《Emperor of Solo Play》 Prologue Prologue I¡¯ve been called trash my whole life. I wasn¡¯t born with any special talent, nor was I better at something than others. So I couldn¡¯t say anything whenever I was called trash. That isn¡¯t to say I never struggled to become better. But at the end of the day, I fell asleep kicking the bed sheets in anger. This goddamned life. But for the first time, I found something I was better at than others. Virtual reality (VR) games! In real life, I was at the bottom of the food chain. But in the virtual world, I was at the top. Even the so called professional-gamers were mere preys in my eyes. To top it off, you could gain unimaginable wealth and prestige just by being good at gaming. This was the era of VR games. I had no hesitation. To succeed through gaming, I was prepared to give my life. I did anything to accomplish my goals. Everything was fair in the name of success. In the end, the goal I¡¯ve been striving for was within my reach, just a hair¡¯s breadth away. Just a bit more, just a bit! I could have reached my goal in just a bit more¡­ ¡°Fuckers.¡± I never thought my comrades would betray me. The ones I thought would stay by my side until the end. ¡°Fuck.¡± My comrades betrayed me, and in an instant, four years of hard work disappeared into the void. I tried to fight back, but I was powerless. A hole had been pierced through my stomach, and I even developed sociophobia. ¡°See if I trust anyone ever again.¡± When I was given a chance to start over, I knew what path to take. ¡°Whatever the outcome, I¡¯ll do it alone¡­ I¡¯ll show you that I can do it alone.¡± The Solo Path! This is how I¡¯ve come to tread this road. Chapter 1 : The Hero Slaughterer (1). The Hero Slaughterer (1) Ulbrid Woods. It was a difficult training spot where only users over level 250 could survive. It was filled with ferocious One-Horned Wolves, and was also the home of the boss monster Scarface. The level 355 Scarface was without a doubt one of the top 9 strongest monsters discovered in the game so far. It was truly a monster among monsters. Only the top-level players of the world¡¯s most popular game, Warlord, could step into this place. It was why the Ulbrid Woods was one of the quietest places in the game world. Of over ten million players of Warlord, less than five thousand were at this level. That said, the place was currently crowded with people, enough to describe it as congested. There were over forty players filling up what little space remained between the tree trunks. Some even stood on the branches of the trees that soared into the skies like columns of the Parthenon. And in the center, there was a single man. He was wearing what could only be described as hiking clothes. His outfit resembled a soldier¡¯s camouflage uniform, letting him blend in with his surroundings. This average-looking man seemed like an ordinary hiker, nothing more and nothing less. On the contrary, the ones surrounding the man wore yellow and green uniforms. The males wore coats that resembled what the army executives wore during World War II, and the women wore wearing knee-high skirts unfit for traveling in the woods. Their fashion was passable, but it wasn¡¯t appropriate for the situation. A very tense, emotional situation. ¡°Brother Dongsoo!¡± At An Jaehyun¡¯s shout, a man across from him clenched his mouth even harder. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± An Jaehyun asked the man again. ¡°Sorry.¡± With his mouth still shut, the man let out an apology. An Jaehyun could only be dumbfounded by the apology, and simply scoffed at the man. ¡°Fuck, are you for real?¡± At this moment, a memory from four years ago flashed across An Jaehyun¡¯s mind. The year was 2036, a year after the virtual reality game, Warlord, made its debut. With its release, Warlord completely dominated the field of VR games. Anyone hoping to become famous transferred to Warlord. There were endless opportunities for wealth and fame. That was when An Jaehyun first met Kim Dongsoo. He had already built a name for himself in another VR game, and he was looking for life-long comrades to start anew. That was when An Jaehyun joined hands with him. The two of them held an unbreakable relationship. In his four, long years with Kim Dongsoo, An Jaehyun hunted monsters, raided bosses, and fought with other players. They were battles with their lives on the line. It would have been weird for them not to develop such a close relationship. Their bond was not only unbreakable, but tight. The number of lives they lost trying to save each other neared a hundred. In-game death meant being unable to play for 48 hours and dropping a random item in the player¡¯s possession. For such a price, they were willing to die many times over. That was the kind of person Kim Dongsoo was to An Jaehyun. Someone closer to him than his own family. Now, he wore an emblem on his chest. An emblem with five lightning symbols forming a whirlpool of lightning. The Stormhunter Guild. They were rivals Kim Dongsoo and An Jaehyun had to overcome to achieve the wealth and fame they so deeply desired. They were also the enemies they had been facing for the past four months. ¡°Brother Dongsoo, if you¡¯re trying to throw me a surprise party, fine. But please, don¡¯t cosplay as those lightning-struck lunatics. Lightning-struck lunatics. Only An Jaehyun would call the Stormhunter Guild by that name. Warlord had over ten million active users, and over a hundred million people actively following the game. There weren¡¯t many people who could treat one of Warlord¡¯s Top 30 Guilds like it was his neighbor dog. ¡°Fuck.¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t that An Jaehyun didn¡¯t understand the situation he was in. Cosplay? Surprise party? ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like you guys are interested in my jokes.¡± It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say An Jaehyun was the stupidest man alive, but he wasn¡¯t so dense as to not know the gravity of the situation. ¡°You told me to come to Ulbrid Woods in such a hurry that I thought you found a Gold-Horned Wolf or something. I even dropped the fried chicken I was eating to log-in, and this is what I get? If that wasn¡¯t enough, you betrayed me for the Stormhunter Guild? Of all the Top 30 Guilds, why those fuckers?¡± Huuu! An Jaehyun thought his heart would burst from just thinking about what was going on. ¡°Alright, fine. Let me hear the reason first.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°How much did they offer? How much did they pay to make you backstab your comrades of four years?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t betray my comrades.¡± At Kim Dongsoo¡¯s reply, An Jaehyun placed his hands over his ears, as if he had just heard the most ludicrous thing. ¡°Huh? Did I hear that right? You didn¡¯t betray your comrades? Did the National Institute of Korean Language change the definition of ¡®betray¡¯ while I wasn¡¯t aware? Or did I just hear wrong? If I did, I¡¯ll have to report this as a bug.¡± ¡°As of today, the Hahoe Mask Guild is a sub-group of the Stormhunter Guild.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± An Jaehyun could only let out empty laughs in response. He¡¯s laughed countless number of times in his life, but he never thought he could choke out an empty laugh like this. And in response to An Jaehyun¡¯s laugh, Kim Dongsoo delivered the final blow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Jaehyun. It¡¯s just you that needs to die.¡± An Jaehyun¡¯s laughing stopped, and he became expressionless. A bone-chilling glint appeared from his eyes. It was frightening enough to cause goose-bumps even in a VR world. Some of the surrounding men and women took in a deep breath. If they didn¡¯t, they thought they would be suffocated to death. At that moment, a woman appeared from behind a tree. A model-like height and an awe-inspiring figure. The woman wore skin-tight skirts and a short-sleeved shirt. Her long, straight hair was tied in a ponytail, giving off the impression that she was full of energy. Plus, she was extremely beautiful. Her lips formed a small arc, forming a cute smile. Her smile seemed to have the power to intoxicate others. With such smile, the woman stared at An Jaehyun. ¡°An Jaehyun.¡± She called his name. Tssk. An Jaehyun clicked his tongue. ¡°Choi Sulyeon.¡± Choi Sulyeon. She lived a completely different world than An Jaehyun, and would continue to live a life he could never imagine. She was the heiress to Korea¡¯s leading chaebol family. From birth, she was raised to aim for the top. She was Korea¡¯s leading model, on top of being an abled businesswoman who would become the leader of Korea¡¯s economic world. When she first started Warlord, millions of people were curious what a talented girl like her could accomplish with the backing she had. As if to respond to her expectations, Choi Sulyeon became one of Korea¡¯s top players. She gathered the top players of Asia to form the Stormhunter Guild. It was with her effort that the Stormhunter Guild became one of Warlord¡¯s Top 30 Guilds. No one seemed to be capable of blocking her way. At least, no one was her match anywhere within Asia. Even if she were to say this herself, it would not be arrogance, but a cold hard fact. That was¡­ until An Jaehyun appeared. ¡°An Jaehyun.¡± ¡°My ears are wide open, you don¡¯t need to say my name twice. Besides, since when did we get so close to call each other by our real names? If you don¡¯t want me cutting off your neck and playing volleyball with it like before, then shut your mouth.¡± ¡°An Jaehyun, An Jaehyun, An Jaehyun.¡± This bitch! An Jaehyun barely suppressed himself from yelling out his thoughts. Looking at him, Choi Sulyeon let out a enchanting smile. ¡°So? What do you think about this situation? Cool, isn¡¯t it?¡± Four months ago, the Hahoe Mask Guild and the Stormhunter Guild clashed. The Hahoe Mask Guild grew at an astonishing rate, and in just four years, it became powerful enough to threaten the Top 30 Guilds. The Hahoe Mask Guild¡¯s first Champion Title Match was against the Stormhunter Guild. They faced each other in several small clashes, and in the end, a representative from each guild fought in an one-on-one duel. Choi Sulyeon¡­ no, the Storm Queen Shir fought against An Jaehyun, otherwise known as the Hero Slaughterer Hyrkan. Their live battle sold over six hundred thousand tickets. Even with each ticket costing ten thousand won, they managed to sell so much in a single week. It showed how much the world was interested in their battle. A massive debate sparked over the outcome. On one side was the Storm Queen, who played the game since its Beta days and never left the top 50 rankings. On the other side was the Hero Slaughterer, someone who started playing a full year after the Storm Queen, yet managed to rise to top 100 rankings. He had already slain thirty three rankers. However, the real battle betrayed their expectations. It was nothing more than a one-sided slaughter. An Jaehyun¡¯s overwhelming victory. It was as if a puppy had been paired up to fight a tiger. An Jaehyun completely dominated Choi Sulyeon. With this victory, the Hahoe Mask Guild was no longer one of the numerous challengers for the Top 30 Guilds, but a guild that could easily enter it given the chance. In fact, it was speculated that the Hahoe Mask would take one of the 30 broadcasting studios as its sponsor, and officially become one of the Top 30 Guilds. They only had to wait for the broadcasting studios to finish their annual Warlord Guilds Analysis. Many sponsors flocked to the Hahoe Mask Guild, while sponsors of the Stormhunter Guild slowly backed out. ¡®We would¡¯ve had a live channel in 2 months!¡¯ All An Jaehyun had to do was wait. In just two months, he would obtain the wealth and fame he had been working for. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t understand Kim Dongsoo. Why would he betray him? What would he gain from it? There was one thing An Jaehyun knew for sure. Choi Sulyeon. This bitch had done all this just to screw over An Jaehyun. He didn¡¯t know what she did, but she did it to a perfection. She was thoroughly prepared to send An Jaehyun to hell. ¡°Don¡¯t just glare at us, say something. How are you feeling?¡± ¡°I feel like someone chopped my head off and played with it like a volleyball. I¡¯d imagine you know exactly how it feels like.¡± ¡°You can still joke around? Impressive.¡± Choi Sulyeon¡¯s expression changed. Her smile disappeared, and she took on a serious face befitting the guildmaster of the Stormhunter Guild. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one last chance. Kneel and swear your loyalty to me. I¡¯ll take you in, too.¡± It seemed like Choi Sulyeon wanted to turn him into her slave. An Jaehyun contemplated for a short time. If he were to tell Choi Sulyeon to fuck off, the Stormhunter Guild would chase him to the ends of the earth to PK him. His life would become a lot more difficult. To top it off, his own Hahoe Mask Guild would be leading the charge to kill him. The logical answer would have been to concede. Humiliation? Being humiliated was nothing compared to losing everything he had worked towards. If it was the old An Jaehyun, the talentless and pitiable him, then he would have cast aside his pride. He might have even waggled his butt at the thought of serving a beauty like her. He would have crawled on the ground to show her a good performance. No, he wasn¡¯t any different now. He¡¯d lost everything with nothing to show for. All he had left was his pride. Pride that no one cared about. A cheap and worthless pride¡­ ¡®Never thought I¡¯d make a self-discovery like this.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t do it. An Jaehyun, although he could give his pride to a random dog on the streets, could not give it to Choi Sulyeon. ¡°Your answer?¡± To Choi Sulyeon¡¯s question, An Jaehyun remained silent. ¡°Jaehyun!¡± Kim Dongsoo urged him, but An Jaehyun ignored him too. Instead, his hands quickly spun the dial on his watch. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Fuck, is he crazy?¡± ¡°Everyone get ready!¡± Choi Sulyeon, Kim Dongsoo, and the rest all moved their watch dials. When the dial pointed to the number they wanted, they shouted, ¡°Slot on!¡± In an instant, sticky liquid poured out from their watches and covered their bodies. The liquid immediately turned into defensive items. Some wore shining suits of armor, some wore loose, fluttering clothes, and others wore uniforms giving off a holy aura. On the other hand, An Jaehyun wore a tight fitting black leather clothing. He brought his hands next to his waist and grabbed the hanging hahoe mask. He quickly swiped on the mask and spoke through the mouth gap. ¡°I¡¯ll make you regret this day for the rest of your lives.¡± The Hero Slaughterer Hyrkan! He declared war against the Stormhunter Guild and the Hahoe Mask Guild that betrayed him. Chapter 2 : The Hero Slaughterer (2) Chapter 2 : The Hero Slaughterer (2) ¡°Give me a 10,000 won worth.¡± An Jaehyun took out 2 five thousand won bills from his wallet. The convenience store¡¯s part-time worker tilted his head in a daze. An Jaehyun adjusted his thick glasses and spoke again. ¡°Can I get my lottery ticket?¡± ¡°Ah, sorry.¡± The part-time worker snapped out of his daze and took the money. He then smoothly picked out a lottery ticket for An Jaehyun. While handing out the ticket, the part-time worker kept examining An Jaehyun¡¯s face. ¡°Um, have I met you before?¡± Putting the lottery ticket in his wallet, An Jaehyun left the convenience store without giving him an answer. At this, the part-time worker titled his head again. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve seen him before¡­ gah, whatever.¡± The part-time worker shook his head and grabbed his tablet paper from the counter. He unpaused the video and watched it with great interest. -Mr. Kim Dongsoo, how¡¯s the situation right now? -The Albino Dragon received heavy damage to his right wing. Our first objective has been accomplished. -What about the losses? -We lost five so far. -Do you think you¡¯ll succeed in killing the Albino Dragon? -The Stormhunter Guild is Warlord¡¯s greatest guild, and our Hahoe Mask team is its strongest attack team. We don¡¯t worry about success or failure. We only worry about how we¡¯ll succeed. -How romantic. -Haha. Without a bit of romance, who would suffer through such hardships? The part-time worker smiled lightly as he watched the video. ¡°As expected of the Stormhunter Guild. It¡¯s really the best. None of the other guilds is its match after joining up with the Hahoe Mask Guild. Following his smile was a slight sense of disappointment. ¡°What a shame. If only they still had the Hero Slaughterer¡­ what is he doing these days? Did he quit the game completely?¡± The part-time worker once again tilted his head at this question. But that was it. Soon, he silently went back to watching more videos. An Jaehyun had long disappeared from his mind. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡®Fuck. I can¡¯t believe you can¡¯t buy a lottery ticket from your home in this day and age. Why do you have to be there in person? What, are people worried a five-year old will buy one online?¡± An Jaehyun gritted his teeth remembering the part-time worker from just now. But his anger soon died down. He remembered the video the part-time worker was watching. ¡®Albino Dragon. Level 439.¡¯ An Jaehyun had already watched the broadcast. In fact, he even bought the 30,000 won live ticket to watch the raid. The Stormhunter Guild failed four times, barely succeeding on the fifth. ¡®If I was there with my old team, I would¡¯ve killed it in first try.¡¯ How sad. He was sad that the Stormhunter Guild didn¡¯t fail, and he was sad that he wasn¡¯t there participating. What he was most sad about though was¡­ ¡®Damn it. If I killed that thing, I wouldn¡¯t need a lottery ticket.¡¯ The value of the Albino Dragon. It was a huge pile of money. It was the highest leveled monster in Warlord so far. Each raid sold over five hundred thousand live tickets. If the raid was successful, then the edited paid video could get at least ten million views. ¡®I heard they sold over 350,000 live tickets. They¡¯re each 30,000 won to boot.¡¯ A live ticket allowed someone to watch a raid in real-time. The successful raid video cost money to view, but it easily passed three million views within its first week of release. Although you¡¯re only left with about forty percent after taxes and fees, it was still an incredible amount. There was more. ¡®A boss monster in the 430s. The item cost¡­¡¯ Large monsters, especially boss monsters, are pretty much made of money. Dragons were especially expensive. From the bottom of their tongue to the wrinkles in their anus, every part of them was money. Their hides were used for defensive items and their bones for weapons. A dragon¡¯s heart was the greatest material for a magic weapon, its meat and organs could be used as potion materials, and its eyes sold for a hefty price to a rich collector¡­ ¡®If a level 400+ unique item pops from those materials, its price would simply be whatever the seller calls.¡¯ At the very least, those materials can make a level 350 gear. The price of those go by the millions. If it¡¯s over level 400 or if it¡¯s a rare rank, it¡¯d be in the ten millions. If the crafter gets lucky and pops a unique rank, it¡¯d be worth an expensive sports car. Warlord is filled with rich people who would buy something like that without blinking an eye. Taking all this into account, the Stormhunter Guild probably made about a hundred billion won with the Albino Dragon raid. That was this era. Just by killing a single monster in a game, you could earn more than a major corporation affiliate could in a whole year. ¡°Damn it.¡± An Jaehyun could have been the hero of this era. Back then, if he just crawled and begged like a dog, if he sold his worthless pride and wagged his tail at that woman¡­ Or, if he didn¡¯t go crazy because of his worthless pride, if he didn¡¯t war with them over his anger at their betrayal, if he gave up and started over from elsewhere¡­ he wouldn¡¯t be buying lottery tickets and surviving on ramen noodles like now. Bitter regrets. ¡°Damn it.¡± ¡®So I turned out to be the one regretting that day for the rest of my life.¡¯ On that day he was betrayed, the words he yelled haunted him in his nightmares. Because of it, An Jaehyun kicked his bed sheets every night. An Jaehyun slumped his head down. ¡°God damn it¡­¡± Just a bit more. If he wasn¡¯t betrayed, he would have obtained wealth and fame along with everyone else. No, the ones who betrayed him did obtain wealth and fame. Their SNS pages were filled with pictures of them riding the best sports car, going to celebrities¡¯ birthday parties, and wearing and using countless brand names. An Jaehyun was the only one swimming in the sewage. ¡®5 years¡­.¡¯ An Jaehyun was well past his mid-twenties. He was staring at the 30 year old mark with nothing to show for himself. He was far from any wealth or fame, and he was barely getting by with his gaming skills. Bzzz! At that time, An Jaehyun¡¯s watch vibrated. He checked its screen and held it next to his ears. ¡°Brother Taehoon.¡± -Yo, Jaehyun. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± -What are you doing lately? Still playing Warlord? You didn¡¯t delete your character or anything, right? ¡°The character is still there, but I don¡¯t play it anymore.¡± -What level are you? ¡°Level 250.¡± -Gears? ¡°Bro, don¡¯t mess with me. Or are you really curious?¡± An Jaehyun clenched his teeth. He declared war against Stormhunter Guild and the betrayers. He fought against the world by himself. It wasn¡¯t so bad at first. An Jaehyun was strong. No one at his level was his match. He could even win 4 on 1 against higher level players. So at first, he killed anyone he came across. His gain wasn¡¯t small either. Items from a Stormhunter Guild member were nothing to scoff at. Each kill could net him about as much as a monthly salary of a major corporation¡¯s new employee. The problem was stamina. If he died once, he wouldn¡¯t be able to play for another 48 hours. He was facing up against groups of hundreds of top level players. As a result, their difference in stamina turned into difference in levels and items. No other guild or raid team would accept him as a member, and many wouldn¡¯t even buy his items. Choi Sulyeon was a frightening woman. She overwhelmed An Jaehyun, not through the game, but through the real world. In the end, An Jaehyun gave up. When he dropped his main weapon from a game over, he quit Warlord. He hasn¡¯t played since. He just watched related videos and broadcasts. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s given up on games. He looked into other VR games, but none made as much money as Warlord. He managed to get into an AOS game called The Legend, which barely gave him enough to get by. He met Jung Taehoon in The Legend. He was a broker. He connected skilled players like An Jaehyun with those hopelessly bad at gaming and collected fees. They haven¡¯t had much contact recently. Because of An Jaehyun¡¯s over-the-top skills, The Legend admins put a year-long ban to his account. Jung Taehoon was the first one to cut his contact with An Jaehyun. But now he suddenly called and poked at An Jaehyun¡¯s past wounds. It would have made anyone feel bad. -Sorry. ¡°Just get to the point. I¡¯m tired of having my hand up.¡± -Are you perhaps interested in working at a Chinese workshop? It¡¯s 5 million won a month, excluding bonuses. All paid in cash. Hearing his words, An Jaehyun was more sad than happy. ¡®Fuck.¡¯ A Chinese workshop. It¡¯s pretty much a sweatshop. They work people like machines, human rights don¡¯t apply. They¡¯re just human machines, their personalities and talents ignored completely. It was a place simply to make money. It was really the end of the line. People who couldn¡¯t do normal part-time jobs went there. For old celebrities like An Jaehyun, going there would be no different to selling organs. It was throwing what little pride he had left down the drain. Realizing he was at such a point, he felt sorry for himself. ¡°Bro, I¡¯m the Hero Slaughterer. I¡¯ve killed those Stormhunter fuckers 733 times, and you¡¯re telling me to go to a Chinese workshop and work like dogs?¡± If he were going to sell his pride like this, he should¡¯ve done it a long time ago. -Come on, don¡¯t be so uptight. The conditions are great. Plus, you¡¯re probably not going to make much money off Warlord now that all the Top 30 Guilds have you on their wanted list. Your leveling stopped too. You might¡¯ve been at the top back then, but level 250 now can barely get you to the top one percent. You realize what that means, right? From the 10 million or so players, over a hundred thousand are better than you. ¡°I know that¡­¡± -Swallow your pride and work for just one year. With your skills, you can earn about a 100 million in a year. You¡¯re going to be thirty soon. It¡¯s a whole different life from then. You should have at least a 100 million prepared. ¡°No, no, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m hanging up.¡± -Call me if you change your mind. There¡¯s always a spot open for you. An Jaehyun lightly spun his watch dial with an expression full of anger. The call ended. He wanted to chuck his phone, but it was impossible for a watch-type phone. Even if he could, he wouldn¡¯t because of the cost. ¡®God damn it.¡¯ Could things get any worse? An Jaehyun wanted his messed up life to be a bad dream. But, ¡®5 million.¡¯ He didn¡¯t want to fall and give in to his life. Moreover, he had confidence. ¡®Warlord is hard for me right now, but Warlord isn¡¯t the only game. If I get that 100 million, wait until a decent game comes out, start playing from the beginning, get into the top rankings, and make a guild¡­ given 2,3 years I could probably¡­¡¯ An Jaehyun definitely had talent. He may be socially awkward, tone deaf, hopeless at sports, and uneducated in real life, but in the game world, he had the confidence to not lose to anyone. An Jaehyun lifted his hand. ¡°Jung Taehoon.¡± He knew it was unsightly to accept an offer he had just refused, but he didn¡¯t think much of it. [Calling Jung Taehoon.] An Jaehyun put his wrist watch next to his ears, and he listened to the ringtone. It was Michael Jackson¡¯s Billie Jeans. The half-a-century old song sounded fresh in his ears. At that moment. CRASH! A giant truck struck the bus station An Jaehyun was waiting in. -Good decision, Jaehyun! Let¡¯s do this! With these conditions, you can totally pull it off. Right? Jaehyun? Say something! An Jaehyun. He was 29 years old. Chapter 3 : A Class You Can Play Alone (1) Chapter 3 : A Class You Can Play Alone (1) 2010 was the era of smartphones. They changed the lives of millions of people. But technology continued advancing, and in year 2030, the smartphone era came to an end. It was now the new era of virtual reality. Peach Corporation¡¯s virtual reality connection device, V-Gear, gave way to the beginning of this era. For just 20,000 dollars, any household could dive into the world of virtual reality. The smartphone era was nothing in comparison to the VR era. Virtual reality did not just absorb the technologies of the real world, as new content developed just for the virtual world. Among them, virtual reality games were the most popular. Game companies didn¡¯t hesitate to invest millions or even billions of dollars into developing this new technology. As a result, they could release higher quality content than any other business in the world. At the same time, it was the start of a war. Due to their investments and preparedness, their games had similar quality, and none stood out as the best. It was the beginning of a warring era. Game companies experimented with new methods of raising their market shares, and many went bankrupt as a result. The one that put an end to this warring era was not a game company, but an AI developing company called Tobot Soft. It was with their AI program that Warlord was created. Warlord. With a typical fantasy setting, the game was not too different from the other games in the market. In fact, it was much tamer compared to games where the players battled in space or flew in the air with wings. It was the scale of its world and its stability that made it unsurpassable by others. Tobot Soft¡¯s secret lied behind a management artificial intelligence program called M.I. Simply put, the game wasn¡¯t controlled by the company but an artificial intelligence program. Its initial development cost was huge, but the management cost was ground-breakingly small. At a time when the price of VR game programmers was soaring to the sky, the method proved to be especially efficient. A.I.s didn¡¯t need a salary. Plus, it was easy to copy and mass produce an A.I. Hiring a thousand professional programmers took at least six months, but obtaining a thousand copy of an A.I. took only about a month. Countless A.I.s worked to control and manage the server, and as a result, Warlord became a game that surpassed any other game in existence. March 11th, 2035, a year after the game made its debut, the player base was well over one million. By its 4th anniversary, the number rose to over ten million, worthy of the game¡¯s title as the greatest game to ever exist. Ten million was not a small number. To play a VR game, one needed a VR device. Peach Corporation controlled 70 percent of the VR device market and its cheapest VR device, the Level 1 V-Gear, cost 20 thousand dollars. In addition, one needed 2,599 dollars just to create a Warlord character. Upon creation, one could play the game free for 3 months, but afterwards, there was a monthly fee of 799 dollars. In Korean standards, it cost 20 million won to buy the gaming device, another 3 million to make a character, and 800 thousand more every month. There were ten million people who could meet such requirements. An economist once said, ¡°If you calculate the average income of a Warlord player, it would be about 80 thousand dollars. A game with over 10 million players and an average income of 80 thousand. That¡¯s enough purchasing power to match a country¡¯s.¡± Businesses smelled the money just as easily. Numerous companies and corporations became sponsors of Warlord players that had fame and influence. Famous rankers, especially the official top 100 rankers, were walking advertisements, and their bodies were worth at least a billion won. Most importantly, Warlord was fun. Players with superhuman powers killing monsters with different skills and magic was more exciting than any movie, and the fact that a player could die at any time made the game more thrilling than any sports in the world. Someone once said, ¡°The proliferation of virtual reality games had the biggest impact on sports and movie industries. No matter how thrilling a sports is, no sportman puts their life on line, but in the game world, everyone fights with their life on the line. No matter how well-made a movie is, at the end of the day, a movie is a movie. It has a set scenario, while gamers create their own scenario. A game character is one¡¯s second life, and in this world, a movie can never beat a real life.¡± In this era, one could gain the wealth and prestige of a professional soccer player or a major league star just by gaming. As a result, countless people sought to become this era¡¯s protagonist. However. ¡°Becoming a famous gamer? Only one out of every thousand can do that. Right now in Warlord, there¡¯s only about 3,000 people who make over a 100 million won. Considering Warlord¡¯s player base, that¡¯s less than the top 0.01 percent. Plus, imagine the amount of money you have to spend to maintain your ranking that high. Take any one of these 3,000 people, they probably spent just as much on Warlord as they earned.¡± Only a very small minority of players could enjoy the life of wealth and fame. ¡°Not to mention, VR games are completely different than PC games. You can¡¯t get better by just leveling up. It¡¯s about talent. Even though it¡¯s an RPG game, you can¡¯t become a ranker with just levels and items. If you start playing with that mindset, you¡¯ll end up quiting within a month. You just have to enjoy it. Warlord is the world¡¯s most unfair game. If you compare yourself to others, you won¡¯t win over your inferiority complex.¡± Right, virtual reality games were more unfair than any other games. Even in PC games, there are good players and bad players. In a VR world, where everyone has superhuman powers, the difference was even clearer. That¡¯s not all. In Warlord, the best way to earn money was through live broadcasts. However, only 30 channels were given permission to broadcast Warlord-related content. In the past, when problems began to arise from gambling and swearing in private broadcasts, most countries began to require licenses for broadcasting certain content. In the case of Warlord, only 30 channels were given licenses. That was how the Top 30 Guilds were created. Guilds that obtained broadcasting channels received no small benefits. Furthermore, these guilds used the money and influence gained through live broadcasts and live tickets to prevent other guilds from challenging their authority. Although everyone aimed to become one of the Top 30 Guilds in the beginning, the gap between a Top 30 Guild and a non-Top 30 Guild only grew wider over time. They were in a league of their own. By the time Warlord entered its 4th year of service, no one could threaten to close this gap. Except one. The Hahoe Mask Guild. Its members all fought wearing hahoe masks. Despite a majority of them having started a year after existing rankers, they showed incredible skills and results. In time, they even started to threaten the positions of the Top 30 Guilds. And in the middle of this storm was Hyrkan. His nickname, the Hero Slaughterer. The nickname was given to him because he effortlessly slaughtered the rankers that represented Warlord. He was a monster that defied logic. ¡°Hyrkan? He¡¯s a real monster, the kind that disrupts an ecosystem. He throws a 150 km fastball, then throws a 250 km fastball right afterwards. Plus, he games harder than anyone else. That¡¯s what VR games are all about. No matter how much time you invest, someone without talent can¡¯t beat someone with talent. Even if someone with talent achieves something by investing time, it becomes nothing in front of greater talent. I assure you, Hyrkan is at the top in both talent and effort. If he started just a year earlier, no one would be his match.¡± A monster that disrupts an ecosystem. It was an apt description. It was also the reason why Hyrkan was ostracized. ¡°Why Hahoe Mask Guild betrayed Hyrkan? It¡¯s simple. They would¡¯ve been ostracized by the Top 30 Guilds otherwise. At first, they all fought to recruit Hyrkan, but they soon realized it wasn¡¯t going to happen. Hyrkan isn¡¯t the type to bow his head in front of others. A tiger can grow up drinking a dog¡¯s milk, but a tiger is a tiger, a dog is a dog.¡± The Top 30 Guilds were already making enormous profit in their own ecosystem. There was no way they would stand still and watch a monster like Hyrkan ruin it. Even so, they suffered more harm than good trying to take him out. Hyrkan. Although he was nicknamed the Hero Slaughterer, he never actively sought out to kill others. It was always three or four rankers that attacked him first, and he only retaliated. Hyrkan never wanted to become a ¡°slaughterer.¡± So when Stormhunter Guild absorbed Hahoe Mask Guild and declared war on Hyrkan, the rest of the Top 30 Guilds promised their tacit support. It wasn¡¯t anything unexpected. ¡°Hahoe Mask Guild is probably thankful to Hyrkan, but their inferiority complex must have been equally big. Betraying Hyrkan and joining the Stormhunter Guild or fighting against the entire Top 30 Guilds. The choice was obvious.¡± No matter how amazing Hyrkan was, he wasn¡¯t capable fight against the Top 30 Guilds by himself. ¡°In the end, Hyrkan was too amazing for his own good. That¡¯s why he was betrayed from Warlord.¡± Shunned by the whole world, Hyrkan was left with no choice but to quit Warlord. Of course, all this¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t believe this is happening to me.¡± Hasn¡¯t happened as of now. ¡°I returned to the past¡­¡± An Jaehyun, he returned to 2036. With all his memories intact! Chapter 4 : A Class You Can Play Alone (2) Chapter 4 : A Class You Can Play Alone (2) Most men fell into a bit of narcissism, looking at themselves in the mirror after showers. It was a strange, unfortunate, and rather sad habit of the male species. But An Jaehyun detested looking at mirrors. He didn¡¯t have any particularly handsome feature, and he couldn¡¯t even look at the mirror without his thick glasses. But at the moment, An Jaehyun was staring into the mirror with a big smile on his face. It wasn¡¯t an ordinary smile. Grin! It was a refreshing smile. It may look odd to others, but An Jaehyun was doing his best to make his smile look as clear as possible. Looking into the mirror, An Jaehyun spoke to himself. ¡°You unlucky bastard,¡± he criticized himself. But while criticizing himself, An Jaehyun didn¡¯t lose the smile on his face. In fact, he made an even happier smile. ¡®Yep, you really had an unlucky life.¡¯ An Jaehyun once again recalled the last moment of his life. It was a car accident. After he bought a lottery ticket, he resolved his mind for a new start. That was when a truck hit the bus station and crushed An Jaehyun with it. He couldn¡¯t even feel any pain as he died instantaneously. He was thinking ¡®Ah!¡¯ as he was hit, and when he opened his eyes again, he was back in January 1st, 2036. ¡®I knew I was unlucky, but come on, a car accident? Just how unlucky was I?¡¯ It was a time when vehicles had built-in autonomous navigation system designed specifically to prevent car accidents. It goes without saying that An Jaehyun was extremely unlucky to have died from a car accident. But as of now, his unlucky life had never happened. ¡®Yep, you lived one really unlucky life.¡¯ ¡°So it¡¯s time to live a lucky one.¡± He had returned to the past. There was no penalty. His memory, body, and thought process were all perfectly fine. He was disappointed that he didn¡¯t gain a superpower, but he was nonetheless satisfied. What was so important was that something that would only happen in movies and novels happened to him. It meant that he became a main character, since obviously a side character wouldn¡¯t be sent back in time. An Jaehyun didn¡¯t think too much into his situation. It was a common clich¨¦. An Jaehyun didn¡¯t stop to think whether he was dreaming, or whether he had been dreaming a long dream all this time. He also didn¡¯t think about the butterfly effect his return would have on the world. He found it useless to bother with anything that wouldn¡¯t make him money. There was only one important thing to him right now. ¡®I¡¯ll hit it big with Warlord this time.¡¯ Just that. He knew Warlord was the only way for him to change his miserable life. An Jaehyun in real life was a dispensable, minimum-wage slave, but in Warlord, he was the Hero Slaughterer, a character worth an immense amount of money and capable of slaying any foolish challengers. In other words, what was important to An Jaehyun were the tools he needed to achieve success. ¡®The date is January 1st.¡¯ He needed to first understand the situation. The current date was January1st, 2036, 1:22 P.M. to be exact. ¡®If you were going to send me back, why not a year more¡­¡¯ Unfortunately, Warlord had already begun its service 10 months ago. If An Jaehyun had gone back one more year like he wished, he wouldn¡¯t have any big concerns. In any case, he had to face the current situation. Truthfully, he was thankful. Wishing for more would be too greedy. ¡®The gap is huge.¡¯ 10 months weren¡¯t a small difference. In fact, it was anything but small. Warlord released its top 100 rankings weekly, but rankers didn¡¯t refer to just these top 100. Although true rankers were those on this list, one could be called a ranker if one¡¯s level was above a certain standard based on the top 100 rankers. The competition was fierce within the top ranking players. Only the names of top 100 rankers were displayed, and the money one could get from contracts by being a top 100 ranker were vastly different. Warlord¡¯s rule of thumb was that every time the front digit of a rank changed, the front digit of a contract payment changed. Anyways, what was important was that almost all rankers started playing within the first one month of service. ¡®5 months was it? Super Rookie Myojyo, I think he started the latest out of the rankers.¡¯ In this area, a Polish player called Myojyo made a name for himself. He started Warlord exactly 144 days after its launch and managed to enter the top 100 in 2038, on Warlord¡¯s 4th year of service. This meant it took him close to 3 years to bridge the gap with the Starters. Myojyo¡¯s play time was freakishly high as well. Most rankers played about 100 hours per week. The Rule of 100. The standard was to invest 100 hours to playing every week. 110 hours meant a 10% higher result, 90 hours meant a 10% lower result. This was Warlord¡¯s Rule of 100. In Myojyo¡¯s case, his average weekly play time was 130 hours. Normal people weren¡¯t able to play for so long. Warlord required high amount of concentration, and loss of concentration meant death. In addition, death meant 48 hours of downtime. It was clearly better to sleep 8 hours for a good rest than getting 6 hours of sleep and dying because of it. Regardless, Myojyo managed to reach the top 100, and he was given the nickname Super Rookie. But what if there was a difference of 10 months? ¡®I don¡¯t know about the titles that have already come out, but I know all the titles that will come out in the future. If I can monopolize them, I can cover this gap.¡¯ It would normally be impossible to bridge such a gap. But it was possible for An Jaehyun, who returned to the past with all his memories. Warlord has a title system. If a player achieved something no other players had, or if the player was the first to discover something, or if the player accomplished a monumental feat, he was given titles. They had a simple function ¨C to permanently raise the player¡¯s stats. It was a system for those in lead. In most games, the ones who started later had more advantage, at least in terms of time efficiency. They just had to pick and follow a path other had toiled through. It was fair for the pioneers to receive some benefit, and that benefit was the title system. There were no information on titles whatsoever. Players had to find them out for themselves by playing the game. However, the current An Jaehyun was full of title-related knowledge. He also knew the best hunting grounds and the method for hunting certain monsters. These were among the many weapons at An Jaehyun¡¯s disposal. It wasn¡¯t easy to bridge a 10 month gap, but it wasn¡¯t impossible for An Jaehyun. ¡®I¡¯ll just have to work hard.¡¯ There was one more problem. ¡®What¡¯s important to me now is money.¡¯ An Jaehyun remembered 2036 very well. It was the year he was fired from the factory he worked in for no clear reason, and was close to running low on the money he had saved up. ¡®I probably have 2, 3 million at best.¡¯ One needed at least 7 million won to start Warlord. ¡®I need to borrow 5 million somehow¡­¡¯ To play Warlord, one needed Peach Corp¡¯s virtual reality device, V-Gear. Unfortunately for An Jaehyun, the cheapest Level 1 Model¡¯s exact cost was 20,990,000 won. It was expensive. It was the cost of a small car. It wasn¡¯t a small amount, but it couldn¡¯t be considered too expensive for what it was worth. V-Gear was the key to accessing the virtual world. There was, of course, no need to pay all at once. There were monthly installment plans just like for real cars. For V-Gears, 12 months was the max, and one had to make a down payment for the first three months, which was about 5 million won. There was also the cost of creating a Warlord character. Upon creation, one could play free for the first 3 months, but other extraneous costs amounted to another 2 million won. This cost couldn¡¯t be paid on credit. All this amounted to about 7 million won. Taking into account the currently saved up money, An Jaehyun still needed 5 million more. ¡®There¡¯s no way my credit card can handle that much, and I probably can¡¯t loan that much from the bank. If I take out the deposit for this one-room apartment and live on the streets with just my V-Gear¡­ no, that would be just asking to be robbed.¡¯ An Jaehyun already knew the answer to this problem. ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll have to go to those loan sharks.¡¯ Private loans. An Jaehyun hated the loan sharks as much as anyone else, but he knew it was the only way to borrow such a large amount of money. It would be akin to putting himself on shackles, but obtaining 5 million won by honest work would take 3 to 4 months, and that would be no different than cutting off his own legs. ¡®Assuming I¡¯m okay with money, what¡¯s my plan now?¡¯ His next worry was about his future plans. Warlord¡¯s main content was monster raids. It was also the most lucrative content. However, monster raids were designed for cooperative plays. An Jaehyun knew for sure that Hyrkan would never be able to solo a raid. Although Hyrkan was strong, it was impossible for him to solo a raid. It was because Hyrkan was a swordsman. Swordsmen were front-liners, and their job was to charge into the enemy and make way for his team. Additionally, raids required various chemical reactions from different classes. If a monster reacted to a specific magic, it was the players¡¯ job to take advantage of the fact and find its weakness. Only a very small minority relied on brute force to fight. ¡®Damn.¡¯ In the first place, this way of thinking was completely irrational. An Jaehyun had amazing personal skills and now the knowledge of the future. Using the two, he could easily enter any of the Top 30 Guilds¡¯ Esquire groups. Esquire groups contained prospective, back-up players for the Top 30 Guilds, and they received the full backing of their guilds. If a player distinguished himself somehow, he was promoted to a regular member. At that point, wealth and fame naturally followed. All he had to do was cooperate with the guild¡¯s decisions. ¡®Fuck.¡¯ But An Jaehyun denied such rational way of thinking. He didn¡¯t care about what the rational thing to do was. ¡®Like I¡¯ll ever work under those fuckers.¡¯ Just because An Jaehyun threatened to overtake their positions, those rich pigs had ruined An Jaehyun¡¯s life. As a result, An Jaehyun was forced to quit Warlord with nothing but bitterness and anger left in him. An Jaehyun would never forget the persecution, humiliation, and hardships he faced after the Hahoe Mask Guild betrayed him. It¡¯s nothing to brag about, but he even considered committing suicide. Of course, none of this had happened in present time, but those memories were etched onto An Jaehyun¡¯s mind. Join their guild and become their dog? Maybe he would if he really were a dog. But An Jaehyun wasn¡¯t a dog. He was human. And his human values wouldn¡¯t let him accept such a thing. ¡®A class that can do solo raids¡­ a class you can play alone.¡¯ An Jaehyun racked his brain. ¡®Does Warlord have a class that can do everything by itself?¡¯ To An Jaehyun anguishing over this question, ¡®Ah!¡¯ A light bulb went off. ¡°Rich Lich.¡± There was one. While everyone was fighting fearsome monsters as a guild, there was one person who succeeded in soloing a raid. His nickname, Rich Lich. ¡°There was that guy!¡± His class, necromancer. Chapter 5 : A Class You Can Play Alone (3) Chapter 5 : A Class You Can Play Alone (3) Warlord has many classes to choose from. To elaborate, players of the same class could form highly individualistic characters depending on the skill tree and stat distribution. Even so, there were popular classes and unpopular classes. It was a matter of fact for RPG games. In Warlord, necromancer was an unpopular class. The class itself wasn¡¯t bad. They could apply curses, summon undead monsters and golems, and use attack spells like other magicians. They could even modify their own body and increase their combat strength. In a way, it was the ultimate all-around class. The problem was that it was near impossible to simultaneously acquire high-ranking skills in all these aspects. Warlord had a skill tree system. To obtain a high-rank skill, one needs a high-rank skill book and its low-rank skill to achieve a certain rank. There were many ways to raise a skill¡¯s rank, but the most common way was to use it repeatedly. Naturally, to obtain skills of different variety, one had to use lower-rank skills of different variety. If a player took his time doing so as a hobby, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible. But because players needed to show results quicker than their competitors, most opted for efficiency rather than enjoyment. As such, it made sense that the necromancer class would be unpopular. It was also the reason Starters didn¡¯t give much thought to necromancers. If they became necromancers, they could enjoy the game, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to surpass their competitors. In addition, necromancers weren¡¯t all that useful in the main content of Warlord ¨C raids. Standard magicians could cover most of what necromancers could do. They had stronger attack spells than necromancers. Curse magic is a type of debuff magic, but it isn¡¯t the only debuff magic. Most importantly, necromancers could only use a single attribute magic. This penalty was huge for rankers that had to kill higher level monsters. Players could deal more than two times the damage depending on the attribute compatibility, but necromancers didn¡¯t have such advantage. Summoning magic was even more complicated. First, they required a lot of money. Necromancers summoned using cores that were made using materials dropped from monsters. There were other ways to summon, but cores made summons far more powerful. Unfortunately, these cores were expensive. Top level players typically spent several million wons for a single item, and cores costed about the same amount. It would be fine for one or two summons, but some necromancers controlled close to 100 summons. This was fine if it was one big investment, but necromancers had to change their cores as they leveled up. There was another problem. Summons were unappealing. Moving skeletons gave off a totally different feeling in the virtual world than on PC screens. If the summons were ghouls or zombies¡­ it was simply too disgusting. A very small minority might enjoy something like it, but even they wouldn¡¯t admit that it¡¯s a normal hobby. Even so, there was one player that reached the top 100 rankings as a necromancer. His username was Himala, and his nickname, Rich Lich. As one can expect, he was extremely rich in real life. His real name was Subrata Duta. He was a 33 year old multi-millionaire, who struck rich with a single app. His hobby was gaming, and he was the type of pervert that enjoyed crushing others through money. Sadly, his money didn¡¯t help him in Warlord. He had no talent for VR games. Even if he equipped himself with the best items, he was just food to PKers who wanted his item. It was no different than a beginner driving a Lamborghini. In fact, because he had good items, he was often PKed by other players. At one point, he gave up going into battle himself. He became a necromancer and made his summons battle. It didn¡¯t matter to him how much money it cost. When he successfully solo killed Queen Blaze Ant, a level 250 elite monster, people started seeing necromancers in a different light. This was also when he was given the nickname Rich Lich. But necromancers never became popular. They required the biggest investment of all the available classes and were difficult to raise. Plus, when players started to reevaluate the necromancer class, Warlord¡¯s raid system was close to being perfected without necromancers. It was out of the question for top ranking players to give up their characters and restart as necromancers. They weren¡¯t willing to change their raid strategies for the sake of necromancers either. This was why An Jaehyun was conflicted. ¡®It¡¯s possible.¡¯ Want to do everything alone? Then the necromancer class was the answer. Necromancers weren¡¯t weak in battle either. They could make themselves into the undead and modify their own bodies. Their combat power wasn¡¯t particularly higher than that of other classes, but An Jaehyun was always able to win against rankers with better equipment and higher stats. He just had to meet certain standards. Money was a problem, but if he monopolized the profit from killing monsters, it wasn¡¯t impossible. He could earn as much as he used. He had only one concern. ¡®It¡¯s possible¡­ but if I fail, I¡¯m done for.¡¯ It was the possibility of failure. There was enough information about necromancers, but if his plans failed and he couldn¡¯t achieve the results he desired, he would be in dire straits. He didn¡¯t think he could return to the past again. If he failed, he had to change his mind. He had to throw away his pride, borrow a dog¡¯s, and bark under someone¡¯s legs. If he failed, it was over. But what if he succeeded? What if he could really do everything by himself as a necromancer? He would be able to place everyone under his feet. That was the case with Rich Lich. He fought with entire guilds alone. He couldn¡¯t fight the Top 30 Guilds, but he was able to crush ordinary guilds by himself. In a simple 1v1, only a handful of rankers were able to beat him. Rich Lich¡¯s battle skills were atrocious, but what if he had An Jaehyun¡¯s battle skills? He might have changed Warlord¡¯s history. ¡®Yeah, I have to change history.¡¯ An Jaehyun had no use for the history he knew. What he wanted was a new history centered around himself. Most importantly, An Jaehyun was confident. That if he became famous enough, the Top 30 Guilds would try to eliminate him again. He knew that if anyone threatened them, those fat pigs turned into boars and charged at their target. An Jaehyun had to fight against them. In a way, this was most important to him. ¡®Alright.¡¯ He made his decision. ¡°Time to go borrow some money.¡± ¡ï¡ï¡ï An Jaehyun¡¯s first contact with Warlord was through a workshop part-time job. Warlord was a game for the rich. Many didn¡¯t have the time or were too lazy to farm for levels, skills, or items. Of course, if they could pay for them, they would happily do so. Workshops were created for this reason, and part-time workers were hired. Since one couldn¡¯t use bots like in PC games, one could only hire actual people. An Jaehyun found his talent in this part-time job. He saved up money and started Warlord about three months after. Of course, An Jaehyun now had no intention of wasting three months. The solution to his money problem was private loans. Private loans weren¡¯t illegal, but as one might expect, people who deal with money think in strange ways. Used V-Gears sold for a high price. As long as it worked, it would sell for 80% of the original cost. So private loaners often lent money with V-Gears as conditions. That way, they wouldn¡¯t lose too much money. People who borrowed money to buy V-Gears were those looking for a way to earn money. No one borrowed money just so they could enjoy playing VR games. As for the remaining money they owned, it could be paid back as referral fees to workshops. This was called the V-Gear loan. When An Jaehyun was working part-time in workshops, he saw many who couldn¡¯t pay back their V-Gear loan and came to work in workshops. As much as he worked for these people, he knew where to find them. As a result, An Jaehyun found himself drinking coffee in a private loan company an hour after he made his decision. ¡°You¡¯re here to borrow money to buy a V-Gear, correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At An Jaehyun¡¯s response, the loaner, Park Wuyoung, glanced over him from head to toe. ¡®He doesn¡¯t look like anyone special.¡¯ To Park Wuyoung, it was important to know how to categorize their customers. Even if they could get back most of their money, a loss was still a loss. At the same time, there were other things to watch out for. How much money could he rip off apart from the amount he lent? Customers who paid back the amount they owed were good, but even better customers were those who could never pay back the amount they owed and only paid back the interest. To the loaner¡¯s eyes, An Jaehyun was the latter. He looked like a nobody. With all the news of money in Warlord, there were more people of this sort every day. They were the type to think they could become heroes, like the people they saw on Warlord videos. They were the type to think they may have talent in gaming. Many of them were especially those running away from reality. To Park Wuyoung, An Jaehyun was exactly that type. ¡®Well, there¡¯s no reason not to.¡¯ Of course, there was no reason for Park Wuyoung to let the man in front of him borrow. He could easily get his money back. ¡°Alright, but understand that the interest is high. It will be 29.9%.¡± To Park Wuyoung, it was laughable. Park Wuyoung was certain. In 3 months, after his free trial period was over, An Jaehyun will come running back to him. With no way to pay back the money he owed, he will cry his eyes out as he begs on his feet. ¡°How much are you looking to borrow?¡± Knowing this, Park Wuyoung smiled on the outside, but sneered inside. An Jaehyun calmly replied to Park Wuyoung¡¯s smile. ¡°10 million won.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± It was higher than he had expected. He knew 7 million was enough to buy a V-Gear and play Warlord for 3 months. But he¡¯s borrowing 3 million more? To Park Wuyoung¡¯s surprise, An Jaehyun kept his calm and replied, ¡°If I can¡¯t pay it back, introduce me to a workshop. Even if I have to work like a dog, I¡¯ll pay you back.¡± Park Wuyoung couldn¡¯t answer for a moment. At Park Wuyoung¡¯s silence, An Jaehyun snapped his finger twice. ¡°Excuse me, but I¡¯m a bit busy right now. Can I get the money or not?¡± An Jaehyun knew the man thought nothing of him. He was used to the way the man looked at him. Although he didn¡¯t feel good, he could care less about it at the moment. So An Jaehyun let his displeasure show on his face, but still asked with a calm voice. In response, Park Wuyoung fixed his attitude. ¡°We can, of course, but you will also have to put in your one-room deposit as guarantee.¡± ¡°Done. Alright, let¡¯s hurry up.¡± Before Park Wuyoung had the chance, An Jaehyun grabbed the contract on top of the table and started reading it like it was his. Then, without listening to any explanations, he filled in the blank space with the amount he wanted, then stamped it with his legal seal. Afterwards, he turned the contract around and handed it back to Park Wuyoung, saying, ¡°Stamp it.¡± Chapter 6 : Secret of the Expert (1) Chapter 6 : Secret of the Expert (1) ¡°Gotta love the private loaners. They sure work fast if money is involved.¡± Drrk, drrrk! An Jaehyun fiddled with the dial on his watch. He checked his bank account and saw the 10 million won he borrowed. Then, he fiddled with the dial again before lifting his watch towards his mouth. ¡°Peach Store.¡± Since the money was in, he knew where he had to go. The Peach Store. It controlled over 70% of the VR market, and contained the VR devices needed to access the virtual world. It was also where one could create his Warlord character. Peach Corp, of course, was in a partnership with Tobot Soft. Since Warlord¡¯s launch, more than half of V-Gear buyers were looking to play Warlord. Since Warlord¡¯s sales skyrocketed V-Gear sales, it was obvious that Peach Corp would give Warlord special treatment. At the Peach Store, one could take care of everything needed to access Warlord. ¡®Alright.¡¯ After looking up its location, An Jaehyun placed a small earphone over his left ear. -Navigation started. ¡ï¡ï¡ï When the household virtual reality device, V-Gear Level 1 Model, appeared for the first time, the world called it a revolution. But it wasn¡¯t a revolution for most people. ¡°Who the hell would buy a gaming console for 20 million won?¡± It was truly revolutionary for VR devices worth several hundreds of millions to be reduced to 20 million, but the price was still exorbitant. Instead of trying to lower the cost, Peach Corp took a different approach in solving this problem. You aren¡¯t paying for a new toy, but a new era! That was Peach Corp¡¯s slogan, and Peach Corp took great effort in creating the Peach Store. It was different from an ordinary store. Its peach-shaped building and its sleek and fancy walls were unique to the Peach Store. Its interior was even more astounding. Inside the Peach Store, one had unlimited access to any V-Gear related content. Enjoy as much as you want, then buy it! This was their motto. This unlimited access applied for all 24 hours of the day. They were open 24/7, and Peach Stores allowed their customers to freely try out the V-Gear. There were some who made their Warlord characters and played exclusively inside the Peach Stores! When An Jaehyun visited the Peach Store for the first time in quite a while, he naturally found himself looking around for any changes. He saw other customers seated on comfy chairs, wearing huge gloves and thick helmets slightly bigger than motorcycle helmets. They were obviously customers enjoying the VR world. At this time, an employee walked up to An Jaehyun. ¡°Can I help you?¡± At the employee¡¯s pleasant smile, An Jaehyun immediately replied, ¡°I¡¯m here to buy the Level 1 model V-Gear. I¡¯m ready to form the contract, so lead the way.¡± Because of An Jaehyun¡¯s hasty reply, the employee thought he was the impatient type. The employee asked An Jaehyun a question according to his manual. ¡°Have you used a V-Gear before?¡± An Jaehyun stopped to think. ¡®Not at this point.¡¯ Before he returned to the past, An Jaehyun even showed symptoms of neck disc from wearing V-Gear too much, but all that has yet to happen in the current time. The An Jaehyun now had never used a V-Gear before. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then I recommend you try one out before purchasing it. As you know, some people feel dizzy or show signs of motion sickness with V-Gears.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just buy it right away.¡± If An Jaehyun showed such symptoms, he wouldn¡¯t have come back to the past in the first place. The employee led An Jaehyun to buy a V-Gear. As he walked, An Jaehyun noticed something from the corner of his eyes, and he stopped. ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a Level 6S? Is that on sale?¡± An Jaehyun could see an emerald-colored V-Gear, unlike the normal white colored ones, as well as two programmers testing it. ¡®That¡¯s definitely a Level 6, and an S-Level to boot. Didn¡¯t that go on sale around the end of 2036?¡¯ Level 1 was the most basic model for V-Gears, and every subsequent level indicated a higher model. Higher models showed better VR performances, as better equipment showed better results. The difference wasn¡¯t too big. The general consensus was that there was about a 2% difference for every 1 level. But this 2% was nothing to scoff at, especially if it accumulated. A 2% difference in one¡¯s stats was a huge difference. Between a Level 1 model and a Level 4 model, there was a whole 6% difference! One wouldn¡¯t be able to find an in-game item that raised one¡¯s stats by 6% no matter how much they paid. Level 4 V-Gear were around 100 million won. These were used by professionals whose livelihoods depended on their performances in Warlord. The Level 5 models could only be custom ordered, and the price skyrocketed depending on what additional options the buyer ordered. As for the Level 6 model, they weren¡¯t even on sale yet! The ones in existence should still be in there testing stage. Plus, the emerald color indicated that it was an S-series. The ¡®S¡¯ stood for ¡®special,¡¯ and it was meant to be the one of Peach Store¡¯s fanciest V-Gears. There were only 77 of them for each level, and they boasted an astronomical price. They weren¡¯t meant for regular users or even professionals, but for rich millionaires and billionaires¡­ the kind who bought yachts on a whim. ¡®That thing is so good.¡¯ An Jaehyun had once used one of these. When An Jaehyun was making a name for himself in Warlord, he was chosen as a Level 7S tester, and he was genuinely awed. As he was still using a Level 3 model at this time, he felt as if he changed from a cheap bike to the best sports car. He could do whatever he wanted. The programmers who received An Jaehyun¡¯s VR testing data were equally surprised. They even claimed no one could so perfectly utilize the Level 7S¡¯s capabilities as An Jaehyun. In any case, the Level 6S was right in front of him. An Jaehyun was naturally curious. ¡°Sorry, but that model is not on sale.¡± The employee immediately explained, to which An Jaehyun couldn¡¯t help but to laugh inside. ¡®Even if I had the money to buy that, I¡¯d probably spend it on stocks instead.¡¯ The current An Jaehyun didn¡¯t have the capital to buy such a thing even if it was on sale. Even so, he couldn¡¯t understand why something that wasn¡¯t on sale officially would be at the Peach Store. Usually, Peach Corp directly delivered such products to the buyer¡¯s location. It wasn¡¯t something that would be on display at a store, just like how a Lamborghini wouldn¡¯t be on display at a local car store. ¡®This could only mean there was a technical problem, and they hurriedly brought it here for a test.¡¯ It was obvious that there was a problem with the machine, and technicians were on the case because of its owner¡¯s notice. An Jaehyun was curious about its owner. ¡®Someone in Korea who can buy a product that isn¡¯t even on sale yet¡­¡¯ Furthermore, it was highly likely that An Jaehyun knew this owner. ¡®It¡¯s her, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ This owner was also the person he despised the most in the whole world. An Jaehyun frowned. The employee misunderstood An Jaehyun¡¯s change in expression. Thinking it was his fault, the employee bowed his head in apology. ¡°We¡¯re very sorry, but that product is¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± An Jaehyun was surprised, but soon realized what the employee was thinking. ¡®Peach Store employees are way too kind. It¡¯s almost too much.¡¯ An Jaehyun immediately relaxed his expression. ¡°No, I was squinting because I couldn¡¯t see well. If you aren¡¯t selling it, that¡¯s that. Let¡¯s go form the contract. Ah, I¡¯m also making a Warlord character so take care of that as well.¡± At An Jaehyun¡¯s words, the employee began walking. As he followed the employee, An Jaehyun turned his head once again. ¡®Is this model really that bitch¡¯s? Then I won¡¯t feel satisfied until I spit on it or something¡­¡¯ Chapter 7 : Secret of the Expert (2) Chapter 7 : Secret of the Expert (2) Every time An Jaehyun swiped his card, the old-style watch on his wrist vibrated. ¡®The money I bet my life on is gone after just two swipes¡­¡¯ To An Jaehyun, the vibration felt like the watch writhing in pain. ¡®Whatever. I¡¯ll show the world what it means to earn and spend money like a king.¡¯ While An Jaehyun was forming a new resolution in his mind, the employee finished reading over the contract and began explaining the final procedure. ¡°We¡¯ll deliver the V-Gear to your home at your convenient time. What would you like to do for the detailed settings? Would you like to do it here, or at home?¡± Detailed setting. It was the process of adjusting the V-Gear¡¯s numerous options to match the user. It was a rather important process, as important as tuning for instruments. The difference between having it done and not having it done was huge. Rankers, whose lives depended on the 1 or 2% difference, were especially careful about the settings. As a result, top ranking player often did their settings on their own. Of course, it was the case for An Jaehyun as well. ¡°I¡¯ll do it here.¡± Even so, there was no need to do the entire setting by himself. After roughly setting it up here, An Jaehyun planned on personalizing it as he used it. The employee nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯ll call the programmer, please wait.¡± ¡ï¡ï¡ï A programmer, who was furiously typing on his laptop, released his hand. Connected to the laptop was an emerald-colored V-Gear. ¡°Shit, what¡¯s wrong here?¡± ¡°What now?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no error in the system no matter how many times I check. There¡¯s nothing we can fix.¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®what¡¯? It¡¯s a tester problem, so we¡¯ll have to call the tester.¡± The other programmer couldn¡¯t help but smirk at his colleague¡¯s response. ¡°Yeah, as if the VVIP will come here. If we call her here, she¡¯ll probably respond with ¡®Who the fuck do you think I am?¡¯ That¡¯s if we can even reach her through the phone in the first place.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s why I said shit.¡± These two programmers weren¡¯t the run-of-the-mill programmers that looked for defects in the system. They were members of Peach Corp¡¯s Japan Branch, and also part of the research and development team under Peach Corp¡¯s Asia Branch. They were top-level VR programmers who participated in the development of the Level 6 model, and their salaries were easily in the several hundred millions. The fact that they had come to Korea in a single day and became repair technicians could only mean that this VVIP held an incredibly important position, enough to easily turn top-level VR programmers into mere repair technicians. It went without saying that the two programmers were incredibly frustrated at the whole situation. They graduated from prestigious schools, found work in their field¡¯s biggest business, and received the best treatment from others. It was probably their first time being treated as they were today. But what choice did they have? As long as they were getting paid, they had to listen to the higher up¡¯s orders. ¡°Let¡¯s start from the beginning. What was her complaint?¡± ¡°After the Climbing Test, she said her body felt sluggish and that her reaction time was a tempo off.¡± ¡°The reaction time being off just means the VR physical ability has a slow reception time. As for her body feeling sluggish¡­ I can only think it¡¯s her being unable to adapt.¡± At that moment, An Jaehyun came up to them along with the programmer to do his settings. It was as An Jaehyun intended. To take a closer look at the 6S model, An Jaehyun led his programmer next to them. As a result, An Jaehyun was able to overhear their conversation. ¡°This is the 6S model, right?¡± An Jaehyun immediately asked. The two programmers only just noticed that An Jaehyun had walked up to them, and they couldn¡¯t hide their surprised faces. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± They had no choice but to be surprised. The 6S model was still in testing, and most people didn¡¯t know the Level 6 model even existed. It would be a different story for specialists of the field, but it was clear that An Jaehyun wasn¡¯t one. ¡°It is, right?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Then it should be a test model. What is a test model doing here? Is there a problem?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because the tester said her body felt sluggish¡­¡± At that instant, the other programmer glared at the programmer who had just answered An Jaehyun¡¯s question. ¡®Hey! What are you telling him that for?!¡¯ was what his eyes were saying. Noticing the man¡¯s gaze, the programmer in question shut his mouth, realizing his mistake. On the other hand, An Jaehyun was completely unconcerned at the two programmers exchanging glances, as he placed his thought on what the man had just said. ¡°If the body feels sluggish, it¡¯s probably because of the Sensory System.¡± Extended Sensory System. It was a new system introduced in the Level 6 model. It expanded the sensory limits a human could feel in the virtual world, and Warlord players often called it the sixth sense. It was a good system, but it was also a double-edged sword. One¡¯s sensory limits being expanded meant the user had to intake more information. If one received more information than they could handle, the process could only feel sluggish. The point was to adapt to it. If one couldn¡¯t adapt, it meant that the person had no talent in using the Extended Sensory System, at which point it was better to not use it at all. ¡°I assume the testing method is Climbing. Lower the Extended Sensory System by 50% and check the Climbing test result. Then, adjust the Extended Sensory System by raising it 5% each time. That should do it.¡± The Climbing Test was the most frequently used testing method when performing a VR device setting. The Climbing Test was rock climbing in the virtual world. It allowed for the checking of how well and to what extent the user was utilizing his or her VR physical abilities, and how good one¡¯s sense of balance was. Meanwhile, the two programmers stared in amazement at An Jaehyun¡¯s explanation. ¡°How do you know this?¡± An Jaehyun didn¡¯t seem to be a professional, but his response was full of confidence. He even knew about the Extended Sensory System. This was a state-of-the-art technology only a few specialists in the field knew about. It wasn¡¯t something a clueless nobody could know. ¡°Is there a problem with me knowing?¡± ¡°No, but¡­¡± ¡°Do you perhaps have experience as a tester?¡± Instead of giving an answer, An Jaehyun just shrugged his shoulders. It was a vague reply, but it was the best he could do at the moment. He did have experience, but not as of now. Then. ¡°Could you please help us?¡± One of the programmers asked An Jaehyun. ¡°Hey! What are you saying?¡± The other immediately opposed it. In reality, there was nothing wrong with what he asked. They were working with a device in testing anyways. Collecting data from multiple testers would be the logical thing to do. In fact, it was unusual and illogical for someone to use a testing device as a personal device. ¡°Come on! We can test it ourselves all day, but it won¡¯t help at all. Why not just get a little help?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but¡­¡± The two looked over at An Jaehyun, seemingly asking for help. To this, An Jaehyun answered without hesitation. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t.¡± ¡®If this is that bitch¡¯s, no reason for me to help.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like he was going to be paid for it. Plus, if it really belonged to Choi Sulyeon like he thought, he would rather die before helping his sworn enemy. The two programmers made sullen faces, but An Jaehyun ignored them both. An Jaehyun had no reason to pity them. Since they were handling the 6S model, it was clear they were from the main branch, they were elites that An Jaehyun didn¡¯t even have the qualifications to pity. An Jaehyun stared back to his programmer. ¡°Let¡¯s go do our setting.¡± The third programmer standing behind with a blank expression finally snapped out. ¡°An, yes.¡± ¡ï¡ï¡ï A lady with a model-like stature and a glamourous figure took off an emerald-colored V-Gear, exposing her long, straight hair. She looked at the programmer who helped her take off the V-Gear and nodded her head. ¡°I lowered the Extended Sensory System and incrementally increased it like you said, and it feels much better. It should be enough.¡± Along with these words, she signaled with her eyes toward a female bodyguard next to her. The female bodyguard began to dismantle the installed V-Gear 6S Level with extreme proficiency. It seemed like she wanted to take it with her straight away. The two programmers let out sigh of relief watching this take course. ¡®Geez, she really treats us like slaves.¡¯ ¡®Money sure talks¡­¡¯ Choi Sulyeon grabbed her jacket from nearby and took out her wallet, then took out two blank checks. ¡°Good work.¡± The two were surprised by both her words and the checks. ¡®No way.¡¯ They had expected about a million won, but there was an extra zero on the check they received. Money talks? Hell yeah! The two immediately thought of this idiom. On the other hand, Choi Sulyeon was completely ignoring the two programmers as she handed them the checks. Her business with them had ended the moment she gave them the checks, and she had no reason to keep a close relationship with either of them. At that moment, as if she had just remembered something, she asked them a question. At the end of the test, I noticed my time ranked second. What was the first?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± The two tightly held onto the checks in their hands as they tilted their heads in question. ¡®Second? What does she mean?¡¯ ¡®She ranked second? As if. That time was on the level of a world-record.¡¯ Here at the Peach Store, all V-Gears shared the same program installed to a single server, because it was impossible to install the program on individual machines due to licensing and storage space. It was the same for the Climbing Test. The rankings were of the users that tried the Climbing Test that day. And Choi Sulyeon had just scored a record of 2 minutes and 51 seconds on the A-level test. Most people can¡¯t even finish the A-level test. No matter how long one takes, anyone who could complete it would be considered good at adapting to the VR world. Furthermore, only a handful of people could finish this test under 3 minutes. Those that could were geniuses, the so called monsters. Choi Sulyeon¡¯s record of 2 minutes and 51 seconds was incredible without doubt. She was content at surpassing her past record of 2 minutes and 58 seconds, a whole 7 second difference. She felt it was worth the effort in obtaining a 6S model. But her record was only in second place. She couldn¡¯t understand how. How could her monstrous record be second place? The two programmers could only tilt their heads. Choi Sulyeon frowned, watching the two. ¡°Can I see the Climbing Test rankings?¡± At her order, one programmer immediately ran to his laptop. When he saw the record on the screen, his face stiffened. ¡°2 minutes 33 seconds¡­¡± An absurd record was sitting on the first place. It was a time impossible for a human being to achieve. The two immediately replied. ¡°Looks like it was a bot result.¡± ¡°We had a bot running to test the product. Looks like we accidentally recorded one of its times.¡± It was an impossible record for a human. Then the answer was simple. Choi Sulyeon only gave them a tired look before she turned her head away. ¡ï¡ï¡ï After returning home, An Jaehyun stretched as if stared at the V-Gear installed in his small one-room apartment. Anyone could easily tell from his face that he was in a bad mood. ¡°Damn it.¡± ¡®Was it because it¡¯s a Level 1 model? I can¡¯t believe my Climbing time fell to the 30s. It was well in the 20s when I was at my peak. Ugh, it must be because I haven¡¯t played in a while.¡¯ The Climbing Test result put An Jaehyun in a sour mood, and kept bothering him. He realized he was not in his best condition. ¡®Necromancer or whatever, I need to first restore myself to my peak condition.¡¯ With a frown on his face, An Jaehyun finished stretching and grabbed a handful of glucose candy he just purchased. He threw them in his mouth, and he put on the V-Gear glove with a loud chewing noise. Jelly like substance billowed inside the glove, completely immersing his hands down to each fingerprint. An Jaehyun immediately swallowed down the tiny pieces of glucose candy in his mouth. Then he laid on the mattress and put on his V-Gear. [User An Jaehyun, iris scan complete. Thank you for using the V-Gear.] As soon as the iris scan finished, An Jaehyun clamped the mouthpiece inside the V-Gear helmet. Biting down strongly, An Jaehyun prepared his mind. ¡®Alright, let¡¯s see who gets the last laugh!¡¯ Chapter 8 : Dancing with the Skeletons (1) Chapter 8 : Dancing with the Skeletons (1) Virtual reality was able to become the forefront of the modern era because anything was possible inside a VR world. In the VR space, anyone could become the Hulk, Iron Man, or even Marilyn Monroe. One could blaze through the streets on a race car faster than an airplane, or jump down a cliff without a parachute. Anything was possible. But that didn¡¯t mean one could be good at anything. In fact, it was hard. Although one could do anything one wanted in the VR world, but it was hard to do it well. Jumping off a cliff? One wouldn¡¯t feel any pain, but most people weren¡¯t able to do it. If they could, there wouldn¡¯t be people crying and shaking in fear as they get trained at boot camps. This was the biggest hurdle one had to overcome when playing virtual reality games, especially RPGs. Virtual reality games gave players the power to beat a bear to death with just their fists, but even so, it was only possible for two or three out of every ten. The other seven or eight failed. There were two reasons. First, they couldn¡¯t utilize their powers. Given a car with an upper limit of 600 km per hour, most people wouldn¡¯t be able to go over 200 km per hour. Not only were they scared, but they also lacked the driving talent and experience needed to freely move around curves without crashing. The second was their distaste for killing living creatures. To them, the virtual creatures looked no different than real, living creatures. The first problem was something the players had to solve for themselves, but it was up to the content creators to solve the second problem. VR games creators found the need to design their games so that players could more easily focus on the game. If blood exploded out whenever one swung his sword, or if one pierced a creature with a spear and could feel its dying heartbeats, or if the creature¡¯s organs started spilling out through a cut on their belly, or if one crushed a monster¡¯s head and its brain exploded everywhere, then the game creator would be wearing handcuffs. As a result, the beginning of VRMMORPG games was childish to say the least. Monsters were shaped like jellies or polygons to make the game seem less violent. Some games even had candies spill out of monsters¡¯ bodies like pi?atas. But Warlord was different. Warlord¡¯s main content involved fighting monsters, and the game creators believed polishing this aspect to the utmost was the path to success. Thus, they made game battles as realistic as possible. By realistic, it meant cruel. Blood spurted, and that was it. No organs spilled out from cuts, no brains exploded out, but blood spurted out realistically. Players could always turn this option off, but the fact this option existed was game-changing. Furthermore, when monsters got injured, they wouldn¡¯t just sit still but roar angrily. They moved to cover their injuries, and they charged at whoever gave them the injury. This was why Warlord became the game to watch. Warlord¡¯s battle was the cruelest and most breathtaking of any other game. Conversely, to those playing VR games for the first time, it was a challenge. There were many who couldn¡¯t adjust to the game even after paying the large sum of money to play it. Warlord¡¯s solution to this problem was simple. They made a very thorough tutorial. The tutorial designer is said to have said the following. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to play, then don¡¯t. It¡¯s not me being sarcastic, but my sincere advice. There¡¯s no reason to play this game if it¡¯s stressing. There are other games to play besides Warlord. So don¡¯t play if you don¡¯t want to. Why spend money and force yourself to play a game?¡± There was a rumor that this employee gave a written apology¡­ in any case, new players had to go through 280 minutes of tutorials in order to start playing Warlord. This tutorial contained many battle situations, from killing monsters to being completely destroyed by them. Most players who go through this tutorial come out with half of their souls drained. The same applied now. Figur¡¯s Castle! The Beginner¡¯s Inn, famous for its melon beer, is located in Figur¡¯s Castle. As this was where new players started out, it was filled with newbies who just finished their tutorial. These newbies were currently sitting dispirited at the inn¡¯s tables, staring at the melon beers they received for completing the tutorial. ¡®What the hell.¡¯ ¡®Is this a game or torture¡­?¡¯ ¡®Should I just sell my V-Gear? I don¡¯t think I can play this game if it¡¯s like that tutorial¡­¡¯ Though they managed to pass, they had received a huge shock. They had heard about the infamous Warlord tutorial, but they didn¡¯t think it would be that bad. Of course, their opinions had changed now that they¡¯ve experienced it. Most of the players were contemplating whether to continue playing Warlord or not. At that moment, a player with a completely different demeanor appeared. ¡°Whoo!