?¡¯ Soo Hyuk cocked his head when he looked at the drop window. One of the words that caught his eye was the name ¡®Sun Orc¡¯. ¡®Wasn¡¯t there Sun Orcs near Matab as well?¡¯ He remembered hunting them in the Bulam Mountains when he was staying at Matab. ¡®Well, they¡¯re not rare monsters.¡¯ Orcs were one of the most common monsters, unlike epic monsters like dragons or demons. There was no reason that they couldn¡¯t appear near Hadrac as well. ¡®When¡¯s the boss going to appear? Will the name be different as well?¡¯ He wondered as he stared at the dying orcs while waiting for the chief. Just when he finished the thought, -Chueek! Intruder! [Warning!] [Chief of the Sun Tribe, Koren has appeared!] The awaited notifications appeared as the chieftain entered his eyes. ¡®The names are a bit different.¡¯ The Sun Tribe Chief near Matab was called Talon, so the tribe names were the same while the boss names were different. Soo Hyuk turned to face the charging chieftain while Koren howled with rage. A few seconds later¡­ [Chief of the Sun Tribe, Koren has been defeated.] [Sun Orcs will be confused for 10 minutes.] [While confused, Sun Orcs¡¯ attack will increase by 50%.] [While confused, Sun Orcs¡¯ defense will decrease by 50%.] Soo Hyuk was lost for words as he stared at the notification window. ¡®Already?¡¯ He had been prepared to fire a few more spells, but Koren had died pathetically from poison storm and a magic missile. And while he was checking his drops¡­ ¡®This crazy!¡­¡¯ Roa was also lost for words as he recalled what had happened. ¡®What village.¡¯ The place he had arrived by following the young man was the Kamain Mountains. After a whole lot of walking around and checking his map, the young man had arrived at an orc village. When he quietly followed him into the village, he saw it. The orcs instantly disappearing around him. [Warning!] [Chief of the Sun Tribe, Koren has appeared!] [Chief of the Sun Tribe, Koren has been defeated.] [Sun Orcs will be confused for 10 minutes.] [While confused, Sun Orcs¡¯ attack will increase by 50%.] [While confused, Sun Orcs¡¯ defense will decrease by 50%.] The boss orc was no different from orc mobs. There hadn¡¯t been any noticeable difference when the boss and a random mob died. ¡®Was poison storm always that strong?¡¯ Roa, who saw the notifications, looked around at the rolling green gas and thought, ¡®This is a dog scam.¡¯ Poison storm wasn¡¯t commonly seen, because to be able to cast it, users had to be of sufficient level, but also a poison magician. ¡®This speed is unbelievable.¡¯ The village quietened as all the orcs were massacred. Roa looked around at the now desolate village then followed the young man outside the village. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Outside the village, Roa saw the young man look at his map again. ¡®Wasn¡¯t this his destination?¡¯ He had assumed that the previous village was this man¡¯s destination, but it seemed he was wrong, as the young man had pulled out his map. ¡®Should I keep following him?¡¯ Roa, who had already wasted a lot of time, pondered. Follow him or not? ¡®Yeah, I went this far already.¡¯ He came to a decision quickly. ¡®I haven¡¯t talked to him about a guild yet either.¡¯ The reason he followed this mysterious man all the way to the mountains wasn¡¯t just because he was intrigued by him. He originally also had another even bigger aim, which was to recruit him into his guild. ¡®I¡¯m more curious as to where he¡¯s going now.¡¯ But that was the story before he saw the poison storm. Now, he was more interested in finding out who this mysterious young man was and where he¡¯s going. ¡®If it¡¯s a dungeon¡­¡¯ Keeping his fingers crossed, Roa hastily followed after the young man¡¯s retreating back. Chapter 72 - Missions 2 Proof-reader: Girondono Soo Hyuk stared at his quest with a satisfied expression. [Orc Village Extermination] Near the Kamian Mountains is a town called Toria. Recently, orcs have been invading Toria and the town has been suffering serious damage. Investigations showed that they were Havik Orcs. Exterminate the Havik Orc Village and reduce the number of orcs! [Havik Orcs: 1 / 500 ] [Havik Orc Chief Karashi: 0 / 1 ] [Time Left: 7 days] [Quest Reward: 1000 gold] He had finally arrived at his destination. Soo Hyuk stared at the count which had turned from 0 to 1. A short distance away from him, was the Havik village. It was very clean and orderly, unlike the messy, crowded Sun village. Of course, the difficulty didn¡¯t matter to him, what mattered was that the entrance was right in front of him. Staring at the village, Soo Hyuk marched right into the village and muttered, ¡°Firestorm.¡± He cast Firestorm as soon as he walked past the gates. A massive flaming tornado appeared as Soo Hyuk checked his quest. The original 1 was rapidly climbing higher. -Chueek! -Kuaark! While staring at the burning corpses of orcs, he wondered, ¡®When is the boss coming out?¡¯ Apart from killing 500 Havik orcs, the quest also required him to defeat the chieftain, Karashi. -Kueek! Intruder! At that moment. There was a loud roar from his back. [Warning!] [Chieftain of the Havik Tribe, Karashi has appeared.] It was the appearance of the boss monster Karashi. The moment he read the notification, Soo Hyuk turned around quickly and faced the entrance, where Karashi was passing right now. Staring at the Havik Chieftain, he opened his mouth. ¡°Poison Storm.¡± [You have attacked user ¡®Roa¡¯.] [You have entered an ¡®enemy¡¯ state with user ¡®Roa¡¯.] [Your infamy score rises.] An unexpected notification appeared when he cast Poison Storm. ¡°¡­?¡± When he read the notifications, a frown emerged on his face. ¡®What is this¡­¡¯ Unlike Firestorm, the effect range of Poison Storm wasn¡¯t very big. His proficiency was a factor, but it was also designed like that. Because of that, he could be sure. Sure the only ¡®person¡¯ inside the Poison Storm was Karashi. ¡®It¡¯s not a bug.¡¯ Receiving a notification meant that he had definitely attacked them. ¡®Did they log in at that exact moment?¡¯ That was the first thing he thought of. ¡®No, there weren¡¯t any visual spawn effects inside.¡¯ When people logged on, there would be a brief sparkle around them, and Soo Hyuk hadn¡¯t seen any in his Poison Storm. ¡®Rather, why would anyone log out here?¡¯ There weren¡¯t any safe zones around the village, which was crawling with monsters. Who in their right mind would want to log in and be surrounded by monsters? ¡®Then is he hidden?¡¯ The second thing he thought of was that Roa was hiding near where Karashi was. Unlike the log-in theory, this was quite plausible. [Chieftain of the Havik Tribe, Karashi has been defeated.] [Havik Orcs will be frightened for 10 minutes.] [Havik Orcs¡¯ defense will increase by 200% for 10 minutes.] [Havik Orcs will not attack for 10 minutes.] And so, while Soo Hyuk was locked in thought, the struggling Karashi was killed by the poisonous gas. Then when the drop window appeared in front of him, he pushed Roa to the back of his mind. There was a new piece of equipment shown in the window. -Wind Orc¡¯s Cloak ¡®Cloak?¡¯ The new equipment was a cloak, which were one of the rarest equipment drops. Soo Hyuk collected all the drops in the drop window then checked the cloak¡¯s information. [Wind Orc¡¯s Cloak] Restrictions: None Defense: 100 Special Effects: 10% chance to increase all speed by 20% after an attack. Soo Hyuk was surprised when he read the item information. He had only wanted to finish a mission, yet he had gotten a cloak, and one with excellent options at that. Well, he had killed a boss monster over level 100 alone, so it couldn¡¯t have been bad. Soo Hyuk equipped the cloak and checked his quest. ¡¯73 orcs left¡­¡¯ He had completed the second condition by killing Karashi, but not the first. Of course, the count was still steadily climbing, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about that. After glancing at the Firestorm still wreaking havoc, Soo Hyuk turned around and started walking to the lingering Poison Storm. ¡®Are they dead?¡¯ It was to check for Roa¡¯s body. He couldn¡¯t easily tell if Roa had died or not, since the system only showed when you attacked someone, and his sight was hindered by the green gas. ¡®They would¡¯ve already ran if they survived.¡¯ There wouldn¡¯t be a corpse inside the storm if they survived. ¡®This is Karashi.¡¯ Karashi¡¯s corpse entered his eyes as Soo Hyuk moved through the poison storm. But that wasn¡¯t the only thing he found. When Soo Hyuk looked around from Karashi¡¯s corpse, there was another body. On the corpse¡¯s head was an unfamiliar face. ¡®He¡¯s not in the Demon Guild.¡¯ He thought as he moved his eyes up to his forehead. On his forehead, was also another unfamiliar guild. As he moved his eyes to inspect other features, he frowned. ¡®Why was he here?¡¯ There was no way of knowing why Roa was here. Everything was just deduction at this point. ¡®How annoying.¡¯ To be honest, he wasn¡¯t interested in why Roa was here. There was no point, however that didn¡¯t change the fact that his infamy score had risen. Of course, the amount gained from killing one user wasn¡¯t enough to affect him, unlike NPCs. ¡®Now, what did he drop?¡¯ Soo Hyuk wondered as stretched his hand to search the body. ¡®Is it going to be japtem again?¡¯ When he was massacring the Demon Guild, the amount of equipment that had dropped could be counted with one¡¯s fingers. It was because a majority of them were japtems. Therefore, the probability of Roa dropping a japtem was very high. So when he flipped Roa¡¯s body over¡­ ¡®¡­Scroll?¡¯ He found a scroll lying on the ground. ¡®Well, it¡¯s better than a japtem.¡¯ He had yet to see what kind of scroll it was, but it would definitely be better than some japtem. And so, Soo Hyuk grabbed the scroll and stored it in his inventory. [You have acquired Secret Map of Hadrac¡¯s Underground.] A notification appeared. ¡°¡­¡± When Soo Hyuk learned the name of the scroll, he cocked his head in confusion. ¡®A secret underground?¡¯ The scroll turned out to be a map. ??? ????? ?? ? ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ???? ??? ?? ?? ???. He immediately checked its information. [Secret Map of Hadrac¡¯s Underground.] A secret map of Hadrac¡¯s Underground. Countless mercenaries lost their lives mapping the underground. The information was short, but concise. When he opened the map, there was the words ¡®Hadrac Underground Sewers¡¯ with numerous red dots scattered around the map. ¡®This doesn¡¯t seem to be a normal place¡­¡¯ The secret map¡¯s rarity was heroic, and the information said that countless mercenaries lost their lives in there. It was bound to be a dangerous place. ¡®Should I go?¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but be tempted at the prospect, but soon shook his head. ¡®No, first,¡¯ He thought as he nodded. ¡®The library.¡¯ Although he was curious, reading was more important. Soo Hyuk closed the map and opened his quest, which had filled to 500 in the meantime. Soo Hyuk closed his quest window and stared at the now desolate village. All the orcs had been exterminated. He then pressed [COLLECT] in the drop window and muttered, ¡°Archmage¡¯s Subspace.¡± * * * Kim Young Chun was silent as he climbed out of his capsule. There were no orcs around him now. Looking around his room, he couldn¡¯t help but think of the name of the person who killed him. ¡®Soo Hyuk¡­¡¯ The notification said that his name was Soo Hyuk. ¡®That Soo Hyuk?¡¯ Kim Young Chun knew about him. More precisely, there was no one in Hadrac that didn¡¯t know of him. ¡®The Demon Hunter Soo Hyuk?¡¯ After he climbed out of his capsule, Kim Young Chun sat down in front of his computer while shivering. He then went to the official homepage and started searching about Soo Hyuk. Title: Crazy, Soo Hyuk is beating up the Demon Guild! [27] Title: Soo Hyuk is a fire and poison magician? [3] Title: What level is Soo Hyuk? His poison magic is so strong! [5] Countless posts appeared at the search. ¡®He was definitely a fire and poison magician.¡¯ Kim Young Chun confirmed as he read through the posts. ¡®Crazy. He was the Demon Hunter!¡¯ He was now positive that the young man had been the Demon Hunter Soo Hyuk. ¡®Then I¡¯ve gotten an unbelievable piece of information!¡¯ The Demon Hunter was also famous for his face being unknown, but now Kim Young Chun knew his face. Just this could be counted as an enormous harvest. ¡®Should I approach him naturally?¡¯ He was now thinking of ways to approach him. ¡®No, he should also know my ID as well.¡¯ He shook his head. ¡®He would¡¯ve also seen my body.¡¯ Since his corpse was still visible, he should assume that Soo Hyuk know his face. ¡®First, I have to tell the guild master.¡¯ Koma Guild¡¯s master Kaian also had immense interest in Soo Hyuk. He wondered what sort of reaction Kaian would show when he told him about this incident. ¡®How much should I ask for?¡¯ He was excited at the gold he would received as well. Seok. After browsing through a few more posts, Kim Young Chun got up from his seat, and thought as he stared at the capsule. ¡®How should I pass the 24 hours?¡¯ The Next Day. The alarm rang as Kim Young Chun hurriedly got ready and logged on the Pangea. ¡®First the stats¡­¡¯ The first thing he did was to check his stats. ¡®Phew, it was wisdom.¡¯ The most useless wisdom had fallen. After checking his stat, Roa then opened his inventor, He had to check which item had dropped next. ¡°¡­¡± He froze up as he looked at his inventory. With a panicked light, he double, triple-checked the inventory, however¡­ ¡°Why¡­¡± There was a gaping hole in one slot. ¡°No, why this¡­¡± The item that had the more value than any of his items. ¡°F*ck, ahhhhh!¡¯ Chapter 73 - Kaian and Roa ¡°Argh! why!?¡± Why did this drop instead of hundred other items? ¡°Hmm? Why are you here?¡± It was then. ¡°Did you die?¡± At the familiar voice, Roa suppressed his grief and turned around. ¡°Hmm? Why is the guild master here?¡± The owner of the voice was the leader of the Koma Guild, Kaian. ¡°What, I was just looking around the guild house.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°But why are you here? Did you really die?¡± Kaian asked. ¡°Yes, I died.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Roa faltered with a conflicted expression. How should he explain this? ¡°Um, I have a good piece of news and a bad piece of news.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Kaian was caught off-guard by his unexpected expression. What was he saying after he just died? ¡°So which one do you want to hear first?¡± Kaian then fell into thought at Roa¡¯s words. ¡®Well, hearing the bad news first is better.¡¯ With the mindset that the good news would cheer him up afterwards, Kaian opened his mouth. ¡°The bad news.¡± ¡°I dropped the map.¡± ¡°¡­The map?¡± Kaian felt his mind go blank. If it was what he was thinking¡­ ¡°That map!?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Kaian was lost for words. He just continued to stare at Roa. After a few seconds, he came back to himself and said while sighing. ¡°Haa¡­It¡¯s okay. We already went in, so we know. That the map isn¡¯t that big of a help.¡± However, that didn¡¯t mean it was useless, but they would just have to deal with it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. But how did you die? Was it those Demon bastards again?¡± ¡°Yes, I was PKed. No, more exactly, I was following someone before getting swept up in magic.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean? Follow? Who?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the good news.¡± Roa smiled at Kaian¡¯s question and answered, ¡°I found Soo Hyuk-nim.¡± ¡°Soo Hyuk-nim? The Soo Hyuk?¡± ¡°Yes, the person you were searching for, the Demon Hunter Soo Hyuk. I even remembered his face.¡± At Roa¡¯s answer, Kaian momentarily forgot about the map. Roa had managed to see Soo Hyuk¡¯s face! ¡°How did you do it?¡± He didn¡¯t know about the other areas, but in Hadrac Soo Hyuk was the most famous person currently. ¡°Soo Hyuk-nim was the one who killed me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°There was a promising person at the agency, so I followed him to see his skills. But I was killed by an AOE magic. Then I dropped the map.¡± Kaian bit his lip as he thought, ¡®It is a good thing that he found Soo Hyuk-nim¡­¡¯ The Koma Guild had been a constant victim of the Demon Guild, so when Soo Hyuk appeared, they became his instant fans. After the incident, they started to gather information with an aim to form a friendly relationship with him. ¡®But how would he feel¡­¡¯ The problem was about how Soo Hyuk felt about the Koma Guild. He might feel indifferent towards them, but he could also be unfriendly, considering they tailed him. Roa had died to Soo Hyuk, but he had been basically asking for it. ¡®Then is this a good thing or not?¡¯ Kaian wondered if he should call this situation a boon or misfortune. Roa, oblivious to his thoughts, continued to ramble. ¡°The map should be in Soo Hyuk-nim¡¯s hands right now.¡± A notification should¡¯ve appeared to Soo Hyuk like how it appeared to him. That meant that he would¡¯ve definitely checked his body and gotten the map. ¡°And if you wait at the agency, you should be able to meet him.¡± ¡°The Mercenary Agency?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s where I first spotted him.¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡± Kaian mumbled quietly. ¡°Now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kaian was already heading to the exit as he spoke. ¡°Apologise for following him and give up the map. No, it¡¯s a good thing he has the map. You remember his face, right?¡± * * * [You have completed the quest ¡®Twin Headed Ogre, the Truth of the Rumour.¡¯] [You now have the qualification to be promoted.] [You can now attempt a promotion mission.] Soo Hyuk smiled as he read through the notifications. ¡®I¡¯m finally a C-rank.¡¯ C-rank was only a step away, in the form of a promotion mission. ¡®At this speed, I can quickly become an A-rank.¡¯ Out of the users that posted in the Pangea homepage, the fastest person to achieve A-rank had taken 1 month, but Soo Hyuk felt like he could be faster. ¡®I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to be a B-rank by today.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t even a C-rank yet; he had just gotten the qualification to attempt the promotion missions. To achieve B-rank, you needed to complete more harder mission than the C-rank. Although he wasn¡¯t sure, he suspected he had to complete around 10 missions. No matter how fast he was, completing 10 mission in 1 day was impossible. The main reason was the travel distance. ¡°Here you go.¡± Soo Hyuk was pulled out of his thoughts when the NPC held out a box containing the rewards. Then after receiving his token and reward, he descended to the 1st floor. ¡®But if I continue with this crazy speed, then maybe¡­¡¯ From F-rank to D-rank in 1 day. If he considered the fact that this normally took 10 days, then he just might be able to do it. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ When Soo Hyuk arrived at the 1st floor, his steps stopped as he noticed a user. ¡®Isn¡¯t that person the user from yesterday?¡¯ There was a familiar face in the crowds. ¡®He looks about the same.¡¯ The man who had been killed accidently. He had memorised his face in case of a potential problem, so he could be sure. That man was Roa. At that moment. His eyes met with Roa¡¯s. As Soo Hyuk stared at him, he thought. A PK was a PK. Plus, Roa had even left him a heroic grade map. ¡°¡­¡± When he watched Roa for his reaction, to his surprise Roa had politely greeted him while bowing. ¡®Was it towards me?¡¯ Thinking that Roa¡¯s greeting had been towards someone else, Soo Hyuk looked around ,but there weren¡¯t any users around him. ¡®Why?¡¯ Why was Roa, who he PKed, greeting him so politely? Question marks started appearing around his head. ¡®And who¡¯s that?¡¯ Roa wasn¡¯t alone either. There was another man standing next him with the same guild mark above his head. ¡®What are they talking about?¡¯ After greeting him, Roa had turned to the man and started talking. ¡®They look like they¡¯re talking about me¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t hear their conversation, but he still noticed they brief glances towards him as they talked. From this, he assumed that they were talking about him. ¡®Are they planning revenge¡­! Wait, but what was that previous bow then?¡¯ When he considered the possibility of revenge, the previous box caught his mind. Why bow towards him before revenge? Step. Step. As if their talk had concluded, Roa and the unknown started approaching. As he stared at their nearing figures, he thought, ¡®They won¡¯t attack me here.¡¯ Assaulting someone inside the Mercenary Agency? It didn¡¯t make sense. Plus, even if he had gained a bit of infamy, it was a negligible amount, not enough to warrant an attack. ¡®But you never know,¡¯ Nothing was certain in this world. There were always people like Adilo. As he prepared against a possible attack, Roa and the unknown man had arrived in front of him. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± The unknown man then politely greeted him first. ¡°Ah, hello.¡± Soo Hyuk returned the greeting politely as well. ¡°I¡¯m Kaian, the Koma Guild¡¯s master.¡± His identity was a guild master. ¡°Do you some time?¡± Kaian asked in the same polite manner. ¡®What¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he listened to Kaian. ¡®This isn¡¯t the atmosphere I expected?¡¯ He had been caught off-guard when Kaian had greeted him. Their approach was too soft. No hostility could be felt. ¡°Um, do you need anything?¡± Soo Hyuk asked Kaian, his words blurring. ¡°First, I want to apologise.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Soo Hyuk¡¯s mind was thrown into confusion at another curveball. ¡®Apologise?¡¯ What? Why? It was completely out of the blue. ¡°Roa, my friend had no ill intentions when he followed you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Soo Hyuk ohed in realisation. ¡®So he was following me.¡¯ He had been wondering why Roa had been so near him, and now he found out. ¡®But did they wait here just to apologise to me?¡¯ Soo Hyuk stared at Kaian as he thought. Coming to the Mercenary Agency just to apologise? ¡®No, they didn¡¯t know I was going to be here.¡¯ How would they know if he was here or not? It didn¡¯t make sense. There was no way a guild master would personally wait for him, who might¡¯ve not shown up all day. ¡°Also¡­¡± Kaian continued, ¡°I¡¯m a fan.¡± ¡°¡­Eh?¡± Soo Hyuk was sucked out his thoughts at yet another curveball. ¡®Fan?¡¯ It was completely unexpected. ¡®This person¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk stared suspiciously at Kaian. Meanwhile, Kaian was now staring at him with shining eyes, much like an actual fan. ¡°How you dealt with the Demon Guild, I fully support you.¡± Kaian whispered after he made sure no one was around them. ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± ¡°Yes, our guild was also bullied by them, so our hearts were like ¡®cheng!¡¯ because of your work. You were brilliant. Kaian¡¯s mouth was slowly forming a smile as he talked on. ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± Kaian then stared at Soo Hyuk with sparkling eyes. ¡°Can we be friends?¡± * * * ¡°Ei, don¡¯t lie.¡± Roa retorted. But Kaian shook his head in response. ¡°It was real. He was level 110.¡± The topic of their conversation. ¡°He beat up the Demon Guild, but his level is that low?¡± It was Soo Hyuk¡¯s level. ¡°Even if he is a double magician, 110 doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡± He was the Demon Hunter Soo Hyuk. They could understand if the Demon Guild members were below level 50, but the Demon Guild were level 180~250 on average. Level 110? It was impossible even if he was a double magician. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t you have to be over level 110 to learn Poison Storm?¡± Roa asked as he realised. Soo Hyuk had used Poison Storm, but Poison Storm was impossible to learn at level 110. ¡°I¡¯m curious about that as well. Was it really Poison Storm?¡± ¡°Yes! I died to it! Is he actually level 110?¡± ¡°Yep. 110.¡± ¡°Wah¡­¡± Roa murmured at Kaian¡¯s answer. He then opened his mouth again. ¡°Then won¡¯t Soo Hyuk-nim struggle in the underground?¡± Hadrac¡¯s Underground Sewers. The monsters were incomparable to the ones above ground. It was to the point where if the entire Koma Guild raided it, they would be all wiped out without fail. Kaian had originally planned to ask for help since So Hyuk had the map now, but his level was 110. He did play with the Demon Guild, but could he do the same with Hadrac¡¯s Sewers? ¡°No, it¡¯s possible for Soo Hyuk-nim. Levels are important but not that important.