¡± A man walked down the stairs leading to the 1st floor, stretching his arms out as if he just got in a good exercise. He had a bright expression, as if he just got off a good sweat at the sauna. ¡®My body¡¯s finally moving again.¡¯ The man was An Jaehyun, or rather, Hyrkan. ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had a good fight. A man¡¯s really got to see some blood every once in a while.¡¯ To him, the tutorial served to recover some of his battle sense. At the same time, Hyrkan was feeling elated. ¡®It feels like I¡¯ve finally returned home.¡¯ Is this how salmons felt when they came back home? Hyrkan felt like he finally put on some clothes that fit him. As a result, he was feeling extremely delighted as he hummed and tapped his feet to the beat. The other players, who had been debating whether to continue the game or not, stared at Hyrkan as if it was the most absurd thing they had ever seen. ¡®Who the hell is he?¡¯ ¡®Is he crazy?¡¯ ¡®He¡¯s humming? He¡¯s clearly a newbie with those clothes, so how can he be humming?¡¯ They would not normally pay attention to others, but they had just come out of five hours of long torturous battles. To them, Hyrkan simply looked¡­ mad. On the other hand, Hyrkan paid no mind to them. He didn¡¯t even put them in his thought. He simply didn¡¯t care. At that moment, the Beginner¡¯s Inn¡¯s NPC owner spoke to Hyrkan. ¡°Good work. It¡¯s nothing big, but here¡¯s some beer for your troubles. Drink it.¡± [You completed the tutorial magnificently. You received a 1000cc Melon Beer as your reward.] As a woman¡¯s pleasing voice flowed into his ear, the NPC gave Hyrkan a glass of beer. It was better described as a jug, which Hyrkan chose to chug down his throat. ¡°Kya!¡± ¡®Haven¡¯t had this in a while!¡¯ As the beer flowed down his throat, its melon scent and special sweetness cleared Hyrkan¡¯s throat while making his mouth fresh. ¡®Come to think of it, the last time I drank a melon beer was¡­ it was before I fought with those Stormhunter fuckers, so it¡¯s been years, huh?¡¯ The melon beer was a delicacy one could only taste in the VR world. It was made in partnership with the number one VR gourmet content creator, Beautiful Taste. Warlord¡¯s gourmet content was as popular as its battle content, since never before seen flavor could be created in VR worlds. ¡°Kaa!¡± After chugging down the 1000cc beer, Hyrkan stepped out of the Beginner¡¯s Inn without a hint of hesitation, and bright sunlight greeted him. ¡®I¡¯m back!¡¯ The Hero Slaughterer Hyrkan, has come back to Warlord. ¡ï¡ï¡ï [Hyrkan] -Level 1 -Class: Beginner -Title Count: 1 -Stats: Strength (3) / Stamina (3) / Intelligence (3) / Magic (3) Hyrkan stared at the note-sized hologram above his watch. Staring at his status window, he felt conflicted. These four weren¡¯t the only stats. If one researched deeper, one would find many more detailed stats. There were over ten different kinds of attribute resistances, physical and magical defenses, bonus movement speeds, and much more¡­ It goes without saying that Warlord players, especially rankers, enjoyed having lots of numbers. If they got their numbers high enough, they felt happy just looking at them. Of course, Hyrkan was no different. But looking at the abysmal numbers in front of his eyes, his stomach felt empty. ¡®I have a lot of grinding to do¡­¡¯ His first task was to fill up his status window with numbers. However, he had something to do before then. ¡®Alright, time to go get my class.¡¯ It was obtaining his class. It wasn¡¯t hard. Warlord was a hard game with a complicated battle system. If the battle preparation was hard as well, then no one would play the game. Because of this, battle preparation was exceedingly easy compared to the actual battle. Class selection was a prime example. Most games had a complicated class selection process. They required players to reach a certain level, run long pre-requisite quests, or make you travel far away. But in Warlord, there was a Class Tower about 10 minutes away from the Beginner¡¯s Inn. Swordsman, priest, and magician were the three classes over 90% of Warlord players chose. They didn¡¯t care too much as their play style varied significantly depending on how they developed their skill tree. The necromancer Hyrkan wanted was a magician. ¡®Become a magician and choose dark magic as my first magic.¡¯ When players chose the magician class, they were given a choice. Black magic or white magic. If one chose black magic, he became a black magician. If a black magician went down the necromancer skill tree, he would be called a necromancer. At the same time, level 1 players could learn a magic or a skill after selecting their class. In other words, one could use magic starting from level 1. The game didn¡¯t irritate players by making them do annoying quests before going into battle. The game creators knew players would go crazy by themselves once they got into fights. ¡®What should I choose?¡¯ There were many options to choose from after choosing black magic. Most chose an attack type magic. Players chose the magician class for that purpose and level 1 attack type magic was still useful later in the game. The problem was that players had to raise low-level skill¡¯s rank to prepare for high-level skills later on in the game. It was annoying to grind low-level skill ranks when one became higher level, as it was annoying and time-consuming. The best way to raise a skill¡¯s rank was repeatedly using the skill against monsters near the player¡¯s level. Advancing in both skill rank and player level. It was the best method of raising skill ranks. ¡®Summon Skeleton.¡¯ The most basic of the necromancer skill tree was the Summon Skeleton skill. If one¡¯s Summon Skeleton skill rank was low, he wouldn¡¯t be able to learn higher-tier skills. The answer was obvious. ¡®I wonder how well these skeletons can satisfy me.¡¯ Chapter 9 : Dancing with the Skeletons (2) Chapter 9 : Dancing with the Skeletons (2) Class Tower. It was the place to obtain the basic classes, and also the place to periodically obtain information on skill books. At the same time, it was a meeting point where players who shared the same class gathered. As a result, no matter which castle one visited, the Class Tower would be surrounded by many people. As always, greed lurked around a place filled with people. There were people with different purposes near Class Towers. The most prevalent were scouts. ¡°We¡¯re recruiting fire or ice-attributed magicians!¡± ¡°Aran Guild is recruiting curse magicians. We¡¯ll fully support you to level 50.¡± Scouts near Class Towers all had the purpose of recruiting new players. Warlord was an immensely popular game. Within a year after its launch in 2035, over a million players had joined, and the number was growing by thousands every day. However, Warlord also had a lot of manpower shortages. Many often said there weren¡¯t enough people. The biggest reason for this was that there weren¡¯t any casual players. Gamers were usually distinguished as being either hardcore or casual. This was because most games were free-to-play, and players could pay money to obtain advantages. But Warlord wasn¡¯t free-to-play. It wasn¡¯t even cheap enough for someone to try the game on a whim. So most players started Warlord with a clear aim. In other words, they had plans of their own. Even if one tried to recruit others, most were already part of a group. Another problem was that players needed auxiliary help to participate in Warlord¡¯s main content ¨C raids. Magicians were especially sought after in this aspect. Magicians could receive up to a 200% damage advantage depending on their magic attribute compatibility. They could also receive an equivalent penalty if their magic attribute was incompatible. Because of this, it was important to recruit skilled magicians of different attributes. Obviously, it was extremely difficult to recruit skilled, well-known, and high-leveled magicians. If you couldn¡¯t recruit one, you just had to make one! It was much more efficient to recruit new players and raise them to be the type of magicians one wanted. Of course, even if one touts on the street to recruit newbies, often one wouldn¡¯t be successful. Even so, it was much better than posting some recruitment post on an online forum. It made sense that talking directly in game would show more results. However, after being unsuccessful for a long time, there were those who became frustrated. Those who already had decent levels and played for some time didn¡¯t like being so subservient just to recruit newbies who had just started playing. Thus, sometimes things got a little rough. ¡°Hey, you! Wait a moment!¡± Now was such a case. A player who had been recruiting guild members suddenly called out and grabbed the left wrist of a player about to enter the Magician¡¯s Tower. He held the player¡¯s wrist tightly to prevent him from getting away. ¡°You¡¯re a new player, right? Hear me out for a bit.¡± Saying this, a player named Suduri stared at the newbie in front of him. The newbie¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t anything special, but Suduri had a gut feeling the moment he saw him. A feeling that said, ¡®this guy¡¯s a loser!¡¯ ¡®This guy is definitely a loser. If I don¡¯t at least bring him back, that guild master fucker will throw another tantrum.¡¯ Suduri¡¯s guild master was his high school senior, who dragged him around like he was his underling. After hearing the money involved in Warlord, he bought a V-Gear and brought his so-called underlings to make a guild. It went without saying that there weren¡¯t many in the guild. There were less than ten people. The guild master ordered Suduri to go find new recruits unless he wants to be beaten up. Suduri wouldn¡¯t mind if it was just an online threat, but he was often punched when they met in the real world for a drink. So to Suduri, anyone was fine. Since he found a loser who seemed to be a pushover, he planned on making him forcefully join his guild. On the other hand, Hyrkan who became his target sneered at the rat-looking man in front of him. ¡®He probably thinks I look like a loser.¡¯ To Hyrkan, this wasn¡¯t the first time this had happened. As such, he could easily figure out what this man was thinking. He had been treated like a loser so much his whole life, that he had more or less grown used to it. Of course, things were a bit different in Warlord. After he gained some reputation and skill, he beheaded everyone who treated him like a loser and fed their heads to tiger-type monsters nearby. He showed them who the real loser was. Such a thing wasn¡¯t possible for the level 1 Hyrkan now. Hyrkan stared at the man. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to be a magician, right? We¡¯ll support you, so come to our guild.¡± Even as he said this, the man refused to let go of Hyrkan¡¯s wrist. There was no way Hyrkan wouldn¡¯t know what his real intention was. ¡®Does he take me for a fool?¡¯ In this situation, Hyrkan smiled lightly instead of frowning in displeasure. Seeing his smile, Suduri immediately continued. ¡°It¡¯s fine no matter what attribute you go for. We¡¯ll properly support you, just you specially. Not everyone can enter our guild, you know? It¡¯s only for the select few.¡± The man started spewing nonsense like how Hyrkan had a kind looking face or that his ancestors must have been men of virtue. At this stupidity, Hyrkan asked him a quick question. ¡°You said any attribute is fine?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Even black magic?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± At this, Suduri hesitated for the first time. Over 90 percent of magicians chose white magic, as it had the most diverse options in terms of magic attributes. On the other hand, black magic skill trees were all categorized into a single attribute. ¡°Are you looking to be a curse magician?¡± Among those choosing black magic, almost all went down the curse skill tree. Debuff magic had many varieties. Black magician¡¯s debuff magic had a single attribute, which was its advantage. Although they weren¡¯t particularly advantageous in terms of attribute compatibility, they weren¡¯t disadvantageous either. This meant one could expect average results no matter what monster one faced. As mid and small sized guilds couldn¡¯t afford to acquire debuff magicians of various attributes, many covered their needs with curse magic. However, curse magicians weren¡¯t popular as they couldn¡¯t do anything by themselves. As was the case in all games, it wasn¡¯t much fun to stay in the back casting buffs without actually participating in the battle. ¡°That¡¯s great! If you want to be a curse magician, you¡¯ll need support for sure.¡± It wasn¡¯t bad at all. In fact, Suduri felt like he struck it rich with this loser. But as Suduri was thinking this, Hyrkan said to him, ¡°I¡¯m not planning on being a curse magician. I¡¯m going to be a necromancer.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hearing this, Suduri loosened the grip on Hyrkan¡¯s wrist. ¡®So he wasn¡¯t a loser, but a pervert¡­¡¯ He wants to be a necromancer? I didn¡¯t think this loser would be one of those rare perverts. Meanwhile, after seeing that Suduri had loosened his grip, Hyrkan pulled his arm back with a snap. It seemed Suduri didn¡¯t plan on holding Hyrkan¡¯s wrist again, as he just stared at him. ¡°You still want to support me?¡± Instead of replying, Suduri turned his head and spat. He was telling Hyrkan to fuck off. Seeing this, Hyrkan whispered. ¡°Next time I see you¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± It was soft enough that Suduri couldn¡¯t hear him. Suduri responded to the sound but Hyrkan had already entered the tower after finishing what he had to say. Hyrkan¡¯s words. ¡®¡­ If you hold my left wrist again, I¡¯ll kill you.¡¯ It was his final warning. ¡ï¡ï¡ï In Warlord, the best way to differentiate between NPCs and players was to look at their left wrists. Players were wearing their smart watches on their left wrists. This smart watch had various functions. Players could check their stats, confirmed quests, check maps and their physical data, communicate within and outside the VR world, take pictures or film videos, and quick-slot change their equipment. Players couldn¡¯t take off their watches. The only way to take them off was to cut off their wrists, or when they died. In other hands, players left behind their watches when they died in-game. If others picked up these left behind watches, they could turn them into dealers located in each castle and town. In return, they received one random item from the watch. Thus, PKers often aimed for their opponents¡¯ wrists first. If they could just cut off their wrists, they wouldn¡¯t be able to switch items using quick-slot, and the PKers could just run. In some cases, PKers threatened their victims to leave their wrists in return for their lives. This felt the worst, as players couldn¡¯t use the functionalities of the watch before they restored their wrists. They wouldn¡¯t be able to pick up even if someone called them from the outside. Most just chose to log-out and wait for the situation to sort itself out. People called this time period the cigarette-time or the sage-time. Anyhow, it felt like shit. People often wondered why they paid so much money to play Warlord. Make that always. As a result, players who were PKed a lot were sensitive to anyone touching their left wrists. ¡®I¡¯m remembering some bad memories thanks to some nobody.¡¯ In this aspect, Hyrkan was sensitive to the point of hysteria. Since his left wrist was gripped, he was in a terrible mood. ¡®I have remembered your face.¡¯ And in this aspect, Hyrkan showed his extreme temperament. He¡¯ll let it go the first time, but there will be no second. ¡®Next time this happens, I¡¯ll destroy you regardless of what your level is.¡¯ Huu! After taking a deep breath and calming himself, Hyrkan headed straight to the NPC on the 1st floor. Like in bank windows, 2 NPCs sat facing the players. What was interesting was that there was a long line for one of the NPCs, while there was only one in the line for the other. The long line was for players trying to learn white magic, and the shorter line was obviously for black magic. It was easy to see the difference between white magic and black magic. If it wasn¡¯t this bad, Suduri wouldn¡¯t have spat in disgust at the necromancer-aspiring loser. In fact, the people in line for white magic saw Hyrkan walking towards black magic and showed looks of pity. It was as if they were looking at a man walking to his death. Under their pitying looks, Hyrkan faced the NPC. It was a dark-faced old man with shriveled skin. The NPC spoke, facing Hyrkan. ¡°I am black magician Golco. Are you interested in black magic?¡± [A class-related quest has begun.] [After choosing a class, there is no turning back.] [To switch from black magic to white magic, a tremendous price must be paid.] System alerts filled Hyrkan¡¯s ears. Hyrkan ignored the alerts. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You cannot walk the road of black magic with just words. Embed your determination here.¡± With this, Golco took out a piece of paper as shriveled as his skin. It was a contract, and there were five places for Hyrkan to sign both front and back combined. It was to prevent players from complaining to game admins to change their class. This happened more often than one might expect. There were always people who didn¡¯t like their choices in games and complained to get them changed. Some even hired lawyers. The contract was to prevent something like this from happening. Hyrkan signed the five spots without batting an eye. After confirming Hyrkan¡¯s signatures, Golco spoke while looking at Hyrkan. ¡°Hold out your palm.¡± Hyrkan held out his palm, and Golco wrote the number 3 on it with his fingers. [A key has been inscribed to your palm.] Golco gave an explanation about the number. ¡°Go up the stairs to the 2nd floor and you¡¯ll see four rooms. If you enter the room with this number, you¡¯ll find a library. You may bring one book out of there. You can exit and reenter whenever you want before coming out with a book, but the moment you come out with a book, you can only enter with a new key.¡± Such system of keys was truly befitting that of magicians. [At any time, you may check your conversation with the NPC through the app installed on your watch.] After hearing the final alert, Hyrkan clenched his fists. Chapter 10 : Dancing with the Skeletons (3) Chapter 10 : Dancing with the Skeletons (3) Over 50 percent of Warlord players chose to become magicians. Magicians were surprisingly easy for beginners to play. Unlike swordsmen that had to face frightening monsters head on, magicians just had to hit their spells from the back. If they knew when and how to run away, it was perfect. Magicians were popular and as popular as they were the demand for them was high as well. It was a class only possible in virtual reality games, using magic itself was romance for many people. As a result, many pondered over their first magic skill. This looked good, that looked good¡­ even the ones who had made a decision beforehand hesitated after seeing various skill books. But for Hyrkan, it was different. After entering the 3rd room and finding the skill he wanted, he turned around and left without looking back. He had no hesitation. He didn¡¯t have a choice. The start of the necromancer skill tree was the Skeleton Fragment skill. It was a necessary skill to obtain higher-tier skills, and it was a skill all necromancers continually used even after obtaining high-tier skills. ¡®It¡¯s nice that I don¡¯t have to think much about it.¡¯ After coming out of the room, Hyrkan immediately activated the skill book. Learning skills from skill books was simple. There was a palm-shaped picture on the cover of skill books. After placing one¡¯s left hand palm on top, a hologram window popped up from the watch. [Would you like to learn the skill, Skeleton Fragment?] After pressing yes, one immediately learned the skill. [You have learned the skill, Skeleton Fragment.] [You have obtained the title, ¡®A Simple Necromancer.¡¯] At the same time, Hyrkan obtained a title. Immediately afterwards, Hyrkan threw away the skill book in his hand on the ground. A good thing about Warlord was that one could throw away trash anywhere at any time. Then, Hyrkan checked his Skeleton Fragment skill. [Skeleton Fragment] -Proficiency: F rank -Number of skeletons able to be summoned: Warrior (1) -Skill description: You can create a skeleton fragment. If you imbue magic power into the fragment, you can control the summoned skeleton underling. It was a typical explanation. ¡°Skeleton Fragment.¡± Hyrkan immediately activated the skill. [If you use the skill without an offering, you can only create basic-type fragments.] With a short alert, a finger-sized skeleton fragment materialized on Hyrkan¡¯s palm. The skeleton fragment looked more like a phone accessory than anything else. Hyrkan tightly gripped the skeleton fragment. ¡®What¡¯s important is this guy¡¯s Combat AI.¡¯ The stats of skeleton underlings changed depending on the cores used as an offering. This part could be covered with sufficient funding, but the Combat AI was something money couldn¡¯t help. According to Hyrkan¡¯s research, the Combat AI of player-summoned monsters wasn¡¯t all that good. Instead, the monsters have the ability to learn. They can improve through numerous battles, developing their own Combat AI. It made sense. If a skeleton a level 1 player summoned had the same battle sense as a level 300 ranker, everyone would be playing necromancer. What Hyrkan wondered was exactly how useful their starting Combat AI was. ¡®Just do the basics, please. I¡¯ll cover the rest.¡¯ If it were completely useless, the necromancer class would prove to be more of a pain in the ass than he expected. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Almost all of Warlord¡¯s content started with battles. At the same time, battles were the hardest content Warlord had to offer. If Warlord had a complicated battle-preparation process, then no one would bother to play Warlord. Thus, Warlord¡¯s battle-preparation process was rather convenient. In the middle of it was the Subjugation Association. The Subjugation Association offered various information and accommodations needed to hunt monsters. Almost all players became a member as if it was the most obvious thing to do. Especially for beginner players, they enjoyed various benefits, and the first thing they did was join the Subjugation Association. After joining the Subjugation Association, players were given armor and a weapon, which is useful until level 10. Because of this, players didn¡¯t need to grind, spend money to obtain beginner equipment, or fight monsters bare-handed. At the same time, players could use the Training Dungeon at the Subjugation Association. The Training Dungeon was specially prepared for players below level 10, and it was a place players had to experience. If the tutorial gave a taste as to what Warlord¡¯s real battles were like, the Training Dungeon taught the basics of preparing for those real battles. As Training Dungeons were Instant Dungeons, there was no competition and players could focus on fighting. Currently, Hyrkan was in the Training Dungeon. It was a circular space the size of a soccer field. Under the torchlight, two entrances could be seen. As soon as Hyrkan stepped out of one of the entrances, a monster appeared from the other entrance. It was a wolf. Its golden pupil and black body could be seen under the torchlights. ¡®A Coal Wolf.¡¯ A Coal Wolf¡¯s body was more or less made out of coal, and as it was made of coal, it was easily broken. It was weak enough that level 1 players could kill it bare-handed. Since most players had equipped the armor and weapon given by the Subjugation Association, it wasn¡¯t a tough opponent. Even so, only 90 percent of players survived their first battle with this monster. Out of every ten, one was killed, unable to beat this monster. That¡¯s what battle was. Even if one had epic items and stats, it was useless if one didn¡¯t know how to utilize them. Of course, for Hyrkan, he could defeat the Coal Wolf within 30 seconds. But not now. Hyrkan put his hand in his pocket. Feeling the skeleton fragment in his hand, he imbued magic power into it. Having absorbed the magic power, blue light surrounded the skull-shaped skeleton fragment. ¡°Skeleton Warrior, I choose you!¡± Hyrkan threw the skeleton fragment towards the Coal Wolf. He threw it while striking a pose as if he threw a Pokeball holding a Pokemon. [A Skeleton Warrior imbued with magic power materializes.] An interesting thing occurred. The skeleton fragment fell on the ground and started to grow like a wakame (Editor¡¯s note: wakame is a type of edible seaweed) that absorbed water. ¡®This is pretty cool.¡¯ It took less than a second for a Skeleton Warrior to take form. The Skeleton Warrior was about 160cm tall, a bit shorter than an average male. It wasn¡¯t particularly big either, with its skeletal structure looking like a human¡¯s. Because of this, it felt a bit eerie. It would have been fine if it didn¡¯t have the exact same skeletal structure as humans. Two blue fires burned inside the eye-sockets of its skull, enough to scare the living daylights out of people. Plus, right after it appeared, it opened its mouth towards the Coal Wolf and let out a roar. It was a show of anger towards the monster that threatened its master, but the sight of it was quite eerie. Staring at this Skeleton Warrior, Hyrkan¡¯s expression was that of austerity and seriousness. ¡°Kill it.¡± Following Hyrkan¡¯s command, the Skeleton Warrior immediately began to run towards the Coal Wolf holding a long bone above its head like a club. Growl! The Coal Wolf showed no intention of dodging the Skeleton Warrior charging towards him. With a rough growl, the Coal Wolf began to run with its four legs. The rattling of the Skeleton Warrior and the pattering of the Coal Wolf formed a harmony in the air, and with this sound, the distance between them shortened. Watching this scene, Hyrkan¡¯s face became stiff. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s just going to run into him like that. No matter how bad the Combat AI is, it can¡¯t be that¡­¡¯ Before Hyrkan could even finish his thought, Crash! A dull sound rang out. The Coal Wolf and the Skeleton Warrior crashed into each other. Although the Skeleton Warrior swung the bone at the Coal Wolf before they crashed, the Coal Wolf managed to slam the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s body before the bone reached him. After being slammed by the Coal Wolf, the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s body bent like a bow and got catapulted into the air. After a short flight, it rolled on the ground seemingly out of strength, making it look pitiful. The spectating Hyrkan had an even more pitiful face. ¡®It¡¯s this bad? But didn¡¯t the skeletons I see in Rich Lich¡¯s videos fight pretty cleverly?¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t expect the skeleton to fight well from the beginning. He felt he could always utilize its learning ability. But he still had certain expectations. Monsters in Warlord had a fairly high Combat AI. As Warlord¡¯s creator, Tobot Soft, was the top AI programming company, it made sense that Warlord¡¯s AI was incomparable to other games. But to think it was this bad. ¡®Did I make a huge mistake?¡¯ Hyrkan knit his brows with his fingers. While this was happening, the Coal Wolf stood valiantly after sending the Skeleton Warrior flying. Krrrr! It was planning on finishing off Hyrkan. It immediately changed its target to Hyrkan. With a low growl, it started charging at Hyrkan. Hyrkan could hear the pattering of its nimble feet, but he was still knitting his brows. Hyrkan stopped lamenting and faced the Coal Wolf only when it had already shortened their distance to 20 meters. 20 meters was enough distance for a single breath to cover. At that moment, Hyrkan took out a fang-shaped dagger from his right thigh, and lightly threw the dagger to his left hand. As soon as his left hand grabbed the dagger, the Coal Wolf leaped at him from a distance of about 5 meters. Its mouth was wide open, showing its sharp fangs, as it planned to bite down on Hyrkan¡¯s neck. Most people would shudder at the sight and become unable to move. But who was Hyrkan? The Hero Slaughterer. He had reached the apex of Warlord in terms of battle sense and battle ability. Hyrkan didn¡¯t even move his feet. He only slightly turned his upper body, so that the Coal Wolf would just barely fly by its left side. And as the Coal Wolf was flying past Hyrkan¡¯s left side as he had planned, Puuk! Hyrkan stabbed the dagger in his left hand into the Coal Wolf¡¯s left eye. Wimper! The Coal Wolf rolled on the ground without landing properly. The ability to move as little as possible to dodge an attack and using the opponent¡¯s power to deal a deep wound. It would cause average players to yell in amazement and skill, and veterans to feel chills down their backs. ¡®Hmph.¡¯ Of course, to Hyrkan, it was an effortless work. To him, such a thing was neither a battle nor a hunt. Who would call crushing an ant with his finger a hunt or a battle? At that moment, the Skeleton Warrior that had managed to pick itself up from the ground began charging towards the Coal Wolf. ¡°Eh?¡± Hyrkan was slightly taken aback, but the Skeleton Warrior paid no heed to its master¡¯s reaction and continued running towards the Coal Wolf. The Coal Wolf grabbed a hold of its body and threw itself towards the Skeleton Warrior with the dagger still stuck in its left eye. Crash! They crashed once again. As expected, the Skeleton Warrior was once again sent flying. Watching this happen, Hyrkan knit his brows again. The Coal Wolf then stared at Hyrkan, but instead of charging towards him, it began to circle around him with caution. It was the result of the learning ability. It had learned not to mindlessly charge at Hyrkan after witnessing his battle prowess. ¡®I¡¯ve no choice.¡¯ Hyrkan snapped his finger once. It was a basic command. Snapping the finger once changed skeletons to defense mode, and snapping twice switched them to battle mode. ¡®Come to think of it, didn¡¯t three snaps make them do some special action?¡¯ Snapping the finger thrice activated a special action pattern. Hyrkan stared at the Coal Wolf. The Coal Wolf was still circling around Hyrkan. It seemed like it didn¡¯t want to charge in until it found an opening. Hyrkan then stared at the Skeleton Warrior. Now in its defense mode, the Skeleton Warrior stood with alert against the Coal Wolf that had lost all interest in it. ¡®Well, might as well try everything.¡¯ The goal now was to gauge the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s abilities. Hyrkan didn¡¯t know what special action meant, but he planned on checking it now. Snap snap snap! Hyrkan snapped his finger thrice. Then, the Skeleton Warrior that had been on alert stood up stiffly. Then, it slowly started moving backward. [Skeleton Warrior starts dancing.] Michael Jackson¡¯s moonwalk. The dance that had once enamored the world, the dance that had once caused fans to burst out in tears, that legendary dance had once again shown itself in this underground dungeon. And Hyrkan, who was its only audience, cupped his hands over his face as if he was truly touched. ¡®¡­ Is it too late to delete this character and start over as a swordsman?¡¯ For the first time in a while, Hyrkan felt like crying while gaming. Chapter 11 : Dancing with the Skeletons (4) Chapter 11 : Dancing with the Skeletons (4) Woong! When An Jaehyun returned to the real world, he was greeted by the V-Gear¡¯s cooling sound. [Shutting down the system. Please hold.] The alert came after the cooling sound. An Jaehyun spat out the mouthpiece he was biting down on, and he heard the V-Gear unlock with a clunk. An Jaehyun then took off the heavy V-Gear and the thick gloves. He was covered in sweat as he lay on the bed with his running shirt and underwear. It wasn¡¯t simply because of the VR game. His one-room itself was scorching. The indoor temperature was reaching 28.5 degrees Celsius (Editor note: about 83 degrees Fahrenheit), unbefitting of January 3rd. An Jaehyun swept back his sweat-covered hair with his hands. ¡®The heating bill¡¯s going to kill me.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that his heater broke or that he made a mistake. He had raised the temperature intentionally. Playing Warlord for a long time, he found that he could perform best between 27 and 29 degrees. This was important. If his physical body¡¯s condition fell, his in-game condition fell as well. If it remained severe, the Forced Exit System would activate. Normally it would be fine to adjust game play according to the physical body¡¯s condition, but in critical situations and raids, winning or losing depended on how well one could play at their best condition. ¡®The heating bill¡¯s going to cost several hundred thousand, and if I add the loan interest and monthly game-cost, I¡¯m going to be sucked dry.¡¯ Warlord was a money-eating game. It wasn¡¯t easy to make a living with such a game. An Jaehyun let out a sigh. He hadn¡¯t planned on logging out of the game just yet, but he had a reason for doing so. ¡®This isn¡¯t the necromancer I knew.¡¯ It was to confirm. He used his Skeleton Warrior in battle, and the more he did, the more he was disappointed. Eventually, the disappointment turned into a sense of danger. The problem wasn¡¯t just that it didn¡¯t know how to fight. An Jaehyun wasn¡¯t stupid. He had watched necromancers¡¯ battle videos. On January 1st, after he returned to the past, went to the private loaners, borrowed money, and bought the V-Gear at the Peach Store, he had taken some time to watch various necromancers training. He even researched their training method. However, he couldn¡¯t find any information on why his Skeleton Warrior was so stupid. The Skeleton Warriors in the videos he saw all fought pretty well. They properly defended with the shields they were holding, and they counterattacked with their swords or spears after defending. 10 Skeleton Warriors lined up and advancing looked quite cool. ¡®Why is my skeleton so shit?¡¯ An Jaehyun was the type to face things head-on and learn rather than theorize. But now wasn¡¯t the time to face anything head-on. If he really wasn¡¯t feeling it, he had to start over from the beginning. He didn¡¯t have much time. He had to show results within 3 months; otherwise, he would have to waste time paying off his debt at a workshop. ¡®There¡¯s no other choice.¡¯ There was only one thing he could do, pay money to buy information and training method. ¡®I¡¯ll have to pay for it.¡¯ Warlord made money. It only made sense that important money-making information was expensive. It wasn¡¯t just expensive. Information that made money or hunting strategies went for millions of wons. It was the same for information on character training. Such a thing didn¡¯t come up on the videos either. Some cream of the crop information was only passed through 1 on 1 lessons. Lessons ranged from as little as 100 thousand wons to several million. Information may not seem so important, but Warlord wasn¡¯t just a mouse and keyboard game. Any information that allowed one to make money or fix their errors could go for a lifetime. Approaching this information was easy. There were high-level players that released videos for free. One just had to contact them through the email. However, since An Jaehyun didn¡¯t have much money to spare, he hesitated. He never thought he needed to buy information for something as basic as Skeleton Underlings. He wanted to think about it after hitting level 10 in the Training Dungeon, but it seemed that he was too na?ve. ¡®Well, if I¡¯m going to do this¡­¡¯ An Jaehyun thought of his bank account. He didn¡¯t have much left from everything he had to buy; furthermore, the amount left was what he had to work with for the next 3 months. It wasn¡¯t an easy decision to spend a large sum now, but he knew he had no other choice. ¡®might as well do it well.¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï It had been 11 months since the launch of Warlord. The highest level player was the level 85 player Sulwoo, titled First One. The current Top 100 Level Ranking ranged from level 79 to Sulwoo¡¯s 85. However, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to introduce oneself as a Ranker if one¡¯s level went above 70. If one¡¯s level just went over 60, one could call oneself a top level player. The time they spent in the virtual world was no less than the time they spent in the real world. Helgen. He was a necromancer who had reached level 61 in such an environment. He was most likely the current highest leveled necromancer, and his YouTube channel had over 300,000 subscribers. From his free-video ads and paid-video revenues, he made over ten million won every month. His side job was coaching. There wasn¡¯t much information about the necromancer class, making his know-hows extremely popular. His know-how lessons were split into stages, and the lowest of them was a million won. Earning so much for a lesson video may seem like a con, but the demand was high. People who played necromancer weren¡¯t in the right mind in the first place. Plus, he didn¡¯t just send a lesson video. He also gave feedback on any question one might have. He even met some buyers in-game and helped them out. This was big. Some people paid hundreds of thousands of won just to see female VJs act cutesy on stream. An Jaehyun paid for this reason. Because of the recent rise in won-to-dollar conversion rate, he paid close to 1.1 million won. He immediately received a video from Helgen. His video contained various, detailed tips vital for necromancers. An Jaehyun first watched the Skeleton Fragment skill part from the various summoning magic available. ¨C This part is on the Skeleton Fragment skill. In the video was a man wearing a huge, snakeskin robe. Behind him stood twelve skeletons at attention. ¨C Skeletons have excellent Combat AI. At the same time, they have excellent learning ability. ¡°Excellent my ass.¡± An Jaehyun commented while watching the video with a stern, serious expression. ¨C In the beginning, if you summon a Skeleton Warrior and order it to attack, my words may sound like a lie. Snap! Along with those words, Helgen snapped his finger once. Then, the Skeleton Warriors behind him held their shields up front and held themselves in a defensive stance. Because their boney bodies weren¡¯t big, their bodies were perfectly hidden behind the shields. ¨C The problem is that although they have high intelligence, they have little knowledge. Another problem is that battle itself is a very complicated thing. If someone were to tell you to watch an MMA match and write an essay on all of the moves, you would be hard pressed to do so. It¡¯s the same with skeletons. If you tell them to do something so complicated when they¡¯ve never experienced it, they would never understand how. That¡¯s why there is a Defense Mode and an Attack Mode. At this part, An Jaehyun let out a realization. ¡®I see.¡¯ The explanation continued. ¨C It is important to train them in their Defense Mode first. Defense Mode isn¡¯t hard at all. The skeletons just have to use shields to block their opponents¡¯ attacks. It lessens the damage done to the player. An Jaehyun understood. ¡®Defense is easy to learn, and if you can defend well, you can more easily read your opponents.¡¯ There was no way a master like An Jaehyun wouldn¡¯t know the importance of defense. Even the brainless Skeleton Warrior should be able to learn how to defend. Plus, once you¡¯re able to defend, you can read the enemy¡¯s next move. Opponents react to how one defends. They might try to pierce directly through the defense, or they might try to bypass it. They might even choose not to attack and wait. Of these 3, the defender only had to deal with 2 of them. If the opponent tried to pierce through the defense, the defender had to endure it. If the opponent tried to bypass the defense, the defender had to stop him from doing so. If the opponent managed to pierce through, that¡¯s that. But if the defender managed to hold out successfully, there was a chance for a counterattack. It may not be easy to succeed in counterattacking, but it wasn¡¯t a hard thing to do. It was simple, yet difficult. As An Jaehyun was thinking this, Helgen began to command his Skeleton Warriors for a demonstration. He showed himself directing his Skeleton Warriors hunt a monster. After they had blocked the monster with their shields, they used the opening to pierce through the monster with their spears. Their form of raising their shields again showed absolute discipline. -Through trial and error in battles, the Skeleton Warriors grow quickly. By the time you get to level 20, they should be able to fight better than most players. Then, you¡¯ll realize what excellent AI they possess. Defend first, attack after. That was Helgen¡¯s know-how for handling Skeleton Warriors. It wasn¡¯t anything hard once one knew it, but before one heard it, it was hard to understand. Helgen did his money¡¯s worth. He went on to explain the best way to enhance Skeleton Warriors¡¯ Combat AI. What monsters to fight with, what level difference was best, what monsters were best for creating Skeleton Warrior cores, etc. An Jaehyun truly felt his money was well spent. ¡®He¡¯s good. It¡¯s worth the money.¡¯ There was a reason Helgen was a good necromancer. Consumers didn¡¯t spend money on content they would lose money on. Conversely, if it was worth the money, they didn¡¯t hesitate to splurge. ¡®Why was someone like this unpopular?¡¯ An Jaehyun was also curious. At this point, even if not one of the top Rankers, a level 60 necromancer should be famous to a certain degree. But why was a player like this not in An Jaehyun¡¯s memories? If he was at least decent, An Jaehyun should have remembered him. There were two possibilities. First was that he quit Warlord. The second was that he reached a limit. ¡®Warlord isn¡¯t a game you can quit because you want to. Not unless you run into an unjust problem.¡¯ This was the main point. Helgen¡¯s method wasn¡¯t bad. It was both logical and effective. Defend first, attack after. With this method, he trained his skeletons to be soldiers. ¡®But this is only effective on small fries.¡¯ There was a huge flaw in this system. Defend first meant one had to give the opponent the first attack. It was fine versus weaker monsters. However, it was a different story for large-type monsters that were above one¡¯s level and even had a fierce spec. There was a high chance the skeletons wouldn¡¯t be able to endure that first hit. ¡®Rich Lich covered this problem with money.¡¯ By pouring money into the game, Rich Lich raised his Skeleton Warriors¡¯ specs to an unprecedented level. It was something no one else could do. In other words! ¡®This is not the way to go.¡¯ With Helgen¡¯s style, he would only remain an ordinary necromancer. It wasn¡¯t the path for An Jaehyun. But An Jaehyun wasn¡¯t disappointed. In fact, this matter gave him a certain confidence. ¡®They aren¡¯t stupid.¡¯ What An Jaehyun was most worried about was that his Skeleton Warrior¡¯s Combat AI was lower than his expectation. Thanks to Helgen, he learned that it wasn¡¯t that Skeleton Warriors lacked intelligence, but that they lacked knowledge. They were like blank slates, ready to absorb any knowledge. ¡®Absorb¡­¡¯ An Jaehyun stood up. He grabbed a mouth full of glucose candy, then put on his V-Gear. ¡®Let¡¯s do some dancing.¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï Thwack! With a harsh, resounding sound, the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head flew off. It was flailing its arms around to regain balance when Hyrkan sent a low kick to its knee. Thud! With another resounding sound, the Skeleton Warrior fell on the ground as Hyrkan yelled towards the Skeleton Warrior. ¡°Get up!¡± At his words, the Skeleton Warrior got up and picked his head up before plopping it back on his head. The skeleton¡¯s eyes, made up of blue flames, were shaped into Xs, making it look rather cute. But Hyrkan did not laugh looking at its state. He didn¡¯t sneer or scoff at it either. As soon as its eyes returned to normal, Hyrkan sent another punch to its head. This time, the Skeleton Warrior tilted its head to the side, avoiding the punch. Thwack! But when Hyrkan bent his elbow, it met with the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head. Its head was shaken up, and during the time the Skeleton Warrior stood dazed, Hyrkan swiped his leg at its ankle. The Skeleton Warrior¡¯s body became parallel to the ground before it fell with a thud. Rattle rattle! The sound of bones hitting each other resounded out from its body. Hyrkan yelled at such Skeleton Warrior. ¡°If you get hit, don¡¯t just stand there! Move! Be wary and continue dodging!¡± The Skeleton Warrior gave no reply; instead, it just stared blankly at Hyrkan. In reality, this was to be expected. Skeleton Warriors couldn¡¯t attack their master. In other words, Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Warrior couldn¡¯t counterattack to any of Hyrkan¡¯s attacks. Hyrkan knew this as well. All he wanted was for it to dodge his attacks. ¡®The defend first, attack second method won¡¯t work in the long-run, when you start fighting proper monsters.¡¯ Defend first, attack second did not work. Then? ¡®Dodge first, attack second is the answer.¡¯ The best way was to evade the first attack. Dodge instead of being hit. Dodging was also a way of defense, but it was totally different from blocking. If this failed? ¡®If this fails, I¡¯ll quit the necromancer class and restart as a swordsman. It¡¯s a waste of time and money, but it¡¯s better than throwing away my second chance.¡¯ Give up when needed. What won¡¯t work will never work. Hyrkan swung his fist at the Skeleton Warrior that had stood back up. It was the same attack route as the previous time, and the Skeleton Warrior dodged the punch by tilting its head to the side. Hyrkan then bent his elbow. The Skeleton Warrior bent down, increasing its evasion radius and successfully avoiding Hyrkan¡¯s elbow. Whish! Hyrkan immediately swiped his leg at its ankle, but the Skeleton Warrior easily avoided it by lifting its foot. However, as soon as Hyrkan¡¯s legs came back around, he swung his other leg around in a huge motion. Whish! The Skeleton Warrior bent its body back, avoiding the kick. Then. Thud! It fell to the ground. Because it bent back too far, it had lost its balance. Watching this, Hyrkan¡¯s let out a slight smile. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ It was absorbing everything. The Skeleton Warrior had a surprising advantage as well. Because it was only bones, its joints had much better maneuverability. Even if its joints got dislocated, it could easily restore itself. It had all the right conditions for evading well. It just had to use its head and utilize its advantages. Hyrkan! It just needed to be around his level. If it could¡­ ¡®If there¡¯s ten like me, that¡¯s a real dream-team.¡¯ Grin! Hyrkan¡¯s slight smile had now turned into a full grin. Hyrkan touched his wristwatch and activated its music app. Immediately, music filled his surroundings. It was one of Michael Jackson¡¯s masterpieces, Billie Jean. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to dance.¡± Chapter 12 : A Mess of a Character to Others (1) Chapter 12 : A Mess of a Character to Others (1) [You have leveled up.] [You have received a blessing. All debuffs have disappeared, and your stamina and magic power are now full.] [You have reached level 10. Monsters will no longer appear in the Training Dungeon.] As soon as he leveled up, Hyrkan turned his head as the Skeleton Warrior pulled his long bone out of a Coal Tiger. The end of the bone was sharp and eerie, and the Skeleton Warrior holding onto the bone was even more ghastly. It truly looked like a cold-blooded warrior. Watching this scene, Hyrkan rubbed his chin. ¡®I hit level 10 but¡­¡¯ 5 days had passed since Hyrkan began Warlord, and he had now reached the highest level possible in the Training Dungeon. It wasn¡¯t a slow pace. It was faster than the average players and about the same speed compared to diligent players. However, compared to diligent, talented players, it was slow. Talented players that spend most of their days on Warlord can hit level 10 in 4 days. Amongst them, those at the level of Rankers can do it in 3 days. Compared to them, Hyrkan¡¯s level-up speed was too slow. ¡®It took longer than I thought.¡¯ Before he had returned to the past, Hyrkan had hit level 10 in 3 days. It was because of this that Hyrkan was able to boldly decide to make his living in Warlord. It wasn¡¯t that he gambled thinking he may have talent. In any case, it had taken him longer than he expected. However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t mad or disappointed, as he smiled in satisfaction. ¡®It was worth the time investment, though.¡¯ His gain was big. The Skeleton Warrior¡¯s Combat AI was indeed high. He had fixed them up with his personal training, and now they could fight better than average players. There was more. ¡®This is a lot better than I thought.¡¯ Skeleton Warriors had one absolute advantage over players. The penalty upon death! If they received damage, they could restore themselves using their master¡¯s magic power. If they were totally destroyed, they had to be re-summoned. In this case, the Skeleton Fragment was put on a 30-minute cooldown time. If a Skeleton Warrior died after fighting for 30 minutes, it could be summoned again immediately. In other words, Skeleton Warriors could fight with no fear of death. This was a huge advantage. Warlord¡¯s biggest risk was death. As a result, all battles were planned around lowering the number of deaths to as low as possible. At times, of course, it was necessary to give up one¡¯s life. It was a game; thus, it wasn¡¯t the hardest thing to risk losing one¡¯s life. But for Skeleton Warriors, this risk of death was pretty much non-existent. However, there was something else that Hyrkan found most attractive about Skeleton Warriors. ¡®The best thing is that I don¡¯t need to worry about them ever betraying me.¡¯ Skeletons could not betray their master. Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Warrior training consisted of beatings and abuses. Even so, his Skeleton Warrior never showed the slightest sign of a counterattack. No matter what the situation, it showed an absolute loyalty towards its master. It would only bare its teeth when its master was threatened. This was to be expected. It was AI. But after experiencing it firsthand, Hyrkan found his Skeleton Warrior to be extremely admirable, even to the point he found it noble. ¡®If it were me getting beaten up like that, I would have stabbed a knife through my throat a long time ago.¡¯ If Hyrkan were treated the way he was treating his Skeleton Warrior, he wouldn¡¯t have lasted a day before going on a fit of rage. In any case, Hyrkan found the Skeleton Warrior more than satisfactory. Imagining himself controlling over twenty of such Skeleton Warriors, he was elated. At the moment, however, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have the time to enjoy daydreaming. ¡®The question now is how I¡¯m going to distribute my stat points.¡¯ He was now level 10, meaning he couldn¡¯t continue to sucking honey off the Training Dungeon. He had to head out to the field, full of competition and violence. Of course, he wasn¡¯t afraid of fighting at all. In truth, Hyrkan was more the type to stab someone in the back, rather than getting stabbed himself. He received a huge stab to the back before returning to the past, but that was because of betrayal. Usually, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t the type to get conned or tricked. The problem lied in which direction he would now take. Hyrkan collected a rather large sum of data on necromancers. He even sent email questions to Helgen. According to the information he gathered, there were two types of necromancers in Warlord. ¡®Should I go the standard build?¡¯ The most typical one was the Summon Necromancer. Upon leveling up, 5 stat points were given for distribution. Summon Necromancers put 4 or even all 5 points into magic power. The reason was simple. Summoning magic required a lot of magic power. It required a sizable amount of magic power to summon, and more to maintain the summons. It was a class one couldn¡¯t do without enough magic power. This was the most representative necromancer of Warlord. But recently, there was a new trend thanks to a high-level information released by Helgen. ¡®Should I go explosion?¡¯ Explosion necromancers recently garnered attention. This necromancer went into the explosion magic that necromancer¡¯s had. There were things like Golem Explosion, but the reason explosion necromancer received public attention was that mass explosions were possible. It required a lot of time commitment, but the power from mass explosions of corpses, skeletons, and golems went far beyond what magicians of the same level could do. But to be an explosion necromancer, it was best to put all stats into intelligence as explosion magic scaled with intelligence. Hyrkan had to consider his options carefully. To solo raids, he knew he needed a strong, one-hit move. Jabs only worked against someone of similar size. Given most raid bosses¡¯ large sizes, he would most likely be killed before he could finish off the bosses with just jabs. ¡®There¡¯s also the immortal necromancer.¡¯ The immortal necromancer wasn¡¯t currently known. It went into the necromancer¡¯s Body Modification skill tree, and these necromancers put all stats into stamina. The immortal necromancer appeared thanks to a level 140 skill called Life Vessel. This skill allowed the user to become a lich. No matter how much damage the body received, liches did not die as long as their life vessels were safe. Of course, they weren¡¯t actually immortal. It was just that as long as they avoided taking direct damage to their life vessels, they could see up to a 10 times increase in stamina. Under this Life Vessel skill were various, lower-ranking body modification and regeneration skills. This allowed them to become excellent tanks. They were the result of guilds seeking for more efficient tanks. These were the three types of necromancers that Hyrkan knew of. But Hyrkan couldn¡¯t decide on one among these three. It wasn¡¯t that he was indecisive. ¡®This isn¡¯t enough.¡¯ It was just that these three couldn¡¯t match up to his expectations. None fit the image he had in his mind. However, if he had to choose, he would go with the standard build as Rich Lich had done. There was just no other choice. But looking at the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s combat capabilities, Hyrkan changed his mind. With the defend first attack second method, the summons had no choice but to take some damage. But if the summon could avoid attacks well enough, there was damage taken. It would be fine to have fewer points put into magic power. At least, in theory. To put this theory into effect, there had to be a teacher or a role-model for the Skeleton Warriors to follow. There had to be someone to fill the Skeleton Warriors¡¯ sponge-like combat AI. Who could act as that role-model? It was, obviously, Hyrkan. Hyrkan was confident. No one could fight as well as he could. Given the same level, stats, and items, he was confident to triumph over anyone. As such, no one was a better teacher than Hyrkan. And that was the problem. ¡®The Skeleton Warriors can¡¯t dodge my attacks because of my current stats. Later on, they¡¯re going to see my punches in slow motion.¡¯ Now was the extent to which Hyrkan could teach his Skeleton Warrior to fight. If his Skeleton Warrior got a spec-up, it was near impossible to teach them how to fight with hand-to-hand combat. To teach them down the road, Hyrkan had to invest in strength. But if he were to do that, his character would be a complete mess. Before Hyrkan returned to the past, he had invested all his points into strength. This was because he was a swordsman. Even with the same stats, once swordsmen received buffs and used their skills continuously, they could easily perform 10 times the expected result. Magicians had a similar skill as well. There was something called magic swordsmen, who used magic power to maximize their combat potential. As such, some magicians invested stat points into strength and stamina. Black magicians were no different. There was a skill that allowed them to fight in close-quarters using their magic power. Even so, they weren¡¯t as strong as swordsmen. Most importantly, such stat distribution led to a mess of a character that was invested in invested in neither strength nor magic power. At the same time, this resulted in going into various skill trees. ¡®It¡¯s not a bad thing per se.¡¯ But if this was the goal, it was better to choose white magic and learn magic of all attributes to the peak. Of course, a mess like this could become a big hit as well. But at the very least, it was a road no one had tread before. The road could cut off in the middle or lead to a dead end. If this were the case, that would be the end. There was no way to recover after going down this path. There probably wouldn¡¯t be another chance to reset his life. ¡®I can¡¯t dwell on this for too long.¡¯ Hyrkan closed his eyes. No matter what he chose, regret was inevitable. The question was which path would lead to fewer regrets. ¡®Rich Lich was able to succeed in solo raiding, but even after throwing so much money in the game, he was unable to become the best.¡¯ If it was his fate to fall off a cliff, then it would at least be better to throw his body towards a dream. ¡®Gaming is the one thing I can do well. If I can¡¯t be daring in games, my entire life would just be lame.¡¯ Hyrkan controlled his watch, making a hologram window of his stat. Looking at the hologram window, Hyrkan smiled. ¡°All strength necromancer. What a concept. At least it¡¯ll make for a good clickbait.¡± Chapter 13 : A Mess of a Character to Others (2) Chapter 13 : A Mess of a Character to Others (2) [Hyrkan] -Level: 10 -Class: Magician -Title: 2 -Stats: Strength (48) / Stamina (3) / Intelligence (14) / Magic Power (14) Seeing the numbers on his watch¡¯s hologram window, Hyrkan grit his teeth. ¡®Is this really the right choice?¡¯ Hyrkan had put all the stat points he gained from leveling into strength, a whole 45 points. Intelligence and magic power stat rose because of class-specific bonus. For magicians, they gained 1 point of intelligence and magic power for every level. Swordsmen gained a point of strength and stamina. On top of this, thanks to the two titles he had, Hyrkan gained a point into intelligence and magic power. As a result, the current Hyrkan had enough magic power to summon a Skeleton Warrior 3 times. This, of course, was just to summon. Maintaining the summoned Skeleton Warrior or repairing damages it received would take additional magic power. Taking these into account, two Skeleton Warriors were his limit. ¡®If I don¡¯t invest into magic power, it¡¯s only going to get worse.¡¯ It was fine now because Skeleton Fragment¡¯s skill rank was low. As it went up, the amount of magic power needed to maintain and repair Skeleton Warriors would increase naturally. Furthermore, real necromancers could easily control 9 Skeleton Warriors, 3 Skeleton Magicians, and a Golem. Someone like Rich Lich controlled close to a hundred summons. Plus, necromancers usually obtained a few attack magic or curse magic. They wouldn¡¯t be high-rank skills, but it was easy to obtain low-rank skills. Because of this, almost all necromancers put their stat points into magic power. The magic power stat raised the magic power pool and magic power recovery amount. ¡®If I continue putting all my stats into strength, I¡¯m going to reach a limit before level 50. I¡¯m certain.¡¯ Hyrkan was sure. If he continued with his current plans, by the time he was level 50, his character would be a complete mess. This problem had to be solved with items or titles. He needed items that lowered magic power consumption and increased magic power recovery amount. He also needed large amounts of titles that raised his magic power stat. Of course, neither were easy. ¡®If I had something like Anugas¡¯s Necklace, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about this¡­¡¯ Anugas¡¯s Necklace. It was an Epic item made from the eye of the level 200 boss monster Anugas. It reduced magic power consumption by 35%, and there was a huge uproar when its stat was first released. Furthermore, Anugas¡¯s Necklace didn¡¯t have a limit. A level 300 or 400 player could use it with no penalty. ¡®Come to think of it, Anugas¡¯s Necklace didn¡¯t even have a set price. The last who possessed it was¡­ Meteor Walker, I think?¡¯ Because it was so expensive, its price was never released. There was never an official trade. There were only rumors of its owner; no one knew for certain. You would be targeted by all players on the server just for owning it. It was obvious its owner would pretend not to have it. Of course, making a character with items like this in mind was crazy. It wouldn¡¯t even make sense for Hyrkan, who would face his limit at level 50, to raise his character with an ultra-expensive, level 200 item in mind. Hyrkan didn¡¯t even consider such a thing. The core of Hyrkan¡¯s plan was not items, but titles. ¡®Well, I¡¯m going to have to cover all this with titles.¡¯ Titles! It was the source of Hyrkan¡¯s confidence. Titles were very important in Warlord. In all RPG games, it became harder to level up as one went on. It was the same for Warlord. In Warlord, however, as one went on, there were more opportunities to raise one¡¯s stats through titles. A good title could raise a specific stat by 20 points. This was equivalent to gaining 4 levels. Most titles like this came from boss raids. It was also why guilds were so hell-bent on boos raids. Even so, no one planned their characters with title hunting in mind. If anyone did, he would be called crazy. To put it bluntly, it was possible to buy items with money, but not titles. It was something players could gain only through game play. ¡®I¡¯m crazy, alright. Who in the right mind would do something like this?¡¯ Hyrkan turned off the hologram window. He was often called crazy before returning to the past. It wasn¡¯t something he would fear. Plus, it was too late for regrets. ¡®I just have to face forward.¡¯ If it was impossible, he just had to make it possible! That was what Hyrkan had to do. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Warlord had a rather simple background story. Fierce monsters began appearing in once a peaceful world, and a war broke out against them. What began was the Warring Era, and the ultimate goal was to become the Emperor of War, the one to put an end to this era! This was why the game was called Warlord. Of course, there were various stories the more one researched. The relationship between different kingdoms, heroic tales of minor tribes, ancient ruins, etc. There were many things to invoke the heroic spirit of players. In such a world, the Subjugation Association was the first thing players came into contact with. As such, the Subjugation Association played a sizable role in the affairs of Warlord. Monster subjugation was the main objective of the Warlord world. Everything in the game was focused around hunting monsters. There was no way the Subjugation Association, leading monster subjugations, would have little influence. All kingdoms and tribes had a close relationship with the Subjugation Association. Players, who treated the Subjugation Association as just a place to obtain monster hunting quests, would never show outstanding results. The Subjugation Association gave out stars according to players¡¯ results. The more stars one had, the more important information and quests one received. Some players did business with these quests, the so-called trains*. There were countless players who would pay to get into quests like these. As for quests with good titles as rewards¡­ the money involved was huge. Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t understand why anyone would spend so much money on games. For the Top 30 Guilds, there was something called the Star Hunter team that solely focused on collecting stars rather than doing raids. Valuable quests like these were usually given out by NPCs. Usually, players could receive Subjugation Association related quests by going to a Subjugation Association branch located in each castle, then looking through the available quests through their watch. It was like getting Wi-Fi at a coffee shop. As a result, when players visited the Subjugation Association, they could see a mob of people fiddling around with their watches. They were looking for easier, more rewarding, and less time-consuming quests. ¡®Incompetent people sure have it hard.¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t intend on being a part of such mob. Picking quests? If you were confident in your abilities, there was no need to carefully consider each option. You could just pick one at random and do it. Plus, Hyrkan understood the Subjugation Association¡¯s quest system better than anyone else. He had once studied everything related to the Subjugation Association. People even told him that he would have made it to a prestigious college if he studied like that during his senior year of high school. Hyrkan even paid money for valuable information. It was the one and only time he had unhesitatingly spent money for the pursuit of knowledge. ¡®The quests at this level range is more or less the same. If anything, older quests are better.¡¯ Hyrkan sorted the available quest list according to date. Quests that were old signified no one had done it, or several had failed to complete it. They were essentially thrown away. For Subjugation Association quests, the reward went up as more people failed to complete them. This was something not many people knew. In Warlord, information like this didn¡¯t spread as well as one might think. As Warlord dealt with more and more money, information like this acted almost like a corporate secret. It could go for several million or tens of million won. No one in the right mind would post it online just to get some likes. Furthermore, there were people posting false information just to get some attention. Because of this, there were many false rumors about Warlord. This wasn¡¯t all. There wasn¡¯t much competition for old quests. Most players sought out newly generated quests. They assumed the good ones would have already been completed. It was more likely for new quests to have better rewards. And when new quests were generated, they would all be focused around a specific area. Warlord¡¯s maintenance system utilized the quest system to control user distribution. It often created quests in the same area to lead players to unpopulated areas. This was why conflicts often arose between players, parties, and guilds. Of course, level 10 players, who were feeling confident after getting out of the Training Dungeon, wouldn¡¯t have any way of knowing this. Whenever the time came for quests to be generated¡­ ¡°I just pulled a rare-rank quest. I¡¯m looking for two swordsmen to party with.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a level 15 fire-attribute wizard. I¡¯m looking for a rare-rank quest. I can vouch for my skills.¡± It was like a raucous marketplace, as everyone screamed here and there. Looking at this chaos, Hyrkan sneered. They were serious in their own right, but to Hyrkan, they seemed like kids playing around. ¡®How cute.¡¯ At that time, he ran across a certain quest. ¡®Hm? Mt. Bima?¡¯ A keyword caught his attention. The word ¡®Mt. Bima.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t too familiar with it, but he had definitely heard of it before. Hyrkan searched his memories. ¡®Ah!¡¯ Surprisingly, Hyrkan managed to remember. ¡®The list of quests where you could obtain the Rising Star title! That¡¯s where I saw that word.¡¯ Hyrkan immediately checked the content of the quest. [A Cave in Mt. Bima] -Quest Rank: Rare -Quest Level Range: 10~25 -Quest Content: Mt. Bima is located east of Figur¡¯s Castle. Monsters in Mt. Bima has become ferocious lately. Find out the cause and fix it. -Quest Reward: 10 gold and an additional reward. Additional reward. It was an ambiguous expression, but Hyrkan knew it was the Rising Star title. ¡®My god, I can¡¯t believe I have the chance to get the Rising Star title.¡¯ Rising Star title. It was a title only players under level 15 could receive. It raised the class-specific stats by 3 percent. For magicians, that would be intelligence and magic power. This effect even applied to stats from items. The problem was that players had to be below level 15, and that quests where one could receive it was extremely limited. As a result, someone had taken the effort to compile all the quests that gave out the Rising Star title. It was an open-for-all information just in case a similar quest appeared in the future. Of course, new players memorized the list as if their lives depended on it. Because it was impossible to memorize all the quest titles, most just memorized key terms. It was thanks to this that Hyrkan could remember Mt. Bima. ¡®I remember memorizing this just in case¡­ who would have thought it would come in handy here¡­¡¯ Hyrkan, someone who hadn¡¯t memorized a single English word for the SATs, had painstakingly memorized the quest list. He would never have thought studying would pay off. Life was full of surprises. In any case, there was no way Hyrkan would miss this opportunity. [You have begun the quest, ¡®A Cave in Mt. Bima] Hyrkan confirmed the quest. ¡®The Rising Star title¡­¡¯ A smile spread across his face. A title that gave a percentage increase was one of the best in the game. ¡®On top of the Rising Star title, if I can get my hands on the Supernova, Dragon Slayer, and Hero of the Great Battle titles¡­¡¯ There was a term for characters that acquired several percentage increasing titles. ¡®Rather than a mess of a character, I¡¯d be a cheat.¡¯ A cheat. It was the dream of all gamers. Chapter 14 : A Cave in Mt. Bima (1) Chapter 14 : A Cave in Mt. Bima (1) All new Warlord players feel a bit of doubt as they go through the tutorial. Should I be playing this game? Is it too late to ask for a refund? Such thoughts quickly disappear as they train in the Training Dungeon. Their thinking changes after fighting various types of monsters in the Training Dungeon and reaching level 10. ¡°I might be quite talented at this.¡± They become confident. They have no choice but to become confident. In reality, an average guy won¡¯t win fighting bare-handed against a big dog. Even if you give a knife to a grown man and ask him to kill an attack dog, he won¡¯t be able to. But during the Training Dungeon, players face up against wolves, tigers, anacondas, and all sorts of monsters you can¡¯t even see in a zoo. Not only that, players can always leave a video footage of their fights. With a bit of editing, they became the protagonist of a movie. As such, it was only obvious they would become confident. It was also another objective of the Training Dungeon. It was training! It was a system built to boost players¡¯ confidence in battles. Upon reaching level 10, these confident players learned new skills, and the rich ones would come out to the field equipped with all sorts of expensive items. The field was also a spectacle. Forests and mountains untouched by human hands. In this vast world, players became the dwarves or elves they saw in Lord of the Rings. They had full assurance that their adventure would become a heroic tale. But as soon as they entered field battles, they became Hobbits. Not the courageous kind, but the one in danger. When they began fighting monsters in forests and mountains, they learned the difference between Training Dungeon monsters and the real ones. ¡°Uwak!¡± It was a 3-man party. It was a typical beginner¡¯s party of a swordsman, magician, and healer. One couldn¡¯t even tell their classes apart by looking at their clothes. ¡°Are you retarded, how did you fall?¡± ¡°Oi! Throw your magic at it! We have to save that fuck!¡± ¡°Hold on; I¡¯m still casting it. Also, if I throw it now, he¡¯s going to get hit too.¡± ¡°Just do it!¡± The first monster they faced in the field was a monster called Deadwood Wolf. It was a level 15 monster, a wolf looking like it was carved out of a withered tree. It had a longer body length than normal wolves, but its overall size wasn¡¯t particularly big. It wasn¡¯t all that strong either. It was on of the weakest level 15 monsters. As one might expect from its thin and withered appearance, it had a weak defense. It was something players could easily kill with the weapons they received from the Subjugation Association. On top of this, they were extremely weak to fire magic. A level 10 fire-attribute magician could easily kill with 2 casts of Fireball magic. It was even nicknamed the woodbag. The name obviously came from sandbag, except it was woodbag because of its appearance. Although only level 10, a 3-man party should easily be able to kill it. The party¡¯s plan was to have the swordsman hold it off from the front while waiting for the magician to prepare his Fireball. But a problem occurred when they went into battle. The swordsman threw his body towards the Deadwood Wolf as planned, and he blocked the wolf¡¯s attack with his wooden shield. He then readied his stance and prepared for its next attack. Until then, everything went smoothly. The problem occurred when the swordsman accidentally tripped on a rock. As soon as he fell, the Deadwood Wolf jumped onto his chest. It was in a mount position. It wasn¡¯t easy to shake off a mounted opponent. Not only did one need power, but also technique. But how many people would have had such an experience before? ¡°H-Help me! Save me!¡± Growl, growl! Right in front, the Deadwood Wolf let out a rough roar, injuring the swordsman with its teeth and claws. The two watching from the side panicked and didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°Shit, what do we do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± It went without saying that the party wouldn¡¯t have a happy ending if they continued hunting without a swordsman. Just like this, many beginner players experience a real field battle at the cost of 48 hours. But there were some who didn¡¯t have a single need to pay such a cost. Hyrkan. Faced up against a blue werewolf on his way to Mt. Bima, anyone would think it was inevitable that he pay the price. As a necromancer, he had even put all his stats into strength. He didn¡¯t have any special items either. The only thing he acquired at level 10 was a new curse magic. He didn¡¯t have the money to set his items. Everyone would say he needed to experience Warlord¡¯s bitter taste. Not only that, but the blue werewolf was also one of the strongest level 15 monsters. One could tell it was nothing to mess around with just from its appearance. It was 180 cm tall with long, hanging arms. On these arms were four claws that were as sharp as knifes. Through its blue fur, one could see its red eyes and protruding mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. It was enough to cause even high-level players to coward in fear. In fact, it was as strong as it looked. Because of this, it was given the nickname, Beginner Killer! Even a 3-man party would have difficulty dealing with one. But Hyrkan, who had run into this monster, had an expression full of smiles. ¡®Nice, a decent one right from the start. Blue werewolf skin is money and the bones¡­ I¡¯ll try using them as Skeleton Fragment ingredient. Blue Werewolves were a fittingly rare spawn in the field. Thanks to its nickname, Beginner Killer, the blue werewolf was a name that players looked up at least once or twice. Videos of blue werewolf hunts guaranteed certain amount of views. Since Hyrkan ran into a moneymaking monster right from the get-go, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t be happy. ¡°Start Camera.¡± At this moment, the thought of losing didn¡¯t cross Hyrkan¡¯s mind. If he had put all stat points into magic power and intelligence, it might have been hard, but he had put his into strength. In Warlord, strength affected the body¡¯s physical capabilities, like the horsepower of cars. In other words, there was no reason Hyrkan would fall behind in strength or speed. Of course, since he didn¡¯t put any points into stamina, it would hurt quite a bit if the blue werewolf hit him. But for Hyrkan, such a thing was his daily life. In one way or another, swordsmen invested points into stamina. Tank types put most of their stat points into stamina, while the striker type, who fought against monsters in the front-line, also invested some points into stamina. But this applied to players who were playing the game normally. Hyrkan, who had to catch up to players who started the game a year earlier, couldn¡¯t afford to stop and do what others would normally do. Plus, there were advantages of being a latecomer ¨C the legacy of the early players. One could watch monster hunting method videos to reduce battle risk, and get items that were proven to be useful. Hyrkan used such extreme battle strategy to make a name for himself. He wasn¡¯t worried, scared, or nervous because of his lack of stamina. Most importantly, Hyrkan had a helper. Hyrkan threw a Skeleton Fragment he was holding onto. As soon as it made contact with the ground, it became bigger until it took the form of a Skeleton Warrior. Holding a sharp bone-knife, the Skeleton Warrior showed hostility towards the blue werewolf as soon as it appeared. It opened its mouth and let out a silent roar, while two blue flames burned inside its eye sockets. The blue werewolf didn¡¯t cower in front of the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s burning gaze. Instead, it strengthened its red eyes. In a battle of spirit, it wouldn¡¯t back down. Growl! The blue werewolf let out a cry and jumped towards the Skeleton Warrior. Swish, swish! It swung its two arms in a rough, random manner. The Skeleton Warrior didn¡¯t charge towards the blue werewolf nor did it maintain a small distance from him. Instead, it distanced itself by a wide margin, avoiding the attacks, as if the spirit it had just shown were all pretense. It was Hyrkan¡¯s teaching. As in boxing, it was best to maintain a small, delicate distance and counterattack every time it avoided an attack. However, such a thing was close to an art. It was something both sides had to work together to film in movies. It was undoubtedly difficult. As such, there was no need to risk danger and stay within a range of counterattack. Big! Far! It just had to avoid the attacks without counterattacking in mind. The Skeleton Warrior didn¡¯t need to counterattack. That was Hyrkan¡¯s role, who would appear stealthily after their clash. ¡®Okay.¡¯ In front of Hyrkan, who had been hiding his presence, the back of the blue werewolf could be seen. As soon as Hyrkan caught sight of it, he ran. Rocks, tree roots or tree stumps didn¡¯t hinder Hyrkan¡¯s charge in the slightest. He was a predator running towards its prey. By the time the blue werewolf noticed Hyrkan¡¯s presence, it was too late. Stab! The sharp knife Hyrkan received from the Subjugation Association already pierced through its spine into its ribs. At the moment it was stabbed, Growl! The blue werewolf turned around with a pain-filled cry. As it turned, it swung its arms like a whip. It was an instinctive reaction to attack whoever was behind it. Having expected such reaction, Hyrkan had already let go of the knife and had lowered his body under the blue werewolf¡¯s waist. And as he lowered his body, he charged towards the blue werewolf¡¯s left leg, aiming at its knee joint, making the blue werewolf fall. Thud! Losing its balance, the blue werewolf fell backward. Its head hit the floor, and its red eyes shook. At the same time, the knife that was stuck on its back borrowed the force of impact with the ground and pierced through its chest. Then, as if it had been waiting for this to happen, the Skeleton Warrior jumped onto the blue werewolf¡¯s chest. The Skeleton Warrior then stabbed its bone-knife straight into its chest. Stab! The knife didn¡¯t go too deep into the chest, and it didn¡¯t match the triumphant spirit the Skeleton Warrior was showing. The Skeleton Warrior then pulled out its bone-knife and repeatedly stabbed into the blue werewolf¡¯s body as if it wasn¡¯t satisfied. Stab, stab! Faced with this continuous barrage from the Skeleton Warrior, the blue werewolf let out a never before heard cry. Kuuhung! With this cry, the blue werewolf used its right arm to smack off the mounted Skeleton Warrior. Thwack! The Skeleton Warrior flew off effortlessly. It couldn¡¯t be helped as the Skeleton Warrior was too light. Upon taking down the blue werewolf, Hyrkan distanced himself and prepared for his next move. After seeing the Skeleton Warrior fly off and seeing his magic power fall from the right corner of his eye, he helplessly shook his head. ¡®You have to stab it once and fall back¡­ looks like I¡¯ll have to teach it how to properly do the mount position.¡¯ After removing the obstacle from his chest, the blue werewolf stood up. And when it did, Whish! It staggered for a moment, then held itself up straight. Even so, it was in quite a sorry state. From the dagger pierced into its chest and three wounds made by the Skeleton Warrior, blood was flowing out like a broken faucet. If this were reality, it would have been dead already. But it was different in the game. The same went for players. No monsters died just because they had a hole in their chest. Even if half of their heads got crushed, they would be alive. The only way to instantly kill a monster was to cut off its head completely. Even so, this didn¡¯t work on all monsters. Damage of this scale only counted as significant damage. ¡®Alright, bleeding¡¯s started.¡¯ The fight was more or less over. It would die if he just dragged it out. Except! Hyrkan had to be careful not to give it any time to recover. Monster possessed something called recovery mode. When they entered his mode, they regenerated their wounds and HP at an astonishing rate. It was important to make sure it never went to this state. A monster entered its recovery mode when it didn¡¯t take damage for a certain period. In other words, you have to continue attacking. But there was no need to risk danger to try to pull out the dagger from its chest. At this point when the monster¡¯s level was low, there was a more efficient method. Somewhere along the fight, Hyrkan had picked up a rock, which he now threw towards its head. Smack! With an incredible sound, the blue werewolf¡¯s head shook. Watching this, Hyrkan grinned. ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve done rock throwing. I used to love doing this.¡¯ A tip. A sizable damage could be dealt to low level monsters just by throwing rocks at them. For continuous damage, there was an even better way. In raids, it was the absolute basic of basics to use throwing weapons to prevent monsters from entering their recovery mode. The blue werewolf glared at Hyrkan and opened its mouth. Kwaaang! [Blue werewolf becomes enraged.] It was a cry full of rage. Blue werewolf. It couldn¡¯t have been more than a few days that it spawned in the world of Warlord, but in its short life, this must have been the first time a rock hit it. Of course, this wasn¡¯t why it was enraged. Just as the alert said, it entered an enraged status just because. ¡®Looks like it took a hefty amount of damage.¡¯ Monsters in rage mode have simpler behavior. To let out its anger, it showed only hostility towards its enemy. It wasn¡¯t cautious about its surroundings, as it prepared to give its bones to obtain the flesh. In gaming terms, its aggro could be completely controlled. The blue werewolf charged towards Hyrkan. It looked terrifying as it ran enraged with its eyes turned and blood flowing. But the smile on Hyrkan never disappeared. ¡®You shouldn¡¯t¡¯ Snap! ¡®look at me, you know?¡¯ Snap! As soon as Hyrkan snapped his fingers twice, the skeleton warrior who had been standing at its flank flew towards the blue werewolf like a bullet and delivered its bone-knife deep into its side. Stab! Even so, the blue werewolf continued charging at Hyrkan. It seemed liked it was using its final breath to deal a blow to Hyrkan. Whish! The blue werewolf swung its arm with enough force to crush Hyrkan¡¯s head. Hyrkan easily dodged the attack by leaning backward. Evasive maneuvers like this only appeared when Hyrkan was fully at ease. ¡®This is going to be quite the picture.¡¯ At that moment, the smile on his face quickly turned stiff before it disappeared. ¡°Shit!¡± He even let out a curse. Hyrkan finally realized. ¡®The hahoe mask! Shit, I forgot to wear my hahoe mask!¡¯ He realized that he made a grave mistake. Editor¡¯s note: Since this has been a long info dump, just wanted to remind everyone that his previous guild was called the Hahoe Mask guild and that they would fight wearing hahoe masks. Translator¡¯s note: If you guys haven¡¯t looked it up, here are some different types of hahoe masks: https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/disp/6f00d512784059.5626d11489adb.png Chapter 15 : A Cave in Mt. Bima (2) Chapter 15 : A Cave in Mt. Bima (2) It was no longer an odd job to make money with paid videos. This was especially the case with gamers, who made money through gaming. In the past, they made most of their money by selling in-game items, but now paid videos of game play made much more money. There were countless number of game VJs who earned hundreds of millions of won a year. The same went for Warlord. Even without live broadcast channels, Warlord-related videos ranked among the top of paid videos. Even Hollywood was threatened by Warlord! It went without saying that everyone uploaded videos to make whatever amount they could. Even cows or dogs did. As a result, there were over ten million Warlord-related videos coming out every day. It wasn¡¯t easy to stand out in this sea of videos. The only way was to spend big money to actively advertise the videos or to have a concept that stood out among the crowd. This was how the Hahoe Mask Guild was formed. An Jaehyun and Kim Dongsoo. They decided to form a guild the moment they joined hands, and they contemplated on what concept to use to make their guild known. It wasn¡¯t easy. They even considered dirty concepts like wearing underwear only. What¡¯s funny was that there were people who have done this already. There was even a guild where the members all danced in their underwear after a successful raid. Although it wasn¡¯t a Top 30 Guild, it was fairly popular. In any case, An Jaehyun was the one to suggest something. ¡°Why don¡¯t we wear hahoe masks?¡± Hahoe mask. ¡°It¡¯s a very Korean-esque, don¡¯t you think?¡± It wasn¡¯t a bad idea. Thankfully, no other guild had used this concept before. There was another reason. ¡°Also, we¡¯re all comrades in arms. Let¡¯s not do something like distinguishing our ranks through uniforms.¡± Almost all famous guilds had a symbol, and they matched their uniforms around that symbol. The bigger the guild was, the more people it had. As such, they distinguished their ranks using uniforms ¨C 1st corp, 2nd corp, 3rd corp, etc. But An Jaehyun suggested that every guild members wear the same mask. His dream back then was for everyone to eat and live well. His suggestion was approved, and the Hahoe Mask Guild was born. The concept of wearing hahoe masks in battles worked quite well, and they garnered attention at a quick pace. Because of this, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t throw away the hahoe mask. It was his pride and joy, almost like a son. Plus, he couldn¡¯t throw away a concept he knew would work. In fact, he had to do it before others did. But he had forgotten about it. With the blue werewolf corpse in front of him, Hyrkan shook his head while watching the video he just took through the hologram monitor. ¡®The video came out well, but¡­¡¯ The battle video was amazing. His battle style was something never before seen in Warlord. It could go viral if word got around, and Hyrkan¡¯s name was naturally spread. On the other hand, if he really wanted to make hahoe mask his concept, he couldn¡¯t release a video with his real face. It wasn¡¯t that he feared his face becoming recognized. At this time, no one should know who he was anyways. His war against the Stormhunter Guild hadn¡¯t yet happened. ¡®Concepts only work when you take it and keep it.¡¯ What was important was the concept. Wearing a hahoe mask after showing his face already? The impact lessened greatly. Especially if the concept revolved around wearing masks, it was important always to have it on to add to the mysterious effect. Most importantly, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t handsome enough that he would benefit in any way by showing his face. In fact, he would be happy not to get penalized. Of course, if he used anti-face recognition mode, he could blur his face out. It was basic. In Warlord, players could prevent others from taking videos of them by using the anti-face recognition mode. Without this system, Warlord would become a voyeur heaven. Of course, if he wanted to upload the video, it was possible. He just had to put in the hahoe mask with CG work. But hiring a professional to do this was something he couldn¡¯t do. ¡°Ehew.¡± In the end, Hyrkan decided to give up on the video. Though wasteful, he could always make another one. Although blue werewolves were a popular search topic, it didn¡¯t necessarily guarantee high viewer count. ¡®I was dumb.¡¯ Moreover, it was Hyrkan¡¯s fault. He couldn¡¯t blame anyone. And this was who Hyrkan was. He was far from the word ¡®perfect.¡¯ Except in games, he was below average in everything. It was why he bet devoted his life to gaming. If he were good at anything else, he wouldn¡¯t have bet his life on gaming, nor would he have been so shaken after being betrayed. After calming himself, Hyrkan got up. He didn¡¯t have much time. Plus, killing the blue werewolf was a big profit in itself. He was given an opportunity. ¡®Looks like I can finally use the Skeleton Fragment skill properly.¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï In Warlord, completed items didn¡¯t drop after killing monsters. Except for items received as quest rewards, most were crafted. The crafting process was largely split into three stages. The first was to obtain the materials. To obtain the materials, players had to disassemble the monsters. The moment the monsters¡¯ HP became 0 they could be disassembled. It became much easier to skin the monster, like opening a well-packed box. If you did it randomly, the tape would get in the way, but by using a knife, it became much easier. As soon as the leather, skin, or scales come off, the monsters begin melting. Players called it the ice-cream mode. During this process, it was possible to taste the monsters¡¯ meat. They surprisingly had various tastes, like different flavors of ice-cream. They were also cold, like a dessert after players. Finally, after the monsters finished melting, they left behind bones and jewels. What was important to note was that skin and bones were something obtainable from all monsters, but not jewels. Jewels had a drop rate. Some dropped them; some didn¡¯t. And these jewels were usually used to craft high-ranking items, starting from rare rank. Furthermore, the skin and bones could be converted into coin form whenever the players wanted. If one converted the skin and bones of an apartment-sized monster, he could get enough coins to fit a 20-kilogram rice bag. It wasn¡¯t light, but it was much better than carrying around the skin and bones. Besides, no players hated getting a rice bag worth of coins. In fact, they would say ¡®this is all I get?¡¯ Then again, common sense would ask why they didn¡¯t just place them in the inventory. These materials could be used to craft items with the Cube in Item Factories located in certain castles. Although the official name was Cube, players called it the slot machine. If one put it the basic materials needed to craft items and coins, a normal-rank item popped out. To get items rare or above, jewels had to be put in. After putting in the materials in the cube, one just had to shake it furiously; then an item popped out from inside. There were times when a unique-rank item came out from the expected normal or rare rank items. There were cube addicts who bet on this small chance and continued buying materials for crafting. It was so bad that people were concerned whether there should be a law against it. Some players spent their whole time cubing like this. Of course, as it was cumbersome to constantly shake the cube, there were workshops for it as well. The workers logged in and shook the cube all day. After a month of this part-time job, you wouldn¡¯t want to play Warlord even if you could for free. In any case, the stat of these unique-rank items were at least 25 levels higher than normal-rank items of the same level. At a time where a level 70 player was the highest, a 25 level difference was huge. As for the Skeleton Fragment skill, it used same materials as one would for cubing. It was a simple process. You just had to hold the coin tightly in hand and use the Skeleton Fragment skill. Then. [You created a Skeleton Fragment using blue werewolf bones.] [Proficiency in Skeleton Fragment increase.] A new Skeleton Fragment could be obtained. Hyrkan opened his hand. Instead of a human skull, the skeleton fragment now took the form of a wolf head. Hyrkan immediately threw the skeleton fragment on the ground. A new Skeleton Warrior appeared. With its wolf-skull, the Skeleton Warrior looked much more fearsome than before. It had two fangs invoked chills, and Hyrkan liked its burning, red eyes. Whoosh! Hyrkan threw a surprise punch at the Skeleton Warrior, which it lightly avoided. While avoiding, it distanced itself far away from Hyrkan. Hyrkan, who had been planning on giving it a kick, smiled instead. ¡®It¡¯s definitely faster than before.¡¯ The new Skeleton Warrior was undoubtedly faster than the basic one. At the same time, he felt a bit of pressure. ¡®A monster for one skeleton fragment. It¡¯s no problem for small fries, but if I want to make one out of a boss monster¡­ what a money eating skill.¡¯ Skeleton Warriors stats changed depending on the monster used as its base. One made from a boss monster would naturally be stronger. On the other hand, monster bones were the most frequently used crafting material. It meant it would cost a lot. Of course, there was no need to be stingy. What was important was making back the money spent. Hyrkan took out his hahoe mask. ¡®No more mistakes.¡¯ Hyrkan also took out a hahoe mask to give his Skeleton Warrior. He was fully prepared to push his concept. ¡°Hm?¡± Once again, Hyrkan realized something. ¡®It doesn¡¯t fit because of its protruding mouth!¡¯ That he really was a dumbass in anything other than gaming. ¡°Fuck, why am I so stupid?¡± It was just another reason Hyrkan had to devote his life to gaming. Chapter 16 : A Cave in Mt. Bima (3) Chapter 16 : A Cave in Mt. Bima (3) A Skeleton Warrior landed on the back of a deadwood bear, stabbing the bear with its knife. Then, it bounced off like a spring, stepping on the deadwood bear¡¯s back and leaping away. Kwuoo! The deadwood bear raised its body up. It was originally to shake off the Skeleton Warrior from its back, but it was a beat too late thanks to the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s quick movement. After gently landing on the ground, the Skeleton Warrior swiftly moved away, hiding among the trees. Having lost sight of the Skeleton Warrior, the deadwood bear let out a furious roar while flailing its arm in the air. It was fully showing its anger. What halted its fit of rage was¡­ Thwack! A rock. The rock accurately struck the deadwood bear¡¯s nose. Because of this sudden rock attack, the deadwood bear shook his head in confusion. Kuo? By the time it turned towards the direction the rock had come from, Hyrkan had gotten in a baseball wind-up position. The moment the deadwood bear stared at him, Hyrkan threw the rock towards its right eye. Thwack! Just like before, the rock hit its mark perfectly. Kuooo! The angered deadwood bear lowered his body, standing on its four legs again. Then, with its mouth opened wide, it charged at Hyrkan. Of course, it didn¡¯t bother to look around. The Skeleton Warrior moved. Its ran on all four like a wolf, and bit down on the side of the deadwood bear charging mindlessly. The jaw of the blue werewolf-based Skeleton Warrior was strong enough to bite off the deadwood bear¡¯s flesh. Moreover, there were clear marks of the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s bite, as if it had been done tens of times before. Kuoooo! Even while letting out a pain-filled roar, the deadwood bear didn¡¯t stop charging towards Hyrkan. But before Hyrkan did anything, it crumbled like a puppet whose strings were cut. Damage accumulated, and its HP had finally fallen to 0. Then. [You leveled up.] Hyrkan reached level 11. ¡®Excellent pace.¡¯ It took Hyrkan about 5 days to go from level 1 to level 10. A day hasn¡¯t passed since then, but he had already leveled up. At the same time, it was an excellent speed, it showed Hyrkan¡¯s real ability and the source of his self-confidence. ¡®The level-up speed is as good as when I was a swordsman.¡¯ His teamwork with the Skeleton Warrior continued to improve through battles. The blue werewolf upgrade he got proved to be especially useful. Hyrkan stared at the wolf-skulled Skeleton Warrior. Its wolf-shaped skull wasn¡¯t just a random design. Its biting power was more powerful than he had expected. Furthermore, its movements were far better than when it was a normal Skeleton Warrior. ¡®I knew it took a characteristic of the monster used as its base, but it¡¯s much better than I expected.¡¯ ¡®If I use dragon bones as the material, can it use Dragon Breath?¡¯ The potential of the Skeleton Warrior might be far better than Hyrkan expected. ¡®Skill proficiency¡¯s going up well, too.¡¯ With the Skeleton Warrior participating in every battle, it was no surprise that Skeleton Fragment skill proficiency went up quickly. ¡®At this rate, I¡¯ll be able to achieve rank E before I hit level 20.¡¯ Of course, he didn¡¯t have only good news. ¡®The problem is that I don¡¯t have the magic power to use curse magic.¡¯ When he hit level 10, Hyrkan got another chance to learn a dark magic spell. What he obtained then was the [Devil Curse]. It was a useful debuff magic that lowered the target¡¯s stats by 10 percent. However, out of the tens of fights he had, the opportunities he had to use this spell could be counted on one hand. ¡®Curse magic are important too¡­¡¯ The usefulness of curse magic far outranked the usefulness of summoning magic. Why else would curse magicians be a separate category? Besides, curse magic skill tree didn¡¯t just have stat decreasing spells. There were spells that worsened wounds, slowed heals, and showed illusions. Even the Top 30 Guilds would fight over well-made curse magicians. As a result, extremely popular curse magicians didn¡¯t enter guilds but acted as freelancers. Since they didn¡¯t receive any attribute penalties, they could perform above average against any enemy. ¡®I can¡¯t even touch body modification yet¡­¡¯ The Life Vessel magic would be a godsend to make up for his lack of stamina. This required going into body modification skill tree. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t even get his hands on a Skin Sewing skill book, the start of body modification skill tree. ¡®In the end, it¡¯s all about money.¡¯ The Skin Sewing skill book, which allowed the user to transplant monster skin to his own, had to be bought with money. On top of this, Hyrkan had to equip himself with items that made up for his lack of magic power. This also cost money. Hyrkan was worried because he didn¡¯t have any. ¡®Should I just PK?¡¯ He even thought about doing scummy things like PKing. Of course, he had no plans of doing so. Although he was involved in enough PKs and PvPs to be called the Hero Slaughterer, he had never gone after someone because he was bored or wanted an item. Against Rankers, he fought fair and square. As for PKs, he had only done it as revenge for attacks against him. He was never the one to actively seek out conflict. In fact, he was outnumbered during most of his PKs. Hyrkan was always the one on the receiving end. Although he never refused a fight and was only satisfied after paying back double, he never enjoyed going after any random, innocent guy. The fact that Hyrkan had considered such a thing now showed the desperate situation he was in. In truth, he had to show some tangible results within the next three months. ¡®Tsk.¡¯ Hyrkan clicked his tongue. ¡®I wish someone would just come provoke me.¡¯ Realizing the sort of thoughts he was having as he was backed into a corner, Hyrkan shook his head. ¡®Agh, I wish some useless, ill-mannered idiots would come provoke me! If I run into just three, I can cut off their wrist and get at least three item.¡¯ His grumbling ended there. ¡°Whew.¡± With a deep sigh, Hyrkan got up from his seat. ¡ï¡ï¡ï [You entered Mt. Bima.] Hyrkan stared at the summit of the mountain before him. The faraway mountain peak looked as if a giant column was reaching towards the skies. It was a peculiar mountain peak. Mt. Bima. It was an 1800 meter tall mountain, a rather small compared to other mountains in Warlord. ¡®It took over a day.¡¯ Hyrkan had arrived at his destination 26 hours after he left Figur¡¯s Castle. Actually, if he was determined to arrive at Mt. Bima, he could have done it slightly under 4 hours. But he didn¡¯t need to. There was no time limit on the quest, so he took the liberty to level up and make some videos. Most importantly, arriving at Mt. Bima didn¡¯t mean his quest was completed. ¡®Find a cave here¡­ well, Warlord quests are known to be senseless.¡¯ The real hardship began now. How many caves would there be in Mt. Bima? There had to more than one or two. Even if there were just the one, it would be difficult to find a cave in such a large mountain. Plus, monsters up to level 30 appeared on Mt. Bima. Although it wasn¡¯t a boss monster, it was impossible for the present Hyrkan to kill a level 30 monster. Not unless he was equipped with unique items. Finally, Hyrkan needed to direct his quest process well. Quests that gave out the Rising Star title as reward pulled in quite a lot of viewers. Although the number of players, who would obtain the Rising Star title through the same quest, would be extremely low, people naturally tended to hold onto potential lottery numbers. Furthermore, Hyrkan was planning on releasing this video for free. The Rising Star title would be his bait. His plan was to secure a fan base using his battle style. As his fans increased, so would his profit. ¡®My first goal will be to reach a thousand regular viewers!¡¯ Hyrkan began climbing the mountain. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Online games were a no man¡¯s land. There was no law. Players could freely utilize the in-game systems. This included PKs, monster steals, and item steals. Doing such things wouldn¡¯t make you end up with handcuffs on your hands. Even so, it wasn¡¯t something people usually did. It was considered ill-mannered. Most players tried to keep the most basic courtesy. The problem were the ones who did something when told not to. Ralph Family. Its three members were exactly like so. With two swordsmen and a healer, their levels totaled to 62, each averaging to about 21. They were friends in real life, and as they had a certain amount of money, they started the game purely to enjoy it. Everything was fine up to here. The problem was that their way of purely enjoying Warlord was to mercilessly PK players that looked easy to deal with. Their provocation didn¡¯t just end at PKing their target. They first hindered their target¡¯s hunting or stole the monsters he was attacking. Nothing in Warlord was as infuriating as monster stealing. This was because it took a large amount of effort and concentration to kill each monster. One could let it by once, but there would not be a second time. ¡°How out those guys just now?¡± ¡°That 3-man party?¡± ¡°Their items weren¡¯t the default ones. We¡¯ll get quite a profit if we PK them.¡± ¡°But if they¡¯re part of a guild, it¡¯ll get complicated.¡± Rule number one ¨C never touch parties suspected of being part of a guild. If they did, the guild would come after them for revenge. ¡°Tsk. There¡¯s no good prey today. Just a few days ago, it was half monsters, half preys.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because the monsters were concentrated around here. Most of the quests generated now are west of Figur¡¯s Castle. We should probably head there too.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t we PK a few on our way there?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Rule number two ¨C don¡¯t randomly PK people. ¡°We¡¯re going to end up in the dumpster if we¡¯re not careful.¡± ¡°I know. I was just saying.¡± There was a definite difference between PKing without reason and PKing after a quarrel. Though both were dirty, a third party could interfere with the former while it was harder to do so for the latter. ¡°Jaiyu¡¯s right. What¡¯s the fun in hunting some low-level chump? It¡¯s more fun stepping on a raging scrub.¡± In the end, the Ralph Family didn¡¯t just enjoy PK. They were the perverted types who PKed after irritating their targets until they lost their cool. ¡°Hey, hey.¡± They had a rare finding. ¡°How about him?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°That guy over there by himself.¡± Prey had appeared. They caught sight of a player slowly climbing a mountain without a pathway. ¡°Let¡¯s see. His items are the ones provided by the Subjugation Association. A swordsman? He¡¯s got to be a swordsman right? He wouldn¡¯t be here alone, otherwise.¡± ¡°But if he¡¯s here by himself, he¡¯s probably not a newbie¡­ is he cosplaying as one?¡± It was hard to find players working alone in Warlord. Most moved in a party of 3. If there was someone moving alone, it meant one of two things. First was that he was much higher in level than the monsters spawning in the area. Second was that he was just lucky and haven¡¯t been killed yet. The Ralph Family once again looked at their prey. Because he was wearing a mask of some sort, they couldn¡¯t tell what he looked like. Because they were far, they weren¡¯t able to tell his physique either. Then again, physique didn¡¯t matter in Warlord. But having hunted on easy prey for the past few days, their sixth sense was telling them. ¡°He has that pushover aura. There¡¯s no way he¡¯s an expert.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡°Right, he reeks of that pushover smell.¡± He¡¯s definitely a pushover! Because they succeeded every time they had a similar feeling, they didn¡¯t doubt themselves. ¡°Alright, this will be our last Mt. Bima fishing. We¡¯ll get the hell out of here afterward.¡± Chapter 17 : A Nail in a Pocket (1) Chapter 17 : A Nail in a Pocket (1) A lone player was hunting a slime dog, a level 10 monster. To kill this weak monster, he toiled for ten whole minutes. When this player raised his sword to deliver the final blow, someone slammed him with his shoulder. The player fell on the ground, and the one that pushed him cut off the slime dog¡¯s head with a slash. The player watched this happen from the ground. The one who pushed him down, a player named Haybola, smiled at the player on the ground. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡± It clearly wasn¡¯t an apology. He had clearly ran into him on purpose. ¡°What are you doing!?¡± The player that had been pushed down jumped up from the ground and shouted. If this was reality, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to call the police. But this wasn¡¯t reality. It was a VR game world. There was no law nor police. There was only the fist. ¡°What? What did you just say?¡± At the shouting player, Haybola¡¯s expression immediately changed. He put up an intimidating face and glared at the player. Then. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Haybola¡¯s friends, the remaining two members of the Ralph Family, stealthily appeared. 3 vs 1. It was enough to calm someone who had anger management issues. Haybola sneered. ¡°I made a little mistake and apologized, but this bastard here suddenly yells and curses at me.¡± ¡°What? Who dares to curse the Ralph Family¡¯s leader?¡± ¡°Mistakes happen in games. Who gets mad over that? What a fucktard.¡± Then, Haybola hit the shoulder of the stiff player, and the player faltered back. ¡°Say that again. I dare you.¡± Haybola hit the player¡¯s shoulder a couple more times, and the player continued to step backwards. Haybola followed and stepped forward. Watching this scene, the other two laughed heinously. It went without saying that they had planned this out, and were now in the middle of enjoying it. ¡®Haybola¡¯s acting skills are getting better every day.¡¯ ¡®We can probably pull some good views from filming these now.¡¯ For the victim, the situation could only be infuriating. It didn¡¯t take a genius to understand what was happening or what the aggressors wanted. In the real world, most people would bear with it, but it was a different story in the game world. It was very rare for people to be patient even in games. ¡°If you don¡¯t stop now, I won¡¯t stand for it!¡± The Ralph Family¡¯s target this time was one of the less patient ones. Even though he continued to step backwards, he wasn¡¯t intimidated. In the end, he erupted while looking at Haybola through his strange mask. ¡°Puhaha!¡± Watching their victim burst out in anger, the Ralph Family laughed wholeheartedly. It was as if they were watching a comedy show. The two listening from the back were cracking up, while Haybola barely held it in and smacked the cheek of their victim. ¡°Won¡¯t stand for it? What are you going to do, eh? Tell me!¡± From their repeated provocations, the lone player was clearly pissed. ¡°If you continue, I¡¯ll have no choice but to fight.¡± ¡°Fight? Did you just say ¡®fight¡¯?¡± With Haybola yelling loud enough for his friends to hear, the two behind him were ready to pass out from laughing too hard. ¡®I swear.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s been a while since we baited someone so fun.¡¯ To them, the victim¡¯s angry reaction was akin to the feeling of a fish biting down on the bait. It was fun catching the fish, but the real fun came from the fish resisting and trying to get away. Haybola was also excited to screw over their tasty find. In fact, he found it increasingly hard to hold himself in check. His whole body was itching to have a go. ¡°Alright, then! Let¡¯s fight!¡± So he accepted. No, he wasn¡¯t accepting a fight. What he would be doing was a one-sided violence, akin to killing ants. It was his opponent that would be struggling desperately. Then, as soon as Haybola accepted his victim¡¯s declaration of war. Stab! A knife pierced through his right eye. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Haybola didn¡¯t understand what just happened. He couldn¡¯t even recognize the knife tip entering his field of vision. That was how quick it happened. Of course, as a result, vision disappeared from Haybola¡¯s right eye. Immediately afterwards¡­ Stab! The knife that pierced Haybola¡¯s right eye pierced his left eye as well. The bright world in Haybola¡¯s eyes quickly turned completely dark. ¡®What?¡¯ Even now, Haybola was unable to understand what had happened to him. This was his first time getting the blind penalty. It was very rare for players to have both their eyes attacked. Warlord players would specialized in PvPs and PKs had to be knowledgeable about the blind penalty. It was the very basic to avoid having their eyes attacked. It was more important than even the heart or the head. In the first place, players didn¡¯t instantly die unless their heads were chopped off. Even if their eyes were taken away, it was important to not panic. But what if you did? ¡°What?¡± Then the meaning of levels disappeared. While Haybola was panicking, the Ralph Family¡¯s prey, Hyrkan, pushed Haybola¡¯s head with his left hand. As his head tilted back, his neck was open. Stab! Hyrkan immediately stabbed into his neck. And it wasn¡¯t just once. Stab stab! He stabbed into it without rest. As if he was a sewing machine, his hand moved at an frightening pace. It wasn¡¯t just stabbing either. He was making a dotted line. He was clearly trying to make it easy to rip off his neck. The knife which began in Haybola¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple quickly moved to the back of his neck. In an instant, over six knife cuts were made. ¡°Uwaaah!¡± Haybola let out a scream. It wasn¡¯t because of pain. What pain he could feel would only be that of someone harshly poking his neck. The problem was the circumstance. His vision had suddenly turned dark, then something sharp began stabbing into his neck. Who would be used to something like this? How many would even have experience with something like this? It wasn¡¯t surprising for him to have panicked. Haybola tried to struggle by flailing his arms around, but as if he had already predicted it, Hyrkan moved behind Haybola and continued stabbing at his neck. Stab stab. This eerie noise continued to sound out like the ticking of a clock. All this happened within a single breath of time. ¡®What?¡¯ ¡®Huh?¡¯ There was no way for Haybola¡¯s two friends to respond in time. Just a moment ago, the two of them were on the verge of passing out from laughter. But now, they were completely in a daze as they stood witless. In a brief moment, one of the two, who had some battle experience as a swordsman, snapped out of his daze. ¡°Haybola!¡± As he yelled out his comrade¡¯s name, the priest next to him snapped out of it as well. The swordsman player immediately pulled out his sword. Chwing! It was not the default item from the Subjugation Association, but one that he had purchased from the money he had saved up by PKing. Although the sword gave off a frightening aura, the swordsman only stood his ground. Save his comrade? How? How could he save his comrade who was already held by his back? Thoughts like these filled his mind. Meanwhile, having heard the swordsman pull out his sword and with his knife still in Haybola¡¯s neck, Hyrkan put his hands in his pocket and quickly threw Skeleton Warrior fragments towards Haybola¡¯s comrades. The Skeleton Warrior quickly revealed its splendor. ¡°What!¡± ¡°A skeleton?¡± With the sudden appearance of the Skeleton Warrior, their overloaded minds finally exploded. ¡®He wasn¡¯t a swordsman?¡¯ ¡®A necromancer?¡¯ They had thought he was a swordsman. They had no choice but to. If someone fighting with a slime dog for 10 minutes with his sword wasn¡¯t a swordsman, then what class would he be? But a skeleton warrior appeared. It wasn¡¯t an ordinary skeleton warrior either, but one made using a blue werewolf as the material. His skull was clearly that of a wolf¡¯s, and since there was no skin on a skeleton, its protruding mouth and fangs invoked fear from anyone watching. Plus, Warlord players encountered undead type monsters around level 30. For difficulty¡¯s sake, players only dealt with easy monsters like slimes until level 20. It was a result of Warlord¡¯s overflowing generosity. As the two of them would never have experienced undead monsters, they had no choice but to panic. At the same time, Haybola was also in panic as he wasn¡¯t getting any help from his comrades. Listening to the sound of their flustered breathing in a completely dark world, Haybola was ready to go crazy. Stab stab! Meanwhile, Hyrkan continued to stab at Haybola¡¯s neck. It almost began to sound like an instrument. While continuing his work, Hyrkan turned his body. Haybola¡¯s body turned along with Hyrkan, and they were now facing the two comrades of Haybola. ¡°This is self-defense. I didn¡¯t want to do this. I am not at fault.¡± It wasn¡¯t something someone doing such a frightening thing would say. It was like he was some sort of a psychopath. At this moment, Hyrkan whispered into Haybola¡¯s ear. ¡°I have no faults. You agree, right?¡± Haybola shuddered. At the same time, he was infuriated. As a result, he finally opened his tightly shut mouth. ¡°You¡­!¡± At that moment, Hyrkan¡¯s sword penetrated Haybola¡¯s mouth. Haybola felt like he was biting down on a towel, but his chest felt like blowing up from the fact that he couldn¡¯t speak. This was all Haybola could feel. However, his two comrades watching from the side were completely frozen from this torture. ¡®W-What do we do?¡¯ Although they were thinking the same thing, that was it. They could only worry in their mind. Hyrkan noted their reactions from across his hahoe mask. ¡®Early 20s or late 10s.¡¯ Hyrkan had long ago noticed them targeting him. It wasn¡¯t anything hard. Mt. Bima wasn¡¯t a popular hiking place. It didn¡¯t have a hiking trail in the first place. As such, the pathway was wherever people were walking. But someone was following him. If he stopped, they stopped. They didn¡¯t try to strike up a conversation with him either. It was blatantly obvious what their goal was. There was no way Hyrkan wouldn¡¯t have noticed, as he had many experiences with such situations. So he had long ago formed a plan to screw them over. He would hide his identity as a necromancer and act as if he was having a hard time killing a slime dog. Stepping backwards and making distance between Haybola and his friends, and letting their guard down by looking weak was all part of Hyrkan¡¯s plan. And such a plan was necessary. He was against 3 people, all who were higher level than him. Just Haybola¡¯s strength stat should be several times that of Hyrkan¡¯s. It was simply impossible to overwhelm them with power. If Haybola regained his cool and tried to shake off Hyrkan, he would have long disappeared from Hyrkan¡¯s grasp. To prevent such a thing from happening, Hyrkan showed absolute cruelty. Stabbing both of his eyes from the start, constantly focusing on his neck, and baiting him to talk then penetrating it with his sword, these were all part of Hyrkan¡¯s plan to cause him to panic. A skilled, experienced player would have responded to Hyrkan¡¯s aims. ¡®The lowest of the low.¡¯ In other words, the Ralph Family, according to Hyrkan¡¯s standards, was the lowest of the low. At the same time, this served as proof. Proof that they didn¡¯t receive proper education from a guild! And that meant one thing. ¡®No need to worry about payback.¡¯ There was no problem with Hyrkan completely plundering these guys. Hyrkan smiled. ¡®Thanks for the meal.¡¯ Chapter 18 : A Nail in a Pocket (2) Chapter 18 : A Nail in a Pocket (2) One goal of Warlord players is getting a nickname. In Warlord, a nickname was a definite proof of one¡¯s popularity. At the same time, players wanted good, cool nicknames. At the very least, no one would start out wanting an eerie nickname like Hero Slaughterer. Of course, Hyrkan¡¯s Hero Slaughterer nickname did not originate with good intent. Cruelty! Hyrkan¡¯s fights were ruthless. In a way, all fights in Warlord were ruthless. With bloody fights being the norm, it would be strange if fights weren¡¯t called ruthless. At the same time, fights between players had a bit of beauty in them. This beauty originated from the clash of different magic and skills rather than simple hand-to-hand combats. But Hyrkan¡¯s fights was more of a one-sided massacre than a banquet of magic and skills. This meant that his fights were efficient and overwhelming, but at the same time, it meant he would be hopelessly beaten whenever he was on the losing end. A fight between evenly skilled players could be called a sport, but when the difference in their skill was big, it would just be a one-sided massacre. But this was Hyrkan¡¯s charm. It was why a latecomer like Hyrkan could make a name for himself. At the same time, it was something Hyrkan had to do to survive as a latecomer. As he couldn¡¯t match up in terms of items, levels, stats, skills, or titles, he had to pursue extreme efficiency in all his fights. It was fine if it looked good on its own, but he had no room to stage a cool fight. It was when Hyrkan was betrayed by his Hahoe Mask guild and declared war on the Stormhunter Guild that his fighting style became more cruel and desperate. To fight against the world by himself, Hyrkan had no choice but to become the most ferocious animal. After he had lost everything, Hyrkan was left with nothing but bitterness. It was truly unlucky for the Ralph Family to become the first scapegoat of such for Hyrkan. And this truly unlucky day was currently in progress. Stab¡­ stab¡­! Hyrkan¡¯s stabbing did not stop. He would only do so after his opponent ceased breathing. In the end, about a minute had passed since Hyrkan had captured Haybola before the stabbing finally stopped. Haybola was now in the game over state. Haybola in the real world would have noticed this as well. If he wasn¡¯t so perverted as to enjoy being killed while he couldn¡¯t move, see, or struggle, he should have force logged out a long time ago. He wouldn¡¯t be playing Warlord with the money that it requires just to enjoy something like it. And in this situation where their comrade was being killed, the Ralph Family¡¯s two remaining members couldn¡¯t carelessly move. ¡®What do we do?¡¯ The priest couldn¡¯t do anything as his class wasn¡¯t for fighting. In the end, it was up to the swordsman, Jaiyu. Currently, however, Jaiyu couldn¡¯t move easily because of the Skeleton Warrior blocking his path. He had already attacked a few times, but the Skeleton Warrior easily dodged all of his attacks. With the Skeleton Warrior showing completely different movements than the monsters he had faced so far, Jaiyu couldn¡¯t choose to forcefully attack. If he had the courage, he would already have done so. Of course, the biggest reason was Hyrkan¡¯s ruthlessness. What seemed like a tasty fish at first turned out to be a great white shark. Plus, Jaiyu was currently in the ocean, being stared at by that very shark. As the Ralph Family would never have had the chance to face fear like this, it was only obvious that their legs would go stiff. Hyrkan could clearly tell what state they were in. ¡®I¡¯m still weaker in terms of pure power.¡¯ Hyrkan purposefully instilled fear into them. It was the only way to make their minds¡¯ calculators called logic malfunction. ¡®Power on power would be hard.¡¯ In truth, Hyrkan was vastly inferior in power. The combination of a priest and a swordsman was too good. Furthermore, their difference was huge. Hyrkan was still level 11, equipped with the Subjugation Association¡¯s default items. The Ralph Family, on the other hand, were level 20 players¡­ with possibly rare items. ¡®Stamina¡¯s really the problem.¡¯ The critical problem was Hyrkan¡¯s stamina. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t know the weakness of an all-strength necromancer. Even with just one hit, he would yell UGH! He didn¡¯t have a priest nor potions to heal him. But he didn¡¯t feel right letting the two go because of it. In fact, it was against his principle to let these fools worth several tens of monsters go. Such an opportunity wasn¡¯t easy to come by. Then what he needed now¡­ ¡®Strike while the iron is hot¡¯ Was a scheme. Hyrkan averted his eyes, and his eyes met Jaiyu who was confronting the Skeleton Warrior. ¡°This is purely self-defense. I was not the one to start this fight.¡± His voice flowed out without a hint of stuttering. ¡°Fuck off!¡± Of course, for the one listening, it was pure bullshit. Jaiyu immediately let out a heated response. In truth, he had no right to do such a thing. It was them who first schemed and did an ill-mannered act. If what happened were to become public, Warlord players would applaud Hyrkan and spit on the Ralph Family. A few victims of the Ralph Family might even send Hyrkan money for a dinner or two. In any case, once Jaiyu heard Hyrkan¡¯s words, his mind shook once again. ¡®This fucker¡­¡¯ He was scared, angry, irritated, and also worried. All sorts of thoughts filled his mind, causing a headache. He wanted to run, but at the same time, he didn¡¯t. Jaiyu glanced at his friend, Dral. Dral¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t all that different. With his vicious hobby of toying with players, he had expected something like this to happen one day, but he didn¡¯t think it would happen like this. Most importantly, as a priest, Dral couldn¡¯t lead the fight in any way. In the end, he was only the support. The order had to come from Jaiyu. As a result, Jaiyu and Dral kept pushing off the lead role, giving tacit hints to each other. Watching the two panic, Hyrkan smiled inwardly. ¡®Retards.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t his first time against players like this. Players that acted like they were the kings, but turned into 5 year old kids the moment they were driven into a corner. ¡®If you¡¯re going to run, then run. If you¡¯re going to fight, then fight.¡¯ If Hyrkan was in their situation, he would not have hesitated to make his decision. Fight or run. These were really the only two choices in Warlord. It was best to never think that talking solved problems. Thus. ¡°I no longer want to fight with you.¡± Talking now would be his scheme. ¡°If you call it quits here, I will stop.¡± With that, Hyrkan raised both his hands above his head. To Jaiyu and Dral, it was the most appealing Hyrkan had ever looked. Hyrkan also sounded sincere. ¡°I¡¯ll say it now. I have no interest in your items. If you agree to end it here, let us.¡± Jaiyu and Dral had no choice but to be smitten. Jaiyu relaxed slightly. Then, he stared at Dral, and their eyes met for the first time in a while. They had both reached the same conclusion. ¡®Let¡¯s end it here.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t likely that the situation would turn for the better because they remained stubborn. Since their opponent was the one asking for truce, there was no reason for them to not agree. The moment Jaiyu relaxed, the shoulder of his arm holding the sword drooped. Noticing this, Hrykan¡­ Snap snap! Immediately snapped his fingers twice. Attack Mode! With its master¡¯s command, the Skeleton Warrior charged towards Jaiyu without a shadow of doubt. Click click! With the sound of bones hitting each other, the Skeleton Warrior closed the gap between it and Jaiyu in a blink of an eye. ¡°What!¡± Startled, Jaiyu swung his sword as strong as he could with his slightly relaxed body. His sword moved horizontally like a baseball player¡¯s swing. With only a whoosh, there was no hint of sharpness in the blade. There was no way the Skeleton Warrior would be taken out by a sword filled with nothing but brute strength. The Skeleton Warrior easily dodged the attack by lowering his waist, and at the same time, launched himself towards Jaiyu¡¯s ankle like a spring. Then, it bit down on his ankle with a snap. His legs were guarded by armor, but the armor around his ankle were just leather boots and socks. With the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s fangs being able to easily bite off monsters¡¯ skins, it could easily deal effective damage to Jaiyu. Plus, most people, after getting their ankle bitten, couldn¡¯t respond properly. Their eyesight narrowed and confusion blurred their vision. Even so, Jaiyu responded decently. He stabbed his sword down toward the Skeleton Warrior biting his ankle. Thwack! The sword went through the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s boney ribs and pierced the ground. At the same time. Stab! Before anyone noticed, Hyrkan¡¯s sword closed its distance with Jaiyu and destroyed his two eyes. ¡°Uwak¡± Dejavu. Immediately moving behind Jaiyu, Hyrkan began to cut his neck. The bone-chilling stabbing sound once again flowed out and Hyrkan grinned. With his scheme working out so flawlessly, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t feel happy. This wasn¡¯t standard in any way. When dealing with multiple players, dealing with the priest first was key. If the priest remained alive, it was easy enough for corpses to come back to life. As long as a high-level priest remained alive and didn¡¯t run out of magic power, swordsmen and magicians never died. But the current situation was different. A level 20 priest could do no more than curing small wounds and filling up lost stamina. It was far from real priests¡¯ capabilities. Most importantly, he was too lacking. Even a kid could support a bunch of swordsmen happily fighting up front. But Dral¡¯s response while Haybola was getting killed? Completely useless. It meant he had no experience with a similar situation. In such cases, it was better to deal with the swordsman. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that Hyrkan carefully theorized and judged the situation. The calculation in his head was simple. ¡®This priest is a chicken. No need to pay him any mind. He¡¯ll probably just run anyways.¡¯ The priest was too insignificant to care about! And as Hyrkan expected. ¡°Uwaaaaaah!¡± The remaining player, Dral, ran off the moment Jaiyu was killed. Hyrkan sneered. It was a victory ceremony. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡°10 watches.¡± The fight was over. Hyrkan also took care of Jaiyu cleanly. He didn¡¯t chase after Dral. It wasn¡¯t impossible to catch up if he tried, but it wouldn¡¯t be easy. It would take at least ten minutes, and there was a high chance of a problem occurring by the time he returned to this place. Hyrkan concentrated on collecting his spoils. It was nothing to scoff at. What stood out was 10 watches. Haybola and Jaiyu were each carrying 4 watches. They were, of course, from the players they hunted. With two of their own, it totaled to 10. ¡®If only everything in the item slot came out.¡¯ With this, he had secured himself at least 10 items. Considering the level of players that were Ralph Family¡¯s targets, at least 5 of the 10 would be a miss, likely to be Subjugation Association¡¯s default items. Even so, the Ralph Family¡¯s items would be quite useful. ¡®Useful items between level 15 and 20 should go for about 300,000 won.¡¯ Furthermore, useful level 15 to 20 items, especially weapons, easily went over 100,000 won. For players that spent over 2 million won on gaming, they wouldn¡¯t be stingy on weapons they would be using for two weeks to a month. Another source of profit were the crafting coins. Haybola and Jaiyu¡¯s pockets were filled with crafting coins and jewels that monsters dropped. In a way, there was a higher chance of this being worth more money. Hyrkan examined the coins one by one using the app installed on his watch. After confirming them, he smiled. ¡®Decent.¡¯ PK players prioritize watches first and foremost. Then, they take expensive crafting coins or jewels. It was annoying and inconvenient to carry everything. ¡°Oh?¡± As expected, a fairly good jewel was mixed in. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Black Goblin¡¯s Eyeball?¡± Black Goblin¡¯s Eyeball. Hyrkan knew what it was. It was an jewelry crafting item that was used for making rare-rank items. Furthermore, it was used to craft armor for magicians. It was an item crafting material that raised magic power and intelligence. It was, of course, expensive. ¡®This should go for a bit if I remember correctly.¡¯ Hyrkan had obtained and sold it before. Before returning to the past, he had found it when he was around level 20. At that time, it cost around 300,000 won. ¡®The others are decent too. They should all sell for quite a decent amount.¡¯ With just 10 minutes of effort, he had earned more than he imagined. A big smile spread out across his face. There was one more big profit. ¡®What should I do with the video? Do I send it to a professional to edit? It turned out quite well, I think.¡¯ PK videos always had decent views. Hyrkan¡¯s fights were cruel, thus different. In Warlord, where everyone sought after the strangest concepts to stand out, being different wasn¡¯t a bad thing in the slightest. It was the same before Hyrkan returned to the past. It was his unique style that allowed him to stand out and succeed. ¡®About 200,000 was it, to make a video?¡¯ In this sense, this fight would become a good profile video to show off Hyrkan¡¯s existence, skill, and potential. The smile on Hyrkan slightly twisted. Chapter 19 : A Nail in a Pocket (3) Chapter 19 : A Nail in a Pocket (3) The moment Hyrkan grabbed his spoils, he headed straight to Figur¡¯s Castle. Holding this much all alone was equivalent to saying ¡®please come kill me.¡¯ Although he took some effort in arriving at Mt. Bima, it was better to lose a few hours than to lose everything. After returning to Figur¡¯s Castle, Hyrkan separated his loot into those he needed and those he didn¡¯t. First, he removed the Black Goblin¡¯s Eyeball from the list. He was planning on using it to craft an item. Other than that, he sold everything in a hurry. Though he ended up selling them cheaper than the market price, he was able to acquire some gold immediately. The gold he obtained was a bit less than 150,000 won, a sizable profit. But an unexpected fortune struck when he was trading his 10 watches away. ¡®My god.¡¯ Looking at the 10 items on his item list, Hyrkan¡¯s eyes became wide and open. [Black Goblin Leather Pants] *Main Property ¨C Rare-rank ¨C Intelligence +5 ¨C Magic Power +5 ¨C Required Level: 15 *Additional Property ¨C All stats +2 for every additional ¡®Black Goblin¡¯ item. *Miscellaneous ¨C Leather pants made out of Black Goblin skin. Although it isn¡¯t entirely comfortable, it allows the user to gain the power of Black Goblin. [Deadwood Essence Sword] *Main Property ¨C Rare-rank ¨C Magic Power +10 ¨C Required Level: 15 *Miscellaneous ¨C It is a sword imbued with the rare essence of deadwood monsters. The sword itself is no different than an ordinary sword, but the deadwood essence empowers the user¡¯s magic power. ¡®2 rare items?¡¯ Hyrkan was ready to dance with open arms if he got any crafted items. He was fully expecting to get Subjugation Association¡¯s default items. Having received 2 rare items, he was beyond happy. Furthermore, they were items that raised magic power. ¡®But why use deadwood essence to make a sword?¡¯ It was a mistake to use deadwood essence to craft a sword. Deadwood essence was a material that raised magic power by a large amount. As such, it was used to make magicians¡¯ weapons such as wands or staffs. It was likely that the crafter blanked out in the middle of cubing. Although it was rare in rank, it would be hard to treat it as a real, rare item. But with such weapon ending up in the hands of an all-strength necromancer, the only one who could possibly utilize it, it was indeed a twist of fate. It was as if King Arthur pulled the Excalibur. ¡®If I craft a robe or shoes with the Black Goblin¡¯s Eyeball I got, then¡­¡¯ Furthermore, if Hyrkan crafted a new armor item using the Black Goblin¡¯s Eyeball, he could get at least 20 points of magic power from the Black Goblin set effect. 20 points of magic power would multiply Hyrkan¡¯s magic power by quite a bit even when he reached level 15. Other than these two items, there were 5 items that weren¡¯t from Subjugation Association¡¯s default item. Over half of level 10 players used default items, not to mention a item from their entire item slot was chosen at random. With a luck like this, one should really buy a lottery ticket. ¡®The only downside is that I can¡¯t equip them now.¡¯ Unfortunately, these precious items had a level 15 restriction, thus Hyrkan could not equip them at the moment. ¡®Level 15.¡¯ Hyrkan quickly made a rough calculation. ¡®Rising Star title can be obtained upon completing the quest before level 15.¡¯ It was level 15. Once he hit level 15 and equipped these items, he would clear the quest at Mt. Bima. Even a complete beginner would be able to come to this conclusion. Hyrkan¡¯s job was simple. ¡®Time to break some records.¡¯ Hunting. That¡¯s all he had to do. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Hyrkan¡¯s expression turned somber as he stared at the website shown on his tablet PC. ¡®300,000 won for video editing¡­ it¡¯s cheap considering Romany¡¯s skills, but¡­¡¯ After logging off, An Jaehyun obtained the video file he filmed. At the same time, he searched for a professional to edit his video. It didn¡¯t take long. He knew who he was searching for. Romany Films. In the past, An Jaehyun had a deep connection with them. With most of early Hahoe Mask Guild¡¯s videos being made by Romany Films, not much explanation was needed. Their distance grew after Hahoe Mask Guild became more popular and received the sponsorship of major video editing teams, but Hyrkan always left his personal videos for Romany Films to edit. ¡®Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve only really met and talked with Romany once. He was really quite good.¡¯ He was the best. Romany Film¡¯s owner, Romany, was a die-hard fan of Hero Slaughterer Hyrkan, and he could capture Hyrkan¡¯s charm better than anyone else. He would even stop his other work to do Hyrkan¡¯s videos first. Hyrkan fully planned on continuing their good, past relationship. The problem was money. Even with the video already being there, it still took great time and effort to edit it. A professional¡¯s time and effort meant money. For Romany, the price was 300,000 won. It wasn¡¯t expensive. Big shots in the field easily receive over a million won per video. Even in Romany¡¯s case, his price went over 1 million won once he got famous through the Hahoe Mask Guild. For the Top 30 Guilds, the cost of editing videos for their channels was about 30% of their operating expenses. Because of this, An Jaehyun couldn¡¯t be stingy with money. In fact, it was a chance to use a skilled professional he approved of at a cheap cost. Above all, this video would serve as An Jaehyun¡¯s introduction video. In a world where plastic surgery costs several million won, it would be foolish to be too stingy to spend 300,000 won on a video that would serve as his face. ¡®Looks like my mouth¡¯s going to be dry for a while.¡¯ An Jaehyun smiled bitterly. Growl! As if it sensed danger, his stomach let out a scream. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Romany. His dream was to become a movie director representing Hollywood. However, there were hundreds of thousands of others who shared his dream in the U.S., and Romany could do little to distinguish himself in the competition. He sold his services for a cheap price in the name of establishing personal connection and gaining experience. With his dream, he had spent his whole life hungry. The turning point of Romany¡¯s life was the introduction of V-Gear. The appearance of VR world was revolutionary for the movie industry as well. Those quick on their feet entered the stage to obtain the skill and experience needed to survive in the VR era. It was the same for Romany. During this process of producing VR game videos, he was able to establish a name for himself with the few that reached views in the millions. He was given the chance to live doing what he loves without having to rely on part-time jobs at the same time. His days were joyful but boring at the same time. He had fun producing videos he loved, but it was torture to produce amazing videos from videos that showed a worthless level of skill and content. Thus, whenever he received a request, he prayed. ¡°Please, at the very least, let it be decent.¡± He couldn¡¯t pick his clients. He could only pray for a good client. Currently, Romany was looking into a new request he received with an apathetic face. ¡°Korea, introduction video, PK¡­¡± Nothing particularly stood out as enticing in the brief summary he read. In fact, the level 11 status of the client caused his face to turn dark. When players around level 10 requested for a video, they mostly had the same line of thinking. It was for rich players to brag on social media. The videos they sent were truly worthless. Romany had the feeling this would be another one of those videos, and his intuitions were always spot on. But for the first time, his intuition failed him. ¡°¡­.wow.¡± A switch turned on inside him when he watched the video. He had watched a countless number of PK videos, and most of them were flashy. It really could be nothing but flashy. The clash of powerful skills and magic were like the climax scenes of movies. But the PK video he received was not flashy. There was more or less no skills or magic used. It was just a strangely masked player fighting 3 other players. The setting was simple. There was not a hint of flashiness in the entire video. However, there was ruthlessness, a story, and scheming. It was as if top class actors were acting out a script. And the best part¡­ ¨C I¡­ Was the masked player making his opponents lower their guard by talking. Unlike in a battle of strength versus strength, the masked player¡¯s fight had tension that made its viewers swallow their saliva. Romany was charmed. ¡®This probably won¡¯t get many views.¡¯ Honestly, Romany found it hard for this video to go viral. It was too cruel. Although Warlord was an adult-rated game, if he made the masked player¡¯s ruthlessness stand out, the video would be locked for adult only. But that part wasn¡¯t for Romany to worry about. Since he got the money, he just had to work for it. What was important¡­ ¡°But at least it¡¯ll be fun.¡± Was that he finally found a work worthy of his full attention after so long. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Once Warlord dominated the VR game market, the vast money and businesses surrounding VR games all traveled to Warlord. As a result, everything and anything Warlord-related began receiving value above its original value. Among these, what rose the most was human capital. Just by being good at Warlord, one could receive the same fame and attention a sports star would. All skilled players began competing with each other for market value, and a few billionaires even purchased these players like some did with soccer teams in the past. An enormous amount of money began going back and forth, and players began to make videos dreaming of making a fortune. Of course, few geese laid golden eggs. Of 1000 players, 999 of them would be chickens incapable of laying any eggs. Only one would have a small chance of laying a golden egg. Naturally, luck was needed just as much as skill. This lady luck only visited only those who could recognize her. The owner of the Stormhunter Guild, one of Warlord¡¯s Top 30 Guilds, and one of the skilled players representing Warlord as a whole ¨C Choi Sulyeon. To receive her attention required a thousand of such luck. But now a winner appeared. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ Choi Sulyeon was one of Warlord¡¯s greatest players. Naturally, her standards were extremely high. Even well respected players were only mediocre in her eyes. But now, a man in a video she was watching grabbed her attention. It was an extraordinary luck. In the first place, she didn¡¯t usually look up videos herself. She had only come across this video by coincidence. ¡®He should be around level 10, but his battle experience is above a veteran player¡¯s. I doubt he¡¯s a killer in real life¡­ he must have come from another game.¡¯ He didn¡¯t show a particularly spectacular battle. Rather than spectacular, the man¡¯s fighting style was better described as peculiar and full of the his own color. In fact, Choi Sulyeon was interested in the man for a reason she couldn¡¯t quite put to words. Sixth sense. Choi Sulyeon¡¯s sixth sense whispered to her. ¡®I want him.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t explain why, but she wanted him in her grasp. Of course, at this moment, Choi Sulyeon engraved the name of this video¡¯s lead in her mind. ¡®Hahoe Mask Hyrkan.¡¯ Chapter 20 : Danger and Chance (1) Chapter 20 : Danger and Chance (1) [You leveled up.] Along with the sound of his level up alert, Hyrkan raised his hands in the air. ¡°Yes!¡± He let out a cheerful scream, which lightly shook the silent forest. It wasn¡¯t a particularly fine spectacle. A man wearing a hahoe mask and celebrating with his hands up. It wasn¡¯t something a normal human being would do. But Hyrkan didn¡¯t stop here. He began to hum and dance. As the only spectator to this scene, Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Warrior watched silently. It had the same expression it always had, but it seemed as if it was watching something ridiculous. A normal person would stop here due to embarrassment, but Hyrkan didn¡¯t have such a thing in his mind. ¡°Hm, hmm~~ level 15~!¡± Although all players loved the level up alert, Hyrkan¡¯s actions were truly overbearing. If Hyrkan wasn¡¯t crazy, he must have a reason. ¡®At least for a little while, I¡¯m free from magic power shortage!¡¯ The items he got from the Ralph Family. He finally met the requirements to equip them. He had already used the precious Black Goblin¡¯s Eyeball to make an item. Furthermore, these items took care of the worries Hyrkan had. His happiness was justified. ¡®Alright, time to equip them!¡¯ Hyrkan placed the sword in his hand into the sword sheath on his waist. Then, he turned his watch dial and selected the 2nd slot. ¡°Slot On.¡± With Hyrkan¡¯s command, his pants, shoes, and sword sheath began to melt. Underneath, new pants, shoes, and sword sheath appeared. His black leather pants and black leather boots tightly squeezed his skin, while a long sword appeared in place of his old sword. This was Warlord¡¯s Slot Change System. Warlord players could store up to 3 item sets in their 3 slots and change among them as they wished. Furthermore, the Slot Change System came with various styles. One could transform like the Marvel hero Ironman, or transform like magical girls in anime. Of course, players had to pay for these special styles. The most popular Ironman Style cost 100 dollars per month. Even so, not only did people buy this style, but there were also people who bought Ironman-like suit and slot changed all day. However, as Hyrkan was desperately short on money, he had just the standard style. ¡°Mmm.¡± In any case, after changing his equipment for the first time, Hyrkan inspected his leather pants and boots. His previously happy expression quickly stiffened. Hyrkan lightly touched his butt. His Black Goblin Leather Pants shined lustrously and felt extremely smooth. Even oiled pants would not be so smooth. The tight leather pants openly displayed his undesirable lower half. Though it fit his leather boots, it was no way matching with his average, grey-colored top. A fashion terrorist. Hyrkan instinctively touched the hahoe mask on his face. Confirming that it was there, Hyrkan clicked his tongue. ¡°Fuck.¡± ¡®Black Goblin Leather Pants. This definitely belonged to a woman.¡¯ Players could design their items during the crafting phase. Crafted items automatically changed to fit the body size of the wearer. Most people did not go too crazy with their designs. If they went too avant garde, the items values would get lowered. In this sense, tight fitting leather pants usually belonged to women. There were no gender limitations on items, and since items changed to fit the size of the wearer, it was completely fine for either gender to wear an item. Even so, few would recommend wearing the other gender¡¯s clothes. ¡°¡­ god damn it.¡± Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have the slightest mind to wear items for women. But what choice did he have? ¡°At least it¡¯s easy to move around.¡± Hyrkan didn¡¯t have the liberty to freely change his items. Plus, the leather pants was good enough to disregard its unsightly appearance. To calm himself down, Hyrkan opened his stat window. [Hyrkan] -Level: 15 -Class: Magician -Number of Titles: 2 -Stats: Strength (72) / Stamina (7) / Intelligence (43) / Magic Power (43) Looking at his rich stat window, Hyrkan calmed his uneasy mind. ¡®Black Goblin set isn¡¯t bad at all.¡¯ First, it raised all stat points by 4. This was the set effect for wearing 2 Black Goblin-related items. Then, Black Goblin Leather Pants and Black Goblin Leather Boots each gave 10 points to intelligence and magic power. Finally, the Deadwood Essence Sword gave another 10 points to magic power. With that, his magic power more than doubled. ¡®Looks like skeleton summoning won¡¯t give me any stress.¡¯ With the magic power he had, he could summon 2 skeleton without worry. It was perfect since he could summon another skeleton once he ranked up his Skeleton Fragment skill. ¡®There are people running around naked, so this isn¡¯t too bad.¡¯ Hyrkan lightly stroked his thigh. He was truly unhappy with its smoothness. ¡®¡­it¡¯s not too bad.¡¯ Hyrkan told himself once again. His complaining and grumbling ended here. What was most important was what to do now. Before, he task was simply to level up, but now he had to avoid leveling up at all costs. One had to be below level 15 to receive the Rising Star title. If he leveled up, he would forever lose the chance to gain the Rising Star title. Plus, he had to complete the [A Cave in Mt. Bima] quest as soon as possible. The longer it took, the more level-up time he would waste. ¡®I¡¯ll finish it within 2 days.¡¯ Hyrkan returned to his Hero Slaughterer form. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Hyrkan stepped into a cave in front of him. Then, he immediately checked his quest through his watch. [You arrived at the Mt. Bima Cave.] He received a new quest alert. ¡®I finally found it.¡¯ Hyrkan stepped back out. Without entering the cave, he stared at its entrance. To find this cave, he searched through Mt. Bima all day. This was the seventh cave he found. It wasn¡¯t difficult as he did not fight with any monsters to avoid leveling up. However, he became increasingly irritated as time went on. Climbing a mountain to find a cave. It sounded easy but it was enough to drive people crazy. Even now, Hyrkan was more annoyed than happy. He wanted to quickly clear the quest and move on. However. ¡®Relax.¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t force himself. Although it would be his personality to march right in, his long gaming experience wasn¡¯t for show. He knew more than anyone else what he had to do. Hyrkan looked around. He found and stood at an appropriate spot. His Skeleton Warrior followed him, and Hyrkan changed it back to its fragment form. Hyrkan placed the Skeleton Warrior fragment in his pocket, and entered non-combat mode. His next choice¡­ ¡®Log Out.¡¯ Was logging out.¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï After brushing his teeth, An Jaehyun drank a cup of dietary supplements. ¡°Burp.¡± The dietary supplement he bought to save money truly tasted horrible. It would not be wrong to compare its taste to a nightmare. ¡®I miss the days of beef proteins and French baguettes carbs¡­¡¯ An Jaehyun reminisced the old days. Though not too luxurious, he had enough to buy himself whatever he wanted to eat. He gamed with a full stomach. After finishing his reminiscing, An Jaehyun lied back down on his bed. Around his head was not the V-Gear helmet, but his pillows. An Jaehyun placed his head down on one pillow and placed the other between his legs. ¡®My top condition.¡¯ He had finally found the Mt. Bima Cave he was looking for. An average player would have marched right in to complete the quest. Such a player could only remain average his whole life. ¡®I have to be in my top condition.¡¯ Monsters inside mountain range caves were usually higher leveled than the monsters outside. In addition, unlike in open fields where it was easy to get behind a monster, it was hard to do so in caves. Players usually faced monsters directly. Furthermore, it was important to pace oneself in Warlord. It was impossible to play a VR game all day. The player¡¯s health was the most important part. Players could always be forcefully logged out depending on their body¡¯s condition. If the player were to be killed during a forced logged out state, that would truly be the worst. He would have to start again from the beginning. In Hyrkan¡¯s case, he would revive in Figur¡¯s Castle and have to go through the process of climbing Mt. Bima again. The time it would take would be in no way shorter than the time it takes to just sleep. ¡®Alright, time to sleep.¡¯ It was of utmost importance to be in one¡¯s top condition before an important raid, expedition, or battle, and sleep was indeed the best tool to bring out a player¡¯s top form. ¡®Zzz¡­.¡¯ Some say that the secret to becoming a Ranker is being able to fall asleep whenever one wanted. ¡°Snore¡­¡± In this sense, An Jaehyun truly had a God-given talent for Warlord. ¡°Mmm¡­ no, not the leather pants¡­¡± An Jaehyun had the ability to fall asleep the moment his head touched his pillow. Chapter 21 : Danger and Chance (2) Chapter 21 : Danger and Chance (2) Top Warlord players did not hesitate to do whatever it took to bring out at least a little more of their potential. Their methods of doing so were called Doping Recipes. Doping Recipes of Rankers even sold for money, and in-game doping potion recipes and materials sold for a rather high price. This was one reason why raids took an enormous sum of money. An Jaehyun, of course, had his own Doping Recipe. However, he could never sell it for money. Cling¡­ Cling¡­ In front of An Jaehyun was a large cup the size of a glass of beer than a coffee mug. 2/3 of the glass was filled with coffee, while An Jaehyun dropped several mysterious white objects into it. These white objects weren¡¯t sugar cubes, but the glucose candy he often ate. He continued to pour in glucose candy, so much so that he wasn¡¯t putting candy in his coffee, but his coffee soaked in candy. An Jaehyun did not stop until the coffee was on the brink of overflowing. Then, he lightly sipped his coffee. Tasting the mixture of cheap sweetness and cheap bitterness, An Jaehyun frowned. The reason others didn¡¯t try An Jaehyun¡¯s Doping Recipe was obvious. Although caffeine and sugar were both great for energizing the brain, it was too barbaric. ¡®Ugh, too bitter.¡¯ An Jaehyun himself knew how barbaric his method was. But as he had no money to work with, this was the best method, and its effect was clear. With just a sip, he woke up from his previously sleepy state and his mind became clear. ¡®Alright, let¡¯s see what new things happened while I was asleep.¡¯ Now completely awake, An Jaehyun turned on his tablet PC and began to look through Warlord-related news. [Hydra Guild, First to Discover Level 100 Monster. Preparing their Hunt.] The first news to catch his attention was news about the Hydra Guild. With the help of coffee and glucose candy, An Jaehyun quickly worked his brain. ¡®The first level 100 monster¡­ Black Metal Warrior was it? Didn¡¯t they fail five or six times before they succeeded?¡¯ An Jaehyun knew the future, but he didn¡¯t know everything. He only knew the general flow of it. The details, he would have to fill in by reading various news articles. ¡®I wish they¡¯d fail more while they¡¯re at it.¡¯ To Hyrkan, the entire Top 30 Guilds was his enemy. Getting revenge aside, to become the best in Warlord, he had to go beyond the Top 30 Guilds. ¡®The Black Metal Warrior is related to the Corrupt Count main scenario quest, so the Corrupt Count quest line should begin after this. Tsk. I need to get on this quest line to obtain the titles I need, but with my level¡­ ugh, not a chance. If only I came back just 10 months earlier¡­ I¡¯d be the one killing that Black Metal Warrior. What a shame. Then I¡¯d be getting the title for myself too¡­¡¯ ¡°Tsk.¡± In any case, An Jaehyun enjoyed reading these news articles and reaffirming the details of the future he knew. ¡°Well, no choice I guess. Looks like I¡¯ll have to make it up in The Immoral Prince, the next main scenario.¡± An Jaehyun felt as if he had become almighty being. ¡®The Immoral Prince¡­ back then, I could only stay in the side lines and suck on my fingers. But now is different. Come to think of it, the Ares Guild that led The Immoral Prince main quest earned quite the money from it.¡¯ An Jaehyun let out a light grin. ¡®Yep. Be it the Hydra Guild or the Ares Guild, doesn¡¯t matter! I¡¯ll be the last one to laugh, hahaha!¡¯ But this light grin¡­ [Stormhunter Queen defeats Head Hunter!] Became twisted as he read the next article. ¡°Fuck this.¡± Stormhunter Queen Choi Sulyeon. An Jaehyun got a headache just reading her name on the paper. With her, he had an irreconcilable relationship. ¡°Tsk!¡± He even clicked his tongue. Of course, An Jaehyun didn¡¯t want to continue seeing this name, but he couldn¡¯t just avoid the name altogether. ¡®If anything, I¡¯ll do it for you, Choi Sulyeon.¡¯ Turning off his tablet PC, An Jaehyun drank his coffee bottoms up as if it was a glass of beer. He threw the remaining candy in the cup in his mouth. Then, Crunch! He bit down with all the anger he could muster. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Standing in front of a cave, Hyrkan turned on the flashlight app on his watch. Pat! A fist-sized sphere of light appeared from his watch. He grabbed a hold of the light sphere, and equipped it to the skull of the Skeleton Warrior next to him, making it look like he was wearing a miner¡¯s hat. Then, he smacked the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head and yelled. ¡°Go forth!¡± The Skeleton Warrior lightly touched the place he was hit, then walked into the cave. As he watched the Skeleton Warrior go in, Hyrkan had a solemn expression. ¡®I¡¯ll finish this in one go.¡¯ The Rising Star title wasn¡¯t something that could be so easily obtained. Most players would fail even if they were given the chance. The reason? One had to clear what would normally be at least a level 20 quest at level 15. The quest difficulty was just too high. But that¡¯s why it was called the Rising Star title. It was for someone who could do at level 15 what others could at level 20. Only someone of such caliber would be worthy of being called a Rising Star. Plus, a 3-man party was the standard in Warlord. Quest difficulties were set with 3-man party being the standard. In other words, Hyrkan had to do alone what a 3-man party would find hard to do. It was in no way easy. ¡®If I can¡¯t do this at level 15, it just means it¡¯s too difficult for me to do.¡¯ That¡¯s why he got to level 15. Though everything would come to waste if he leveled up during the quest, it was a risk he had to take. As he didn¡¯t have the capital to plaster himself with unique-rank items, this was the best he could do. Hyrkan pulled his sword out in advance, and lowered his stance. Concentrating on everything around himself and his Skeleton Warrior, he followed behind it. His concentration was now sharper than ever. ¡®Throw whatever you want at me.¡¯ The smile beneath his hahoe mask was as frightening as a serial killer¡¯s. It demonstrated his confidence to catch whatever that¡¯s thrown at him. But after just 10 minutes, his smile shattered. With a snap of his finger, he yelled. ¡°End Camera!¡± Then, irritated, he scratched his head. ¡°Garrggh!¡± ¡®Why isn¡¯t there a single monster?¡¯ For 10 minutes, Hyrkan remained tense, as if he was walking on a mine field. But nothing came out to greet Hyrkan. There wasn¡¯t even a single split path, which was common in a cave like this. He had been walking through the same, long path continuously. ¡®My whole body¡¯s itching.¡¯ These 10 minutes have been mentally taxing. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t just walking; he was walking while maintaining peak concentration and tension. Furthermore, the limited vision from the darkness, the one way path, the unchanging scenery, and the enclosed space all caused more stress. It was like staring at a clock on the wall in a white room. Hyrkan hopped in spot and slashed in sword in thin air. It wasn¡¯t to warm-up his body, but rather his mind. Only after did the knot in his mind unravel. Hyrkan then reassessed his situation. ¡®Looks like there¡¯s something huge ahead.¡¯ Hunting grounds had their own styles as well. Even at the same difficulty, some were difficult because of the sheer amount of monsters, while some were difficult because there monsters were more-powerful in place of being fewer in number. Anyone could tell that it was currently the latter. ¡®It¡¯s not so bad¡­¡¯ Hyrkan thought it was better to fight against a few than multiple. This also lowered the chance of leveling up. ¡®But it¡¯s not necessarily good either¡­¡¯ Even so, it was hard to find comfort in this situation. In the end, he would have to face a strong monster. After organizing his thoughts, Hyrkan held his watch to his mouth. ¡°Start Camera.¡± He began walking. ¡ï¡ï¡ï The Skeleton Warrior suddenly stopped on his feet. ¡°Hm? Walk! Go forward! Why¡¯d you stop?¡± Even with Hyrkan¡¯s yelling, the Skeleton Warrior remained still in the darkness, turning around and staring at Hyrkan blankly. What¡¯s this, a protest? The thought only glanced by before it quickly disappeared. Hyrkan rejoiced. ¡®Could it be?¡¯ He walked past the Skeleton Warrior, then stared at the empty space. He couldn¡¯t see a thing. Complete darkness blocked his sight, and not even the light on the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head could shine light through it. Rather than darkness, it was as if there was a barrier made of darkness blocking their path. Hyrkan reached his hands out into this darkness. [Would you like to enter the stage?] Immediately, he heard an alert. ¡®As I thought, an instance dungeon.¡¯ The darkness came from an instance dungeon. In Warlord, instance dungeons weren¡¯t too important. In fact, instance dungeons were often tied to quest. Once the quest was cleared, the instance dungeon would often disappear. This was why instance dungeons weren¡¯t too important. They couldn¡¯t be recycled. ¡°Hm.¡± Instance dungeons had their pros and cons. The pro was that they were isolated from the outside. This prevented others from interfering and messing with whoever was inside. This was why guilds welcomed instance dungeons. They could do everything according to their plan. Furthermore, as instance dungeons required success on the first try, it served as a good symbol of achievement. But it was not without flaws. ¡®I can¡¯t run¡­¡¯ Though players were free to enter, they weren¡¯t free to leave. If it was a field, Hyrkan could simply run if he went up against something he could not handle. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that an all-strength necromancer like him was built to escape. If it came down to it, he could use his Skeleton Warrior as bait and run. But this didn¡¯t work in instance dungeons. He couldn¡¯t leave before killing the monsters inside. He couldn¡¯t expect any outside help either. It was a true deathmatch. Because of this, Hyrkan let out a short groan. He didn¡¯t know what was inside. He couldn¡¯t escape either. He had no reinforcements. It was kill or be killed. With this in mind, the darkness in front of him was truly full of unfavorable conditions. Danger. Most players would choose to back out here. It was the logical thing to do. ¡®It¡¯s indeed dangerous.¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t deny this fact either. The risk was greater than he had expected. ¡®But there¡¯s more to obtain as well.¡¯ The merit was bigger as well. Hyrkan organized the things he could obtain in his head. ¡®Kill the monsters inside the instance dungeon alone, then acquire the Rising Star title¡­ now, quest-related instance dungeons have a high chance to giving a related title. Since there won¡¯t be any outside interference, I just have to deal with whatever¡¯s inside. I don¡¯t need to worry about other monsters either. It¡¯s not like I lost any strength on my way here, and I¡¯m still in my top condition.¡¯ He had a lot to lose. However, more so than ever before, he was sure of his current intuition. ¡®If I can film this well, it¡¯ll pull in a good amount of views.¡¯ His intuition told him that this battle video would turn out great. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say he had full assurance. ¡®The baits are in place. I¡¯ll at least get ten thousand within two weeks.¡¯ The Rising Star title and solo-clearing an instance dungeon had great synergy as bait. Furthermore, anyone could tell it was something not everyone could do. ¡®I mean, what crazy bastard would do something like this?¡¯ Something not everyone could do. To earn money in Warlord, this was what one had to do. Far more people watched Warlord-related videos than did people play the game. What the viewers wanted to see was someone accomplishing something that was seemingly impossible. No one wanted to watch something that anyone could do. To earn money, one had to capture these viewers. The money one could earn in-game through hunting and item crafting was incomparable to the money one could earn from pay-to-watch videos. It was why guilds and Rankers challenged unfathomably strong monsters. Danger represented a chance to earn viewers! ¡®Once Skeleton Fragment cooldown ends, I¡¯ll go in.¡¯ Hyrkan made his decision. Chapter 22 : Chance and Danger (3) Chapter 22 : Chance and Danger (3) [You have entered an instance dungeon.] The moment Hyrkan entered into the darkness, he found himself in a space about 300 square meters wide. The ceiling was 4 meters high, while the floor was octagonal with columns in each corner. ¡®A ring.¡¯ The stage felt similar to an MMA ring. Then. Prrrrr! The sphere of light on the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head jumped with force and reached the ceiling. Then, streams of light began shining down on the dark space. The light streams did not brighten up the stage, but rather mixed with the darkness to form a dim lighting. Tension filled the air. ¡®Nice.¡¯ Hyrkan liked this atmosphere. The video he was taking was coming along his expectations. Then, when the streams of light began to reveal what was hidden in the darkness¡­ Krrrr! The monster showed itself with a roar. ¡®Werewolf.¡¯ Hyrkan quickly recognized its figure. It wasn¡¯t particularly hard to do. ¡®It¡¯s a bit big, though.¡¯ Even so, the werewolf in front of him had several differences compared to the blue werewolf he faced earlier. This werewolf was over 2 meters high with very long arms. Its thick claws resembled Captain Hook¡¯s hook. Besides, its fur was black, not blue. ¡®Mm?¡¯ But what caught Hyrkan¡¯s attention the most was¡­ ¡®Is that?¡¯ His eyes. ¡®Black Marbling?¡¯ His eyes had a mix of red and black like a marbling. It was truly grotesque. ¡®Well, damn.¡¯ The corner of his mouth went up. ¡®Who would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d run into a quest related to the Corrupt Count here?¡¯ Corrupt Count. It was Warlord¡¯s first main scenario quest. Warlord¡¯s main scenario was a huge current. Players had to go through this current to get to the next story. ¡®The last main scenario quest I was part of was the fourth, Army of the Dragon.¡¯ Before he returned to the past, Hyrkan had participated in the fourth main scenario quest. Corrupt Count, Immoral Prince, Ruined Kingdom¡­ although Hyrkan couldn¡¯t even play the supporting role in these first three main scenario quests, he made a meteoric rise to a leader position in the Army of the Dragon. This was when the Hahoe Mask Guild began to make a name for itself. No one knew for a fact how many main scenario quests there were. Tobot Soft had considered this information a top secret. What was important was that the rewards of the main scenario quests were amazing. First, titles were given out like candy. The difference between owning and not owning main scenario quest titles was huge. Second, the attention was on a completely different scale. Main scenario quest related videos weren¡¯t treated like ordinary videos. They sold well even as paid videos. Over 10 million people purchased the final battle video of the third main scenario quest, the Ruined Kingdom. Of course, core content like this was hotly contested by the Top 30 Guilds. The leaders of the main scenario quests were always from the Top 30 Guilds. Not only did they have the necessary information and manpower to complete these quests, but they also bribed or utterly destroyed their competition. Hyrkan was now in possession of tip of that iceberg. ¡®The Corrupt Count quest should already be well on its way¡­¡¯ The main scenario quest was a one-way bridge. One quest led to another and so on and so forth. Because of this, those ahead of him should already have finished a large portion of the main scenario quest. There wasn¡¯t much left for Hyrkan to take for himself. Of course, it didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t like it. ¡®I can¡¯t say no to this.¡¯ His thoughts ended there. Monsters corrupted by the Corrupt Count were far stronger than regular monsters. They were incomparable to the blue werewolf Hyrkan had killed before. Snap snap! Without a warning, Hyrkan snapped his fingers twice. The Skeleton Warrior charged at the Corrupted Werewolf with fire ablaze in its eyes. Meanwhile, Hyrkan used his right index finger to write on the palm of his left hand. Demon. Immediately after he wrote this word¡­ [You activated the Demon Curse spell.] An ominous dark aura appeared on his left palm. ¡°Grant Curse.