¡± Kaian denied Roa with a shake of his head. ¡°Plus, we only have 50 days left. Do you think we can succeed in that time?¡± The reason they needed to raid the underground, was because of a quest. And it wasn¡¯t a normal quest, it was a S-rank guild special quest. The quest also had a time limit. There were only 50 days left, and even if they focused on levelling, it would still be impossible. ¡°It¡¯s not something to worry about now.¡± What they had to worry about was if they could succeed with Soo Hyuk¡¯s strength or not. However, that wasn¡¯t the most important matter. ¡°Soo Hyuk-nim could also decline to help.¡± Soo Hyuk¡¯s consent was the most important. ¡°That is correct. So when are you going to ask him?¡± Roa asked. ¡°¡­¡± Kaian paused to collect his thoughts, then decided, ¡°Strike while the iron is hot. Let¡¯s ask now.¡± Chapter 74 - Crimson Marble ¡°Now?¡± ¡°Yes. He also has the map after all.¡± Kaian fell in thought after replying to Roa. ¡®How should I say it?¡¯ How would he explain this situation? ¡®Okay.¡¯ Steeling himself, Kaian sent a message to Soo Hyuk. -Kaian: Soo Hyuk-nim! -Soo Hyuk: Yes? Soo Hyuk¡¯s reply a few moments later, and Kaian started to carefully construct his story. * * * [Romian¡¯s Request.] One of the three temples of Hadrac, Copine Temple. As its head, Romian had been plagued with a worry recently, however, the topic was too sensitive to expose easily. Solve Romian¡¯s worry. [Romain¡¯s mission confirmation: 0 / 1 ] [Quest Reward: 2500 gold, Romian¡¯s Recommendation] Soo Hyuk looked at the quest as he strolled towards the Copine Temple ¡®I hope the request doesn¡¯t take a long time¡­¡¯ The quest ¡®Romian¡¯s Request¡¯ was a promotion quest, and it was one of the mystery request types. Originally, he didn¡¯t have any plans to attempt this kind of request quests, but for some reason, these were the only kind of quest in the mission catalogue. So left without choice, Soo Hyuk had ended up picking ¡®Romian¡¯s Request¡¯. At that moment. -Kaian: Soo Hyuk-nim! He received a message from Kaian. -Soo Hyuk: Yes? Soo Hyuk closed his quest window after replying to Kaian. Then not long after, Kaian sent another message. Kaian: I have a proposition that I hope you can listen to. -Soo Hyuk: A proposition? It hadn¡¯t been long since they separated, and they had finished all their business. But then a sudden proposition out of nowhere? -Kaian: Yes. -Soo Hyuk: You can tell me. -Kaian: We received a mission from the agency about the underground sewers. It¡¯s not a solo quest, it¡¯s a guild quest. ¡®Underground sewers¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk opened his inventory. He then took out item no.4, the ¡®Secret Map of Hadrac¡¯s Underground¡¯. Shown on the map, was Hadrac¡¯s underground sewers. ¡®Is he telling me to give back the map?¡¯ Perhaps he was asking for the map. ¡®No, he just said that I could keep it.¡¯ During his talk with Kaian, Soo Hyuk decided to return the map. So, he told them that he would return it, but Kaian had refused. In other words, unless they were going back on their words, this suggestion was not about the map. -Kaian: But the difficulty is too high, so it¡¯s impossible for us to complete it. We still have some time left, but it¡¯s not enough to get stronger. However, I believe that the quest will be possible with Soo Hyuk-nim¡¯s help, so I ended up contacting you like this. Soo Hyuk figured out Kaian¡¯s intentions from this text. He wanted his help in a raid on the underground sewers. However¡­ -Soo Hyuk: I¡¯m sorry. He didn¡¯t accept the proposition. -Soo Hyuk: I have something urgent on right now. His plan was too climb to A-rank without rest. Of course, if someone like Yeon Jung had needed his help, then he would¡¯ve gladly helped. But it hadn¡¯t even been a day since he met Kaian, so he wasn¡¯t familiar enough with him yet -Kaian: Ah, I see. -Soo Hyuk: I¡¯m sorry. Kaian: No, it¡¯s nothing! Rather, it¡¯s you who¡¯s been inconvenienced by us, so I should be the one who¡¯s sorry. -Kaian: If you want to reconsider the offer, then please contact me! -Soo Hyuk: Of course. -Kaian: Have fun! -Soo Hyuk: You too! And as he ended his chat with Kaian, he arrived at the Copine Temple. ¡°Hello.¡± Soo Hyuk approached and greeted the guard guarding the entrance. ¡°Welcome!¡± The guard replied with a booming voice. After exchanging greetings, Soo Hyuk cut straight to the point. ¡°I¡¯m here to see Romian-nim.¡± ¡°Do you mean the head?¡± ¡°Yes, could you please tell him that I was sent from the Mercenary Agency?¡± ¡°Ah, I see. I will, so could you please wait at the reception room?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Soo Hyuk entered the reception room after his conversation. As expected of a temple, many people were waiting around in the reception or waiting for someone. [TL: Like churches in the western society.] Creak. A few minutes later, the previous guard and an unfamiliar person entered the room. They then both approached where Soo Hyuk was sitting. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Romian.¡± As expected, the man was Romian. ¡°I heard that you came from the Mercenary Agency, is that right?¡± At Romian¡¯s question, Soo Hyuk opened his inventory and took out his certification sent by the Mercenary Agency. ¡°Yes, here.¡± ¡°Ah, so you are.¡± When he received the certification, Romian cautiously looked around him, then faced Soo Hyuk again. ¡°First, shall we go to my room? My matter is a bit too sensitive to tell here¡­¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Soo Hyuk stood up from his seat and followed Romain outside the reception to his room. ¡°I have 2 requests.¡± Romian spoke the moment he stepped in the room. ¡®2 requests?¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t believe his ears. 2 requests? The mission had clearly stated that the was only 1 request. ¡°My first request is this.¡± Romian continued as he held out a scroll of paper. ¡°There is a person called Ketan on the first peak of the Kamian Mountains. Send this to him.¡± [Romian¡¯s First Request] On the first peak of the Kamian Mountains, lives a person. Climb to the peak and give him the scroll! [Quest Reward: ??? ] When the quest appeared, Soo Hyuk thought to himself. ¡®Ah, how annoying.¡¯ The main reason Soo Hyuk had chosen ¡®Romian¡¯s Request¡¯ over other missions, was because it said a ¡®worry¡¯, not ¡®worries¡¯ or ¡®requests¡¯. ¡®I have to wait 3 days if I cancel.¡¯ But he had already started the quest, so if he gave up, he wouldn¡¯t be able to receive missions from the agency for 3 days. In other words, he had to choose. ¡®If it looks like the quest would take over 3 days, then I¡¯ll cancel.¡¯ Of course, he could be able to complete Romian¡¯s requests within 3 days. Deciding to first wait and see, Soo Hyuk replied, ¡°I understand.¡± [You have accepted ¡®Romian¡¯s First Request¡¯.] ¡°The second request is,¡± Romian continued speaking at Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer while a notification appeared in front of Soo Hyuk. ¡°Inside Ketan¡¯s home should be a red marble. Bring that back. Ketan will store it in a box if you tell him.¡± [Romian¡¯s Second Request] Inside Ketan¡¯s home is a red marble. Store that marble in a box and bring it to Romian! [Quest Reward: Romian¡¯s mission confirmation] ¡®It¡¯s basically just one request.¡¯ Soo Hyuk smiled as he read the quest information. Fortunately, the requests were as good as one. ¡°I understand.¡± Soo Hyuk stored the scroll in inventory as he replied to Romian. [You have accepted ¡®Romian¡¯s Second Request¡¯.] [You have acquired ¡®Romian¡¯s Letter¡¯.] Then before he stood up, Soo Hyuk asked Romian a question. ¡°How will I know where the house is on the 1st peak?¡± The man who lived on the 1st peak, Ketan. However, the 1st peak wasn¡¯t small in anyway; in fact, it was very wide. It would definitely take him some time to search for a house. ¡°At the centre of the peak is a massive red tree. Ketan¡¯s home should be around 1km south of that tree.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you.¡± Soo Hyuk then stood up after hearing the reply. ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you next time.¡± The Kamain Mountains were located near Hadrac, so he should be able to complete this mission today. Soo Hyuk said goodbye to Romian and exited the room, heading to the Eastern Gates. * * * Ketan was silently staring at the tabletop. Shuaak. On the table, stood a crimson marble excluding a strange light. As he stared at the marble, Ketan muttered, ¡°To think that this was the key.¡± He had always suspected that this marble wasn¡¯t ordinary, because of the strange chill he got when he stared at the spot the marble was stored in. ¡°Mnn¡­¡± However, he had never thought that this was the key to ¡®that place¡¯. ¡°What¡¯s Romian going to do with this.¡± It was a too much for him to keep, as he would be killed if information about this marble became known. At that moment. Tap. Tap. Knocks rang throughout the small house. Ketan quickly turned around with surprise at the sudden knocks. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ Where Ketan was staying at currently shouldn¡¯t attract any visitors, yet he could tell that it was a person from the knocks. He also knew that it was Romian. Romian wouldn¡¯t need to knock. ¡°Is no one here?¡± A voice called out from the outside. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like anyone¡¯s here.¡± ¡®Two?¡¯ There wasn¡¯t only one visitor, there were two. ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°Well, our aim isn¡¯t to meet with the house owner.¡± ¡°Then just destroy it?¡± ¡°Hmm, should we? Maybe just the door. It could be in there.¡± Listening to the visitors¡¯ conversation, Ketan looked back at the red marble. It seemed to be their objective. It looked like the information on the marble was leaked somehow. Ketan quickly grabbed the red marble and hid it inside a secret space he had created inside the left wall. Bang! The moment the marble rolled into the secret space, the door exploded with a loud bang. Thinking that standing near the secret space could give it away, Ketan slowly shuffled sideways before the smoke cleared. ¡°Mmm?¡± ¡°He¡¯s here?¡± The two invaders exclaimed in surprise as they passed through the ruined doorway. One of them was a tall, muscular young man and other had a dwarf-like body. ¡°You wanna do it?¡± ¡°You do it. You said you¡¯re going to reset your infamy score soon.¡± Ketan thought as he stared at the two invaders. ¡®They want to kill me.¡¯ Looking at the atmosphere, it looked like they weren¡¯t going to back away nicely. ¡°Excuse me.¡± The man with the dwarf body spoke. ¡°The red marble? Where is it. The key to the Phantom Celta¡¯s secret cave!¡± As expected, their aim was the red marble. ¡°A red marble? Who the heck are you guys?¡± However, as giving up the marble wouldn¡¯t change his fate in anyway, Ketan pretended to not know about it and asked in an irritated manner. ¡°Ei, right, right. There no way he¡¯s going to tell us.¡± ¡°Hey, finish it quickly. We have more places to go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± In response to the tiny man¡¯s words, the muscular man approached Ketan intimidatingly. Staring at the muscular man approach him, Ketan readied his dagger hidden in his bosom. Puk! At that moment. At a searing sensation in his stomach, Ketan looked down at his body. He could see a dagger impaled on his stomach. ¡®Ah, when?¡¯ When had he thrown the dagger? ¡®Poison?¡¯ Also, his body refused to move. It seemed like the dagger was coated in paralysis poison. Puk! Then another dagger flew towards him and stabbed him again. Ketan could feel his consciousness slowly fading as he desperately tried to move. As his vision gradually darkened, Ketan suddenly saw a familiar face. ¡®Romian, looks like I¡¯ll be the first to go.¡¯ He instinctively knew that there was no way he could survive. Even now, he could feel his life slipping away from his fingertips. ¡®Live¡­get¡­reven¡­¡¯ Ketan slowly collapsed before he could finish his will. Meanwhile, the two men stared at the fresh corpse of Ketan before moving on. ¡°Hurry up and find it.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like its here though?¡± ¡°Look more care-full-y.¡± ¡°Hey, it could also not be here. How many more places do we have to check? One, two? No, we have five, five more places. Plus, we already finished our quest with this.¡± ¡°What if it is here!?¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Ao¡­ You search too. Don¡¯t just stand there.¡± Chapter 75 - Conclusion to Romians Request Translator: MagicFishCat Proof-reader: Girondono The two men started searching Ketan¡¯s house, but they couldn¡¯t find where the red marble was hidden in the end. No, more precisely, they hadn¡¯t predicted that there would be such thing as a secret hiding place. They had only carelessly looked at places like inside drawers and under beds. ¡°It¡¯s not here.¡± ¡°Yep. Not here.¡± After their search, the two men had gathered near the doorway and conversed while looking at Ketan¡¯s corpse. ¡°What did I say? It¡¯s not here.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± ¡°So where are we going now?¡± ¡°From here, the 3rd peak is closer than the 2nd peak, so let¡¯s go to the 2nd peak first.¡± ¡°Okay. By the way, are we going to get something out of doing all of this? Celta was a famous thief after all.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but the guild master was the one who gave this quest.¡± ¡°A lot of higher-level members left before because of that crazy bastard. It¡¯s because of that.¡± And so, the two men left for the 3rd peak as they continued their conversation. A few hours later. ¡°Eh? What?¡± Another young man appeared in front of the ruined house. * * * Soo Hyuk, who had arrived at the centre of the 1st peak, looked up at the massive red tree towering over him. ¡®Is this the tree¡­¡¯ It was definitely the tree that Romian had talked about. ¡®Then head south.¡¯ Soo Hyuk got hold his bearings and started walking south. Then a few minutes later, he stopped. ¡®He does live here.¡¯ The reason he stopped walking was because he had spotted a house in the distance. ¡®There¡¯re a lot of monsters around here, so is it okay to be so obvious?¡¯ Although there weren¡¯t a lot, there were still orcs wandering around on the 1st peak. Nonetheless, the house was in full view to the surroundings, with no concealment what-so-ever. ¡®Are there no orcs around here?¡¯ Ketan seemed like someone who wasn¡¯t wary of orcs. Wrapping up his thoughts, Soo Hyuk continued to trek towards the house. ¡°Eh, what?¡± But when Soo Hyuk arrived in front of the house, he was startled at the scene before him. ¡°Why is the doorway broken?¡± The house¡¯s doorway had been smashed to bits, exposing its interior to the outside world. ¡°Did a monster attack?¡± Soo Hyuk then cautiously approached the broken doorway and stepped inside the quiet house. What awaited him was an even bigger surprise. ¡®A body?¡¯ There was a dead body lying on the floorboards. It was then. [The quest ¡®Romain¡¯s First Request¡¯ has been changed.] [The quest Romian¡¯s Second Request¡¯ has been changed.] Two notifications appeared in his vision after he noticed the corpse. When Soo Hyuk read over the notifications, his eyes widened in surprised once again. Then he quickly opened his quest window to check the changes to his quest. [Report with haste] Ketan was murdered by someone. Previously predicting his fate, Ketan had wrote a letter beforehand. Find the letter and bring it back to Romian! [Romian¡¯s Letter: 0 / 1 ] [Ketan¡¯s Letter: 0 / 1 ] [Quest Reward: Romian¡¯s mission confirmation] His ¡®Romian¡¯s First Request¡¯ had been changed to ¡®Report with haste¡¯, and from the quest information Soo Hyuk realised that the corpse at his feet was Ketan. ¡®Why¡­¡¯ Why was he killed? ¡®He looks like he was stabbed.¡¯ Blood had crusted around his stomach where his wound was, so it seemed like he was stabbed to death. Turning his eyes away from the blood, Soo Hyuk looked back at the changed quest. ¡®Do I just have to report this to Romian?¡¯ The reward for ¡®Report with haste.¡¯, was Romian¡¯s mission confirmation. It was the item he needed to complete this promotion mission. In other words, he just had to report this to Romian to be promoted to C-rank. ¡®But it was originally a reward for the second request,¡¯ Romian¡¯s mission confirmation was originally a reward for the second request, but the second request hadn¡¯t disappeared, it had merely changed. Then what was the reward for the second request now? [The Lost Red Marble] The red marble is hidden somewhere in Ketan¡¯s house. [Red Marble: 0 / 1 ] [Quest Reward: Key to Phantom Celta¡¯s Secret Cave] ¡®Oh?¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but be flustered at the unexpected information. ¡®Phantom Celta?¡¯ It was because of the reward. ¡®Celta is¡­¡¯ Celta¡¯s Secret Cave. Soo Hyuk opened the 4th section of the quest window and checked the special quest ¡®Celta¡¯s Inheritance¡¯, which he had gotten from the library. [Special Quest ¨C Celta¡¯s Inheritance] Celta the Phantom, the thief without bloodstains, hid his entire wealth of stealings ina secret place. Find the secret place! [Quest Reward: ??? ] Soo Hyuk thought as he read over the quest. ¡®Does Romian know something about this?¡¯ He would be able to acquire the key to Celta¡¯s Secret Cave if he found the red marble. That meant that the red marble was connected to Celta in some way, and Romian would also know something about Celta. ¡®I should find it.¡¯ Soo Hyuk scanned the interior of the house. The red marble was in here somewhere, and he would obtain the key to Celta¡¯s Secret Cave if he found it. The secret place stated in ¡®Celta¡¯s Inheritance¡¯, could have nothing to do with this key. After all, the secret cave might not be the secret place, but there was a high chance that they were related. ¡®Okay.¡¯ Finally, he could see a clear path in this originally vague quest. Also, even if the red marble didn¡¯t exist, he still had to find Ketan¡¯s letter. So, Soo Hyuk started searching the house. ¡®Eh?¡¯ Not long after he started, Soo Hyuk stopped his movements. ¡®Light?¡¯ It was because there was a faint green light coming from a tiny crack on the wall. Drawn in by the light, Soo Hyuk approached the tiny crack. Creak¡­ He had barely pressed against it, but the area around the crack was pushed inside the wall. Seeing this, Soo Hyuk pushed against the wall harder, then saw it. ¡®Found it.¡¯ The red marble and the letter. [You have acquired ¡®Red Marble¡¯.] [You have acquired ¡®Ketan¡¯s Letter¡¯.] Soo Hyuk immediately stored them in his inventory and checked his quest. The quest ¡®Report with Haste¡¯ didn¡¯t specify whether he had to deliver the letter to Romian, so he wasn¡¯t surprised when he couldn¡¯t see the ¡®complete¡¯ button on the quest. But, when he checked the ¡®Lost Red Marble¡¯, the ¡®complete¡¯ button was visible. ¡®Looks like I don¡¯t need to go to Romian to complete the second quest.¡¯ Soo Hyuk quickly pressed ¡®complete¡¯ with this thought. [You have completed the quest ¡®Lost Red Marble¡¯.] [You have acquired ¡®Key to Phantom Celta¡¯s Secret Cave¡¯.] Soo Hyuk checked the information for the key when he read the notifications. [ Key to Phantom Celta¡¯s Secret Cave] A key that can open Celta¡¯s Secret Cave. ¡®Hmm, it doesn¡¯t say where the cave is.¡¯ He had hoped for the location of Celta¡¯s Secret Cave, but a maybe was a maybe. There was no information or clues on the location. ¡®I can¡¯t just bring it up¡­¡¯ There was a high chance that Romian would have some information on Celta, but with what had happened to Ketan, it didn¡¯t seem like a good dead. If he did, he could leave a bad impression and Romian would also get suspicious. ¡®Okay, I¡¯ll casually ask while giving him the red marble.¡¯ Deciding on his strategy, Soo Hyuk opened his mouth. ¡°Archmage¡¯s Subspace.¡± [Warping to Archmage¡¯s Subspace.] Now, it was time to report to Romian. [You have completed the quest ¡®Report with Haste¡¯.] First, he gave the letter to Romian and finished his quest. ¡®Now I just have to get the confirmation¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk was still waiting for Romian¡¯s confirmation, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to ask, since Romian was reading Ketan¡¯s Letter with crushing intensity. ¡®I¡¯ll just wait for him to finish reading.¡¯ Deciding to ask after Romian finishes reading the letter, Soo Hyuk patiently waited while staring at Romian. Romian was completely silent as he read the letter. Meanwhile, his eyes were switching back and forth between blank absentmindedness, extreme focus and heavy sadness. . . . If you¡¯re reading this letter, then that must mean I died somehow. Maybe from the cave¡¯s traps or maybe from murder. Murder was probably more likely. The red marble, the key to Celta¡¯s cave. It¡¯s too much for us to handle, a much bigger scale then our small world. . . . After finishing the letter, Romian looked up at Soo Hyuk. As they met eyes, he thought, ¡®He¡¯s not it.¡¯ Soo Hyuk wasn¡¯t the one who killed Ketan. What did he know originally to kill Ketan? Also, if he had killed him, then he wouldn¡¯t have brought this letter back. ¡®Then who is it?¡¯ Who killed Ketan? There weren¡¯t many people that knew of Ketan¡¯s hut on the 1st peak in the first place. There couldn¡¯t be more than 10 people. ¡®First, I have to notify them.¡¯ The 2nd peak, 5th peak and the 7th peak. He had comrades in those 3 peaks. Ketan was murdered, and it was possible that the murderer wouldn¡¯t end there. His comrades could be in danger, so he had to quickly warn them. ¡°Have you also seen a marble? It¡¯s red¡­¡± Romian asked Soo Hyuk. Of course, there was a high possibility that Ketan¡¯s murderers had taken the marble, but it wasn¡¯t certain. ¡°Ah, yes. I have it here.¡± Soo Hyuk opened his inventory as he replied to Romian. He had already obtained the key from the quest rewards, so there was no need for the red marble anymore. Soo Hyuk took out the red marble from his inventory and held it out to Romian. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Soo Hyuk widened his eyes in surprise when he pulled out red marble. ¡®The light¡­¡¯ When he first saw it in Ketan¡¯s hut, it had been gently spewing a strange light. But now, it¡¯s smooth surface was a dull red with no light. ¡®It is because I completed the quest?¡¯ While wondering if the glow disappeared because he completed his quest, Soo Hyuk handed the marble to Romian. Opposite of him, Romian was silently staring the marble. He then snapped back to reality after a few seconds and received the marble. ¡°Um, could you please wait a moment?¡¯ ¡°Okay.¡± At Soo Hyuk¡¯s reply, Romian walked over to his desk and opened a drawer. Then after storing the letter and the marble, he took out a scroll and returned to his seat. ¡°This is the mission confirmation. Thank you for your service.¡± [You have acquired ¡®Romian¡¯s Mission Confirmation¡¯.] Soo Hyuk received the scroll and bowed to say goodbye and head out of Romian¡¯s room. ¡®I couldn¡¯t ask in the end.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t find the chance to ask about the marble. ¡®Well, I¡¯m sure I can ask again on another day.¡¯ It didn¡¯t have to be about Celta or the Secret Cave; Romian¡¯s identity was enough. And so, Soo Hyuk started heading back to the agency with a light skip in his steps. Chapter 76 - Trap Proof-reader: Girondono After Soo Hyuk left, Romian took out the marble again. ¡®Something happened.¡¯ When he had first laid eyes on the marble, there had been a mysterious glow around it, but now the marble had lost its shine to become lifeless. ¡®They probably did it.¡¯ Looking at the now dull marble, there was a high chance that they had already achieved their goal. On the other hand, it could mean that there wasn¡¯t any danger anymore. But it wasn¡¯t certain. Romian stored the red marble in his drawer again, then stood up and got ready to leave. He had to warn his comrades about the people that killed Ketan. Tap. Tap. At that moment. ¡°Is Romian in here?¡± He heard a familiar voice with the knocks. ¡®Vice-director?¡¯ [TL: Romian is actually not the head, he¡¯s like a commander of a company in the corps. My bad.] When Romian opened the door, he saw the vice director of Copine, Heron, standing in front of his door. ¡°What brings the vice director here¡­¡± Romian¡¯s voice grew fainter as he greeted Heron. Heron didn¡¯t like coming to the commanders¡¯ living quarters. This was because although his relationship with Heron was okay, but that couldn¡¯t be said the same for the other commanders. So, what had Heron come here for? Did an urgent matter suddenly pop up? ¡°Ah, I just have something to tell you.¡± Heron replied to Romian. ¡°But where were you going?¡± Heron then asked after seeing Romian¡¯s attire. ¡°Yes, I was just about to meet a friend.