¡± Hyrkan touched the blade of his longsword with his left hand. Then, the longsword¡¯s blade absorbed the dark aura like a sponge. This was all Hyrkan had in his arsenal. What was important from now was how he could utilize the weapons he had. After finishing the curse magic, Hyrkan looked on ahead. The Skeleton Warrior and the Corrupted Werewolf would close their distance at any second now. ¡°30 seconds.¡± Hyrkan only had one expectation from his Skeleton Warrior. To hold its ground for just 30 seconds. Hyrkan didn¡¯t have the slightest hope of the Skeleton Warrior killing the Corrupted Werewolf by itself. It just had to hold its ground for 30 seconds. Then everything would go smoothly. He had hopes as well. After all, the Hero Slaughterer himself had given it 1 on 1 lessons, even going so far as to go all into strength. It. Will. Endure! But when Hyrkan had his hopes up the highest¡­ Thwack! A stunning sound flowed out. ¡®Ah.¡¯ It was the sound of the Corrupted Werewolf¡¯s arms smacking the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head off. The head hit the nearby wall, and soon the body also flew next to its head. Two. With just two swings of its arm, the Corrupted Werewolf easily subjugated the Skeleton Warrior. The Skeleton Warrior on the ground had X¡¯s for its eyes, just as Hyrkan¡¯s mouth was watching this scene. ¡®Fuck this.¡¯ It seemed that it still needed some more training. Luckily, Hyrkan had profited at least a little from the exchange. ¡®Its speed and power are both outstanding¡­ but it¡¯s not to the point it¡¯s impossible.¡¯ It was undoubtedly fast, but it wasn¡¯t so fast that Hyrkan couldn¡¯t dodge it. Plus, seeing as how it didn¡¯t completely destroy the Skeleton Warrior even with 2 hits, it meant its attack power wasn¡¯t so strong as to one-hit KO Hyrkan. ¡®Four hits? No, probably three.¡¯ Three hits. It was the ticket cost for a one-way trip to Figur¡¯s Castle. As an added service, Hyrkan would be stuck sucking on his fingers for 48 hours in the real world. Most people would say they¡¯re in a desperate and dangerous situation. After all, there was no way to run. It wasn¡¯t much different for Hyrkan. He felt as if he was standing on the edge of a cliff. The moment he stepped backward, he would fall to his death. He felt like his heartbeat was getting faster even though such a thing should be impossible in the game. ¡®Three lives. It¡¯s a perfect number.¡¯ Hyrkan liked this feeling. It was the type of feeling he would never be able to achieve in the real world. The feeling that he was alive. ¡°Haaat!¡± With a loud shout, Hyrkan charged at the Corrupted Werewolf. Snap snap. He snapped his fingers twice while running. The Skeleton Warrior absorbed Hyrkan¡¯s magic power and quickly restored itself. Its eyes turned back from Xs into blazing fires. Whoosh! At that moment, the Corrupted Werewolf swung its arm at Hyrkan, who had entered his range. With a bone-chilling sound cutting through the air, blackness entered Hyrkan¡¯s left field of vision. Whish! Hyrkan ducked and dodged the arm, as strands of his hair were cut by the werewolf¡¯s claws. It was truly a hair¡¯s breadth apart. Immediately after the mortal danger passed by, a new danger arrived. The Corrupted Werewolf swung its left arm at Hyrkan who had continued charging towards it after dodging its right arm. Its left arm traced a diagonal path. It wasn¡¯t something Hyrkan could dodge simply by ducking! Whish! But Hyrkan just leaned his body to the right, dodging the difficult path of the werewolf¡¯s arm rather simply. It looked as if the Corrupted Werewolf was moving its arms following the movements of Hyrkan¡¯s shoulders and arms. At this point, even a bystander would be able to tell that Hyrkan was purposefully dodging the Corrupted Werewolf¡¯s attacks by a hair¡¯s breadth. The reason¡­ ¡®I see it.¡¯ Was something only someone watching from Hyrkan¡¯s perspective could tell. The moment Hyrkan passed by a potentially life-threatening situation, he saw the side of the Corrupted Werewolf wide open. This was his aim. Hyrkan lightly scratched his side with his longsword. He didn¡¯t plan on making any deep wounds. [The Corrupted Werewolf falls under the Demon Curse.] His goal was to afflict the curse. After his successful attack, Hyrkan breezed by the Corrupted Werewolf¡¯s back and distanced himself from it. The Corrupted Werewolf turned to follow Hyrkan¡¯s movements, and Hyrkan also turned after he sufficiently distanced himself. The two of them stared fixedly at each other. Krrrr. With a low growl, the Corrupted Werewolf let out its frustration. Hyrkan simply taunted the Corrupted Werewolf by waggling his left index finger back and forth towards himself. Then. Stab! The Skeleton Warrior that had finished restoring itself had thrown itself on the werewolf¡¯s back with its bone-knife. Growl! The Corrupted Werewolf let out a shriek, and the Skeleton Warrior quickly jumped off and distanced itself. The Corrupted Werewolf did not chase after the Skeleton Warrior, but rather pulled off the bone-knife stuck on its back. Then, it furiously threw the knife at the Skeleton Warrior as it glared angrily at it. The Skeleton Warrior did not shy away from its intimidating glare. Meanwhile¡­ ¡®Let¡¯s see.¡¯ Hyrkan was slowly and stealthily closing the distance between him and the Corrupted Werewolf. Krrr! However, the Corrupted Werewolf quickly turned its head towards Hyrkan and revealed its razor-sharp fangs. ¡®So he gets aggroed when he¡¯s attacked, but quickly changes aggro when he¡¯s on alert.¡¯ After finishing up his thoughts, Hyrkan charged towards the Corrupted Werewolf without a shred of hesitation. There was no need for hesitation. He knew the role he had to play, and that was to draw the Corrupted Werewolf¡¯s attention. If he did, the Skeleton Warrior would act as his teeth and bite down on the Corrupted Werewolf. ¡ï¡ï¡ï The Skeleton Warrior stared at the monster in front of him. Of course, a sense of intimidation or fear did not exist in his mind. He was only waiting for an opening. His ill-tempered master, the one he was eternally loyal to and the one that occasionally attacked him, would provide that opening. Click click! The Skeleton Warrior charged. He was a dart, and the dartboard was the monster¡¯s back. The Skeleton Warrior had already accumulated an enormous sum of scores, and this would be his last. Stab! The Skeleton Warrior¡¯s bone-knife dug into a wound he had made previously. The bone-knife had dug deeply into the wound, and only the hilt of the knife could be seen from the outside. At that moment, it heard the sound of two snaps from its master. Because of the continued attack order, the Skeleton Warrior did not run. Bite! It bit down on the monster¡¯s back. It had dug its fangs into it. But seemingly unsatisfied, it also dug its claws into the monster¡¯s back. With its sharp claws, it furiously scratched the monster¡¯s body. The monster¡¯s body quaked. At that moment, strength began to boil from inside the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s body. Stab! The Skeleton Warrior¡¯s two hands grabbed onto the monster¡¯s flesh as if it was sand, and its mouth bit off the monster¡¯s flesh. After biting off the monster¡¯s flesh, the Skeleton Warrior opened its mouth and pointed it to the sky, letting out a soundless wolf-like cry. ¡ï¡ï¡ï [The Skeleton Warrior killed a very strong monster. Skeleton Warrior and its related skill proficiencies rise greatly.] [Skeleton Fragment skill rank rises to Rank E.] ¡°Hm?¡± The alert marking the end of Hyrkan¡¯s 5-minute fight was different than what he expected. ¡®What did it say?¡¯ Hyrkan changed his concentration to hearing the alerts as if he was trying to listen to a malfunctioning radio. [You completed the quest, A Cave in Mt. Bima.] [3 new titles have been registered.] ¡®Eh?¡¯ Hyrkan was surprised once more. ¡®3 titles?¡¯ Thud! Then, a static noise interfered with Hyrkan¡¯s hearing. It was the sound of the Corrupted Werewolf¡¯s body falling on the ground. ¡°Whew!¡± Seeing its body fall on the ground, Hyrkan let out a breadth for the first time since the fight started. He had fought while holding his breath. His original plan had been to do a victory ceremony and say some cool words. However, the words he had prepared beforehand had long since disappeared amidst the sudden news. ¡®Let me straighten out the situation first.¡¯ Hyrkan first checked his left arm, where a large wound could be seen. His elbow and shoulder. Two long scars could be seen where the Corrupted Werewolf scratched him. It was quite surprisingly that it hadn¡¯t fallen off. Of course, he couldn¡¯t move the arm as he wished. Hyrkan grabbed his left wrist like it wasn¡¯t his. Then, he brought the watch towards his mouth. ¡°End Camera.¡± His first profit ¨C the video. Hyrkan turned the dial on his watch and turned on the quest app. ¡®The quest is complete.¡¯ His second profit, the quest rewards, had been received. Up until now was what Hyrkan had been expecting and wanting. But. ¡®A skill rank up already?¡¯ There was an additional profit. Hyrkan moved his fingers to turn on the skill app. [Skeleton Fragment] ¨C Proficiency: Rank E ¨C Number of skeletons able to be summoned: Warrior (2) ¡®I thought it¡¯d happen right before I hit level 20¡­¡¯ His Skeleton Fragment skill had ranked up. It had progressed much quicker than he expected. It seemed that the game had judged the Skeleton Warrior, not Hyrkan, to have killed the werewolf as it had delivered the final blow. Attack-related skill proficiencies often went up in such cases. ¡®Good for me I guess.¡¯ Though sudden, it was a nice surprise. With the Skeleton Fragment skill rank-up, the stats of his Skeleton Warrior went up as well. Plus, he could now summon two. He had such battle prowess with just one, but now he could summon another. Just the thought of it made Hyrkan happy. But rather than rejoicing, Hyrkan immediately looked for his fourth profit. He checked the title-related messages on his watch. [You obtained the title, Rising Star.] It was the title he had been aiming for. [You obtained the title, ¡®One Who Challenges the Position of Hero.¡¯] ¡®Oh? A Hero-series? Well, considering I solo-cleared an instance dungeon and first-killed the werewolf, it¡¯s not too surprising.¡¯ Although he knew about the title beforehand, he didn¡¯t expect to get it here. And finally. [You obtained the title, ¡®Pursuer of Corruption.¡¯] It was a title Hyrkan had no connection to in his past life. With that, Hyrkan completed his inventorying of his profits. The calculator in his brain finished its calculations, and after seeing the result, Hyrkan let out a grin. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡®Things are finally going my way!¡¯ However, at this moment, Hyrkan didn¡¯t know¡­ that the real jackpot had yet to come. Chapter 23 : 70% Luck and 30% Effort (1) Chapter 23 : 70% Luck and 30% Effort (1) As Warlord¡¯s popularity unceasingly skyrocketed, the popularity of the Top 30 Guilds that possessed the live channels skyrocketed as well. At the same time, the competition between the Top 30 Guilds grew increasingly fierce. It arguably surpassed the level of fierce and was simply extreme and desperate. As competition grew, conflicts between the Top 30 Guilds increased. There was even a rumor that some of them faked conflicts to get more viewership from their guild battles. With such competition, Warlord¡¯s first main scenario quest, the Corrupt Count, was practically the Holy Grail. ¡°Is there anything new about the Corrupt Count?¡± The Corrupt Count was a hot topic that pretty much guaranteed a TV special. The rumor was that the ad-revenue for the final battle with the Corrupt Count would rival the Super Bowl¡¯s ad-revenue. It went without saying that the Top 30 Guilds collected any and all information regarding the Corrupt Count. Some guilds even formed a monitoring division that collected Corrupt Count related information. ¡°There is this one video¡­¡± ¡°Video?¡± As popular as the Corrupt Count was, the online world was overflowing with videos and information about it. Of course, most of them were no different than worthless trash. ¡°Does it have anything useful?¡± But a jewel could be found even within a pile of trash. ¡°It¡¯s a video of a level 15 player killing a Corrupted Werewolf.¡± ¡°Level 15? Then isn¡¯t that the start of the Corrupt Count quest line? What use is that to us?¡± ¡°His fight was rather¡­ amazing.¡± Of course, the Monitoring Team didn¡¯t just look for Corrupt Count-related information. ¡°It seems he obtained the Rising Star title as well.¡± ¡°The Rising Star title?¡± At times, players with lots potential shine more than any treasure. The Monitoring Team was also in charge of any ¡°Rising Stars.¡± ¡°Plus, he killed the Corrupted Werewolf alone.¡± ¡°Alone? Wait, werewolves are normally at least level 15¡­ and with the Corrupted title¡­ its strength should be somewhere between level 20 and 25. You¡¯re saying a level 15 player killed that alone?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Also, he¡¯s a necromancer, but he fights on the front lines.¡± ¡°Show me that video.¡± And at this moment, another treasure had been discovered. ¡ï¡ï¡ï An Jaehyun was currently looking at his tablet PC with a blank expression. The tablet PC was playing a video of his game character, Hyrkan, killing a werewolf. It was undoubtedly an amazing video. The scene of the video¡¯s lead narrowly dodging the Corrupted Werewolves attacks while being followed up by Skeleton Warrior counterattacks was truly a sight to behold. It was unique even amongst the countless number of Warlord videos online. But An Jaehyun¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t meet the video at the moment. ¡®What¡¯s up with the view count? Didn¡¯t I upload this yesterday?¡¯ The numbers placed under the video. ¡®It¡¯s already over six thousand.¡¯ 6,211. The video An Jaehyun uploaded passed the 6,000 mark after just one day. ¡®What¡¯s this? Did someone link it on their site? Why are there so many views?¡¯ Although Warlord videos received lots of views compared to other types of media, it wasn¡¯t easy to get 6,000 in a matter of one day. If the view count was this high, it would appear on the most-viewed video list and receive even more attention. ¡®I knew the bait was good, but I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be this good.¡¯ An Jaehyun had his expectation, but the result was clearly higher than what he had initially predicted. An Jaehyun stared blankly at the screen, blissful from this unexpected surprise. He soon snapped back after he took a few sips of his coffee. ¡®The momentum is going my way.¡¯ What was important now was to plan for the future. ¡®Should I change my plans?¡¯ An Jaehyun had originally planned to start making videos around the late 20s. It was the ideal time to make videos and attract viewers as it was when the difference between skilled and unskilled players started to show. The videos he would be taking before then would be like videos of a child growing up. It would show what type of gamer Hyrkan is. But An Jaehyun didn¡¯t expect he would gain traction so quickly. ¡®Should I splurge a bit more?¡¯ It was at times like these that he needed to show more of his feats. In this sea of competition, once one caught a wave, it was best to continue riding it. It was the same in the past. Even after the Hahoe Mask Guild was founded and they began uploading videos, it wasn¡¯t until half a year later that they began to attract viewers and fans. This was all because of one event that put them in the spotlight. At that time, the Hahoe Mask Guild even borrowed money to all-in on that wave. With that money, they purchased better items for themselves. That was the key. Do you want to show off more? Then buying high-tier items was the only way to immediately spec-up. The problem was money. Although An Jaehyun didn¡¯t make much money, he saved what little he did. After all, he had an important quest of collecting 10 million won within three months. Of course, he already had his answer. ¡®I should¡¯ve borrowed 20 million¡­ didn¡¯t think I¡¯d need more money this quickly.¡¯ An Jaehyun did not have a shred of doubt on what he needed to do. Spend. If he didn¡¯t invest now, he wouldn¡¯t have the chance to later. Now was the right time. An Jaehyun stared at the coffee mug in front of him. ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll have to say goodbye to meat for a while.¡¯ His wrist holding on to the mug felt thinner than usual, as An Jaehyun smiled bitterly. ¡®I¡¯m turning into a skeleton too.¡¯ He was truly becoming more and more like a necromancer. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Upon returning to the Figur¡¯s Castle, Hyrkan immediately headed for the Subjugation Association. At this place, he talked to an NPC he normally wouldn¡¯t be able to meet. ¡°Are you the adventurer named Hyrkan who came back from Mt. Bima¡¯s cave?¡± It was an NPC named Hotan. Just from a glance, Hyrkan could tell he was quite high leveled. ¡®It¡¯s the next quest, I see.¡¯ It was characteristic of scenario quests. Once you cleared one quest, you¡¯d receive the next one. The pro was that you knew exactly what quest to do once you cleared one, while the con was that you¡¯d never be able to do the next one if you didn¡¯t clear the previous quest. ¡°What you saw was most likely a monster exposed to the power of the Corrupted One.¡± ¡°Corrupted One?¡± Hyrkan didn¡¯t show any rudeness. It was essential for players to treat NPCs as if they were their fathers. They had nothing to gain by leaving a bad impression of themselves to NPCs. After all, NPCs were the traffic signs of Warlord. Although there wasn¡¯t any elaborate affection system like in dating-sim games, Warlord still had its own affection system. At the same time, Warlord NPCs were mostly guarded and conservative. It was up to the players to actively speak their thoughts. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®Corrupted One.¡±? ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it¡¯s because of his power that monsters began to go berserk. As a result, the Subjugation Association placed a bounty on his head.¡± ¡°It seems we have to catch him no matter the cost. Although I am still inexperienced, if I may be of any help, I will do my best to capture that evil bastard.¡± Like so. You had to be aggressive and forward to make an NPC respond. If you just said okay and left, you would have lost the chance to hear an answer forever. Like how traffic signs didn¡¯t come up to tourists to guide them, Warlord NPCs did not come up and give quests to players. Players had to go up and knock on the door themselves. ¡°Sadly, you are still too lacking to fight against the Corrupted One.¡± ¡°What must I do to have the chance?¡± And for players that actively knocked on doors¡­ ¡°For you¡­ yes, considering the result you showed in Mt. Bima, you are indeed worthy of having that chance.¡± The doors would open¡­ ¡°East of Figur¡¯s Castle is the Bangtz Castle. There is a person named Ahimbree there. I will write you a recommendation. He will tell you what to do.¡± [The quest, ¡®Ahimbree¡¯s Teachings¡¯, begins.] ¡®Eh?¡¯ And they would see the treasure hidden on the other side. ¡®Ahimbree? Wait, THE Ahimbree? One of the seven disciples of the Grand Magus?¡¯ The unthinkable treasure! ¡ï¡ï¡ï [Ahimbree¡¯s Teachings] ¨C Quest Rank: Unique ¨C Quest Level Range: None ¨C Quest Content: Find Ahimbree and show him Hotan¡¯s recommendation letter. ¨C Quest Reward: Skillbook Checking the contents of the quest, a frown appeared on Hyrkan¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t because he was unhappy or dissatisfied. The frown was from the pain of holding in the happiness that was about to erupt.¡± This showed how happy Hyrkan currently was. If he didn¡¯t frown, he felt his face would hurt from smiling too much. ¡®Ahimbree! I can¡¯t believe it! It¡¯s the Ahimbree¡¯s Disciple quest!¡¯ ¡°Ha¡­!¡± The laugh he was holding in finally burst out, twisting his frowning expression. Hyrkan quickly moved his hands to block his mouth. But his shoulders began to tremble. Nearby players that caught sight of Hyrkan clicked their tongues. ¡°The hell¡¯s wrong with him? Is he mad?¡± ¡°Let it go. Probably watched a sad movie or something.¡± For players that were at the Subjugation Association, Hyrkan was acting strangely without a doubt. Moreover. ¡°Just look at his pants. No one in their right mind would wear something like that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. No sane person would do something like that.¡± Hyrkan¡¯s tight leather pants attracted attention in various ways, but Hyrkan spared no thoughts for anyone around him. They weren¡¯t on his radar at all. ¡®I get it; the Rising Star title triggered the conditional quest.¡¯ Ahimbree. He was a superb magician, and one of the seven disciples of the Grand Magus Bokan. The reason Hyrkan remembered him so well was that numerous skill books could be obtained through him. In fact, a considerable number of Unique-rank skill books were said to be distributed by the seven disciples of the Grand Magus. As such, it was the dream of all magicians to be able to obtain quests related to the seven disciples of the Grand Magus. Now, Hyrkan had obtained a point of contact with Ahimbree. ¡®The Rising Star title overlapping with the Corrupt Count main scenario quest triggered this chance.¡¯ It was all thanks to the Rising Star title. This title served as Hyrkan¡¯s proof of potential and talent in the Warlord world. Because Hyrkan expressed his desire to fight the Corrupt Count, Hotan had given him the chance to get stronger. ¡®This is great.¡¯ Hyrkan welcomed the chance with open arms. ¡®Though since my level is low; I won¡¯t get any high-level skill book¡­ but who cares?¡¯ Hyrkan got up from his seat. ¡®Alright, why don¡¯t I go cube some items before I head over to Ahimbree. I¡¯ll at least use up the crafting materials on me.¡¯ His next destination was the Item Workshop, where the crafting cubes were located. Chapter 24 : 70% Luck 30% Effort (2) Chapter 24 : 70% Luck 30% Effort (2) Warlord had many castles. Amongst these, the castles that beginners start out in were comparatively large to accommodate the large concentration of players. But there were few specific spots where players congregated. The Subjugation Association branch, the Class Tower, and the Item Workshop. Most players were around these three spots. Of these three, the Item Workshop was the most diverse. ¡®I don¡¯t understand why these idiots come here instead of screwing around in casinos.¡¯ If players in the other two spots were regular gamers, then players loitering around the Item Workshop could only be seen as gamer addicts. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t particularly fond of the Item Workshop atmosphere. Every time he saw others who gambled their life in the game and failed, he could see himself in their shoes. ¡°Tsk.¡± Holding in the bitterness, he felt, Hyrkan stepped into the Item Workshop. The inside of the Item Workshop resembled slot-machine filled casinos. Cubes the size of small children were lined up side by side, while players stood in front, putting in crafting coins or crafting jewels then shaking them diligently. Many seemed as if they had lost their souls as they continued to shake these cubes. These players were the ones hoping for a Rare-rank or a Unique-rank item that rarely dropped while crafting Normal-rank items. There was even a line in front of one of the cubes despite the fact that many others were still open. ¡®Looks like someone popped a Unique there.¡¯ These players bet money with the tiniest of hopes of striking it rich, and they were fittingly called gamblers rather than gamers. Hyrkan didn¡¯t spare a glance at them. He didn¡¯t have an inkling of mind to involve himself with these type of players. After wandering around the place for a bit, Hyrkan sat down in front of an empty cube. He first put in 1 gold in the cube. Then, one of the cube¡¯s black faces turned into a touchscreen. Using the touchscreen, Hyrkan looked up the Corrupted One¡¯s Essence, a crafting jewel, and the Corrupted Werewolf¡¯s Bone and Corrupted Werewolf¡¯s Skin. These, of course, were the crafting materials he got from killing the Corrupted Werewolf. The screen then showed a list of items he could create from these materials. The entire process was rather inconvenient and boring. At the same time, it was a process that players had to go through. Looking up the items, putting in the materials, then shaking the cube. These three steps were how items were crafted. Although it was fun to test one¡¯s luck for three or four items, one could imagine what it would feel like when crafting hundreds of them. It was mentally taxing, to say the least, and Hyrkan had once done this job. Before returning to the past, at the time when he was working part-time at a Warlord-related workshop. ¡®I must have been crazy.¡¯ The worst feeling was that after hundreds of Normal-rank items, when you finally got a Rare-rank item, you would have to give it to someone else. The sense of loss could only be imagined. Though, it was thanks to this part-time job that Hyrkan could get into Warlord. Without it, Hyrkan would never have played Warlord. Placing aside the glimmering memory in his mind, Hyrkan focused on the screen in front of him. ¡®Hm.¡¯ He looked through the items of the list one by one. What caught his attention was¡­ ¡®Mm? I can make a necklace?¡¯ A necklace. He could craft a Rare-rank necklace. It was better than what he had been expecting. ¡®I really am lucky.¡¯ Players could equip three types of items. Armor, weapon, and accessory. Of these, accessories were the hardest to obtain. Players generally had to wait until they were almost level 30 until they could get themselves accessories. That¡¯s how rare the crafting materials were for them. As such, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have much thinking to do. He quickly put in 3 Corrupted Werewolf¡¯s Bone coins and 2 Corrupted Werewolf¡¯s Skin coins. Then, he opened the cube and put in the crafting jewel. Finally, he selected the necklace from the touchscreen and began shaking the cube. After about 20 seconds, just as he was getting annoyed from the shaking¡­ [You succeeded in crafting an item.] An alert sounded out. Rather than being happy, Hyrkan was slightly irritated. ¡®Warlord¡¯s good and all, but it irritates you in the strangest places.¡¯ And with an irritated face, Hyrkan opened the cube. Immediately, his face stiffened. ¡°What.¡± ¡ï¡ï¡ï [Pursuer of Corruption Necklace] *Main Properties ¨C Unique-rank Item ¨C Increases class-specific stat proportional to level ¨C All stats +18 ¨C Required level: None ¨C Required Condition: Title ¡®Pursuer of Corruption¡¯ *Sub-properties ¨C You have not yet selected a skill option bonus. ¨C This item becomes tied to the crafter. *Miscellaneous ¨C This item was crafted to significantly boost the power of its user through the Corrupted One¡¯s power. Looking at the item options through the hologram window, Hyrkan breathed in deep. At this time, there was only one word in his mind. ¡®Whoa.¡¯ The word was ready to pop out of his throat at any moment. Even with his vast experience, Hyrkan could only gape at this marvel. He wasn¡¯t just surprised; he was mesmerized. ¡®It¡¯s not even just a Unique; it¡¯s a Chronical Unique!¡¯ Chronical Unique. It referred to items only obtainable through the main scenario quest process. These items had better options than ordinary Unique items. However, they could not be traded or dropped. As such, players traded their crafting materials, but even these were exceedingly rare. Their price was whatever the seller called. But now a Chronical Unique had appeared for Hyrkan! ¡®I can¡¯t think, my head¡¯s spinning.¡¯ Although he had played games for a long time before returning to the past, he had never been so lucky. Of course, if the item were tradable, he would have felt luckier. If he found a rich guy, he might have gotten enough to pay off the amount he borrowed. But Hyrkan wasn¡¯t too disappointed. ¡®I couldn¡¯t even place 3rd in all those lotteries, but this is where I hit my luck!¡¯ He was more than satisfied with what he got. If he were any luckier, he would begin to be worried. After regaining his calm, Hyrkan immediately went into the bonus skill option screen. The bonus skill option was for skills level 20 and below. Hyrkan selected the black magic category upon which 10 or so magic spells appeared. Of these, what caught Hyrkan¡¯s attention was the option related to Skeleton Fragment. [Number of Skeletons Allowed to Summon by Skeleton Fragment + 1] Hyrkan did not hesitate. ¡®Looks like God just can¡¯t wait to see me take over Warlord.¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡°Oppa¡¯s got your items; he¡¯s coming to get you~?.¡± Grey pointed hat, the symbol of Warlord¡¯s magicians. Top and gloves made out of Green Lizard skin. Tight leather pants and leather boots. Finally, a necklace with a purple jewel the size of a baby¡¯s fist. Wearing these ridiculous assortment of clothes was no other than Hyrkan. They were something people wouldn¡¯t get paid to wear. They were enough to make people watching embarrassed. Even so, Hyrkan was happily singing away, which he couldn¡¯t do well either. He even danced to the beat of the old-school song as he headed towards Bangtz Castle. ¡°Come out already¡­¡± Of course, there was no way monsters would leave such an unsightly being alone. ¡°¡­ it really did.¡± One monster sauntered towards Hyrkan. It was a large bear mixed with a pattern of brown and green. A Forest Bear. It was one of the tougher level 25 monsters. Even with its high stamina and attack power, it didn¡¯t drop a single item that made money. Also, the EXP (experience point) it gave was comparatively lower. As such, most Warlord players chose not to deal with it given the choice. If it were the usual Hyrkan, he would¡¯ve clicked his tongue upon seeing the Forest Bear, cursing his bad luck. But the current Hyrkan was a bit different than usual. He wasn¡¯t normal. Not only regarding his mental state¡­ ¡®It¡¯s finally here.¡¯ But also regarding his current battle prowess. ¡®I was getting all itchy just waiting.¡¯ In a blink of an eye, he had gotten an unbelievable spec-up. Not only did he get a Unique item from what should have been a Rare item, but he also purchased some Rare items at a low price. These items were, of course, the green leather top and gloves. His entire body was showing why it was so cheap. It wasn¡¯t something someone would normally pay to wear. However, as he had already given up on fashion with the leather pants, Hyrkan had no qualms wearing them. His spec-up didn¡¯t just end here. Watching the Forest Bear slowly walk up to him, Hyrkan put his hand in his pocket, grabbing three Skeleton Fragments. ¡®150,000 each.¡¯ He had purchased new crafting coins to craft 3 new Skeleton Fragments. For these, he spent almost 500,000 won. To be honest, Hyrkan was dying to know. Skeleton Warrior¡¯s Combat AIs were shared. In other words, there was no need to train new Skeleton Warriors. Then, how capable would these three Skeleton Warriors be? And if Hyrkan added his own skills? Hyrkan could guarantee it. Strongest in history! Hyrkan had faced a countless number of experts and Rankers, and he knew the current Warlord better than anyone else in the world. Even he couldn¡¯t fathom the power he would have in the future. Knowing that such power was now in Hyrkan¡¯s hands, any gamer would tremble. It was also why Hyrkan had not stopped grinning. Alas, Hyrkan knew he couldn¡¯t continue grinning forever. He forcefully erased the grin off his face and threw the Skeleton Fragments on the ground. Bulky skeletons with skulls resembling a crocodile appeared. The Skeleton Warriors held sharp knives on their right hand and carried shields woven from bones. The Skeleton Warriors that were created using Lizardman as the sacrifices didn¡¯t hide their aggressiveness upon seeing the Forest Bear. Upon seeing the number of enemies increase, the Forest Bear also stopped its sauntering and began charging towards Hyrkan. Watching the scene, Hyrkan slowly put on his hahoe mask. Then, he spoke into his watch. ¡°Start Camera.¡± It signaled the start of a fight. Chapter 25 : 70% Luck 30% Effort (3). Chapter 25 : 70% Luck 30% Effort (3). A Forest Bear¡¯s thick arm swung past Hyrkan¡¯s head. Whoosh! Along with a terrifying sound. ¡®Whew.¡¯ Hyrkan did not run in such a terrifying situation. The moment he dodged the attack, he lifted his head up and faced the Forest Bear eye to eye. He was completely unintimidated, as he seemed ready to strike a blow with his sword at any time. The Forest Bear also didn¡¯t take his eyes off of Hyrkan. He expressed fury at Hyrkan and Hyrkan only. He didn¡¯t have any room or reason to look away from someone clearly showing hostility towards him. UWOOOOH! The forest shook along with the Forest Bear¡¯s sonorous roar. And within this sound¡­ ¡®Alright, now! Get in here! I drew the aggro perfectly!¡¯ Hyrkan gave his command. Responding to his command, a Skeleton Warrior jumped up into the air. Throwing its body to stab the Forest Bear¡¯s back, the Skeleton Warrior seemed entirely dignified. Stab! The Skeleton Warrior¡¯s knife pierced the bear¡¯s flesh and dug deeply into its back. The instant the knife pierced into the Forest Bear, the Skeleton Warrior let go of the knife and quickly moved to distance itself from the bear. UWOOH! The Forest Bear let out a pain-filled cry as it turned around. It seemed to want to kill whoever stabbed the knife into its back. Uwoh? But what entered his sight was not the Skeleton Warrior that stabbed him and ran. Another one was running towards him in a straight line in an obvious manner. Uwoh! Without a shred of hesitation, the Forest Bear blew off the charging Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head. Thwack! With a skull-crushing sound, the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head flew off far into the distance. Watching this happen, Hyrkan shouted almost instinctively. ¡°You idiots! Work together! If you see your friend going in and attacking, you should expect the turn-around and go in a breath later or look for another opening! Don¡¯t go in so obviously, that¡¯s like passing the ball to the goalkeeper!¡¯ At this time, the one remaining Skeleton Warrior charged at the Forest Bear. ¡°HEY!¡± Snap! Startled, Hyrkan snapped his finger once. The Skeleton Warrior that had been following an obvious path like the one before held up its shield and changed into Defense Mode. Krrr¡­ Watching the sudden change in movement, the Forest Bear hesitated. The Forest Bear slowly turned to face Hyrkan, while Hyrkan drew his knife and distanced himself. Watching Hyrkan back off, the Forest Bear entered its Alert Mode. A momentary respite. Using this opportunity, the headless Skeleton Warrior headed into the forest to find its missing head. Click Click! Like a child, the Skeleton Warrior walked with its arms out, and watching this scene from the corner of his eyes, Hyrkan grit his teeth. ¡®Ehew.¡¯ The fact that Skeleton Warriors shared their Combat AIs was an undeniable benefit as Hyrkan didn¡¯t need to teach them from zero. As a result, his Skeleton Warriors all had superb evasion. Backing off right after an attack and flying in like an arrow on an opening were both the result of Hyrkan¡¯s education. The problem was¡­ ¡®These brainless idiots¡­ well, they¡¯re not supposed to have a brain but¡­¡¯ They couldn¡¯t cooperate at all. When one acted, another had to act in response, and another had to act anticipating that response. That was ¡®teamwork¡¯, but it just didn¡¯t work. They didn¡¯t act like interlocking gears, but rather separate, independent ones. As a result, accidents like the one just now happened in battle. ¡®This huge magic power loss¡­¡¯ Of course, a normal necromancer would have been able to endure. In the first place, with enough magic power, the skeletons could recover from most damages. The problem was Hyrkan. As an all-strength necromancer, he didn¡¯t have such freedom with his magic power. Damage to his Skeleton Warriors wasn¡¯t something he could ignore. Hyrkan glanced to the side. The Skeleton Warrior had come back with its head, and it was now fitting it back onto its neck. Rather than irritation or anger, the sight caused Hyrkan to sigh. ¡®Yeah, it was my bad for expecting so much from you.¡¯ In the end, there was only one answer. ¡®It was my bad for trying to eat a free lunch. Yep.¡¯ Hyrkan had no choice but to teach them again from the start. ¡°Damn.¡± ¡®I thought I could sit back like all other necromancers, while the summons did the work¡­¡¯ Of course, to teach them, Hyrkan needed to direct the fight from the front line. ¡®I guess it¡¯s my destiny to fight on the front line with my life on the line.¡¯ Hyrkan held up his longsword and charged towards the Forest Bear. ¡ï¡ï¡ï An Jaehyun currently held his tablet PC. In it, 3 videos were being shown. Their content was the same, but they were from a different point of view. Warlord¡¯s camera function captured the world from multiple points of view. It was as if several cameras were filming the same scene from different angles. As the video wasn¡¯t just from the player¡¯s point of view, real movie-like scenes could be made. At the same time, this feature acted as an excellent analysis tool for players. Analysis was at the core of Warlord. Although Warlord monsters were outstanding, they wouldn¡¯t escape the limits of their settings. No, they couldn¡¯t. If they did, it would no longer be a game. As such, all monsters showed some signs before executing a certain move, they had a definite pattern to their battles. Of course, what An Jaehyun was analyzing now weren¡¯t monsters. ¡®They¡¯re getting better as the fight goes on¡­¡¯ 3 Skeleton Warriors, An Jaehyun was currently analyzing their battle. ¡®But it¡¯s still not enough.¡¯ The Skeleton Warriors¡¯ individual battle ability was actually above his expectation. He was amazed from the bottom of his heart. He even questioned, how did something like this go unnoticed until now? On the other hand, they were far from perfect. Although they had potential, they still had tons to learn. It was An Jaehyun¡¯s role to create a learning curriculum for them. As he had never done such a thing before, An Jaehyun could only let out a sigh. ¡®If I took my classes just as serious, I would¡¯ve been able to go to college.¡¯ Although he was saying this, in truth, An Jaehyun was happy to worry over such matters. Once they learned and gained experience, they would one day show excellent battle ability. That wasn¡¯t all. ¡®Well, no need for me to draw the aggro too long. Once I hit level 40, I can get my Golem to do it.¡¯ Necromancers weren¡¯t just limited to Skeleton Warriors. There were Skeleton Magicians, Golems, and later he could even summon Death Knights. There were even rumors of necromancers being able to summon Bone Dragons. At the very least, Hyrkan was certain that his battle videos would fundamentally change once he could summon Golems. As Golems had high HP and defense, Skeleton Warriors would have much wider movements with the Golem keeping the aggro. The potential was there. ¡®I can take it all alone.¡¯ Although troublesome, Hyrkan definitely saw the potential. The potential to solo a raid! Of course, there were still problems to solve. The biggest of these now was¡­ ¡°If only I had more money¡­¡± Money. Aside from having money to spare, he had to solve his debts first. He would soon hit the one month mark since his borrowed date, and he didn¡¯t have any money left on him. He had to really focus on making money. Before he could aggressively invest money into the game, he had to first pay his debts off. ¡®Let¡¯s see.¡¯ An Jaehyun headed to his YouTube page. His introduction video had reached well over 40,000 views, and his other videos were also steadily gaining views. Furthermore, he had reached 10,000 subscriber count. An Jaehyun smiled. ¡®Just looking at it makes my stomach full.¡¯ Everything was going smoothly. But it wasn¡¯t enough. He had to make content that would make these 10,000 subscribers happy to pay for his character, Hyrkan. He had to prove he was worthy of receiving their donations, that his character, Hyrkan, had the possibility of becoming a future hero and Ranker. He had already shown the potential. What was left¡­ ¡®Starting now, I¡¯ll focus my videos on level-up speed than battles.¡¯ Was result. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Warlord was full of news. Rather, people spent huge effort and numerous attempts to make the news. Although most turned to dust, some become worthy of headlines. Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. He was currently on the edge of making the news. The scene of a certain man watching his video was proof. ¡°Amazing.¡± A blonde man clad in scarlet armor let out a heartfelt praise. Nearby, a red-haired woman discovered the man and approached him. ¡°What are you watching to give such praise?¡± ¡°Watch it for yourself.¡± At the man¡¯s retort, the woman pouted. ¡°Don¡¯t you know you can¡¯t watch other¡¯s videos for security reasons?¡± ¡°Oh yeah.¡± After making a face as if he had forgotten, the man told her the video¡¯s identity. ¡°Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. I¡¯m watching his battle video right now.¡± Hearing the man¡¯s words, the woman made a curious expression. This was the third time, the third time that she had heard the name Hahoe Mask Hyrkan from this man. ¡°You¡¯re doing that pretty often these days.¡± ¡°This time, it¡¯s a video of him fighting a Mud Troll. It went up two hours ago, titled ¡®Level 20 Achieved.¡¯ You can look it up at¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± The woman clicked her tongue. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know why other Rankers are so interested in this player. What¡¯s there to him besides his concept? Hahoe mask and wacky leather fashion. Isn¡¯t it kind of disgusting? If someone around me were to wear that, I¡¯d never talk to him again.¡± The man only made a wry smile. He couldn¡¯t think of a way to respond to her statement. ¡°But he¡¯s good at fighting. It¡¯s a style you can¡¯t see anywhere else.¡± With that, the man touched the screen and rewound the video to the part he wanted. Then, he clicked the play button. A hahoe mask wearing man in a hideous fashion was narrowly dodging the attacks of a Mud Troll. As he drew its aggro, lizard-skulled Skeleton Warriors attacked the Mud Troll one by one. Right flank, left flank. They showed perfectly executed attacks like the gears of a well-oiled machine. In truth, it was nothing spectacular. Any coordinated team of players would be able to do so. Only¡­ ¡®How did he raise his Skeleton Warriors for them to have such Combat AI? Were Skeleton Warriors¡¯ Combat AIs always this excellent? No, other necromancers weren¡¯t like this. Didn¡¯t most of them defend first before attacking?¡¯ They weren¡¯t players, but rather, Skeleton Warriors. He couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at such a feat. Fighting well alone and fighting well together were entirely different stories. Of course, the blonde man knew that Warlord¡¯s monsters and NPCs had superb AIs. If only in battles, they were much better than humans. ¡®Plus, looking at his level, he hasn¡¯t even played for long! How did he accomplish so much in such short time?¡¯ Hahoe Mask Hyrkan had not played for long, and according to his research, it had only been a month since he started Warlord. Even so, he had managed to create Skeleton Warriors of this degree. Then¡­ ¡®This is only the beginning. If these Skeleton Warriors¡­¡¯ Given the time, the Skeleton Warriors¡¯ AI would improve further. ¡®If these Skeleton Warriors could move as well as Hyrkan himself¡­¡¯ One day, these Skeleton Warriors might fight as well as their master. What would happen then? ¡®How terrifying.¡¯ The blonde haired man felt a shiver down his back. The woman nearby shouted at the blonde haired man. ¡°Stop watching! Soon, it¡¯s time to hunt. We¡¯re going live in 5 minutes. Get up.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The blonde haired man got up, and the woman smacked the man¡¯s armored back. ¡°Stop caring about that small fry. You are Matador Chev, Warlord¡¯s 9th Ranker and the leader of the Red Bulls. What you should be looking at is the peak, not the bottom.¡± At this, the man smiled lightly. ¡°Thanks for the compliment.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re thankful, finish it within one try today. We sold 200,000 live tickets. People have paid 2 million dollars to watch your victory ceremony. Don¡¯t disappoint them.¡± The man nodded and fiddled his watch. He turned off the hologram window and materialized an item slot. Then, a helmet appeared behind his neck, devouring his head. In the middle of the helmet with two frightening horns, the head of an enraged scarlet bull was engraved. Watching the man¡¯s appearance, the red-haired woman shouted. ¡°Red Bulls, prepare for battle!¡± Red Bulls. Even amongst the Top 30 Guilds, they were Raid Specialists that placed in the top 5 for raids. Chapter 26 : Ahimbree (1) Chapter 26 : Ahimbree (1) [Hyrkan] ¨C Level: 20 ¨C Class: Magician ¨C Title: 5 ¨C Stats: Strength (116) / Stamina (28) / Intelligence (70) / Magic Power (71) With the death of the Mud Troll, Hyrkan leveled up. After turning off the camera feature, he immediately checked his stats using his watch. Although he should have felt happy watching the numbers richer than before, his face didn¡¯t say so. Hyrkan didn¡¯t stare at his stats for too long. He turned it off soon after and turned to the Skeleton Warriors that had just finished battling. The Skeleton Warriors were walking around, picking up pieces of their body that had fallen on the ground during a fight, and fitting them inside their bodies. Hyrkan gestured his finger toward himself, the ¡®COME HERE!¡¯ type of gesture. However, the Skeleton Warriors did not react to this gesture. Hyrkan gestured again, this time pointing to the ground near his feet. The Skeleton Warriors stared at Hyrkan. In the end, Hyrkan raised his voice. ¡°COME HERE! AROUND ME, NOW!¡± Only then did the Skeleton Warriors quickly go near Hyrkan. As soon as they gathered, Hyrkan squatted down and drew five dots on the dirt. ¡°This is the Mud Troll we just killed. That¡¯s you, that¡¯s you, that¡¯s you, and that¡¯s me.¡± Then, Hyrkan began to draw a line using the dots as a reference. ¡°Look here. If you approach the enemy from the back like this, obviously he¡¯s going to react and turn around. Then what should the left and right flanks do? Hm? If the enemy turns to the right, the one on the left can attack; if the enemy turns to the left, the one on the right can attack. Move with that in mind!¡± Hyrkan explained incessantly like a commander briefing the soldiers on his strategy. The explanation didn¡¯t end there. Hyrkan jumped up from the ground, then stretched his hands out towards one skeleton¡¯s head. Whish! The Skeleton Warrior quickly dodged the attack. Because of Hyrkan¡¯s training, they were always prepared to dodge attacks of all kinds. Of course, now wasn¡¯t one of those training. ¡°Oh, you dodged? Fine, that¡¯s good. But why did you jump to dodge before? Do you have wings? Can you turn mid-air? You can¡¯t, so why jump? Are you a frog?¡± At Hyrkan¡¯s words, the Skeleton Warriors still stared blankly at Hyrkan. In truth, what Hyrkan was doing now was a waste of time. The Skeleton Warriors couldn¡¯t understand strategies like this. Their Combat AI allowed them to gain experience only through battles, not through speech. Hyrkan knew this as well. The reason he was doing so knowing this was as a form of self-reflection. He was explaining to himself. What went wrong and what needed work. Such self-reflections of his were rather long. Rambling on about this and that, Hyrkan graded his battle. ¡®There¡¯s just so much to fix. I wouldn¡¯t even give it a 60 out of a 100.¡¯ 60 out of 100. That was all Hyrkan could give to the battle just now. Of course, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t discouraged from this. He left his self-reflections as self-reflections and moved on. ¡®At least, I can praise myself for hitting level 20 12 hours earlier than I thought.¡¯ He had reached level 20, his top priority goal. Plus, he finished sooner than he expected! He had created the result. ¡®With this, the advertisement¡¯s taken care of.¡¯ No one would doubt someone who gave results. At the very least, people would still be judging Hyrkan¡¯s skill. During this pending status time, Hyrkan planned to control his pace. Although it was important to focus on leveling up, there were many more harvests to be had in Warlord. ¡®Alright, let¡¯s head to Bangtz Castle.¡¯ Now was the time to harvest them. ¡ï¡ï¡ï When the high walls of Bangtz Castle entered his vision¡­ ¡°Slot On.¡± Hyrkan changed his items. His ugly leather clothes and unfashionable magician¡¯s hat turned to the typical fashion of the Subjugation Association¡¯s default clothing. ¡®The shit I do because of this¡­¡¯ In truth, people rarely changed their item slots just for the sake of fashion. The only exception were guild uniforms. In the first place, Slot Change had a cooldown time, and players were limited to just 3. As such, it was exceedingly inefficient to fill up one slot just for fashion. Besides, Hyrkan was someone who had little to do with fashion. He would easily believe the word started with P. However, not even Hyrkan would dare to wear such leather fashion in a place full of people. He may have held it in if it was just the leather pants, but he couldn¡¯t possibly do so with both his leather top and magician¡¯s hat. Even Hyrkan found himself disgusting. ¡®Thank god I have a hahoe mask covering my face. Otherwise¡­ uhew.¡¯ In reality, his fashion helped his views and comments grow. Although most comments made fun of his ridiculous outfit, any comment was a positive sign for him. After switching his clothes, Hyrkan walked past Bangtz Castle¡¯s wide, open gate. Immediately after he stepped past the castle gate, a crowd of guild recruiters surrounded Hyrkan. ¡°Hey, why not join our guild instead of being alone? We provide you with items and hunting support.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you made it this far in that. You won¡¯t be so lucky next time, so why not join our guild? You¡¯re going to die if you walk around alone.¡± ¡°You have to pay to get into our guild, but it¡¯s well worth with the items we¡¯ll provide you with. Come to our guild!¡± ¡°No, come to mine!¡± It was incredibly annoying. Once Hyrkan snapped his hand out of one, another grabbed his wrist and asked him to join his guild. Although most players received similar treatment, it was much more intense for Hyrkan. ¡®What, do I have ¡®pushover¡¯ written on my face? Why does this always happen to me?¡¯ Hyrkan was used to such treatment, but it always left him with an unpleasant feeling. In VR games, looks and physique were unimportant. Being treated so poorly with that being the case¡­ in a way, it was truly a talent. In any case, by the time Hyrkan arrived at the Magician Class Tower, his once happy expression had turned sour. ¡®If only it were the old me¡­ they would all be in the grave by now.¡¯ Grumble grumble. Like chewing gum, Hyrkan kept complaining to himself. The reason he came to the Class Tower was evident. Free skill! In Warlord, players received a free Normal-rank skill every 10 levels. In Hyrkan¡¯s case, he received the Skeleton Fragment at level 1 and Demon Curse at level 10. It was the standard necromancer skill tree. Of course, the skill he needed to get at level 20 was decided as well. Bone Armor. It was a level 20 skill that required the Skeleton Fragment skill of at least E rank to learn. It was an all-purpose skill that could be used on both himself and his Skeleton Warriors. Most importantly, it was a necessary skill to learn for his future. Skeleton Fragment at level 1, Bone Armor at level 20, and Skeleton Magician at level 30. Only after those skills became a certain rank could Golem Summoning be learned at level 40. ¡®I¡¯ll have to buy curse magic through skill books¡­¡¯ As such, Hyrkan could only obtain curse magic trough skill books. However, curse magic was widespread to the point a separate class of curse magicians existed. As such, skill books were immensely costly. ¡®Tsk. Money is the best alright.¡¯ Thanks to his recent investments, Hyrkan had to count his food cost in 100 won units. Buying skill books were simply impossible for Hyrkan. Hyrkan shook his head. ¡ï¡ï¡ï [You obtained the Bone Armor skill.] After getting Bone Armor, Hyrkan immediately headed to Bangtz Castle¡¯s Subjugation Association Branch. When he arrived, guild recruiters began to irritate Hyrkan as if it was the most natural thing to do. This time, however, Hyrkan¡¯s face remained unchanged. He maintained his serious expression until he stepped inside the Subjugation Association Branch. ¡®The once in a lifetime opportunity is here.¡¯ This matter was much more important than the free skill. ¡®I have to form a relationship with Ahimbree.¡¯ It was important to obtain a skill book from Ahimbree, but Hyrkan didn¡¯t want to end their relationship there. He wanted to receive further quests from Ahimbree. Warlord¡¯s NPCs were passive. Before players asked them directly, NPCs would rarely seek out players for help. If Hyrkan wanted something from Ahimbree, he had to understand what Ahimbree wanted and dig into it. He had to understand the meaning of each and every word he spoke. It was something Hyrkan wasn¡¯t confident about. Although Hyrkan was one hell of a fighter, he was less than average in the art of conversation. If Warlord were a game like reality and NPCs were shrewd like humans, Hyrkan would have a huge problem on his hands. ¡®Alright.¡¯ After resolving himself, Hyrkan waited for his turn at the Subjugation Association¡¯s counter. ¡°Would anyone like to join a level 25 Rare quest?¡± ¡°We¡¯re looking for a magician to quest with!¡± As always, the Subjugation Association had a market-like atmosphere. When his turn came in this disorderly place, Hyrkan spoke to the NPC at the counter. ¡°I came here on Sir Botan¡¯s recommendation. He told me to show you this letter.¡± The NPC smiled in response. ¡°Please go up to the 7th floor.¡± The situation progressed in a breeze. As soon as Hyrkan was told to do so, he headed to the staircase to head to the 7th floor. In front of the staircase leading up were NPCs standing guard. Hyrkan showed them Hotan¡¯s recommendation letter, and they immediately made way. Then, when Hyrkan was about to head up. ¡°Huh? Why are you blocking me?¡± ¡°We need an authentication.¡± ¡°Authentication? Didn¡¯t he just pass by? What authentication?¡± ¡°That man is my friend. We¡¯re together.¡± It became loud where Hyrkan passed by. The few players that were tailing Hyrkan were stopped by the NPCs. As soon as Hyrkan heard their voices, he knit his brows. ¡®There are hyenas no matter where you go.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a particularly nice sound. If other players seemed to be doing something special, these hyena-like players tailed them and tried to steal it from them. It went without saying that their sound wasn¡¯t pleasant to anyone. When their plans went awry, these people didn¡¯t hesitate to PK. They were sensitive to the smell of profit, and they didn¡¯t hesitate to turn to violence and ill-mannered play to get their ways. ¡®Guys like those are the most dangerous.¡¯ Leaving behind the Hyenas¡¯ cries, Hyrkan headed up to the 7th floor. A hallway, filled with several doors, appeared in front of him. As he passed by each door, Hyrkan read the words written on the door. ¡®Ahimbree!¡¯ Once he found the word he was looking for, he stopped and knocked on the door. Knock, knock, screech! As soon as Hyrkan knocked, the door opened, and a 360 square feet office met his gaze. ¡®What a mess.¡¯ In what couldn¡¯t be called a large office, numerous books and documents were littered around the floor. Like Hyrkan described, the room was a total mess, going past the point of just being cramped. To exaggerate a little, there was only enough space for a single person to pass through, and at the end of that space was a desk and a bearded man seemingly in his mid-40s. The man was staring at Hyrkan, looking past the glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. Hyrkan immediately bent down on his waist and introduced himself. ¡°My name is Hyrkan.¡± ¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m meeting THE Ahimbree.¡¯ Ahimbree. He was someone Hyrkan had only seen in videos. That was how hard it was to see him. It wasn¡¯t possible to film NPCs in private spaces like the room Hyrkan was currently in. As such, only when Ahimbree made a public appearance could players have the chance to see his face. However, he was an incredible expert incomparable to ordinary players. He rarely came out to the public. Simply put, if he ever came out, he would solve whatever problem he needed to by himself. There was nothing for players to do. ¡°I heard you¡¯re here on Hotan¡¯s recommendation.¡± When Hyrkan finished his greeting and stood back up, the conversation began. ¡°Yes.¡± Hyrkan walked up to him and handed him the recommendation letter. After reading the letter, Ahimbree stored it in his desk drawer. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re quite skilled. I know Hotan¡¯s standards are rather high.¡± ¡°He only favored me a little.¡± ¡°Just because Hotan favored you, there¡¯s no reason for me to do the same, don¡¯t you agree?¡± As soon as Ahimbree asked, ¡°Of course.¡± Hyrkan nodded his head and smoothly continued the conversation. ¡°If you just give me a chance, I will prove to you my skill and potential.¡± Hyrkan spoke very straightforwardly. If he acted this way in the real world, he would receive suspicious glares first and foremost. However, to Warlord¡¯s NPCs, such to-the-point straightforwardness worked. Otherwise, one¡¯s data would remain in the NPC¡¯s database for a few hours, then get erased. That¡¯s how difficult it was to establish a relationship with NPCs. Having played Warlord for so long, Hyrkan knew this better than anybody else. Of course, Hyrkan¡¯s actions worked. As he stared at Hyrkan, Ahimbree made a devilish smile, one clear enough to be seen through his shaggy beard. ¡°My standards are incomparably higher compared to Hotan¡¯s.¡± ¡°If I cannot meet your expectations, I can only blame myself.¡± ¡°The smell of a black magician is heavy on you.¡± With that, Ahimbree knocked on his desk two times. Then, a book rose up from the pile of books and flew towards Hyrkan like a butterfly. Hyrkan grabbed the book and examined its cover. [Madness Helm] Hyrkan tilted his head. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ He had never heard of the name before. It wasn¡¯t anywhere in the list of skills provided by Helgen. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have too much time to ponder. ¡°That is a present from Hotan. That will be the end of that.¡± [The quest, ¡®Ahimbree¡¯s Teachings¡¯, has been completed.] ¡°Now begins my talk. I am only looking for one type of people right now, and that is someone to fight against the Power of Corruption.¡± [The quest, ¡®Nested Egg¡¯, begins.] The successive sound of alerts caused Hyrkan to clench his fist inside his mind. ¡®This is what I love about Warlord. It doesn¡¯t throw any underhanded tricks at you.¡± However, Hyrkan¡¯s happiness did not last long. ¡°You only have one chance. If you can¡¯t pass this test, it will be difficult for you to ever meet me again. By the way, of the ones who have come to see me on Hotan¡¯s recommendations, only 19 have passed my test.¡± ¡®Huh?¡¯ Ahimbree¡¯s statement meant 19 others had passed the test ahead of him. Also, although 19 had passed his test, at least twice that number should have tried for the test. ¡®Damn.¡¯ There was no way Hyrkan wouldn¡¯t know what this meant. ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll be stepping on a tail.¡¯ Chapter 27 : Ahimbree (2) Chapter 27 : Ahimbree (2) [Bone Armor] ¨C Proficiency: Rank F ¨C Summonable Parts: Breastplate ¨C Use: Register a personal sign. Execute the sign to activate the spell. [Madness Helm] ¨C Proficiency: Rank F ¨C Summonable Helm Count: 1 ¨C Use: Draw a seal on the target¡¯s head. Chant to activate the spell. Sitting on the staircase leading up to the Subjugation Association Branch building and checking the skills he just received, Hyrkan looked incredibly shabby. It was as if he had just been kicked out of his house. However, unlike his shabby appearance, Hyrkan¡¯s eyes were shining with excitement stronger than ever before. ¡®Madness Helm, this skill¡­¡¯ As he had known about Bone Armor beforehand, there was nothing to be surprised about. What made Hyrkan so excited was none other than the skill given by Ahimbree, Madness Helm. ¡®At just F-rank, it has a 1.2 times stat increase?¡¯ Madness Helm. Hyrkan had never heard of the skill before, even before returning to the past. It was part of the necromancer summon skill-tree, meaning it was non-mainstream. Plus, it could only be obtained through Ahimbree, and the skill book became bounded to the owner, unable to be traded. It wasn¡¯t too surprising that it was unrecognizable. ¡®Some of Rich Lich¡¯s summons were wearing odd helmets¡­ is this that?¡¯ Of course, Hyrkan had probably taken a glimpse of the skill before in videos. It was just that he would not have been able to recognize it. In any case, its effect was amazing. Any summons equipped with Madness Helm would have its stats increased by 1.2 times. Not many buff skills had such high increase at just F-rank proficiency. ¡®I wonder how high it will be at A-rank.¡¯ Necromancer¡¯s summons could not receive beneficiary skills from priests. As such, necromancers had to rely on their buff skills and debuff skills to fight. Moreover, buff skills were much more valuable than items. ¡®The problem will be in actual battles.¡¯ It was a good skill. The only concern was that Skeleton Warriors equipped with Madness Helm would go mad as the skill name implied, and fight as they wanted. If that were the case, Hyrkan would have a hard time making a decision on whether to use it or not. That said, it did not change the fact that it was a good skill. ¡®That¡¯s that.¡¯ Hyrkan turned off the skill window. Then, he immediately checked his new quest using his watch. [Nested Egg] ¨C Quest Rank: Unique ¨C Quest Level Range: None ¨C Quest Content: Find an egg in a nest. ¨C Quest Reward: None ¡®God¡­¡¯ It was an extremely bland quest. In fact, it was too bland that Hyrkan didn¡¯t know where to start. Hyrkan¡¯s held out his lips like a bird¡¯s beak as his expression turned sullen. ¡®Warlord really knows no limits.¡¯ Warlord¡¯s quests were often like this. As quest rewards and quest importance increased, quest content went past the level of being unkind to the level of making players go insane. In a way, it was to balance out the game. Warlord had an enormous player base. With players shared information online, their information power was just too strong. If this information were carefully controlled, even the most difficult quest became easy. Only when the quest content seemed as impossible as this one, did players truly call a quest ¡®hard.¡¯ Hyrkan clicked his tongue twice and ended his dissatisfaction with the quest there. It was not the first time he had done a quest like this. There was no need to complain at this point. Moreover, the problem Hyrkan had to face now was not the Madness Helm skill nor the Nested Egg quest. ¡®The problem now are those tigers waiting outside.¡¯ Ahimbree was one of Warlord¡¯s core NPCs. He even played a vital role in the Corrupt Count scenario quest, which was a hot issue for even the Top 30 Guilds and Warlord veterans. It was not rare for guilds to station observers around important NPCs like Ahimbree. It wasn¡¯t something that happened in most games, but in Warlord, a game where an enormous amount of money was involved, it was different. Most importantly, spying, stalking, and blackmailing were not crimes in Warlord. There was no risk involved in doing such things. ¡®I can¡¯t run away either since there¡¯s only one exit.¡¯ After thinking about it for a little, Hyrkan stood up as if he had come to a decision and brushed the dust off his butt. ¡®It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to get an answer just by sitting here. Plus, they won¡¯t know I met with Ahimbree.¡¯ Hyrkan climbed down the staircase. ¡ï¡ï¡ï The moment Hyrkan came down to the crowded 1st floor, a few players that had been monitoring the stairs stood up. They were the hyenas that had tried to follow Hyrkan in before. Hyrkan also noticed their presence. ¡®Hmph, a bunch of idiots looking for a free lunch.¡¯ Hyrkan had no intention of giving them any information for free. Most importantly, PK was banned within the Subjugation Association. The moment a fight broke out, Subjugation Association NPCs would make their move. Only a few players in the entirety of Warlord could be their match at this point. The real problem would be when he stepped outside the town. Even so, any mediocre experts would only be a sacrifice for Hyrkan. At Hyrkan¡¯s current state of level 20, his current PK battle ability was peerless. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to want others to provoke him once he stepped outside the castle. ¡°Move.¡± At that moment, a lion made his appearance through the pack of hyenas. ¡°What?¡± It was a rough entrance, as the man grabbed the shoulder of the player following Hyrkan and jerked him backward. The one on the receiving end couldn¡¯t feel happy about it. Of course, if he were wise, he would understand the difference in strength stat by noticing how easily he was pulled backward. However, such a wise and skillful player wouldn¡¯t be left to stand watch at the Subjugation Association, wasting his valuable time and scheming to eat others¡¯ leftovers. The player who was pulled back scowled, glaring at the player who pulled him by his shoulder. Their eyes met. Then¡­ ¡°Fuck off.¡± An uninterested sound came out. The speaker was a man with a small stature, only about 160cm in height. However, his armor was a different story. It was an armor seemingly made of white snake scales. From the helmet all the way down to the boots, the man was adorned with a full set of armor made from the same material. What stood out the most were the decorations on the shoulders. The decorations were snake heads, making the armor¡¯s wearer look like his shoulders were coming out of the snakes¡¯ mouths. It was an undoubtedly impressive design. With just a glimpse, one would be unable to forget it easily. Because of this, the few players who had seen the armor before easily recognized the identity of the items. ¡®White Mamba set!¡¯ White Mamba. It was a level 80 boss monster that had been killed just 4 weeks ago. To kill this 40-meter-long snake with huge, white scales, three guilds had cooperated with each other. The live raid sold over 300,000 tickets. Although the ticket cost was on the cheaper side, it was still a fine amount. Also, as expected from a large-sized boss monster, the White Mamba dropped large amounts of crafting coins. Afterward, one of Warlord¡¯s famous item designers personally designed 22 full armor sets. One entire armor set was 50 million won! Moreover, it had a level requirement of at least 70. It wasn¡¯t something made to be sold to ordinary players. It was a luxury item meant to be owned by a small minority. It was equivalent to a tiger¡¯s stripes or a lion¡¯s mane in wildlife. Hyenas could only waggle their tails the moment they saw it. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± The hyena who had wanted to pick a fight immediately lowered its tail, and the surrounding gaze concentrated on the man. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a White Mamba set?¡± ¡°A level 70+ player? Whoa!¡± There was no way a high-level player, especially one comparable to a Ranker, wouldn¡¯t draw the attention of everyone nearby. In such situation, the man in the White Mamba set approached Hyrkan. ¡°Let me borrow a bit of your time.¡± It was a request Hyrkan couldn¡¯t refuse. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Their conversation was short. ¡°In what floor did you receive your quest?¡± ¡°The 3rd floor. Why?¡± ¡°What kind of quest did you receive?¡± ¡°Why would I hand over my valuable quest information to you for free?¡± ¡°Are you part of a guild?¡± ¡°Do I have an obligation to tell you? Why should I tell you that? What if you¡¯re from a different guild?¡± Hyrkan had already prepared for such a situation. Although he didn¡¯t expect a level 70+ player to come, it wasn¡¯t enough to cause him to panic. Hyrkan knew what he had to do. ¡®From this moment on, I have never met or seen Ahimbree. I¡¯m just a regular player who coincidentally obtained a quest here.¡¯ Hyrkan had two choices. First was to pretend he was part of a guild, while the other was to pretend he knew absolutely nothing. At first, he planned to use the former. The hyenas easily went away once they heard guild names they recognized. However, once a level 70+ player appeared, Hyrkan had no choice but to go with the other plan. After all, if he sold a guild¡¯s name and he had some relationship to that guild, he would have been in trouble. In any case, what was important was that Hyrkan could not let anyone find out he contacted Ahimbree. ¡®Ahimbree is currently playing a vital role in the Corrupt Count scenario. If anyone found out I was related to him, they would resort to any means to grab onto my tail.¡¯ Ahimbree was important enough for guild executives to go so far as to mess with a single player. Thus, once people began doubting Hyrkan, things would become incomparably more annoying. ¡®Anyways, who¡¯s this?¡¯ On the other hand, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but wonder who he was talking to. The face behind the helmet wasn¡¯t one Hyrkan recognized. The White Mamba set required a certain level of money and connection to obtain. A level 70+ user with such set should be a Ranker class, but Hyrkan had no recollection of the man¡¯s face. Suddenly, the man put out his hand. ¡°Sorry for taking your time. Excuse me.¡± The hand he offered for a shake was none other than his left hand, which Hyrkan grabbed with a face full of irritation. ¡°You did all this just to shake my hand? What, does being high-leveled give you some sort of authority? Next time you do this, I¡¯m going to take a video and upload it. I¡¯ll let you go this time.¡± After shaking his hand for a bit, Hyrkan let go. ¡°Then I¡¯m leaving. That¡¯s it, right?¡± The man only stared silently. ¡ï¡ï¡ï The moment Hyrkan left the scene, another player approached the man in the White Mamba set. It was a female player giving off a masculine aura. Wearing a magician¡¯s robe, the woman stared where Hyrkan had left. ¡°Looks like he¡¯s unrelated to Ahimbree.¡± ¡°At the very least, he hasn¡¯t played Warlord for long. If he did, he wouldn¡¯t have accepted my left-hand shake so easily.¡± With that, the man brushed off his left hand as if he had touched something dirty. ¡°What a waste of time. I came all the way out here thinking I was called for something important.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Does it even matter anymore? The Corrupt Count quest is going to end soon. Plus, someone with the Rising Star title who passed Ahimbree¡¯s test hasn¡¯t appeared in 3 months. There won¡¯t be any more. Even if one did come out, it¡¯s too late at this point. It won¡¯t¡­ have any effect on the flow of things. There¡¯s no need to recruit anyone new.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll fill out the report, so let¡¯s go back to our usual spot.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°See you later then.¡± After finishing up their conversation, the two of them immediately left the scene. Far off in the distance, someone had been watching the two attentively. ¡®There was another one?¡¯ It was Hyrkan who had been hiding in secret. After pretending to leave, he immediately headed to a spot where he could observe the man. There, he saw one become two, and two become zero. ¡®Seeing as how he baited me with his left hand, those fuckers are something.¡¯ The moment the man in the White Mamba set offered a handshake with his left hand, Hyrkan knew. He wasn¡¯t normal. Long time Warlord players didn¡¯t shake hands with their left. They felt an instinctive repulsion at the thought of someone nearing their watch. Even if they did, they hesitated. They would first observe the other party to figure out their intentions. Left hand handshakes weren¡¯t normal in the first place. Handshakes were usually done with the right. Not unless the person was a Jimmy Hendrix fan. ¡®Who are they?¡¯ In any case, Hyrkan offered him his left hand to understand his intentions and to show his inexperience. Only someone who had played the game for an extremely long time like Hyrkan could make such a split second decision. However, this was only the beginning of Hyrkan¡¯s concern. ¡®If I were to continue Ahimbree¡¯s quest, I might run into them again¡­¡¯ Although he had passed by the situation, if he were to run into them in the future, he wouldn¡¯t be so lucky. Then should he abandon Ahimbree¡¯s test? ¡®Hmph.¡¯ Of course not. ¡®Whatever. I¡¯m going to have deal with those fuckers just now or the other fuckers later anyways.¡¯ If he were to run away after being intimidated, he wouldn¡¯t have chosen to walk the path of solo play. Moreover, Ahimbree¡¯s test was something he had to pass. The merit was just too big to give up. ¡®I can only go for it. Even if I fail, I¡¯ll try at the very least.¡¯ Chapter 28 : Ahimbree (3) Chapter 28 : Ahimbree (3) ¡°Nest, nest, nest.¡± Looking up information on his tablet PC, An Jaehyun sipped on his coffee. Thanks to the caffeine, An Jaehyun¡¯s slow head began to roll. ¡®So there¡¯s 3 potential areas.¡¯ Bring an egg from a nest! Although it sounded like an absurd quest, An Jaehyun had his ways from his long time experience with Warlord. First, he narrowed down the potential areas. Ahimbree was currently staying in Bangtz Castle. Then, it was likely that the quest area was located near Bangtz Castle. From here, the words ¡®egg¡¯ and ¡®nest¡¯ were extremely helpful hints. The target monster was likely to be birds, reptiles, or insects. ¡°Cave Snake Cliff, Lizard Swamp, Sawtooth Ant Tunnel.¡± Amongst numerous hunting grounds near Bangtz Castle, only three fit the requirements. Of course, these were only the known hunting grounds, and it is possible for there to be hidden hunting grounds. In the first place, players did not disclose the best hunting grounds to the public. Whether it be guilds or players, they used whatever means necessary to monopolize good hunting grounds. Luckily, An Jaehyun already knew where to go. ¡®Cave Snakes are over level 50, and you have to be around level 40 to hunt Sawtooth Ants.¡¯ The Cave Snake Cliff was a level 50 hunting ground, and the Sawtooth Ant Tunnel was a level 40 hunting ground. Even if one of them was Ahimbree¡¯s testing place, An Jaehyun couldn¡¯t do anything about it now. Then, there was only one choice left. ¡®It has to be the Lizard Swamp.¡¯ Lizard Swamp. That would be his next destination. It was a place a level 30 monster called Green Lizards appeared. The hunting ground itself wasn¡¯t bad. Given An Jaehyun¡¯s abilities, although Lizard Warriors may be difficult, Green Lizards weren¡¯t a problem. Plus, lizards weren¡¯t monsters players preferred. They were rather difficult to kill for average players. This was because they fought like human beings, just like werewolves. Not only that, but they also carried weapons and wore armors. It was possible to kill them if need be, but no players went out of their way to make it more difficult for themselves. On the other hand, they were good targets if one knew the hunting method and had the skills to back it up. Even if it weren¡¯t for a test, it would have been a fine hunting ground for An Jaehyun. As such, it could be said that he was killing two birds with one stone. He would be leveling up and investigating the quest. The problem was filming. ¡®If it was Ahimbree¡¯s quest area¡­¡¯ Any videos from the Lizard Swamp hunting ground was likely to be investigated. Also, Hyrkan had already revealed receiving the Rising Star title through his video. Someone confirmed to have the Rising Star title appearing at what¡¯s expected to be Ahimbree¡¯s testing ground? It was a good scenario to be suspected. Even back then, An Jaehyun only slid by because he was wearing the Subjugation Association¡¯s default clothes. If he were wearing his hahoe mask, he would have been suspected whether he accepted the left handshake or not. ¡°Damn.¡± ¡®Those shitheads are making this harder than it has to be.¡¯ In truth, An Jaehyun had not expected to be worrying about such things. He was fine with hyenas. In fact, it would have been stranger for there to be no hyenas considering the scale of the quest he was doing. However, what was on his tail weren¡¯t hyenas. What was worse was that An Jaehyun didn¡¯t know whether they were lions or tigers. ¡®Who are they?¡¯ One thing was for sure; they were predators. ¡®White Mamba set¡­ there¡¯s no way he¡¯s just a high-leveled player. He has to be a Ranker.¡¯ But he didn¡¯t know what species they were. It wasn¡¯t just because An Jaehyun couldn¡¯t remember them. Looking at just the options, it would be hard to say that the White Mamba set was an incomparably amazing set. However, 3 guilds had collaborated to kill the White Mamba, and a famous designer had been hired to make the set. Same bags would have different pricing if one had a brand name logo on it. Usually, items like these weren¡¯t sold at a known price. Guilds would give out these items as presents to their sponsors or friends, or they would keep it as a symbolic uniform. In other words, it was easy to trace back. However, that man couldn¡¯t be traced back. Someone wearing such a pompous set didn¡¯t leave any trace of himself online. If he came from a famous guild, An Jaehyun could relax and act accordingly, but it wasn¡¯t the case now. That was why An Jaehyun was so excessively cautious. His intuition was telling him so. ¡®There¡¯s no way someone who tests people like that has a clean background.¡¯ If he were part of the Top 30 Guilds or forces that rivaled them, he wouldn¡¯t have acted as he had. He would have revealed his guild and offered up a trade. Even that should have been done by a messenger, not a Ranker. High-level players invested most of their playtime in hunting. It was a waste of time to talk and negotiate with suspicious players. ¡®There¡¯s no way he¡¯s from the Top 30 Guilds. I¡¯ve never seen any of the Top 30 Guilds act like that.¡¯ From An Jaehyun¡¯s standards, he wasn¡¯t from the Top 30 Guilds. ¡®He¡¯s part of some organization, though¡­¡¯ But he was sure that he was part of an organization. The other player who had been hiding while Hyrkan was talking was proof. With those unfit to be part of Warlord¡¯s world going after him, An Jaehyun¡¯s headaches were only justified. Irritated, An Jaehyun scratched his head. ¡°Damn it.¡± ¡®Why do I have to worry about this? I have enough on my hands with just the game alone. I¡¯m going to go crazy because of bitches like that Choi Sulyeon. Where did these weird shitheads come from?¡¯ Nothing is easy in this world. An Jaehyun once again remembered the saying. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Lizard Swamp. This hunting ground that most players avoided was located north of Bangtz Castle. Based on travel speed of most players, it was situated about 5 hours away. It wasn¡¯t a short distance. No one was interested in doing a cross country run without actual gaming. It was the same for Hyrkan. It wasn¡¯t likely to run into a pleasant surprise just because he rushed to the Lizard Swamp. It was better to take care of things on the way there. ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± Hyrkan¡¯s current action of fiddling with a Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head was also part of ¡®taking care of things on the way there.¡¯ ¡®So I just have to draw it here?¡¯ After messing around with the head for a little bit, Hyrkan used magic. He drew a cross-shaped seal on the back of a Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head, and the cross made its appearance with a scarlet glow. The seal? ¡®Next, I have to activate the magic.¡¯ It was, of course, the Unique magic skill, Madness Helm. After drawing the seal, Hyrkan slapped the Skeleton Warrior on the back of its head. The Skeleton Warrior then stepped forward, scratching its head as it stared at Hyrkan. At that moment, Whoosh! Hyrkan¡¯s left fist flew like an arrow towards the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head. It was a perfect jab. Delivered with absolute conciseness, it looked as if his fist moved separately from his body. Hyrkan didn¡¯t just throw a jab. He stepped forward and closed their distance as he did. Even so, the Skeleton Warrior tilted its head and dodged the jab. As it did, the Skeleton Warrior immediately distanced itself from Hyrkan. Watching this happen, Hyrkan let out a light smile. ¡®I know I¡¯m the one who taught it, but it grew well.¡¯ In the past, it would simply get hit. Even if it did dodge, it only dodged the jab. Now, however, it even distanced itself and prepared for the next to come. Not to mention, Hyrkan¡¯s blows were much faster than when he was level 10. Being able to react to such a fast attack showed how far it had come. It was the result of Hyrkan training them for over 30 minutes every day. Next problem. ¡®Will it maintain its evasion even with the Madness Helm buff?¡¯ One could tell from just its name that Madness Helm was far from the word ¡®calm.¡¯ Once a Skeleton Warrior received this buff, even a complete newbie would guess that it would turn aggressive. For most summons, excessive aggression was a merit. However, it was different for Hyrkan¡¯s summons. It was fine to turn aggressive, but it had to maintain Hyrkan¡¯s teachings. If it were only aggressive, it would have gone back to square one. ¡°Helm On.¡± Hyrkan chanted. Immediately afterward, the scarlet seal on the back of the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head glowed. Crack! Along with a strange sound, two horns the size of adult male¡¯s fists sprouted out from the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head. The blue flames in its eyes also turned red as they grew. The flames blazed, seemingly about to burst out of its eyes at any moment. Finally, the Skeleton Warrior opened its mouth. It looked like it couldn¡¯t control its blood boiling, though such a thing should be impossible. Watching the Skeleton Warrior, Hyrkan smiled. Then, he pulled out his sword from the scabbard on his waist. Ching! With the sound of a sword being pulled out, Hyrkan charged towards the Skeleton Warrior with all his power. He closed the distance in one breath and swung his sword with the intent of severing the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head. Swish! The sword made a crescent trace as it swung through the air. The Skeleton Warrior dodged the swing by lightly tilting its head back. Hyrkan didn¡¯t watch the scene. The moment the Skeleton Warrior tilted its head back, Hyrkan used the swing¡¯s centrifugal force to spin his body. Using his left foot as a pivot, his right leg drew a circle. Hyrkan¡¯s right foot approached the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s body with a heavy sound. Whish! The Skeleton Warrior dodged the spinning back round kick by bending its body backward. After tilting its head and bending its body backward, the Skeleton Warrior straightened the bow-bent body once again. Watching this, Hyrkan stopped his movements. ¡®Oh?¡¯ What entered Hyrkan¡¯s eyes was the appearance of a Skeleton Warrior that did not falter back and stood its ground. ¡®It won¡¯t back off?¡¯ Knowing no retreat on a battlefield*. [TN: Korean idiom] Although it would evade attacks, the Skeleton Warrior was determined never to retreat. Watching this, a big smile appeared on Hyrkan¡¯s face. ¡®This could be useful¡­¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï As the popularity of Warlord increased, its guilds, including the Top 30 Guilds, struggled to recruit more people. With this shortage of manpower, it went without saying that guilds raced to recruit promising players. [TN: ¡®promising player¡¯ here and in other places is the same word used for the ¡®Rising Star¡¯ in the Rising Star title.] Lately, the competition to recruit these ¡®promising players¡¯ was fiercer than ever. What caused this were the words ¡®1 year anniversary.