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a problem.¡± Heron exclaimed with an embarrassed expression when he heard Romian¡¯s reply. ¡°¡­?¡± Meanwhile, Romian was confused at Heron¡¯s attitude so far. Why was he so different today? ¡°Argh, what should I do.¡± As Heron was grumbling loudly, he quickly looked at his surroundings, before whispering quietly to Romian¡¯s ear. ¡°The director wants to talk you to you.¡± Romian, who had been wondering why Heron was putting up a show, leapt in surprise at Heron¡¯s words. ¡°He woke up!?¡± Copine, the leader of the Copine Corps, health had deteriorated at a rapid pace after a trip and fell unconscious up until now. The leader of the Copine Corp¡¯s worsening health had affected the entire organisation. To stop his health from worsening any further, they had hired numerous healing magicians and experts, but it was no use. They couldn¡¯t see any hope of improving Copine¡¯s health, but he had apparently woken up. How could he just wake up by himself when numerous healers had failed? ¡®Something¡­¡¯ Something felt fishy. ¡°Yes. He immediately searched for you after he woke up. Is your business with your friends urgent?¡± However, Romian didn¡¯t have time to think about his doubt. It was because it was Heron¡¯s request. After pondering at Heron¡¯s request for a few seconds, Romian came to a decision. ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± From how Copine, who had been unconscious for a long time, had immediately searched for him, this matter didn¡¯t seem to be ordinary. ¡°Then come to the director¡¯s room after 30 minutes. Don¡¯t let anyone spot you.¡± ¡°¡­After 30 minutes?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what he told me.¡± Heron, at Romian¡¯s answer, looked around cautiously once again and continued. ¡°Then I won¡¯t disturb you any longer.¡± Heron then turned around and started walking away. And while looking at Heron¡¯s fading back, Romian thought, ¡®Something¡¯s off.¡¯ He had a strange feeling over the conversation with Heron. It wasn¡¯t about Copine as well. Although Copine suddenly regaining consciousness was also strange, his instincts told him that it was something else. ¡®Wait!¡¯ Romian suddenly realised something as he was thinking. ¡®Friends?¡¯ He had definitely told Heron that it was a friend, not friends. Yet, Heron had said friends. ¡®Wait, no. That¡¯s a common mistake.¡¯ Heron could¡¯ve made a mistake and not noticed it. It was a mistake that anyone could make. ¡®Maybe I¡¯m just too tense lately¡­¡¯ Romian returned to his room as he sighed. Then to prepare for his meeting with the the leader, he started meditating. After a few minutes, Romian came out of his room and headed to Copine¡¯s room. Luckily, he didn¡¯t run into anyone on the way. With no one knowing, Romian finally arrived at Copine¡¯s room. ¡°Hello.¡± At the entrance to Copine¡¯s room, Romian discovered Copine¡¯s wife, Anna, and greeted her respectfully. ¡°Ah, hello.¡± Was it because Copine had woken up? Anna had a bright smile on her face as she led him into the room. ¡°Come in. He¡¯s waiting for you.¡± At Anna¡¯s words, Romian entered the room. ¡°¡­¡± But when he came in, Romian fell into confusion. Copine¡¯s condition looked no different than the last time he saw him. His complexion was pale, while his breath came in ragged wheezes. Then Anna closed the door. ¡°Um, what¡¯s going¡­¡± Romian started to turn around to ask Anna about the situation, but when he turned around, he was paralysed with horror. Rip! Rip! Anna had started to tear her own clothes. Meanwhile Romian was staring fixedly as he fell into confusion at the sudden turn of events. When he came to himself, Romian felt greatly uneasy. Then, that uneasiness turned into reality. ¡°Kyaaahhh!¡± Anna started screaming as she continued to rip up her clothes. ¡°What is¡­!¡± Romian exclaimed flusteredly at Anna¡¯s scream. But he panicked even more at her next action. ¡°No! Don¡¯t please! No! Please stop!¡± Anna stole the words he was about to say. ¡®It¡¯s a trap!¡¯ Romian bit his lips as he listened to Anna¡¯s screams. He had been had. ¡®Why?¡¯ Why did Heron do this? He couldn¡¯t understand. ¡®I have to get out of here!¡¯ It was important to know why he had fallen into a trap, but escaping was more important right now. Finishing his thought, Romian dashed past Anna and crashed out of the room. But Romian froze again when he saw what awaited outside. Heron was running towards him. The problem was that he was accompanied by other people. All the other commanders excluding Romian were running with Heron. ¡°Romian! What is going on! What was that scream!¡± Heron shouted as he reached the room. But Romian couldn¡¯t reply to him. He just glared ferociously at Heron while grinding his teeth. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were going to meet some friends? You said that it was urgent enough to leave a meeting, but why are you here!?¡± Heron rambled on. Behind Heron, the rest of the commanders were staring at Romian with a curious and embarrassed expression. It was then. ¡°Heuk, heuk.¡± Anna¡¯s pitiful cries echoed out of the room. ¡°You¡­¡± Heron asked with a wooden expression. Romian, who had just been watching so far, chose to speak at that moment. ¡°Why did you¡­¡± But he couldn¡¯t continue. ¡°I want to ask something.¡± It was because Heron cut him off ruthlessly. ¡°What did you do to the leader¡¯s wife!¡± ¡°Romian, did you¡­¡± ¡°Hey, you¡­¡± Following Heron, the other commanders opened their mouths one by one. They looked like they had misunderstood, but it couldn¡¯t be helped looking at the situation. ¡°No! This is a trap!¡± Romian refuted desperately. He fiercely shook his head with a wronged expression. But his cries only served to make the commanders more suspicious. ¡®If I run¡­¡¯ Looking at the fooled company leaders, Romian thought. If he ran away, then that was as good as admitting that he was the culprit. ¡®But even if I don¡¯t run.¡¯ The commanders were already under Heron¡¯s slippery spell. It was unlikely that he could reverse this situation. ¡®Heron this bastard!¡¯ Romian cursed Heron who had caused this whole situation. He then dashed towards the nearest window. He had decided to run. Puk! But Romian fell down as a fiery pain erupted from his waist. Romian looked down at the dagger embedded on his waist then glared up at Heron. Then at that moment, he was able to see it. A triumphant smile that disappeared as quickly as it appeared. * * * After the C-rank promotion, Soo Hyuk came down to the 1st floor and lined up to get a mission. As C-rank had the most mercenaries, there were 5 counters as a result, so he was able to get his turn fairly quickly. ¡°I want to see the mission catalogue.¡± Soo Hyuk said as he held out his token. ¡°Here you go.¡± The NPC received his Mercenary Token and handed Soo Hyuk the mission catalogue, who then started to go over the missions one by one. ¡®Hmm, I have to travel quite far now.¡¯ After checking all the missions, Soo Hyuk returned to the first page. He then said as he held out the list. ¡°I¡¯ll do the first mission.¡± [You have selected the quest ¡®Flowers on the 7th Peak¡¯.] After accepting the quest, Soo Hyuk reclaimed his token and walked out of the agency. Then while heading to the Eastern Gate, he opened his quest window. [Flowers on the 7th Peak] The monsters who resides on the 7th Peak of the Kamain Mountains, the Conda. Collect the flower of life, the Helid, which grows on the Condas¡¯ back! [Condah: 0 / 20 ] [Helid: 0 / 20 ] [Quest Reward: 900 Gold] It was a monster hunting and material gathering quest. ¡®I¡¯ll finish this quickly since there¡¯s no competitors.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he read over the quest information. The Conda¡¯s physical defence was ridiculously high, and the drop items were of little value so Condas were one of the unpopular monsters. In other words, he would be able to hunt them very quickly. Soo Hyuk closed the quest window as he arrived at the Eastern Gate and continued heading towards the Kamain Mountains. After a few minutes, he passed the users crowded around the mountain entrance and plunged into the mountain range. ¡®7th Peak.¡¯ His steps didn¡¯t falter as he walked through the undergrowth, as he already knew the where he was going. His steps only stepped when he arrived at the 7th Pea. ¡®I knew that it was unpopular, but¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he stared at the Condas before him. ¡®There¡¯s a lot.¡¯ The mountain peak was crawling with them. ¡®One spell seems enough?¡¯ Just the Condas in his sight exceeded 30. He could wipe them all out with just one wide-area spell and complete the quest. Of course, he still had to gather 20 Helids as well. ¡°Poison Storm.¡± Soo Hyuk cast Poison Storm at the peaceful Condas grazing on the grass. Suuaak! The green gas engulfed the Condas and the drop window appeared as they were sent into eternal sleep. But when Soo Hyuk saw the drops, he couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¨C 24 Condas¡¯ Back Shell ¨C 3 Helids Although he hadn¡¯t counted properly, he was sure that there were over 30 Condas. But the dropped Helids only amounted to 3. ¡®Ehew, of course.¡¯ He was a C-rank now. Soo Hyuk passed the lingering poison storm and started hunting Condas as he made his way to the centre of the peak. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Then after a while, he stopped in place. Chapter 77 - Unexpected Meeting He could see a hut. ¡®Is there one on every peak?¡¯ There had also been a hut on the 1st Peak, although the resident, Ketan, had died. Soo Hyuk approached the hut while hunting Condas. ¡®This house isn¡¯t broken down.¡¯ Unlike Ketan¡¯s hut, the door on this hut wasn¡¯t broken down. It was still fulfilling its role. Creeak¡­ At that moment. ¡°¡­¡± The door opened and a young man came out of the hut. Soo Hyuk, who had thought that the hut was empty, panicked at the sudden appearance while the young man also panicked at the unexpected guest. ¡°Um, who might you be¡­¡± The young man spoke first. His eyes were full of wariness. It couldn¡¯t be helped since an unfamiliar person was loitering in front of his house. ¡°I came here to gather some Helids and happened to spot your house. Haha¡­Then I¡¯ll get going.¡± Soo Hyuk replied awkwardly and turned around to leave. ¡°Ah, please wait!¡± However, he had to turn back around again because of the young man¡¯s shout. Soo Hyuk stared suspiciously at the young man. ¡°Are you a mercenary?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can you perhaps take on a job from me?¡± The reason the young man called out was because of a job. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± But Soo Hyuk refused. ¡°I only received tasks from the Mercenary Agency.¡± If the quests weren¡¯t from the agency, then they didn¡¯t go towards his rank. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t have any quests or needed any gold, so there was no reason to get another quest. ¡°Please accept! It¡¯s a very simple task! The Copine Corps in Hadrac. I have a friend called Romian there. If you just give this letter to him, then I¡¯ll give you 10 gold.¡± [Henkins¡¯ Letter] Send Henkins¡¯ Letter to the Copine Corps¡¯s Romian! [Henkins¡¯ Letter: 0 / 1 ] [Quest Reward: 10 gold] The quest notification appeared in front of him as the young man finished speaking. When Soo Hyuk read over the quest, he couldn¡¯t help but jump in surprise. ¡®Romian?¡¯ It was because Romian was mentioned. ¡®This person also knows Romian?¡¯ He had wondered whether the people living on the peaks were also related to Romian, but he turned out to be right. Henkins was related to Romian. ¡°¡­I understand.¡± Soo Hyuk said to Henkins, who had been waiting desperately for an answer. It was on the way anyway, and he might get some information related to Celta. [You have accepted the quest ¡®Henkins¡¯ Letter¡¯.] A notification appeared as soon as he replied. ¡°Could you please wait a bit? I¡¯ll go get the letter.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Hearing Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer, Henkins went into his house and came out holding a letter a few minutes later. ¡°Here you go. You can send this letter to the leader of the 1st Company in the Copine Corps. The reward will be given by the receiver. Thank you so much for accepting my request!¡± [You have acquired ¡®Henkid¡¯s Letter¡¯.] Soo Hyuk then replied after storing the letter. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Copine is on the way back, and I also know Romian.¡± ¡°Huok! You also know Romian?¡± Henkin exclaimed in surprise in response to his words. ¡°Yes, before I came here, I did a job for Romian-nim. I had to send a letter to the 1st Peak¡¯s Ketan.¡± ¡°Oh, Ketan. Is he well?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± Soo Hyuk¡¯s voice trailed off as he regretted responding to Henkins¡¯ question. Ketan was dead. Was it okay to tell Henkins about Ketan¡¯s death? ¡°¡­¡± Did he feel the Soo Hyuk¡¯s uneasiness from his voice? Henkins¡¯ smiled also slowly disappeared from his face as he realised. Staring at Henkins¡¯ reaction, Soo Hyuk decided to answer truthfully. ¡°When I went to Ketan¡¯s house, he had been murdered by somebody.¡± Henkins was silent as he registered Soo Hyuk¡¯s information. He only stared absentmindedly at Soo Hyuk, frozen from shock. At that moment. Step. Step. ¡®¡­?¡¯ The sound of footsteps rang out from behind him. Soo Hyuk turned around and looked at the source of the sounds. Then he couldn¡¯t help but frown when he noticed who it was. The footsteps were actually coming from two people who were approaching them. The problem was the mark above their heads. It was a demon. ¡®The Demon Guild?¡¯ The two men had the Demon Guild¡¯s Mark above their heads. ¡®What are they doing here?¡¯ The 7th Peak that he was at was an unpopular hunting area. He also wouldn¡¯t have come if it wasn¡¯t for his mission. ¡®A mission?¡¯ Why had Demon Guild members appeared here? Was it for a quest like him? When he was locked in thought, the faint conversation between the Demon Guild entered his ears. ¡°There¡¯s two?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Yeah, what matters is if Henkins is one of them or not.¡± Soo Hyuk was able to figure out their aim from their conversation. Their target was Henkins. For what reason were they searching for Henkins? Although he couldn¡¯t be certain, he assumed that it wasn¡¯t good from their past record as the Demon Guild. While Soo Hyuk was in thought, the two Demon Guild members arrived in front of them and asked, ¡°Do you know us?¡± ¡°¡­No. I¡¯ve never seen you before.¡± Henkins replied while shaking his head. Like how the Demon Guild didn¡¯t know Henkins, Henkins also didn¡¯t know the Demon Guild members. ¡°Do you want to?¡± ¡°No, I was the one who did it on the 1st Peak.¡± ¡°When my imfamy score resets, I¡¯ll send some money.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Meanwhile, Soo Hyuk caught onto a piece of their conversation. ¡®The 1st Peak?¡¯ They mentioned the 1st Peak. What did they do on the 1st Peak? ¡®Don¡¯t tell me.¡¯ Were they related to Ketan¡¯s death? At that moment. Huiik! The short Demon Guild member threw his knife. As for Soo Hyuk, he could only see a quick blur flying towards him. Since he wasn¡¯t holding anything and distance was too short, he couldn¡¯t dodge the knife. [You have resisted the poison.] [You were attacked by the user ¡®Lynx¡¯.] [You have entered an ¡®enemy¡¯ state with ¡®Lynx¡¯.] Notification appeared while Soo hyuk looked down at where the object had hit his stomach and bounced off. ¡®A knife?¡¯ Soo Hyuk discovered a knife lying on the ground when he looked down. He then slowly looked up at the short user Lynx. Lynx was staring at Soo Hyuk with a flustered expression, and it wasn¡¯t because his attack didn¡¯t work. ¡°What are you doing?¡± The user with the muscular physique, Slam, asked Lynx when he saw his reaction. Lynx then replied stutteringly. ¡°Soo, Soo Hyuk.¡± ¡°What!?¡± Slam exclaimed in surprise to Lynx¡¯s answer. ¡°That bas¡­No, that user¡¯s character name is Soo Hyuk.¡± And after Lynx¡¯s reply, they both looked fearfully up at Soo Hyuk. ¡°Excuse me, you guys there.¡± Soo Hyuk called out to the shaken SlLynx and Slam. ¡°Let¡¯s talk for a bit.¡± * * * Baal smiled as he looked at the papers. ¡®Huu, yes.¡¯ On the paper, was information about all the current Demon Guild members. Their situation could be said to be very good right now. ¡®At this rate, we can recover very soon.¡¯ 3 days ago, Soo Hyuk¡¯s attacks had ended. The damage taken from him was enormous. It had been to the point where he could predict when they would recover from all the damage. ¡®To think that these things happened continuously. Hehe.¡¯ After the attacks had ended, missions had exploded as if heaven itself was aiding them. And from those, eight missions were loaded with rewards. If nothing went wrong, they would be able to recover from the damage by just a fortnight. Baal, who was smiling as he read the reports, even started whistling with joy. At that moment. -Lynx: Guild master. Baal cocked his head at the sudden message. ¡®Lynx?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t immediately recall who Lynx was. But since Lynx sent him a message, that meant that he was in his friends list and to be his friend meant that he had met Lynx before. ¡®Ah, the Copine Corps mission.¡¯ Baal was able to recall what mission Lynx was on then replied back. -Baal: Yes? -Lynx: We have a problem on our mission. Baal frowned at Lynx¡¯s message. A problem on the mission? The mission that he was on shouldn¡¯t be hard to complete. ¡®Did I over evaluate him?¡± Baal sent a message back to Lynx. -Baal: What kind of problem is it? -Lynx: Well¡­ -Lynx: Soo Hyuk got involved. Baal couldn¡¯t help but be startled at Lynx¡¯s message. ¡®Soo Hyuk?¡¯ -Baal: Soo Hyuk? Do you mean that Soo Hyuk? Baal sent a message with an urgent expression. -Lynx: We can¡¯t be sure because he isn¡¯t wearing mask but his ID is Soo Hyuk and he also uses poison magic. Baal cursed at Lynx¡¯s message. ¡®Why does it have to be now?¡¯ How long has it been since their scuffles to attack again? ¡®Well, sh*t.¡¯ Baal then asked Lynx. -Baal: How is he involved? Explain the situation in more detail. From Lynx¡¯s wording, it looked like his involvement was a problem for the mission. Therefore, he wanted to know exactly how and why he got involved. No, he had to know. -Lynx: We arrived at the 7th Peak, which is the last place on the mission. But Soo hyuk was with the target NPC. -Lynx: He demanded to know our quest information. -Lynx: What should we do? Baal couldn¡¯t immediately reply to Lynx¡¯s message. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Baal sighed deeply. ¡®F*ck.¡¯ Swear words were all that came out. -Baal: You said the 7th Peak? -Lynx: Yes. -Baal: I¡¯ll go myself. Tell him that. Baal stood up from his seat. This matter was related to Soo Hyuk. He could only rest easy after taking care of it himself. ¡®What kind of quest does he have?¡¯ He didn¡¯t think that their mission was that important. All they had to do was kill a few NPC¡¯s on the peaks of the Kamain Mountain. ¡®Wait, is it related to the read marble?¡¯ There was a condition that was not needed to complete their mission, but they would get a huge bonus if they found it. It was the red marble. Heron, the vice-director of the Copine Corps had said that if they found the red marble, which was the key to the Phantom Celta¡¯s Secret Cave, he would give them a bigger reward. ¡®Is it bigger than I thought?¡¯ Soo Hyuk was taking interest in it, so it was certain that there was more to the mission than he saw. And so, Baal exited the guild house and hurriedly headed for the 7th Peak. Chapter 78 - Heron Translator: MagicFishCat Proof-reader: Girondono ¡°He said that he would arrive soon.¡± Lynx told Soo Hyuk. ¡°Alright.¡± Soo Hyuk replied to Lynx and thought, ¡®I obtained some information at an unexpected place.¡¯ Soo Hyuk had never expected to learn more about the Demon Guild on this mission. ¡®But I¡¯m wasting a lot of time here.¡¯ Other than the travel time, it was taking a lot of time for Baal to arrive here. ¡®How many more mission can I complete?¡¯ The sun was going to set soon. How much more mission would he be able to complete before log out time? Step. Step. While Soo Hyuk was locked in thought, the sound of footsteps emerged from the distance. Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked up and saw Baal approaching them. Baal stared at Soo Hyuk silently as he stopped in front of him. Smiling at Baal¡¯s gaze, Soo Hyuk opened his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Truthfully, it hadn¡¯t been that long. Even 3 days hadn¡¯t passed since they made a truce with each other. ¡°You could say that 3 days is a while.¡± Baal replied in response to Soo Hyuk¡¯s greeting. ¡°I¡¯m curious about something¡­¡± Soo Hyuk then said as Baal¡¯s voice faded. He cut straight to the point of this matter. ¡°I want to know what quest you got, who gave it and how much you know about the Phantom Thief Celta.¡± What kind of quests made you kill NPCs? And who was the NPC that gave out the quest? How much does the Demon Guild know about Celta? Soo Hyuk had too many things to ask Baal. ¡°Is it necessary for you to know?¡± Baal questioned back in response to his words. ¡°Yes, I have to know. More than anything, it¡¯s connected my current quest.¡± Baal then fell silent Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer. ¡®This rotten bastard.¡¯ He thought as he stared at Soo Hyuk¡¯s face. ¡®Asking in such a straightforward manner.¡¯ To be honest, he had intended the quest information to be an excuse, but currently Soo Hyuk was shamelessly asking for it. It was too decisive and straightforward. However, he couldn¡¯t do anything about it, because if he did, Soo Hyuk might turn up on their doorstep with Poison Fogs tomorrow. ¡®Hoo, I have to tell him.¡¯ Baal had to satisfy Soo Hyuk¡¯s curiosity. After settling his thoughts, Baal opened his mouth as he stared at the waiting Soo Hyuk. * * * Soo Hyuk silently stared at the departing figures of Baal, Lynx and Slam. Then when they disappeared into the horizon, he turned back to Henkins¡¯ house. ¡®He doesn¡¯t need to know.¡¯ There was no reason to tell Henkins about his conversation with Baal, thought maybe if he was Romian. Soo Hyuk opened his quest tab. [Flowers on the 7th Peak] The monsters who resides on the 7th Peak of the Kamain Mountains, the Conda. Collect the flower of life, the Helid, which grows on the Condas¡¯ back! [Condas: 20 / 20 ] [Helids: 15 / 20 ] [Quest Reward: 900 Gold] ¡®5 more.¡¯ He just had to gather 5 more Helids. Soo Hyuk started walking around and hunting more Condas. Then a few minutes later, he managed to gather the 5 Helids and teleported back to Hadrac through his subspace. ¡®Let¡¯s first deliver the letter to Romian.¡¯ Walking out of the warp gate, Soo Hyuk decided to visit the Copine Corps first instead of the Mercenary Agency. It was also because he had information to give, no, sell to Romian. ¡®He should tell me about the cave with this much information.¡¯ Baal had known about the existence of the secret cave, but he didn¡¯t know its location. But that didn¡¯t mean Baal¡¯s story was worthless. He believed that he should be able to get a lot of things out of Romian with Baal¡¯s story. A few minutes later, Soo Hyuk arrived at the Copine Corps. At their entrance, an unfamiliar guard was stationed. ¡°Hello.¡± Soo Hyuk greeted the young man guarding the entrance. ¡°I¡¯m here to meet with Romian-nim.¡± The guard at the entrance jumped in surprise at Soo Hyuk¡¯s words. Then after looking around cautiously, he whispered, ¡°What business do you have with Romian?¡± ¡°¡­I have to deliver a letter to him.¡± ¡°A letter?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is it something you have to deliver personally?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but feel suspicious at the guard¡¯s reaction. There was something off about his tone and conduct. ¡°Could you wait a moment in the reception?¡± ¡°I can.¡± After replying to the guard, Soo Hyuk was lead to the reception room and he waited for Romian there. Then after a while, two men entered the room. ¡®Who are they?¡¯ One of them was the guard he had just talked with. But the person next to him wasn¡¯t Romian. He never seen him before. ¡°Hello.¡± When the men arrived in front of Soo Hyuk, the unfamiliar man smiled and greeted him. ¡°I¡¯m Heron, the vice-director.¡± The man¡¯s identity was Heron. At his introduction, Soo Hyuk widened his eyes in surprise and stared at Heron. ¡®This NPC is¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk knew who Heron was. It wasn¡¯t because Heron was particularly famous. No, he had just found out about him. He was the NPC who had hired the Demon Guild to kill the NPCs living on the peaks. ¡®Why didn¡¯t Romian come¡­¡¯ He had clearly conveyed to the guard that he was here to see Romian. So why had Heron come instead? ¡®Don¡¯t tell me Romian was done in as well?