¡¯ In Warlord, it was difficult for latecomers to catch up to the front-runners. In such situation, the words ¡®1 year anniversary¡¯ served as a mental cutline. It is impossible for anyone starting after the 1 year anniversary to catch up to the Rankers! Such was what all Rankers believed. In other words, promising players recruited before this 1 year anniversary were the last rookies who could challenge the Rankers. Such was the background story behind why Choi Sulyeon was currently looking through a list of players with potential. She looked over the selected players¡¯ battle videos and history. Most were players who were known to be skilled in other games and had now gotten used to VR games. Their talent and potential couldn¡¯t be called bad. However. ¡°There¡¯s over 10 million people in the VR game world now. How come there isn¡¯t a single useful one?¡¯ Choi Sulyeon was unsatisfied with the list of promising players. She didn¡¯t look satisfied either. In truth, it wasn¡¯t her job to go over promising players one by one. Although she watched YouTube videos from time to time, it was more for a change of pace than for recruiting promising players. With that being the case, she couldn¡¯t be happy with the current situation. No one entered her eyes. Looking for a gem in a pile of stones was only worthwhile if a gem was found. With nothing but stones, it was hard to find the motivation. In response to Choi Sulyeon¡¯s thorny complaint, her secretary, Park Suji, quickly worked her brain. ¡®Young miss is more annoyed than usual. She must have a standard in mind.¡¯ As a secretary of 5 years, Park Suji quickly figured out Choi Sulyeon¡¯s mind. ¡°Is there someone you have in mind?¡± At her question, Choi Sulyeon knit her brows. Did she have someone in mind? She did. Except, the skilled players in her mind belonged to other guilds. Desiring them was no different than desiring bread within a painting. The money wasn¡¯t the problem. Amongst the Top 30 Guilds was a gentleman¡¯s agreement. At the core of this agreement was player transfer. It was fine if it was something both sides wanted, but a one-sided theft meant war. But other than these skilled players, there was no one she had in mind. No¡­ ¡®What was it?¡¯ She remembered a face. No, it was hard to say ¡®face.¡¯ After all, she had never seen his face. There was only one thing she knew. ¡°Hahoe mask.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Park Suji tilted her head, while Choi Sulyeon finally understood the cause of her irritation. ¡°There¡¯s a guy wearing a hahoe mask who uploads videos to YouTube. Look him up. Get rid of the data for these other guys.¡± Hahoe mask. With just one clue, Park Suji nodded her head. ¡°Yes, miss.¡± ¡°By the way, did the Helpers respond yet?¡± ¡°No, not yet.¡± ¡°What an amazing bunch. The audacity on those guys¡­ oh well, we¡¯ll contact them first. Ask them exactly when and who they¡¯ll dispatch. We¡¯ve got a raid soon, so get an answer as soon as possible. If they¡¯re late, you can threaten them with my name.¡± ¡°Yes, miss.¡± ¡°Also, I¡¯m going to work out in 30 minutes so tell the trainer to get ready. I¡¯ll eat afterward, what¡¯s the menu?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Korean beef steak salad. The coffee is the Jamaica Blue Mountain you wanted.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± That¡¯s all. With that, Choi Sulyeon¡¯s complexion changed. She made serious, grave expression. ¡°The President?¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t said anything.¡± Hasn¡¯t said anything. Hearing that, a slight smile came out of her stiff expression. ¡°Looks like father and mother aren¡¯t saying anything since Warlord¡¯s getting so popular. Feels like just yesterday they tried to force me into marriage just because I was spending some money on a game.¡± After reminiscing for a bit, Choi Sulyeon got up from her seat. As she was wearing her thin pajamas, her glamorous, model-like figure showed. Seeing her figure and look, her secretary, Park Suji, felt envy from the bottom of her heart. ¡®Life sure is unfair. I don¡¯t know who it¡¯s going to be, but whoever marries the miss in the future must have saved a country in his past life.¡¯ Chapter 29 : Lizard Swamp (1) Chapter 29 : Lizard Swamp (1) No players hated easy-to-hunt, experience-rich, and item-rewarding monsters. However, players naturally flocked to hunting grounds where monsters like these spawned. For Warlord, which had difficulty incomparable to those of normal console or PC games, it was much worse. Furthermore, Warlord¡¯s death penalty was greater than in normal games. It was only natural for players to choose safe and easy hunting grounds. But once one experienced being in a hunting ground where there were more players than monsters, and experienced getting into conflict with another party over a monster, a thought must have crossed his mind. That rather than just looking at other players, it¡¯d be better to hunt in unpopular areas. Of course, when such thought was carried to action, most ended up seeing blood. ¡°Fuck! I told you, we shouldn¡¯t have come here!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who suggested it!¡± Two players currently crossing a swamp was exactly in such a situation. They weren¡¯t originally two. No parties came to hunting grounds with only two. If there was such a case, one or two members must have died, and the two remaining must be on the run. Having lost their friends, no good words came out of the mouths of the two players running away. ¡°What kind of a hunting ground is this? Fuck!¡± ¡°Can you stop saying ¡®fuck¡¯? Do you need to say that in every sentence?¡± ¡°What? Want to fight?¡± In a situation where foul language went back and forth, it was only natural for a fight to break out. In that sense, the Lizard Swamp served as a good hunting ground for party members to reaffirm their relationships. Lizard Swamp was a level 30 hunting ground where Green Lizardmen spawned. However, players ranked Lizard Swamp as a late level 30 to an early level 40 hunting ground. There were two reasons for its high difficulty rating. First, Lizardmen were hard monsters to hunt. As they walked on two legs and carried swords, they were a vastly different type of monster from the usual. That said, they didn¡¯t fight like humans either. As such, no one had any experience with their fighting style. One could only experience fighting with monsters like Lizardmen in VR games like Warlord. The second reason was the nature of the swamp environment. In swamps, it¡¯s much harder to fight or to run away. If a battle didn¡¯t go as planned, the entire situation quickly became worse. For this reason, tank-type players were much more prone to dying in swamps. However, setting aside these two reasons, the attack, defense, and stamina of Lizardmen weren¡¯t particularly higher than normal. In other words, if one had the experience and ability to deal with these problems, the Lizard Swamp would be a good hunting ground. ¡®Is this the next point?¡¯ Hyrkan checked the ground as he rolled his ankle. The ground only left a light footprint, proving its hardness. ¡®Alright, here¡¯s point C.¡¯ Hard ground. That was the core idea behind hunting in swamp areas. Rather than thinking of how to fight in swamps, one needed to think about how to get rid of the disadvantageous effects of swamps. Further, it was better to have multiple areas that could do so. Once these areas were found, players would need to plan their activities around them. It was the basics of hunting. Just like how fishermen knew where to fish, players needed to know the best places to hunt. Jumping straight into hunting grounds without knowing where to fight was simply foolish. Players then needed to know how to lure their prey into their areas. In Warlord, it was extremely important to know how to lure monsters. Tanks with excellent luring ability often received special treatment from guilds and parties. With that said, luring was not Hyrkan¡¯s specialty. Luckily, it was easy to aggro Lizardmen. Luring them wouldn¡¯t take extra effort. ¡®What a shame.¡¯ Because of this, Hyrkan felt rather disappointed as he made his preparation in the Lizard Swamp. ¡®If I made a highlight video of me hunting here, I would easily hit 10,000 views.¡¯ Many signs hinted that his fights would be easy. There weren¡¯t many Lizardmen, and there were many areas he could use. It was easy to tell that Lizard Swamp¡¯s difficulty level was exaggerated. Enough conditions were met to make a good video. Even so, Hyrkan had to restrain himself. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I have to suffer so much because of shitheads I don¡¯t know about.¡¯ Hyrkan just did not have the ability to make enemies of famous or high-level players. ¡®Fine.¡¯ He could only hold it in. Of course¡­ ¡®You¡¯re all dead when I become a Ranker.¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t plan on holding himself back forever. He was progressing at an excellent pace. He had the foundations to grow faster than he could have ever imagined in the past. Once he had enough power and ability, everything would change. Thinking about the future, Hyrkan smirked. As he did, he took out and wore his hahoe mask. ¡ï¡ï¡ï A green-scaled Lizardman flickered its tongue as it glared at the enemy in front of it. In front of its eyes stood a Skeleton Warrior with a Lizardman skull. The two only glared at each other with their swords held out in front. They showed no signs of wanting to clash. What urged these two on¡­ Snap snap! Was the sound of finger snaps. Once the sound rang out, the Skeleton Warrior made its move. It held its sword up as it lightly and quickly closed its distance with the Lizardman. Then, it slashed down. Clang! The Lizardman did not hesitate to fend off the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s sword. Immediately after it hit its sword away, the Lizardman swung its sword towards the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s chest. The Skeleton Warrior bent his body back to dodge the attack and began stepping backward to distance itself from the Lizardman. The Lizardman had no plans of letting it get away. It followed the backstepping Skeleton Warrior and swung its sword. In order to block the slash, the Skeleton Warrior swung its sword. Clang! A metallic sound rang out once again as the two swords exchanged blows. Within the metallic sound¡­ ¡°Helm On.¡± A chant was heard. ¡°Bone Armor.¡± Watching the battle, Hyrkan chanted. Then, two horns spouted out of the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s forehead. Its rib cage and spine began to expand, and the previously empty insides of the rib cage began filling in. The Skeleton Warrior transformed, looking as if it was wearing a white plate armor. At the same time, the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s flame eyes turned from blue to red. Its aura changed as well. Unlike before, it stepped forward and began swinging its sword aggressively. Clang, clang! The Lizardman did not dodge this abrupt swarm of attacks. It also swung its sword and fought back. The continuous metallic ringing only stopped when their swords stopped in deadlock. Kiik! The screech of interlocked metal began to fill the surrounding air. In this noise, Hyrkan made his move. In an instant, Hyrkan approached the side of the Lizardman. With a quick motion¡­ Stab! He stabbed his sword into the Lizardman¡¯s scaly skin. Having moved stealthily, there wasn¡¯t much strength in his attack. Even the sword had only penetrated about an inch of the Lizardman¡¯s skin. Taking the Lizardman¡¯s size and skin into account, it was hard to expect much damage from such an attack. However, that was enough. Hyrkan made a satisfactory smile under his hahoe mask. Lizardman reacted to Hyrkan¡¯s attack. Still in a deadlock, it turned its head to glare at Hyrkan. That was it. Although the Lizardman flickered its tongue and glared angrily, that was all it could do. It wasn¡¯t in any situation to attack Hyrkan. In fact, it was a mistake to even turn its head aside. Hyrkan¡¯s sword had been imbued with Demon Curse, and its effect activated immediately. Lizardman¡¯s stats decreased by 10 percent. With the 20 percent buff of Madness Helm, the Skeleton Warrior could fight evenly with the Lizardman. Now that it had lost 10 percent of its stats, the Lizardman was no longer on even footing. Kiiik! The Lizardman¡¯s sword began to be pushed back, and it quickly turned its head back towards the Skeleton Warrior. Stab! Hyrkan once again stabbed his sword into the Lizardman¡¯s side. Ching! At that moment, the Skeleton Warrior pushed aside the Lizardman¡¯s sword. An opportunity arose. Swish! With that, the Skeleton Warrior freely slashed his sword. The sword cut the Lizardman¡¯s shoulder joint, and a deep wound could be seen along with huge amount of blood. Even at this moment, Hyrkan was doing his work. Stab stab! Hyrkan stuck to the Lizardman¡¯s side, continuously stabbing the same spot and digging up the wound. Chrrrr! The Lizardman flickered its tongue as it writhed. Hyrkan then distanced himself while the Skeleton Warrior once again threw its body towards the Lizardman. Now out of battle, Hyrkan summoned another Skeleton Warrior. Then, the fight continued. The Skeleton Warrior under the effect of Madness Helm continued its battle with the Lizardman, while Hyrkan and the newly summoned Skeleton Warrior repeatedly attacked from its flank. The sound of scales being torn, flesh being cut, and bones being scratched rang out in a mix. The sound of the Lizardman¡¯s death began to slowly fill the silent battlefield. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡®1 minute 22 seconds.¡¯ In front of the melting corpse of the Lizardman, Hyrkan checked how long the battle took. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡®I¡¯m amazing, aren¡¯t I?¡¯ The time it took the level 20 Hyrkan to kill the level 30 Lizardman did not exceed 90 seconds. The Lizardman wasn¡¯t a boss monster. It didn¡¯t have high stamina or defense, nor was it a large-type monster. It was a monster a well-coordinated 3-man party could kill in 3 minutes. In other words, Hyrkan¡¯s current battle prowess was well over a well-coordinated 3-man party. Even Hyrkan was surprised. If he had chosen the swordsman class like he did before, he would have needed at least 5 Unique-rank item parts to have the battle power he currently had. Plus, his weapon would have had to be Unique-rank. Furthermore, Hyrkan was practically under no risk during this fight. ¡®I didn¡¯t think Madness Helm and Bone Armor would go so well together.¡¯ It was thanks to his Skeleton Warrior playing a good tank role. Madness Helm turned the summons¡¯ personalities aggressive. There was no such thing as retreat. Thanks to Hyrkan¡¯s training, the Skeleton Warriors showed high close combat evasion, which directly influenced their fighting capabilities. Finally, the Skeleton Warriors acquired defense power through Bone Armor. Thanks to that, Skeleton Warriors took significantly less damage, and, consequently, the amount of mana they used decreased as well. Although Bone Armor¡¯s mana cost wasn¡¯t small, there was still a net mana gain. It would be especially helpful when fighting monsters stronger than Lizardmen. In any case, aiming for the weak points when a tank was holding up a monster was Hyrkan¡¯s specialty. ¡®Best formation complete.¡¯ This was the type of battle Hyrkan wanted. The feeling of everything going as planned made anyone elated. It was the same for Hyrkan. ¡®No need to stop here.¡¯ Occasionally, days like these came. Days when hunting just went so well! It wasn¡¯t a common occurrence. Thus, it was important to make the most out of days like this. ¡®Alright, let¡¯s leave the egg searching for tomorrow. It¡¯s not like I can do anything about it now anyway.¡¯ Hyrkan. He started his Lizard Swamp hunt in full scale. And it didn¡¯t take long for his battles to attract the attention of others. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡°I told you, we shouldn¡¯t have come here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so tired. Unni*, let¡¯s just go back.¡± [TN: Unni is a younger girl calling an older girl; it¡¯s like onee-san.] ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s just go back.¡± This 3-man party was rather unique. It was a party made of only female players. They didn¡¯t look good. The splashes of mud all over them showed that they had their fair share of troubles in the swamp. Other than that, their looks were quite decent. Of course, although faces of Warlord characters deferred greatly from reality, they were still pretty enough to be hit on when they walked down streets. These three were beauties in their own right. ¡°Think of what we went through to get here. We can¡¯t just go back after five Lizardmen. That¡¯s too huge of a loss!¡± At the complaints of two, the third member, who seemed like the leader, raised her voice. ¡°For now, let¡¯s move. Get up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°We¡¯re in a game. How are you tired? Get up!¡± Reluctantly, the two girls stood up, and the party continued walking. In the end, they were able to make a certain discovery. ¡°Wow! Look at him!¡± ¡°Who is he? Wow, he¡¯s so skilled.¡± They stood astonished as they found at a player fighting a Lizardman in an unbelievable battle. Looking at his battle, the party leader¡¯s mouth showed a meaningful smile. ¡°Let¡¯s stick with him. How about it?¡± Like an epidemic, the meaningful smile of the party leader quickly spread to the other two. Chapter 30 : Lizard Swamp (2) Chapter 30 : Lizard Swamp (2) It wasn¡¯t uncommon to run into other players when hunting in an area that isn¡¯t an instance dungeon. It was the same in Warlord. Because Warlord¡¯s land was huge and because its hunting grounds were usually mountains or other wide spaces, it was slightly harder to run into other players. Even so, one could expect to run into others at least three, four times even in the most unpopular hunting grounds. When players met each other in the field, most felt joy before wariness. After tense, exhausting situations caused by continuous battles, players felt a sense of kinship when they met. Depending on the situation, some even chose to join parties and work together. ¡°E-Excuse me!¡± In a hunting ground known to be unpopular, Hyrkan now ran into a group of players. To be exact, he was the one that was approached. ¡°Hello.¡± Hyrkan had recently killed a Lizardman and was currently waiting for it to melt down. Hearing the voice, Hyrkan turned to greet a female player, who he was sure he had never met before. The female player was quite a beauty. The long, straight black hair beauty was the type to easily make men turn their eyes. Hyrkan glanced at her from top to bottom. She wore a shiny, silver armor on top of a dress. Along with her straight black hair and well-designed longsword, it was easy to tell she set her items for design rather than defense. Her fashion was designed to attract other players¡¯ attentions rather than monsters¡¯. Hyrkan moved his gaze behind her. Behind the beautiful swordswoman was a short and cute priestess, and a tall, short-haired magician with foxlike eyes. He could tell that these two also focused their items on fashion. On top of this, it seemed that they went through quite a lot of trouble, as the dirtiness of their clothes caught Hyrkan¡¯s attention. Finishing his observation, Hyrkan came to a conclusion. ¡®The hell is this?¡¯ As Hyrkan slowly moved his sight back¡­ ¡°Have you been hunting here alone?¡± The female player carefully threw a question. In any case, three beauties had approached Hyrkan with interest. It was a rare occurrence. No, the current situation went past the level of rare as such a thing had never happened to him in real life. Of course, there was a time when a girl was interested in him. Except, it wasn¡¯t the good kind of interest. ¡®I am suddenly remembering Choi Sulyeon that bitch.¡¯ It was the first time a girl had been interested in him, and that interest had screwed over his life. Because of this, to Hyrkan, the interest of a beauty was¡­ something he¡¯d rather decline. And so¡­ ¡®What does she want?¡¯ Doubt was the first thing on his mind. First of all, something like the girl blushing and asking for his number was impossible. If she were interested in him as a man, that would be even more dangerous. It wasn¡¯t just because of his appearance. Although he wasn¡¯t handsome, his appearance had nothing to do with it. After all, he was currently wearing his hahoe mask. The problem was his fashion. If she were interested even after seeing his grotesque, avant-garde fashion, it would be best if he never got involved with her. As such, Hyrkan didn¡¯t answer. He only stared at the woman through his hahoe mask. Their eyes met, and when it did, the woman¡¯s mouth bloomed into a flowery smile. ¡°I watched you kill that Lizardman. It was amazing.¡± Hyrkan still did not answer, as the woman continued her praise. ¡°Even a Ranker would be jealous of your skills. I almost fell for you¡­¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Hyrkan spoke for the first time with a question that couldn¡¯t be more indifferent. ¡°Ah, my name is Ilya.¡± At the question, the woman first introduced herself. ¡°And?¡± At her response, Hyrkan cut his answer short. It was a form of intimidation. He would talk less and less if she dragged on. Of course, it wasn¡¯t possible to talk any less than he currently did. Thus, if Ilya kept talking, Hyrkan would ignore her. ¡°Sorry to ask you on our first meeting¡­¡± In the end, she cut straight to her point. ¡°But please help us complete our quest.¡± ¡°Please!¡± The moment Ilya finished her sentence, the short priestess behind her opened her mouth as if to put in a chorus. Also, they showed puppy eyes and sorrowful expression that would easily make men do their bidding. As a man, Hyrkan¡¯s heart also throbbed. However, it wasn¡¯t the throb of interest against the opposite sex. ¡®Are these bitches for real? They¡¯re just asking me if they can leech off me.¡¯ It was something one would run into at least one time in online games. The kind that asked for free rides just because they were pretty girls. To Hyrkan, the whole thing was simply absurd. If one wanted to play with girls in the VR world, it was much better to play dating sims or other adult content. ¡®Is this what the saying, ¡®all good things come to an end,¡¯ means? What is this bullshit trying to get on my nerves?¡¯ In any case, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have an inkling of mind to listen to their request. On top of it being an absurd request, he wasn¡¯t in a good mood. Starting from when he ran into that Ranker-class player at Bangtz Castle to being unable to upload his current hunting videos to YouTube, he was annoyed by many things. When he finally got around to hunting some monsters on a good day, the current situation threw a bucket of cold water on him. Thus, Hyrkan replied from the bottom of his heart. ¡°Fuck off.¡± Hyrkan had no interest in romance, and he was certainly not a gentleman. At Hyrkan¡¯s response, Ilya joined her hands as if to pray and lightly bowed. ¡°Please, just help us out for this quest. We will reward you for sure.¡± Hyrkan simply turned away. He could tell she was the kind in which words didn¡¯t work. In a case like this, it was best just to ignore. He had never heard of someone like this changing. ¡°Wait!¡± Ilya grabbed onto Hyrkan¡¯s shoulder. At that moment, Hyrkan stopped his feet and turned around. Watching Hyrkan with a face full of misery¡­ ¡°Just 10¡­ I beg you. We¡¯ll compensate you for sure. Please help us.¡± Ilya once again beseeched him. If it was possible to cry in-game, bead-like tear drops must have fallen on her cheeks. Staring at her silently for just a moment, Hyrkan opened his tightly shut mouth. ¡°¡­ I just have to help you kill ten?¡± Hearing this, Ilya finally made a full smile. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll kill exactly ten.¡± ¡ï¡ï¡ï Hyrkan vowed to himself. That in this lifetime, he would never trust anyone ever again, and that he would never be with anyone ever again. This vow wasn¡¯t just a bluff to ease his bitter heart. With the knowledge he had, if he sold his pride just a little and decided to enjoy his new life, wealth and honor would have been his. Throwing such a life away, he had made the vow, prepared to walk a path of hardship. ¡®These bitches¡­¡¯ Would he throw away such a vow for a few beauties? It wasn¡¯t impossible, but at the very least, now wasn¡¯t the time. Then why did Hyrkan accept their request? ¡®They¡¯re swans on the outside, but hyenas on the inside.¡¯ He changed his mind the moment his shoulder was grabbed. When Ilya grabbed his shoulder, Hyrkan felt he couldn¡¯t shake off her hand. It meant her strength was higher than Hyrkan¡¯s. Of course, it was expected for Hyrkan¡¯s strength to be lower than a swordsman of his level. Given, the swordsman of the same level wasn¡¯t a tank-type, but a type that went all into strength. In other words, Ilya wasn¡¯t a tank. There was no way Hyrkan didn¡¯t catch what this implied. In a 3-man party, the role of a tank was vital. But a party came to a high-difficulty hunting ground like the Lizard Swamp without a tank? Their biggest mistake was asking for help on a quest important enough to give compensation. If the quest were that important, they would simply ask for help online, and skilled players would come to their aid. That, of course, was given they had the money¡­ no, considering they appealed their beauty, money might have no meaning. There were plenty of people that would jump to help a group of beauties. Even so, they asked Hyrkan for help? It was a clear lie that they needed his help to complete a quest. ¡®Are they aiming for my left?¡¯ They were clearly aiming for Hyrkan. Otherwise, there was no reason to act in such a way. That said, they wouldn¡¯t actively try to PK him. If that was their plan, there was no need to approach him the way they did. They would have simply attacked him when he was off guard. Considering the way they approached him, it was likely that they would intentionally create a dangerous situation and make monsters kill him. ¡®These bitches are even worse than those shitheads from before¡­¡¯ It was a common trick. One just had to use the fact that players felt happy to meet others in the field. If a problem occurred during battle, it would be an accident, not a PK. It was a truly dirty method. After all, one would have to go through an immense amount of effort to fuck over a single person. In any case, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t the type to let off a bunch of schemers. He wasn¡¯t in the mood. ¡®If you get caught lying, your hand¡¯s got to go.¡¯ He planned to rob them clean. ¡°Let¡¯s go over the situation. Do you have any experience fighting a Lizardman?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve killed some before.¡± ¡°How many?¡± ¡°Um¡­ two. After that, we fell into the swamp. We ended up this way while running away.¡± ¡°You have a priestess and a magician. What was the problem?¡± ¡°The thing is¡­ I can¡¯t act as a tank, so there was never a good window to use magic and the priestess¡¯s magic power just kept going down. In the end, we couldn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s because you set your items to hunt people, not monsters. You¡¯re here because it¡¯s the easiest place for this scenario of yours, and once you came here, there weren¡¯t any idiots to take your bait. That¡¯s probably when I caught your attention. There¡¯s not a single truth coming out of your mouth.¡¯ Hyrkan barely managed to keep his raging heart in check. ¡°Then do you know how to lure Lizardmen?¡± ¡°Yes! We can at least do that.¡± ¡°Alright then, lure them to designated points one by one, and I¡¯ll get them. Don¡¯t needlessly interfere when I fight. The magician should only provide back up when I call for it. By the way, if the priestess buffs my skeletons, this party¡¯s finished. Got it?¡± Ilya nodded her head as she said added some words. ¡°Thank you for accepting our selfish request¡­ thank you so much.¡± ¡°Thank you, Oppa*!¡± [T/N: younger girl to an older male, like onii-san. It¡¯s also considered a sign of affection. I¡¯m sure you guys know it from Gangnam Style.] One of the other two quickly voiced her thanks, attempting to win Hyrkan over by calling him ¡®oppa.¡¯ The remaining one also slightly lowered her head. Being thanked by three beauties, any guy would grin. Hyrkan grinned as well. Except, he did it on purpose. ¡®I see these bitches grew accustomed to this. Well, I guess it can be addicting. They¡¯ll end up having to pay for it in the end, though.¡¯ As Hyrkan had ideas about their real intention, he could only feel a chill at their acting skills. Once one got the taste of something like this, it was hard to stop. It was like gambling. Even though they knew it was bad, it was fun and stimulating. Because they were in a VR game, they wouldn¡¯t be punished under the law either. ¡®With their looks, don¡¯t they have anything better to do? Why do something like this in Warlord¡­¡¯ At that point, Hyrkan stopped his thinking. ¡®Come to think of it; there¡¯s only a handful of sane beauties in Warlord.¡¯ Thinking back, of the beauties he had met in Warlord, only a handful was normal. Choi Sulyeon who Hyrkan considered to be the greatest beauty he ever met was even more so¡­ ¡®Fuck.¡¯ Having remembered Choi Sulyeon, Hyrkan¡¯s mood took a dive. He remembered an unpleasant face. Because of just how beautiful she was, he couldn¡¯t easily erase her from his mind either. She was truly what he would call an enemy of a lifetime. ¡°Then we¡¯ll lure one over here. Hold on just one moment.¡± Hyrkan didn¡¯t bother to listen to what Ilya was saying. He simply waved his hand back and forth. Like so, the girls headed to the swamp area. Thus started their secret plan. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡°Unni, are you just going to leech or rob him clean?¡± At her little sister*¡¯s question, Ilya immediately answered. [T/N: not an actual little sister.] ¡°Of course, we¡¯re robbing him clean.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he has much. Wouldn¡¯t it be better just to let him kill 10 lizards? If we coax him a little more, we could probably hunt all day for free.¡± At this moment, the magician added her thoughts. ¡°Necromancer isn¡¯t a class you can do without money. You saw his fight just now, right? For his Skeleton Warriors to be so strong, he must have at least three or four Unique items.¡± At this, Ilya added her own explanation. ¡°You saw his necklace right? Have you seen one with a jewel that big?¡± The short priestess began to ponder. Although she had seen a countless number of necklaces with jewels, she rarely saw them in Warlord. ¡°Now that I think of it, I haven¡¯t seen one with a jewel like that.¡± ¡°Just look at his fashion. His items must be on a different level. Our profit from robbing him won¡¯t be small.¡± ¡°Any potential backlash? If he¡¯s so rich, there must be someone behind him.¡± ¡°If that were the case, he wouldn¡¯t be here alone. Plus, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re openly PKing him.¡± Ilya smiled deeply. ¡°It¡¯s just going to be a little accident. The kind that comes from accidentally luring too many monsters.¡± Watching her smile, the other two smiled as well. ¡°I always think this, but Unni must be Warlord¡¯s prettiest bitch.¡± Ilya laughed. ¡°And you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m third.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not bad yourself, you know?¡± At that moment, the three burst out into laughter. The laughter was short. A Lizardman had found them first and was slowly walking towards them. Chapter 31 : Lizard Swamp (3) Chapter 31 : Lizard Swamp (3) Luring was a form of art. Bringing a target to a wanted location was harder than one might think. In addition, Warlord monsters had their own characteristics. Of these, there were some that sent signals to their comrades or went back if they strayed too far from their pack. Even with detailed knowledge on monster behavior, accidents happened. This fact was unchanged for even the Top 30 Guilds. In live broadcasts, it was common to see fights break out due to failed luring. That¡¯s what made it so much fun. Accidents that went against prearranged plans kept viewers tense and on the edge of their seats. Not to mention, it was much more difficult to lure monsters in the Lizard Swamp. Lizardmen were easy to aggro. In other words, if one ran into another Lizardman on their way to a designated hunting point, one would end up attracting two Lizardman. In that case, the player would no longer be considered luring. He was simply being chased. The same applied to the current situation. Nine. Partied with three beauties, Hyrkan caught nine Lizardmen. So far, everything went without a hitch. Their party had lacked a tank, but Hyrkan and his Skeleton Warrior proved to be excellent supports. In reality, Hyrkan was doing all the hunting. The other three were only sucking up experience like a mosquito. But suddenly! ¡°Help!¡± Ilya appeared with two Lizardman on her tail. Running towards Hyrkan, she asked him for help. Hyrkan snapped his finger twice, and the Skeleton Warriors that were on standby turned their heads towards the Lizardmen. The flames in their eyes blazed as they charged towards the two Lizardmen. Ilya ran past the Skeleton Warriors to safety. Behind her¡­ Clang, clang! The sound of battle rang out. Hyrkan asked through the clashing sound of metals. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I, I ran into a problem.¡± Ilya continued with a confused and apologetic expression. ¡°I ran into a group of Lizardmen. In the end, the three of us had to split up¡­¡± Hyrkan tried to ask her for a more detailed explanation. However¡­ ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Ilya kept apologizing before Hyrkan said anything, not giving him a chance to speak. She didn¡¯t just ask for forgiveness. She did so with a teary face. Seeing her act that way, Hyrkan chose to not say anything. ¡°Let¡¯s deal with this situation first. I can¡¯t handle both of them alone. I need your support.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Ilya finally smiled. Her smile together with her teary face made her look pitiful yet beautiful. It was like a flower carefully blooming in torrential rain. Hyrkan couldn¡¯t say anything more to her face. Not just Hyrkan, but any male would find themselves hard pressed to do so. Hyrkan silently passed her with his sword in hand. He prepared to fight the Lizardmen. Watching Hyrkan¡¯s back, Ilya¡¯s smile became twisted. ¡®Heh, he¡¯s totally into me.¡¯ It was a smile of satisfaction. ¡®I mean, it¡¯s only expected with beauties of our level¡¯s affectionate acting.¡¯ The type of smile that fishermen with a big fish on their hook would make. She had her worries. Hyrkan¡¯s skills weren¡¯t normal. Although they didn¡¯t take him to be anything amazing, his three Skeleton Warriors were anything but normal. She felt it would be hard to honey-trap Hyrkan with monsters and their beauty. But her worries did not last long. For Ilya, it was much more fun to trick players than to hunt monsters. Using her looks and acting skills, she destroyed the inner walls that male players put up and lured monsters to kill them. To her, it was fun to prey on males without having to worry about any potential backlash. It was the type of fun only girls could enjoy, and at the same time, it was something that wasn¡¯t possible in the real world. At first, it started out as a joke, a bet of some sort. ¡®Who can win over that male player first?¡¯ That type of bet. In a blink of an eye, the bet had continued to where she currently was. It had even become the sole reason she played Warlord. In front of Hyrkan who had put up a thick wall, the fun was multiplied. His cold and blunt response set fire to her sense of challenge. Ilya looked forward to watching him fall more so than the items he would drop. It wouldn¡¯t be long. Soon, Hyrkan would fall. ¡®Two more will be here soon.¡¯ The remaining two were each luring one Lizardman. No matter how impressive Hyrkan may be, it was impossible for him to handle four Lizardmen by himself. If he could, there was no reason for him to be here. Even more, if a strong magic hit Hyrkan or one of his Skeleton Warriors on ¡®accident¡¯? Watching the Hyrkan¡¯s back, Ilya licked her lips, like a true snake. ¡®Ah!¡¯ Imagining the scene, she would soon see; Ilya felt goose bumps on her skin. Although it wasn¡¯t a feeling one could perceive in Warlord, she was sure she could feel it. The arms of her body in the real world would surely be covered in them. ¡®I love this feeling so much.¡¯ This feeling. It was this feeling that she paid such a large sum to play Warlord. Such a feeling of euphoria wasn¡¯t one she could feel in the real world. Not to mention, it was an act that wouldn¡¯t pose any legal troubles, a perfectly lawful crime! Of course, it wasn¡¯t over yet. A fisherman¡¯s work did not end until he cut the stomach of his game. Ilya stared at Hyrkan and his summoned Skeleton Warriors as they vigorously fought against the Lizardmen. Crack! Suddenly, the sound of a hard object breaking struck down like lightning. ¡®Eh?¡¯ The scene of Skeleton Warriors helpless against Lizardmen entered her eyes. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ The Skeleton Warriors she had seen so far did not lose out to Lizardmen in a one on one fight. She wondered just how much money one had to spend to make such strong Skeleton Warriors. If she had the money, she even wanted to try out the necromancer class. But suddenly, those Skeleton Warriors were losing. They weren¡¯t just losing. They were losing in a completely one-sided manner. Crack! Crack! The Lizardmen¡¯s swords were easily breaking the Skeleton Warriors¡¯ bone shields. Crack! Under the continuous barrage of attacks, the Skeleton Warriors broke to an irreparable state. In addition, the Skeleton Warriors weren¡¯t able to counterattack in the slightest. They were no different than sandbags. Ilya became flustered. This wasn¡¯t it. Although the Lizardmen were supposed to kill Hyrkan, such a scene wasn¡¯t part of her scenario. Suddenly¡­ ¡°I¡¯m out of magic power!¡± Hyrkan shouted at Ilya. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, Hyrkan approached Ilya and spoke again. ¡°I have no magic power left. Please buy some time for me to recover it.¡± ¡°What do you¡­¡± ¡°You just have to buy time. We¡¯re in an urgent situation, so please take on the role of the tank for a while.¡± Ilya did not have any way to refuse Hyrkan¡¯s demand. Everyone knew that a magician without magic power was useless in Warlord. In the end, Ilya reluctantly and carefully moved towards the Lizardmen. Watching Ilya approach the Lizardmen, Hyrkan silently smirked. ¡®Who do you think you¡¯re trying to backstab?¡¯ Everything so far was within Hyrkan¡¯s expectations. Although it was possible that they would leave after the ten Lizardmen, Hyrkan was confident enough to bet his life that they would try to backstab him. That¡¯s what Warlord was. There was no such thing as turning over a new leaf. As the saying went, once a thief, always a thief. Those who enjoyed PKs did PKs their whole life and those who enjoyed conning others conned others their whole life. Nothing changed in Warlord. There was no reason to. When Hyrkan saw Ilya bring over two Lizardmen, he knew their plan began. There was no doubt that the other two were bringing more Lizardmen. He didn¡¯t have to see it to know. They planned to throw a bomb called Lizardmen, and when Hyrkan was in a close fight, they planned to throw a magic attack on Hyrkan on ¡®accident¡¯. They might even ¡®mistakenly¡¯ cast Healing on his skeletons. No matter the case, they would burst out into laughter once Hyrkan died. The memory of today would serve as another treasure for them. There was no way Hyrkan would allow such a thing. So he¡­ ¡®They¡¯re coming.¡¯ Threw the bomb back at them. It was simple. He just didn¡¯t have to take the bomb in the first place. Hyrkan snapped his fingers. Snap, snap! One, two. Snap! Then three! The snapped his fingers thrice. Then, in the middle of battle, his Skeleton Warriors began to dance. The zombie dance of Michael Jackson¡¯s Thriller embroidered the battlefield. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ??¡¯ Cause this is thriller?, thriller night ?? Michael Jackson¡¯s Thriller. The beat of that masterpiece thumped Hyrkan¡¯s chest and eardrums. Only Hyrkan could hear the song. As such, Ilya only saw the Skeleton Warriors that had been fighting by her side suddenly straighten their two arms and move side to side. Not to mention, she had never seen Michael Jackson¡¯s Thriller before. ¡®What?¡¯ In such a ridiculous situation, she panicked. She couldn¡¯t discern what was happening. Meanwhile, her two friends arrived. ¡°Help!¡± As previously promised, the two of them each brought a Lizardman as they arrived pleading for help. When they saw the scene in front of them, they also fell into a panic. Meanwhile, the Lizardmen easily got rid of the dancing Skeleton Warriors. Their heads flew with a swing of a sword, and their bodies ended up in tatters after the Lizardmen struck them down with their swords. In the end, the Skeleton Warriors fell. The Lizardmen flickered their tongues. They weren¡¯t finished. They wanted more sacrifice. Immediately, they changed their target to Ilya, who was already fighting off one Lizardman. Clang! Ilya blindly swung her sword only to fend off the Lizardman¡¯s sword. Watching this scene, Ilya¡¯s two friends could only stand flustered. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ ¡®Why is unni fighting?¡¯ Their leader was floundering in danger. On the other hand, Hyrkan who was supposed to be the one in danger was lightly dancing in the back. With this, it wasn¡¯t hard to determine what happened. ¡®¡­ shit.¡¯ ¡®He found out?¡¯ Watching the scene in front of him, Hyrkan smiled brightly. ¡®God, I love necromancer.¡¯ He had changed his Skeleton Warriors to defense mode, ordering them to block with their shields instead of evading. This was what led them to become the Lizardmen¡¯s sandbags. It was all a ploy. Then, in the most critical moment, he made them dance. ¡®I swear, I need to leave this in video.¡¯ Originally, he didn¡¯t plan on making them dance. He planned just to turn them back into their fragment forms. However, his mood didn¡¯t let him. Had the girls picked a fight with him straight up or stole his monster, he would have acted appropriately. Instead, they tried to backstab him. They tried to act like his ally to screw him over. They had evoked the king¡¯s wrath. Here, Hyrkan stopped acting. At quite a distance away, he spoke to the beauties in the battlefield. ¡°There is a lot of swamp areas around here, so I recommend you fight rather than run.¡± The girls didn¡¯t answer. Dumbfounded at the fact their plan had gone awry, they stood speechless. Clang! Ilya couldn¡¯t afford to listen to Hyrkan. Her attention was solely devoted to fighting the Lizardmen. She was almost at her limit as her feet sunk into the trap-like swamp. It wasn¡¯t easy to move in swamps. It was even harder to run. It would be possible if she were separated by some distance, but running away in the middle of a battle was impossible. It was equivalent to giving the opponent her back. Moreover, she was barely dealing with one Lizardman, but now there were two. She felt herself about to go crazy. It was the same for the remaining magician and priestess. Now that they couldn¡¯t just throw off the Lizardmen behind them, things became much complicated. Could they win against them 1 vs. 1? It might be possible for the magician, but it was impossible for the priestess. She needed help. However, there was only one that could help them¡­ And that was Hyrkan. Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have an inkling of mind to help them. Instead, he offered them some advice. ¡°There¡¯s a movie called Hoodwinker that came out 30 years ago. It tells you what happens to liars so check it out.¡± It was a truly priceless advice. ¡°W-Wait!¡± Though someone had called him, Hyrkan only waved his hand as he left the scene. Watching him go, all three of the shouted at the same time. ¡°Damn!¡± That was their last word. Chapter 32 : Corrupted Stone (1) Chapter 32 : Corrupted Stone (1) In Lizard Swamp, two players were facing each other. However, the two were in completely different states. One stood straight and tall, while the other was kneeling on the ground. The latter¡¯s arms were held by Skeleton Warriors, as his eyes were full of brutal injuries. ¡°You, I swear I¡¯ll get my revenge on you¡­¡± The kneeled player grit his teeth as he spoke to the standing man with hatred. The standing man, of course, was Hyrkan. Wearing an almost spotless armor, Hyrkan smirked at the kneeling player¡¯s child-like curse. ¡°Yeah, sure. If you¡¯re coming, bring some more expensive items. I¡¯ll be waiting. See you in 48 hours. Sleep tight. Good night~¡± With that, Hyrkan stared at the three Skeleton Warriors surrounding the kneeling player. Snap, snap! Hyrkan snapped his fingers twice, making two Skeleton Warriors pulled on the player¡¯s arms. The remaining Skeleton Warrior raised his sword and stabbed the gap between the player¡¯s helmet and breastplate. Stab, stab! As if once wasn¡¯t enough, the Skeleton Warrior stabbed consecutively. Hyrkan only watched on emotionlessly. Rather than emotionless, it was more correct to say Hyrkan erased the battle just now from his memory. Only a number was recorded. ¡®It¡¯s the 15th one now.¡¯ Two weeks had passed since Hyrkan came to the Lizard Swamp. After the first day¡¯s disturbance, Hyrkan put his focus on leveling up. The result was great, as he achieved 7 levels during that time. Considering that it takes an average player one month to go from level 20 to level 30, Hyrkan¡¯s level up speed was comparable¡­ no, much faster than the Rankers. However, hunting wasn¡¯t the only thing he did. ¡®It¡¯s almost one per day.¡¯ He was attacked. Not once, but nine times, for a total of fifteen players. ¡®Come on, this isn¡¯t even the real world. All this, just to look good to girls in a VR game? If they like girls so much, why don¡¯t they go play dating sims or a blind date game?¡¯ ¡°Haa¡­ I guess it really is hard to find normal people in Warlord.¡± The attackers¡¯ motive was revenge. The three beauties that approached to play Hyrkan, but got played by Hyrkan. Instead of reflecting on their mistake, they coaxed other men to get revenge on Hyrkan. ¡®What a bunch of snakes. At least their fishing skills are top notch.¡¯ Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have a shred of regret about screwing over those girls. He had not physically harmed them in any way. It¡¯s just that there was a little accident during their hunting, which was caused by the three girls, not Hyrkan. In fact, Hyrkan was more help to them than harm. After all, he killed nine Lizardmen for them. If anything, he should be rewarded. Unfortunately, Warlord wasn¡¯t a place where such logic applied. If three beauties accused a strange man wearing a hahoe mask and leather clothing of assaulting them, there were bound to be people who believed them. Some of them would have their normally nonexistent sense of justice provoked and come out to judge said sexual deviant. ¡®Their acting skills are just too good. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they debuted as actresses soon.¡¯ In reality, Hyrkan could easily justify himself, but Hyrkan didn¡¯t do so. ¡®Well, I¡¯m thankful to be honest.¡¯ Looking at the wrist of the player in the game over state, Hyrkan grinned. This was why. Hyrkan didn¡¯t need to justify himself in any way. ¡®This one was trash too, but looking at his items, he must be around mid to late 30s. That means his items should be at least level 30. Now, if I can get a level 30 rare item¡­ I can have some meat for dinner tonight.¡¯ Why would he say no to human-form monsters delivering themselves to his doorsteps? Not to mention, they drop already crafted items. More importantly, although Hyrkan was unbelievably strong against monsters, he was even more monstrous versus players. Furthermore, it was hard to find good players from the self-righteous fools trying to look good to a bunch of girls. Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t forget to remind himself. ¡®If they¡¯re going so far to get back at me, for two weeks no less, then they¡¯ll have to pay the price. If I catch them again, I¡¯m going to play soccer with their cut-off heads.¡¯ Hyrkan told himself to get back at the girls when he got the chance. Otherwise, they would never stop. In any case, thanks to these reasons, the Lizard Swamp, which was no different than hell to other players, was nothing less than heaven for Hyrkan. He leveled up fast, and people even came to donate him items. There was truly no better hunting ground. ¡°Tsk.¡± Could that be why? Hyrkan felt a sense of shame again. He would have to leave the Lizard Swamp soon. After all, he couldn¡¯t stay here forever. ¡°What a shame.¡± After picking up the watch, Hyrkan looked around. He had long grown accustomed to the area, showing just how long he had stayed. Soon, he would have to leave. ¡®3 levels left to go¡­ I¡¯m hoping I can get at least 5 more watches until then.¡¯ Level 30. That was Hyrkan¡¯s current goal. Once he achieved level 30, he planned to search the Lizard Swamp thoroughly to clear his Nested Egg quest. And if he couldn¡¯t find it? Then he would have no choice but to move on to the next place. He couldn¡¯t stay in one place forever. Not unless he knew for certain that this was the quest area. However, even if Lizard Swamp wasn¡¯t the quest area, he didn¡¯t need to feel bad. ¡®If this isn¡¯t the place for the Nested Egg quest¡­ I¡¯m going to put out all the videos I collected from here.¡¯ If this wasn¡¯t the testing ground Ahimbree mentioned, it wouldn¡¯t be one of the places suspected by the ones who approached Hyrkan. In that case, it would be fine to make his videos from here public. In any case, Hyrkan would benefit. Thinking about this, the corner of Hyrkan¡¯s mouth once again curled up into a smile. With that, Hyrkan shook his pocket full of watches. ¡®It¡¯s been a while. Why don¡¯t I go cash in?¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï Ttzzzz! As a thick piece of meat fell onto a heated pan, an enticing burning smell filled the air. The taste of a savory steak could be easily imagined through the smell. ¡®God, it¡¯s been so long.¡¯ In front of such a smell, An Jaehyun couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡®Ku! What a shame I can¡¯t drink beer with this.¡¯ 2,530,000 won. That was the amount that entered his bank account today. He had transferred the money he made so far into his bank account. YouTube donations and the amount from selling Lizardmen¡¯s crafting materials. Of course, these two didn¡¯t account for much of his earning. The secret lied in the watches he exchanged. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I got a level 35 Rare weapon.¡¯ A level 35 Rare weapon, a sword no less. Just this was 800,000 won. ¡®I also can¡¯t believe that was all he could do with a weapon like that¡­ talk about casting pearls before swine.¡¯ It was thanks to this weapon that Hyrkan¡¯s usual dinner menu of glucose candy and cheap coffee turned into the current tenderloin steak. With his long awaited protein ahead of him, An Jaehyun was feeling happier than ever. ¡®No, I¡¯m grateful. Bless them, really. It¡¯s because they spent their money in this game that I¡¯m able to eat like this. If I see them again, I should greet them. Maybe I¡¯ll even give them a hug.¡¯ The smile on Hyrkan¡¯s face didn¡¯t seem to want to disappear. That was how happy An Jaehyun was. He felt like he was soaring in the skies. After plating his steak, he put the macaroni salad and potato salad he bought form the supermarket next to him. Gulp! He would feel even better once he put the meat in his mouth, as he would achieve absolute bliss. But Hyrkan¡¯s happy feeling¡­ ¡°Mm? An email?¡± Was destroyed when he saw a certain email. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¨C I am Stormhunter Guild¡¯s head scout. Hahoe Mask Hyrkan, I saw your YouTube videos. I was mesmerized by your skill and talent. Thus, we, the Stormhunter Guild, would like to invite you for a formal talk. Between 10 A.M. and 6 P.M. Korea time, setting aside lunch time of 1 P.M. to 2 P.M., tell us when you are free. We will be awaiting your response. It went without saying that those who could make a name for themselves by uploading personal videos to YouTube received attention from numerous groups ¨C Video content creation businesses, management companies, and Warlord guilds, etc. Scouting offers from groups like these were like a medal of honor for Warlord YouTubers. Just one of such offer would make one happy, and even more so as they accumulated. However, when An Jaehyun saw this medal of honor, joy was furthest from what he was feeling. ¡®Stormhunter¡­ that damn name.¡¯ Scouting offers weren¡¯t outside of his expectations. He had already been receiving offers from management companies and guilds. If one wasn¡¯t blind, it was easy to tell An Jaehyun¡¯s battles were incomparable to other players¡¯. Although most of his offers came from no-name guilds, he had received some from fairly well-organized, mid-size guilds. He even got offers on how to raise an all-strength necromancer. In that sense, this was truly a big deal. Although An Jaehyun¡¯s YouTube page was getting popular, it wasn¡¯t to the point one of Top 30 Guilds would make a scouting offer. The Top 30 Guilds were generally busy pulling the weeds out from those that applied. They didn¡¯t bother to look for players on their own accord. Even if they did, they had their pride. Because of this pride, they didn¡¯t easily do such a thing. However, he had gotten an offer from a Top 30 Guilds for the first time. Most Warlord YouTubers would have contacted them without turning back. They would be drunk in happiness. However, An Jaehyun still remembered clear as day. ¡®At the very least, I¡¯ll never hold hands with that bitch.¡¯ Why was he here? It was because of the Stormhunter Guild and Choi Sulyeon. Just remembering her face made him grit his teeth. The sense of hatred, pain, and despair he felt because of her and others, he could still feel it. It went without saying that An Jaehyun didn¡¯t have the faintest idea of accepting this offer. ¡®Even if there¡¯s a knife to my throat¡­ well no, I¡¯ve already experienced that many times.¡¯ As such, this offer only put his mood in a dumpster, nothing more and nothing less. ¡®That bitch. At least she¡¯s got good standards.¡¯ An Jaehyun immediately deleted the email. Then, he went back to eating. However, the taste of the meat was no longer on his mind. An Jaehyun chewed on the meat as if he was chewing on rubber. His eyes shined with menace. The Stormhunter Guild¡¯s scouting offer evoked the wrath of a king. An Jaehyun was remembering his original intention. ¡®Right, this isn¡¯t the time to sit and chew on some meat. An Jaehyun, don¡¯t think you¡¯re free to eat meat just because you¡¯ve got some money now.¡¯ An Jaehyun struck down on the steak with his fork. Is this the time to leisurely eat meat? ¡®If I¡¯m satisfied with where I am, that¡¯s all I will ever be. An Jaehyun, get your shit together.¡¯ No. An Jaehyun. His goal was to take everything on alone. To become the best in Warlord. To become the best, he had to give up everything. The life of wealth and honor could wait until he achieved his goal. Before then¡­ he had to be a starving predator. An Jaehyun got up from his seat. He put his steak and salad into the trashcan. Then, he boiled water and threw in a handful of glucose candy into a cup. Beeeep! Only the sound of a kettle filled the surrounding air of loneliness. Chapter 33 : Corrupted Stone (2) Chapter 33 : Corrupted Stone (2) It was on the 20th day of entering Lizard Swamp that Hyrkan reached his level 30 goal. [You have leveled up.] At the same time his level went up¡­ [You have obtained the title, ¡®Lizard Hunter¡¯.] He obtained a new title. It was because he had killed hundreds of Lizardmen by the time he hit level 30. Next. [Skeleton Fragment skill rank has increased to D.] [Demon Curse skill rank has increased to E.] [Madness Helm skill rank has increased to E.] Three skills ranked up simultaneously. The Lizard Hunter title and achieving level 30 had boosted his skill proficiencies significantly. To Hyrkan, these alerts were the harmonic choir of heavenly voices. He felt like he was ascending every time he heard one alert. Hyrkan shook as he clenched his fists tightly. ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s right! This is what Hero Slaughterer Hyrkan is all about!¡¯ Truth be told, even Hyrkan was surprised at his current achievements. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I beat my past record by 4 days.¡¯ In the past, it took 24 days for him to get from level 20 to level 30. During those 24 days, he played Warlord like a corpse, not to mention he wasn¡¯t alone. Back then, he was with Kim Dongsoo, the man he believed to be friends with forever. Although they weren¡¯t at their prime, their achievement of level 30 allowed them to believe that they could really turn their lives around through Warlord. Any doubts they had before had turned into confidence. Rightly so. It took 30 days for slightly above average players, but they managed to do it in 24 days. Those 6 days accounted for a 20 percent decrease. The difference was between that of someone who ran 100 meters in 10 seconds and 8 seconds. But Hyrkan managed to shorten that time by another 4 days. 20 days! ¡®Although it isn¡¯t a new record, it¡¯s at least faster than the current Rankers in the 100s.¡¯ It called for a celebration. It signified that Hyrkan¡¯s choice wasn¡¯t wrong, and that he could run much faster than the Rankers who had started playing 10 months ago. Hyrkan gained confidence. ¡®That¡¯s right, I¡¯m good.¡¯ At the same time, he grumbled. ¡®I deserve to eat some meat now, don¡¯t I?¡¯ It was over throwing away the expensive tenderloin steak a few days ago. In truth, he massively regretted his actions as he ate protein powder. Of course, as always, it was a little too late for regret. ¡®Ehew, I¡¯m such an idiot.¡¯ Hyrkan erased the painful memory from his mind. ¡®Mm?¡¯ At that time, Hyrkan caught sight of something appearing then disappearing in the distance. With no hesitation, Hyrkan changed his Skeleton Warriors back to their fragment form and collected them. Then, he disappeared between the trees. ¡°Find him!¡± It was then, the people who had been hiding came out and ran towards where Hyrkan was. ¡°We have to find him, quick!¡± A player urgently shouted. Squatted behind a tree, Hyrkan watched the player that shouted. He was someone Hyrkan was acquainted with. ¡®There¡¯s that retard again.¡¯ It was a player that came to avenge the three beauties, and was absolutely thrashed by Hyrkan. This time, he came with two companions. ¡®My level 30 gifts grew legs!¡¯ It was a visit Hyrkan couldn¡¯t decline. As such, Hyrkan slowly revealed himself. ¡°Here! Thanks for coming all the way out here!¡± After coming out of hiding, Hyrkan waved his hand to make himself known. He was fully confident. That he could take care of three by himself. No, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t alone. Now, he had four trustworthy skeleton servants. He didn¡¯t have a reason to be afraid. ¡®If I get something good again, I¡¯ll get steak again. This time, I won¡¯t throw it away. No matter what happens¡­ agh, I can¡¯t believe I did something so stupid.¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï One man was kneeling in a swamp. His eyes were a mess as if he had been through a torture. Standing about three feet away was Hyrkan. ¡°Let me ask you something. Did those bitches tell you they¡¯d give you a kiss in real life if you caught me? What, did they write you a contract for a deep kiss? Otherwise, why are you doing all this just do get me?¡± At Hyrkan¡¯s inquiry, the blind man did not respond. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you actually put your life on the line for a kiss. Really? I mean, a life in Warlord is cheaper than one in real life, but it¡¯s still not worth a kiss. Come on, don¡¯t you have anything better to do?¡± ¡°¡­ You son of a bitch, you think you¡¯ll be fine after this?¡± At Hyrkan¡¯s teasing, the man became enraged as he threatened Hyrkan. Of course, his threat didn¡¯t mean a thing to Hyrkan. By his books, it didn¡¯t even count as one. Hyrkan grinned. As he did, he tapped his left wrist with his right index finger. Then, a Skeleton Warrior sliced down at the man¡¯s left wrist. His hand wasn¡¯t chopped off with just one swing. After all, he was wearing thick, steel gloves. Bang, bang! As if it was hammering, the Skeleton Warrior continuously struck down on his glove. After several clashes, giving off sparks, his steel glove became a mess and his hand chopped off. Hyrkan grabbed the chopped off hand by its wrist, took out the watch, then stored it in his pocket. ¡°I¡¯ll let you live.¡± With that, without delivering the final blow, Hyrkan left. ¡®It¡¯s about time to leave here.¡¯ He had gained quite a lot in the Lizard Swamp. Thus, it was time to finish up. More importantly, there were just too many who Hyrkan had done in. In the first place, they grouped up against one man just to look good to a bunch of girls. They were the type to try every means possible to have their way. They would go after him with vengeance. They might even hire a skilled Ranker. In Warlord, one could do almost everything with money. Because of this, Hyrkan had to finish up and leave the Lizard Swamp. Moreover, Lizard Swamp was no longer a favorable hunting ground for Hyrkan. Although it was right for his level, Hyrkan could hunt at a higher level hunting ground with his abilities. There was only one thing left to do. ¡®If I can¡¯t find that egg in 3 days, I¡¯m going to give up.¡¯ The Nested Egg quest. Hyrkan gave 3 days until its deadline. He would look for it with all his might for these three days, and if he couldn¡¯t find it, he would give up and move on to the next area. If he couldn¡¯t find it there either, then the right choice would be to come back to Lizard Swamp. Plus, Hyrkan had diligently collected any information on the Nested Egg, and did his fair share of analysis. ¡®It¡¯s called Nested Egg, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not some normal egg.¡¯ Hyrkan was positive that what he was looking for wasn¡¯t really a nest or an egg. This quest was part of the Corrupted Count quest. In that case, it was likely that the Power of Corruption would be related somehow. ¡®Could the egg have been exposed to Corruption? Then what does Nest mean?¡¯ A monster¡¯s egg exposed to the Power of Corruption. For the record, it was exceedingly difficult to find a Lizardman¡¯s egg. As it was a considered a crafting item rather than a monster, it was a treasure hunt to find one. This was why Hyrkan have yet to find any. At the same time, what Hyrkan needed to find was not likely to be a normal egg from a Lizardman¡¯s nest. As said before, it must be a related to the Power of Corruption in some way. Ahimbree would not have given him a simple quest like brining back an egg from a nest. Hyrkan needed a special egg from a special nest. ¡®If only I could find a Corrupted monster¡­¡¯ What would be most helpful in situations like this was finding a monster with the ¡®Corrupted¡¯ title. With that, he would be able to ensure that something was related to the Corrupted Count. However, no matter how much Hyrkan looked for information on Bangtz Castle¡¯s Lizard Swamp, he could not find anything about a mutant monster. In fact, there were more stories about Hyrkan; that a very strange necromancer was going berserk in the Lizard Swamp. Moreover, even if someone found a mutant in the Lizard Swamp, it was unlikely for that information to be shared. After all, such rare monsters would drop rare crafting items. The founder would obviously try to kill it. Otherwise, he would sell information about it for a sizable sum. Relying on information from fan sites to solve this problem was meaningless. It was no different than buying a lottery ticket and expecting to win. In the end, there was only one answer. ¡®Time to run.¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡®Shit.¡¯ Hyrkan ran with all his might. Behind him, seven players chased after him. ¡°Get him!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let him get away again!¡± Hearing the hostile voices behind him, Hyrkan clenched his teeth. ¡®These god damn idiots. Are they not embarrassed, doing all this for a bunch of girls? Fuck!¡¯ The ones taken out by Hyrkan. Realizing that they were powerless to deal with him alone, they banded together. Of course, it was unlikely that they found each other on their own. Ilya and the other two bitches likely had their hands in the matter. In any case, a total of ten players grouped together to catch Hyrkan. It was a rather large number for a bunch of idiots who got tricked by a bunch of girls. The group immediately formed a plan to catch Hyrkan, and the current situation was a result of that plan. Hyrkan was running. No matter how strong he was, it was impossible for him to handle 10 players who were equal or higher level than him. At the same time, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have the slightest idea of wanting to die in a valiant battle. The only answer was to run! Thankfully, there were three factors that helped Hyrkan¡¯s escape. First was that Hyrkan was an all-strength necromancer. Second was that he knew the ins and outs of the Lizard Swamp. The last was that¡­ ¡°You bastard!¡± In the most critical situation¡­ ¡®Summon Skeleton Warrior!¡¯ He could call upon a scapegoat to take the blow for him. The summoned Skeleton Warrior quickly blocked the path Hyrkan crossed. As soon as the Skeleton Warrior appeared, the swordsmen that were running after him swung their swords at it. Whish! Although it dodged the first swordsman¡¯s sword, Crack! The second swordsman¡¯s sword broke its shoulder bones. Thud! It then blocked the third swordsman¡¯s swing with its shield. Crack! But the follow-up attack of the first swordsman broke its neck. The Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head fell on the ground, and its remaining body served as a sandbag for the angry swordsmen. Looking at his mana drain away, Hyrkan could tell what was currently happening. ¡®You dare do this to my servant¡­.¡¯ Hyrkan bit down on his lips. Death was routine for Skeleton Warriors. To begin with, it was strange to use such an expression. After all, Skeleton Warriors were undead type monsters. Even so, experiencing the destruction of his Skeleton Warriors, Hyrkan¡¯s mood turned sour. Skeleton Warriors were his faithful servants. They never betrayed him, and they happily sacrificed their lives for him. Although that was because of their AI design, to Hyrkan who had experienced the bitter taste of betrayal, they were his servants and comrades. Hyrkan¡¯s blood was too hot to not rage over their death. ¡®You bastards, I remember your faces. You just wait. Soon, I¡¯m going to get my revenge¡­¡¯ Suddenly. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Hyrkan flinched. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ The reason was his surrounding environment. What was in front of him was a never before seen terrain. Up until now, Hyrkan had been moving in the Lizard Swamp like it was his own backyard. There wasn¡¯t a place he didn¡¯t know about. If Hyrkan really did not know about this place, he would lose his advantages. Hyrkan became tense. ¡®Reset? Event Field?¡¯ If it was a place he knew, it was possible that the area was reset. In Warlord, plant life didn¡¯t grow randomly. Players used this feature to cut trees and cultivate the land. In such case, areas became reset depending on situation. After a certain period of time, if no players were nearby, an area go back to its original state. Event Field was pretty much what it sounded like. It referred to fields changing to fulfill a role in an event. It was a chance to meet certain monsters or to find instance dungeons. In any case, Hyrkan stayed vigilant of his surroundings. As he was in a new area, he didn¡¯t know which part had deep swamps, which part was suitable for fighting, or which part could be used to cross the swamp. At that moment, in front of Hyrkan¡¯s eyes, a black swamp made its appearance. The moment he saw the swamp, a sense of danger enveloped Hyrkan. ¡®If I go in there¡­ it won¡¯t end well.¡¯ Hyrkan threw one Skeleton Fragment towards the Swamp. Then, he snapped his fingers thrice. After appearing on top of the black swamp, a Skeleton Warrior attempted to dance as its feet were struck in the swamp. Meanwhile, Hyrkan concealed himself. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡°The hell is that?¡± After finding a Skeleton Warrior dancing in a black swamp, the group of players chasing Hyrkan could only be infuriated. ¡°That fucking necromancer. He¡¯s playing with us¡­¡± They were already irritated by Hyrkan¡¯s running, but now that they were suddenly provoked, their anger reached their limit. Of course, the swordsmen headed out to de stress. They entered the swamp and began to mercilessly dismantle the Skeleton Warrior. Then, someone spoke out. ¡°Don¡¯t kill it! Just damage it so that fucking necromancer wastes his mana. Necromancers are useless without their mana anyways.¡± At these words, the three swordsmen in the swamp nodded their heads. Meanwhile, the priests and magicians stood on guard with the rest of the swordsmen. Their target was an odd necromancer. Having been killed by him already, they knew they had to be on guard. Suddenly. ¡°Hm?¡± A priest that had been focusing all his senses on the black swamp blinked his eyes, as if he discovered something. ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯ He had caught sight of something. With swift, a 6 meter long monster swam across the black swamp. Sssss! The monster let out a bone-chilling sound as it approached three swordsmen and the dancing Skeleton Warrior. ¡°Caref¡­!¡± Before the priest could finish his warning¡­ Pussh! An enormous lizard exploded out from the black swamp. With its mouth wide open, the lizard¡­ Gulp! Swallowed a swordsman whole before it quickly disappeared into the black swamp. Someone had disappeared in the blink of an eye. ¡®Huh?¡¯ ¡®What just happened?¡¯ At this sudden turn of events, all those watching froze in place. Only the Skeleton Warrior continued dancing. The only one who remained sane without panicking was the one hidden nearby, watching the whole thing happen. It was, of course, Hyrkan. When Hyrkan caught a glimpse of that monster, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡®A Dragon Lizard. Don¡¯t tell me, ¡®nest¡¯ was referring to a Dragon Lizard¡¯s lair?¡¯ Dragon Lizard. As a level 40 boss monster, its defense, stamina, and attack were several times that of normal monsters. Chapter 34 : Corrupted Stone (3) Chapter 34 : Corrupted Stone (3) Boss monsters have stats that are far beyond that of normal monsters at their level. Just like people form a party of three or more people to hunt normal monsters, a bigger party is formed to hunt boss monsters. That is what is known as a raid. Boss monsters appear in many ways. Those that regularly spawn in designated areas appear with what is known as a Field Reset. A period of time after the death of a boss, a field gets generated randomly for the boss monster to spawn. The last Dragon Lizard raid happened one week ago. In that case, it wasn¡¯t weird for a Dragon Lizard to appear a week after along with a Field Reset. Although it was strange for Hyrkan and his 10 pursuers to arrive here, it was an impossible matter. Only, there was something Hyrkan couldn¡¯t understand. ¡®A black swamp¡­ was there such a setting?¡¯ It was the existence of a black swamp. As someone who aimed to hit level 30 in the Lizard Swamp, Hyrkan naturally had information on the Dragon Lizard. In fact, he periodically checked for updated information on the Dragon Lizard. Furthermore, there were often public announcements before a boss monster raids began, warning players not to hinder the raid. During the time he stayed in the Lizard Swamp, Hyrkan naturally avoided the areas where Dragon Lizard raids were happening. At the same time, he made sure to gather information on how Dragon Lizard spawn areas looked like. Characteristic such as a black swamp did not exist in Hyrkan¡¯s memory. In other words, the black swamp in front of him was a special case. ¡®Could it be?¡¯ Ahimbree¡¯s quest immediately flashed through Hyrkan¡¯s mind. The nested egg Ahimbree mentioned was likely to be an egg inside a Dragon Lizard¡¯s home. Once Hyrkan arrived at this conclusion, Hyrkan wanted to curse out loud. ¡®No way.¡¯ It was just too absurd. ¡®You expect me to kill a monster that needs a level 40 average 20-man raid, and get its egg?¡¯ The raid difficulty of Dragon Lizard was not high. For a boss monster, it was rather easy. Even so, it was impossible to do it alone. In the first place, boss monsters weren¡¯t designed to be killed by a single player or a small group of players. Considering Ahimbree just casually gave out such a quest, Hyrkan was fully justified in wanting to curse. In any case, now was Hyrkan¡¯s chance. Of course, it wasn¡¯t easy for Hyrkan to kill the Dragon Lizard. However, it wasn¡¯t impossible. Hyrkan always fought boss monsters higher than his own level, and he had plenty of experience in battles. He was better than any professional. As Dragon Lizard was one of the easier boss monsters, it was possible for Hyrkan to kill it if he had to. However, it was currently too risky. The chance of him being successful was less than 10%. In such a case, there was only one answer. ¡®As if I¡¯d kill it.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t worth it to risk his life. Instead, this was a chance. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ Hyrkan stared at the nine players standing in a daze. Although they were shocked from having one of their comrades taken by the Dragon Lizard, it didn¡¯t take long before they snapped back to the matter at hand. Soon, they changed from their defenseless state to that of tension and alertness. ¡®Looks like they¡¯ve got the basics down at least.¡¯ Although they were fools who were tricked by a bunch of girls and lost their time and items to Hyrkan, they were at least level 30. At that level, it was inevitable that they went through a fair number of battles. Even if they might not know the best course of action, they knew by instinct what had to be done first and foremost. ¡°Damn it. Alright, get ready!¡± The first one to come to his senses organized his thoughts and gave an order. ¡°It¡¯s a Dragon Lizard! You want to fight it?¡± Someone voiced his doubts. In truth, it was a stupid question. If he was experienced in battle, he would have questioned the method. ¡°Even if we are running, we have to get ready.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we try? Don¡¯t you think we have a chance if all nine of us try our best?¡± One member voiced a somewhat crazy suggestion. Listening to their conversation from afar, Hyrkan smirked in response. ¡®Idiot. You can¡¯t even catch me and you want to kill a Dragon Lizard?¡¯ In the meanwhile, the two swordsmen who were standing in the swamp began to turn and walk out. They knew that if they were attacked in the swamp, they would have little chance to even struggle. It was an obvious choice. ¡®You wish.¡¯ Watching this scene, Hyrkan could hardly sit still. Hyrkan snapped his fingers twice. The look in the dancing skeleton¡¯s eyes changed. The Skeleton Warrior burned with intent to fight. To such Skeleton Warrior¡­ ¡°Madness Helm.¡± Hyrkan poured more fuel to light his fire. ¡°Bone Armor.¡± He even supplied more wood to ensure the fire did not go out. With Hyrkan¡¯s magic, two horns sprouted out from the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head along with a scarlet luster in its eyes. Its empty rib cage began filling, and what appeared in place was an armor-like upper body made of bones. In this state, the Skeleton Warrior quickly approached the two players who had turned their backs on him. With his aggressive nature amplified by Madness Helm, the Skeleton Warrior ran towards the two players without hesitation. ¡°Careful!¡± When someone caught sight of this, he obviously warned the two swordsmen. The two swordsmen then turned their heads to look behind them. ¡°Shit!¡± The Skeleton Warrior was only a few seconds away from reaching them. With no other choice, one swordsman raised his sword with a bitter voice. ¡°I¡¯ll take him!¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± He thought to sacrifice himself, and the other voiced his gratitude as he continued on his way. The seven remaining players were watching attentively. ¡°Let¡¯s help.¡± ¡°Magicians, prepare your magic. Priests, prepare to heal!¡± At this moment, they were entirely focused on saving their allies. Having seen such sight, Hyrkan chuckled. ¡®This must be their first boss raid. Come on guys, that should be the least of your concerns.¡¯ As if to respond to Hyrkan¡¯s laugh, the Dragon Lizard appeared from the right flank of the seven players. When Hyrkan caught sight of this, he quickly threw himself into the swamp. ¡ï¡ï¡ï What was the most important thing in a boss raid? When asked this question, many would answer in different ways. Some might say it¡¯s the existence of a powerful magician, a tank to attract aggro, a striker to fight on the front line, or a priest to keep others alive. However, those who experienced countless number of boss raids did not care about these trifling things. They answered in a simple manner. Eliminating the variable! The variable implied any hostile monsters or players that was not the boss monster. This was why luring ability was so important. Before starting the boss monster hunt, skilled guilds or raid parties first sought to lure non-boss monsters away from the boss. With this in mind, a fully-buffed Skeleton Warrior was the greatest, yet the worst, variable. Furthermore, this wasn¡¯t just an ordinary Skeleton Warrior. It was a D-rank Skeleton Warrior under an E-rank Madness Helm effect. A Skeleton Warrior with such specs was something a level 40 necromancer would summon. To make it worse, this Skeleton Warrior was one that received daily, one on one, training from Hyrkan. Its evasion ability was far above an average Skeleton warrior, and something that an average or below-average swordsman couldn¡¯t handle for long. ¡®This god damn skeleton!¡¯ Not only did it easily evade any attacks, it even counterattacked afterwards. Against such an opponent, the swordsman let out every single curse word in his arsenal. In the meanwhile, the Dragon Lizard was running towards the seven players grouped together like bowling pins. Taking notice of the Dragon Lizard, the seven players had no other choice but to separate. Otherwise, the clash would surely result in a strike. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t that easy to separate. It was largely due to the fact that they were distracted by the Skeleton Warrior. In the end¡­ Gulp! A priest had been swallowed by the Dragon Lizard. ¡°Fuck!¡± As he disappeared into the Dragon Lizard¡¯s mouth, the priest let out an uncouth scream. Of course, it wasn¡¯t much of a spectacle. Boss raids were generally filled with all sorts of foul language. Meanwhile, the Skeleton Warrior drove its opponent into a corner. Having received an order from its master, it showed no signs of wanting to stop. After seeing the Skeleton Warrior pushing back the swordsman, the swordsman that had escaped thanks to his sacrifice stopped in place. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ On land, seven players were in fierce combat with the Dragon Lizard. In that case, it might be better to go save his comrade than to run. Thinking this, the swordsman turned and started his way back in the muddy swamp. Suddenly, a fireball struck the back of the player fighting against the Skeleton Warrior. The swordsman on his way to save him stopped, startled. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°S-Sorry, it was a mistake!¡± The magician had tried to help, but ended up striking his ally. ¡°You retard, watch where you¡¯re throwing that thing!¡± The swordsman angrily cursed at his comrade. It was the typical scenario for failure. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Monsters had different characteristics depending on their type. Of these, the most representative were dragon-type monsters. Dragon-type monsters made nests. The so-called lairs. Inside these lairs were treasures. There were crafting materials as a start, and when these monsters killed players, they kept their fully crafted items inside their lairs. Because of this, it wasn¡¯t rare for players to avoid fighting dragon-type monsters and just loot their lairs. This was the so-called sneak-thieving It was something that happened quite often in Warlord. Considering the high profit one would gain at low risk, it was only obvious. Although it was no different than burglary, one wouldn¡¯t be punished for it. Furthermore, there were demands for sneak-thieving videos, albeit not as much as raids. After all, adventures to find hidden treasures have always been used as motives for movies, Indiana Jones being the most prominent. Hyrkan had much experience in this as well. As a result, Hyrkan remained on high alert as he jumped from tree to tree like a monkey, looking for the Dragon Lizard¡¯s lair. As he moved, Hyrkan summoned a Skeleton Warrior and put him just standing in the swamp. It was a bait, and at the same time, a warning signal. If this Skeleton Warrior was attacked, Hyrkan¡¯s magic power would deplete and notify him that the Dragon Lizard was on his way. About 15 minutes after Hyrkan¡¯s search started¡­ ¡®Okay.¡¯ Hyrkan caught sight of what looked like a large beaver dam. The large nest was about 3600 square feet, which was large enough for a country house to cover. Hyrkan immediately began to climb the nest as if he was rock climbing. Inside the nest were several objects, metals and gems. One of them¡­ ¡®Is this an egg?¡¯ Resembled an egg. ¡®Isn¡¯t this a rock?¡¯ However, it was more fittingly a rock than an egg. An egg-shaped rock, one might say. Even Hyrkan could not understand what it was. Of course, as he questioned it in his mind, he quickly changed crafting materials into coins and put them in his pocket. As he could not change the ¡®egg¡¯ into a coin, he simply wrapped it up and wore it behind him like a bag. Then, he quickly ran out from the lair. At that moment, Hyrkan¡¯s magic power depleted in a breeze. It signaled the death of the Skeleton Warrior he had summoned to distract the nine players. Hyrkan tightly shut his mouth. He still had something left unfinished. ¡ï¡ï¡ï By the time Hyrkan returned to the battlefield, it was in complete chaos. Signs of the Dragon Lizard¡¯s struggle was apparent in his surroundings. Fire still burned, most likely from the magic cast by the magicians. Among these flames, Hyrkan caught sight of shining watches. Hyrkan looked over all the chaos, and something that had escaped the Dragon Lizard¡¯s eyes caught Hyrkan¡¯s sight. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± It was a survivor. He was the sole survivor, one who had hid himself amidst the death of his allies. Because the Dragon Lizard suddenly dashed off, he was able to survive. This, of course, was caused by Hyrkan entering the Dragon Lizard¡¯s lair. In a way, Hyrkan was the one who saved his life. Of course, this was something the player had no way of knowing. Even if he did, he would not look at Hyrkan as one would look at his savior. In any case, the player found his current situation simply¡­ absurd. Over ten players had gathered for revenge. It was something that rarely happened even in Warlord. That being the case, he was confident. No matter how strong Hyrkan might be, he thought it was impossible for him to take on all ten of them by himself. He had never expected the situation to turn to this. He couldn¡¯t even be angry. He was simply shocked beyond belief. He stared at Hyrkan without a word. On the other hand, Hyrkan examined the arm and facial colors of the player in front of him. ¡®He¡¯s poisoned.¡¯ Likely from the Dragon Lizard¡¯s poison, the player¡¯s right arm was turning black as charcoal, and black marks stained across his face. If a priest were present, he would be healed in an instant, but it was clear that would not be the case. If left alone, he would undoubtedly die. Of course, if he wanted to struggle to his bitter end, it was possible. A person at his last breadth was always the most dangerous. Despite this fact, Hyrkan shortened the distance between them. ¡°Warlord is one hell of a game, isn¡¯t it? It drives you crazy in the strangest of ways.¡± The dying player stared intently at Hyrkan as he approached him. He was currently contemplating quite a bit. On one hand, he wanted to harm Hyrkan even if it meant quickening his own death. On the other, everything felt to be in vain. He felt it would be useless no matter what he did. ¡°You fucker¡­¡± In the end, he only moved his mouth. Watching the player in front of him, Hyrkan tapped his hahoe mask with his finger. ¡°Let¡¯s take this opportunity to get things straight. Remember this mask. If you ever see it again, you¡¯re going to want to run. Because if I find you first¡­ I¡¯ll make you repeat what you just said.¡± At this, the player became enraged as he attempted to swing his fist towards Hyrkan. However¡­ Stab! Hyrkan simply dodged his fist, and stabbed his sword in his eyes, which could be seen between the gap in his helmet. Not once, but several times. He was merciless as he continuously stabbed at him like a machine. Chwing! As Hyrkan pulled out the sword, it scratched the helmet, causing a metallic sound to ring out. This screech which could be heard only by Hyrkan was more terrifying than ever before. The player had been force logged out long ago. Although Hyrkan was well aware of this fact, he continued to stab him until only his watch remained. In the end, his corpse melted down, leaving behind only his watch, which Hyrkan was quick to pick up. ¡®If you keep coming even after this, then it¡¯s war.¡¯ This was something Hyrkan picked up from his time fighting against the Stormhunter Guild and the Hahoe Mask Guild that betrayed him. It wasn¡¯t enough to just kill them. He had to make them never want to play Warlord again. Of course, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t done with things just yet. He knew the other party would be the same. ¡®Next time I see you, I¡¯ll kill you again.¡¯ Hyrkan once again pledged revenge and punishment as he turned around and stared back at the black swamp. He didn¡¯t stare at it for long. Soon after, he turned his back and began to run as far as possible from the black swamp. As he ran, he began to search for guilds or raid parties in the vicinity of Bangtz Castle. When he was done, he picked one and contacted them. ¡°The Dragon Lizard has respawned in the Lizard Swamp. I¡¯m selling the exact location for 100 dollars.¡± A few minutes afterwards, he got a response. ¨C What¡¯s your account number? It was his final bit of profit from the Lizard Swamp. Chapter 35 : Skeletons Hunting Skeletons (1) Chapter 35 : Skeletons Hunting Skeletons (1) The moment Hyrkan acquired the nested egg, he ran towards Bangtz Castle without rest. ¡®Quicker, quicker!¡¯ Once he arrived at Bangtz Castle, Hyrkan quickly changed his clothes and headed towards Bangtz Castle¡¯s Subjugation Association. Then, he charged towards Ahimbree¡¯s room. ¡®What was that just now?¡¯ ¡®Didn¡¯t something just go upstairs?¡¯ All the hyenas on standby didn¡¯t even have a chance to try anything. The reason Hyrkan moved so hurriedly was simple. ¡®I have to bail before they get on my tail.¡¯ Ahimbree¡¯s test was at the Lizard Swamp, and Hyrkan passed that test. If the ones who approached Hyrkan before found out, they would surely act. As such, Hyrkan wanted to quickly finish his business with Ahimbree before they sought out to look for the player who received Ahimbree¡¯s quest. Hyrkan quickly arrived at Ahimbree¡¯s floor, and he then ran to Ahimbree¡¯s room. He slammed open the door, after which he placed the egg he brought on Ahimbree¡¯s desk like he just made a touchdown. Ahimbree simply watched on with a blank expression. It wasn¡¯t until a while afterwards that he opened his mouth. ¡°You came faster than I had expected.¡± Ahimbree said in a calm voice, at which Hyrkan bowed his head. ¡°I tried my best.¡± Although he answered as such, Hyrkan was gritting his teeth on the inside. ¡®Faster than you expected? Even though it took over 20 days?¡¯ Hyrkan headed to the Lizard Swamp as soon as he received Ahimbree¡¯s quest and spent the following 20 days there. Although he spent most of the time leveling up, the time it took to complete Ahimbree¡¯s quest was undoubtedly 20 days. But Ahimbree said it was faster than he had expected. ¡®What a crazy game.¡¯ A concept unimaginable in any other game. That was Warlord. Hyrkan¡¯s stray thoughts quickly disappeared as he pricked up his ears. He didn¡¯t want to miss a single word Ahimbree would say. He had no other choice. It wasn¡¯t often that one was given a chance to participate in the main scenario quest. In truth, the test this time around wasn¡¯t something Hyrkan could have finished by himself. Even if he found the Dragon Lizard, he didn¡¯t have the ability to deal with it alone. ¡°First of all, well done.¡± ¡°Thank you sir.¡± ¡°I do want to ask, do you know what this is?¡± As if he could read Hyrkan¡¯s mind, Ahimbree immediately cut to the chase. ¡°I do not.¡± ¡°Corrupted Stone, that¡¯s what I call it.¡± ¡®Oh, that¡¯s what this was?¡¯ Hyrkan finally understood the identity of the stone he brought. Corrupted Stone! It was something that played a core role in the Corrupted Count main scenario quest. Although he had heard stories of the Corrupted Stone, this was the first he had actually seen it. ¡®To think I¡¯d end up seeing it like this.¡¯ Before he returned to the past, he couldn¡¯t even act as extra in the Corrupted Count or the Immoral Prince main scenario quest. At that time, he was busy leveling up and filming videos. ¡®If this goes well¡­¡¯ Hyrkan was suddenly full of expectations. The reason he knew about the Corrupted Stone was because it was material for a Chronical Unique, just like the Pursuer of Corruption Necklace he had. Of course, he couldn¡¯t just use it as it is. Hyrkan couldn¡¯t remember the fine details from his hazy memory, but he knew there was a fairly complicated process involved. It was something the current Hyrkan couldn¡¯t do. In any case, if things went well, a fortune might land on his head. One like the Pursuer of Corruption Necklace. Or if Ahimbree gave this Corrupted Stone to Hyrkan¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be until later, but he would be able to sell it for an enormous sum. Gulp! Hyrkan tensed up slightly. It was as if he bought 100,000 won worth of lottery tickets and was now watching the draw live. With no way of knowing what Hyrkan was thinking, Ahimbree simply continued. ¡°Because of this Corrupted Stone, monsters have become drunk on the Corrupted One¡¯s powers and have been causing problems.¡± ¡°Then we must find these stones and destroy them.¡± Hyrkan answered immediately. He was simply telling Ahimbree to give him another quest so he could find the stones. ¡°With your strength, it is impossible to destroy this stone. Furthermore, there is an even more important matter at hand. Where did this stone come from? If these stones are not moving by themselves, then who is transporting them? These are the questions we must seek to answer.¡± ¡°Then we will need to find the mastermind and punish him. I will do so. Although I may be lacking, I will do my best to punish the evildoer who is hiding in the shadows!¡± ¡®Hurry up and give me the next quest!¡¯ Hyrkan pleaded in his mind. At this¡­ ¡°Your strength is not enough.¡± Ahimbree poured cold water over Hyrkan. ¡®What?¡¯ After he did so¡­ ¡°But you have the potential. What is important to you now is not to fight against them, but to acquire the strength to do so.¡± [The Quest, ¡®Ahimbree¡¯s Teachings (2)¡¯, starts.] He immediately threw hot water, a bucket of lava, at Hyrkan. ¡®Wow!¡¯ Hyrkan barely managed to hold in his desire to scream out loud. ¡®Ahimbree¡¯s Teachings? Skillbook?¡¯ But Hyrkan¡¯s patience¡­ [You have obtained the title, ¡®Ahimbree¡¯s Disciple¡¯.] ¡°Whooaaa!¡± Quickly ran out after hearing the following message. Hyrkan instinctively raised his hands in the air and shouted out. It seemed as if he wanted to hug Ahimbree to show his happiness. ¡°Mmm?¡± Watching Hyrkan¡¯s figure, Ahimbree tilted his head with a stiff expression. ¡°What does that mean?¡± It was then that Hyrkan snapped back to reality and wiped the elated expression off of his face. ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± It was the birth of another shameful moment in Hyrkan¡¯s Warlord history. ¡ï¡ï¡ï [Ahimbree¡¯s Teachings (2)] ¨C Quest Rank: Unique ¨C Quest Level Range: Above 30 ¨C Quest Content: Go see Ahimbree after achieving level 40. ¨C Quest Reward: Skillbook, Pursuer of Corruption Ring [Ahimbree¡¯s Disciple] ¨C Increases the class-specific stats by 3%. After reading about the two new alerts, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but to tremble in joy. ¡®To think I would get the Ahimbree¡¯s Disciple title here?¡¯ The Ahimbree¡¯s Disciple title was something all magicians wanted. It raised class-specific stats in a percentage. Along with the Rising Star title, Hyrkan¡¯s stats had a whole 6% increase. That wasn¡¯t all! ¡®So I¡¯m getting another skillbook just by hitting level 40?¡¯ He had a chance to gain a skillbook similar to Madness Helm. ¡®I just have to hit level 40.¡¯ Once Hyrkan achieved level 40, everything would be his. Not only would he receive a new Unique magic, he would be able to learn the Golem Summon magic he had wanted to learn originally. In addition, he would have the right to continue to the next main scenario quest! Then, there was only one thing left to worry about. Where could the current level 30 Hyrkan hit level 40 in the quickest time possible? It only took a second for Hyrkan to come up with an answer. ¡®Next is the Dead Woods.¡¯ Dead Woods. It was terrifying woods filled with undead monsters. ¡ï¡ï¡ï The Lizard Swamp was currently in an uproar. Trees that shot up to the sky were now burning due to flame magic. The whole scene looked like torches lighting up the black swamp, making the swamp give off an eerie aura. In the middle of the swamp lied a huge lizard that resembled a dragon. Its body had just begun to melt, and one could easily tell that it was the boss of the Lizard Swamp, the Dragon Lizard. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± A loud voice rang out in the swamp, and as if they had been waiting to hear this voice, multiple voices rang out in response. ¡°Whew! It¡¯s over!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Well done everyone!¡± ¡°We finally got a big one. Good work, everyone!¡± Along with these voices, players that had been assigned across the swamp began to make their appearance. They were a raid-specializing guild that were active around Bangtz Castle, the Apom Guild. They were a group of players that loved raids, but they couldn¡¯t be called talented in any way. They sought to enjoy raids, Warlord¡¯s core content, rather than to make money off of it. In a way, they were like a college circle. ¡°Thank you so much. You¡¯re better than the rumors say. We expected at least five of us to die, but all of us made it out alive.¡± As soon as the battle ended, the leader of the raid party approached a player and bowed. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Everyone¡¯s skills made it much easier.¡± In front of the bowing raid party leader was a man wearing a lustrous, white-scaled armor. It was evident to anyone that was watching that this man was a high-level player, one that didn¡¯t have a reason to participate in a level 40 boss monster raid. He was a Helper. More formally, a Raid Helper. Raids were the best part of Warlord. However, their difficulty was also high. One had to gather players, create the strategy for raid, and maintain coordination between all the members of party during raid. Above all, one had to be skilled. Those that wanted to raid but did not have the skills or ability to do so had no choice but to hire others with skills and experience to help them. In Warlord, they were known as Helpers. They were different from the ones who simply helped lower level players leech and level up. Helpers didn¡¯t hunt boss monsters by themselves. They directed the boss raid and ensured that their customers enjoyed the raids to their fullest. In any case, when one hired Helpers, the employer generally gave up on making profit. In fact, there were cases where one ended up with a loss. Even so, the demand for skilled helpers was always high. After all, only a small minority were truly skilled at raids. ¡°Ah, here. Though it may not be much, here¡¯s some gold.¡± Once the work was done, good Helpers generally received tips from their employer. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m happy with what we agreed upon beforehand.¡± Declining once was also the general practice. ¡°Take it, really. It¡¯s nothing, just a drink¡¯s worth.¡± After such exchange of pleasantries, both parties generally ended their business with a smile. ¡°Sorry.¡± This time, however, the Helper was resolute. The leader of raid party examined the Helper¡¯s expression, from which he could tell that he was unwilling to accept the tip. The raid party leader picked up on the clue and put the bag of gold back in his pocket. ¡®Just like I thought, he¡¯s definitely not an average Helper. He¡¯s too strong. Although the amount we paid wasn¡¯t small, it definitely wouldn¡¯t be enough to hire someone of his level¡­¡¯ At this moment, the raid party leader once again recalled the suspicion he had before the raid started. In raids where a Helper was present, a Broker was usually involved. Brokers found out the location of the boss and prepared the Helper in return for a commission fee. With the amount of money exchanged in Warlord, the amount of money a Broker or Helper handled was bigger than an average person might expect. Of course, how much the employer paid decided how strong a Helper he would get. In that sense, the Helper in front of the raid party leader was undoubtedly above the amount he paid for. Although a Helper below the amount one paid for sometimes came, a Helper above the amount one paid for was unheard of. ¡°By the way, as we talked about beforehand, I¡¯ll be taking all the items inside the Dragon Lizard¡¯s lair.¡± Furthermore, this time, the Helper insisted on taking the ownership of the items inside the Dragon Lizard¡¯s lair. Such a thing was also unheard of. ¡°Of course.¡± Why would he risk his life for a Dragon Lizard¡¯s lair? Although it was common knowledge that dragon-type monsters¡¯ lairs had expensive crafting materials items, lairs of newly spawned monsters were empty. Dragon-type monsters stored items of the players they killed. It was unlikely for a monster that had recently respawned to have many items. Even so, this Helper placed such importance on the Dragon Lizard¡¯s lair. It was strange in many ways. ¡°We will help you look for the lair.¡± Of course, it was none of the raid party leader¡¯s business. Considering how cheap the Helper was, he didn¡¯t have any reason to say no. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can take care of it by myself.¡± With that, the armored Helper turned around and stared into the black swamp. ¡®To think I would be able to find a Corrupted Stone in a place like this.¡¯ Just like the raid party leader suspected, this Helper wasn¡¯t one that would participate in a raid of this level. He was on a completely different level. One that could participate as a Helper for the Top 30 Guilds. There was only one reason he was in a place like this. Black swamp. It was a chance to acquire a Corrupted Stone. In other words, Corrupted Stones were important enough to make someone of his level take action. ¡®A Corrupted Dragon Lizard only appears when someone with Ahimbree¡¯s Test and the Corrupted Count quest is active in the Lizard Swamp for at least one week¡­ who could it be?¡¯ With that, he headed out to find the Dragon Lizard¡¯s lair. A few minutes afterwards¡­ ¡°FUCK!¡± The scream of a man shook the Lizard Swamp. Chapter 36 : Skeletons Hunting Skeletons (2) TN: The monster ¡®Skeleton Warrior¡¯ is actually Romanized in Korean, unlike Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Warriors which are in their Korean equivalent words. Not that it¡¯s confusing in the story¡­ but just letting you guys know. Skeletons Hunting Skeletons (2) Hyrkan had a fond memory of undead monsters. Before returning to the past, when Hyrkan and Kim Dongsoo wandered from hunting ground to hunting ground in order to hit level 40, although they edited and uploaded the hunting videos they made, they didn¡¯t get all too great of a response. ¡®It must be because our levels are too low¡­¡¯ although they told themselves such things, they couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they were overestimating themselves. What blew away their doubts was their video made while hunting undead monsters. The video of Hyrkan and Kim Dongsoo flying through the woods filled with undead monsters hit 100,000 views in a month, and served as one of the stepping stones for the foundation of the Hahoe Mask Guild. Hyrkan once again planned to use undead monsters as a stepping stone to a higher stage. First, Hyrkan made his order of priority. ¡®First and foremost, I need a weapon.¡¯ Now that he was level 30, he needed to find items appropriate for a level 30 character. Of these, the most important was the weapon. ¡®Blunt weapons are the best for crushing skeletons.¡¯ The fact that blunt weapons were more effective than sharp weapons in dealing with undead type monsters was something even beginners could understand. Of course, no magicians would use blunt weapons to kill undead type monsters. Because of this¡­ ¡°Hm?¡± While Hyrkan was browsing through the item auction site, he found an extremely cheap blunt weapon. [Magician¡¯s Hammer] *Main properties ¨C Rare-rank Item ¨C Magic power +35 ¨C Required level: 30 ¨C Required Condition: Magician Class *Miscellaneous ¨C This item was crafted for magicians and magicians only. Magician¡¯s Hammer. ¡®What idiot¡¯s work is this?¡¯ It was a ridiculous item. A blunt weapon that only magicians can equip? ¡®How out of your mind do you have to be to make something like this.?¡¯ Simply put, it was completely useless. It wasn¡¯t something someone in the right mind would create. There was nothing to say about its price. ¡®Let¡¯s see. It¡¯s¡­ 550 gold.¡¯ 550 gold. It was about 550,000 won. It was a rather high price for what is only a level 30 weapon. However, in Warlord¡¯s current market, 550,000 won for a Rare-rank level 30 weapon was a practically a giveaway. Nevertheless, the fact that it still has not been sold showed just how truly useless this item was. Furthermore, it raised magic power, not intelligence. When given the choice between magic power and intelligence, magicians almost always chose intelligence. ¡®Well, not that I mind.¡¯ In any case, it was a newly found advantage of being an all-strength necromancer. An item that no one would ever use was exactly what he needed. Hyrkan purchased the item immediately, his gun already reloaded for anything he might need. 2000 gold! That was the bullet he prepared. If need be, he intended to buy more bullets. ¡®The market price is just too much. If I want to get a full set¡­ I¡¯m going to need at least 4000 gold.¡¯ The price of level 30 equipment with nice magic power and intelligence stats was enormous. At the same time, some Unique items went by tens of thousands of gold. In most games, the average level of players went up, and the price of low level items dropped. However, that was not the case for Warlord. In fact, because of the explosive influx of new players, the price was on the rise. This exponential growth would continue for at least 3, 4 years. After all, there were currently a million players playing Warlord, and the number would rise to ten million. As Hyrkan knew this fact better than anybody, he did not complain about the price. Only, he sought for ways to acquire items for a cheaper cost. Of course, Hyrkan already had some methods in mind. ¡°¡­ Jesus, who¡¯s making these things?¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï A striped snapback with a New York Yankees logo on top, a studded leather jacket seemingly from the end of the last century, tight floral shorts, rain boots that rose up to the knees, and a massive sledgehammer hanging by the waist for the finishing touch¡­ it was truly something unbearable to watch. After checking out his getup, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but want to explode in shame. ¡®This is just too much.¡¯ Although the Goblin Leather set he wore at level 20 looked ridiculous, it at least shared a common theme of being made of leather. It was something one could pass off with ¡®he must have a strange taste!¡¯ But Hyrkan¡¯s current fashion¡­ It was something not even comedians would wear. If it was funny like before, he could at least pass it off as a concept. But this¡­ this was on a complete different level. Anyone who saw it would simply freeze in shock. In truth, as Hyrkan spent all his effort to save even a single gold, he didn¡¯t consider how they would go together. Rather, he didn¡¯t think it would be this bad. ¡®Who the hell made this? These shorts¡­¡¯ In particular, his tight floral shorts were something no one in the right mind would make. ¡®It must have been made for a female player.¡¯ It was the type that required a beautiful girl to pull off. If a grown-up man were to wear it¡­ ¡®Well, at least I won¡¯t have to worry about how to disgust the enemy in PKs.¡¯ His entire self was asking for a fight. Hyrkan was certain. Before he reached level 40, there would be at least one player who came after him just because he didn¡¯t like his fashion. ¡®Haaa, once I get my hands on some money, I¡¯ll get myself a cool full set¡­ kuk.¡¯ His grumbling ended there. Hyrkan changed his item slot into the default Subjugation Association clothes. The only difference was that he now had a hammer, not a sword, around his waist. He returned to his poor, pushover appearance. ¡®That¡¯s it for the preparations.¡¯ Hyrkan had finished setting his items. At the same time, he had already learned his free skill from the Class Tower. [Skeleton Magician] ¨C Proficiency: Rank F ¨C Number of Summonable Skeleton Magicians: 1 ¨C You can summon a Skeleton Magician instead of a Skeleton Warrior. ¨C You can summon 1 more skeleton with Skeleton Fragment. Skeleton Magician. Simply put, of the 4 skeletons Hyrkan could currently summon with the Skeleton Fragment skill, one would be a Skeleton Magician. When the Skeleton Magician skill-rank rose, Hyrkan would be able to summon more Skeleton Magicians. At the same time, the number of skeletons he could summon with Skeleton Fragment would go up. Most importantly, it was a necessary skill to learn Golem Summon at level 40. ¡®How long will my magic power last?¡¯ The amount of magic power required to summon Skeleton Magicians was 1.5 times that of Skeleton Warriors. In addition, Skeleton Magicians expended Hyrkan¡¯s magic power whenever they used magic. Even if he could safely hold out now, Hyrkan wondered how he would hold up with the addition of Golems at level 40. As things stood now, he was certain his progress would be halted by his lack of magic power. In the end, he would need help from items. However, as Hyrkan¡¯s level rose, the items he needed only got more expensive. Most of all, to cover for the areas he was lacking in, he would need items that were considered top-tier even in Warlord. If he couldn¡¯t get his hands on these items, raid solo play would be but an empty dream. It just went to show how Hyrkan¡¯s path was filled with hardships and difficulties. Of course, a path filled with hardships was still a path. With a sigh, Hyrkan reached out to his waist and held up the hammer. Thanks to investing all his stat points into strength, the hammer felt light as a feather. ¡®I¡¯ve come this far. If there isn¡¯t a path, I¡¯ll just have to make one.¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï There was a Skeleton Warrior with a bull¡¯s head. Two horn strutting out from its long skull gave it quite a fearsome impression. Anyone with a bit of insight could tell that this Skeleton Warrior was made from the rare level 40 monster, the Hammering Cow. Perhaps due to being made from a Hammering Cow, the Skeleton Warrior handled the massive hammer in its hands with extreme proficiency. Using this hammer, the Skeleton Warrior swiftly dodged the attacks of a human-shaped skeleton in front of it, then counterattacked when it saw an opening. Crack! Watching the skeleton¡¯s head fly off with a single attack, Hyrkan shouted. ¡°Oh! Nice shot!¡± Along with his words, Hyrkan snapped his fingers twice. As if to pound rice into flour, other Skeleton Warriors began to smash the headless skeleton¡¯s body. Soon, the skeleton¡¯s body was completely destroyed, as it fell to the ground. Only, the skeleton¡¯s body received even harsher treatment as it lied on the ground. Watching the process unfold, Hyrkan smiled. ¡®Fantastic.¡¯ For each Hammering Cow Skeleton Warrior Fragments, he had paid over 200,000 won. Hammering Cow bones were hard to come by and was a popular material at the same time. Even so, Hyrkan didn¡¯t feel like he wasted any money. ¡®Yep, skulls should be crushed alright.¡¯ While Hyrkan was staring admiration, a skeleton was approaching him with a dagger in hand. In only an instance, it neared Hyrkan¡¯s back. When it was close enough to reach Hyrkan, it unhesitatingly slashed down towards Hyrkan¡¯s back. As if it was the simplest thing to do¡­ Whish! Hyrkan turned his body and dodged the attack. As he did, with the hammer in his hand¡­ Crack! He smashed the skeleton¡¯s head. Its head bounced off a nearby tree trunk and rolled back near Hyrkan and its body. The headless skeleton did not panic, and once again swung its dagger at Hyrkan. This was the characteristic of undead monsters. Losing a part of their body did not mean a thing. Even without their heads, they didn¡¯t have any trouble seeing in front of them. In fact, their bodies got lighter and¡­ Whish, whish! Their attacks faster. But that was it. It wasn¡¯t fast enough to make Hyrkan panic. Hyrkan easily dodged more swings of the headless skeleton by ducking low. As he did, he grabbed the skeleton¡¯s head from the ground. Then, he held the hammer close to its head and began to quickly strike the skeleton¡¯s head. Clack, clack, clack! He looked like a Buddhist monk hitting his wooden bell. ¡®Great sound.¡¯ It was the strategy for hunting skeleton-type monsters. To kill undead monsters, one had to deal as much damage as possible, to make their HP as close to 0 as possible. It was important to continuously deal damage to them. Otherwise, they would continue to move even if one broke their head or pelvis. The key was to use this point to one¡¯s advantage. By continuously hitting its skull, Hyrkan could continuously deal damage to it. At the same time, this was something he could do even while running. It was fine as long as he wasn¡¯t bitten. This was the most important part. Hyrkan looked around him. ¡®Geez, they¡¯re like a wild pack of dogs.¡¯ Just now, he had fought against two skeletons. He couldn¡¯t just sit there and wait. They mobbed. 10 skeletons entered Hyrkan¡¯s field of vision. This was why undead monsters were difficult to hunt. Although anybody could kill one, skeletons in the area gathered to help the skeleton being attacked. When they did, one would find themselves surrounded. Being surrounded by skeletons caused quite a bit of headache. As such, one shouldn¡¯t expect the fight to end with the first encounter. Once one dealt sufficient damage, one needed to move to the next area immediately. Of course, if one moved completely randomly, that person would just end up gathering even more skeletons. As such, it was important to move within predesignated areas, so as to avoid being surrounded. To Hyrkan, this was as natural as breathing. Tap, tap! Hyrkan continued to smack the skeleton¡¯s head as he moved to the next area. Skeleton Warriors, of course, followed suit. At that time, a skeleton with a large frame blocked the path of Hyrkan and his Skeleton Warriors. It was a monster on a completely different scale than the ones Hyrkan had faced so far. ¡®Oh, a Skeleton Warrior?¡¯ At a height of 3 meters, it was wearing a helmet and a breastplate large enough to cover its entire upper body. In addition, it was equipped with a large shield and a long sword to match its size. It was a Skeleton Warrior. It was a rare monster similar to a Lizard Warrior. At the same time, its strength was incomparable to ordinary skeletons. ¡®Did it just respawn?¡¯ It was Hyrkan¡¯s first encounter with the Skeleton Warrior since he entered the Dead Woods. The Skeleton Warrior was blocking Hyrkan¡¯s way. In an instant, Hyrkan analyzed the Skeleton Warrior in front of it. ¡®The head would be too hard.¡¯ Due to its height, it seemed impossible to smash off its head. As the thought flashed by Hyrkan¡¯s mind, the distance between Hyrkan and the Skeleton Warrior had been shortened even further. The Skeleton Warrior was the first one to strike. Whoosh! It swung the sword in its hand horizontally, clearly aiming to behead Hyrkan with a single blow. The heavy sound caused Hyrkan to believe it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible. In any case, Hyrkan dodged the attack by lowering his body. At the same time¡­ Crack! As he passed by the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s left side, he smashed his hammer down at the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s kneecap. ¡®There goes one.¡¯ After passing by the Skeleton Warrior, Hyrkan quickly turned himself around and charged towards the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s back. While the Skeleton Warrior was about to fall to its knee, Hyrkan once again smashed with his hammer. Crack! This time, at the back of its right knee. Then, having lost its balance, the Skeleton Warrior fell forward. Snap, snap! With two snaps, the nearby Skeleton Warriors raised their hammers into the air as if they had been waiting for this moment. Then, like lightning, they struck down on the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s body with full force. Kwang! Of these, two Skeleton Warriors even leaped into the air to shorten the distance between them and the Skeleton Warrior. Their nimbleness was something most Skeleton Warriors lacked. Their attack didn¡¯t end there. Four Skeleton Warriors struck down their hammers as if to play an instrument. The Skeleton Warrior¡¯s body could not regenerate as the Skeleton Warriors¡¯ attacks turned it into dust. Watching this scene, Hyrkan once again smiled with satisfaction. ¡®I don¡¯t know who raised you all, but he did one hell of a job!¡¯ Of course, the Skeleton Warrior wouldn¡¯t die with just this. Even now, it was quickly recovering its shattered body. Meanwhile, the group of skeletons chasing after Hyrkan finally arrived. Hyrkan turned around and checked their number. ¡®Seven? They¡¯re missing three. In that case¡­¡¯ Hyrkan finished his battle calculations in an instant. He immediately reached into his pocket and threw out a small Skeleton Fragment. When he did, a small black-boned Skeleton Magician made its appearance. ¡°Fire Boom!¡± Hyrkan shouted out the chant for the magic. The Skeleton Magician raised its hands up high. Crackle! A crimson ball of flame rose up between its skinny hands. As if to play catchball, Hyrkan gestured like he was throwing the ball into the air. The Skeleton Magician then copied his gesture. Whish! The ball of flame quickly flew towards the group of skeletons. Crash! When it touched a skeleton, it exploded. The explosion did not deal much damage to the skeletons. Although the body of the skeleton that was hit exploded, it seemed like it would recover in a moment. The rest of the skeletons suffered very little damage. However, the explosion caused disarray in the skeleton pack¡¯s battle line. Hyrkan snapped his fingers twice. Then, Hyrkan¡¯s four Skeleton Warriors stopped their barrage of attacks on the Skeleton Warrior, and turned their heads towards the pack of skeletons. Then, without a shred of hesitation, they charged towards them. Seven skeletons in complete disarray versus four skeleton Warriors running in a proper line. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a real headache!*¡± [T/N: It¡¯s a pun in Korean. I tried my best here, but in Korean, this ¡¯headache¡¯ is more like a pain in the skull, hence the pun] Then, the four Skeleton Warriors charged ahead of Hyrkan! Victory was already decided at this point. Had this been a real war, the skeletons would have surrendered long ago. Unfortunately for the skeletons, monsters did not come with such a feature. The skeletons reacted in a fixed way at the charging Skeleton Warriors and Hyrkan. Without getting back in formation, the skeletons charged towards them. Two sides clashed. The result was Hyrkan¡¯s one-sided victory. Chapter 37 : Skeletons Hunting Skeletons (3) Chapter 37 : Skeletons Hunting Skeletons (3) Large build, thick armor, bone-chilling sword, and fire-like eyes that shone between the helmet¡¯s gap. These were features that represented Skeleton Warriors. At the same time, these were the features of the grim reaper for any players hunting in the Dead woods. However, the body of the Skeleton Warrior lying on the ground showed no signs of any of these features. Its shoulders and knees were completely busted, its armor was caved in as if it had been kicked multiple times, and its sword lied broken in half. Its helmet with the fire-like eyes¡­ Clack, clack, clack! Was stuck under the shoulders of a man wearing a leather jacket as it was beaten up again and again. It was a gruesome sight that was difficult to describe. If the Skeleton Warrior had human like emotions, it would undoubtedly be crying. Of course, the cause of this scene was none other than Hyrkan. However, Hyrkan seemed to be in a bad mood as well. ¡®This goddamn magic power.¡¯ Until just a few minutes ago, he had been feeling better than he ever had. In fact, he had been feeling good since the start of the day¡¯s battle. He was in an even better condition than he had been at the Lizard Swamp. It wasn¡¯t just Hyrkan that was feeling this way. His Skeleton Warriors were showing much better movements than usual. The battle data they had accumulated so far was finally being reflected in their fights. Here, Hyrkan decided. ¡®Let¡¯s film a Time Attack video!¡¯ He set his goal high. To kill 100 skeletons in 100 minutes! Of course, Hyrkan knew better than anyone else that this was impossible. Even so, there was nothing wrong with setting one¡¯s goals high. When he began, he was killing at an extremely fast pace. He even wondered if he could really achieve his goal. However, his happiness quickly turned to disappointment due to his chronic disadvantage. ¡®I know I¡¯m an all-strength necromancer, but it¡¯s not like my magic power is that low compared to normal necromancers at my level¡­¡¯ Lack of magic power. It was especially more draining in bold and forceful battles. When he used Skeleton Magicians to speed up his hunting pace, he found his magic power disappearing into the air. As a result, he had to cut down on the number of Skeleton Warriors, which was why only Hyrkan remained standing. Now that he had finished off the Skeleton Warrior, Hyrkan immediately checked his stat window. Checking his stat window signified the end of a battle. [Hyrkan] ¨C Level: 33 ¨C Class: Magician ¨C Title: 9 ¨C Stats: Strength (190) / Stamina (30) / Intelligence (101) / Magic Power (141) 141 points. That was Hyrkan¡¯s current magic power stat. Most necromancers distributed their stat points into magic power in a 1 to 4 ratio. In this case, disregarding the stat points from items, their pure magic power stat was 150. If one factored in their titles and items, it would be over 200 points. Of course, if the player was full of Unique items, it could be over 300 or even 400 points. Compared to this, Hyrkan¡¯s magic power was indeed low. However, it was a fine number considering he was an all-strength necromancer. He had yet to run into any problems either. Until now that is. ¡®So there¡¯s no problem if I¡¯m driving safe, but once I step on the accelerator, my fuel runs out in a breeze.¡¯ It was a problem only Hyrkan could understand. His individual performance was exceptional. In terms of cars, he would be a Lamborghini. Of course there would be a problem if one put in regular fuel in it instead of premium. ¡®Tsk.¡¯ In truth, it wasn¡¯t anything like a fatal problem. No one could run at full power forever. Most people that earned their living in Warlord did so by running safely and steadily. They only ran fast every once in a while. Warlord was a marathon, not a sprint. Even so, it wasn¡¯t easy for him to ignore it after feeling the problem with his own body. Most importantly. ¡®It¡¯s going to be real dangerous after level 40.¡¯ At this rate, his problems would only get bigger with Golem Summon. No, Golem Summon wasn¡¯t the problem. Once he hit level 40, Skeleton Fragment would rank up and he would have another Skeleton Warrior to summon. In truth, he already had his answer. ¡®Damn, if only I had the money.¡¯ Money! Everything would be taken care of if he had the right items. It was a simple and obvious solution, yet something Hyrkan couldn¡¯t do at the moment. Then what should he do? Efficiency. He had to mind his fuel efficiency. He had to ensure his battles were as efficient as possible. Even if he fought boldly, aggressively, and assertively, he had to make sure his battles used as little magic power as possible. To do that, what he had to change was¡­ ¡®My condition is good, but not as much as in the past.¡¯ Hyrkan himself. Because of putting his Skeleton Warriors in front, he wasn¡¯t doing as much as in the past. There was a difference between doing his best and being the best. Hyrkan turned off his stat window. ¡®I can¡¯t make my skeletons work; I have to make myself work.¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï Romany was currently bursting with excitement. ¡°Wow!¡± Because of taking on so many boring and uninteresting works recently, he was about to go crazy from forcing himself to work. After a long time, however,he had received a request from a client that had once drove him crazy. Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. He had sent him an immense amount of battle videos, which Romany picked at random to watch. It was just one. Even so, Romany spent a full hour watching the video from start to finish. That¡¯s how good it was. ¡®This is incomparable to those casuals. This is on a completely different level!¡¯ He had seen countless number of videos from countless number of people. Although they probably sent what they believed to be one of their better fights, Romany had to forcefully edit and direct to make something barely passable. However, Hyrkan¡¯s video was enough to make him shudder in fear. How could he make this better? It would be fine even on its own! ¡®My god.¡¯ His every movement was art. Others played what seemed like a turn-based game, but Hyrkan prevented his opponent from ever attacking as he poured attack after attack. Watching Hyrkan dodge attacks by the hairs-breadth was simply breathtaking. The best part of it all¡­ ¡®Do they take after their owner? How can they move like this?¡¯ Was that Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Warriors fought just as well. One can dance alone, but it was even more marvelous when done in a group! Not only that, their opponent was also a top choice. Skeletons vs Skeletons! Just thinking of the film¡¯s title made him shake in excitement. The actual video was enticing as well. It was grotesque, yet captivating. As he watched, Romany found his heart beating fast. There was just one problem. ¡®What¡¯s up with his getup? Is he wearing that on purpose? Or is there some sort of a problem?¡¯ His fashion. ¡°Who¡¯s his fashion coordinator? Or did he do this on his own?¡¯ In any case, it was Romany¡¯s job to make this look as good as possible. His scenario was already finished. He even had a title in mind. ¡°Skull Clown.¡± That would be the title of this film. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Baseball, soccer, basketball, etc. No matter what sport it may be, there were two factors that made their fans quiver in excitement. The first was the victory of the team they cheered for. The second¡­ was the appearance of a super rookie. In particular, rookies caused not just one team, but the entire sports scene to be heated up. It was the same in Warlord. There was now 2 months left until the 1-year anniversary. Because of recent appearances of super rookies, Warlord was currently heated up to the extreme. ¨C Fallout Online¡¯s Rank 10, Rony Jackson joins the Hydra Guild! ¨C The Machine Rank 3rd, Ugo Sanchez joins Red Bull! Recently, with top-tier players of other virtual reality games moving to Warlord, related articles, interviews, and videos were making headlines. But, as always, it wasn¡¯t the royal road that people were interested in, but the road of a jewel crawling up from the bottom to the top. It was because of this. Skull Clown! The 15-minute video of Hahoe Mask Hyrkan fighting skeletons in the Dead Woods achieved 150,000 views in just 3 days of going public. Showing what seemed to be an infinite amount of potential, it signaled the appearance of another super rookie. Naturally, stories of Hyrkan began to circulate around the internet. ¨C I¡¯ve seen this guy hunting by himself in the Lizard Swamp. It was amazing. ¨C I saw him too. He always hunts by himself. He¡¯s the master of solo play. He never does party. ¨C After seeing this, I¡¯m going to go make myself a necromancer. ¨C What¡¯s up with his clothes? Isn¡¯t it too much? ¨C He¡¯s probably doing it on purpose. What sane person would wear this? He¡¯s probably doing it to get attention. With Hyrkan gaining all sorts of attention, there were those who didn¡¯t see it in good light. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ Until her secretary, Park Suji, reminded her, Choi Sulyeon had forgotten about Hyrkan. When she watched Hyrkan¡¯s new video, she was amazed from the bottom of her heart. However, along with the end of the video, her amazement changed to suspicion. She asked Park Suji whether she had scouted him as she had asked, which Park Suji assured she had. When Choi Sulyeon asked what the result was, Park Suji replied that she didn¡¯t even get a response. It was a justified suspicion. The scout offer came from none other than the Stormhunter Guild. Even if he had no choice but to decline, it was proper manners to at least give a reply. No, rather than proper manners, it was the obvious thing to do. However, there was nothing. Then? ¡®Is he ignoring us?¡¯ Never mind the refusal. There was great chance that he was ignoring them. The fact that he had been silent this entire time with nothing but a new video meant that he treated the Stormhunter Guild as no different than any of the other small guilds. That being the case, Choi Sulyeon didn¡¯t think that Hyrkan was looking down on Stormhunter Guild. She didn¡¯t even consider that he would have a personal grudge against the Stormhunter Guild. After all, it was impossible. According to her standards, it was impossible for a Warlord player to act in such a way. Instead, she came up with a different answer. ¡®Is he part of another guild? If he¡¯s some other guild¡¯s hidden card, it makes sense that he can¡¯t give a reply.¡¯ That Hyrkan was part of a guild and was currently hiding his identity! That was the answer she came up with. It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t think of any other possibility. It was just that, to her, that was the only possibility. ¡°Hmph.¡± And this fact only served to fire her up. A treasure without an owner and a treasure with an owner. Although a treasure without an owner had more worth, there was a certain thrill and sense of achievement to stealing a treasure with an owner. ¡®If he grows, he can one day become the Stormhunter Guild¡¯s ace. He has just as much¡­ no, even more potential than me.¡¯ And just like that, Choi Sulyeon once again played Hyrkan¡¯s video, Skull Clown. Chapter 38 : Golden Skeleton (1) Chapter 38 : Golden Skeleton (1) ¡®2 minutes and 30 seconds.¡¯ Looking at the result of the Climbing Test he just took, An Jaehyun shook his head. ¡®It¡¯s still not as good as it was when I was at my prime.¡¯ Recently, An Jaehyun performed another Climbing Test. It was the first time since he visited Peach Store to buy a V-Gear. The time he got this time was 2 minutes 41 seconds, even longer than his last score at the Peach Store. Even so, An Jaehyun wasn¡¯t surprised. He was only bitter. Why? Because he had expected it. It was only obvious. It has been a long time since An Jaehyun fought on the front lines with his life at risk. After the Hahoe Mask Guild¡¯s betrayal, he was forced to quit Warlord. Then, there was a long period of rest. Even after he returned to the past, An Jaehyun¡¯s battle style put safety first and foremost. Although he took risks when necessary, he avoided them otherwise. Growth only came about through pushing past one¡¯s limit. To run a 100 meter in 9 seconds, one had to do so in 10 seconds countless number of times. In any case, after this experience, An Jaehyun pushed himself more often in Warlord. He worked himself more diligently, more harshly, and more fiercely. He took the Climbing Test every day to measure his transformation. As a result, it didn¡¯t take long until he reduced his time to 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Even so¡­ ¡®I still need to lose another 10 seconds from here. I must have been crazy back then. How did I do it?¡¯ He was still far from his prime. It was only now, that An Jaehyun realized how much of a monster he truly was. ¡®I¡¯m the best alright.¡¯ At the same time, he understood that no matter how strong his summons became, they would never be as strong as An Jaehyun himself. It wasn¡¯t an unjustified confidence. It was the truth, one that no one could argue about. However, he had totally forgotten about it until recently. He had focused solely on making his skeletons stronger without minding to his own abilities. ¡®Body Modification.¡¯ Until recently, he had even forgotten about his plan to use his strong personal capabilities. Summoning, Curses, and Body Modification! These three must be what An Jaehyun aimed for. Without them, it would be impossible to achieve his goals. Even without just one of them, there would be no point to An Jaehyun¡¯s efforts. Even so, An Jaehyun couldn¡¯t even get started on Body Modification. ¡®Damn money problems.¡¯ The reason was, of course, money. ¡®I have 3,000,000 won to spare.¡¯ For someone who constantly complained about not having money, he had amassed a fair amount. At the moment, he could cash about 3,000,000 won, which could not be considered a small sum. If he were to liquidate all the items in his possession, he would have even more money. Considering the enormous amount of money it would take for other players to get as strong as Hyrkan, the amount Hyrkan had spent so far was impressive. Not to mention, he had started from nothing. If he were to make an autobiography, it would surely be a best seller. ¡®I can buy Slow Curse and Skin Sewing with the money I have now but¡­¡¯ If An Jaehyun really wanted to, he could buy Slow Curse, which was a higher tier skill than Demon Curse, and Skin Sewing, which was the start of Body Modification. The problem was the price of the two! ¡®No matter how I look at it, spending over a thousand gold to buy them would be like wiping my ass with money.¡¯ Slow Curse cost 1,000 gold on the market and Skin Sewing took 800 gold. The price of the two combined would be 1,800,000 won. For a low level skill, they were expensive. Of course, there was a reason for it. Slow Curse and Demon Curse were skills that curse magicians used forever. Even if one wasn¡¯t a curse magician, a black magician would always learn these two skills. In the case of Skin Sewing, the reason was a bit different. It was because Skin Sewing was the beginning skill of Body Modification. Beginning skills were always expensive, regardless of the class. Thankfully, skillbooks after it weren¡¯t so expensive. Even so, it was a hefty sum to pay. Because of recent advertisements and events leading up to Warlord¡¯s 1-year anniversary, more people had begun to play Warlord. As such, the price of low level skill¡¯s skillbooks had skyrocketed. ¡®I¡¯d rather buy it if I can, but¡­ well, I¡¯ll sleep on it I guess.¡¯ With that, An Jaehyun threw himself on his bed. It was time to sleep. ¡®Aaah, if only Romany¡¯s film would go viral. If I can get a million views, I wouldn¡¯t even need to worry about this. I would immediately buy the skillbooks, and maybe even change this goddamn fashion¡­¡¯ An Jaehyun even made a small wish as he stared into the ceiling. Of course¡­ ¡®If only¡­¡¯ An Jaehyun laughed at this dumb wish. No matter how much he thought, it was a ridiculous wish. With that, An Jaehyun fell asleep. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Once An Jaehyun started a game, he would put his all into finishing what he had planned to do. He knew that once he went off schedule, it would be hard to get back on it. If he got sick or something during that time, it would be even harder to get back on track. One week. If he threw away just one week, the distance between him and the front-runners would widen up again. It was the same for Rankers. Because of this, there was a saying that the enemies of Rankers weren¡¯t their competitors, but cold. But now. ¡°What?¡± An Jaehyun had logged out, even though he hadn¡¯t fulfilled his quota. Having taken off his helmet, he was wearing a surprised expression. As An Jaehyun was someone who wouldn¡¯t flinch while watching his house burn down, it was indeed a strange thing. That explained how surprised An Jaehyun really was. An Jaehyun checked his donation account once again, unable to believe his eyes. ¡®1,000 dollars? Not 1,000 won but 1,000 dollars?¡¯ There were three major ways of getting money through YouTube. The first was through paid videos. It was the most representative way of profit. The second was through ads. Even free videos pulled in quite a lot of money with high view count. If a video was sponsored, the profit became even bigger. The third was through donations. Donations were sent in by the fans, and they couldn¡¯t be called insignificant. Popular YouTubers received millions or tens of millions of won just through donations. Donations could be checked 24/7 even in Warlord. Watching donations pour in was quite fun in its own way. 1,000 won, 1 dollar, 100 yen, 1 euro¡­ watching money flow in from various countries was undoubtedly exciting for many people. When one received a big amount like 10 or 50 dollars, he would hunt for the rest of the day feeling happy. But today was different. The donations had exploded. In fact, the average amount donated had increased as well. One of them was a 1,000-dollar donation. An Jaehyun couldn¡¯t sit by and continue gaming. It was only now that An Jaehyun figured out what was happening. ¡°Yes!¡± Before he had logged in, Skull Clown only had about 5,000 views. Now, in just 4 hours, it had reached 40,000. It was growing exponentially! ¡°Yes! It finally blew up!¡± An Jaehyun was sure that someone from a famous Warlord fan-site had recommended the video with an introduction. Otherwise, such an exponential growth would be hard to account for. In truth, An Jaehyun had partially expected it. When he watched the film Romany sent him, An Jaehyun couldn¡¯t help but be impressed. At the very least, he thought he would receive 100,000 views in a couple weeks. However, at the pace it is now, it seemed Skull Clown would pass 100,000 in less than a week. ¡®100,000¡­ that¡¯s enough to pass the cut-line.¡¯ There was something called a cut-line. Past a certain point, there was a big difference in view count. Once a video passed the cut-line, it would become a ¡°viral¡± video and its view count would go up steadily. IF a video couldn¡¯t pass that cut-line, it would die down just as quick. ¡®Can it hit a million?¡¯ As it is now, An Jaehyun¡¯s Skull Clown video had enough power to pass that cut-line. Its high view count and increased number of donations was proof of it. Plus, if Skull Clown could hit one million views, An Jaehyun would be able to get close to 10,000,000 won. Warlord videos earned 3 won for 1 view. One million views would mean 3,000,000 won, excluding the amount one would gain from donations. Furthermore, once a video got one million views, sponsors were sure to involve themselves. This was something An Jaehyun knew by heart. A player with 5 one-million-view videos on their belt was worth about 10,000,000 won per month. In most cases, the player wouldn¡¯t take all that money for himself. As Warlord players were part of guilds or raid-parties, at least 5 or more people took a cut of the money. But it was different for An Jaehyun. Just like he always wanted, everything was his to have. ¡¯10,000,000 won for a million views.¡¯ The light in An Jaehyun¡¯s eyes changed. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± ¡ï¡ï¡ï [Skin Sewing] -Proficiency: Rank F ¨C You can put monster skin over your own to make your skin stronger. [Slow Curse] -Proficiency: Rank F ¨C Cast a curse that slows the enemy¡¯s speed. This curse requires more magic power and lasts for shorter time as the target¡¯s size, speed, and strength increases. Hyrkan stared at the explanations of his two new skills. Though they were skills he had been dying to get, he didn¡¯t seem happy. In fact, he seemed quite bitter. ¡®Damn it. I can¡¯t believe these two skills cost 1,900 gold¡­ I know there is more demand than supply, but come on, it¡¯s too damn expensive! Are they messing with the price?¡¯ 1,900 gold. Without Skull Clown seemingly about to go viral, Hyrkan would never have purchased the skills. On the other hand, if Skull Clown really did not go viral, his investment would have huge tolls on his food. For one, meat would be nothing but a dream. He might even have to steal coffee from a nearby office. In any case, these two skills were quite useful for the current Hyrkan. ¡®It¡¯s not that bad I guess.¡¯ First, Skin Sewing passively increased his defense. It was the same as Skin Armor that swordsmen learned. There was one difference, however. Skin Armor strengthened the user¡¯s skin itself, but Skin Sewing was different. The amount of defense its user would get changed depending on the skins or scales of monsters used. This was generally a good thing, as Skin Sewing provided more defense than Skin Armor. The downside, however, was that its user would have to pay for the monsters¡¯ skins or scales. When the user received damage, Skin Sewing would have to be renewed. It was one of the reason why necromancers were called money-eating hippos. Slow Curse didn¡¯t need much explanation. It was a core curse skill that all curse magicians used. It slowed its target¡¯s movement speed, and its effectiveness was universally recognized in Warlord. Hyrkan now had these precious skills on hand. It was now time to put them to use. ¡®I¡¯ll make something awesome with these, and go for a Synergy Effect.¡¯ Skull Clown was even better than Hyrkan expected. It was only obvious to release another video at this point. With two videos working in synergy, his profit would be doubled as well. ¡®If I get a second million-view, I can say goodbye to my debts.¡¯ If Hyrkan¡¯s could get a million-view video like he wanted, he could stop worrying about the money he owed. In fact, he could stop worrying about the V-Gear cost as well. Furthermore¡­ ¡®I can get some proper clothes too.¡¯ He could say goodbye to his pitiable fashion. This fueled Hyrkan¡¯s will even more. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡°Fuck! What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Dead Woods. In this eerie, sinister place, a player shouted in anger at two other. ¡°None of your business. Blame you and your party for entering this area.¡± ¡°You bastards¡­ do you really think you can get away with suddenly attacking us? I have everything on video!¡± At that, the two players sneered. ¡°Whatever. You can¡¯t see our faces anyways.¡± At the same time, one of the two players made a spear of ice and threw it at the player in front of him. Game Over. After confirming his death, the two players stared at each other. ¡°Damn it. If we didn¡¯t miss that Golden Skeleton, we wouldn¡¯t have to do this. So Annoying!¡± ¡°Did I let it go? Why are you yelling at me? Besides, Golden Skeleton has one fucked up behavioral design.¡± ¡°Tell me about it. What kind of a monster requires you to kill it from the beginning if you can¡¯t kill it within a time limit¡­ because of that, we¡¯ve only been hunting players for two days.¡± ¡°We have to kill it soon. We can¡¯t continue killing players to prevent the information from spreading. Tomorrow or the day after at the latest¡­ that¡¯s all the time we have.¡± With that, the two went silent. Having received an order from a voice-messaging program, the two quickly turned back and ran. Chapter 39 : Golden Skeleton (2) Chapter 39 : Golden Skeleton (2) Skeletons hunting skeletons. In the middle of a battlefield of a one-sided slaughter, Hyrkan sat on a rock, watching a video. In the video, one of Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Warrior was swinging a hammer like a baseball bat, making another skeleton¡¯s head fly out to the distance. Watching the scene, Hyrkan simply shook his head. ¡®It was fun filming it, but it¡¯s pretty meh now that I look at it.¡¯ 10 days had passed since Hyrkan uploaded Skull Clown to his YouTube page. ¡®The fun atmosphere isn¡¯t bad, but it¡¯s too light¡­ but releasing two of the same battle videos¡­¡¯ Skull Clown had blown up just like Hyrkan had thought. It had surpassed 100,000 views in just 4 days, and it was currently at 310,000 views. He had earned a lot as well. His ad revenue had increased, and he received more than double his usual donation amount. Although no one had contacted him yet for a sponsorship, with his YouTube page now at 30,000 subscribers, his chances of getting a sponsor were ever increasing. It couldn¡¯t have been any better! However, Hyrkan was more worried than happy. The cause of his worry was none other than the follow-up video for Skull Clown. Although he had been filming videos of himself hunting, he didn¡¯t find any of them to his liking. Hyrkan took off his hahoe mask for a moment as he massaged his face. ¡®I can¡¯t get a feel for it.¡¯ It¡¯s not that he couldn¡¯t fight well. In fact, his battle strength was higher than the one shown in Skull Clown. First, thanks to Skin Sewing, Hyrkan could be a bit more daring in his battles. It was easy to tell that he was showing his aggressive side. On the other hand, although he was stronger than he was in Skull Clown, not much had changed. It was like looking at a same car design with the only difference being the horse power. Furthermore, because the opponent was still skeletons, anything Hyrkan would make seemed to similar to Skull Clown. ¡®This isn¡¯t good enough.¡¯ Hyrkan knew the tendencies of people who enjoyed watching Warlord videos. Subscribers knew when a YouTuber released videos just to get more views. If this were revealed, their deep affection and interest quickly turned to a frightful dagger. Hyrkan needed something new. No matter how he fought, he would only be able to make videos of hunting skeletons in the Dead Woods. Furthermore, Hyrkan no longer had any troubles killing skeletons and Skeleton Warriors. If the fight was close, it might be worth showing, but the current Hyrkan simply slaughtered them one-sidedly. It was to the point that Hyrkan just made his Skeleton Warriors fight by themselves as he sat back. It was one of the reason why he made a light atmosphere video like the one just now. ¡®It¡¯s a problem to fight too well.¡¯ Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but be dumbfounded. ¡®I can¡¯t believe this is a problem.¡¯ It was boring because he fought too well! He couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡®This is the best place for leveling up though¡­¡¯ In the end, the solution was to change his hunting ground. He had to change his opponent. However, for the current Hyrkan, Dead Woods was the best place to level-up. Even if there was a better place, it was too far. It would take over a day to get there, and once he did, he would have to learn the area, look for hunting points, and build his Skeleton Warrior¡¯s battle experience again. It wasn¡¯t that he was lazy, it was that it was too inefficient. ¡®If I kill a little more, I can get the Skeleton Destroyer title too.¡¯ There was a title on the line as well. Once a player hunted certain number of skeletons, he received the ¡®Skeleton Destroyer¡¯ title. It raised magic power and stamina by 3 points each. ¡°Tsk.¡± Hyrkan clicked his tongue. Meanwhile, his Skeleton Warriors had mercilessly beaten up the nearby skeletons to the point that they couldn¡¯t restore their body. It represented their death. [You have leveled up.] It was the last bit of EXP he needed for a level up. Hearing the alert, Hyrkan smiled. ¡®This is just too good.¡¯ As always, nothing was better than a level-up alert. Hyrkan liked the current situation even more. It was a happiness only necromancers could feel. ¡®I see why Rich Lich spent all that money.¡¯ Hyrkan smiled, as he once again checked the view count and comments of Skull Clown. ¡®Hm?¡¯ What caught Hyrkan¡¯s attention was a new comment made just now. As it was sent privately, only Hyrkan and the original commenter could see it. After reading the comment, Hyrkan¡¯s expression changed. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï YouTube videos naturally came with comments, and among them were all sorts of weird ones. There were those that cursed incessantly, those that spammed, those that cried for no reason, those that said strange things, and even those that asked for money. Hyrkan was immune to these things. Even before he got his nickname as the Hero Slaughterer, he had prepared himself for such comments. His targets had always been Rankers, those with many fans. Even when they plotted against him and paid for it, Hyrkan still received a lot of hate. There was a time that he got hate for almost anything he did. The hate came in all forms. Someone would randomly pour water on him while he was walking down the street, or he would be cursed at or called names for no reason. As such, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t easily fazed by hate or cynicism. Naturally, what made Hyrkan¡¯s expression change wasn¡¯t a hate comment or the like. -Hello, I am a player called Bledge from England. I am writing to you as it seems you are currently hunting in the Dead Woods. I was recently PKed in the area, and I would like you to get revenge for me. A revenge request. It wasn¡¯t anything special. With Warlord being such a lawless place, many players sought out skilled players to get revenge for themselves. Even so, this content of this request made Hyrkan¡¯s senses tingle. ¡®A revenge request¡­¡¯ In Warlord, it was quite rare to get PKed randomly. That said, Hyrkan had already been a target of PKs consecutively. It could be said that he was truly born under the stars of pushover-ness. In any case, Hyrkan welcomed this request with arms wide open. ¡®Should I go with hunting these fools?¡¯ At a point where he needed fresh material for his next video, this request to kill PKers couldn¡¯t be better. Not to mention, he would be able to get fully-crafted items from their watches! There was no reason for him to refuse. Of course, if the PKers were too strong, he could simply run away. It¡¯s not like he was a hero of justice. ¡®I¡¯ll see how it is.¡¯ Hyrkan moved carefully. ¡ï¡ï¡ï When Hyrkan arrived at the spot the commenter told him about, he could luckily see the PK happening in action. 1 vs 2. The player left alone was wearing an expression full of despair, while the other two attacked him mercilessly. The situation resolved itself quickly. There was no unnecessary sound other than the curses spurted by the victim. The offenders acted swiftly and silently like robots. ¡®Hm?¡¯ Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but be suspicious. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ PKers didn¡¯t simply kill their victims. They played with them until they died. That was why they PKed in the first place. It¡¯s not that people didn¡¯t PK simply to take items, but that it was just extremely rare. Even so, the PKers in front of them were clean. They moved to kill their opponents in the shortest time possible. There was no unnecessary talk or hesitation. ¡®These guys aren¡¯t those psychos that are into PKs.¡¯ It meant that they didn¡¯t enjoy PKs, just that it was a mean to an end. With his body lowered, Hyrkan watched the PKers movements more closely. After having killed their victim, they swiftly took his watch and took off. Hyrkan could tell that they were moving with intent, meaning that they had a destination. The chances were that they had allies nearby. Hyrkan¡¯s senses tingled again. ¡®They discovered something and they¡¯re killing people before they find out?¡¯ They weren¡¯t PKing for the fun of it, but to eliminate any variable or witness. ¡®It must be a Golden Skeleton.¡¯ Hyrkan quickly arrived at a conclusion. Golden Skeleton! It was a boss monster that appeared in the Dead Woods, just like how Dragon Lizards spawned in the Lizard Swamp. Golden Skeletons, however, were several times more expensive than Dragon Lizards. ¡®At the current market price, a Golden Skeleton¡¯s Golden Bone should cost 5,000,000 won or more.¡¯ Golden Skeletons were hard to kill and took 10 days to respawn. Not only that, they disappeared if one didn¡¯t catch them within a time limit. Once it got away, the hunter would have the wait another day. Moreover, Golden Skeleton¡¯s Golden Bone was a crafting item used to make a level 70 Rare item. Although it wasn¡¯t a main component, considering the cost of level 70 Rare item at this point in time, its price was justified. It was obvious why players would go to the point to PK other players. The current situation was likely that whoever found the Golden Skeletons missed their first chance to kill the Golden Skeleton and was now PKing others to hide the information. ¡®There¡¯s no problem with me getting some then.¡¯ It went without saying that there was no problem with Hyrkan dealing with them. Hunting them down would be considered just. Hyrkan laughed out loud. No matter how one put it, he was the Hero Slaughterer. Rather than hunting monsters, he enjoyed hunting players. ¡ï¡ï¡ï There were two types of guilds in Warlord. One that played to earn money and one that played to spend money. Blue Cat Guild. Although they weren¡¯t well-known, with a total of 100 members, they were a guild that played to earn money. Of course, they never dealt with large amount of money. Balancing out the money they spent and money they earned, they received no more than pocket change. The Blue Cat Guild was run in a simple way. Its members mostly did as they liked and they gathered when they needed to. Most guilds were run in this way. Not all guilds could be like the Top 30 Guilds, working like gears in a machine for a single project. It was seven members of the Blue Cat Guild that found a Golden Skeleton while hunting in the Dead Woods. They, of course, came to a single conclusion. ¡°Let¡¯s take it for ourselves.¡± Even if they reported it to the guild, they would get nothing more than chump change. Of course, not reporting such a boss spawn to the guild was a violation of its rules. One that would get them expelled. Even so, no one voiced any opposition at this suggestion. As with most small and medium sized guilds, players simply chose to leave guilds if they had to. Most did not think it was such a big problem. The problem was that their first raid had failed. They spent a full day doing nothing before the Golden Skeleton appeared again. They failed on their second try as well. That¡¯s when things began to go awry. First and foremost, they were spiteful. They vowed that they would kill the Golden Skeleton at all cost! At the same time, they got rid of variables that could hinder their Golden Skeleton raid. Although they were hesitant during their first PK, it was fine after that. They knew it was a bad mannered action, but they were blinded by the money. And now it was their third time to try to hunt the Golden Skeleton. ¡°There¡¯s a guy nearby hunting skeletons. What should we do?¡± ¡°Alone? Was he left behind?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just get rid of it. We¡¯ve already gone this far. We might as well go all in.¡± When they were bored and irritated, a perfect prey had appeared in front of them. ¡°Joint, it¡¯s enough with just the two of you right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Hurry and come back. We¡¯re going to have to go all in for the Golden Skeleton. We won¡¯t get a fourth try.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take care of it in 3 minutes.¡± Two people had begun to move to hunt down their prey. They were the swordsman, Join, and magician, Int. Together, they were called Joint. As they were quite skilled, they were fairly well-known even before they joined the Blue Cat Guild. Now that they had gone out, the situation was most likely taken care of. Thinking this, the remaining five players solely focused on their strategy for killing the Golden Skeleton. On the other hand, the Joint duo tilted their head as they watched the player fight a skeleton holding a hammer. ¡®That¡¯s a skeleton I¡¯ve never seen before.¡¯ ¡®Is it a rare-type?¡¯ Although the skeleton the player was fighting was one that they had never seen before, they didn¡¯t think much about it. What was important to the two of them was killing the player without him even realizing what had happened. They saw an opening, and the Joint duo rushed in. First, the magician, Int, threw an ice grenade at the player. The ice grenade drew a parabola as it flew towards the player. When it hit the ground, countless ice shards exploded out in all directions. ¡°Aaak!¡± The player barely dodged the ice shards as he screamed, and the swordsman, Join, closed his distance to finish him off. It was then that the player shouted out. ¡°What was that? What¡¯s wrong with you!?¡± The distance between Join and the player had shortened. The moment Join got in range, he swung his sword at the player without hesitation. Whish! The player narrowly dodged Join¡¯s sword, causing Join to flinch. ¡®This guy is no joke.¡¯ A skilled player. Join immediately tensed up. Meanwhile, the player shouted at Join with a surprised look on his face. ¡°Are you trying to PK me? Do you know who I am? You¡¯ll pay for it if you kill me!¡± At this warning, Join only smirked. ¡®Funny.¡¯ A threat from someone who couldn¡¯t even kill a skeleton was laughable. ¡°What if I am? What are you going to do about it?¡± With that, Join threw his body towards the player once again. Although the player might be skilled, Join believed that he was still advantageous. If he just bought time, Int would throw another magic spell at him. Join might even kill him off before then. What he knew for sure was that the two of them had perfect coordination. They were strong. The number of players they PKed so far was a proof of that. Just that¡­ ¡®What am I going to do? Be thankful, that¡¯s what.¡¯ The player they were up against was Hyrkan who had finished his preparations. The Joint duo was unlucky. Hyrkan had already made a trap for them. Before Join could close the gap between himself and Hyrkan, the Skeleton Warrior threw its body at Join. ¡®What!¡¯ Join couldn¡¯t help but to be surprised at the Skeleton Warrior suddenly helping Hyrkan. To him, the Skeleton Warrior seemed like a monster, not a summon. At the same time Hyrkan snapped his fingers twice, another two Skeleton Warriors that had been in hiding came out. They charged towards the magician still in the middle of casting another spell. Knowing that the opponent moved as swordsman and magician duo, Hyrkan had already made his plans. ¡®Thanks for the meal.¡¯ Hyrkan once again expressed his gratitude to Warlord for providing him with his dinner. Chapter 40 : Golden Skeleton (3) Chapter 40 : Golden Skeleton (3) Swordsman class players who were skilled in PKs had balanced strength and stamina stats. It was never the case that one of the two were much higher than the other. Even so, this did not mean that they distributed the stat points from level up equally. If so, down the line, they would only be suited for PKs. Typically, players chose either the strength or stamina stat to focus most of their stat points, then filled the other stat point through items. In the case of Join, he chose stamina with his level up stat points and strength with his item choices. Join¡¯s current stamina stat was 149. That was enough to determine the outcome of this match. Crash! Hyrkan¡¯s hammer struck Join¡¯s helmet like a bell. Join staggered, during which time Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Warrior struck him with its hammer. Join¡¯s body flew up in the air, then landed on the ground with a thud. ¡®Shit.¡¯ Join got up from the ground slowly. He felt his body heavier than ever before. ¡®He even knows curses.¡¯ Demon Curse and Slow Curse. These two curses were currently hindering Join. He felt as if he was wearing shackles on both his hands and feet. ¡®Who is he?¡¯ Not to mention, the magician that was supposed to help him was long dead. When Skeleton Warriors suddenly jumped on Int, he had no way of avoiding and death was inevitable. Although magicians were strong, that was it. His magic had dealt a fair bit of damage to one of the Skeleton Warriors, but the other ones didn¡¯t miss the opening created after his attack. It was Game Over with just one swing. Once a magician fell down, he didn¡¯t have enough stamina to sustain being hit continuously. At this moment, Join did not despair, but rather considered his opponent¡¯s strength once more. ¡®A necromancer with 4 skeletons. He raised strength and is also a curse magician.¡¯ He knew his role in this situation. There was no chance of him escaping alive. His allies had already begun fighting the Golden Skeleton. What he had to do now was to deliver as much as information as possible to his allies. Join raised his sword. Watching this, Hyrkan charged towards Join. Before the distance closed, Join turned his sword horizontally to slash at Hyrkan. Before that¡­ ¡°Booster!¡± He used a skill. The moment the skill was used, Join¡¯s sword moved with incredible speed, just like the sword had a booster attached to its hilt. Whoosh! Even so, Join¡¯s sword only slashed through thin air. Hyrkan had lowered his body and dodged the attack. Immediately afterwards, Hyrkan swung his hammer at Join¡¯s knee. Crack! Join¡¯s knee made a strange sound before his body spun a full circle and landed in place. While he was staring into the sky feeling dizzy¡­ Crash! A hammer slammed down his face. Crash crash! It rained down endlessly. ¡ï¡ï¡ï -We got taken out. When the message from the Joint duo came, the Golden Skeleton hunting team was already in action. They had no choice. Their two priests had already used their buffs and their strongest magician had already finished casting his strongest spell. Most importantly, the Golden Skeleton was in front of their eyes. Giving up and going back at this point was¡­ something they couldn¡¯t afford to do. In the end, two swordsmen led the way while the magician supported them from the back. Meanwhile, one of the priests talked to the already dead Joint duo using the voice talk program. -He¡¯s not normal. Even though he¡¯s a necromancer, both he and his summons are strong. It seems we fell into his trap. ¡°Trap?¡± -Otherwise, why would someone so strong pretend to be a weakling? The one he was fighting wasn¡¯t a monster, but his own summon. ¡°Mm.¡± Trap. The priest wasn¡¯t surprised. He only thought what was meant to happen, happened. ¡®I knew this would happen.¡¯ Dead Woods was a hunting ground for level 30+ players. Players who were above level 30 at this point in the game were people who spent a fair amount of money in the game. They weren¡¯t the kind to sit back and do nothing when they were PKed without reason. Without a doubt they would surely try to get revenge. Because of this, PKs generally only worked at levels 10s and 20s. Past that, there was a huge risk involved. If one didn¡¯t find great joy in PKs, most opted to do PvP, a fair 1v1 dual. Of course, there was no way the Golden Skeleton hunting team didn¡¯t know this. That was why they placed so much emphasis on ending this early. Once they finished what they wanted to do and left, there was lesser chance of receiving retaliation. Their faces weren¡¯t filmed, and they could simply change what they were wearing. It¡¯s not like there were security cameras or finger print scanners. However, it seemed that one of their victims had a strong backing. They didn¡¯t think someone so skilled would come in such short period of time. ¡°Are you sure it was just one person?¡± -Just one. No one else. ¡°One person¡­¡± On the other hand, it seemed that the victim could only find one person in such short amount of time. This fact made the priest unsure. ¡®If it¡¯s just one, maybe we can deal with him.¡¯ If a group of players came, they would have no choice but to run away. But with just one, it was a different story. Of course, Join¡¯s thoughts were different. -I¡¯m telling you, he¡¯s not normal. You guys should take care of him first before you get to the Golden Skeleton. The priest refused Join¡¯s suggestion. ¡°If we miss the Golden Skeleton today, we¡¯ll have to try again tomorrow. By that time, there will be more people after us.¡± If they wanted to kill the Golden Skeleton, now was the time. They had delayed it long enough. Any more would be too risky. -But¡­ Join knew this as well. ¡°Just tell me how he looks like again.¡± -Alright. Join decided not to continue with his suggestion. He was already in Game Over state, and he had no choice but to hope for his allies to succeed. Everyone else agreed as well. ¡°If we¡¯re going to do it, we have to do it now.¡± ¡°You said it was just one, right? Even if he comes here, I¡¯ll just take the aggro, and everyone else can pounce on him. It won¡¯t take long.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s hurry up and finish.¡± They knew that if they couldn¡¯t kill it today, it was better to leave Dead Woods. The Golden Skeleton hunt started in such a way and went on as if the two missing people weren¡¯t needed. All members were at their maximum concentration, and they were already experienced in dealing with the Golden Skeleton. Because of it, they were able to coordinate well with each other. Above all, the one they had been wary of never came. Not even skeletons and Skeleton Warriors, which often arrived after hearing the commotion, showed up. The Golden Skeleton hunting team could put all their energy and focus onto the Golden Skeleton. As a result¡­ ¡°Get ready to chase!¡± ¡°It¡¯s phase 2!¡± They were quickly able to lower the Golden Skeleton¡¯s HP to half. Once the Golden Skeleton¡¯s HP dropped to half, the Golden Skeleton dropped aggro and ran away as fast as possible. ¡°Catch it!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let it escape this time!¡± This was why it was so hard to hunt a Golden Skeleton. If the Golden Skeleton went out of vision, the game system decided that it had successfully escaped. In that case, the hunters would have to wait another day. The Golden Skeleton hunting team had already failed two times. They didn¡¯t want to fail a third time. Experienced from its last two escapes, they didn¡¯t blindly chase after it. They set up a formation and moved accordingly. Swordsmen, magicians, and priests all took part in the chase. The five moved as one. And¡­ ¡®It¡¯s finally starting. They did better than I thought they would.¡¯ Hyrkan, who had been hiding and watching, made his move. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡°I¡¯m here to get an apology.¡± When the Golden Skeleton hunting team successfully caught up with the Golden Skeleton, they couldn¡¯t help but yell in excitement. Once the pursuers caught up with the Golden Skeleton, it stopped running and fought back. At this point, finishing it off wasn¡¯t too big of a problem. However, a strange player suddenly appeared in a strange getup, wearing a strange mask, while saying strange things. The Golden Skeleton hunting team stood dumbfounded. ¡°What?¡± They had already received a report. The Joint duo told them about Hyrkan¡¯s characteristics, and they weren¡¯t the ones to be forgotten so easily either. They had even made a plan to remove him if he appeared. Even so, they couldn¡¯t help but be shocked by the absurd thing Hyrkan was saying. Hyrkan repeated his words at the two priests standing in the back. ¡°Your acts of bad manner have not gone unnoticed. Countless players have been PKed by you already. I¡¯m here to get an apology.¡± He continued. ¡°I¡¯m not here to cause a ruckus. All I want is an apology, a sincere one. I also want you to return the watches of all the players you PKed. That is all.¡± Hyrkan¡¯s polite and composed words were undoubtedly just. Since they PKed, he wanted them to apologize and to return the watches! There was nothing unfair about it. However, for the ones hearing it¡­ ¡®The fuck is he saying?¡¯ ¡®Is he messing with us?¡¯ It was complete nonsense. It was so absurd that their faces were frozen in stupefaction. When Hyrkan finished his speech, everyone snapped back. They opened their mouths to prepare for action. ¡°How long can you last alone?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine for 2 or 3 minutes.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°Hurry up and come back in 3 minutes. That guy¡¯s nuts.¡± To fight, a swordsman had to lead. Although he was alone, he was a necromancer who had skeletons at his disposal. They couldn¡¯t just fight him with magicians and priests. As such, one of the swordsman fighting the Golden Skeleton turned back to face Hyrkan. At the same time, the other swordsman attacked the Golden Skeleton to draw aggro to himself. The swordsman raised his sword up high and charged at the Golden Skeleton. ¡°Crash!¡± When the swordsman yelled out, his sword lit up. Shining Sword. The Golden Skeleton swung its own sword towards this sword, and the two swords clashed. Crash! Rather than the sound of metal, a sound of explosion rang out. In the midst of that explosion, the Golden Skeleton was clearly eyeing the swordsman. ¡°I got the aggro!¡± Having succeeded in drawing the aggro, the swordsman shouted out. Meanwhile, the two priests quickly ran back, away from Hyrkan. It was the most basic of basics to aim for the priests first. At the same time, the swordsman that had turned back stood between Hyrkan and the two priests. He immediately swung his sword at Hyrkan. Horizontally, vertically, diagonally¡­ he slashed at him without any delay. Whoosh, whoosh! The sound of air being cut continued to ring out in Hyrkan¡¯s ears. ¡°Alright, just buy time. I¡¯ll send a hot one flying over soon.¡± The magician, of course, began casting his magic. It wasn¡¯t a strong one, but one that could be casted quickly. If need be, he would risk losing the swordsman to finish Hyrkan off. After all, they were up against just one person, and the Golden Skeleton hunting team had two priests. At this, Hyrkan gave one final warning. ¡°I just need an apology. If you do this, I will have no choice but to retaliate.¡± Of course, there was no response to his warning. There was no need to. At the same time¡­ ¡®How is this guy dodging so well?¡¯ The swordsman couldn¡¯t help but be surprised as he watched Hyrkan dodge all his attacks with the slightest movement. He could even afford to blabber. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Hearing the magician¡¯s report, the swordsman looked for a timing. ¡°Booster!¡± Then, he used an attack speed boosting skill. Whish! The heavy sound of the sword quickly turned sharp. At the same time, the magician grabbed a hold of a heavy fireball. He estimated the distance between them as he prepared to throw. At that moment¡­ Clack, clack! A horned Skeleton Warrior wearing Bone Armor began to charge towards the magician like a bull. Watching this, one of the priests quickly arrived next to the magician and held his palms out. ¡°Light Shield!