¡¯ Did Romian suffer the same fate as his friends on the peaks? ¡®In that short amount of time?¡¯ They had only met a few hours ago. ¡°I heard that you had a letter for the 1st Commander Romian. Is that true?¡± Heron continued. ¡°Yes.¡± Soo Hyuk paused his chaotic thoughts as he replied. ¡°Romian isn¡¯t available currently because of an urgent matter. If you would leave that letter with me, then I¡¯ll deliver it in your place.¡± But Soo Hyuk stood up at Heron¡¯s words and replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. The sender clearly stated to deliver the letter personally. I¡¯ll come again when Romian-nim is available.¡± The quest required him to send the letter to Romian, not anyone else. And certainly not Heron. Wasn¡¯t he an enemy of Romian? ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Heron¡¯s expression hardened at Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer. ¡°I understand.¡± But he quickly reverted back to a smile and continued, ¡°Since you insist, we can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± Heron continued while maintaining his calm smile. ¡°If you tell us when you¡¯ll be coming again then I¡¯ll be able to send it on to Romian.¡± ¡°Do you know when Romian-nim will be available again?¡± Soo Hyuk instead asked back. Heron didn¡¯t reply immediately. Then after some thought, he opened his mouth. ¡°¡­He will be available at around 10pm at night.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll come then.¡± Soo Hyuk then walked out of the reception room with a slight bow and headed to the Mercenary Agency. As he was walking, he thought, ¡®Did something really happen to him?¡¯ Because Heron had come instead of Romian, Soo Hyuk suspected that something had happened. However, because Heron had so smoothly given a time, he started to doubt his suspicions. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s a trap?¡¯ Of course, it could be a trap. Heron could have a trap prepared for him at 10pm. ¡®No, it¡¯s unlikely.¡¯ But Soo Hyuk rejected the thought with the shake of his head. When he thought about it, why would Heron bother to lay a trap when he was just delivering a letter? It didn¡¯t make sense. * * * ¡°Then should we give up the quest?¡± Lynx asked. ¡°No. Don¡¯t give up just yet.¡± Baal shook his head in response. But Lynx couldn¡¯t help but feel uncertain at Baal¡¯s answer. It was because Baal had just said to not kill Henkins. The only task left in the was killing Henkins, but how could they complete the quest without killing Henkins? ¡°The quest doesn¡¯t have a time limit and we don¡¯t know how the situation could change.¡± Quests could change depending on the circumstances. Since their quest didn¡¯t have a time limit, it was better to wait and see how Soo Hyuk would act, instead of wasting the quest by giving up. ¡°Ah, I understand.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Both Lynx and Slam nodded to Baal¡¯s explanation. Meanwhile, Baal fell in thought after his answer. ¡®The Phantom Thief Celta¡¯s Secret Cave. What exactly is in it?¡¯ Baal also knew about the Phantom Thief. It was just that he didn¡¯t know well enough. Practically Baal knew about Celta was that Celta was a famous thief NPC. ¡®I have to know more.¡¯ He had been intrigued by Soo Hyuk¡¯s reaction. And so, Baal decided to investigate about Celta when he got back. -Hadang: Guild Master. When he about to enter Hadrac again. -Hadang: Where are you? A message came from one of the top members of the Demon Guild. -Baal: I¡¯m almost at Hadrac. What¡¯s the matter? Baal asked as he replied. Hadang wouldn¡¯t send a message just to say hello. Something major must¡¯ve happened in Hadrac for Hadang to contact him. -Hadang: The Vice-Director of Copine Corps has visited us. ¡®Heron?¡¯ Baal widened his eyes with pleasant surprise. He was just about to see Heron anyway, so Heron had made it more convenient for him. -Baal: What did he come for? It wouldn¡¯t have been about the quest. If it was about the quest, then Hadang was more than enough to answer Heron¡¯s question. In other words, Heron was here for something else. -Hadang: He said he would tell you personally. It seemed to be about something important. -Baal: I understand. I¡¯ll be there in 5 minutes. -Hadang: Yep. I¡¯ll tell him that. -Baal: Ah, and prepare a quest for Lynx and Slam. -Hadang: I will. Baal closed his chat window and spoke to Lynx and Slam before speeding up. ¡°See Hadang-nim. He¡¯ll give you a quest to do.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lynx and Slam replied, and Baal was able to arrive at his guild house a few minutes later. ¡°To my room.¡± Baal told Hadang, who had been waiting at the entrance, and entered his room to wait for Heron. Tap. Tap. Then before long, Hadang came in again with Heron at his side. ¡°Nice to meet you again.¡± ¡°Have you been well? Haha.¡± Baal and Heron exchanged greetings first, before Baal jumped to the topic. ¡°I was told that you had something to talk to me about.¡± ¡°Yes, I need your strength.¡± Heron replied with a nod at Baal¡¯s words. ¡°Strength?¡± Baal then asked back curiously. He needed their strength? What kind of strength was he talking about? ¡°Yes, we¡¯re planning to catch a mercenary at 10 pm this night. But this is something I can¡¯t use the Corps¡¯ strength for. Haha¡­¡± ¡°Ah, so a capture mission.¡± Baal then realised what Heron needed them for. ¡°How many do you need?¡± He asked. ¡°¡­¡± Heron fell in thought briefly at Baal¡¯s question, then opened his mouth. ¡°Three will be enough.¡± Chapter 79 - Who is behind this? Proof-reader: Girondono They were against only one person. Although he didn¡¯t know how strong the mercenary was, he knew the Demon Guild¡¯s strength and believed that three of their members were enough. ¡°Three members. I understand.¡± Baal confirmed while nodding. ¡°When do you want them?¡± He then asked. He already knew that the time of the operation was 10pm, but they obviously had to prepare beforehand. ¡°You can send them at 9 o¡¯clock.¡± Heron replied to Baal, then continued. ¡°It won¡¯t take long. It¡¯ll take at most 2 hours. No, it won¡¯t even take 2 hours. So¡­¡± Heron watched Baal as his voice faded away, then spoke again. ¡°How about a deposit 200 gold with a total of 600 gold? If it goes for a longer time, then we¡¯ll give an extra 100 gold per hour.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± The rewards were good, and the task didn¡¯t take a long time. With no reason to decline, Baal accepted Heron¡¯s mission. ¡°Ah, right.¡± Baal suddenly spoke up as he recalled something. ¡°I have something to tell you about the red marble.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Heron widened his eyes at Baal¡¯s words. ¡°Did you find it?¡± ¡°No. We didn¡¯t find it.¡± Baal answered while shaking his head, and Heron made a regretful expression. Baal then continued, ¡°We couldn¡¯t find the red marble after searching up to the 6th Peak.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°If your information was correct, then it should be at the 7th Peak. We have already sent people up there.¡± Of course, they had returned without achieving anything, but there was no reason to tell Heron that fact. After that, Baal kept conversing with Heron, trying to pry out some information about the Phantom Thief Celta. ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you next time.¡± When their talk ended, Heron said goodbye with a smile and stood up from his seat. Baal also stood up and saw him out of the door. When he came back to his room, baal sat down at his seat and fell into thought. ¡®So he doesn¡¯t know the location of the cave.¡¯ Heron didn¡¯t know about the location of Celta¡¯s Secret Cave. More precisely, he didn¡¯t know a lot about the cave. There wasn¡¯t much difference in their level of knowledge. ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll have to use an information guild.¡¯ At this rate, it seemed like using an information guild was their best option. * * * ¡°Where did you hide it?¡± Anna asked. Romian didn¡¯t answer to Anna¡¯s question. He just stared at her with a chilly gaze. ¡®Why.¡¯ He thought. Because of his love for Anna, Copine had rushed back quickly from his expedition as fast as he could despite his hampering health more. That was how much he loved Anna. He couldn¡¯t understand how Anna, who received enough love to drive out the second wife, betrayed Copine. ¡°I said I¡¯ll let you live if you tell me where the red marble is.¡± However, Anna continued to question Romian, seemingly unfazed by her action so far. ¡®Why.¡¯ Romian wondered at her question. ¡®Does she want the marble so much?¡¯ Something was off here. If she wanted Celta¡¯s treasures, then shouldn¡¯t she ask for the location of the cave? Why was she asking for the red marble? Had they forgot to do something else with the marble? ¡®Don¡¯t tell me Heron wasn¡¯t the one behind that?¡¯ Was the true culprit someone other than Heron? ¡®I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but they¡¯ll find the marble soon.¡¯ Currently, the marble was stored in a drawer in Romian¡¯s room. It looked like they didn¡¯t find the marble yet, but they would soon. ¡®That problem is then what?¡¯ What Romian had to worry about was his fate after Heron found the marble. But he knew one thing. ¡®They can¡¯t kill me.¡¯ Heron wouldn¡¯t kill him even after he found the marble. ¡®Because only I know where it is.¡¯ The location of the Celta¡¯s Secret Cave. Originally, there were two people that knew of its location. One of them was Romian and the other was Ketan, but Ketan had been murdered. In other words, only Romian knew where Celta¡¯s cave was. It was then. Step. Step. Footsteps sounded from behind Anna. When Anna turned to check its source, she burst into a brilliant smile. ¡®Heron.¡¯ Romian ascertained from Anna¡¯s smile that the owner of the footsteps was Heron. ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± Anna greeted Heron alluringly as Heron entered the room. ¡°Do you require anything, my dear?¡± Heron said charmingly as he smoothly wrapped his arm around Anna¡¯s waist. ¡°No, he wouldn¡¯t talk about anything. I¡¯m sorry, Heron.¡± ¡°It is fine. Since we found it.¡± As he replied, Heron put his hand into his pocket and brought it out again. In his hand, was the red marble. ¡®So he found it.¡¯ Romian wasn¡¯t that surprised as he had expected this outcome. ¡°Oh my, now we just need¡­¡± Heron trailed off as he rolled the marble around his palm. ¡°The location of the cave. But¡­¡± Heron put back the marble in his pocket and stared at Romian. ¡°You¡¯re not going to spill easily, are you? Of course you aren¡¯t. But how long will you be able to hold out for?¡± Heron smiled widely as he stared at the silent Romian. * * * [You have completed the quest ¡®Traps in the Valley¡¯.] Soo Hyuk, who had just completed a quest, came down to the 1st floor after receiving his rewards. He then lined up and checked the time. ¡®One more mission then I¡¯ll be right on time.¡¯ The time was approaching the promised 10 o¡¯clock, so he would receive a mission then go. His turn came a few minutes later, then after skimming over the list, he picked the first quest again and walked out of the agency to head to the Copine Corps. ¡®He¡¯s still on duty?¡¯ Not long after, Soo Hyuk arrived at their headquarters. The first thing he noticed was that the guard from this morning was still standing at the entrance. Soo Hyuk approached the guard. ¡°Huh-¡° When Soo Hyuk walked up to the guard, the guard flinched in surprise. ¡°Are you here to see Romian-nim?¡± The guard asked even before Soo Hyuk could say anything. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here to see Romian-nim.¡± ¡°Then could you please wait at the reception?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Soo Hyuk entered the reception at the guard¡¯s request. Creeak. Then a few minutes later, the guard, who had gone to get Romian, came back with a person. ¡°¡­¡± Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but feel suspicious. ¡®Why is that person here again?¡¯ The person who had come with the guard wasn¡¯t Romian. It was Heron. Why was Heron here again? ¡®Did something really happen to Romian?¡¯ Soo Hyuk now became even more sure that something had happened. As he was in thought, Heron had arrived in front of him and opened his mouth. ¡°I sincerely apologise about this.¡± Embarrassment and regret were written over Heron¡¯s face as he apologised. ¡°Romian¡¯s matter is taking longer than we thought¡­¡± As his voice faded away, Heron glanced briefly at Soo Hyuk, then continued. ¡°So since Romian needs more time. Is the letter important enough to be delivered personally?¡± The same question as last time. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that since it¡¯s only a mission for me.¡± Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer was also the same. ¡°Then it can¡¯t be helped.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°We will lead you to Romian¡¯s room.¡± Soo Hyuk stood up at Heron¡¯s words. When he stood up, Heron stood at the front and leaed the way towards Romian¡¯s room while Soo Hyuk followed behind. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Then before long, Soo Hyuk felt something off. ¡®Isn¡¯t Romian¡¯s room that way?¡¯ He had already visited Romian¡¯s room from the first time he had gone to the Copine Corps. Therefore, he could feel that Heron was going to wrong way. ¡®He said that we¡¯re going to Romian¡¯s room, so where are we going?¡¯ It had only been a few hours, so Romian couldn¡¯t have changed his room in such a short amount of time. If so, then where was Heron leading him? ¡®Something definitely happened.¡¯ Although he couldn¡¯t be certain as he hadn¡¯t seen Romian again, he was almost sure that something had happened. ¡°Could you please wait here?¡± Heron asked as they stopped in front of a building. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± At Soo Hyuk¡¯s reply, heron entered the building alone. Then after a few seconds, Heron came out and said as he stood to the side, ¡°Romian is waiting for you. Once you deliver the letter I will guild you back again.¡± Heron smiled when he finished talking and stared at Soo Hyuk. Meanwhile, Soo Hyuk recalled his tone and eyes and thought, ¡®There¡¯s something wrong.¡¯ Soo Hyuk felt leery and uncomfortable in front of his tone and eyes. He instinctively felt that there was something waiting for him inside the building. ¡°Thank you.¡± Soo Hyuk answered to the waiting Heron and entered the sinister building. Boom! Click! A heavy metal sound rang out the moment he stepped inside. When he looked behind to see what had happened, he noticed that the door had closed shut tightly. When he tried to open it, the door didn¡¯t budge from its spot.. ¡®Eh¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he stared at the locked door. ¡®It¡¯s a trap.¡¯ He had considered the possibility of traps, and he had felt something before he entered the building. However, there was no way he could¡¯ve back out before Heron¡¯s watchful eye. ¡®Should I break out?¡¯ He thought. Just because it was locked didn¡¯t mean that he couldn¡¯t open it. One spell should be enough to break open the doors. At that moment. [Quest ¡®Imprisoned Romian¡¯ has been created.] A quest notification appeared as Soo Hyuk was thinking. [Imprisoned Romian] Romian is currently imprisoned. Save and escape with Romian! [Quest Reward: ??? ] ¡®He¡¯s alive.¡¯ Soo Hyuk had considered Romian dead when the door slammed shut, but he had been proven wrong. Soo Hyuk closed his quest window and looked around at his surroundings. Romian was imprisoned somewhere in this building. Step. Step. Suddenly, a sound entered his ears as he was watching his surroundings. ¡®Footsteps?¡¯ There were footsteps coming near him, and it wasn¡¯t just one person. There were at least two people. ¡°Is it a user?¡± ¡°Maybe an NPC?¡± ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter. We just have to capture him.¡± Then, voices also came with the footsteps. ¡®Users?¡¯ They were using words like ¡®user¡¯ and ¡®NPC¡¯, which weren¡¯t words that NPCs would use. That meant that the people approaching him were users, and there were at least three of them. Then after a few seconds, the owners of the voices came into view. They were three as Soo Hyuk had guessed. ¡°¡­Huh.¡± Soo Hyuk let out a sigh when he saw the three users. The reason for his sigh, was because of the three guild marks floating above their heads. ¡®Is it destiny?¡¯ It was a very familiar mark. ¡®We¡¯re going to be friends at this rate, the Demon Guild.¡¯ The marks hovering above their heads, was the mark of the Demon Guild. He hadn¡¯t seen wrong. It was the identical with the Demon Guild Mark. ¡°We have to keep him alive?¡± ¡°Yeah, we can¡¯t kill him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s meant to be a prisoner.¡± The Demon Guild members stopped a distance away from Soo Hyuk and started talking amongst themselves. From their conversation, Soo Hyuk could tell that they already considered him theirs. ¡°Then I¡¯ll paralyse him with lightning.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Now, the Demon Guild members finally stared approaching him. Soo Hyuk stared at the carefree Demon Guild members and opened his mouth. ¡°Firebolt.¡± The infamy score of the Demon Guild was high. There would be no danger in killing them here. ¡°Oh?¡± When he fired the Firebolt, the Demon Guild member slightly behind the other two exclaimed in surprise. Then notifications appeared as the Firebolt explodeded into him. Bang! [You have attacked the user ¡®Oneshot¡¯.] [You have entered an ¡®enemy¡¯ state with ¡®Oneshot¡¯.] [You have entered an enemy state with Oneshot¡¯s party members.] [User ¡®Onshot¡¯ has a high infamy score.] [Your infamy score will not rise.] AS the messages appeared, Soo Hyuk turned his head to stare at Oneshot, who had been blasted away while spewing black light. Soo Hyuk turned his eyes away from Oneshot¡¯s body and stared at the remaining Demon Guild members. They were staring at him with a shocked expression. Chapter 80 - Routed ¡°So-Soo Hyuk!¡± ¡°F*ck!¡± The two Demon Guild members screamed when they finally came to themselves. They realised just who they were trying to mess with from the notification. ¡°P-please wait!¡± They continued to shout in panic as Soo Hyuk stared at them. ¡°L-let¡¯s talk!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t going to attack you!¡± Listening to their desperate screams, Soo Hyuk, who had been planning to leave only one alive, changed his mind. He then asked the two men, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± In response to Soo Hyuk¡¯s question, the Demon Guild members hurriedly answered, ¡°W-well, we received a job¡­¡± ¡°I know about that.¡± Soo Hyuk had already found out from the 7th Peak that Heron was using the Demon Guild. And so, the moment he spotted them in this building, he realised that Heron must¡¯ve hired them again. ¡°What I want to know is what kind of job did you receive?¡± ¡°¡­We were told to subdue.¡± The Demon Guild answered after hesitating for a moment. ¡°Really? Just subdue?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Demon Guild members nodded furiously at Soo Hyuk¡¯s question. ¡°Of course, now we won¡¯t even think about our task.¡± Their job was impossible from the beginning. They wouldn¡¯t have accepted it no matter what if they had known from the beginning that the mercenary was actually Soo Hyuk. ¡°Can we briefly send a message to our guild master?¡± ¡°Yes, but first, I want to ask something.¡± Soo Hyuk continued as he answered their question. ¡°An NPC should be locked in here somewhere. Do you know where he is?¡± ¡°Ah, are you talking about the NPC called Romian?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°He¡¯s over that way.¡± One of the Demon Guild members replied while pointing further inside. At their reply, Soo Hyuk walked past the Demon Guild members and headed toward where they were pointing to. Then not long after starting, Soo Hyuk managed to find Romian. Romian also discovered Soo Hyuk and made a surprised expression. The look in his eyes showed the confusion he was feeling right now. ¡°I went to the 7th Peak to do a different mission. I met Henkins-nim there and received another task.¡± Soo Hyuk started to speak as he untied the binding on Romian. ¡°He told me to deliver a letter. But when I came here to deliver the letter, a person called Heron lead me here.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Romian nodded absentmindedly. ¡°What about the mercenaries guarding this place¡­¡± There had been three mercenaries guarding him just a few minutes ago, and they had left in the direction that Soo Hyuk had come from. What had happened to them? ¡°They were close acquaintants so I managed to persuade them.¡± Romian¡¯s jaw dropped at Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer. The bindings also came completely off at that moment. [You have completed the quest ¡®Imprisoned Romian¡¯.] A notification also appeared. Soo Hyuk briefly glanced at the notification then stood up with Romian and opened his inventory. There was still one more quest he had to do. ¡°This is Henkins-nim¡¯s letter.¡¯ Romian silently received the letter from him. Then a notification appeared again. [You have completed the quest ¡®Henkins¡¯s Letter¡¯.] Soo Hyuk stared at the notification and thought, ¡®Will he be able to give me 10 gold?¡¯ The reward for ¡®Henkins¡¯s Letter¡¯ was 10 gold. It wasn¡¯t much. It was comparable to pocket change. However, would Romian be able to give him 10 gold? ¡®In this situation, I would be hard pressed to even get 1 gold.¡¯ After all, Romian had been imprisoned moments ago. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Romian sighed deeply as he finished the letter. He then raised his head to look at Soo Hyuk and spoke, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­Eh?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to pay you right now.¡± Then as Romian continued, Soo Hyuk realised what he was sorry about ¡°The situation turned out this way¡­¡± Romain continued with a sad smile while stealing glances at Soo Hyuk¡¯s expression. ¡°Um, could you please help me one more time? If you do, I¡¯ll give you 200 gold extra as well as the 10 gold. You just have to escort me to my room.¡± The moment Romian finished talking, a quest notification appeared. [Escort Romian!] Romian cannot stay in the corps any longer. First escort Romian to his room! [Quest Reward: 200 Gold, Quest ¨C The Secret Cave] [Quest Fail Condition: Romian¡¯s Death.] Soo Hyuk widened his eyes in surprise as he read through the new quest. There was an extra quest reward apart from the 200 gold. It was a linked quest. But the most surprising thing was the linked quest¡¯s name. ¡®The Secret Cave?¡¯ The quest name was ¡®The Secret Cave¡¯ He made his decision then. ¡°I will escort you.¡± Soo Hyuk replied to the waiting Romian. [You have accepted the quest ¡®The Secret Cave¡¯.] Soo Hyuk thought as the notification appeared, ¡®He doesn¡¯t ask for Heron to be killed.¡¯ Soo Hyuk had wondered if Romian would ask him to kill Heron, but he hadn¡¯t. Putting the thought at the back of his mind, Soo Hyuk walked in front of Romian and led the way to his room, preparing against any possible attacks. ¡®They aren¡¯t here.¡¯ Fortunately, the Demon Guild members had left in the time he had left them. As a bonus, the locked door had been opened wide at the entrance. * * * Crash! Baal knocked over his chair as he stood up. ¡®What the¡­¡¯ He was staring at the incoming messages with surprise. -Dururu: Guild Master, something big happened! Dururu, he was one of the guild members on a mission with the Copine Corps. The reason for his surprise was because of the messages after it. -Dururu: The mercenary we have to capture is Soo Hyuk! -Dururu: Right now, Oneshot was killed and only me and Haha are left. -Dururu: I don¡¯t think just us two can capture him. What should we do? Baal couldn¡¯t immediately reply to Dururu¡¯s quest. ¡®Why again? F*ck.¡¯ Why was Soo Hyuk involved again? ¡®Aoh.¡¯ Baal sent a reply while scrunching his temples. -Baal: Give up. The answer was decided from the beginning. Subduing Soo Hyuk? And with only three guild members? The mission was impossible from the beginning. -Dururu: Then should we first return to the guild? -Baal: Yes, return immediately. Don¡¯t do anything. -Dururu: But Heron¡¯s right in front of us, so what should we do? -Baal: Just ignore him. No, first notify him. Just so he doesn¡¯t throw a tantrum at us. -Dururu: I understand. We¡¯ll retreat immediately. After ending his chat with Baal, Dururu looked at Haha, who had been staring at him so far. ¡°He said to retreat.