¡± A tent-sized barrier surrounded him and the magician. The Skeleton Warrior swung its hammer toward the shield. At the same time¡­ Whish! The magician threw his fireball at his ally and Hyrkan without hesitation. The fireball made a perfect parabola as it began to fall toward Hyrkan¡¯s back. Then¡­ Boom! The fireball exploded and fire shards exploded out in all directions. ¡°Shit!¡± A scream was heard. ¡°Help me!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± The sound came from the swordsman who had been keeping the Golden Skeleton¡¯s aggro. Chapter 41 : Golden Skeleton (4) Translator¡¯s note: BM means bad manner. It¡¯s used as a verb in the gaming community, and it literally means to do bad mannered acts. - Golden Skeleton (4) Hyrkan¡¯s plan was to make the Golden Skeleton hunting team reluctant to continue or to stop their hunt. If they did continue, they would surely make one of them face the Golden Skeleton while the rest fought against him. Hyrkan¡¯s target was the one person left to aggro the Golden Skeleton. He placed two Skeleton Warriors and a Skeleton Magician on the east side in their defense mode. Hyrkan himself prepared to cause a ruckus on the west side along with another Skeleton Warrior. It was literally threatening the east while striking the west*. [T/N: Korean idiom derived from Chinese (•–|“ôÎ÷)]. The battle had begun when Hyrkan snapped his fingers twice. While Hyrkan distracted the four members of the Golden Skeleton hunting team, his two Skeleton Warriors and a Skeleton Magician charged towards the swordsman facing the Golden Skeleton. The starting signal was the Fireboom used by the Skeleton Magician. Fireboom exploded between the Golden Skeleton and the swordsman, and the two Skeleton Warriors quickly attacked the swordsman¡¯s helmet and side with their hammers. Although the two Skeleton Warrior¡¯s attacks weren¡¯t light, the final blow was dealt by the Golden Skeleton. With its height of 4 meters, it swung its long arms holding its long sword like a whip. Crack! The thick shoulder pad on their swordsman¡¯s left shoulder broke apart like a piece of paper. The armor was crushed, and the Golden Skeleton¡¯s attack seemed powerful enough to sever the man¡¯s arm. ¡°Shit!¡± The swordsman momentarily felt a shocking pain on his shoulder. In Warlord, such level of pain signified a severe amount of damage. ¡°Help me!¡± That was only the start. As a boss monster, the Golden Skeleton didn¡¯t overlook his opponent¡¯s weakness, and it swung its sword continuously. Unable to use his left shoulder, the swordsman was not able to hold up his shield. As a result, he had to endure five of Golden Skeleton¡¯s attacks with his armor and helmet. Endure was a nice way of putting it, as he was simply beaten up. Plus. Bang, bang! As if to irritate him, the Skeleton Warriors beat on the swordsman¡¯s armor with their hammers, not giving him a chance to balance himself. Once he began to be bombarded, he was unable to control the situation anymore. He was in a critical situation. However, his allies weren¡¯t in any position to help him. ¡°We¡¯re screwed!¡± ¡°Should I cancel the shield?¡± Currently, two priests and a magician stood inside a level 30 barrier magic. A total of 3 people. Plus, their shield¡­ Bang, bang, bang! Was being bombarded by a Skeleton Warrior under a Madness Helm effect. The Skeleton Warrior swung his hammer to a beat, as if to use the shield and hammer as instruments. In such a situation, the only way of going outside the shield was to cancel the shield magic. As long as the shield magic was being maintained, the only thing that could go through the shield were magic spells and skills. However, the magician was currently casting a new spell. If the shield was canceled¡­ at least one of them would be killed by the Skeleton Warrior. The three trapped inside the shield were unable to come to a decision. Meanwhile, Hyrkan moved on to his next act. ¡®So far so good.¡¯ Hyrkan had planned up to the current situation. He knew that it would be hard to win against them by himself. After all, they were strong enough to put food on their dinner table. Even now, Hyrkan was under a fair amount of damage. The magic thrown by the magician was fantastic. Throwing magic behind a player and exploding it sounded easy on paper, but it was hard to do without experience. Although Bone Armor and lowering his posture helped reduce the damage, it was still a significant damage. Close to half of his HP had disappeared. The state of his magic power was even worse. He had summoned three Skeleton Warriors and one Skeleton Magician. One of them was under Madness Helm and he had used Bone Armor on himself. His Skeleton Magician used magic as well. In truth, he didn¡¯t have any magic power left to try anything. Hyrkan looked straight ahead. The swordsman in front of him looked as if he didn¡¯t understand the situation, as he only stood in alert without attacking him. At this, Hyrkan turned his back on him. Then¡­ ¡®Time to run.¡¯ He ran with all his might. ¡ï¡ï¡ï The momentHyrkan ran away, his skeletons that had been fighting with all their might suddenly turned and followed suit. Watching this scene, the four players were simply speechless. ¡®What?¡¯ The whole situation was so bizarre that they couldn¡¯t utter a sound. Meanwhile¡­ ¡°HELP ME I SAID!¡± The swordsman fighting the Golden Skeleton used what little strength he had left to scream for help. It was then that the four players snapped back to reality. ¡°Cancel Shield!¡± When the cracked shield disappeared, the magician quickly ran towards the Golden Skeleton. Once the distance was closed to a certain extent, he stopped. He immediately threw the fireball in his hand at the Golden Skeleton. The fireball turned into a gigantic fire arrow mid-air before it pierced the Golden Skeleton¡¯s head. The Golden Skeleton turned his head and stared at the magician. With its head burned with a arrow stuck inside, the sight was terrifying to behold. At the same time, the swordsman that had been fighting Hyrkan ran toward the Golden Skeleton. The two priests moved as well. The priests each stuck to a swordsman. ¡°Save Kang first! I¡¯ll buy time!¡± Before they could decide on whether to run away or to continue fighting, they needed to first catch some breaths. Moreover, although it was hard to chase the Golden Skeleton, it was equally hard to escape from it. Even if they planned on running, they needed to make careful preparations beforehand. It took them five minutes to get into their formation again. The priests used Healing until their magic power ran out, and the magician and the swordsmen fired their skills and magic to buy that time. Thankfully, no one had died. ¡°I thought I¡¯d die. Did you know? My HP fell to a single digit.¡± A player that barely survived death thanks to the priests¡¯ heals took a breath. ¡°What do we do now? Fight? Or run?¡± ¡°What about that psycho? Won¡¯t he come back?¡± While the Golden Skeleton hunting team was discussing their next plan and fighting¡­ ¡°I¡¯m here to get an apology.¡± Hyrkan reappeared. This time, he was alone. He came alone wearing just his Bone Armor. Even that looked ridiculous. A Snapback hat, Bone Armor, and hahoe mask¡­ no matter how one looked at it, it was a weird combination. If they saw such a getup at a castle, they would surely have bursted out into laughter. However, such an appearance in a battlefield was¡­ eerie, to say the least. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with this guy?¡¯ Having seen Hyrkan, the five players felt goose bumps rather than rage. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for someone to disturb a boss monster raid. It was especially true in cases like this when the raid wasn¡¯t announced beforehand and the raiders PKed nearby players. Even so, what was happening now was the first of its kind. What Hyrkan was doing was undoubtedly cruel. Of course, it would have been funny for anyone watching. If this situation was being broadcasted live, the chat would surely be spammed with laughter. However, it only provoked swearing from the ones on the receiving end. Above all, Hyrkan was strong. His Skeleton Warriors were incomparable to the skeletons at Dead Woods. Not to mention, he had a Skeleton Magician! As such¡­ ¡°You fucker! Do you even know who we are? Hm?¡± The response could only be emotional. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± ¡°S-Sorry.¡± When a priest bursted out in anger, the magician shushed him with his words. Do you know who we are? It was perhaps the most used phrase in Warlord. In a world where everyone moved in guild or party units, flaunting one¡¯s background known was only natural. The problem was with the current situation. The five people here and the two dead players schemed to take the Golden Skeleton for themselves. If what they were doing were known by their guild, they would surely be punished and have their belongings taken by the guild. Flaunting their guild? Stupid. Thankfully, they stopped just in time. However¡­ ¡°Ah, so you guys are in a guild. Please tell me the guild¡¯s name. I will request an apology from them officially.¡± There was no way Hyrkan would let this opportunity pass. Hyrkan¡¯s words sent chills down the spines of the five players. ¡®We¡¯re screwed if he finds out.¡¯ If Hyrkan found out and told their guild about what they did, they could only imagine the consequence. At this point, their minds had already stopped functioning. It was impossible for them to make sound decisions. If they could, they wouldn¡¯t have done this in the first place. ¡°Let¡¯s just kill him.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s just give up on everything and kill him.¡± At any other time, they would have dropped whatever they were doing to kill Hyrkan. However¡­ ¡°Calm down. The Golden Skeleton¡¯s HP is at 30% now.¡± The Golden Skeleton in front of their eyes made it hard to do so. They saved their ally and fought until they could reorganize they formation. The magician had fired his magic continuously and the swordsmen continued to deal damage to it. The HP they shaved off the Golden Skeleton wasn¡¯t small in the slightest. Now, it only had one third of it left. They knew they were almost at the finish line. Not only that, but the Golden Skeleton was also incomparably more valuable than other boss monsters. ¡®Golden Bone¡­¡¯ ¡®If it dropped a crafting jewel, it would be even better.¡¯ They would get at least 5,000,000 won. It wasn¡¯t a small sum at all. Just two decades ago, if someone said he would be able to make 5 million won by killing a single monster, everyone would have called him crazy. Not to mention, 5 million was the minimum. There was a chance it might drop crafting jewels. In that case, they would be able to earn even more. 10 million wouldn¡¯t be impossible, meaning each person was guaranteed more than a million won. Giving up? ¡°If he comes at us again, we¡¯ll do what we did last time. One person just has to hold the aggro, while everyone else goes after him. He¡¯s by himself anyways.¡± Impossible. Plus, as long as Hyrkan wasn¡¯t plastered with Unique items, there was a definite limit to his magic power. The reason necromancers weren¡¯t popular was that there was a clear limit to their potential. They wouldn¡¯t be caught off guard this time either. They knew what they were up against. ¡°Either fuck off or come at us!¡± One of the priests took lead to provoke Hyrkan. Hearing this, Hyrkan turned tail. Then, he disappeared. When he did, the five players sighed in relief. ¡®So it really is impossible by yourself.¡¯ ¡®Please don¡¯t come back.¡¯ They wished for Hyrkan to give up and run. Unfortunately, their wish did not come true. 3 minutes. In exactly 3 minutes, Hyrkan reappeared. He came with skeletons, but this time, they weren¡¯t his own. ¡°I don¡¯t need an apology anymore.¡± Hyrkan had brought 3 Skeletons and a Skeleton Warrior from nearby. Then, chaos ensued. ¡ï¡ï¡ï When 3 Skeletons, 1 Skeleton Warrior, and 1 psycho entered the fight, the battle became a complete mess. In this mess, the first to die was, of course, the priest. A Skeleton Warrior continuously hacked away at one of the priests¡¯ health. He left with one final word. ¡°FUCK!¡± It was a word to describe everything that had happened to him today. The moment he died, the outcome of the fight was determined. One priest wasn¡¯t enough to support two swordsmen and a magician. In the end, the remaining priest chose to enclose himself and the magician in shield magic. It was the only thing he could do in such situation. Now, although he could support the magician, it was impossible to support the two swordsmen. The swordsmen weren¡¯t in any better shape. The priests¡¯ buffs had already ended, and one of them had his armor heavily damaged by the Golden Skeleton. It was impossible for a half-broken swordsman to hold his ground without a priest. Everything collapsed one by one. When one of the swordsmen was killed by a Skeleton Warrior, the remaining three stopped thinking. It was over. ¡°Run!¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± A priest, a swordsman, and a magician. They all escaped in different directions. The one remaining Skeleton, the Skeleton Warrior, and the Golden Skeleton did not stand by. The Skeleton chased after the magician and the Skeleton Warrior chased after the priest. At the same time¡­ Bang! Hyrkan¡¯s hammer struck the helmet of the swordsman that was fending off the Golden Skeleton. ¡°You fucker!¡± The swordsman naturally cursed. Hyrkan did not stop to reply, and quickly moved on to his next action. After hitting the swordsman¡¯s helmet to make him lose balance, he swiped down at his leg to make him fall. Then, he moved backwards by five steps. Then, as if it had been waiting for it the entire time, the Golden Skeleton slashed its gigantic sword down at the fallen swordsman. Crack! In an instant, its gigantic sword severed the swordsman¡¯s body in half. He was dead without doubt. The Golden Skeleton¡¯s aggro then naturally moved to Hyrkan. ¡°Waow.¡± Watching the light in the Golden Skeleton¡¯s eyes, Hyrkan made the biggest smile he possibly could. ¡®I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d go this well.¡¯ With that, Hyrkan snapped his fingers twice and charged towards the Golden Skeleton. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Hahoe Mask Hyrkan, who had gained a fair amount of fame through Skull Clown, had released another YouTube video. Subscribers excited by his last video rushed to Hyrkan¡¯s YouTube page and started the video. Its title, The Avenger. -Is it another video of him fighting? -Is he fighting against skeletons again? That¡¯s a bit boring. Its title suggested that it would be another tense, thrilling battle video. However, its content was completely different from expectations. The video started with a YouTube comment. After showing the comment requesting revenge, Hahoe Mask Hyrkan spoke. ¡°I¡¯m not a kind person, but for the sake of my fan, I will do my best to punish the BM players.¡± That¡¯s how the video started. ¨C This guy¡¯s hilarious. I thought he was just good at fighting. What a mad man. ¨C ¡°I¡¯m here to get an apology,¡± he says. LOL ¨C He brought monsters over the third time! Amazing. I should try it sometime. It was comedy. He requested an apology from the BMers, then using himself as bait, he attacked a player in the back. Then, he asked for an apology again, and when it didn¡¯t work, he brought monsters over. -I love this guy. This is better than just seeing him fight. ¨C I watched the whole 10 minutes from beginning to end! ¨C So he¡¯s this kind of guy. I like him even more now. ¨C It¡¯s been a while since I last found someone to watch. The Hyrkan in the video wasn¡¯t the terrifying master of battle he has last shown himself to be, but a jester. -Isn¡¯t it too harsh? ¨C It¡¯s a little hard to watch. He¡¯s too sly. ¨C Yeah, I¡¯m disappointed. For some, Hyrkan¡¯s actions were too excessive. ¨C I got PKed while hunting there too. This makes me feel satisfied. ¨C I¡¯m the one who commented. Thanks for taking revenge. ¨C What¡¯s the problem? They¡¯re PKers anyways. It¡¯s not like he cheated or exploited a bug. ¨C Yeah, BMers deserve to die. However, no one criticized Hyrkan¡¯s revenge against the ones who BMed. ¨C I mean, he fought seven people by himself. If this is too sly, then what should he have done? Most importantly, Hyrkan carried out revenge against seven players all by himself. Although there were many videos of players avenging others, it was hard to find one person taking on several. In fact, the small argument in the comments increased the view count, and The Avenger video hit 20,000 views in a day. The view count rose much quicker than Skull Clown¡¯s, and donations came in similar to Skull Clown¡¯s. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for An Jaehyun to be dancing in happiness. However, An Jaehyun was not dancing like he normally would. With glasses and a serious expression on his face, he was furiously typing on the tablet PC like a calculator. ¡®With the donation, the money I got from selling the watches, the money from the Golden Skeleton, and the amount I collected so far¡­¡¯ With his calculations finished, An Jaehyun took off his glasses and let out a sigh. ¡®It¡¯s enough to clear my debt.¡¯ It was at that moment when one of the shackles on AnJaehyun¡¯s feet disappeared. Chapter 42 : Searching for Migi (1) Chapter 42 : Searching for Migi (1) ¡°The original 10,000,000 won plus interest. Payment has been confirmed.¡± At the private moneylender, Park Wuyoung¡¯s words, An Jaehyun turned his gaze towards him. Although it was a mysterious gaze, Park Wuyoung seemed to have figured out what he was thinking, and he smiled lightly. ¡°Are you suspicious because the trade ended so cleanly?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± An Jaehyun turned around and avoided his eyes. Although he didn¡¯t like the fact that his thoughts were read, it was exactly as Park Wuyoung said. An Jaehyun found it hard to believe that the private loan contract had ended like some bank transfer. That was what private loans meant to ordinary people. An Jaehyun was expecting them to play tricks on him or ask for more money. He had even walked in after preparing himself for any schemes to come. Park Wuyoung was quite used to attitude similar to An Jaehyun¡¯s. ¡°This isn¡¯t a job you can survive in by being nice, but it¡¯s also not a place that tries to screw over customers who pay their dues on time.¡± ¡®I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be able to do it though.¡¯ Park Wuyoung was interested in something else. When An Jaehyun first came in to borrow money, Park Wuyoung was sure that he would come begging on his knees to save him. Of course, Park Wuyoung had no intention of doing so. Be it selling his body or taking his room An Jaehyun signed as guarantee, he planned to get his money¡¯s worth. However, An Jaehyun paid back the money much earlier than it was due. That¡¯s what caught Park Wuyoung¡¯s attention. As such, he stealthily changed the conversation topic. ¡°I know Warlord makes money, but you must be quite skilled to earn so much in such a short period of time.¡± An Jaehyun did not answer the question. Instead, he asked his own. ¡°Can I get up now?¡± Park Wuyoung also did not answer, and said what he wanted to say. He took out his wallet and gave An Jaehyun his business card. An Jaehyun stared fixedly at the business card. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it short. If you¡¯re troubled by conversion fees or taxes, feel free to contact me. I¡¯ll take care of it for a much more reasonable price.¡± Only then did An Jaehyun take the business card. ¡®Does he think I¡¯m some pushover?¡¯ Even as he took the business card, An Jaehyun sneered on the inside. He didn¡¯t come see Park Wuyoung without doing his research. Although many private loaners used V-Gears for their business, not all private loaners earned their money this way. Before returning to the past, An Jaehyun worked at a Warlord workshop, and he saw the workshop owner talking with Park Wuyoung multiple times. At the same time that he was a private loaner, Park Wuyoung also made money from illegal VR game money conversion or trade. It wasn¡¯t a particularly spectacular business. To change in-game currency to money, a conversion fee had to be paid. As income tax also applied to money earned from games, many people looked for ways to decrease the conversion fee and tax rate. Of course, An Jaehyun had no intention to do business with Park Wuyoung. It was obvious. A kind private moneylender? Maybe such a thing was possible, but Park Wuyoung certainly wasn¡¯t one. This was a trap. Once An Jaehyun did business with Park Wuyoung to lower the conversion fee or income tax, Park Wuyoung would hold An Jaehyun¡¯s weakness. It was clear what would happen to those whose weaknesses were held by private moneylenders. An Jaehyun got up from his seat. ¡°I¡¯ll contact you if I have the chance.¡± Those were An Jaheyun¡¯s last words to Park Wuyoung. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Thwack! With an intense sound of a watermelon breaking, a Skeleton¡¯s head fastballed towards Hyrkan. ¡°Whoop.¡± After narrowly catching the Skeleton¡¯s head, Hyrkan made a sour face. ¡°Hey, hey, go easy. Don¡¯t send heads flying everywhere.¡± Hyrkan put the Skeleton¡¯s head under his arm and began beating it with his hammer. Meanwhile, his Skeleton Warriors raised their hammers high, then slammed it down at the Skeleton on the ground. It was terrifying to see up close, but ridiculous if seen afar. Of course, it was a typical scene for Hyrkan. As such, he was expressionless. ¡®I can¡¯t do this anymore.¡¯ Hyrkan was currently level 39. Furthermore, he only had 11 percent EXP left to go until level 40. From level 30 to level 40, he only hunted Skeletons and Skeleton Warriors. The number of Skeletons he had hunted was well over a thousand by now. He had obtained skeleton-related titles long ago. Rather than to say he was hunting skeletons, it was now better to say he was a skeleton-dismantling machine. Of course, the result was more than satisfactory. Even Hyrkan was surprised by his level up speed. His profit wasn¡¯t small either. Although Skeletons didn¡¯t particularly give a lot of money, every little bit accumulated to a rather large sum. However, his happy feeling did not last long. ¡®So what if I have money? Level 40 items are too much of a luxury.¡¯ If he could, he would have sold his current items and bought the best level 40 Rare items using the money he had saved up. However, he had another place to use the 3000 gold and donation money he had. With the donation money, he had to pay next month¡¯s V-Gear installment fee and Warlord user fee. As for his 3000 gold, he had to buy Magic Power Switching Set, a core uniform for level 30+ magicians. That was how bad Hyrkan¡¯s current magic power was. Once he became level 40 and learned Golem Summon, he would have even less magic power. He couldn¡¯t throw away Golem Summon either. Golems changed the entire battle paradigm of necromancers. The existence of a solid tanker was a godsend compared to the brittle skeletons. In any case, what Hyrkan was doing was nothing short of amazing. Normally, it was impossible to get all the items one needed using the money earned through gameplay. Most players spent their own money to buy things. Even so, the only thing Hyrkan could feel was sadness on the fact that all the money he earned had disappeared into thin air. It was only natural for him to be bitter about it. ¡°Tsk!¡± After clicking his tongue shortly, Hyrkan angrily chucked the skeleton head he had been holding. Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Warriors ran after the skeleton head like a dog with a new toy ball, then began hammering down at the skeleton head. Watching this, Hyrkan let out a light sigh. ¡®Never mind beef. Looks like I won¡¯t even eat pork for a while.¡¯ An unspeakable hunger. The only thing that could satiate his hunger was Ahimbree, waiting at the Bangtz¡¯s Castle for him to hit level 40. ¡ï¡ï¡ï When Hyrkan walked into Ahimbree¡¯s office, Ahimbree drew a symbol in the air instead of speaking. Immediately after the symbol was completed, a book flew up from the pile of books spread out like trash heap. Then, it fluttered towards Hyrkan like a butterfly. It was his reward. According to Ahimbree¡¯s Teachings (2), Hyrkan would receive 2 rewards upon hitting level 40. A skillbook and Pursuer of Corruption Ring. Clearly, the book flying in front of him was his skillbook. Hyrkan quickly snatched the book from the air, then silently read its title. ¡®Skeleton Science.¡¯ Hyrkan doubted his eyes. ¡®No way.¡¯ Hyrkan read the title once again. Just like he thought, it was Skeleton Science. Hyrkan¡¯s expression stiffened up. ¡®No freaking way.¡¯ Skeleton Science. It was one of the most desired skill for necromancers using Skeleton Summoning. Although it was only a Rare rank skill, its effectiveness easily made it a Unique rank skill. Its effect was simple. It was a passive skill that raised the stats of all skeletons, while decreasing the amount of magic power used. ¡®It¡¯s not impossible to obtain one¡­ but I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d get it here.¡¯ Hyrkan had learned about this skill from Helgen. When Helgen was explaining good skills for necromancers to have, he gave Skeleton Science 4 stars out of 5. At the same time, he said the reason he was able to stand out among all the necromancers was because he was lucky enough to obtain Skeleton Science. After that, he said to pay for information to obtain Skeleton Science. ¡®First Madness Helm, now this. As expected of one of the seven disciples of the Great Sage. Everything he gives is fantastic.¡¯ It was above his expectation. It was a skill he had to obtain one day. Although it was a skill he could obtain if he had the money, he didn¡¯t think he would get it here as a quest reward. There was more. ¡°Come on over.¡± Ahimbree called Hyrkan over to his desk. Hyrkan quickly rushed to his desk, after which Ahimbree took something out from his desk drawer. A ring. It was a plain ring that had a rock where a jewel should have been. ¡®So this is the Pursuer of Corruption Ring.¡¯ Pursuer of Corruption Ring. Although he didn¡¯t know its specific effects, he knew it had to be similar to the Pursuer of Corruption Necklace he had. Although necklaces usually had better options than rings, it would still be a fantastic Chronical Unique nonetheless. Above all, it wasn¡¯t easy to get accessories at this point in the game. ¡°This ring was made using the Corrupted Stone you brought. It¡¯s a ring that uses the Corrupted One¡¯s powers. Since you brought the stone, you have the right to own this ring.¡± At this, Hyrkan was all smiles on the inside. ¡®After what I went through to get that stone, of course.¡¯ Hyrkan naturally reached out for the ring. He wanted to put it on his finger as soon as possible. Then. Swish! Ahimbree grabbed a hold of Hyrkan¡¯s hand reaching out for the ring. Hyrkan¡¯s froze. The hell? Hyrkan asked with his facial expression, and Ahimbree answered immediately as if he had read his face. ¡°You have the right to own this ring, but it comes with a responsibility.¡± ¡°I will do anything.¡± Hyrkan answered without hesitation. Currently, he was ready to jump into a pit of fire if Ahimbree told him to. That was how happy he was. ¡°I lost contact with an agent named Migi who was pursuing the root of corruption. His last report came from Churu Castle. Go there and search for him. Then, you will have to finish his mission.¡± [You obtained the quest, ¡®Searching for Migi.¡¯] Hyrkan had no reason to refuse Ahimbree¡¯s quest. ¡°Sure, sure.¡± ¡®I can even tell you who the Corrupt Count is. What¡¯s to finding a person!¡¯ The moment Hyrkan answered, Ahimbree moved his hand and Hyrkan quickly took the ring in his hand. ¡®It¡¯s¡­ my¡­ precious.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s face as he put the ring on his finger was exactly like that of Gollum from Lord of the Rings. Chapter 43 : Searching for Migi (2) Chapter 43 : Searching for Migi (2) [Pursuer of Corruption Ring] *Main properties ¨C Unique-rank Item ¨C Increases class-specific stats proportional to level ¨C All stats +9 ¨C Required level: None ¨C Required title: Title ¡®Pursuer of Corruption¡¯ *Sub-properties ¨C All stats +21 when equipped with the Pursuer of Corruption Necklace ¨C This item becomes bound to its owner. After receiving the Pursuer of Corruption Ring from Ahimbree, the biggest smile hung on Hyrkan¡¯s mouth. If one did not know any better, he would think Hyrkan had gone mad. ¡®It¡¯s untradeable, but it¡¯s still a Chronical Unique accessory. A set item too!¡¯ Just the additional magic power he gained was 50 points. He got 30 points from the item itself and its set effects. The other 20 came from the class-specific stat boost, which was half of whatever level he was. Once he buys the Magic Power Switching set, he would be able to get at least another 50 points. In total, he would get close to 100 points of magic power in one day. Since he received 6% stat boost from the Rising Star and Ahimbree¡¯s Disciple titles, it would be 106 points. ¡®If I add Skeleton Science on top of this¡­¡¯ Hyrkan set aside his ring and checked the new skill he acquired. [Skeleton Science] ¨C Proficiency: Rank F ¨C Increases the stats of all skeletons by 5%. ¨C Decreases the amount of magic power needed to summon skeletons by 10%. ¨C Decreases the amount of magic power needed to maintain skeletons by 10%. ¨C Increases the number of summonable skeletons by 1. ¡®This is more than enough.¡¯ With more than 100 points of magic power and the effect of Skeleton Science, he would have no problems using his skeletons. The spare magic power would then lead to more power. ¡®Next is¡­.¡¯ Golems. ¡ï¡ï¡ï It was 3 meters tall. With a clay gorilla-like appearance, the Golem wasn¡¯t so visually appealing. However, if one personally felt the sense of comfort looking at its broad back, then he would know why Golems were called the flower of necromancers. It was the same for Hyrkan. ¡®Fan-tastic.¡¯ After learning Golem Summoning at the Class Tower, he immediately headed to a desolate hunting ground to summon it. Even though he had full magic power at start, he only had three quarters left after summoning the Golem. Although Hyrkan had yet to buy the Magic Power Switching set, considering the sizable boost in his magic power due to the Pursuer of Corruption Ring, Hyrkan could understand why Golem Summoning was called a magic power-eating hippo. Even so, Hyrkan didn¡¯t feel bad in the slightest. He knew that his Golem would be his life-long partner, one that would spare no cost to protect him. ¡®I can finally do some proper battles.¡¯ The role of a tank was that important. Furthermore, a Golem¡¯s tanking ability was higher than what most players would expect. Although no one should have learned it at this point in time, there were Golem-related passive skills that gave elemental properties to Golems. By using them, necromancers could change their Golems¡¯ properties so that they received the least amount of damage from the monsters they were facing. As other tankers spent huge sum of money to acquire armor sets resistant to different elements, one could see how convenient Golems were. Besides their tanking ability, Golems had two more fantastic features. First was its travel mode. Necromancers could travel while riding on its back. When moving from one castle to another, as long as the necromancer had visited both places before, an automatic navigation system would activate. Currently in Warlord, players didn¡¯t have much means of transportation. As such, it was a feature that brought envy from other classes. The second feature was its copy mode. Copy mode made the Golem copy the movement of its master. ¡®I always wanted to try it.¡¯ It was the mode Hyrkan was most excited for. A movie Hyrkan had seen long time ago, Real Steel starring Hugh Jackman. It was a movie that featured a bulky robot boxing other robots. In that movie, there was a scene where the robot was copying the main character¡¯s moves. Watching the scene, Hyrkan had once dreamed that the same thing would happen to him. Unfortunately, the era of virtual reality arrived before the era of boxing robots. ¡°Copy mode.¡± With Hyrkan¡¯s command, the Golem moved and copied Hyrkan¡¯s stance. When Hyrkan shook his head side to side, the Golem shook its head side to side. When Hyrkan raised his arms up, the Golem raised its arms up. When Hyrkan made a fist, so did the Golem. Then. Whish! Hyrkan threw out a jab. Whoosh! The Golem did so as well. Full of expectations, Hyrkan¡¯s face stiffened slightly. Then, he threw a few punches consecutively. Jab, jab, straight! Although the Golem copied Hyrkan and threw out punches, its tempo was clearly off. In other words, it was rather slow. ¡®It¡¯s slower and stiffer than I thought.¡¯ Although Hyrkan hadn¡¯t expected it to throw out punches and move its body like the robot from the movie, but the Golem¡¯s movements were below his expectation. ¡®It¡¯s my fault for being too greedy.¡¯ Hyrkan put his arms down and shook his head side to side. The Golem put his arms down and shook its head side to side as well. Watching this, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but laugh. In truth, he was not disappointed. Copy mode wasn¡¯t there to be used offensively in the first place. The real value of copy mode was in suppressing the enemy. Clinching the enemy or tackling the enemy was enough for Golems to do in battle. ¡°End copy mode.¡± With Hyrkan¡¯s command, the Golem went back to its drooped position. Hyrkan stepped on its body and sat on its shoulder. Now, it was time to check how comfortable it was. ¡°Travel mode. Destination, Bangtz Castle.¡± At Hyrkan¡¯s command, the Golem marched ahead. Exactly 3 minutes afterwards¡­ ¡°Well, shit.¡± Hyrkan unsummoned his Golem and yelled out angrily. ¡°How is this a Golem? It¡¯s a fucking turtle!¡± ¡ï¡ï¡ï Thanks to virtual reality, people were able to meet in virtual worlds whenever they wanted. The five people currently in a meeting were able to meet thanks to this fact. There were five people sitting around a properly sized round table. One was an old man, one was a young woman, one was a young man, one was a middle aged man, and one was a young lady with a small frame. Although they seemed completely different on the surface, there was something they all had in common. It was that they played Warlord, that they were members of the Top 30 Guilds, that they were all in top 100 Rankers, and that they were leaders of their respective guilds. ¡°Five people, what a surprise.¡± The guild masters of some of Warlord¡¯s Top 30 Guilds had gathered in a single place. It was a rare sight, to say the least. The Top 30 Guilds were competitors. To steal as many viewers as possible and to increase their broadcast ratings as much as possible, they had to do whatever means necessary. Although there were cases where two or three guilds collaborated, it was extremely rare for five people to gather at a single place. It was also more dangerous than ever. If other guilds found out, they would become suspicious of the five guilds and hold another meeting to discuss it. Once that happened, an incident was bound to happen. ¡°We¡¯re all busy people. Let¡¯s skip the introduction and go right into the main subject.¡± As everyone present knew this fact, they didn¡¯t try to ruin the atmosphere with needless jokes. They were short and to the point. ¡°As you may all know, it seems that Hydra Guild has found out the identity of the Corrupt Count.¡± The reason for the meeting was this. ¡°Although we can¡¯t be certain, according to our guild¡¯s intel, it seems the D-Day is March 10th. It seems they are aiming to match Warlord¡¯s 1-year anniversary.¡± Corrupt Count. It was currently Warlord¡¯s hottest issue. At the same time, the Corrupt Count quest was nearing its end. Most of the Top 30 Guilds were around 80 percent of its completion. The problem was that the Hydra Guild was much quicker than the rest. They weren¡¯t just fast. The Hydra Guild had already found out who the Corrupt Count was, and they were now beginning to prepare for its raid. As the other guilds who didn¡¯t even know who the Corrupt Count was, it was driving them crazy. ¡°It goes without saying, but we cannot let the Hydra Guild succeed on their Corrupt Count raid.¡± If they were to do so, their profit would be too much. First, they would be able to get large amounts of Corrupt Count Chronical Uniques. They would be able to equip many of their skilled first division members with Chronical Uniques. Considering the value of Chronical Uniques, the Hydra Guild would then hold a powerful ace up their sleeve. Furthermore, they would receive amazing titles as well. Most important was the public evaluation. ¡°If the Hydra Guild catches the Corrupt Count, I guarantee that the Hydra Guild will take most of second quarter¡¯s ratings.¡± In broadcasting, trends were absolute. If the Hydra Guild captured the Corrupt Count, many viewers would use them as their main broadcast channel, and Hydra Guild would receive even more profit from it. That would then lead directly to strengthening their forces. It was a good chain of events for the Hydra Guild, but it was bad for the rest of the competitors. If they were just playing a game, they could let such chain of events slide. However, the Top 30 Guilds weren¡¯t just gaming. They were doing business. Tens of thousands of people were working under their brand, and they were dealing with tens of millions of customers. They couldn¡¯t just let this slide. There was only one answer. ¡°As such, the five guilds gathered here must work together to stop the Hydra Guild.¡± They had to make sure that such a thing never happens. For that reason, five guilds had come to unite under a common front. To stop Hydra Guild¡¯s capturing of the Corrupt Count, they were prepared to do whatever it takes. ¡°Let¡¯s first make a peace agreement. The guilds gathered here now will not physically clash with each other until the 31st of March. Anyone against it?¡± No one raised their hands. ¡°The peace agreement is as follows. We are to share all information regarding the Corrupt Count. If the Hydra Guild captures the Corrupt Count, any information we have would be meaningless anyways. Although you might not like it, it¡¯s better to use the information before it becomes useless scrap. Anyone against it?¡± Again, no one raised their hands. ¡°That will be all for now. I will send the related documents by email.¡± ¡ï¡ï¡ï Taking off her V-Gear, Choi Sulyeon lightly brushed her hair down. Then, she immediately closed her eyes and became lost in thought. ¡®So it¡¯s come down to this.¡¯ Corrupt Count. Thinking of this word, Choi Sulyeon grit her teeth. As if that wasn¡¯t enough to quell her anger, she shuddered. ¡°Ggrrr, so annoying!¡¯ She was confident. She was confident that she and her guild would stand above all others and complete the Corrupt Count quest. However, the reality wasn¡¯t so nice. She was indignant as she even had to join hands with other guilds to stop the Hydra Guild from going ahead. ¡®Hmph.¡¯ At this time, she ruminated on how this happened. In truth, the answer was simple. She and the Stormhunter Guild were simply not as good as the Hydra Guild. That was it. It was the result of the Stormhunter Guild¡¯s players and guild operations being weaker than Hydra Guild¡¯s. In other words¡­ ¡®This is not enough. I need even more skilled players by my side.¡¯ If she couldn¡¯t fill this gap, the Hydra Guild would do better in the next main scenario quest as well. Choi Sulyeon and her guild would become nothing more than a sideshow. That was a fact Choi Sulyeon could not accept. ¡®A skilled player. One with more talent and skill than a jewel.¡¯ She bit her lips lightly. The figure of a certain player glimmered in her head. Chapter 44 : Searching for Migi (3) Chapter 44 : Searching for Migi (3) [Hyrkan] ¨C Level: 40 ¨C Class: Magician ¨C Title: 14 ¨C Stats: Strength (277) / Stamina (83) / Intelligence (183) / Magic Power (240) ¡®I finally got my magic power past 240 points.¡¯ Watching his upgraded stats, Hyrkan clenched his fists with a happy face. At the same time, the gold colored fur gloves on his hand rolled into a ball. ¡®Level 40 Magic Power Switching set for 3,200 gold.¡¯ When Hyrkan turned his head from the stat window, the hair on the lion head he was wearing fluttered in the air, and when he turned his body, the fake tail on his lion body followed. Lion suit. This Halloween party costume was the Magic Power Switching set Hyrkan purchased. 3,200 gold! It was rather cheap for a level 40 item set with a decent magic power boosting stat. What hyrkan was wearing was worth more than 4,000 gold. Of course, there was a reason that it was so cheap. In fact, Hyrkan¡¯s body was fully displaying the reason. ¡®It¡¯s cheap, but¡­¡¯ Hyrkan slowly looked down at his feet. Watching the large hobbit-like lion fur boots, Hyrkan made an awry expression. ¡®For some reason, I don¡¯t think it was cheap.¡¯ There was a fad. About 8 months ago, when level 40 players were best of the best, a video made by Ranker class magicians went viral. In it, the level 40+ magicians were wearing animal suits, which resulted in animal suits to trend for a short while. It was the result of people trying all sorts of concepts to get attention. However, as always, no trends lasted forever. The animal suits created during this time were then shunned by people afterwards. As a result, they ended up selling for much cheaper than other armor with the same stats. After going through owner after owner, the lion suit had now ended up in Hyrkan¡¯s hands. ¡®There are too many people trying weird concepts in Warlord. This was worth over 10,000,000 won back then. What a shame.¡¯ In truth, it was so cheap because the prices had gone down since then. When this suit was first made, the price of a level 40 Magic Power Switching set was enormous. After all, it was used by those who didn¡¯t care about spending large sum of money on gaming. ¡°Shit.¡± In any case, it was bad. No matter how good its options were, wearing such clothing in hunting grounds would bring nothing but mockery. However, this wasn¡¯t the reason Hyrkan was so bitter. What¡¯s worse was that this animal suit was much better than the clothes he had been wearing before. Thanks to this, Hyrkan was once again reminded of how awful and disgusting his old clothes were. ¡®When I get my level 50 items, I¡¯m going to have to get better looking clothes even if I lose out on some stats.¡¯ Then, with his newly bought clothes, Hyrkan made a small vow to himself and set foot towards Churu Castle. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Churu Castle. Located far away from Bangtz Castle, this castle was smaller than the Figurs Castle or Bangtz Castle that Hyrkan had visited before. If compared, its size was probably a third of either of the castles. However, Churu Castle¡¯s atmosphere was vastly different than those of the other two castles. This difference was evident from just the castle gate. Hyrkan was wearing the Subjugation Association¡¯s default armor saved onto his 3 item slot. As he passed the castle gate, a few players had caught sight of him and were talking amongst themselves. ¡°Hey, he¡¯s wearing the SA default set¡± ¡°Did he get here by himself? Considering how he¡¯s hiding his item settings, he¡¯s probably quite high leveled.¡± Low whispers. Of course, there was no way for Hyrkan to hear what they were saying. Even so, Hyrkan could tell what they were talking about. ¡®Those are eyes of wolves, not hyenas.¡¯ Churu Castle was founded 7 months ago by the Sweepers Guild, one of the Top 30 Guilds. As such, it was not one of the starting point castles. This meant that there weren¡¯t people staying near the castle gate eyeing for potential newbies to trick. This was reinforced by the fact that there were large amount of level 30+ monsters on the way to the castle. Therefore, most people visiting the Churu Castle had fair amount of experience and knowledge. It was only natural that players looked at others differently than they would newbies. As for Hyrkan, he enjoyed this feeling. ¡®I made it this far.¡¯ It was a proof. ¡®Although I still have quite a way to go, I have the groundwork to catch up to Rankers.¡¯ It was proof that Hyrkan had grown as he expected. Currently in Warlord, those who could call themselves ¡®good gamers¡¯ were between level 50 and 70. The ones like Hyrkan who were prepared to spend their life playing Warlord were above level 80. 1st in the rankings was currently level 109, while 100th was level 101. Although it wasn¡¯t easy to catch up to them, Hyrkan¡¯s growth speed was incomparable to anyone else. Those who could reach level 40 in 2 months would only be the highest Ranking players. For this reason, Hyrkan could be confident. With a full smile on his face, Hyrkan quickened his pace towards the Subjugation Association branch. ¡ï¡ï¡ï [Searching for Migi.] -Quest rank: Rare ¨C Quest level range: 40+ ¨C Quest content: As per Ahimbree¡¯s orders, find traces of the agent named Migi, and complete the mission he could not. Acquire information on Agent Migi at Churu Castle¡¯s Subjugation Association branch. -Quest Reward: 500 gold and additional rewards. -Miscellaneous: You will receive a penalty if you do not complete this quest in (29 days 9 hours 33 minutes) Checking the content of the quest, Hyrkan let out a sigh. ¡®Fuck.¡¯ The conversation he had just now with a NPC popped up in his head. After arriving at the 3rd floor of Churu Castle¡¯s Subjugation Association branch, Hyrkan talked to an NPC. ¡°You are the one lord Ahimbree sent.¡± It wasn¡¯t a particularly noteworthy conversation. ¡°Agent Migi¡¯s mission¡­ his mission was surveillance. His job was to observe the places where Corrupted Stones continued appearing after removing them, and to find the one transporting the Corrupted Stones to these places.¡± The quest content wasn¡¯t anything noteworthy either. Agent Migi is most likely dead, and Hyrkan would find his corpse when he went to look for him where he disappeared. After finding his corpse, Hyrkan would most likely take over his mission and track the one transporting the Corrupted Stone. Since he wasn¡¯t required to fight any monsters, anyone with the skills to escape could complete this quest. The problem was the location. ¡°Where is this place?¡± ¡°Bobor Forest.¡± ¡°What?¡± Bobor Forest. Hearing this absolutely ridiculous name, Hyrkan unintentionally shouted. ¡°The fuc¡­¡± Although he almost cursed as well, he was able to swallow the words before they came out. Watching this, the NPC tilted his head. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°No, not at all. Just that Bobor Forest is quite a dangerous place¡­¡± ¡°Bobor Forest is indeed dangerous. That is why you are here. Lord Ahimbree would not have entrusted this job to anyone. Since you¡¯ve passed his test already, you should be more than capable of finding Agent Migi and finishing his mission.¡± Watching the NPC¡¯s trust-filled expression, uncontrollable rage roared inside of Hyrkan. ¡®Fuck off.¡¯ Hyrkan knew well enough about Bobor Forest. ¡®Come on, what¡¯s up with this difficulty setting? Level 40+? Bobor Forest is a hunting ground for level 70+ players!¡¯ Bobor Forest is a vast forest located below Bobor Mountain. As one might expect, Bobor Forest covered a large area and many different types of monsters inhabited it. This was Bobor Forest¡¯s special trait. Generally, in Warlord, the types of monsters that could appear in a hunting ground were limited. This made it easy for players to set their items and set up strategies for fighting. However, because of the vastly different types of monsters inhabiting Bobor Forest, players had to have multiple item sets and also have multiple strategies in mind. Furthermore, monsters from level 40 to 70 equally lived in this area. This was also quite problematic. This made Bobor Forest too difficult for level 40 players to use as hunting grounds. At the same time, level 40 monsters weren¡¯t worth money nor the experience for level 70 players. For them, it was much more efficient to use other hunting grounds. The finishing touch was the boss monster, Bobor Ogre. In truth, most people that visited Bobor Forest was there to hunt this boss monster. At this point in the game, Bobor Ogre was a monster worth quite a bit of money. In any case, Bobor Forest was too far for Hyrkan. It was too difficult. It was on a completely different level than the Lizard Swamp or the Dead Woods. ¡®I¡¯ll die for sure.¡¯ Even if his goal wasn¡¯t to fight, the risk was too big. The problem was that Hyrkan couldn¡¯t refuse this quest. ¡°This stone has a magic casted on it. Since Agent Migi also has this stone, it will react when you are near him.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± That was the end of the conversation. Hyrkan looked at the stone he received back then. In reality, he wanted to throw this stone far into outer space. His current mood was the worst of the worsts. ¡®I mean, I know Warlord sets its quest difficulty high, but isn¡¯t this too much?¡¯ All of Ahimbree¡¯s quests so far were high in difficulty. Just the Nested Egg quest wasn¡¯t something someone of Hyrkan¡¯s level could complete. It wasn¡¯t something meant to be done in partied units, but as part of a guild. In fact, it really was a quest made with guild participations in mind. Main scenario quests were quests that governed Warlord¡¯s world, and thus was very balanced to be made for guild-level units than party-level units. This was the root of the problem. Hyrkan was able to complete quests that were far above what those his level could handle. Since he completed the quest, he had to receive the next one, and he ended up receiving a quest meant for a level 60 player at level 40. Of course, this was to be expected. It was because Hyrkan was that good. He should in fact be quite happy about it. It meant Hyrkan was better than what Warlord¡¯s system could have ever predicted. However, this wasn¡¯t the real problem. The quest he received this time was one that would give him a penalty if he failed to complete it on time. And this penalty¡­ ¡®If I can¡¯t finish this quest, I¡¯ll get my ring taken away.¡¯ Was having to return the Pursuer of Corruption Ring. It was a ring that came with a responsibility, which, in this case, was this quest. ¡®Damn.¡¯ If his Pursuer of Corruption Ring was taken away, he would lose at least 50 points of magic power. This would result in a huge problem for his future plans. Above all, it was impossible to obtain a ring like the Pursuer of Corruption Ring for something like 10,000,000 won. Give it up? If he couldn¡¯t receive it, he would just feel bitter and move on, but he would not let himself hand over something he received. There was no such thing in Hyrkan¡¯s dictionary. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ That said, heading do Bobor Forest would be worst thing he could do. Since he had 30 days, he could try to level up as much as possible and search Bobor Forest with only a little bit of time left. Even so, he could not guarantee this plan would succeed. Not only would it be difficult to hit level 50 in 30 days, but being level 50 would also not help his situation much. ¡®If only I met with Ahimbree after leveling up a bit more¡­¡¯ If he knew, he would have purposefully delayed his meeting with Ahimbree. Of course, it was too late for regrets. Besides, Hyrkan aside, even Ahimbree could not possibly have predicted this. ¡®I have no choice here, do I?¡¯ Hyrkan covered his face with his hands. Like so, while Hyrkan was silently murmuring to himself in the corner of 1st floor of the Subjugation Association branch, a group of players passed by Hyrkan. ¡°Did you hear? It seems like Hydra Guild is going to catch the Corrupted One soon. What should we do? Go watch?¡± ¡°Do you even know who or where? ¡­ how much do you think you can get from catching the Corrupted One? I wonder what titles you¡¯d get.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just curious what the other Top 30 Guilds will do. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll just sit by and watch¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re probably already doing all they can do to hinder the Hydra Guild. If they catch the Corrupted One now, they¡¯ll be the number 1 guild without a doubt.¡± ¡°Hm, but what happens with the main scenario quests when the Corrupted One gets caught? Do they all get completed, or do they end incomplete?¡± ¡°Not sure¡­ this is the first main scenario quest, so probably no one knows.¡± This conversation. ¡®Hm?¡¯ Their short conversation turned a switch on in Hyrkan¡¯s head. ¡®Wait a minute, if the Corrupt Count gets caught, all scenario quests related to the Corrupt Count ends!¡¯ It seemed like there would be no need to search for Migi. Chapter 45 : Bad Move (1) Chapter 45. Bad Move (1) It was now March, but the end-of-winter chill was still in the air. Heavily clothed people filled the streets, and a few who could not stand the cold went into nearby coffee shops for shelter. Because many were in similar situation, there was a long line of the orders. By the coffee shop¡¯s window, there was a shabby looking man. The man tapped on his touch screen tablet PC, breathing harshly with his nose red. It was easy to tell that the man had been enduring the cold weather in front of the coffee shop for quite a while. Even putting his current state aside, he did not seem to be doing good. He was thin as if he hadn¡¯t been eating much, his thick glasses showed he had bad eyesight, and his hair was unkempt. However, what was most suspicious and unsightly was the fact that he was stuck to the window like he was a sticker. ¡®Damn it, why is the Wi-Fi so slow? Your coffee¡¯s so expensive. At least provide better service.¡¯ He was clearly trying to use the free Wi-Fi that the coffee shop provided to its customers. This man was, of course, An Jaehyun. The reason he was going through all this trouble on such a cold day was to get this free Wi-Fi. He knew it was not the best thing to do. If he paid for a coffee, took a seat and started working, he would at least be able to stop his runny nose. An Jaehyun¡¯s toils came to an end¡­ ¡®Okay.¡¯ A short time later. An Jaehyun tapped on his tablet PC, and sent several emails to multiple accounts. After finishing his work, An Jaehyun turned his tablet PC off, stuffed it under his armpit, and removed himself from the coffee shop window. As he headed straight home, An Jaehyun couldn¡¯t help but sigh. When he did, his breath was easily visible due to the cold weather. ¡®Here¡¯s a super special service for anyone. I don¡¯t care who, so catch the Corrupt Count and open a door to a new era.¡¯ The future had changed, and a new era was now starting. ¡ï¡ï¡ï As the Top 30 Guilds had their own live broadcast channels, their guilds ran in different ways than other guilds. One difference was their Information Team. As one would expect, the Information Team was in charge of managing information and reporting important facts to the guild. There were many reasons for running an Information Team. First, it was important to receive feedback on customer satisfaction. It was also to receive potentially valuable information. Of course, about 80 percent of reported information were completely useless. Of the remaining 20 percent, 10 percent were so bad that the team wanted to throw the sender into the jail. In other words, only 10 percent of information were somewhat useful. Finding useful information from this pile of garbage was truly hard for those in the Information Team. But what choice did they have? ¡°God, it¡¯s all trash. Like, this one is asking us to find a missing cat. What the hell?¡± They were being paid for it, so they couldn¡¯t not do their job. ¡°That¡¯s cute. Look at this. This one says it¡¯ll tell us the identity of the Corrupt Count.¡± In any case, the Information Team organized the tips they received. Although most were thrown out, they were still checked in the process. It was a subjective process, as what might be a jewel to one may be trash to another. It was especially so in the case of information. In this sense, these two were fortune¡¯s favorites. ¡°Corrupt Count¡¯s identity? That¡¯s the tip? Ha! If you sell that information, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll go for at least 100,000 dollars.¡± ¡°Should I just throw it away?¡± ¡°There¡¯s 99 percent chance that it¡¯s fake, but we can¡¯t be completely sure, so let¡¯s save it for now.¡± Red Bulls and Stormhunter. Only these two guilds were able to see a jewel for what it was worth. ¡ï¡ï¡ï The representative figures of the Top 30 Guilds were well-known by the mass. With their faces being broadcasted every day, their faces were hard to forget. If that wasn¡¯t enough, all members of the Top 30 Guilds wore their guild uniforms, some with several sponsorship logos on them. Rightly so. In order to get more fans and sponsorships, they had to make themselves shine as much as possible. In other words¡­ ¡°Well, hello? If it isn¡¯t the Hydra Guild¡¯s 8th Head, Natal?¡± If a representative player from a guild was trying to hide his identity, even going as far as wearing the Subjugation Association NPC¡¯s clothing, then there had to be a reason behind it. Red Bull Guild¡¯s 3rd strongest member, Bullfight Keems, greeted one of the nine heads of the Hydra Guild, who was not wearing his usual nine-headed Hydra cape. Natal didn¡¯t seem happy to see Bullfight Keems, as he made an intimidating expression. ¡°What is the Red Bulls Guild doing here?¡± However, Bullfight Keems had an even more intimidating expression. His nickname, Bullfight, was aptly put, as he was an intimidating, 2-meter-tall black man. His first impression was always bad, as no matter how intimidating one tried to look, he would not look half as intimidating as Keems¡¯s smiling face. At the moment, Keems smiled as he looked at Natal¡¯s intimidating expression. Watching his smile, Natal unknowingly flinched. ¡°There¡¯s no reason we shouldn¡¯t be here, is there? Is there a problem?¡± Realizing he had flinched, Natal came to his senses and replied. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to ask a question as well. What are you doing here? In a different clothes than usual no less. This must be the first time I¡¯ve seen you without your cape on. Though, I must admit, that look suits you quite well.¡± ¡°I have my reasons. So, do you need something from me?¡± ¡°Of course not. Be on your way.¡± With that, Natal turned back. Then, his followers turned back along with him before they walked away as a group. Watching Natal leave, the corner of Keems¡¯s mouth curved up to a smile. Immediately afterwards, Keems looked at a guild member next to him and tapped his wristwatch twice with his right index finger. Then, his comrades quickly changed their item slot and switched their clothes. The Red Bulls uniform wearing players quickly changed to their battle gear, prepared to fight at any time. Meanwhile, Keems started talking through his voicetalk program. ¡°Captain, captain.¡± -What¡¯s up? ¡°It looks like that tip was real. Natal is here.¡± -Natal? Hydra Guild¡¯s 8th Head? ¡°He was even wearing the Subjugation Association NPC clothes instead of his usual Hydra cape. If I wasn¡¯t looking carefully, I would have mistaken him as an NPC and passed by.¡± -Has Natal appeared in any of Hydra Guild¡¯s recent broadcasts? ¡°I have no clue. I¡¯m not really a fan of them, you see. Why don¡¯t you ask Yel? Isn¡¯t she next to you?¡± -How did you know? ¡°Isn¡¯t she always next to you?¡± Even as he said this, Keems couldn¡¯t help but laugh. He found it funny that the perfect Specialist when fighting monsters was too dense to realize the feelings of a woman so close by. Of course, his laugh didn¡¯t last long. ¡°What should we do? Attack them? If you¡¯d like, we can make a mess and buy some time.¡± -No, stand back for now. If that place really is the Corrupt Count¡¯s castle, the Hydra Guild must have most of its members nearby. Keems, losing you would be the biggest loss. ¡°I can think of it as a two day vacation, no big deal.¡± Suddenly¡­ ¡°KEEMS!¡± ¡°Mm? W-What? I¡¯m talking to the Captain.¡± A comrade of his called out his name. He turned around reflexively, and his eyes went wide as he realized why his comrade called out to him. A wave of uniformed players entered his eyes. After catching sight of Keems and his crew, the uniformed group also walked towards them. A strange atmosphere developed. ¡°Captain, there are about 40 members from the Stormhunter Guild here.¡± Stormhunter. In the Top 30 Guild¡¯s overall rankings, they had the power, numbers, and authority to rank within the top 5. The Red Bulls was similar to the Stormhunter Guild. As one might expect, the two guilds were in fierce competition to get ahead of each other. -The Stormhunters? Keems¡¯s eyes narrowed as he stared off into the distance. What entered his sight first was a short-haired girl. Keems could immediately tell who it was. ¡°Stormhunter Guild¡¯s princess is here.¡± Storm Princess Hahui. The 3rd strongest member of the Stormhunter Guild, and a Specialist raised by the Stormhunter Guild for the purpose of PvP. Although it was a long time ago, Keems had once been killed by her hands. Keems¡¯s expression turned rigid. ¡°What should we do?¡± -Stormhunters, how troublesome. Do they look like they have the intent to attack? ¡°Seeing as how they stopped in their track after seeing us, it seems they didn¡¯t think we would be here.¡± ¨C Then¡­ it seems that tip didn¡¯t just come to us. Fine. First, we¡¯re going to avoid clashing with the Stormhunter Guild. If you can negotiate something there, do so. I¡¯ll talk to the Storm Queen on this end. ¡°Yes sir.¡± With that, their call ended. Keems raised his hand immediately. With his tall height and large build, it was easy to see him from a distance. Keems spoke as he waved his hand. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re here for the same reason. No reason for us to fight. By the way, Natal just passed by here.¡± It was the start of a new development. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Whoosh! A Golem¡¯s arm whisked through the air with a heavy sound. Grrrrr! In front of it was a level 50 monster, Giant Bear. Although it was level 50, as a mid-sized monster, the Giant Bear gave several times more experience and material than small-sized monsters. It was usually hunted by 5-man parties rather than 3-man parties. As such, it was impossible for a single Golem to overwhelm it. The thick arm swung by the Golem struck the side of the Giant Bear standing on its hind legs, but the Giant Bear didn¡¯t falter and instead, counterattacked. Boom! The Giant Bear¡¯s right foreleg struck the Golem¡¯s body. The blow was strong enough to cause the heavy stone Golem to lift its left leg up slightly. On the Golem¡¯s left shoulder, where the bear had attacked, the bear¡¯s thick claw marks were clearly visible. At that moment, the Golem brought its arms together and took a defensive stance like a boxer. As if it had been waiting for it, the Giant Bear began to beat on the Golem with its forelegs. Boom, boom! The sound of the two heavy bodies clashing scattered into the surrounding with a loud, strong reverberation. At the same time, the Giant Bear¡¯s eyes turned red from the continuous attack as it glared at the Golem. Kuooo! Soon, the Giant Bear roared out angrily. It signaled that all of its attention was put on the Golem. In that instant¡­ Sss! A Skeleton Warrior that had been hiding popped its head out from a nearby tree. The Skeleton Warrior was small. It was only a meter tall, and had reddish-black bones. Blood Goblin. As a goblin type variant, the Blood Goblin was surprisingly quick. However, as it was rare, it was hard to see them, much less catch them. The speed of a Skeleton Warrior made from said Blood Goblin was incomparable to other Skeleton Warriors. Tadadada! As it started running, it quickly neared the Giant Bear. Then it leaped. Tat! It was enough to make anyone wonder where such strength came from in such a small body. It jumped close to 10 meters in distance, and landed on the Giant Bear¡¯s back. Then, with knife made from its own bones, it struck down at the Giant Bear¡¯s back. Stab! From the distance, the knife looked more like a needle. Kuooo! The Giant Bear cried out from the sting in its back. It seemed like it took little to no damage. That was because it wasn¡¯t an attack meant to deal damage. The real objective¡­ [The Giant Bear falls under the Demon Curse.] [The Giant Bear falls under the Slow Curse.] Was to active the two curses. The curse quickly spread to every corner of the Giant Bear¡¯s body. The E rank Demon Curse decreased its stats by 13%, and the F rank Slow Curse decreased its movement speed by 10%. The Giant Bear became visibly slower, and the Golem took no time in taking advantage of it. It lowered its guard, dodged the Giant Bear¡¯s attack, and clinched the Giant Bear with its two arms. Kuo! The Giant Bear began to beat on the Golem¡¯s head with its arms in order to get it off of itself. Meanwhile, four Skeleton Warriors slower than the Blood Goblin Skeleton Warrior approached the Giant Bear. As the Skeleton Warriors had used the Dead Woods¡¯ Skeleton Warriors as material, they had large builds and large swords. Although they were smaller than the Giant Bear, they were no less intimidating. The four Skeleton Warriors quickly went to work as they slashed at the Giant Bear¡¯s skin. The attacks interlinked like the gears of a clock, quickly turning the bear¡¯s body ragged. Meanwhile, the Golem still had the Giant Bear bound in its grasp. Kuo! In the end, the Giant Bear fell with a short cry. The dead Giant Bear did not move, and the Skeleton Warriors ceased attacking. Then, they stared at their master. There was a tree with a thick trunk in their line of sight, and on its branches was Hyrkan, sitting down. However, Hyrkan was paying no attention to his summons whatsoever. ¡®Where¡¯s the news? It¡¯s been 3 days since I tipped the 29 guilds besides the Hydra Guild. Don¡¯t tell me they threw it away thinking it was fake?¡¯ At that moment¡­ -Hydra Guild started the Corrupted Count Raid! A new news came up. March 5th. The Hydra Guild had started the Corrupted Count Raid much quicker than the anticipated date. Seeing the news, Hyrkan got up and shouted. ¡°Okay! Eh?¡± And with that shout¡­ ¡°Ah?¡± Thud! He fell from the tree, ending up in a ´ó position. The Skeleton Warriors and the Golem approached Hyrkan and stared at him intently. Hyrkan shouted at his servants almost instinctively. ¡°What? You think this is funny? Turn around!¡± Chapter 46 : Bad Move (2) Chapter 46 : Bad Move (2) ¨C The Corrupt Count raid is different from any of the raids so far. ¨C Can you be a little more specific? ¨C The Corrupt Count isn¡¯t a strong monster, but a man of authority that exists in the Warlord world. It¡¯s not just because he is human. So far, raids have been against middle or large sized monsters. This time, it¡¯s against an NPC. This difference is what makes this raid different from all the other raids. ¨C Is there a reason the date for the Corrupt Count raid is set to be a week before Warlord¡¯s 1st anniversary? Many say that it would have been better to wait one week until the anniversary. Do you have any plans to delay the raid for a week? ¨C Upon much consideration, we decided that now was the time. The most important thing is to increase the chances of success. Even 1% helps. Everything after that is secondary. ¨C That was the last question. Do you have anything you¡¯d like to say? ¨C We will be the only ones who meet with the Corrupt Count. That was the opening of the Corrupt Count raid broadcast. An Jaehyun watched the video, holding his tablet PC in his left hand, while his right hand was dropping glucose candies into his coffee. After filling his coffee to the point it was about to overflow, An Jaehyun finally took a sip. The bitter taste of the coffee and the glucose candy¡¯s cheap sugary taste made the drink taste like a medicine. Thinking about the live broadcast¡¯s ticket he paid for, An Jaehyun couldn¡¯t help but wonder. ¡®With a price like this, they couldn¡¯t have sold more than 500,000 won.¡¯ Before An Jaehyun returned to the past, the Hydra Guild¡¯s Corrupt Count live ticket cost was 15,000 won, and 1,960,000 tickets were sold. It was a new record at the time, and the Hydra Guild pulled in over 10,000,000,000 won. The reason they were able to do so well was that they took their time. The raid date was as one would expect, and the tickets were sold over three days as well. This time, on the other hand, the tickets were expensive and sold for only one day. As long as the Hydra Guild wasn¡¯t stupid, there was no way they didn¡¯t know they were losing out. With that in mind, since they were going this far, it could only mean that the situation was urgent. Taking a sip from his coffee again, An Jaehyun made a glum face. ¡®The chance of them failing¡­ is greater than 90%. Yeah, there¡¯s no way.¡¯ An Jaehyun reminisced. ¡®Well, they failed in the past, so they would have failed this time anyhow.¡¯ In the past, the Hydra Guild had failed their first Corrupt Count raid. They fought well and defeated the Corrupt Count. However, when the Corrupt Count¡¯s HP dropped to 0, a new phase activated and the Corrupt Count ran away. It was similar to how the Golden Skeleton ran away. In the end, the Hydra Guild failed to catch the Corrupt Count they defeated, and it took them another month before they succeeded. ¡®The fact that he runs away is a pain.¡¯ When the Corrupt Count ran away, a new quest appeared to chase after the Corrupt Count. That was why it took so long to capture him again. If he didn¡¯t run and stayed in a single place, it wouldn¡¯t have taken longer than 10 days to catch him again. Even so, it was amazing that it could last 10 days with all of the Top 30 Guilds waiting in line 24/7 to go into the Corrupt Count raid. This was the reason An Jaehyun tipped all 29 guilds. ¡®If I sold the information, I would have been swimming in Wagyu steak all year.¡¯ Of course, he felt like it was a waste. If he sold the information on the Corrupt Count¡¯s identity, he would have made an enormous profit. However, it wasn¡¯t smart to do so. If An Jaehyun received the money on his bank account, people would be able to trace him no matter what he did. It wouldn¡¯t be so bad if it just ended there. The problem was that people would grow suspicious of him. If someone who started Warlord 3 months ago knew the identity of the Corrupt Count, it would be Tobot Soft that would come looking for him, not the Top 30 Guilds. If An Jaehyun had an amazing plan in mind or the connections to back him up, he would have been able to sell it, but An Jaehyun didn¡¯t have such an ability. This was something An Jaehyun knew better than anyone else. However, he didn¡¯t want to let this end as a freebee. ¡®Whatever.¡¯ Because of his last tip, his future tips would hold credibility. If An Jaehyun became a Ranker class player, then there would be no problem selling information openly. After all, it was common for guilds not part of the Top 30 Guilds to sell them information regarding the main scenario quest. ¡®I¡¯ll think of it as my business card.¡¯ Of course, An Jaehyun had no intention of selling any information. After all, everything would be his in the future. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Storm Queen Shir and Matador Chev. Two guild masters representing two of Warlord¡¯s Top 30 Guilds met in the middle of a forest. It wasn¡¯t just the two of them. Ten players they brought encircled the table they were sitting around. They were also Warlord¡¯s Ranker class players. It was a scene that would send chills down the spine of any Warlord fan. It was in this stage that their conversation started. ¡°It seems the Hydra Guild just went into the Corrupt Count¡¯s castle.¡± The first to speak was Storm Queen Shir. ¡°I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°What do you think is going to happen? What do you think is the chance of them succeeding on the First Kill.¡± ¡°Half-half? They¡¯ll either succeed or fail.¡± ¡°What a lazy reply for someone who¡¯s 9th in Rankings.¡± At Shir¡¯s harsh tone, Chev went further into detail. ¡°I¡¯m sure they prepared to an extent, but they started much quicker than their D-Day. Even if they were ready material-wise, it can¡¯t be said that they are mentally prepared. Moreover, the pressure on them to succeed on the First Kill is big. In terms of percentage¡­¡± Before Chev could even finish his thought, Shir spoke out. ¡°I¡¯ll bet 1,000,000 gold on them failing. You?¡± Chev didn¡¯t flinch in the slightest at Shir¡¯s words, and immediately replied. ¡°I have no interest in betting.¡± ¡°Weak.¡± ¡°I have no interest in getting the short end of such an obvious bet.¡± At the phrase ¡®obvious bet¡¯, Shir chuckled. At such an open laugh, the Red Bulls players behind Chev bursted out in anger. In response, the Stormhunter Guild members also twisted their neck, as if they were warming up for battle. Of course, a fight did not break out. It wasn¡¯t a meeting arranged for such a purpose. In fact, it was the opposite. ¡°Let¡¯s stop fooling around and cut to the chase. There¡¯s no point in either of us trying to get the upper hand when we¡¯re here to join hands.¡± It was arranged for them to join hands. The Stormhunters and Red Bulls. These two guilds obtained the qualifications to participate in the Corrupt Count raid after the Hydra Guild. For boss monster raids, challengers received the qualification in the order that they came. It was the unwritten rule of Warlord. Since the Hydra Guild was the first to claim the Corrupt Count¡¯s castle, they were first. Then came the Red Bulls Guild and the Stormhunter Guild. In reality, this was a rare occasion. When guilds joined hands to participate in a raid, it was usually the case that the guild further down the raid order made offers to the guild higher on the raid order. It was never the case that guilds 2nd and 3rd in order joined hands, especially when they were usually fierce competitors. The fact that this meeting happened nonetheless spoke to how important this raid was. It was easy to tell how valuable the Corrupt Count raid was. It was more important than any of the other raids up to this point. Furthermore, this was their only chance. If they failed, the Corrupt Count raid would end before they would have the chance to try again. As such, they needed to make sure they succeeded on their first try. Plus¡­ ¡°So? How much did your tip say?¡± ¡°Probably as much as yours.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t succeed in contacting the sender, did you?¡± ¡°We tried using the address he sent the tip from to contact him. We saw that he read our message, but he didn¡¯t reply. How about you?¡± ¡°No comment.¡± There was a story behind this Corrupt Count raid. All 29 guilds received an anonymous tip regarding the identity of the Corrupt Count. At first, they thought it was done by an insider from the Hydra Guild. However, the tip used as bait was just too valuable for that to be true. Plus, if the sender¡¯s goal was to sell the information, he would have contacted a few guilds. Contacting all 29 lacked common sense. Another possibility they considered was that the sender had a personal grudge against the Hydra Guild and was doing this to get revenge. However, this possibility was quickly struck down. They knew that the Hydra Guild¡¯s management wasn¡¯t so poor. They couldn¡¯t help but be curious about the identity and intention of the sender. The only thing they knew for sure was that the sender had a motive for doing so. In other words, if the Corrupt Count raid was dragged on, there was a huge chance that he would make a move again. In that case, it was to the two guild¡¯s advantage to sort out the situation before the sender made his move. As such, there was a clear reason for the two guilds to join hands. Talking about various things now was nothing more than pointless small talk. That was the reason the two guild masters were acting so bluntly. They already had their answer, and what they talked about at this point would not change it. ¡°I¡¯m not really a fan of all this official business stuff.¡± ¡°We have to at least look the role.¡± ¡°I think we¡¯ve done a good enough job.¡± With that, Shir put her hand out, and Chev took her hand in response. ¡°Come to think of it, this is the first time we¡¯re shaking hands.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t shaken hands with any other guild masters, you know?¡± ¡°What an interesting turn of events.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± The Stormhunters and Red Bulls officially joined hands. ¡ï¡ï¡ï 4 hours into the Corrupt Count raid. -How is the current situation? ¨C Not good. But we still have a chance. Boom! Watching the flashy effects and thunderous roars of various skills, An Jaehyun took off his glasses and turned off his tablet PC. An Jaehyun blinked to water his dry eyes as he knitted his brows. ¡°Tsk, tsk.¡± An Jaehyun audibly clicked his tongue. ¡®That was a raid unfit for the Hydra Guild¡¯s name.¡¯ The one on its receiving end was obviously the Hydra Guild. ¡®From 1 to 10, there was not a single good thing. A raid specialist guild that¡¯s not part of the Top 30 Guilds would have done much better.¡¯ The Hydra Guild¡¯s Corrupt Count raid was simply the worst. It was fine up to the point of meeting the Corrupt Count. The process of revealing all the facts and making the Corrupt Count reveal his identity on his own was perfect. It was enough to make An Jaehyun applaud at how their preparations and quest progressed. The problem arose after the Corrupt Count summoned his corrupted monsters. The Corrupt Count ran away and the battle broke out. There were seven monsters he summoned. Tankers aggroed the monsters and split the battlefield into seven fronts. It was perfect up to this point. However, the Hydra Guild lost in three of these seven battles. ¡®This isn¡¯t the Hydra Guild I know. It¡¯s not that they were lacking in ability. It¡¯s just that they couldn¡¯t bring it out to the fullest.¡¯ Just like that, the Hydra Guild was forced to fight the Corrupt Count when they didn¡¯t have some of their forces. They didn¡¯t have much of a choice. At that point, it was either do or die. Immediately afterwards, the Corrupt Count awakened his Power of Corruption. Then, the main battle broke out. Here, the Hydra Guild made yet another mistake. ¡®In a do or die situation, you have to go all in. Why is the second head sitting in the back?¡¯ The Hydra Guild¡¯s second head, Sohank, was said to be the strongest in fighting. However, he joined the fight only after 5 minute had already passed. It was a huge mistake. Although it was fine when fighting large-sized monsters, when fighting human-form monsters, the ace card had to draw the aggro without holding back. Because of the unknown anonymous tip, the Hydra Guild took too much precaution and held their ace back. ¡®To think they forgot about such a basic concept. They must have had a mental breakdown.¡¯ In the first place, if the ace card didn¡¯t work, the raid was bound to fail. Of course, it was okay to save the ace card until later. It¡¯s not something to be used willy-nilly, but that was before fighting the boss monster. When fighting the boss monster, one had to go all or nothing. As a result of Sohank holding back, the Hydra Guild failed to hold the Corrupt Count¡¯s aggro, and he changed his target to the magicians and the priests in the back. In an instant, three magicians and two priests were killed, and such a loss in a situation where they were already lacking in manpower was devastating. It was the death sentence. That¡¯s when An Jaehyun stopped watching. ¡®No need to waste my time and watch them die. The live broadcast will probably end soon with an apology interview.¡¯ He knew the broadcast would end soon. In any case, what was important to An Jaehyun was that the Hydra Guild failed without having properly caught the Corrupt Count. ¡®The next one¡¯s going to need to succeed.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a good news to An Jaehyun either. After all, An Jaehyun wanted the Corrupt Count to die as soon as possible. For that reason, An Jaehyun wanted the next challenger to succeed. If the Corrupt Count didn¡¯t die within the next 25 days, there would have been no sense in him giving out such a valuable information. ¡®I¡¯ve done so much for you all, so someone kill it please. I don¡¯t care who¡­ though it¡¯d hurt my soul if the Stormhunters get it.¡¯ An Jaehyun made a wry smile. To be honest, he wasn¡¯t in a good mood. There was no way he would be when he was on the losing end of the trade. It seemed things would stay that way for a while as well. ¡®I¡¯m probably going to have to share the Immoral Prince too.¡¯ The second main scenario quest after the Corrupt Count, the Immoral Prince. It was unlikely for An Jaehyun to be the main character in the Immoral Prince scenario quest. To gain something, one had to pay the price. In the end, he would probably have to share it. It was painful for someone as greedy as An Jaehyun. But it would just be until then. ¡®But in the Ruined Kingdom¡­¡¯ In the third stage, he had no intention of sharing anything with anyone. ¡®I¡¯ll take it all.¡¯ The Top 30 Guilds will have to fight over An Jaehyun¡¯s leftovers. That was An Jaehyun¡¯s goal. If he couldn¡¯t achieve it, then there would be no meaning in him going through so much trouble to solo play. An Jaehyun got up from his seat. ¡®Alright, time to go play with my skellies again. I can¡¯t forget to educate them.¡¯ It was time to start gaming again. Chapter 47 : Bulkas Mountain Range (1) Chapter 47 : Bulkas Mountain Range (1) [You have leveled up.] [You have obtained the title, ¡®Giant Bear Killer¡¯.] [You have obtained the title, ¡®Bear-hunting Skeleton.] [Skeleton Fragment skill rank rose to C.] [Slow Curse skill rank rose to E.] [You have obtained the title, ¡®Beginner Curse Magician¡¯.] The consecutive alert sounds were as beautiful as Vivaldi¡¯s Four Seasons. Hearing the alert sounds, Hyrkan nodded as if he was listening to music. He did a light shoulder dance, and as if that wasn¡¯t enough, he snapped his fingers thrice as well. Then, the four Skeleton Warriors standing in front of corpses of two Giant Bears began to dance. This time, it was Los del Rio¡¯s Macarena, a hit from the 1990s. The scene of the four dancing skeletons was memorable to say the least. The combination of three largely built skeletons and a tiny goblin skeleton was quite cute in a way. Of course, the scene of a man dancing in a lion suit wasn¡¯t so cute. ¡®That¡¯s one big problem down.¡¯ If anyone was watching the battle Hyrkan just had, he would be unable to say Hyrkan was funny, disgusting, weird, or ugly. Hyrkan; He had fought against two Giant Bears at the same time, when hunting only one usually took a 5-man party. While the Golem and Skeleton Warriors fought the Giant Bear, he kept the aggro of the other Giant Bear. All the meanwhile, he watched over their fight and continuously snapped his fingers and manipulated the Skeleton Warriors¡¯ movements. It was a battle that surpassed the level of being impressive to being monstrous. It wasn¡¯t possible with just excellent individual battle skills. It also needed excellent situational judgement, tuning, and commanding ability. In other words, it was a difficult fight. In reality, not only did Hyrkan lose most of his magic power in the process, but he also lost two of his Skeleton Warriors. Considering that he didn¡¯t lose any of his Skeleton Warriors when fighting against just one Giant Bear, it showed the difficulty of the fight. If Hyrkan¡¯s aim was an efficient fight, he wouldn¡¯t have fought against two so stupidly. He would have lured just one of them or avoided the fight altogether. There was a reason he went through such a difficulty. ¡®I hope Romany Film can make a hit this time as well.¡¯ He was in need of a new video to follow his Golden Skeleton video. ¡®With this video, I¡¯ll make a definite profit.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s popularity had gone up much higher by now, and his YouTube page had surpassed 80,000 subscribers. Just the Skull Clown video had 700,000 views, the Golden Skeleton video 400,000 views, and his introduction video 500,000 views. Other than that, all his other videos had at least 100,000 views. Both his donation amount and views were higher than what someone of his subscriber count should get. Hyrkan was now at a level where he could earn an acceptable salary depending on the quality of his videos. From now on, making videos could officially be considered his job. If up to now, he had been handing out his business card for free, it was now time to reap the harvest from his subscribers and viewers. Not to mention, he was now able to make videos on a completely different level than before. Because he had the Golem. Even so, just using the Golem to easily hunt monsters was stupid. It was something any necromancer could do. Something like that wasn¡¯t worth paying for. For that reason, Hyrkan did something no one else could do ¨C hunting two Giant Bears alone. At the same time, it was a form of training. ¡®I¡¯m going to have to train my ability to fight against many servant monsters before fighting the boss monster.