¡± ¡°What? Just like that?¡± Haha asked back in surprise at Dururu¡¯s answer. He then stared at the locked door and asked, ¡°What about Heron?¡± Currently, Heron was waiting right outside the door. What were they supposed to do about him? ¡°He said to talk nicely and immediately return. Dururu answered Haha and approached the door. Clank! Creak¡­ A few seconds later, he managed to open the door. ¡°Did it end¡­?¡± Did he think that the task ended well because of the promised signal? Heron had been waiting with a bright smile, before he faltered as he realised that something was wrong. Heron stared at Dururu and Haha, his eyes seemingly demanding an explanation. Noticing his gaze, Haha stared at Dururu while Dururu opened his mouth. ¡°I have to apologise.¡± ¡°What do you¡­¡± ¡°The mission wasn¡¯t what we expected. If we touch the mercenary from earlier, than bad things will happen.¡± Of course, even attempting to touch him would do it. Didn¡¯t he come to the Demon Guild because the corps had no strength anyway? ¡°I apologise once again.¡± Dururu apologised with a deep bow, then ignoring Heron, ran away at full speed. Haha followed him behind. Meanwhile, Heron speechlessly stared after Dururu and Haha¡¯s fading backs. When they disappeared from his sight, Heron finally came to himself. ¡®Wait, what?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t understand what had just happened. ¡®A mission they didn¡¯t expect?¡¯ What did they mean by that? ¡®Bad things will happen?¡¯ That was a threat, right? But then, Heron realised something about the Demon Guild members from before. ¡®Two?¡¯ There had been definitely three people he had hired, but only two had come out from the building. In other words, one had been killed. Heron turned around and stared cautiously inside the building. ¡®Sh*t!¡¯ Heron cursed in his mind when he checked inside the building. He could see a corpse, and it wasn¡¯t the mercenary who had come to deliver a letter. It was one of the people he had hired, and from the reactions of the previous two people, he had been killed. Heron kept on looking inside in a flustered manner. Originally, his plan was to capture the mercenary and take the letter himself. But, the mercenary had been stronger than he had expected. No, he was strong enough to trivialise three members from the Demon Guild he had trusted so much. What if the mercenary harboured ill feelings from this incident? No, he would harbour ill feelings. Of course, no matter how much the mercenary hated him, he wouldn¡¯t make trouble inside the corps headquarters. If he did? The Heron would be able to use the full strength of the Copine Corps. No matter how strong he was, a mercenary was a mercenary. If he utilised the strength of the corps, then one mercenary should be easily subdued. ¡®No, this isn¡¯t the time for that.¡¯ Heron, who had been absentmindedly staring at the building, turned around as he planned to escape from here for now. ¡®Why¡­¡¯ While walking to his room, Heron wondered about how things had turned out this way. But there was only one answer. The fact that the mercenary was strong. ¡®¡­Hmph.¡¯ Heron frowned as he harrumphed in his mind. ¡®Romian will probably escape.¡¯ In this situation, Romian wouldn¡¯t just sit still after receiving the letter. He would definitely use the mercenary¡¯s strength to help him escape. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Heron couldn¡¯t think of any way to capture Romian again. ¡®Hmm, I could mobilise the commanders.¡¯ Heron thought of one way he could use to capture Romian. It was to use the comanders¡¯ strengths. ¡®But they would just welcome it.¡¯ However, he knew that the commanders wouldn¡¯t move. They would instead rejoice at Romian escaping. ¡®Even though I manipulated the situation like that. Those bastards.¡¯ Heron frowned once again as he recalled a past event. It had been a perfect trap. He had successfully made Romian into a criminal sex offender. But the commanders¡¯ reactions hadn¡¯t been up to par. It was to the point where he received backlash when Romian was imprisoned. ¡®No.¡¯ Heron changed his way of thinking. ¡®It¡¯s actually a good thing.¡¯ From another perspective, Romian escaping wasn¡¯t such a bad thing. ¡®I can slowly search for the cave, since I already have the key.¡¯ Heron already possessed the most important key. ¡®Then I can use that to pressure the other commanders.¡¯ ¡®I have to quickly take over the corps.¡¯ Chapter 81 - Escape Translator: MagicFishCat Proof-reader: Girondono ¡°Could you please wait outside for a bit?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Romian then entered his room after hearing Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer. Then as his back his disappeared into the room, a notification appeared in front of Soo Hyuk. [You have completed the quest ¡®Escort Romian!¡¯] Soo Hyuk smiled as he looked at the notification. Since he had completed the quest, it was now time to receive his reward. ¡®The Secret Cave!¡¯ He eager to knew exactly what kind of quest ¡®The Secret Cave¡¯ was. Reining in his excitement, Soo Hyuk wondered, ¡®But should I finish this first?¡¯ Soo Hyuk needed to raise his rank, but any quest received anywhere other than the Mercenary Agency wouldn¡¯t count towards his rank. ¡®Yeah, they could be connected.¡¯ Soo Hyuk, who had been pondering for a short time, finally made his decision. There was a possibility that the ¡®secret place¡¯ in the special quest ¡®Celta¡¯s Inheritance¡¯ wasn¡¯t the Celta¡¯s Secret Cave. However, there was still a higher chance that they were the same place. Creak¡­ While he was locked in thought, Romian came out of his room. He was wearing a bag over his shoulder. ¡°Here you go.¡± Romian said as he held out a pouch. ¡°This is the 210 gold.¡± It was the payment for delivering the letter and escorting him to his room. Soo Hyuk first accepted the pouch from him. ¡°Thank you for all you¡¯ve done.¡± Then when Soo Hyuk received the pouch, Romian thanked him while bowing deeply. Meanwhile, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but be worried at his reaction. ¡®What? Is he not going to give me the quest?¡¯ He had gotten the gold but not the linked quest yet, and the reaction that Romian was showing suggested that he was about to leave. Soo Hyuk checked Romian¡¯s expression, then sighed in his mind. ¡®It¡¯s expected.¡¯ Soo Hyuk could see Romian struggling to decide in his expression. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Soo Hyuk took the initiative. ¡°Do you need help with anything else?¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t have money so¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Soo Hyuk sighed in realisation at Romian¡¯s answer. The reason for his struggle was because he didn¡¯t have any money. ¡®I can¡¯t miss this just because of gold.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t miss this chance because of some gold. He hadn¡¯t even accepted the quest for gold in the first place. ¡°If it¡¯s about gold, don¡¯t worry about it. I understand your situation.¡± Soo Hyuk said with a smile. * * * The 2nd Commander¡¯s Room. ¡°isn¡¯t it weird?¡± ¡°Right, I thought that as well.¡± Currently, the owner of the room and the 2nd Commander Konma, the 3rd Commander Cortek, and the 4th Commander Hellburn were having a discussio. ¡°You guys know that Romian isn¡¯t the type of person to do that, right?¡± Cortek said. ¡°Yeah, I actually think¡­¡± Hellburn paused while nodding his head and stared at the other commanders before continuing, ¡°That it was a trap.¡± ¡°A trap?¡± ¡°What do mean by that?¡± Konma and Cortek questioned Hellburn in response to his words. ¡°Well¡­¡± Konma and Cortek strained their ears as Hellburn started his explanation. ¡°Two days ago, I saw a shocking sight.¡± Hellburn frowned as he recalled the scene he saw two days ago. ¡°Heron and the first wife were hugging each other. In front of Heron¡¯s room.¡± Konma and Cortek felt their minds go blank at his words. At that moment. Tock Tock. The three commanders flinched as the knocks rang out across the room then stared cautiously at the door. ¡°It¡¯s me, Romian.¡± Then they couldn¡¯t help but flinch again when the visitor called out. How could Romian, who should be imprisoned, be outside their door? Konma rose up from his seat and quickly opened the door. It was to check whether the visitor was Romian or not. ¡°¡­You!¡± When he opened the door, Konma could see Romian outside, wearing a bitter smile. Romian then entered the room. ¡°Good. Hellburn and Cortek are here as well.¡± Romian, who just discovered Hellburn and Cortek inside the room, started to talk. ¡°I¡¯m planning to leave the corps for a while. It¡¯ll probably be for a long time. And the scene you saw before was a misunderstanding. I¡¯m not leaving because of that.¡± * * * [To the 7th Peak] Romian is trying to go to Henkins¡¯ home on the 7th Peak. Safely escort Romian there! [Quest Reward: Quest ¨C The Secret Cave] Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t say anything. He just stared at the quest with a frown. ¡®Why did he give me this quest?¡¯ He had believed that he would definitely get the quest ¡®The Secret Cave¡¯, but the quest he got from Romian wasn¡¯t ¡®The Secret Cave¡¯. Instead, it was called ¡®To the 7th Peak¡¯. He couldn¡¯t refuse because he had already prmised Romian, and the quest reward was ¡®The Secret Cave¡¯ this time as well. Creak¡­ At that moment. ¡°Thank you for waiting.¡± Romian, who had gone to talk with other commanders, exited the room. Soo Hyuk closed the quest window and walking alongside Romian, headed towards the entrance. ¡°What should we do about the guard?¡± Soo Hyuk asked Romian as they neared the gate. The guard stationed at the entrance wasn¡¯t the man he met earlier, so it seemed like his shift had ended. The guard guarding the gate was someone he had never seen before. ¡°I think it¡¯ll be okay to just walk out.¡± Romian answered as he stared at the guard. So when they tried to walk out, the guard just greeted them and didn¡¯t show other reactions like Romian¡¯s predictions. And so, after escaping from the Copine Corps, Romian and Soo Hyuk headed for the Eastern Gate to get to the 7th Peak. ¡°Uh, wouldn¡¯t it be better to travel during the day?¡± Romian asked worriedly as they neared the Eastern Gate. His voice was full of anxiousness. It was understandable, as from an NPC¡¯s perspective, travelling during the night when the mountains were crawling with monsters was considered extremely dangerous. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Soo Hyuk replied confidently. If they travelled during the day, Romian would feel more secure. However, the time didn¡¯t impact the quest. More than anything, Soo Hyuk was worried about wasting time. ¡®Rather, it¡¯s a good thing I got that quest.¡¯ Just in case he needed to deliver a letter again from Romian to Henkins, Soo Hyuk had accepted a mission to gather Helids again. In other words, even if he didn¡¯t receive ¡®To the 7th Peak¡¯, he would¡¯ve had to go to the 7th Peak anyway. ¡°Looking for party members!¡± ¡°Ah, why are there so few people? No, there¡¯s a lot but why aren¡¯t they partying up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s night.¡± After a few minutes, Soo Hyuk and Romian was able to arrive at the entrance to the Kamain Mountains. There were a lot of user even at night. ¡°Um Soo Hyuk-nim, there¡¯re a lot of people¡­¡± Romian said quietly to Soo Hyuk when he discovered the users. But Romian couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Soo Hyuk cut off Romian then passed the users to enter the mountains. -Chueek! ¡°Magic Missile.¡± -Chueek? ¡°Firebolt.¡± They advanced steadily towards the 7th Peak while killing the orcs around them. As the orcs were killed one by one, Romian¡¯s expression transformed from anxious to surprised. ¡®To think he was so strong¡­¡¯ Although he hadn¡¯t seen him in action, Romian knew that Soo hyuk was strong. But now that he personally saw him fighting, he realised that Soo Hyuk was countlessly more stronger than what he had predicted. ¡®If it¡¯s this much¡­¡¯ Romian thought as he stared at Soo Hyuk¡¯s back with a mysterious light. Then after a while, they were able to arrive at their destination, the 7th Peak. The Condas that lived on the peak were generally passive monsters, meaning they wouldn¡¯t attack if left alone. Both Romian and Soo Hyuk knew this, so they headed straight towards Henkins¡¯ house, ignoring the Condas along the way. Tock. Tock. When they arrived at Henkins¡¯ home, Romian walked up to the door and knocked. ¡°Henkins!¡± He shouted. ¡°It¡¯s me, Romian!¡± Creak¡­ Then before long, the door opened and Henkins came out. ¡°You, how¡­¡± Henkins stared at Romian in surprise with complicated eyes. Staring at such a Henkins, Romian turned around with a bitter smile and said to Soo Hyuk, ¡°Could you please wait a moment. It¡¯ll be brief.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Soo Hyuk nodded in response and Romian and Henkins went inside the hut. [You have completed the quest ¡®To the 7th Peak¡¯.] A notification appeared in that moment. It was the quest completion notification. Staring at the notification, Soo Hyuk thought, ¡®If he still doesn¡¯t give me the quest this time¡­¡¯ What should he do if Romian doesn¡¯t give him the quest this time? ¡®No, I¡¯m sure he will.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he shook his head. He will give the quest. If he doesn¡¯t, then that was a worry for then. There was no need to think about it now. Creak¡­ Not long after, Romian came out with the squeak of the door. Snapping out of his thoughts, Soo Hyuk looked up at Romian as Romian walked towards him. ¡°Soo Hyuk-nim.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± Romian continued when Soo Hyuk responded. ¡°No, it would be more correct to say proposition.¡± At Romian¡¯s words, Soo Hyuk smiled inside. ¡°Do you know about the Phantom Thief Celta?¡± The long-awaited word, ¡®Celta¡¯, finally came out of Romian¡¯s mouth. ¡°Yes, I know a bit.¡± And so, Romian ended his story. A notification appeared at that moment. [The Secret Cave] Phantom Thief Celta¡¯s Secret Cave. It is rumoured that there are countless treasures stored there. But to enter the cave, one would need to pass all the traps and more than anything, possess the key. The problem is that the key is in Heron¡¯s hands. Take the key from Heron! [Key to the Phantom Thief Celta¡¯s Secret Cave: 1 / 1 ] [Quest Reward: Quest ¨C Cave Exploration] Fortunately, the quest he got was ¡®The Secret Cave¡¯. Of course, its contents were different from what he expected. It required him to get the key to the cave. ¡®Then the next quest should be going to the cave.¡¯ The reward for ¡®The Secret Cave¡¯ was another linked quest called ¡®Cave Exploration¡¯. It would likely require him to find the cave. ¡®But I can¡¯t complete it here¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk looked up at the waiting Romian. The key was already in his possession, so he could complete the quest now. But looking at the situation, Romian would get suspicious if he pulled out the key in front of him. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll accept your proposition.¡± [You have accepted the quest ¡®The Secret Cave¡¯.] Soo Hyuk first accepted the quest. ¡°Are you planning to stay here?¡± He then asked Romian. ¡°No.¡± Romian shook his head at his question. ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll go to the secret hideout located on the outskirts of Hadrac. This place is already known by Heron.¡± Romian took out a map from his pocket then held it out to Soo Hyuk. ¡°You can come here.¡± [You have acquired ¡®Map of Romian¡¯s Secret Hideout¡¯.] ¡°Ah, yes. Then I¡¯ll see you next time.¡± Soo Hyuk said to Romian after receiving the map. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s really late so why don¡¯t you stay with us for the night?¡± Soo Hyuk hurriedly said to Soo Hyuk in response. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I have other matters so¡­¡± Soo Hyuk answered while shaking his head. He had other things to do, and he also had to sleep. At Soo Hyuk¡¯s words, Romian said goodbye then entered the hut. ¡®He said he would leave tomorrow morning.¡¯ Romian would leave for his hideout early next morning. ¡®I should go at noon?¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t take a long time. Soo Hyuk decided when to complete this quest, then turned around. He stared at the Condas shining under the glittering stars. It was time to complete his mercenary mission. Chapter 82 - Delay Translator: MagicFishCat Proof-reader: Girondono [You have defeated the Leader of the Hetaro Bandits, Hetaro.] ¡°Hoo, I¡¯m finally done.¡± Soo Hyuk looked at the notification as he collected the drops, then opened his quest window. [Bandits on the Kerin Plains] On the Kerin Plains, where many merchants crossed, bandits had appeared. Currently, the bandits are causing the merchants considerable damage. Go to the Kerin Plains and eliminate the bandits. [Hetaro Bandits: 20 / 20 ] [Hetaro: 1 / 1 ] [Quest Reward: 500 Gold] Looking at the completed quest, a satisfied smile crept upon his face. ¡°Archmage¡¯s Subspace.¡± [Warping to the Archmage¡¯s Subspace.] The moment he arrived in the chamber, he headed straight for the magic circle and teleported to Hadrac. As he walked out of the warp gate, Soo Hyuk checked the time. ¡®He should¡¯ve arrived there by now.¡¯ The time now was just past 2 o¡¯clock. By now, Romian should¡¯ve made his way to his hideout in Hadrac. ¡®Let¡¯s visit him first.¡¯ Soo Hyuk opened his inventory as he started walking towards the suburb regions, which was located in the northern section of Hadrac. He then took out the map. ¡®It¡¯s complicated.¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but frown when he opened the map. It was way too complicated. ¡®Well, that¡¯s probably why he chose that place.¡¯ Romian¡¯s hideout looked difficult to get to even with the map. At the same time, it was an ideal location for a hideout. And so, Soo Hyuk managed to arrive at the suburban area with the map and started making his way to the hideout slowly. ¡®Is it here?¡¯ Soo Hyuk, who had been walking for a while, stopped in place. He checked the red dot on the map, then the buildings in front of and around him. ¡®I think it¡¯s here.¡¯ He had probably arrived at his destination. Tock. Tock. Soo Hyuk knocked after storing the map back in his inventory. However, there was no answer as time passed by. No reaction at all. ¡°Is he still not here yet?¡± It was at that moment. Creak¡­ The door opened, then Soo Hyuk could see Romian, who was wearing a worried expression. ¡°Soo Hyuk-nim? You¡¯re already here¡­¡± Romian greeted Soo Hyuk with the same worried expression. ¡°Ah, please come in first.¡± With the sudden thought, Romian hurriedly guided Soo Hyuk into his hideout. ¡°Henkins had something to do so he¡¯s went out for a bit. But why are you here¡­ Did something happen?¡± Romian asked as he sat down. At Romian¡¯s question, Soo Hyuk opened his inventory and replied to his question. ¡°I have the key.¡± Soo Hyuk said as he held out the key. ¡°The key?¡± Romain stared at the key in his palm as he exclaimed disbelievingly. However, he the cocked his head in confusion and stare back at Soo Hyuk. ¡®Ah, right.¡¯ Soo Hyuk hurriedly continued at Romian¡¯s confused gaze. ¡°This is the key that came out of the red marble. This should be the real key.¡± Now that he thought about it, Romian only knew about the red marble, and not the true form of the key. No, he would think that the red marble itself was the key. ¡°Ah, really?¡± At Soo Hyuk¡¯s explanation, Romian looked back at the key as he exclaimed in realisation this time. He then looked up at Soo Hyuk with a doubtful face. [You have completed the quest ¡®The Secret Cave¡¯.] The quest notification appeared at that moment. ¡°¡­¡± But, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but be confused even though he had completed the quest. The reason was because of Romian¡¯s suspicion in his expression. Why was he wearing that face even though he had brought him the key? ¡°¡­This is truly difficult.¡± Romian opened his mouth, seemingly noticing Soo Hyuk¡¯s confusion. Meanwhile, Soo Hyuk got a bad feeling from the first word he spoke. ¡°First, I have to apologise.¡± Romian apologised with a slight bow. ¡°I have underestimated Soo Hyuk-nim¡¯s ability. I didn¡¯t expect that you would be able to bring the key this fast.¡± Truthfully, Romian hadn¡¯t expected that Soo Hyuk would be able to bring the key this soon. ¡°As I mentioned before, Celta¡¯s cave contains many traps.¡± Phantom Thief Celta¡¯s Secret Cave had countless traps, and this fact didn¡¯t change even if one possessed the key. ¡°The problem is that my leg hasn¡¯t healed properly yet¡­¡± Romian wasn¡¯t capable of walking normally yet, and to head to the secret cave while injured was equivalent to suicide. ¡°And I also have other things to prepare.¡± Romian added. ¡°That means¡­¡± Soo Hyuk stared at Romian as his voice faded away. At Soo Hyuk¡¯s gaze, Romian quickly continued, ¡°So our departure will take some time. One week at least¡­¡± [Preparation Time] Romian hadn¡¯t expected that you would bring back the key so quickly. He thought that you would¡¯ve taken at least one week. Also, Romian himself needs one week, as his body is still injured and he needs to prepare for the exploration. Find Romian again after one week! [Key to Phantom Thief Celta¡¯s Secret Cave: 1 / 1 ] [Time Left: 7 days ] [Quest Reward: Quest ¨C Cave Exploration] As Romian¡¯s voice trailed away and disappeared, a quest appeared in front of Soo Hyuk. Looking at the quest, Soo Hyuk wore a regretful expression. ¡°I understand.¡± Soo Hyuk replied as he stored the key in his inventory. ¡°Then I¡¯ll come again after one week.¡± He then stood up from his seat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± With a goodbye, Soo Hyuk left Romian¡¯s hideout. Then with a deep sigh, he retraced his steps back to the Mercenary Agency. The reason he was going back to the agency was because he had to complete his ¡®Bandits on the Kerin Plains¡¯. ¡®When will the promotion appear again?¡¯ After achieving C-rank, he had completed many missions, but the promotion notifications hadn¡¯t appeared once. Exactly how much more missions did he have to do to be promoted? ¡®I wish that this quest is the last one.¡¯ While thinking about his promotion to B-rank, Soo Hyuk was able to arrive at the Mercenary Agency after 20 minutes of walking. ¡°Here!¡± Soo Hyuk climbed up to the 2nd floor and handed his token to the NPC on the counter. After the NPC received his token, a notification appeared in his eyes. [You have completed the quest ¡®Bandits on the Kerin Plains¡¯.] [You now have the qualifications to be promoted.] [You can now attempt a promotion quest.] ¡°¡­!¡± Soo Hyuk¡¯s widened to their limit as he read the notification. ¡®It¡¯s here!¡¯ He could now be promoted. ¡®Huh.¡¯ Who would think his fantasies would come true? ¡°Here is your token.¡± While Soo Hyuk was staring absentmindedly at the notice, the NPC had brought back his token with the rewards for the mission. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Snapping out of his thoughts, Soo Hyuk hastily grabbed his token and rewards, then raced down the stairs to line up at a line on the 1st floor. ¡°Next please!¡± His turn came a few minutes later, and as Soo Hyuk sat down in front of the counter, the NPC asked, ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I want to see the promotion missions.¡± Soo Hyuk replied as he held out his Mercenary Token. ¡°Hmm?¡± The NPC let out a flustered sound as he received the token. Noticing the NPC¡¯s reaction, Soo Hyuk stared curiously at the NPC. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Why was the NPC so agitated? ¡°H-here it is¡­¡± Noticing Soo Hyuk¡¯s gaze, the NPC held out the mission list while still exuding agitation. Soo Hyuk looked at the NPC suspiciously, before looking down to check the list. ¡®A linked quest that isn¡¯t tedious.¡¯ For B-rank promotion missions, they were always 100% guaranteed to be linked quests. Right now, Soo Hyuk wanted a quest that wasn¡¯t tedious and didn¡¯t take long, even at the cost of higher difficulty. ¡®Oh!¡¯ A few moments later, Soo Hyuk discovered a decent mission on thelist. -Unusual Ogres Conditions ¨C Ogres: 30, Twin Head Ogres: 2 ¡®There¡¯s a hunting quest?¡¯ The previous pages he had looked through were dominated by item and request missions, but the ¡®Unusual Orcs¡¯ mission required only hunting. ¡®That was lucky.¡¯ Through the posts on the official Pangea homepage, Soo Hyuk had found out that pure hunting promotions quests were almost non-existent on the lists. In other words, he had been really lucky this time. ¡®Let¡¯s go with this.¡¯ Soo Hyuk also knew one more piece of information. That a linked pure hunting quest was always followed by another hunting quest. It wasn¡¯t false. Not one or two, but tens of lucky people had posted about this. Having made his decision, Soo Hyuk said to the NPC while handing back the mission catalogue. ¡°I will do this mission.¡± [You have selected the ¡®Unusual Ogres¡¯ quest.] * * * Lactone hurriedly moved his feet, one by one. ¡®I have to report quickly.¡¯ He had to report to his superiors. ¡®The Drak Faction could snatch him first.¡¯ Tock. Tock. ¡°It¡¯s Lactone!¡± Arrving at his destination, Lactone banged on the door while shouting breathlessly. ¡°Come in.¡± When the voice inside called out, Lactone immediately opened the door and walked inside. Then Lactone could see the room¡¯s owner, Jackal, rising from his bed. ¡°What is it?¡± Jackal asked Lactone with a yawn. ¡°I have something to report.¡± ¡°Report?¡± ¡°Report? Yes, there¡¯s a mercenary about to be a B-rank. He doesn¡¯t have a guild.¡± Jackal frowned heavily at Lactone¡¯s words. ¡°Did you just wake me from my sleep just because of that?¡± Maybe for S-rank, but making such a ruckus because of a future B-rank? Even if that person wasn¡¯t in a guild, Jackal still couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Well, it¡¯s 3 days.¡± But expecting Jackal¡¯s reaction, Lactone continued with his report. ¡°3 days?¡± Jackal couldn¡¯t help but ask back. ¡°What 3 days?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been 3 days since he registered as a mercenary.¡± Jackal widened his eyes at Lactone report. ¡°What? 3 days? 3 days today? Since he registered?¡± Jackal continuously fired question mark after question mark at Lactone with widened eyes. ¡°But B-rank today?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Lactone replied with a nod at Jackal¡¯s question. Jackal fell in thought. Of course, his state didn¡¯t last long. ¡°Is it real?¡± Jackal asked Lactone, snapping out of his thoughts. B-rank in three days? No guild? He couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Yes, I personally gave him the mission list.¡± Lactone replied confidently in response. If others had told him, he wouldn¡¯t have believed it either, but he had personally given him the mission list. ¡°Are you sure he has no guild?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡± At Lactone¡¯s reply, Jackal climbed down from his bed, then asked Lactone again. ¡°Which mission?¡± ¡°Ogre hunting.¡± ¡°Prepare. I will see the master.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jackal exited the room together with Lactone. Then Lactone walked down the right passage while Jackal took the right, ¡®B-rank in 3 days¡­¡¯ Jackal thought, ¡®A fine ware. It¡¯s been a while.¡¯ Chapter 83 - Two Pillars Translator: MagicFishCat Proof-reader: Girondono A new good appeared. And it wasn¡¯t the normal kind; it was a rarity. After all, how many people could climb to B-rank in just 3 days? It wasn¡¯t impossible, but not anyone could do it. One¡¯s ability had to be at least A-rank to accomplish that feat. In other words, the good this time was at least A-rank. Tock. Tock. Jackal knocked on the door as when he arrived in front of a room. ¡°Master! It¡¯s Jackal!¡± Creak¡­ Not long after his shout, the door opened and the guild master of Lime Guild, Alex, appeared. ¡°Hmm? Are you going somewhere?¡± Noticing Alex¡¯s attire, Jackal cocked his head and asked. ¡°Oh, I have to quickly go to the sewers. There¡¯s a possibility that those things could crawl out soon. ¡°¡­You mean them?¡± ¡°Yeah, but what do you want?¡± Alex asked back after nodding to Jackal¡¯s question. ¡°Ah.¡± At Alex¡¯s question, Jackal exclaimed as he recalled why he was here. Then, he went straight to the topic. ¡°I have something to report.¡± ¡°Is it urgent?¡± ¡°¡­I believe that it¡¯s quite urgent.¡± The sewers were important, but this matter was important as well. ¡°Hmm, can I hear it on the way?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Alex started walking with Jackal by his side, who had began reporting. ¡°There¡¯s mercenary who managed to reach B-rank in just 3 days. He doesn¡¯t have a guild.¡± Before long, Alex stopped in place. ¡°What? Really?¡± It was because the report was not what he expected. ¡°I told Lactone to prepare.¡± ¡°Does Drak know about this?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Yes, they managed the agency together with us after all.¡± The Lime Guild and the Drak Guild. Hadrac was managed by those two guilds. Althought their area of jurisdiction was separate, they had equal rights over the Mercenary Agency. In other words, it was likely that the Drak guild also knew about this new mercenary. * * * ¡°Hoh.¡± The master of the Drak Guild, Ian, sighed in admiration. ¡°At that speed, he could be an A-rank at least.¡± At Ian¡¯s words, the person sitting opposite him, Lockon, replied while nodding. ¡°Yes, at least A-rank. If we¡¯re thinking long-term, then he could be a S-rank as well.¡± A-rank was already guaranteed. If they thought long-term, then the mercenary was an enormous asset with the potential of S-rank. ¡°You¡¯re sure that he doesn¡¯t have a background?¡± Ian asked. No matter how he looked at it, the mercenary¡¯s ability was too great. He couldn¡¯t believe that they didn¡¯t have a background of some sort. Maybe he could be hiding his guild? ¡°Although they don¡¯t officially have a background, I hired an information guild just in case. They should be on to it right now.¡± Lockon had the same thought as Ian, so he had hired an information guild. The information guild should be investigating right now. ¡°Good job.¡± Ian said with a satisfied expression. ¡°But where are we going?¡± Lockon asked. Currently, Ian was getting armed even though he usually hated being armed. That meant that there must be a reason for Ian¡¯s actions. ¡°The sewers.¡± Ian replied after he equipped all his equipment. ¡°Is it because of those things?¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s why me and Alex decided to check it out.¡± Ian then continued, ¡°Ah, does Alex also know about it?¡± ¡°Yes, since they acquired the information first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Alex nodded in understanding. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be back.¡± He then exited the room to head for the sewers. * * * ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Jang Yool frowned. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ Still wearing the frown, Jang Yool started typing away on his keyboard. ¡°Wha¡­¡± Then a forced smile crept upon his face as he pressed enter. Seuk¡­ Jang Yool turned his head around to stare at Yang Joo Hyuk. Meanwhile, Yang Joo Hyuk also happened to turn around just in time to see Jang Yool¡¯s forced smile. ¡°What is it?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk asked as he met eyes with Jang Yool. ¡°Well, how should I say this. It¡¯s a bit unclear now.¡± Jang Yool said as he began to reply to Yang Joo Hyuk¡¯s question. ¡°People from the Lime Guild and Drak Guild have taken notice.¡± ¡°What? From two guilds, not one?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at Jang Yool¡¯s words. As a city-state and a mercenary state, Hadrac was managed by two guilds. They were the guilds Jang Yool mentioned, the Lime Guild and the Drak Guild. Something had gotten those two guilds to be interested, but exactly what was he talking about? ¡°Did someone got B-rank in 4 days or something?¡± If he had to name an event that the two guilds would take interest in, then a mercenary achieving B-rank in 4 days was one of them. Was it that? Or was it something else? ¡°Yes, someone got it in 3 days.¡± Jang Yool replied in response to Yang Joo Hyuk¡¯s words. ¡°Wow, 3 days? That¡¯s quite fast. Who was it?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk asked while sighing in admiration. But Jang Yool hesitated to answer his queston. ¡°¡­¡± Yang Joo Hyuk felt suspicious. Why was Jang Yool hesitating? ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ Yang Joo Hyuk suddenly thought of a figure and frowned. ¡°Soo Hyuk.¡± At that moment, Jang Yool finally stopped hesitating and replied. Yang Joo Hyuk couldn¡¯t say anything in response. After staring absentmindedly at Jang Yool for a few seconds, Yang Joo Hyuk opened his mouth. ¡°Soo Hyuk?¡± ¡°The Archmage¡¯s Descendant?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk watched Jang Yool nod twice then changed his question. ¡°Exactly what happened?¡± If it wasn¡¯t Soo Hyuk, he would¡¯ve just noted down their character ID. After all, the two guilds weren¡¯t even that big in the grand scheme of things. But the story was different when it came to Soo Hyuk. He had to know exactly what was going on. ¡°The two guilds are preparing to rope him in. Because he doesn¡¯t have a guild yet.¡± The current Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t belong in any guild. Of course, he did belong to a tower, but that wasn¡¯t a guild, and belonging in a tower didn¡¯t affect one from joining a guild. There were also guilds made up of NPCs. ¡°Also, Soo Hyuk is currently on a promotion quest.¡± ¡°Is he the type that¡¯s popular with NPCs?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk mumbled to himself. Soo Hyuk had already attracted a top NPC of one of the towers. ¡°Matab then Hadrac¡­¡± This time, he was attracting the top NPCs of Hadrac. ¡°But it¡¯s a relief that he can¡¯t become the Mercenary King.¡± The Rank 1 Special Class Mercenary King. Soo Hyuk had already become the Archmage¡¯s Descendant, so it was impossible. He had made the first step, which was to attracted the attention of the Lime and Drak Guilds, but it was still impossible for Soo Hyuk to become a Mercenary King. It could be said to be a relief. ¡°But he could still gain other privileges so report on the situation regularly.¡± Yang Joo Hyuk said to Jang Yool. He couldn¡¯t become the Mercenary King, but there were other things that he could get. For example, unique privileges. ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Jang Yool replied to Yang Joo Hyuk and turned back to watch his monitors again. * * * ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Soo Hyuk sighed deeply as he walked up the stairs. The reason he sighed, was because of the promotion quest. [Unusual Ogres] Ogres don¡¯t live in groups. This is common knowledge. However, rumours have been spreading that the ogres on the Crimson Mountains have been moving in groups. One of the two pillars of Hadrac, the Drak Guild, is trying to locate the source of the rumours. Go to the Crimson Mountains and investigate the ogres there. [Ogres: 0 / 20 ] [Twin Headed Ogres: 0 / 2 ] [Quest Reward: ??? ] ¡°Why does it have to be the Crimson Mountains¡­¡± He had thought that he just had to hunt ogres. He had thought that it would end quickly as there was an ogre hunting area nearby Hadrac. But he was wrong. The hunting area was already chosen. The Crimson Mountains. His kill count didn¡¯t rise unless the ogres were hunted in the Crimson Mountains. The problem was the location of the mountain range. From Hadrac, he had to walked south for 1 hours and 30 minutes to finally arrive at the Crimson Mountains. ¡°Maybe if there were some decent monsters along the way.¡± He wouldn¡¯t have sighed if there were monsters along the way, however, he hadn¡¯t seen a single monster along the way. More exactly, the path was a ¡®safe zone¡¯ where monsters rarely appeared. Some users would be relieved, but to him, it just felt like a waste of time. And there were more. ¡°Will they be oneshot¡­¡± The level of ogres in the Crimson Mountains weren¡¯t low. At level 200~250, they were quite high levelled. In other words, there was a high chance that they wouldn¡¯t be killed in one hit. ¡°Still, they move around in groups. I¡¯ll be able to finish quickly.¡± It wasn¡¯t a huge problem if they couldn¡¯t be killed in one hit. He had many spells in his arsenal after all. And more than anything, the ogres here were all bunched up together in groups, therefore, he could use big AOE spells more effectively. Soo Hyuk closed his quest tab and trudged along quietly. Then after a while, Soo Hyuk stopped walking as he arrived at the Crimson Mountains. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Standing in front of the entrance, Soo Hyuk checked the time while sighing once more. ¡®1 hours and 20 minutes.¡¯ It was 10 minutes shorter than expected. Of course, even if the walk was faster than expected, annoyed at the fact that the walk had taken him 1 hour and 20 minutes, Soo Hyuk stomped into the mountains with an annoyed frown on his face. Step. Step. Soo Hyuk started walking up the mountain range. There were ogres at the foot of the mountains, but there weren¡¯t many, and the twin headed ogres resided higher up the mountains as well. ¡®They should be starting to appear from the middle area.¡¯ The twin headed ogres only lived above a certain height on the mountains. In other words, he would have to climb higher in order to complete his quest. It was at that moment. -Uooooh! -Uaaargh! Soo Hyuk stopped walking at the sounds in the distance and stared to his right. Boom! Boom! The moment he turned his head, loud booms reverberated through the forested mountain. -Uoooh! -Uooong! Roars then followed the booms. They were ogre roars. ¡®How many are there?¡¯ Soo Hyuk wondered as he turned towards the direction where the roars came from. And so, Soo Hyuk arrived at his destination and stopped in place. ¡®One,two¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk counted the ogres he could see. ¡®Wait.¡¯ But before he could count to five, Soo Hyuk became suspicious. ¡®What are they doing?¡¯ The reason he stopped counting, was because of the ogres¡¯ behaviour. -Uooooh! Bang! -Uooooong! Bang! ¡®Fight?¡¯ Two ogres were fighting each with their massive fists, while the others were calmly watching them. Chapter 84 - Luring Translator: MagicFishCat Proof-reader: Girondono The ogres watching the fight didn¡¯t act like normal ogres either. They were crossing their arms or sitting on rocks while watching the fight. ¡®Wow. I actually saw it myself.¡¯ Of course, Soo Hyuk already knew that the ogres here acted differently from other areas. It was just that now he had a chance to see it with his own eyes. Bang! -Uoooh! Bang! -Uoooong! ¡®One, two¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk started counting again as he the fight went on. ¡¯10 ogres.¡¯ There was a total of 10 ogres. ¡®How should I hunt them?¡¯ Soo Hyuk pondered after counting. The Crimson Mountains ogres were around level 200~250. ¡®Oneshot seems unlikely.¡¯ Currently, his wisdom was over 3000 however even with his overwhelming stats, he didn¡¯t expect to kill the ogres in one hit. ¡®Actually, this is good.¡¯ Soo Hyuk smiled as he thought of something. ¡®I can finally try that.¡¯ Until now, the monsters he hunted were mostly oneshot. Even if it wasn¡¯t they would still die quickly from the poison. As a result, he couldn¡¯t try his combo magic, but now, it seemed possible. ¡°Poison Fog.¡± Ending his thoughts, Soo Hyuk first cast Poison Fog. Shuaak! Then after a few seconds, a fog of green revealed itself between the two brawling ogres. -Uoooh? -Uoooong! The first ones to react was of course, the two fighting ogres. With a panicked grunt, the ogres began flailing around, trying to escape the expanding fog of poison. -Uooong! -Uooooh! Then as if it was staged, the two ogres burst out from the fog at the same time. However, the fog was still expanding, and the two ogres were swallowed up again. They didn¡¯t appear again, seemingly paralysed by the poison. ¡®They don¡¯t die fast as expected.¡¯ Although the ogres didn¡¯t escape again, Soo Hyuk knew that they were still alive, because the drop window didn¡¯t appear. -Uooh? -Uoooargh! Soon, the ogres on the rocks also noticed the potency of the fog, and started backing away with flustered grunts. ¡°Firebolt.¡± Soo Hyuk fired a Firebolt at the expanding fog as the ogres tried to escape. The Firebolt flew at high speeds towards the fog, and the moment that touched. Bang! A massive explosion. He felt the shockwave from the explosion, even though he was quite a distance away. His jaws dropped as he stumbled from the impact. ¡®This powerful?¡¯ He had known that an explosion was going to happen, but he didn¡¯t expect that it would be this big. ¡®Although it¡¯s a shame that the poison fog disappears after.¡¯ Although they could create an explosion this big, fire and poison didn¡¯t have the best synergy, as the poison would evaporate after. ¡®This¡¯ll be good for when I need an instant AOE attack.¡¯ The overall damage was lower than the poison fog, but on the other hand, its range and casting time was shortened. The synergy between poison fog and firebolt could be said to be excellent. Soo Hyuk decided on its future use, then turned to stare again at the ogres. They were all dead. ¡®Well, it can be counted as two hits.¡¯ Soo Hyuk then turned from the bodies to the new notification. [Level Up!] ¡®I also levelled up.¡¯ After hunting 10 level 200 ogres, he had managed to level up. Since they a huge level difference, it was obvious that he levelled up. Soo Hyuk then checked the drop window. -7 Ogre Tendons -2 Ogre Eyes ¡°¡­¡± Soo Hyuk frowned as he looked at the drop window. ¡®What kind of drops¡­¡¯ He could see even now, that he had hunted 10 ogres exactly however, they had only dropped 9 items. Meaning that one of the ogres hadn¡¯t dropped anything. Cheering himself up, Soo Hyuk checked his character window next. Class: Archmage¡¯s Descendant Level: 127 Experience: 3% Health: 111600 Mana: 66200 Satiation: 64% Strength £º 40 (+10) Agility £º 35 (+16) Stamina £º 1108 [554 (+10)] Wisdom£º 3310 (+10) Stat Points: 5 ¡°Oh¡­¡± Soo Hyuk sighed in admiration at his character. ¡°3%?¡± Even after levelling up, he still had 3% experience. He had previously been level 126, so 10 level 200 ogres could be said to be only equal to 1 level and 3%. ¡°It was getting frustrating because I needed 5 times more experience¡­¡± However, don¡¯t forget that Soo Hyuk needed 5 time more experience as other normal users. In other words, he had gotten 5 normal levels worth of experience. ¡°Should I level here for a bit?¡± Soo Hyuk thought as he stared at his new level. ¡°The experience is quite good.¡± Ogres gave more experience than other monsters around the same level, as the ogre species was strong. ¡°They also move in groups.¡± The ogres in the Crimson Mountain range moved around in groups. In other words, he could hunt many of them at once. ¡°And they¡¯re not hard to hunt. It¡¯s a decent idea.¡± The more he thought, the more he liked the Crimson Mountains as a hunting area. ¡°Let¡¯s first complete my quest.¡± Soo Hyuk quickly assigned his stat points and closed the character window. He then started wandering around, searching for more ogres. -Uooong! -Uooooh! Boom! Boom! Boom! A few minutes after he began, Soo Hyuk could hear the roars and stomps from ogres. They were gradually getting louder. In other words, getting closer. ¡®Is it because of the earlier explosion?¡¯ The ogres probably noticed the explosion caused by poison fog and firebolt and got curious. ¡®Oh, can I bait them this way?¡¯ Happily realizing that he had gained an effective method to lure, Soo Hyuk hid himself among the undergrowth watching his surroundings. Not long after, the ogres appeared. The group this time was a smaller group of 5. ¡°Poison Frog.¡± Soo Hyuk cast poison frog at the approaching ogres. The moment he did, a 2m wide and 1m tall green frog appeared in front of the ogres. -Uooh? -Uoooong! The ogres grunted in surprise as they stared at the giant frog that blocked their way. But a few seconds later, the ogre at the front uprooted a tree next to him, and swung it towards the frog. Pat! Whether it couldn¡¯t dodge or didn¡¯t dodge, the frog didn¡¯t even react to the tree as it squarely struck its belly. But at that moment. Splat! The frog¡¯s body expanded rapidly, before exploding in a brilliant rain of green liquid. Chhii¡­ When the liquid touched the ground, it sizzled and evaporated into poisonous gas. -Uooooh! The first ogre to touch the gas screamed in confusion, at the ogre¡¯s sudden scream, the rest of the ogres backed away uncertainly. ¡°Firebolt.¡± However, Soo Hyuk¡¯s attack was faster. The firebolt flew towards the rising poison gas, then when they touched. Bang! Same as before, there was a giant explosion. As the dust from the explosion subsided, Soo Hyuk rose from his hiding spot and approached the ogres. ¡®Five.¡¯ There was exactly five dead ogres. After checking the bodies, Soo Hyuk then checked the drop window. -2 Ogre Tendons -Ogre Eye Soo Hyuk frowned heavily. The dropped items were only a pitiful three. Previously when the drop window appeared in his hiding place, he had wondered if a few ogres had managed to survive, but this wasn¡¯t the case. Sulking, Soo Hyuk collected the drops and looked back at the ogre corpses. ¡®Will more come if I wait?¡¯ Would other ogres be attracted by the explosion? Having this train of thought, Soo Hyuk pondered whether he should wait here or search actively. ¡®Okay.¡¯ Soo Hyuk finally decided. ¡®Let¡¯s wait.¡¯ For the ogres to come to him. ¡®Hmm, since I¡¯m going to wait, should I go all out with the bait?¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but think as he waited for the ogres. He had already decided to wait, so why couldn¡¯t he try to lure with all his might? ¡®Firestorm should be visible from afar.¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he recalled his previous firestorms. ¡°Firestorm.¡± Soo Hyuk muttered, putting his thoughts into action. Huuak! A massive fire tornado appeared in the middle of the mountain. ¡°Burn.¡± The fiery tornado raged across the mountainside. Unfortunately, as if the trees here had soaked up a lot of water, the fire from the tornado didn¡¯t spread widely and only burned directly around it. It was at that moment. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! -Kuoong! -Kuooo! Roars and loud booms of footsteps sounded from his back. They weren¡¯t like the sounds of ogres he had heard up until now. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me.¡¯ Hiding in a bush again, Soo Hyuk waited for the main characters. Then after a few seconds, the owners of the footsteps finally appeared. ¡®Twin-headed ogre!¡¯ He confirmed his guess, as three twin-headed ogres entered his sight ¡®Eiahh, I didn¡¯t know twin-headed ogres also traveled in groups¡¯ Being almost field boss-grade, twin-headed ogres normally didn¡¯t travel in groups. But since three had appeared at the same time, it seemed he had successfully attracted the entire mountain¡¯s attention to himself. (TL: For people confused, field bosses are like pseudo-bosses.) Boom! Boom! ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Then a few seconds later, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but panic at the unfolding situation. -Kuoong? -Kuong! -Kuoooh! Behind the initial three twin-headed ogres, more and more came pouring into the burning clearing. ¡®This crazy¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk muttered as he stared at the increasing ogres in front of him. It seemed he had overdone his bait. ¡®How many are there?¡¯ Soo Hyuk started to count the twin-headed ogres, but he couldn¡¯t finish the job. -Kuoong? He accidentally met eyes with the right head of a twin-headed ogre. At his gaze, the ogre grunted at his companions, then the other ogres all turned around to stare at Soo Hyuk. ¡°¡­ Poison Storm.¡± Soo Hyuk cast poison storm under the gaze of the ogres. Shuaak! The poison gas erupted around him and swallowed the ogre nearest him. -Kuoong! -Koooorgh! The ogres stared to scream in pain this time as the poison storm expanded to cover the area. Meanwhile, his ears in pain from the endless screams of their twin heads. ¡°Poison Chains, Poison Sphere.¡± Of course, he didn¡¯t stay still after that. He continuously fired poison spells one after another. He didn¡¯t use fire magic yet, as he was too close to the poison. Even if he wasn¡¯t poisoned, the explosion would still hurt him. ¡°Poison Frog, Pool of Poison.¡± So after a few seconds of nonstop spellcasting, Soo Hyuk finally stopped. Shuaa¡­ It was because the poison in front of him had thickened to the point where it was impossible to even see the ogres¡¯ silhouettes, and that wasn¡¯t all. ¡®Are they dead?¡¯ The screams had stopped. ¡®No, but the drop window hasn¡¯t appeared yet¡­¡¯ The drop window hadn¡¯t appeared yet. As Soo Hyuk was fearfully considering that the ogres hadn¡¯t dropped a single item. [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] Chapter 85 - Luring 2 Translator: MagicFishCat Proof-reader: Girondono ¡°Oh¡­¡± Soo Hyuk sighed in admiration as he looked at the notifications. ¡®How many levels did I gain?¡¯ How much had he levelled up? To check, Soo Hyuk went straight into his character window. Then when the character window opened, he instantly became speechless. Class: Archmage¡¯s Descendant Level: 147 Experience: 33% Health: 111600 Mana: 66300 Satiation: 59% Strength £º 40 (+10) Agility£º 35 (+16) Stamina£º 1108 [554 (+10)] Wisdom £º 3315 (+10) Stat Points: 100 ¡®It rose by 20?¡¯ His previous level 127 had risen directly to 147, or by 20 levels. Well, the number of high-levelled twin headed ogres had exceeded 10, maybe even 20. ¡®If I had a normal class¡­¡¯ What if his required experience wasn¡¯t 5 times the norm? If he had a normal class? ¡®It would be no joke.¡¯ His hunts up until now couldn¡¯t even be mentioned in the same breath as this harvest. It was truly, a massive jackpot. After investing his stat points into wisdom, Soo Hyuk closed his character window and checked the drop window. -7 Twin Headed Ogre Heads -14 Twin Headed Ogre Tendons -9 Twin Headed Ogre Hides ¡®No equipment.¡¯ He had killed tens of field boss-grade twin headed ogres, so he had hoped for some equipment drops, but reality was cruel. ¡®But still¡­¡¯ Of course, he wasn¡¯t disappointed, as the monster materials from twin headed ogres were priced at an enormous value. Soo Hyuk collected all the drops then opened his quest window. He then checked his reason he was here, his promotion mission. [Unusual Ogres] Ogres don¡¯t live in groups. This is common knowledge. However, rumours have been spreading that the ogres on the Crimson Mountains have been moving in groups. One of the tow pillars of Hadrac, the Drak Guild, is trying to locate the source of the rumours. Go to the Crimson Mountains and investigate the ogres there. [Ogres: 15 / 20 ] [Twin Headed Ogres: 2 / 2 ] [Quest Reward: ??? ] ¡°Just five more to go¡­¡± He had just hunted tens of twinheaded ogres, so he could complete the quest after hunting five more normal ogres and get the linked quest. -Uoong! -Uoooh? While he was looking at his quest, a familiar grunt from his back caused him to turn around check for the source. The awaited ogres had appeared, seemingly attracted from the earlier explosion. The ogres had started to throw around rocks and dirt from around them, to extinguish the fire cause by firestorm. Meanwhile, Soo Hyuk aimed his magic at the digging ogres. ¡°Flame Dance.¡± The small wisp of fire flew towards the ogres. The small fireball seemed evadable, yet the ogres were too preoccupied with extinguishing the fire, so the small flame was able to squarely hit one of the ogres. -Uooooh! As the fireball exploded, the ogre who was hit let out a scream of pain. However, the ogres around it didn¡¯t pay it any attention. Their attention was solely on protecting their mountain from the fire. Boom! Exactly 4 seconds later, the ogre burning from flame dance collapsed dead. Then the small fireball leapt out from the ogre¡¯s body to the next ogre. That ogre was also 4 seconds. ¡®What will I get¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk wondered as the kill count for the first condition continued to increase. The promotion quest ¡®Unusual Ogres¡¯ didn¡¯t need to be completed at the Mercenary Agency. It would be automatically completed, and the linked quest for the real promotion would begin. He was expectant as to what kind of quest he would receive. Less than 30 seconds later, all the ogres were killed from Flame Dance, and the moment he completed all the conditions, the quest was automatically completed as a notification appeared. [You have completed the quest ¡®Unusual Ogres¡¯.] [You have fulfilled the condition.] [The quest ¡®King of the Mountain Range has been created.] Soo Hyuk immediately checked the new quest. ¡°¡­¡± However, he couldn¡¯t help but become confused at the new quest. [King of the Mountain Range] The reason ogres of the Crimson Mountains are moving in groups, is because a king has appeared on the mountain range. Find out who the king is and report to the agency! [Triple Headed Ogre Orem: 0 / 1 ] [Quest Reward: B-Rank Promotion] [The quest will be considered complete once Orem is found.] [The quest will be cancelled on death. Note: if the cause of death is from Orem, the quest penalty will not apply.] ¡®Triple headed ogre? Was there a monster like that?¡¯ The reason behind his confusion, was because of a monster he had never heard of before. From his knowledge, the boss of the Crimson Mountains was a twin headed ogre. Of course, the boss wasn¡¯t a normal twin headed ogre. Naimd, the twin headed ogre with a name, a named monster, was the boss of the mountain range. The posts on the homepage had said so. But looking at the quest, it seemed like the information on those posts were wrong. From how the twin headed ogres were many times stronger than normal ogres, a triple headed ogre was bound to be stronger than a twin headed ogre as well. Of course, a lower-grade monster could be stronger than a higher-grade monster in some cases. For example, having a higher level or a named monster. But the triple headed ogre was named, which meant that the triple headed ogre was stronger than other monsters of similar grade. ¡®But¡­¡¯ There were many notes attached below the rewards. While reading through the notes again, he thought, ¡®So I just have to see the ogre?¡¯ The quest was too easy. He just had to find the triple headed ogre, and not kill it. ¡®Just how strong is it¡­¡¯ To just find it, and not defeat the ogre, just how strong was it? Soo Hyuk closed the quest tab as he thought about his new quest. Then after collecting his drops, Soo Hyuk looked around at his surroundings. The firestorm had long since faded, and the poison gas was slowly disappearing. He couldn¡¯t see any more ogres either. ¡®Now let¡¯s find it.¡¯ * * * The clearing was full of corpses. They weren¡¯t human. ¡®The ogres¡­¡¯ Countless corpses of ogre were sown everywhere. ¡®Twin headed ogres¡­¡¯ Among them were some twin headed ogres as well. ¡®Crazy, how many are there?¡¯ There weren¡¯t just one or two, there were tens, too many to count in a short time. Carefully looking at his surrounding, Aldon cautiously approached one of the bodies. When he arrived at the body, Aldon proceeded to carefully check the body, trying to figure out its cause of death. ¡®¡­Poison?¡¯ Soon, Aldon managed to find a trace of poison on the ogre¡¯s body. ¡®Poison magic!¡¯ And it wasn¡¯t ordinary poison, as there was mana laced into the poison. ¡®Huh, Soo Hyuk, did that person do this?¡¯ After receiving a job, he had hunted furiously for clues on Soo Hyuk. Then after some investigating and asking around, Aldon realised one fact. ¡®He also knows fire magic.¡¯ Also, he appeared to be quite advanced in both fields. ¡®Following more is¡­¡¯ There were still tracks left behind on the scene, so it was possible to follow Soo Hyuk using them. But he was in a dilemma. Was it right to follow him? Could he handle t? ¡®Not possible.¡¯ Aldon shook his head. The first thing he learned upon joining an information was to know his limits, and Aldon knew himself well. Tracking was dangerous. ¡®This much is still valuable information.¡¯ Having made his decision, Aldon looked around him. His eyes reflected the trees amidst the torn-up ground, and the countless corpses of ogres. This much was enough. Aldon turned around and began to head back to his guild. * * * Ta-ta-ta-tak! Sitting alone in the office, Jang Yool checked one of the monitors while typing furiously on the keyboard. But his fingers halted to a stop when he noticed the information appeared on the monitor. ¡®¡­?¡¯ Question marks appeared above him as he stared at the monitor. ¡®Am I just too tired?¡¯ Was he seeing things because he was too tired? Jang Yool rubbed his eyes and checked the monitor again. But he hadn¡¯t been seeing things. ¡°This crazy¡­¡± Jang Yool muttered as he scrunched his temples. ¡°Just what did he do?¡± Frowning slightly, Jang Yool started to type on his keyboard again. ¡®Why did his level suddenly explode?¡¯ The reason Jang Yool¡¯s action just now, was all because of a user named Soo Hyuk. Soo Hyuk¡¯s level had suddenly exploded, so he was curious as to what caused it. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± He hemmed as his fingers finished typing. ¡°So he did that¡­¡± He muttered. At that moment. Creak¡­ Yang Joo Hyuk entered the office. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk asked as he made his way to his seat. ¡°Well¡­¡± Jang Yool hesitated to answer. At his reaction, Yang Joo Hyuk stopped in place and turned to look at Jang Yool with one eyebrow raised. ¡°What? Something actually happened? In that amount of time?¡± He had merely gone to the toilet. It hadn¡¯t taen him long, not even 5 minutes. Yet, something major happened in that short time? ¡°Well, it¡¯s not particularly major, but it¡¯s a variable.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Soo Hyuk¡¯s level just exploded.¡± Jang Yool replied to the surprised Yang Joo Hyuk. ¡°By how much?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk asked in response. Just how much had he levelled for Jang Yool to show this kind of reaction? ¡®It¡¯s got to be more than 1 or 2.¡¯ As he was trying to guess the number, Jang Yool finally replied, ¡°Level 167.¡± Chapter 86 - Continued Search ¡°What?¡± Yang Joo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in surprise at Jang Yool¡¯s reply. ¡°Wasn¡¯t he just level 120?¡± Although he couldn¡¯t remember exactly, he recalled hearing that Soo Hyuk¡¯s level was around 120 this morning. But now it was 167? ¡°Did he go to a high-level hunting area?¡± This wasn¡¯t impossible. Yang Joo Hyuk knew Soo Hyuk¡¯s abilities very well. With his stats, he could manage high-level monsters well. In other words, Soo Hyuk could get experience unthinkable for those around his level easily. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s hunting level 200~250 ogres on the Crimson Mountains. The twin headed ogres as well.¡± ¡°Why did he go there?¡± ¡°He has a quest where he has to find a named triple headed ogre. He looks like he¡¯s hunting on the way.¡± * * * Soo Hyuk was silent. ¡¯11:57.¡¯ His log out time had come. ¡®Just,¡¯ Soo Hyuk frowned as he stared at the system time. ¡®Where is it?¡¯ He had roamed around the mountain range in search for the triple headed ogre, Orem. However, he couldn¡¯t find him in the end. All he found were normal ogres and twin headed ogres. Of course, he hadn¡¯t searched the entire mountain range yet. The Crimson Mountains were wide, so he had only managed to search a portion of it. ¡®A promotion quest is a promotion quest.¡¯ He had thought that he would breeze through this quest, but it was a B-rank promotion quest after all. Soo Hyuk opened his quest window. [King of the Mountain Range] The reason ogres of the Crimson Mountains are moving in groups, is because a king has appeared on the mountain range. Find out who the king is and report to the agency! [Triple Head Ogre Orem: 0 / 1 ] [Quest Reward: B-Rank Promotion] [The quest will be considered complete once Orem is found.] [The quest will be cancelled on death. Note: if the cause of death is from Orem, the quest penalty will not apply.] Soo Hyuk looked at the quest and thought, ¡®He didn¡¯t get killed already, right?¡¯ He wondered if the boss was killed by others already. Soo Hyuk had seen people that only hunted boss monsters before. It was definitely a possibility. ¡®If it was¡­¡¯ What if Orem was already dead? ¡®Kuu¡­¡¯ It was difficult. ¡®I can¡¯t just cancel the quest.¡¯ The penalty caught his mind. And also, even if he did get another promotion quest, it didn¡¯t guarantee that he would save more time. Soo Hyuk scrolled down further and checked Romian¡¯s quest, ¡®Preparation Time¡¯. [Preparation Time] Romian hadn¡¯t expected that you would bring back the key so quickly. He thought that you would¡¯ve taken at least one week. Also, Romian himself needs one week, as his body is still injured and he needs to prepare for the exploration. Find Romian again after one week! [Key to Phantom Thief Celta¡¯s Secret Cave: 1 / 1 ] [Time Left: 7 days ] [Quest Reward: Quest ¨C Cave Exploration] ¡®Can I find Orem before then?¡¯ 7 days later, Soo Hyuk had to go to Romian. Would he be able to complete this quest before then? ¡®Yes, 7 days should be enough.¡¯ 7 days was enough to scour through the mountain range. He would be able to find out if somebody was hunting Orem, or if he was just searching in the wrong place. Soo Hyuk closed his quest window and opened his character window. Although he couldn¡¯t find Orem, he hadn¡¯t just wasted his time. There was some gain. Class: Archmage¡¯s Descendant Level: 167 Experience: 23% Health: 111600 Mana: 70300 Satiation: 62% Strength£º 40 (+10) Agility£º 35 (+16) Stamina£º 1108 [554 (+10)] Wisdom£º 3515 (+10) ¡®It rose a lot.¡¯ Soo Hyuk¡¯s level was approaching 170 now. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t even know how much I¡¯ve hunted now.¡± While searching for Orem, Soo Hyuk had killed every ogre on sight, whether they were normal or twin headed. It would be weird if he didn¡¯t level up after all that. After checking his character, Soo Hyuk closed his character window then with a deep breath, logged out of Pangea. Exiting the capsule, he sat in front of his computer and started browsing through the Pangea official homepage. His searches were things like ¡®Crimson Mountains¡¯, ¡®Tripled Headed Ogre¡¯, ¡®Orem¡¯, etc.However, nothing came up. More precisely, there some articles, but none of them were what he was looking for. Failing to find the information he wanted, Soo Hyuk turned off the computer and stood up from his seat. He then walked towards a bookshelf and while pulling out a book, he thought, ¡®I want to go there quickly.¡¯ He wanted to enter the Hadrac Library even one second faster. ¡®How much longer will it to become A-rank?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t even sure how long the B-rank promotion quest would take. Then how long would the A-rank quests take? Soo Hyuk, who had arrived at his desk, stopped thinking about his quest and hungrily dived into the book. * * * -What? The guild master of the Kain information guild, Kain, exclaimed in surprise. ¡°Is that true?¡± Kain asked Aldon. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true.¡± Aldon replied with a nod. ¡°Crazy, then that means he¡¯s already around high A-rank, not B-rank.¡± Kain muttered in response to Aldon¡¯s answer. If Aldon¡¯s words were true, then he would be not B-rank, but an A-rank and in the higher class as well. ¡°I personally think that he¡¯s over A-rank. Because the monsters were all killed in an incredibly short amount of time.¡± Aldon commented when he heard Kain¡¯s muttering. The ogres on the Crimson Mountains were particularly strong, and they moved in groups. But they had all been annihilated, normal and twin headed ogres alike. If it had happened over a long period time, then he would agree with Kain that he was an A-rank. However, he knew that a slow hunt wasn¡¯t what had taken place. He had seen the corpses himself after all. The massacre had happened quickly, explosively. Knowing this, Aldon believed that So Hyuk should be beyond an A-rank. ¡°He used poison magic?¡± ¡°Yes, although I didn¡¯t see it myself, he had definitely used fire and poison magic. Those two.¡± He hadn¡¯t seen the actual massacre, but he could figure out this much from the remains of the slaughter. ¡°If it was poison magic¡­¡± Kain mumbled at Aldon¡¯s reply. ¡°Rhino could know about him.¡± They didn¡¯t know how proficient he was with fire magic, but he did with poison magic. If it could kill even twin headed ogres, than he wouldn¡¯t have been normal, so there was a high chance that Rhino, deputy head of the Hadrac Branch of Tower of Poison, would know him. ¡°Should we check?¡± Thinking that Kain¡¯s murmuring had some sense, Aldon asked Kain. ¡°Although we¡¯ll have to spend a bit of gold, he¡¯ll definitely tell us.¡± Normal people didn¡¯t know this, but his close acquaintances certainly did. Just how greedy Rhino was. And of course, an information guild like them knew this as well. ¡°¡­¡± Kain fell in thought at Aldon¡¯s words. But it didn¡¯t last long. ¡°Okay, no.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Aldon couldn¡¯t help but doubt Kain¡¯s words. Kain had just agreed then disagreed after all. However, his confusion was clear by Kain¡¯s next words. ¡°I¡¯ll find out myself.¡± Rhino valued ¡®money¡¯, but ¡®rank¡¯ was also important. He wouldn¡¯t ignore Aldon, but from Rhino¡¯s perspective, Aldon was just one of their many guild members. So, there was a possibility that he wouldn¡¯t hand the information to Aldon. ¡°Good work.¡± Kain said to Aldon before rising from his seat. * * * ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Soo Hyuk breathed out deeply. Around him, were countless ogre bodies all sown on the messy ground. After staring at the bodies, Soo Hyuk checked the time. ¡¯11:54¡­¡¯ It was time to log out. ¡®I didn¡¯t find Orem today either.¡¯ He had scoured the crimson mountain range for the triple headed ogre, but he couldn¡¯t find him in the end. ¡®What if I really don¡¯t find him in 7 days?¡¯ Soo Hyuk had originally thought 7 days would be enough. No, truthfully speaking, he had thought 3 days would be all that was needed, but after today, his thinking had changed. He now felt that 7 days was too tight. ¡®Level ups also feel slower.¡¯ Soo Hyuk opened his character window. Class: Archmage¡¯s Descendant Level: 180 Experience: 21% Health: 111600 Mana: 72900 Satiation: 60% Strength£º 40 (+10) Agility £º 35 (+16) Stamina : 1108 [554 (+10)] Wisdom £º 3645 (+10) His level was approaching the ogres¡¯ levels and as a result, his levelling speed was dropping. He had hunting all day, yet his level had only risen by 13. ¡®Well, it¡¯s still faster than normal class users.¡¯ Even if his levelling speed had dropped, his speed was by no means slow. Soo Hyuk knew that fact very well. ¡®2, 3 days then level 200?¡¯ Although his levelling speed was continuously dropping, he still felt that reaching level 200 in 2 or 3 days was possible. ¡®Then what door should I open this time?¡¯ Level 200 meant the 3rd Door. His first had been fire, then poison as his second. So what should be his third? Soo Hyuk closed his character window while in thought, then looked around him before logging out. After exiting the capsule, Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t go on his computer. He had nothing to research. So, instead of going on his computer, Soo Hyuk pulled out a book and began to read at his desk. The moment he saw the tiny letter on the book, Soo Hyuk¡¯s face burst into a bright smile. He had been spending more and more time in Pangea recently, but he couldn¡¯t read many books there. So what was this? Now, whenever he read a book, he felt more joy than every before. Shuok. With a smile still on his face, Soo Hyuk finally finished the last page and closed the book, satisfied. He then checked the time. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Soo Hyuk raised his eyebrow at the clock on the wall. ¡®Was it because the book was shorter than before?¡¯ There was still time left before his bedtime. ¡®Looks like I can read one more book.¡¯ He usually only read one book at night because anymore would mess up his schedule on the next day. Pleasantly surprised, Soo Hyuk walked towards his bookshelf again. Chapter 87 - Call As he was heading towards the bookshelf, Ping! At the little ping from his behind, Soo Hyuk shifted directions and checked his phone. There was a new message. -Yeon Jung: Hey, can I call you? Yeon Jung was the sender. ¡®Did something happen?¡¯ Calling this late at night? What did he want at this hour? Soo Hyuk called Yeon Jung to find out. -Hello. Then before even 5 seconds passed, Soo Hyuk heard Yeon Jung¡¯s voice on the other end of the phone. After Yeon Jung answered, Soo Hyuk cut straight to the point. ¡°What? Did something happen?¡± -Ah, no, nothing major. Yeon Jung replied in response to his question. -I¡¯m just really curious about something. The reason Yeon Jung sent a message wasn¡¯t because something had happened, he was just curious. ¡°Curious?¡± -Yeah, what are you doing right now? Yeon Jung asked. ¡°Me? I was just reading some books before going to bed.¡± Soo Hyuk replied to his question. -No, in Pangea. Then when Yeon Jung continued, Soo Hyuk made an O in realisation. ¡°I¡¯m doing a quest on the Crimson Mountains right now.¡± -Crimson Mountains? Is it near Hadrac? ¡°Yeah, but why?¡± Soo Hyuk asked back. -No, just that your level¡¯s suddenly 180 now. ¡°Ah.¡± At Yeon Jung¡¯s words, Soo Hyuk realised why he had sent a message at the middle of the night. After all, who could suddenly climb levels so fast? ¡°The monsters over there are really high levelled. My level just went up while doing my quest.¡± -Wah, level 200~250 ogres? It¡¯s quite high. ¡°Did you search it up? Soo Hyuk asked in surprise at Yeon Jung¡¯s unexpected knowledge. From his speech, it looked like he had just searched it up on the web. -Yeah, it says they travel in groups. Are you doing okay? ¡°I am. It¡¯s more convenient since they move in groups, since I have a lot of AOE spells. I can wipe them out all at once.¡± -Heh, stats over level, right? ¡°Of course, but Yeon Jung-ah.¡± Soo Hyuk called out. -Yeah? What? ¡°What¡¯s the real reason you called me.¡± He felt it during their conversation. The reason Yeon Jung called was not because of his level. Only people that spent a lot of time with him could notice. -¡­Did I give it away? ¡°Yeah, you did. What¡¯s going on?¡± -Well, you see¡­the thing is¡­hmm¡­ Yeon Jung couldn¡¯t reply to Soo Hyuk immediately. For whatever reason, he sounded like he as in thought as he dragged his sentences to buy time. -You¡¯re level 200 soon. Yeon Jung finally started, seemingly having decided on his thoughts. ¡°Yes.¡± He could achieve level 200 in the next 2 or 3 days. -What element are you going to unlock? ¡°¡­?¡± At Yeon Jung¡¯s question, Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t decide yet. Why?¡± -A few days earlier, my guild discovered a dungeon. -It hadn¡¯t been touched before, so we were the first discoverers. -Aiming for the first loot, we raided the dungeon. Yeon Jung continued. -There are lots of deadly traps and the monsters are strong as well. -After two more tries, we realised. -Although we did pretty well, we realised that it was still impossible with our current team. -We need a healer. A good one. Soo Hyuk now finally realised the real reason Yeon Jung called. And that moment, Yeo Jung spoke again. -Is there a possibility that you might choose healing? I¡¯m not forcing you or anything like that! ¡°Are there no healers in your guild? -Yep, good healers are very rare as they¡¯re not exactly fun to play. Yeon Jung replied to Soo Hyuk. He then asked again. -So what do you want to do? * * * ¡°Hmm.¡± Rhino smiled as he inhaled the scent of the bitter tea. ¡°It¡¯s good.¡± The tea¡¯s scent, as well as his current situation was going well. Of course, it wasn¡¯t all rainbows and sunshines. There was still that one thing that he didn¡¯t agreed with. More exactly, rather than disagreeing, it was hung on his mind as if a nasty neighbour was about to visit. ¡°Anything other than the sewers would¡¯ve been better.¡± He had dismissed it at first. His thought was that the guilds that managed Hadrac, the Lime and Drak Guilds, would take care of it. However, the situation had been more severe than he thought, so the masters of the Lime and Drak Guilds hadcome to the Tower of Poison. The reason was of course, to ask for help. They could¡¯ve refused, but they were the Lime and Drak Guild. The dual suns of Hadrac. If they wanted to keep their friendly relationship, they couldn¡¯t refuse. In the end, Rhino had taken on the request, and went down to the sewers with a few of his magicians. Then he saw what was down there. Chimeras that caused your eyes to burst from just looking at their hideous form. Chimeras were strong. No, instead of strong, they were more¡­ difficult. It was because of their poison. The main reason the Lime and Drak Guilds had come to the Tower of Poison was mainly because of this. The problem was the toxicity of the poison. They were so strong that even Rhino struggled to handle them. And to add to that, the chimeras got stronger the further ventured inside the sewers. In the end, their party had to retreat. Anymore, and even Rhino would be in danger. ¡®When will the reply come from Matab¡­¡¯ After the expedition, Rhino had reported about the situation to Matab. Even Rhino couldn¡¯t handle the poison. That was something to be reported immediately to Matab. It was at that moment. Tock. Tock. ¡°Kain Guild¡¯s master has arrived.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Rhino couldn¡¯t help but be confused at the voice outside his room. The Kain Guild, it was an information guild. Why was an information guild looking for him? ¡°Tell him to come in.¡± Rhino replied as he set down his teacup. Creak¡­ Then after a few moments, the door opened, and with it came in the master of the Kain Guild. ¡°It¡¯s an honour to meet you again.¡± Kain politely greeted Rhino as he sat down opposite him. Meanwhile, Rhino thought as he stared at Kain, ¡®What did he come here for?¡¯ ¡®Since he came personally, it wouldn¡¯t be normal.¡¯ The Kain Guild¡¯s master didn¡¯t move around easily. In other words, the fact that he had personally come meant that something major had happened. ¡®Is it also about the sewers?¡¯ Rhino wondered. At that moment. ¡°I have something to ask you.¡± Kain finally opened his mouth. ¡°¡­Ask away.¡± Rhino replied, snapped out of his thoughts at Kain¡¯s words. At his consent, Kain continued, ¡°Do you know a person called Soo Hyuk?¡± The moment he heard Kain¡¯s question, Rhino couldn¡¯t help but flinch slightly. A completely unexpected name had jumped out from Kain¡¯s mouth. ¡°So you do know!¡± Kain exclaimed with confidence when he saw Rhino¡¯s reaction. Hurriedly fixing his mistake, Rhino put on a smile and asked again, ¡°What did you come here for?¡± How did he know about Soo Hyuk!? ¡®Don¡¯t tell me he got in trouble with the Kain Guild!?¡¯ Perhaps the Kain Guild had butted heads with Soo Hyuk like the previous Demon Guild? ¡°Did someone put forward a job for you?¡± Rhino asked. ¡°Yes, although we can¡¯t really disclose the exact details, it¡¯s definitely not about a bad thing. You could even say that it¡¯s for a good thing. So, could we get some information on him?¡± Kain took out something from his pocket while he spoke. It was a pouch packed full of gold. ¡®¡­¡¯ But when he looked up at Rhino¡¯s face again, he couldn¡¯t help but panic. ¡®What?¡¯ His expression was not good. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but,¡± Rhino replied while Kain panicked inside. ¡°I can¡¯t give you his information.¡± Sell information on Soo Hyuk? It was like a joke. No matter how much he liked money, he wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to sell out the future Spire Lord. Meanwhile, Kain was shocked at Rhino¡¯s response. ¡®What is this¡­¡¯ He hadn¡¯t even considered the possibility that Rhino would reject his money. But he wasn¡¯t the master of an information guild for nothing. Kain quickly realised his situation. ¡®If Rhino can¡¯t even be bribed, then Soo Hyuk¡¯s definitely not a normal person.¡¯ It was likely that Soo Hyuk occupied a high position in the Tower of Poison. After all, he had managed to massacre twin headed ogres with just poison magic. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t use it for evil purposes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This isn¡¯t something I can give out.¡± ¡°Can you at least tell me the reason why you aren¡¯t willing to?¡± Rhino didn¡¯t answer immediately. At such a Rhino, Kain fell in thought. ¡®What do I do?¡¯ It looked like he would have to go back empty-handed. ¡®Do I really have to use the Drak Guild¡¯s name?¡¯ Should he use the Drak Guild¡¯s name? He was trying to acquire information for good purposes shouldn¡¯t it be okay? While Kain was deep in thought, Rhino was in the same state. ¡®What is he going to use it for?¡¯ ¡®He did say that it wasn¡¯t for evil purposes.¡¯ However, the good and evil was purely from Kain¡¯s perspective. Even if Kain believed that it wasn¡¯t evil, it could be different from Rhino¡¯s perspective. Both fell silent as they thought about their next choices. Of course, the silence didn¡¯t last long. The one who broke it was Kain. ¡°We received a job from the Drak Guild.¡± In the end, Kain had decided to use the Drak Guild¡¯s name. ¡°¡­The Drak Guild?¡± Rhino couldn¡¯t help but ask back in surprise. Another unexpected name had just came out form Kain¡¯s mouth again. ¡°You received a job from the Drak Guild?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kain nodded. ¡®Why?¡¯ Rhino pondered as he stared at Kain¡¯s nod. Just why did the Drak Guild want information about Soo Hyuk? ¡°Do you know the reason?¡± Just what was the future Spire Lord doing to attract the Drak Guild? The curious Rhino asked Kain. ¡°It¡¯s for recruitment.¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Rhino O-ed in realisation. ¡°Is it still impossible now?¡± Kain asked when he saw Rhino¡¯s reaction. At Kain¡¯s question, Rhino comtemplated, ¡®If it¡¯s recruitment¡­¡¯ He had been overly cautious because of the Demon Guild incident. But recruitment was another story. Plus, it was the Drak Guild. ¡®It¡¯s better to tell him.¡¯ It would be better to spill, in regard for their relationship. And if the future Spire Lord got close with the Drak Guild? It would definitely be a good thing. Finally deciding on his words, Rhino faced Kain and opened his mouth. * * * -Yeon Jung: Then you can join the guild on the day! Soo Hyuk: Got it. Yeon Jung: Stay well! And thank you. Just for me, you¡­ -Soo Hyuk: What are you saying, it¡¯s good for me as well. -Yeon Jung: Have fun in Pangea! -Soo Hyuk: You too. Ending his call with Yeon Jung, Soo Hyuk looked around. ¡°Can I find him today?¡± Today was already the 3rd day. Will he finally find Orem today? Soo Hyuk picked up his pace as wandered around the mountains. Chapter 88 - Twin Ogres -Kuooh? -Uooooh! Shortly after beginning his search, Soo Hyuk heard the roar of ogres in the distance, then began heading toward the source. ¡®There¡¯s two twins.¡¯ There were five ogres in front of him, and among them were two Twin Headed Ogres. ¡®Hmm, then I can¡¯t kill them all in one shot.¡¯ Normal ogres would be instantly killed by the Poison Fog+Firebolt combo, but Twin-Headed Ogres were tough enough to survive the combo. ¡°Poison Fog.¡± Deciding to change his methods, Soo Hyuk first cast Poison Fog. Shuaa¡­ As the fog descended on the area, the ogres began to stumble around in a panicked manner. ¡°Poison Chains¡± After Poison Fog, Soo Hyuk cast Poison Chains at the ogres, who were desperately trying to escape the poison. A dark green chain flew towards the ogres and bound them together. When the chain wound itself around the ogres, their movement speed slowed down to almost a crawl. Exactly 3 seconds after the spell was cast, the three normal ogres collapsed on the ground, dead. Then 3 seconds after that, the twin-headed ogres fell as well. And so, Soo Hyuk defeated all the ogres and continued searching after collecting the drops. -Uh! Uh! ¡°Poison Storm.¡± -Kuaaah! ¡°Flame Dance.¡± Soo Hyuk picked off all the ogres he encountered on the way. [Level Up!] Soo Hyuk smiled warmly as he looked at the occasional level-ups. ¡®At this speed, I might reach 190.¡¯ It was at that moment. Bang! ¡°Hmm?¡± The ground shook as he lost his balance and stumbled. -Kuooooong! A deafening roar incomparable to any other echoed throughout the mountain, and that wasn¡¯t it. A notification appeared as well. [Warning!] [The King of the Crimson Mountains, the Tripled-Headed Ogre Orem has appeared!] Soo Hyuk¡¯s eyes widened to their limit as he stared at the notification. ¡®Wow.¡¯ Orem, the King of the Mountain Range had appeared. Keeping his eyes on the notification, Soo Hyuk opened his quest window then checked the quest. [King of the Mountain Range] The reason ogres of the Crimson Mountains are moving in groups, is because a king has appeared on the mountain range. Find out who the king is and report to the agency! [Triple Head Ogre Orem: 0 / 1 ] [Quest Reward: B-Rank Promotion] [The quest will be considered complete once Orem is found.] [The quest will be canceled on death. Note: if the cause of death is from Orem, the quest penalty will not apply.] ¡®Do I have to see it myself?¡¯ Soo Hyuk, who initially expected that the mission had been completed because of the message, discarded the thought and looked towards the roar. It seemed like he had to see Orem with his own eyes. Bang! Soo Hyuk carefully advanced towards the source of the roar, watching out for the periodic earthquakes. Then when he finally arrived, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh in admiration. ¡®Whoa¡­¡¯ There weren¡¯t any big physical differences between Orem the Triple Headed Ogre and Twin Headed Ogres. Their sizes were similar so the only difference that stood out was that Orem had one more head and an extra pair of arms, as compared to a Twin-Headed Ogre, which had four arms. But was it because of that one detail? Its aura was different from other monsters. The pressure Orem gave off completely overshadowed the Twin-Headed Ogres so far. ¡®Should I try?¡¯ Soo Hyuk pondered as he stared at Orem. His quest was already complete, but to go back like this, his previous 3 days felt like a waste. ¡®It looks really strong¡­¡¯ In the Crimson Mountains, the ogres were around level 200~250. That meant Orem was a level 200~250 named boss monsters, whose race an ogre, renowned for their crushing strength. ¡®I probably won¡¯t die in one hit.¡¯ The current amount of health Soo Hyuk had was around 110,000. No matter how weak his defense, or how strong Orem¡¯s attack power was, he wouldn¡¯t be able to reduce his HP to zero in one hit. ¡®I also have the subspace.¡¯ Soo Hyuk also had the emergency escape skill ¡®Archmage¡¯s Subspace¡¯. ¡®Let¡¯s test the waters first and run away if it goes badly.¡¯ He just had to escape to his subspace if things went wrong. Resolving his worries, Soo Hyuk slowly approached the king. However, Soo Hyuk had to stop in place before he could take his tenth step. [You have been discovered by the Triple Headed Ogre Orem.] Soo Hyuk was startled at the sudden message. Returning to his senses, he quickly turned to look at Orem and locked eyes with one of its heads. -Kuooooong! The moment the head saw him, it roared powerfully and caused the other two heads to look at Soo Hyuk as well. Meanwhile, under the gaze of 6 eyes, Soo Hyuk muttered under his breath, ¡°Poison Storm.¡± Shuaa¡­ The Poison Storm erupted around him, engulfing Orem. -Kuoooong! However, before even 3 seconds could pass, Orem barreled out of the poison with a ferocious roar. It then turned towards Soo Hyuk and started charging wildly. ¡°Poison Chains, Pool of Poison.¡± Soo Hyuk continued to fire spell after spell at the approaching Orem. The first spells he fired were ones that restricted movement speed. Bang! Bang! But Orem¡¯s speed didn¡¯t slow at all as if the special effects didn¡¯t trigger or it was just immune. ¡°Poison Frog, Poison Sphere.¡± Frowning, Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t cease his stream of spells even as he started retreating with. ¡®Not being able to see its health is really¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk thought as he stared at the shortening distance in between him and Orem. It was regretful as a visible health bar for monsters would make it easier to make decisions in battle. -Kuouong! Soon, the distance narrowed enough for Orem to swing his giant trunk-like arms. Meanwhile, Soo Hyuk¡¯s frown only deepened as he faced the fist rushing towards him like a bullet train. ¡®Crazy.¡¯ The problem was that there wasn¡¯t only one fist; there were three, and each of them was the size of a small car. There just wasn¡¯t enough space to dodge them. Bang! Soon, Orem¡¯s fist smashed into the spot where he was standing and he was flung backwards from the force of a single fist. In the air, Soo Hyuk quickly checked his health. ¡®80 thousand?¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but panic at his remaining health. He only had around 80, 000 HP left. ¡®That means he did 30 thousand from a single fist?¡¯ That was approximately a fourth from his 110 thousand health pool. All from a single fist. ¡®F*ck.¡¯ Orem¡¯s health could also be near the bottom, but after finding out his attack power, Soo Hyuk didn¡¯t want to take the risk. ¡°Archmage¡¯s Subspace.¡± [Warping to the Archmage¡¯s Subspace.] And so, after realising Orem¡¯s power, Soo Hyuk immediately teleported into his subspace. ¡°How does it deal 30,000 damage in one hit?¡± Soo Hyuk muttered in irritation when he arrived at the chamber. He then opened his quest window before heading to the tunnel. ¡°Now I just have one rank left.¡± He would ascend to be a B-rank after completing his quest at the agency. The end of his quest to enter the Hadrac Library never seemed closer than now. Arriving at the warp circle, Soo Hyuk teleported straight to Hadrac, and from there, headed to the Mercenary Agency. Then upon arriving at the agency, Soo Hyuk climbed the stairs to the 2nd floor and walked up to one of the operating empty counters. But when the NPC received his token, he jumped in his seat. ¡°¡­¡± Noticing the NPC¡¯s little reaction, Soo Hyuk stared suspiciously at him. Then as if realising his fault, the NPC hurriedly fixed his posture and asked, ¡°W-was there really a Triple Headed Ogre?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Were Triple Headed Ogres that feared? Soo Hyuk wondered as he replied with a nod. [You have completed the quest ¡®King of the Mountain Range¡¯.] A notification appeared the moment he answered. ¡°Could you please wait a moment? Excuse me¡­¡± The NPC stood up as his voice trailed away. He then entered the room behind him, presumably to change his token into a B-rank one. After a few minutes, the NPC returned to Soo Hyuk. ¡°¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk was confused when he noticed what the NPC was carrying. ¡®What¡¯s that box for?¡¯ In the NPC¡¯s hands was his new token, and a mysterious box. ¡®I¡¯m sure there was no reward for the quest though?¡¯ He could distinctly remember feeling annoyed because the reward of the quest only said ¡®B-Rank Promotion¡¯. ¡®Then is it for someone else?¡¯ That was a possibility, but there wasn¡¯t anybody around him waiting for their reward either. But at that moment, an idea struck his head. ¡®Is it for the previous quest?¡¯ The original mission he picked for his promotion, ¡®Unusual Ogres.¡¯ The reward for that quest was, he remembered, was [???]. The NPC placed the box and the new token on the table, then pushed them towards Soo Hyuk and said, ¡°These are the rewards for your mission.¡± The NPC¡¯s words confirmed Soo Hyuk¡¯s idea. This box was the reward for ¡®Unusual Ogres¡¯. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± Soo Hyuk bid farewell as he stored his new token and the box in his inventory. At that moment. ¡°S-Soo Hyuk-nim!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Soo Hyuk, who was about to climb down on the stairs, froze at the NPC¡¯s shout then looked back. ¡°Umm, could you please follow me somewhere?¡± ¡°¡­Excuse me?¡± Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but ask back in response. Follow him? ¡°There are some people that want to meet with Soo Hyuk-nim.¡± [A Sudden Meeting] The executives of the Mercenary Agency want to meet with you. Follow Karlot and head to the executive room! [Quest Reward: ??? ] A sudden quest. Soo Hyuk, who was about to reject the quest, changed his mind upon reading its contents. ¡®The executives¡­¡¯ The executives of the Mercenary Agency. A wrong move here could come back to bite him tenfold. ¡°¡­I understand.¡± Making his decision, Soo Hyuk replied to NPC Karlot. [You have accepted the quest ¡®A Sudden Meeting¡¯.] ¡°Then this way please¡­¡± Karlot started to lead the way while Soo Hyukfollowed behind him. After a few minutes of walking, Karlot stopped in front of a certain door. Tap. Tap. ¡°Soo Hyuk-nim is here.¡± After he knocked on the floor, Karlot stood aside and gestured to Soo Hyuk, ¡°You can go in now.¡± At Karlot¡¯s words, Soo Hyuk opened the door and walked into a room. [You have completed the quest ¡®A Sudden Meeting¡¯.] A notification appeared the moment he set foot in the room. However, Soo Hyuk¡¯s gaze was not on the notification. ¡®Those two¡­¡¯ There were two men inside the room. Considering the quest was completed, they seemed to be the executives of the agency. Meanwhile, the two men stood up when Soo Hyuk entered the room, and proceeded to introduce themselves. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Ian, the master of the Drak Guild.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m Alex, the master of Lime Guild.¡± Chapter 89 - Drak and Rime Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at the introductions of the two men, Ian and Alex. ¡®Drak? Rime?¡¯[1] It was because of the words ¡®Drak Guild¡¯ and ¡®Rime Guild¡¯. Soo Hyuk knew about the Drak Guild and the Rime Guild. They were the supreme powers of Hadrac, the Drak and Rime Guild; and their masters could be called kings. ¡®Why me¡­¡­¡¯ Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t understand why Alex and Ian wanted to see him. ¡°Ah, nice to meet you.¡± Soo Hyuk, who had been locked in the thought, introduced himself when he saw their eyes. ¡°I¡¯m Soo Hyuk.¡± Soo Hyuk asked then after his introduction, ¡°But why did you want to see me?¡­¡± As Soo Hyuk¡¯s voice trailed off, Alex and Ian turned to look at each other. Their eyes glittered as if having a private conversation, then after a few seconds, turned to look at Soo Hyuk again. ¡°Actually¡­¡­¡± What kind of conversation did they have with their eyes? Then Alex opened his mouth. * * * ¡°So he¡¯s the next Spire Lord of the Tower of Poison?¡± Alex asked instead. ¡°Yes.¡± And Ian, who was sitting on the other side, nodded at his question. ¡°¡­¡­ Really?¡± Alex asked again at Ian¡¯s reply. It was really an unbelievable piece of information. ¡°Yes, I checked myself with Rhino.¡± Alex was left speechless at his answer. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Ian asked Alex, who was looking at him without a word. ¡°What?¡± Alex echoed Ian¡¯s question after he finally came to himself. ¡°Are you going to bring him in?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like we can recruit him at our whim.¡± He was the future Spire Lord of the Tower of Poison, one of the 10 Towers. If he rejected them, then that was the end. They couldn¡¯t pursue the matter anymore ¡°Yes, that is true.¡± Ian nodded in agreement with Alex¡¯s words. Then Ian, after he finished nodding, continued to ask, ¡°But why is he a mercenary? A crazy one at that.¡± Su Hyuk was currently frantically completing missions left and right. Just why was he doing this? No matter how much they dwelled on the topic, no answer came out. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Shall we ask him?¡± ¡°Yes, and we should ask about the recruitment as well.¡± ¡°Our side?¡± ¡°It¡¯s our turn.¡± ¡°Hey, when did turns suddenly appear?¡± ¡°Our side¡¯s already ready to take him in.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Let¡¯s talk first, and not get ahead of ourselves.¡± ¡°I told you clearly, it¡¯s our turn.¡± Ian and Alex headed deeper and deeper into their conversation. It was at that moment. Tap. Tap. ¡°Master, it¡¯s Jackal.¡± lex and Ian stopped their conversation at the sound of a knock. Then Alex, the owner of the room, answered Jackal¡¯s cry. ¡°Come in.¡± The door opened, and Jackal entered. Jackal flinched when he noticed Ian, but then fixed his posture and opened his mouth with a defiant look. ¡°He has come.¡± ¡°Him?¡± Then at Alex¡¯s question, Ian smiled widely and said, ¡°He seems to be talking about Soo Hyuk-nim?¡± ¡°Really?¡± At Ian¡¯s words, Alex questioned Jackal. ¡°¡­¡­ Yes.¡± Jackal replied in response, then Alex rose from his seat and said to Ian, ¡°It¡¯s better to see him now, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± * * * ¡´The Twin Suns of Hadrac¡µ The two guilds that manage the city of Hadrac, Drak and Rime. The master of the Drak Guild Ian, and the master of the Rime Guild, Alex, wants to recruit you. But in order to recruit you, they can¡¯t be rude to the future Spire Lord of the Tower of Poison. So, Ian and Alex have to respect your opinion. Quest rewards: Joining the Drak Guild or the Rime Guild. Choosing Ian will result in joining the Drak Guild while choosing Alex will result in joining the Rime Guild. Soo Hyuk silently read the quest. ¡®What the heck is this talking about?¡¯ The content of the quest was quite alarming. ¡®I¡¯m the future Spire Lord?¡¯ It was written in a way that didn¡¯t make sense. The future Spire Lord? The contents of the quest however, were based on the thoughts of Alex and Ian. So just where did they get the idea that he was the next Spire Lord? ¡®But this doesn¡¯t even take the top spot.¡¯ Soo Hyuk, who was staring blankly at the quest, turned his gaze away from the quest and saw Ian and Alex staring at him. The Drak Guild and the Rime Guild. They were NPC guilds. Also, they weren¡¯t just any normal guilds, they were the overlords of Hadrac. They were guilds that you couldn¡¯t join easily even if you wanted to. But Soo Hyuk couldn¡¯t complete this quest; he couldn¡¯t enter both the Drak Guild or the Rime Guild. This was because he had already decided to enter Yeon Jung¡¯s ¡®Reader¡¯ guild. ¡°¡­¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡± Soo Hyuk replied to Ian and Alex. Then the moment Soo Hyuk answered, the quest in front of his eyes disappeared like it was never there in the first place. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay!¡± ¡°You have nothing to be sorry about!¡± But as if Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer was already expected, Ian and Alex both comforted him without the slightest trace of disappointment. ¡°By the way¡­¡± Ian asked, blurring his words. ¡°Can you tell us why you¡¯re doing missions in the agency?¡± Why was Soo Hyuk, the next head of the Tower of Poison doing missions? And in such a crazy manner? Ian was very curious about that. Alex also seemed to be curious, as he also stared expectantly at Soo Hyuk after Ian¡¯s question. ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± Soo Hyuk¡¯s voice faded away when he saw the shining eyes of the guild masters, then thought about how to answer the question. ¡®Can I tell them the truth?¡¯ It was to use the library. Should he tell them it was just to become an A-Rank mercenary? ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like it would matter that much.¡¯ Answering truthfully didn¡¯t seem like it would cause any problems. This was because it was not a negative reason. ¡®Will they believe it?¡¯ The reason why Soo Hyuk was so worried was that Alex and Ian would not believe it. ¡®They don¡¯t seem like they would though.¡¯ Ian and Alex knew Soo Hyuk as the next Poison Spire Lord. However, would they believe that a future Spire Lord wanted to become an A-Rank mercenary just to use the library? ¡®But¡­¡­¡¯ But if he didn¡¯t tell the truth, he didn¡¯t know how else he could answer them. ¡®Whether they believe it or not.¡¯ He just didn¡¯t want to lie. ¡°I needed an A-Rank Mercenary Token to use the library.¡± Making his decision, Soo Hyuk confidently answered Ian and Alex¡¯s question. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Then as Soo Hyuk expected, Ian and Alex showed the same puzzled expression, as if they had decided beforehand. ¡°So¡­¡­¡± The silence did not last long. Alex was the first one to open his mouth. ¡°The reason you¡¯re doing missions is because¡­¡­¡± Alex¡¯s look was full of embarrassment. ¡°It was all to use the library?¡± Alex stared firmly at Soo-Hyuk after his question. ¡°Yes.¡± At Soo Hyuk¡¯s answer, Ian and Alex fell silent again and stared at Soo Hyuk, wondering, ¡®Library? Only for that reason?¡¯ ¡®What, he did all those missions just to use the library.¡­¡­¡¯ No matter how hard they thought, they couldn¡¯t understand. Who would believe that a person would climb to be an A-Rank mercenary just to access the library? Alex and Ian looked at each other. Then after another quick conversation with their eyes, they looked back at Soo Hyuk. ¡°Perhaps.¡± It was Alex who spoke out again. ¡°Do you think you will continue tackling missions?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m planning to keep tackling missions until I get promoted to A-rank.¡± Soo Hyuk answered with a nod in response to Alex¡¯s question. At his answer, Ian and Alex looked at each other again. Then after a quick conversation using their eyes again, Ian and Alex looked back at Soo Hyuk. ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± This time, Ian, not Alex, spoke out ¡°Can we commission a mission to you ourselves?¡± ¡°Commission?¡± ¡°Yes, if you accept our request, you will be promoted to A-Rank. No, we¡¯ll make you an S-Rank.¡± Su Hyuk couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at Ian¡¯s words. ¡®Promotion?£¬ This was because, from Ian¡¯s mouth, the words ¡®promotion¡¯ and ¡®S-Rank¡¯ had come out. ¡°What kind of request?¡± Soo-Hyuk asked Ian about the promotion. Just what kind of mission instantly gave a promotion from B-Rank to S-Rank? ¡®It won¡¯t be easy.¡¯ It was not going to be an easy request. ¡°It is¡­¡­¡± Ian¡¯s mouth opened. After Ian¡¯s words, the quest appeared.