¡¯ Hunting a single strong monster was no longer a difficult thing to accomplish for Hyrkan. However, it was still tough when he was fighting multiple monsters. It was also an ability Hyrkan needed to have if he really wanted to become the best in Warlord. This was easy to see. Even in this time¡¯s Corrupt Count raid, the problem was not fighting the Corrupt Count, but reducing the losses as much as possible while fighting against the boss¡¯s servant monsters. Hyrkan had no plans of becoming the strongest with just what he had now. He knew that with what he currently had, he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep himself safe, much less aim to be the strongest. He needed more. He needed to completely surpass the ability of the Hero Slaughterer Hyrkan. Only in that way¡­ [The quest, ¡®Searching for Migi¡¯, ends.] ¡°Oh! The Red Bulls did it!¡± Would he be able to make the upcoming new era into his own. ¡ï¡ï¡ï [You obtained the title, ¡®Destroyer of Corruption.¡¯] [You obtained the title, ¡®Hero of the Hiban Kingdom.¡¯] [You obtained the title, ¡®Corrupt Count Slayer.¡¯] [You obtained the title, ¡®Corrupt Count First Kill.¡¯] The simultaneous ringing of alerts. It was a sound that would normally bring joy to Warlord players, but the Red Bulls¡¯s guild master, Chev, couldn¡¯t bring himself to smile. With a stiff expression, he stared at a young lady standing in the distance. A short-haired beauty wearing heavy armor engraved with the Red Bulls¡¯s logo. Storm Queen Shir. Although her left arm was missing and several parts of her armor crushed, no man would be able to doubt her beauty. It was the same for Chev. Setting aside any attraction as member of the opposite gender, seeing her always made him think ¡®a beauty was a beauty!¡¯ There was a reason that it was in past tense. The Shir in front of him now was not a beauty, but a being that would make any monster or demon cower in fear. ¡®Amazing. Scarily amazing.¡¯ Although the Corrupt Count raid had been tense, in a way, it progressed quite calmly. The Red Bulls and Stormhunters alliance didn¡¯t make the same mistake the Hydra Guild did. After watching the Hydra Guild¡¯s raid video, they practiced day in and day out until they almost fainted. They didn¡¯t spare any money on items either. Whether it be equipment, buff potions, or consumable potions, they prepared them in mass. They spent what was normally too expensive to use in other raids like they were drinking water. It was like using 100 dollar bills to feed a campfire. Thanks to that, however, they still only managed a 6-1 score against the Corrupt Count¡¯s seven servants. Although one team lost, they were able to prevent the team from being completely wiped out. The battle that followed was just as amazing. They didn¡¯t spare their ace cards either. Matador Chev! Warlord¡¯s Rank 9 player fought on the front line with the help of Storm Queen Shir. Even other than them, some of the most skilled Warlord players fought on the front lines. The problem was when the Corrupt Count¡¯s HP turned to 0. When they thought it was all over, a fiery black pillar bursted out from the Corrupt Count¡¯s body. It was the start of a new phase. The pillar became a human-sized fire bomb, and scattered in all direction. The scattered fire mercilessly devoured the players it hit, and magicians with low HP were killed in just a single attack. Unable to have predicted such a situation, the priests were slow to heal or to cast shields. Their losses were big. Meanwhile, the Corrupted Count had been revived and he began to run away furiously. Watching the scene, Chev could only sigh. He never would have thought the Corrupt Count would have such a phase. However, Shir was different. She ran. Dodging hundreds of black fire bombs, even losing her left arm in the process and falling down, she got back up and charged towards the Corrupt Count. In the end, she pierced through the Corrupt Count¡¯s body with her sword. When everyone else was busy celebrating a false victory, she had remained collected. ¡®I can see where her arrogance comes from.¡¯ Chev had no choice but to recognize her ability. She wasn¡¯t just a celebrity born as a conglomerate¡¯s successor and peerless beauty. She was a skilled player worthy of her title as a Ranker. It wasn¡¯t just Chev. Everyone present was surprised at Shir. They acknowledged her arrogance to be justified dignity. All except one. ¡®Tsk.¡¯ Only Shir did not acknowledge herself. In reality, the last fight was nothing more than an all or nothing gamble. It was by luck that it was the former. ¡®It¡¯s still not enough.¡¯ It was still impressive nonetheless. However, achieving victory in such a close fight wasn¡¯t what she wanted. ¡®If we didn¡¯t join hands with the Red Bulls, we would have failed as well.¡¯ An overwhelming battle force and battle strength. A one-sided destruction created by the best players wearing the best items! That was what Shir wanted. ¡®Tsk.¡¯ In that sense, the Corrupt Count raid was a failure. There were still many things her guild was lacking. If she didn¡¯t borrow someone else¡¯s hand, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to achieve victory. ¡®More.¡¯ For that reason¡­ ¡®I need more skilled players.¡¯ She was now burning with more desire and longing than ever. ¡ï¡ï¡ï On March 16th, the Corrupt Count died. It marked the end of Warlord¡¯s first main scenario quest, which had continued for over a year. The Corrupt Count¡¯s death affected the entirety of Warlord. First, all the quests related to the Corrupt Count ended. Because of this, many players expressed frustration, especially those who had their quests ended in the process. At the same time, it caused many others to burn in passion. -The new main scenario quest is starting soon, right? I¡¯m going to properly participate in this one. -It¡¯s the start of a new era. -Warlord¡¯s going to change significantly. Although players had no time to prepare for the first era, everyone had somewhat readied themselves for the second era. The new era had already started. Few players had already achieved great success through the changed attitudes of NPCs and newly discovered areas. In the middle of it all, a shocking news was revealed. It was that the Red Bulls Guild and the Stormhunter Guild had joined hands to beat the Corrupt Count raid. It was truly newsworthy incident. ¨C Really? The Stormhunter Guild really joined hands with the Red Bulls Guild? ¨C Then why didn¡¯t they announce it before the raid? Aren¡¯t they losing out? ¨C They¡¯re splitting the profits, so they¡¯re not really losing out on anything. In fact, didn¡¯t they gain more since they were 3rd in order? ¨C Please. Without the Stormhunter Guild, the Red Bulls Guild would have failed. Then, the Stormhunter Guild would have surely taken it. ¨C Fuck. If I knew it was like this, I would have purchased a live ticket. When is the paid video coming out? Although it was common for guilds to collaborate, no one had expected the competing Red Bulls and Stormhunter Guild to join hands before such a big raid. In fact, their alliance wasn¡¯t revealed until after the raid. It was, of course, what they aimed for since the start. They had made a contract. The Stormhunter Guild would hide their identity and join the raid. When they revealed this matter, many more people would buy the paid video, and the Stormhunter Guild would take most of the profit from it. In exchange, the Red Bulls would take most of the profit form the live ticket revenue. It was an unprecedented incident, something no one had expected. Because of this fact, this incident¡­ ¡°Waaa!¡± Made a huge impact on a certain man. ¡°Uwaaaaa!¡± An Jaehyun. He was currently rolling on the ground holding his stomach. ¡°Uwwwoooo!¡± As he fiercely rolled on the ground, he seemed like he was about to cry. To him, this news was equivalent to seeing a cousin one hated suddenly strike it rich because the land he bought on a whim went into redevelopment. ¡®Shit, fuck, shit!¡¯ That was how much of a pain An Jaehyun was currently in. ¡®Just why?¡¯ An Jaehyun never expected the Red Bulls Guild to join hands with the Stormhunter Guild. He thought only the Red Bulls Guild would be participating in this raid. ¡®Choi Sulyeon. Why would miss ¡®I¡¯m the best in the whole world¡¯ do such a thing? She even hid her identity and wore the Red Bulls logo!¡¯ An Jaehyun knew Choi Sulyeon¡¯s temperament better than anyone else. She was the type who believed no one could do what she failed to do, and crushed whoever went against that rule. Naturally, there was no such thing as a negotiation, cooperation, or co-existence in her mind. One had to either kneel down to her or die. Choi Sulyeon always forced the same two choices to her enemies. One who won¡¯t kneel would only receive merciless punishment. Not to mention, the Red Bulls Guild was a fierce competitor of the Stormhunter Guild. It would have been more right to pray for the Red Bulls to fail. But joining hands? That was not something that should have happened. Of course, the cause of it all was An Jaehyun. The information he leaked caused a butterfly effect, ending with the two of them joining hands. ¡®To think I¡¯d help Choi Sulyeon this way. Come to think of it, didn¡¯t I help her at the Peach Store last time? Am I crazy?¡¯ It was true An Jaehyun did so knowing someone else would benefit, but he didn¡¯t think that someone would be Choi Sulyeon. He didn¡¯t think the Stormhunters would succeed, even if they were 3rd in order. ¡°Haa!¡± An Jaehyun threw himself on the floor and let out a heavy sigh. Although he was still sick to his stomach, he didn¡¯t keep complaining. ¡®The Corrupt Count¡¯s dead. That¡¯s it.¡¯ A new era had already begun. ¡®Although everyone¡¯s different in skill, we¡¯re on the same starting line for the Immoral Prince.¡¯ Everyone was on the same starting line. An Jaehyun now had the chance to obtain several valuable titles. ¡®With my current level, there¡¯s a limit to my reach.¡¯ Factoring in An Jaehyun¡¯s level, there was only one place at the moment where An Jaehyun could obtain an Immoral Prince-related quest title. ¡°It¡¯s time to go meet the rangers.¡± Rangers protecting the Bulkas Mountain Range. It was time to go meet them. Chapter 48 : Bulkas Mountain Range (2) Chapter 48 : Bulkas Mountain Range (2) ¡®God damn it!¡¯ As Hyrkan ran through the forest, his face was full of anxiety. He reached into one of many pockets in the lion suit, picked out a Skeleton Fragment, and threw it on the ground. The Skeleton Fragment quickly bloated up to a single Skeleton Warrior. Snap! Hyrkan snapped his finger, and the Skeleton Warrior lowered his body and took on a defensive stance. In front of the Skeleton Warrior¡­ Kuoooo! A roar of a monster could be heard. Soon after the terrifying roar, a wolf with four drill-like fangs appeared. The Tooth Wolf changed his target from Hyrkan to the Skeleton Warrior. Crunch! Running like a race horse, the Tooth Wolf quickly closed its distance to the Skeleton Warrior. The Skeleton Warrior did not back down in the face of this monstrous wolf. Inside his black eye sockets, two small flames blazed as the Skeleton Warrior showed its willingness to fight. Hyrkan caught sight of this scene from the corner of his eye. He clenched his teeth and snapped his finger twice. Although his finger snaps were soundless because of his gloves, the Skeleton Warrior received the command and charged at the incoming Tooth Wolf. Hyrkan did not stay and watch the outcome. Instead, he prayed. ¡®Sorry skellie.¡¯ The result was too obvious. Even among mid-sized level 60 monsters, the Tooth Wolf was among the strongest. An original Skeleton that wasn¡¯t made out of any materials was not able to buy time against it for long. Normally, it would be 1 second. If it went well, 2 seconds. If the Skeleton Warrior was lucky, it would be 3 seconds. But that was it. That was all Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Warrior was capable of. If it wasn¡¯t his, it would be knocked down in a split second like a bowling pin. This time, the Skeleton Warrior was able to buy 2 seconds. The Skeleton first dodged the Tooth Wolf¡¯s bite, but was shattered by its following foreleg attack. This attack halted the Tooth Wolf¡¯s uncontrolled charge, as the Tooth Wolf landed on the ground after the attack. In other words, it meant he had to start running again. In that short instant, Hyrkan furthered the distance between himself and the Tooth Wolf by by tens of meters. Krrrr¡­ The Tooth Wolf let out a low growl and turned its head. Under its front leg was the Skeleton Warrior which had now lost the light in its eyes. The Tooth Wolf then¡­ Crack! Crushed the Skeleton Warrior. Although Hyrkan couldn¡¯t hear the sound, he shuddered while he was running. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ It was only after 3 minutes had passed that Hyrkan was finally able to stop and catch a breath. Of course, he wasn¡¯t particularly out of breath. After all, he was in a game. He was still full of strength, and he promptly climbed up a thick tree. Anyone would be able to tell by his monkey-like quickness that it wasn¡¯t his first time doing this. After climbing the tree, Hyrkan immediately looked around his surroundings. Ssss¡­ The leaves of the tree swung calmly with the wind. Not wanting to break this calmness, Hyrkan silently sighed in his heart. ¡®Whew.¡¯ Only after he let out a silent breath did he finally relax. ¡®The Monster Belt is lifted, but this place is still hell for my standards.¡¯ Currently, Hyrkan was on his way to the Bulkas Mountain Range. He had been waiting at the Herb Castle, the nearest castle to the Bulkas Mountain Range. The Herb Castle was an unpopular castle amongst Warlord players. No castles had been discovered to its east, and no one set out to explore the area either. This was because it was a so-called Block Field, an area purposely managed by Warlord¡¯s system for the purpose of main scenario quest progression. Of course, the Block Field disappeared once a certain condition was met. It could be when someone received a certain quest or when a certain quest was completed. Once the Block Field was removed, players would be able to enter the area and any areas beyond. It went without saying that the disappearance of a Block Field signified a chance to obtain treasures that were hidden inside. As such, there were always players waiting near Block Fields. They weren¡¯t just waiting either. They were always on the lookout for competitors. This was why the Herb Castle wasn¡¯t popular. Players in it always looked at each other with eyes of suspicion. In any case, Hyrkan already knew that the Bulkas Mountain Range existed beyond the Herb Castle. He knew what route to take as well. At the same time, he knew that the Block Field would disappear when the Corrupt Count was killed. It went without saying that Hyrkan would be the first one to go past the Block Field and arrive at the Bulkas Mountain Range. The only problem was that the area Hyrkan had to go through was filled with monsters ranging between level 60 to 80. As skilled as he is, Hyrkan could not guarantee his safety. Even so, there was a reason Hyrkan was taking such a risk to go through this place. Hyrkan turned his head and looked out far beyond the overgrown forest. ¡®In the past, I couldn¡¯t even dream of a discovery title at this level.¡¯ Beyond this overgrown forest was the Bulkas Mountain Range. And in the Bulkas Mountain Range¡­ ¡®If I meet the Bulkas Mountain Range rangers, I can probably obtain 3 titles on the spot.¡¯ Were several magnificent treasures. Although no one knew about the Bulkas rangers at the moment, they would soon become one of the most well-known NPCs in Warlord. There was a simple reason behind it. ¡®What a nice bunch.¡¯ They gave out a lot of things. That was how games worked. When monsters or NPCs became famous, it was either that they were incredibly strong or gave incredibly good things. The Bulkas rangers were the latter. As a level 60~80 hunting ground, the Bulkas Mountain Range was a decent hunting ground for many players. Although it wasn¡¯t the most efficient, one could sufficiently use it to train from level 60 to 80. On top of this, the Bulkas rangers gave out many quests related to the Bulkas Mountain Range. The reward was rich in EXP or gold. They even gave out a really bountiful quest from time to time. As there were many quests, there were also many chances to obtain titles. The rangers were generous in many ways. What was the most valuable in their generous rewards was¡­ ¡®If I can win over the Bulkas Ranger Master, Maoong, I can place my spoon on the Immoral Prince quest.¡¯ The Bulkas Ranger Master, Maoong. He was a key figure in the Immoral Prince quest. Just this was enough for Hyrkan to risk his life on this trail. Hyrkan once again looked at his surroundings. Most players would be too fearful of a game over to move rashly. But although Hyrkan found the situation quite annoying, he did not have any fear. Because he was experienced. ¡®At least it¡¯s better than being chased by those Stormhunter trash.¡¯ A lot. Being chased or running for his life was something he had grown quite tired of. Thanks to his experience, Hyrkan was able to run again. ¡ï¡ï¡ï A female magician dressed like a male and a man wearing a scaled armor glowing red were walking through the Boyz Castle. Their appearances were did not lack anything to attract the attention of players around them. ¡°Whoa, look at that! He¡¯s wearing a full Fire Lizard set!¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t the full set go for over 100,000 gold? That aside, don¡¯t you have to be above level 90 to wear it?¡± ¡°Who is he?¡± It was an extremely expensive armor made for top level players. It was no different than a man and a beauty driving through town with the best open car. Unaffected by the attention they were getting, they were murmuring through their voicetalk program. ¡°Did you find out who the informant was?¡± ¡°From what I can tell, no one has the slightest idea.¡± ¡°How is that even possible? It¡¯s not just some incident. There are only a few who could get their hands on such a valuable piece of information.¡± ¡°In that few, there isn¡¯t a single person who would inform all of the 29 guilds. It¡¯s not them no matter how I look at it.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean there¡¯s an incredibly strong player that we don¡¯t know about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that we don¡¯t know the identity of some of the Rankers. We have no way of knowing anyone outside the Rankings too.¡± ¡°Things are already going off our plan.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like we can do anything about it. Our job is to just do what our employer tells us to do. Also, it¡¯s not like we work under them with a great sense of duty.¡± A brief silence hung between the two. ¡°By the way, where are they sending you this time?¡± ¡°Sweepers.¡± ¡°Why are you going to Sweepers and not me? Don¡¯t they need more magicians?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it the other way? They have a lot of magicians, so they¡¯re looking for more front-liners.¡± ¡°I guess¡­ well, since the Sweepers are moving, it looks they¡¯re going to sweep through an entire Block Field. It¡¯s going to get troublesome. Oh yeah, the Dragon Lizard¡¯s egg. What happened to it? Did you find the one who took it?¡± As soon as the question was asked, the armored player stopped in his tracks. The magician tilted her head. Their eyes met, and the magician could easily see the scowl on the swordsman. ¡°Whoever it was, if I catch him, I won¡¯t let him off easy.¡± With that, the swordsman continued on his way. ¡ï¡ï¡ï It was just one step. [You obtained the title, ¡®First One to Step onto the Bulkas Mountain Range.¡¯]. With almost completely depleted magic power, Hyrkan stepped into the Bulkas Mountain Range and was greeted by a new title. Moreover, that one step was one with a lot of meaning behind it. It meant he was a step in front of those who he had only been chasing after. At the same time, it signified the start of the legend Hyrkan would leave behind. Of course, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t in any mood to give such deep thought into his step. Hyrkan immediately checked his stat window through his watch. ¡°Not bad.¡± Checking the newly acquired title¡¯s options was more important to Hyrkan. After confirming its options, Hyrkan raised his head in satisfaction. The Bulkas Mountain Range in front of his eyes seemed more distant than impressive. The mountain range was full of trees with razor-sharp leaves and with countless number of monsters. Hyrkan was the sole player against such a force. ¡®It would be foolish to move in thoughtlessly with the magic power I have now.¡¯ What seemed the most distant was Hyrkan¡¯s magic power. Hyrkan sat down where he was and started chewing on a magic power recovery gum. As he chewed the gum, magic power slowly filled Hyrkan¡¯s body. ¡®If only I can buy an expensive recovery potion and fill my magic power in one go.¡¯ Warlord had many different recovery items. Of course, the more effective it was, the more it cost. For example, a candy made from the sap of the rare level 150 Vampire Tree filled up HP by the percentage while it was in its user¡¯s mouth. Not only that, but it also raised stamina by an incredible amount. If a tanker with full resistance setting was eating this candy, he would practically be invincible during the duration of the candy. Of course, the cost of the Vampire Tree Sap was enormous. It was a must have for top-level boss monster raids, and the demand was several times the supply. As such, with a raid like the Corrupt Count raid coming up, it sold for an incredibly high price. Other than that, those who focused solely on leveling up were not stingy when it came to recovery items like this. The most representative was the First OneSulwoo. To stay as the highest leveled player, he was always fully buffed, with the best items and skills. Although he must earn an enormous amount of money from it, the amount he spent far outweighed the amount he earned. Of course, for Hyrkan who had to savor the 5 gold gum, such a thing was in the distant future. However¡­ ¡®I¡¯m here.¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t be too far. Hyrkan got up from his seat. Then, as if it had been waiting, Whoosh! An arrow landed near the Hyrkan¡¯s foot. Seeing the arrow, Hyrkan smiled. Chapter 49 : Bulkas Mountain Range (3) Chapter 49 : Bulkas Mountain Range (3) A middle-aged man wearing a beret opened his heavily bearded mouth. ¡°Then I will trust your abilities.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± With that short reply, Hyrkan turned away. In his ears¡­ [You have obtained the title, ¡®The Inaugurator.¡¯] An alert told him of the new title he acquired. Although he had expected it, he couldn¡¯t help but quiver in happiness. Holding in his desire to yell out in joy, he stepped out of the log cabin he was in. Only after stepping outside did he let out what he was holding in. He clenched his right fist and shook it. YES! No matter who looked at it, it was easy to tell the meaning behind his clenched fist. ¡®That¡¯s the 3rd title!¡¯ When he stepped into the Bulkas Mountain Range, Hyrkan met up with the Bulkas rangers. That was when he obtained the ¡®First to Encounter the Bulkas Rangers¡¯ title. Raising the class-related stat by 7 points, it was quite a fine title. ¡®The Inaugurator¡¯ title he just received came from being the first to get quest from a newly discovered castle, town, or area. As it raised all stats by 7 points, it was even better than the other titles. Moreover, the ¡®First One to Step onto the Bulkas Mountain Range¡¯ title raised all stats by 4 points. Even though he did not level up, his stats had gone up quite a lot. ¡®Yep, this is the best part about Warlord.¡¯ There was a reason why Warlord was called a Title War. Since one could receive stat points that would otherwise require 4~5 levels, the competition for titles was obvious. Of course, this wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy Hyrkan. Any skilled player would have similar titles to boost their stats. ¡®Now then, what should I hunt?¡¯ The best thing about discovering a new region was not the titles¡­ ¡®What would be popular?¡¯ But the monsters and the hunting guide video. Warlord viewers wanted new things. No matter strong or weak, amazing or laughable, viewers watched it if it was new. Moreover, videos on new monsters were spread by Warlord fans without the uploader having to do any advertising. Furthermore, Hyrkan was gaining popularity lately. His Double Bear video got a good number of views, and although it wasn¡¯t as much as Skull Clown, it was enough for his fans to be satisfied. Moreover, thanks to the Double Bear video, Skull Clown received more attention and surpassed 900,000 views. If he added a new monster on top of it? ¡®If it¡¯s the Bulkas Mountain Range, Armor Monkey is probably the best.¡¯ Hyrkan smiled. ¡ï¡ï¡ï A 1.5 meter tall monkey was wearing an armor and a helmet, and was holding a mace in its right hand. Kii kii! The monkey was currently riding on top of a Golem, and was brandishing the mace in its hand. The mace moved nimbly along the Golem¡¯s head, shoulder, and back as it kept pounding into them. Puhat! Blobs of dirt fell out from the Golem¡¯s body like flesh. Whoosh! Although the Golem swung its arms above its head to catch the monkey, the monkey dodged the Golem¡¯s slow-moving arms easily. At times, it even climbed down the Golem and climbed back up, as if to play with it. Although they had weight behind them, the Golem¡¯s arms did not amount to much without the speed. It was being toyed with in every sense of the word. The one that was most enraged by this sight¡­ ¡°Ah come on!¡± Was Hyrkan who was controlling the Golem 20 meters away with copy mode. Looking like he was washing his hair, Hyrkan was about to explode. Even so, Hyrkan held himself in, and focused his attention on trying to capture the Armor Monkey. ¡®Come on, get caught already. How is this little bastard so nimble?¡¯ What set off Hyrkan¡¯s fuse was¡­ Kii kii! The excited screech of the Armor Monkey. Although Hyrkan wasn¡¯t sure if it was really excited or if it was part of its setting, to Hyrkan, it seemed like the monkey was screaming and calling him an idiot. ¡®You¡¯re dead.¡¯ Hyrkan canceled the copy mode and charged towards the Golem. Hyrkan¡¯s figure as he ran seemed very much like a cheetah charging towards its pretty. Tadat, tadat¡­ Using all 100% of his strength stat, Hyrkan seemed more like a fearsome predator than a human being. The distance between him and the Golem quickly fell to 5 meters. At that moment¡­ Pat! Hyrkan converted the momentum from his charging speed into jumping power and he pointed his foot like a spear-tip as he flew towards his target. Puk! Then, his foot landed directly on the back of the Armor Monkey swinging his mace madly. Drop kick! An attack rarely seen in Warlord struck the Armor Monkey. The Armor Monkey flew like a cannon ball and rolled on the ground seven times after it landed. Kiik! The Armor monkey screeched as it rolled on the ground. When it came to a stop, it got up with all the more screeching. It looked towards the Golem, and what entered his eyes was¡­ Thwack! Hyrkan¡¯s knees. After landing his dropkick, Hyrkan had already begun to run for his second attack. His knee struck the Armor Monkey¡¯s head, and its body followed suit. This was the power of an all-strength necromancer. But that was it. Although it was powerful and forceful, the damage dealt couldn¡¯t have been big. After all, the Armor Monkey was a level 60 monster, and Hyrkan was only level 46. Even if damage was dealt, it would only be enough to draw the aggro. Kiii! The enraged Armor Monkey let out an angry screech and got up from the ground once more. It fixed the helmet on its head, hit the ground twice with its mace, and glared at Hyrkan. Then, it charged towards Hyrkan without hesitation. The distance between them was 3 meters. Considering both of their stats, it would only take a single step to cover the distance. With a single leap, the Armor Monkey closed in on Hyrkan, as did the mace in its hand. Kii! The Armor Monkey¡¯s screech became clearer as it neared Hyrkan. Whoosh! At the same time, the sound of the mace cutting the air sounded out. The mace seemed to want to crush Hyrkan¡¯s head. Even in face of such a terrifying attack, Hyrkan did not flinch in the slightest, and simply twisted his body to the side as the mace neared him. Whoosh! The mace passed by Hyrkan¡¯s eyes. Then. Puhat! It landed on the ground along with the Armor Monkey. The Armor Monkey¡¯s eyes seemed to flash in surprise as if to say ¡®you dare dodge my attack?¡¯ The Armor Monkey got even more enraged and sought to make its next attack. It turned its head towards Hyrkan and showed its teeth. Thwack! However, before the Armor Monkey could even take a glimpse of Hyrkan, Hyrkan had already moved to kick his head like a soccer ball. Kiiii! This time, the Armor Monkey let out a pained cry as it fell to the side. Watching the Armor Monkey through the hahoe mask, Hyrkan shouted out with a frown. ¡°From here, I will show you all how to screw with¡­ I mean, how to hunt an Armor Monkey.¡± It was the announcement of an Armor Monkey¡¯s death¡­ no, torture. ¡ï¡ï¡ï [You obtained the title, ¡®First to Discover the Armor Monkey.] As soon as the fight ended, Hyrkan stared at the corpse of the Armor Monkey on the ground. It was a monster that had greatly annoyed him. If it was the past, it would have ended with a bit of lashing out. However, the current Hyrkan was different. ¡®What if I use this guy as material for Skeleton Fragment?¡¯ It was a habit that had developed after becoming a necromancer. What monster should I use as material? It was a question he always asked. In reality, up to now, he had put his focus on sheer battle power. When he was making a Skeleton Warrior, he sought to make one that fought the best. The next thing he looked for was image. It looked the best when all Skeleton Warriors looked the same. For someone who was making a living making videos, it made sense that such a thing was so high in priority. At the same time, having the same type of Skeleton Warriors was beneficial in most battles. Most necromancers used a defense-first attack-second strategy. In such a fight, it was important for the Skeleton Warriors to move fixedly like a machine. For machines, it was, of course, best to use the same type of parts. However, Hyrkan¡¯s mind had changed recently. Even if there were more Skeleton Warriors he could use, the amount he could use to attack a single monster was limited. Although he would need more when hunting large-type boss monsters, such a battle wasn¡¯t rare. Most importantly, the Skeleton Fragment skill itself gave a huge selection of materials. As long as he wanted to, he could make as many Skeleton Fragment as he wanted. It wasn¡¯t hard to retrieve a Skeleton Fragment either. When a Skeleton Warrior was destroyed, he just had to clench his fist and say ¡®retrieve.¡¯ Then, the Skeleton Fragment would return to his hand. He didn¡¯t need to use the same material, and he could freely change the material he used as long as his cooldown and magic power allowed it. In other words, he could make a group of Skeleton Warriors of various types. In a war, variety meant increased utility. Watching the Armor Monkey melting into an ice-cream, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but wonder. ¡®How should I use this guy?¡¯ Hyrkan. He was now thoroughly becoming a necromancer. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll first make it into a Skeleton Warrior and bully it a bit. You dare make fun of me. You won¡¯t die so easily.¡± Of course, his personality was the same as ever. ¡ï¡ï¡ï When the Corrupt Count died, a new era began. In face of this new era, those who made Warlord their career once again began charging straight ahead. A new era, a new stage, a new content¡­ everyone was on the same start line. For the Top 30 Guilds that failed to kill the Corrupt Count, it was a chance for them to be in the spotlight. For the guilds that weren¡¯t part of the Top 30 Guilds but were still large enough to rival them, it was a chance to steal the Top 30 Guilds¡¯ live channels and make a name for themselves. It was the start of a war. And what the most important thing in this war was to bring as much attention to themselves as possible. All ways and means were used. Some leaked a scandal between a beautiful female Ranker and a handsome male Ranker, some declared wars against other guilds, and some leaked weaknesses of other guilds. However, what stood out the most were not gossips like these. ¡°Ugo Sanchez reached level 30 in just 38 days. As expected of The Machine¡¯s Rank 3 player. Untalented players couldn¡¯t hit level 30 even with 100 days¡­ isn¡¯t this level up speed a new record?¡± ¡°Did you watch Rony Jackson¡¯s new hunting video? It was no joke. I¡¯ve never seen someone at level 20 fight like that. I¡¯ll bet once Rony Jackson grows up a bit more, he wouldn¡¯t lose in a PvP against the Rankers. Although PvE is important, he¡¯s a true monster when fighting against players.¡± New, rising stars. They were currently the ones who received the most attention in Warlord. In particular, Rankers from other VR games who transferred over received the most attention. Someone had made a Rookie Rankings, which received just as much attention as the Top 100 Rankings. A war had begun for these rookies to become the super rookie that stood above all others. In the middle of this war¡­ ¡°Did you watch that video? The Armor Monkey video. It¡¯s a new monster, but there¡¯s already a hunting guide on it.¡± ¡°A hunting guide for a new monster? You probably need to pay for it, right?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s free.¡± ¡°Someone released a new monster hunting guide for free? Who? What guild?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a guild, but a person¡­ someone in a weird getup with a strange mask. What was his name again¡­¡± ¡°A person? What¡¯s his class?¡± ¡°Necromancer.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. His name was starting to reach out to all corners of Warlord. Chapter 50 : Lucky Drop (1) Chapter 50 : Lucky Drop (1) Pabat! Hyrkan was running forward with the mane of his lion head fluttering in the air. At Hyrkan¡¯s destination¡­ Kikii! Was an Armor Monkey letting out an impatient cry. Having lost its arm to a Skeleton Warrior made from using Armor Monkey as material, it had lost its will to fight and was trying to run away. However, when it turned around to escape, it faced the one person it should have never faced. It was Hyrkan. When the distance between him and the Armor Monkey was close enough, Hyrkan¡¯s longsword stabbed through the T-shaped hole in the Armor Monkey¡¯s helmet. Stab! Hyrkan could feel the depth of the stab on his fingertips. It meant the sword stabbed through deeper than he had expected. Although it would be horrifying feeling for most people, Hyrkan smiled as if he enjoyed it. ¡®How clean.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s remark was accurate, yet terrifying. Hyrkan finished off the Armor Monkey with a single strike. The Armor Monkey drooped down like a toy hanging on a nail. Chwing! When Hyrkan swiftly pulled his sword out¡­ Thud! The Armor Monkey¡¯s body fell to the ground powerlessly. [You have leveled up.] [You have obtained the title, ¡®Half to Hundred.¡¯] However, Hyrkan did not even glance at the Armor Monkey that had fallen on the ground. He quickly put away his sword, and fiddled with the watch on his left wrist. [Hyrkan] ¨C Level: 50 ¨C Class: Magician ¨C Title: 20 ¨C Stats: Strength (349) / Stamina (119) / Intelligence (239) / Magic Power (301) ¡¯Level 50, finally.¡¯ Hyrkan had finally reached level 50. It was a definite reward and proof of his efforts. However, Hyrkan did not show extreme sense of happiness like he previously did with his body. Swiftly, as if he was reading through a boring school textbook, he put all stat points into strength and closed the stat window. What Hyrkan looked at next was his skill window. A list of skills he owned appeared in a hologram in front of him. ¨C Summoning [Skeleton Fragment (C)], [Madness Helm (E)], [Bone Armor (E)], [Skeleton Magician (E)], [Skeleton Science (E)], [Golem Summoning (F)] ¨C Curses [Demon Curse (D)], [Slow Curse (E)] -Body Modification Skills [Skin Sewing (E)] ¡®I hit level 50, but not a single skill ranked up.¡¯ After checking his skill ranks, Hyrkan turned his gaze away from his watch. Although he would normally dance in happiness at achieving a level milestone, the current Hyrkan was only making a serious face. At the same time, Hyrkan¡¯s body did not show any signs of ease. As if he was in a hurry, Hyrkan checked the time. ¡®I¡¯ll be cutting it a bit close, but I should be able to log out after reaching the Ranger Village.¡¯ After he finished checking the time, Hyrkan quickly began running. ¡ï¡ï¡ï The wall of a small one-room apartment was adorned with a rather unfitting 50-inch monitor. Everything else seemed old and broken down, but the monitor looked brand new like a technology transported from the future. The expression ¡®pearls before swine¡¯ could accurately describe the scene. On the minitor, a video was being played. In an overgrown forest that could not possibly exist in this world, a monkey wearing armor was fighting with a warrior made of only bones and a golem made of mud. The whole scene was very much like a movie. One that was worth the money. However, the one currently watching the video, An Jaehyun, did not seem very interested in the video. He was sitting on his overused mattress full of cheese-like holes in only a tank-top and underwear. His gaze was fixed on his tablet PC, not the 50-inch monitor. Moreover, the video being shown on the tablet PC was exactly same as the one on the large monitor. But what An Jaehyun was really looking at were the comments below the minimized video. ¨C As expected of Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. This one was just as good as the others. ¨C Hyrkan¡¯s skeletons are the best in the world! ¨C I¡¯m raising a necromancer after seeing you. I¡¯d appreciate any tips on raising Skeleton Warriors. ¨C Is it possible to put skeletons up for adoption? Most comments were positive. An Jaehyun made a light smile. No one would be unhappy with comments like these. Then¡­ ¡®Hm?¡¯ A needle-like comment caught An Jaehyun¡¯s attention. ¨C I don¡¯t get what¡¯s so great about this idiot. I don¡¯t understand the thought behind people like him spending so much money to spec-up just to make videos like these. Is that fun? I¡¯d be a better necromancer if I tried. It was a rather long comment, one that would normally make the reader frown. However, An Jaehyun made an even bigger smile. ¡°If he said this to my face in Warlord, I¡¯d have a watch on the spot, heh.¡± If he crumbled because of comments like this, the time An Jaehyun spent would have been worthless. In any case, what really made An Jaehyun¡¯s mood great were the donations. Although only 3 minutes had passed since he last checked, An Jaehyun once again checked his donation box. 1 dollar¡­ 1 euro¡­ donations were coming in endlessly. Hyrkan converted the donations into the Korean won, then made an even bigger smile. ¡°Uhahahaha!¡± ¡®I finally feel like a Warlord gamer!¡¯ His hunting guide on the Armor Monkey hunting was a bigger hit than he had expected. ¡®I should really call those monkeys my filial sons.¡¯ As he expected, a never before seen monster became a topic of interest for many. Because of the new viewers coming to see his hunting guide, his Skull Clown video had surpassed 1,000,000 views as was currently approaching reaching for 1,500,000. The Double Bear video had surpassed 800,000 and was going for 1,000,000, and his other videos were doing just as well. It goes without saying, his revenue had increased as well. Donations were one thing, but he had finally gotten sponsorship deals. Although the sponsor wasn¡¯t desperate, An Jaehyun was still able to receive 500,000 won for a 1-week contract. ¡®With this, I can buy have meat for dinner every day!¡¯ It was more than enough for An Jaehyun to eat meat 3 times a day with expensive coffee as a dessert. ¡®It¡¯s been a while. Why don¡¯t I go oil my stomach up?¡¯ At that moment, An Jaehyun¡¯s watch began to vibrate. ¨C Your conversion request has been completed. Thank you for using our service. For further information, please call¡­ ¡°Finally¡­¡± When he saw this message, the thought of meat disappeared from An Jaehyun¡¯s head. ¡®I¡¯ve finally got the bullets.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t the time to do something like that. When he hit level 50, there was only one thing on his mind. Finding new items. And now, he had acquired the funds to make his purchase. ¡¯16,000 gold. Even if I have to use all of it, I¡¯ll get some proper items.¡¯ 16,000 gold was equivalent to 16,000,000 won. After paying off his debt, An Jaehyun converted most of the money he earned to gold. Although he left some for emergency use, it was only enough to pay for his one-room rent, maintenance fees, V-Gear fees, and living expenses. Since he was now making money on a regular basis, he would soon have more money to spend. Even so, what he did was not something most people would have done. When a poor person made 10,000,000 won playing a game, he would most certainly think to save it for the future. Very few, if any, would spend it all back into the game. It was an all-in, in every sense of the word. However, An Jaehyun did not feel uncomfortable by his spending at all. He had always been like this with Warlord. Any money he earned through Warlord, he re-invested it into the game. He didn¡¯t put any of it into savings. As a result, when he was betrayed by the Hahoe Mask Guild and the Stormhunter Guild forced him to quit the game, his life had practically ended. Even so, An Jaehyun didn¡¯t have an inkling of mind to put his money into savings in this lifetime as well. After all, An Jaehyun¡¯s life was not in the real world, but inside the game world. ¡®Oh!¡¯ An Jaehyun¡¯s eyes flashed with surprise. ¡®At this price?¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡°Huhu.¡± Watching himself in the video he just took, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t stop his almost offensively disgusting laughter from flowing out. He no longer had the childish lion suit. In its place, a bit wacky yet stylish skeleton armor was warming his body. Skeleton Snake set. It was a level 50 item set made from the boss monster Skeleton Snake. ¡®This design is not bad at all. Who made it?¡¯ Including the helmet, top, bottom, gloves, and boots, it cost a total of 15,000 gold! It was expensive. However, it was worth every gold coin. ¡®Just my magic power is 75 points higher than before.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just the design that was good. The items¡¯ options were great as well. Just by changing his items, his magic power had risen by 75 points. Considering his old lion suit was a Magic Power Switching set, a 75 point increase was truly significant. ¡®My stamina is¡­ about 50 points higher?¡¯ His stamina stat had risen by about 50 points as well. Even to a magician, the stamina stat was important. If the stamina stat was too low, one became what was called the Sunfish Magician. Simply said, a single touch by a boss monster would kill them. Of course, just these weren¡¯t enough to make the items cost just as much as a car. By standard, the helmet and glove parts of a set were Unique rank. The cost of Unique items was on a completely different level than Rare items. Rich players ran at them to acquire even 1 more stat points. That is, they came with brand name effects like designer purses and shoes did in real life. What affected the price the most was the bonus option that came from wearing all 5 parts. Hyrkan checked the bonus option one more time. ¨C Decreases the magic power used by summon-related skills by 10%. Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but smile. This bonus option was the reason Hyrkan was able to buy the Skeleton Snake set for a cheap price of 15,000 gold. If the bonus option was for curse-related skills, the price would have about 30,000 gold. In reality, Skeleton Snake magician sets, priest sets, and curse magician sets sold for at least 30,000 gold. In other words, that was how unpopular the necromancer class was. In any case, Hyrkan was satisfied with the items he purchased. It was perfect in every way. The design fit the necromancer class, not to mention the bonus option. There was only one problem¡­ ¡®What do I do for the weapon¡­¡¯ He was unable to buy a weapon. Although he had bought a Normal rank item just in case, for someone who was aiming for the top, a weapon of at least Rare rank was paramount. Moreover, now that he was level 50, it would be hard to raise another 10 levels within a month. Although there might be no problem using a low-end car for a day or two, but the effect of doing so would become clear within 30 days. That was how important good items were. As time went on, their effectiveness became even more evident. However, since he didn¡¯t have the money, he couldn¡¯t buy any. ¡®I could get myself something good if I sold this lion suit set¡­ but that¡¯s going to take a while. It¡¯s too much of a waste to sell it under price too.¡¯ It would take some time before he could sell off the lion suit set. However, he couldn¡¯t just suck on his finger and wait. He had to do something. There was only one choice. ¡°If I don¡¯t have a weapon, I¡¯ll just have to make one.¡± It was time to aim for what all gamers liked. A lucky drop. Chapter 51 : Lucky Drop (2) Chapter 51 : Lucky Drop (2) A lucky drop! To gamers, it was just as good of a word as level-up. It was similar to a package delivery that made one to open his door with anticipation. To achieve this taste of a lucky drop, one just had to hunt monsters. There was no other way. It was enough to just hunt monsters. Kiyaa! A 2-meter tall skeleton with a red lizard-skull made a strange cry. This lizard-skull skeleton was carrying a blazing flame in each of its hands. This skeleton was the Skeleton Magician made by using a Lizard Sorcerer as material. The flames it was holding in its hands were like grenades, and the sound it had made was to alert its allies. After it had warned its allies, it threw the flames in its hands without hesitation. The target was the back of a level 60 monster fighting tens of meters away. The Sword Monkey. Kiii! With its back now on fire, it let out an earsplitting scream. It didn¡¯t show any signs of stopping either. Considering that the fire was spreading wildly across its body, it was no surprise. It was truly a bloodcurdling scream, one that would make someone unable to fall asleep at night. However, such a scream was unable to affect its surroundings in any way. Clang! Metallic sounds rang out from different areas as did more screams of Sword Monkeys. Different kinds of Skeleton Warriors were continually clashing swords with Sword Monkey. The pain-filled cries of the monkeys and metallic ringing from the clashing of swords easily buried the bloodcurdling screams of a single Sword Monkey. However, there was one sound that distinguished itself. Whoosh! It was the sound of a Golem swinging its arm like a whip and smashing a 1.3 meter tall Sword Monkey. Boom! With a balloon-popping sound, the Sword Monkey flew across the air and hit the trunk of a tree. It was unable to make any noise. Only the sound of sword monkey¡¯s bones being crushed could be heard. As if it was content with its attack, the Golem turned its head and stared at the Sword Monkey that had fallen on the ground. Kiikii! At the same time, another Sword Monkey that had seen its friend being killed by the Golem jumped on the Golem¡¯s body and slashed its sword at it. As the Golem was made of dirt, the slash marks of swords could be clearly seen. It was a bit later that the Golem turned its gaze towards the Sword Monkey that was leaving slash marks on its body. In fact, it was the Blood Goblin Skeleton Warrior that made a move before the Golem. Faster than any of the other skeletons, it ran towards the Sword Monkey with the cursed dagger given by Hyrkan, then stabbed the monkey¡¯s back. Kiii! The Sword Monkey screamed. [Sword Monkey falls under the Demon Curse.] [Demon Curse skill rank rose to D.] The result of the scream was reported to Hyrkan in the form of an alert. However, Hyrkan ignored the alert. Wearing his skeleton armor, Hyrkan put all his focus into weaving in and out of battles and controlling the overall battlefield. He couldn¡¯t afford to divert his attention. ¡®Right side needs help.¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t fight on the front lines. He was fighting in a support style. If he saw a 1 versus 1 battle, he joined the battle for a brief moment to make a 2 versus 1 situation. If a Skeleton Warrior was being pushed back against 2 monkeys, he aggroed one of them and turned the battle to 1 versus 1. ¡®Gotta attack the left side once.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t aggressive either. Even when he was helping, he only made one or two light stabs with his sword. Of course, an all-strength necromancer¡¯s light stab couldn¡¯t exactly be considered light. Its power and effect was as clear as day. ¡®Let¡¯s finish that one off!¡¯ Hyrkan quickly approached a Sword Monkey on the right side and pulled on his right wrist. When its sword-holding hand extended out, a Skeleton Warrior it was facing slashed down on its arm. Puhat! Its arm was cut off in an instant. Hyrkan simply tossed aside its cut-off arm and stabbed the Sword Monkey without rest. As if to copy Hyrkan¡¯s actions, the Skeleton Warrior continually stabbed it with its sword as well. Soon, the Sword Monkey was deformed to the point it couldn¡¯t be recognized. With that as start, the sound that had been filling the air began to quiet down. Hyrkan looked around him. ¡®Is this the 200th?¡¯ The monster Hyrkan was hunting for his lucky drop was none other than Bulkas Mountain Range¡¯s Sword Monkey. It was a monster that would soon become one of the most popular monsters in the region. Although bones and skin were useless, it dropped a material called Sword Fragment that was used to make good level 50 Normal items. At the same time, Sword Monkeys were categorized as small-sized monsters, and because they lived in large packs, they were rather weak by in small groups. They were one of the easier monsters to hunt and many could be hunted at once. Moreover, there weren¡¯t a lot of people currently in Bulkas Mountain Range. Because not many knew the true value of Sword Monkeys, Hyrkan was currently enjoying it to the fullest. Of course, what Hyrkan was aiming for wasn¡¯t the Sword Monkey¡¯s Sword Fragments. ¡®I wish it would drop a Sword Monkey Jewel already.¡¯ What Hyrkan was aiming for was a crafting jewel that Sword Monkeys dropped at a very low rate. Hyrkan¡¯s goal was to make a Rare rank item using that crafting jewel. In other words, he would stop hunting Sword Monkeys once he got the crafting jewel. Sword Monkeys were no doubt good monsters to hunt, but that was for average players. It was just too easy for Hyrkan. The battle just now was proof of it. Hyrkan and his summons began fighting a group of 13 Sword Monkeys, and the fight ended in less than 10 minutes. At this point, Hyrkan¡¯s battle prowess easily jumped levels. To maximize his level-up speed, he had to hunt stronger monsters. The problem was that Hyrkan could not find the Sword Monkey Jewel even after hunting close to 200 Sword Monkeys. It was rather troubling as he expected one to drop in about 100 kills. ¡®Please. I can¡¯t keep hunting these damned monkeys forever.¡¯ As Hyrkan skinned off the Sword Monkey, he prayed as if he was waiting for a jackpot at a casino. When Hyrkan skinned the Sword Monkey, it began to melt. Soon, only its bone, skin, and sword were left. After turning them into crafting coins, Hyrkan examined the ground with scrutiny. ¡®Shiny. Something shiny. PLEASE.¡¯ However, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t even find a rock, much less a jewel. ¡°FUCK!¡± In the end, Hyrkan exploded. ¡°WHY? JUST WHY?¡± Hyrkan punched the trunk of a nearby tree. Meanwhile, his Skeleton Warriors of various type and Golem stared at him in silence. If someone who wasn¡¯t aware of the circumstances had seen this, he would surely take a video to upload on YouTube with the title ¡®A Crazyman in Warlord!¡¯ ¡®How can there not be a jewel after killing so many of them?!¡¯ However, if the person knew the circumstances, he would understand Hyrkan¡¯s feelings without doubt. He had hunted 200 Sword Monkeys. It wasn¡¯t a small number at all. Although they lived in packs, it wasn¡¯t as if they all slept in one place. They were spread out throughout the forest, and the time it took to find and lead them to a place appropriate for battle wasn¡¯t small. At times, Hyrkan even had to run away from strong monsters. With all this, 6 hours had passed since Hyrkan began to hunt Sword Monkeys. Moreover, he still had not gotten a jewel. How could it not drive him crazy? ¡®Was I this unlucky?¡¯ Usually, a jewel dropped in about 100 kills. How could one not have dropped in 200? He was simply unlucky. In most cases, one would stop for the day given such a bad luck. ¡°¡­No.¡± ¡®I¡¯ve killed so many. The next one is bound to drop one.¡¯ If one didn¡¯t drop until now, it will soon! It was a simple mindset that trapped many gamers. To them, it seemed as simple as how salmon went back up stream to lay their eggs. Hyrkan raised his head up ¡®I¡¯ll catch one more pack. I¡¯ll stop after that.¡¯ Hyrkan resolved himself. Of course, this resolution wasn¡¯t bound to end well. ¡ï¡ï¡ï [You have leveled up.] [You have obtained the title, ¡®Sword Monkey Slaughterer.¡¯] [Your Skin Sewing skill rank rose to D.] He leveled up. He obtained a title. His skill rank even went up. Most Warlord player would be happy, if not completely overjoyed. ¡®This time, please.¡¯ However, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t smile. ¡°PLEASE.¡± As he waited for the Sword Monkeys to melt down, his expression had remained stiff. Eventually, the Sword Monkeys melted down. Their swords, bones, and skins were on the ground. However, there was no jewel to be seen. Still wearing his Hahoe Mask, helmet, and gloves, Hyrkan covered his face with his hands. It was a funny yet sad sight. ¡°God damn it¡­¡± This was the 1000th monkey. It wasn¡¯t just a 1000th monkey. Every time he caught one, he had to skin them as well. It was annoying to just count how many times one breathed. What would it feel like to kill 1000 monsters and still not have the result one wanted? ¡®I don¡¯t get it.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like Hyrkan was asking for anything big. He simply wanted to get an item he needed as he leveled up a little. He didn¡¯t think things would turn out so badly. He wasn¡¯t aiming for a Unique item or anything. All he asked for was material for a Rare item. But not a single one dropped. Not a single one! Hyrkan took his hands off his face. ¡®Is it a bug?¡¯ At this point, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but wonder. In most cases, Rare rank crafting jewels dropped once every one hundred kills. For middle or large sized monsters, the number was even lower. Boss monsters almost always dropped one. ¡®Should I just sell what I have and buy one?¡¯ Furthermore, there wasn¡¯t really a reason for him to be so adamant on obtaining a Sword Monkey Jewel anymore. By selling the crafting items he got from hunting 1000 Sword Monkeys, he could easily buy a level 50 Rare rank item. Furthermore, Hyrkan had profits outside of the crafting items he gained. Although his lion suit had yet to be sold, it would sell for quite a lot when it did. The amount he made from YouTube wasn¡¯t small either. If he really wanted, he could probably obtain a low-end Unique rank item as well. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ But that¡¯s just how humans were. Especially for gamers, once one felt spiteful, not even his ancestor would be able to stop him. Hyrkan began to agonize over his decision. The logical side of him told him to stop screwing around and go buy the item from an auction site. His instincts told also told him to go buy the item; that there was no guarantee the jewel will drop the next time. However, his sense as a gamer told him that the next one was bound to drop one. ¡®I really feel like the next one is going to have it¡­. I mean, with how many I killed, I won¡¯t be satisfied until it does.¡¯ Next time¡­ It was how people became addicted to gambling. Hyrkan got up. ¡®I¡¯ll kill just one more pack. Just one more. If that one doesn¡¯t drop it, I¡¯ll buy the weapon even if I have to sell my house.¡¯ At that moment¡­ ¡°Hey!¡± Someone called out to Hyrkan. If Hyrkan was sitting aloof before, he was by now tense and prepared for battle. Then, he turned towards the direction the voice came from. What Hyrkan saw was a group of three players. One of them was wearing an armor he had once seen before. ¡°So it really is Hahoe Mask Hyrkan.¡± ¡°See! I told you. I told you he would be here. This is where he took the Armor Monkey video.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± They even knew Hyrkan¡¯s nickname. Hyrkan narrowed his eyes. ¡®They don¡¯t look like they¡¯re my fans. Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ Since his job was uploading Warlord videos to YouTube, he had expected some people to recognize him. It wasn¡¯t too big a surprise in this aspect. Moreover, he knew not everyone would be happy to see him. After all, he had once had the entire world as his enemy. Hyrkan prepared to snap his fingers. The fact that he was tense could be seen by his tightly shut mouth. At that moment. ¡°My name is Quiyote! Hahoe Mask Hyrkan, I challenge you to a duel!¡± A man wearing a lustrous, white armor shouted. It was the White Mamba set. Hearing this, Hyrkan¡¯s mouth relaxed. ¡®Kyaa.¡¯ He could feel the stress he had accumulated disappear in an instant. Chapter 52 : Lucky Drop (3) Chapter 52 : Lucky Drop (3) The best way to become famous was to defeat someone famous. This was a fact that applied almost everywhere in life. Almost everyone who played Warlord wanted to become famous in some way. They wanted their names to appear on YouTube or Google results, and they wanted any video they uploaded to appear on top of the trending feed. Although they tried many different things to achieve this goal, only a few succeeded. The ones who failed bet everything they had for a chance to overturn their status. They became a Fame Hunter. ¡°My name is Quiyote! Hahoe Mask Hyrkan, I challenge you to a duel!¡± When one became famous, he had to prepare himself to fight off the pesky hyenas. Hyrkan had also resolved himself to such things. As such, he wasn¡¯t too surprised by the sudden challenge. Hyrkan rubbed his index finger and thumb together. How much? Realizing the gesture Hyrkan was making, Quiyote answered with a stiff expression. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 1,000 gold!¡± Hyrkan stopped the gesture he was making and waved his hand as if to say he should just go hunt the Sword Monkeys nearby. ¡°How much do you want?¡± Quiyote asked. This wasn¡¯t an uncommon sight. The condition or price of a duel wasn¡¯t determined by the challenger, but the champion. It was only right for the challenger to pay some sort of price to the one who was accepting his challenge. Of course, most opted to go for a PK rather than to pay this price. Hyrkan opened his hand and put out five fingers. Quiyote frowned. The ones who responded were his friends. ¡°5,000 gold?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that too much? He¡¯s hot and all recently, but 5,000 gold to fight a rookie is too much.¡± ¡°He just doesn¡¯t want to fight.¡± ¡°Quiyote, are you really doing this? Why not use that money to go to a club or something?¡± However, his friends¡¯ advice didn¡¯t enter Quiyote¡¯s ears. After contemplating for a bit, Quiyote gave his reply. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 5,000 gold!¡± His friends made a surprised expression. They knew Quiyote was rich. The White Mamba set he was wearing was proof of it. The level 70 full set sold for above 60,000 gold. In the past, the specially made White Mamba set was traded for 50,000 gold, but now, it was even more expensive. For someone like Quiyote who could wear such an item set right after becoming level 70, 5,000 gold wasn¡¯t such a large amount. Even so, he couldn¡¯t spend it as if it was nothing either. ¡®You¡¯re really going to spend that much?¡¯ That was what his friends¡¯ eyes were saying. At their gaze, Quiyote added a condition. ¡°But only if you win!¡± Only then did his friends relax. ¡®That makes more sense.¡¯ ¡®Right. 5,000 is just too much.¡¯ At the same time, Hyrkan covered his mouth with his hand and lowered his head. Like Rodin¡¯s The Thinker, Hyrkan seemed to be agonizing over something. Although it was weird his shoulders were jumping up and down, Quiyote and his friends didn¡¯t put much meaning behind it. Eventually, Hyrkan let out a sigh and gestured at Quiyote to come over. Quiyote smiled. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡®The chance is finally here.¡¯ Seeing the Armor Monkey Skeleton Warrior through the gap in his helmet, Quiyote gripped the sword in his hand tightly. He was now level 71. Since he started Warlord, there wasn¡¯t a single time he was troubled. It was because he had money. As such, he could always have the best items for his level. Because he didn¡¯t work, he had plenty of time in his day to invest into Warlord. Moreover, he really enjoyed games. He didn¡¯t hesitate to spend money. As a result, he was always among the best in online games. However, it was different in Warlord. Although he hadn¡¯t run into any troubles, he wasn¡¯t famous either. In other games, his name was known across the server or the entire game. Yet, in Warlord, he was just an average player without a nickname. Although he had uploaded videos to YouTube before, it wasn¡¯t well accepted. Although he paid money to a firm to get his views up, that was it. To him, Hyrkan was the most enticing prey. ¡®If I win against you, I can spread my name.¡¯ Hyrkan was indeed a very enticing prey. He didn¡¯t have any background. Since he wasn¡¯t part of any guild, there wouldn¡¯t be any trouble afterwards. Plus, he traveled alone. He could be pushed over with sheer number. Even so, he was quite famous. Although it wasn¡¯t as much as Rankers, his speed or process of gaining fame was different than all the others. If Quiyote defeated him, he would be able to gain some attention to himself. Of course, the most important thing was whether Quiyote could defeat Hyrkan. However, Quiyote was confident in this aspect. ¡®First of all, I¡¯m at least 10 levels higher.¡¯ Kiyote was level 71. Although Hyrkan¡¯s level was never announced to the public, Quiyote could tell that Hyrkan was undoubtedly in level 50s from his videos. ¡®It looks like he got some decent items¡­ but it can¡¯t be better than mine.¡¯ Quiyote had the White Mamba set. It came with one of the top bonus options available amongst level 70 item sets. Finally, Quiyote was confident in his ability. He believed the only reason he hadn¡¯t made a name for himself was because he was unlucky, not because he lacked the skill. ¡®There¡¯s no way I¡¯d lose to him.¡¯ But when the fight began, Quiyote couldn¡¯t help but change his mind. The fight began without any warning, and a flashy battle broke out in an instant. Quiyote was the first to attack. To get a taste of his opponent, Quiyote first attacked a Skeleton Warrior with a basic attack. The Skeleton Warrior dodged Quiyote¡¯s attack easily. ¡®They were this good?¡¯ He knew how well Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Warriors fought from his videos. However, he was certain it was a result of expert editing and directing. With the right editing and directing, even an average player could look like experts. After clashing with one personally, Quiyote realized he was wrong. The Skeleton Warrior¡¯s movements were much quicker and refined than he had expected. It was thanks to Hyrkan¡¯s training. As Hyrkan put all points from leveling up into strength, his Skeleton Warriors had long grown accustomed to such attacks. There was no way they would be hit by Quiyote¡¯s basic attacks. In fact, they even counterattacked from time to time. Clang! The sound of the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s mace hitting Quiyote¡¯s armor rang out to the surrounding. After being struck, Quiyote stepped backwards. Without chasing him, the Skeleton Warriors maintained their positions. Seeing the Skeleton Warriors actions, Quiyote lightly touched the left hip where he was just struck by the mace. There was no physical damage. If he was injured with just that much, there would have been no point in spending so much money to buy the White Mamba set. However, the mental damage was there. ¡®This skeleton.¡¯ Quiyote wanted to fight slowly and attacked to get a feel for his opponent. What answered him was humiliation. ¡®Fine.¡¯ Quiyote threw away his plan for a slow fight. ¡®I¡¯ll end this quick!¡¯ It was in an instant. In a situation where both sides had kept their distance of about 3 meters¡­ ¡°Charge!¡± Quiyote used his skill, Charge. He kicked the ground as he launched himself forward like a missile. The distance between him and the Skeleton Warrior closed in an instant. ¡°Booster!¡± Then, Quiyote followed up with a sword slash. Charge and Booster. It was the swordsman class players¡¯ 18th combo. When this combo hit, its target would be defeated ten out of ten times. It was the same for the Skeleton Warrior. Although it tried to dodge its opponent¡¯s sudden attack by swaying its body backwards¡­ Crack! Quiyote¡¯s sword reached the Skeleton Warrior first and cut his body. Although it avoided being split in half thanks to Bone Armor, it couldn¡¯t prevent its body from being pushed back like a puppet that has its strings cut. The Skeleton Warrior disappeared. In other words, the obstacle between Hyrkan and Quiyote was now gone. ¡®This is it!¡¯ Quiyote didn¡¯t stop. With his Charge skill ready, he ran towards Hyrkan with full force. Booster was off cooldown as well. If he could close the distance, it would be impossible for Hyrkan to dodge his sword. He could either get hit or block it. Regardless of which, the damage Hyrkan would take wouldn¡¯t be small. Quiyote activated his skill, and Hyrkan responded to Quiyote¡¯s confident charge in a strange manner. ¡®Huh?¡¯ He lied face down on the ground. ¡®What?¡¯ Quiyote couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback seeing Hyrkan disappear from his line of sight. What made him even more flustered was¡­ Smack! That he tripped on Hyrkan¡¯s body and fell down. Watching this from afar, Quiyote¡¯s friends couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡®No way.¡¯ ¡®He stopped the Charge like that?¡¯ The Charge skill made its user unable to control his body during the duration. Because of it, accidents sometimes happened while using the Charge skill. In forests, players sometimes ran into trees. In caves, players sometimes ran into the wall. If one typed Charge Fails on YouTube, there were many funny videos to see. However, dodging the Charge skill by lying face down on the ground was¡­ for lack of a better word, absurd. But its effect was clear. After falling down, Quiyote rolled on the ground like a wheel. It would have been better to just fall and stop. ¡®Kuu!¡¯ As he rolled on the ground, so did the world around him. As a result, he felt slightly dizzy. When Quiyote stopped and staggered himself up. ¡°Careful!¡± The shout of his friends entered his ears. Quiyote turned towards the direction of the sound. At that instant, Hyrkan stabbed his sword through the gap between Quiyote¡¯s helmet and armor. Crack! Like threading a string through a needle-hole, Hyrkan¡¯s sword dug through the smallest gap. Thanks to the chainmail covering his skin, Quiyote was able to stop the sword from penetrating his neck. However, the power of an all-strength necromancer wasn¡¯t something an inner-armor like a chainmail could block perfectly. Hyrkan¡¯s sword pierced through the chainmail and damaged Quiyote. It only went in about a finger deep. It wasn¡¯t a fatal blow at all. However¡­ [You have fallen under the Slow Curse.] [You have fallen under the Demon Curse.] Curses affected Quiyote. ¡®Shit!¡¯ Realizing what had happened, Quiyote immediately tried to use his skill. ¡®I need to use Shout¡­¡¯ Level 60 swordsman skill, Shout! It cleared the user¡¯s debuffs depending on his level and the skill¡¯s skill rank. Although the cooldown time was long, it was a useful skill to use in an emergency situations. It was easy to use as well. Haaat! He just had to shout clearly. ¡°Uuu¡­¡± Quiyote wanted to shout¡­ ¡®Hm?¡¯ But when he tried, the sky suddenly entered his eyes. His body was dropping backwards. Hyrkan. Immediately after he stabbed with his sword, he tackled Quiyote¡¯s body and threw him backwards. It didn¡¯t take longer than a second for him to make his next move. To Quiyote who was on the receiving end, it felt like he was fighting against two Hyrkans. One who stabbed him and the other who tackled him. Thud! ¡°Huk!¡± What came out of his mouth wasn¡¯t a shout, but a sound of surprise. The sword remained stabbed. Then, Hyrkan sprinkled dirt between the gaps in Quiyote¡¯s helmet. ¡®What?¡¯ Those who had experienced PKs knew what it was like to have a sword trying to pierce one¡¯s eyes. But what about dirt? Surprisingly, not many had such an experience. Monsters, especially, never did such things. Lack of experience led to panic, and it gave the opponent a chance. 2 seconds. Hyrkan didn¡¯t waste the 2 seconds his opponent gave him. Kwak! Hyrkan stepped on Quiyote¡¯s chest to ensure he wouldn¡¯t get up easily. Then he pulled out the sword stuck on his neck and stabbed down again. Stab, stab! Every time Hyrkan stabbed with his sword, it went in deeper. If it went on for longer, Hyrkan¡¯s sword would go through Quiyote¡¯s neck and touch the ground. ¡®T-This is dangerous!¡¯ With his life at risk, Quiyote struggled to live. He tossed and turned roughly. After throwing off Hyrkan¡¯s foot from his chest, he rolled to the side with all the strength he could muster. After barely getting away from Hyrkan¡¯s grasp, Quiyote got up as quickly as he could. ¡°Hey! Behind you!¡± His friends once again warned him. However, just like before, it was a little bit too late. Clang! Before Quiyote could even turn around and look, a mace struck him on the back. Like a ringing of a bell, a metallic ringing sounded as a Skeleton Warrior missing its left arm and half of its body swung its mace. Quiyote staggered once again. ¡®Shit, what¡¯s¡­¡¯ He was in a daze. He didn¡¯t have the time to process what was happening. Even so, he narrowly opened his eyes to look for Hyrkan. That much showed that he was quite experienced in fighting. However, his opponent was just better. ¡®Where is he?¡¯ Hyrkan had disappeared from his sight. He had, since long, gone into Quiyote¡¯s blind spot. To avoid his line of sight, Hyrkan had lowered his body as he approached Quiyote. Then, he tackled Quiyote again. Thud! Quiyote fell backwards. Then, Hyrkan once again¡­ Pat! Threw dirt in his helmet. It was a much greater amount than before. Quiyote¡¯s sight turned dark. ¡®FUCK!¡¯ Dejavu. No, it wasn¡¯t a dejavu. Clang! This time, a Skeleton Warrior was there as well. The Skeleton Warrior happily smashed its mace down on Quiyote¡¯s helmet. Clang! Every time the mace hit Quiyote¡¯s helmet, the dirt inside the helmet swirled around it. If there was hell, this would surely be it. ¡®This is absurd!¡¯ In the end, Quiyote couldn¡¯t help but shout out. ¡°I, I surrender!¡± With Quiyote¡¯s surrender, Hyrkan snapped his fingers once. The Skeleton Warrior stopped. The tension died down, and a sense of emptiness came down on Quiyote. In this sense of emptiness¡­ ¡°Leave the 5,000 gold and your watch.¡± Hyrkan threw out a few words. Quiyote. This was his first conversation with Hyrkan. Chapter 53 : Lucky Drop (4) Chapter 53 : Lucky Drop (4) The moment Quiyote announced his loss, he lay down on the ground face up like a corpse. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°He¡¯s completely out of it. Hey, Quiyote! Quiyote! Snap out of it! Don¡¯t tell me you logged out?¡± Quiyote¡¯s friends were poking him, trying to console him while making fun of him at the same time. Hyrkan watched them from an appropriate distance. ¡®¡­ doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re going to attack me.¡¯ Hyrkan wasn¡¯t watching them because he didn¡¯t have anything better to see. Although people may issue a fair challenge at first, it wasn¡¯t rare to change the moment they lost. Hyrkan had experienced such happenings more than most people. Before returning to the past, his fame was closer to notoriety. At the same time, Hyrkan¡¯s battle style wasn¡¯t exactly knightly. It was dirty in a way, but the biggest reason it angered people was its overwhelming result. In a fight, it seemed appropriate for fighters to trade an arm for a wrist. However, it wasn¡¯t the case for Hyrkan. The way he overwhelmed his opponents gave his opponents a sense of hopelessness. Ones who thought they were good at fighting were devastated and put to place. In any case, Quiyote and his friends didn¡¯t seem like they would go against their words. That only meant one thing. ¡®Time to get my pay.¡¯ The 5,000 gold was for the winner, and the wristwatch was the right of the winner. Once he received these, Hyrkan planned to leave without turning back. After all, he had received money to make up for his reason being there. Moreover, Hyrkan was quite interested in Quiyote¡¯s watch. ¡®If that gives me a weapon, I can probably swim in meat for a few days.¡¯ Quiyote¡¯s armor was the White Mamba set. However, it was of a different design than what the player Hyrkan met last time had. It was likely made by a different person. In any case, it was an expensive one. Although each of the White Mamba set items had good options, its set effect was truly amazing. It was better than wearing a Unique item. At this point, the most expensive items were those between level 70 and 90. Not only did players at these levels start playing from the beginning, but they were also the type to spend enormous amount of money on games. If not, unless they had the talent and ability like Hyrkan, it was impossible to enter the level range. Plus, because they could easily resell any items they are done using, the price on items had a lot of bubbles attached to it. Since they could sell it for almost the exact amount they had bought it for, there was no reason to not spend a large sum of money. There was no way that someone wearing a White Mamba set, especially one that would agree on 5,000 gold for a duel, would have spared money on weapons. If a weapon dropped from the watch, Hyrkan would truly have hit the jackpot! No, it would be a jackpot even if he got any one of the White Mamba set. ¡®This is why people have to live kindly.¡¯ While Hyrkan was thinking some nonsense, Quiyote, who had remained speechless for a while, finally got up. ¡°You¡¯re finally up. Idiot. Why would you call 5,000 gold for a challenge fee?¡± ¡°What a waste. You should¡¯ve gone to a club with that instead.¡± His friends each gave him some words. Quiyote simply ignored them and walked towards Hyrkan. Hyrkan stared back at Quiyote through his Hahoe Mask with his guard down. Watching Hyrkan¡¯s attitude, Quiyote took off his helmet. A handsome, blonde and blue-eyed man showed his face. He looked at Hyrkan and spoke. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡®Amazing.¡¯ To Quiyote, his battle with Hyrkan was a nightmare. Everything he had thought of before the fight had gone to waste. He couldn¡¯t do anything against the situation he was put under. Everything was outside of his expectations and outside of his imaginations. He was toyed with ruthlessly. However, to Quiyote, his battle with Hyrkan felt newer than any fight he had ever had before. It went past the level of new and reached the level of touching. ¡®Yeah, this is a real fight!¡¯ The duels Quiyote had until now was exchange of different skills to see who could deal more damage. That was it. It was something one could find in a simple console or PC game much less a VR game. However, it was different with Hyrkan. In a virtual world that was as real as the real world, Hyrkan used every gap in his movement to attack. This is what a real fight is like! Hyrkan seemed to be saying so. Dirty? Cheap? In a war where lives were at risk, such words were flattery. It wasn¡¯t a game of sports. The goal wasn¡¯t to score more points than the opponent. ¡®I want him as my teacher.¡¯ In this sense, the battle with Hyrkan became a turning point for Quiyote. Quiyote felt like he finally opened his eyes. From the bottom of his heart, he wanted to learn to fight under Hyrkan. On the other hand, Quiyote¡¯s pride didn¡¯t let him bow his head. As such¡­ ¡°I learned a lot. I¡¯ll come to challenge you again one day.¡± Quiyote took off the weapon he was wearing from his item slot and gave it to Hyrkan. ¡°This is the payment for this battle as well as the next.¡± This sword was the single most expensive item in Quiyote¡¯s possession. Hyrkan stared at the weapon for a moment. He had felt the matter became a bit more complex. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ He did want the weapon. However, by his calculation, it could be more profitable to receive 5,000 gold and the watch. After all, there was a chance the watch might drop the weapon. In that case, he would receive both the gold and weapon. However, the situation wasn¡¯t one where he could accept the latter. A challenger who accepted his loss and promised a next time had a right to receive proper treatment. Moreover, such an experience was extremely rare for Hyrkan. Most people who lost to him did not do as they promised, but cursed out in anger. ¡®What an interesting guy.¡¯ Hyrkan received the weapon and asked. ¡°Your name?¡± ¡°Quiyote. No, it¡¯s Don Quiyote.¡± Don Quiyote. That was Quiyote¡¯s full in-game name. He had misspelled Don Quixote as Don Quiyote during character creation. To hide his mistake, he introduced himself as Quiyote instead of Don Quiyote. When Hyrkan heard his name. ¡®Ah.¡¯ Hyrkan remembered. ¡®The Challenger Don Quiyote. This is him?¡¯ The Challenger Don Quiyote. While Hyrkan was making a name for himself as the Hero Slaughterer, although it wasn¡¯t as much as Hyrkan, there was another player that made his name known through PvP. Hyrkan never had the chance to meet him. Although his PvP skills were monstrous, he wasn¡¯t interested in making it his main focus. He only became renowned for his PvP skills because countless number of people picked fights with him. ¡®I didn¡¯t recognize him because his skills were too low.¡¯ Hyrkan was slightly surprised. The Don Quiyote he knew was skilled enough to be called The Challenger. However, the one he faced this time was just average. If he won against someone at his level, it would only be because of his items. Of course, he would become better as time went on. It wasn¡¯t rare for players to suddenly make great advancements through certain events. Perhaps, today¡¯s battle could even be that event. Hyrkan smiled lightly. Who would have thought I¡¯d meet someone like him in such a way? ¡°Don Quiyote. I¡¯ll remember it.¡± ¡®Life is funny, eh?¡¯ At this instant, although it was only for an instant, Hyrkan thought Warlord was fun after a long time. ¡ï¡ï¡ï [Orc Hero¡¯s Sword] * Main Properties: ¨C Rare-rank item ¨C Strength +66 ¨C Stamina +66 ¨C Required level: 60 ¨C Required condition: Minimum of 350 strength * Sub-properties: ¨C Increases strength proportional to level ¨C 9% chance to ignore all monster¡¯s defense ¨C 9% chance to ignore animal-type monster¡¯s defense * Miscellaneous ¨C A sword used by a Blue Orc mutant, the Orc Hero. After slaughtering through countless number of enemies, it obtained a mystical power to see through the enemy¡¯s weakness. ¡®Whoa.¡¯ Immediately after Quiyote and his friends left, Hyrkan took off his mask and helmet, and checked the option of the sword he received. When he did, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from blinking in amazement. ¡®The OH Sword? Isn¡¯t this a Unique rank sword?¡¯ Orc Hero¡¯s Sword. For swordsmen, especially strikers, it was known to be better than some Unique items. ¡®The last time I checked¡­ 15,000 gold, I think it was? I can sell it immediately for 13,000 at least.¡¯ It was 15,000 gold in price. Although its supply wasn¡¯t too low, because of its popularity amongst level 60 swordsmen, it fetched a high price. As popular as it was, if one tried to sell it, he could do it within couple days. It was incomparable to the lion body suit he was still trying to sell. Of course, there was no reason for Hyrkan to sell this item. ¡®If it¡¯s this, who cares about magic power or the like.¡¯ Although weapons with magic power was ideal for Hyrkan, it was different if it was the Orc Hero¡¯s Sword. Rather than summoning another skeleton with the extra magic power, it would be much better for Hyrkan to swing this sword himself. ¡®To just give away something like this¡­ just how rich is he?¡¯ Hyrkan realized just how generous Quiyote was. Of course, it was possible because it was a game. When two people got into an argument and fought in the real world, one person wouldn¡¯t say, ¡®I like you. Here¡¯s my Rolex Watch, let¡¯s fight again.¡¯ If Hyrkan was in his position, he would never have done such a thing. ¡®Quite the romantic, isn¡¯t he?¡¯ In a way, Hyrkan was envious. It wasn¡¯t just that he had money, but that he could play Warlord in such a way. The fact that he could purely enjoy the game made Hyrkan jealous. To Hyrkan, Warlord was life. A way and means. Although there were times he enjoyed it, in the end, it was a tool for survival. Everything he did was for efficiency and result. Joy came afterwards. Hyrkan closed his mouth. ¡®Making me all emotional¡­¡¯ ¡®Snap out of it, An Jaehyun. It¡¯s not the time to get all sentimental!¡¯ After scolding himself, Hyrkan went back to his usual way of thinking. ¡®This is enough.¡¯ Although it wasn¡¯t the lucky drop he was hoping for, it was one nonetheless. Furthermore, it gave Hyrkan confidence. ¡®With this, once I become level 60, I can hunt Bulkas Mountain Range¡¯s master, the Bear Warrior.¡¯ Bulkas Mountain Range¡¯s master, the level 80 boss monster, Bear Warrior. It was a monstrous bear that walked on two legs, and carried a large sword that easily sent chills down the spine. His original plan had been to hunt it at late level 60s or even level 70. However, now that he had the Orc Hero¡¯s Sword, he could give it a try the moment he hit level 60. ¡®Good.¡¯ Hunting the Bear Warrior was the starting point. ¡®I¡¯ll hunt it, and officially begin the Immoral Prince scenario quest. It¡¯s going to be the start of me taking everything for myself.¡¯ The start of the second main scenario quest! Hyrkan grinned. ¡®It¡¯s time to go find a useful weapon to use until level 60.¡¯ With that, Hyrkan turned back. ¡°Why don¡¯t I go hunt just one more pack of Sword Monkeys?¡± Chapter 54 : Maoong’s Test (1) Chapter 54 : Maoong¡¯s Test (1) [You have leveled up.] Even with the level-up alert, Hyrkan did not stop. He weaved through the battles among his skeletons and Sword Monkeys, and slashed away at the monkey¡¯s bodies. Hyrkan¡¯s longsword moved both elegantly and brutally as it left long slash marks and deep cuts. At times, he cut off the monkeys¡¯ limbs almost effortlessly. Kii! Every time Hyrkan¡¯s longsword moved, a Sword Monkey cried out in pain. It was only after all 12 Sword Monkeys were dead that Hyrkan finally stopped and checked his level-up alert. Hyrkan half-heartedly examined his stat window. In truth, he didn¡¯t really have to. Considering he checked his stats quite often, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t know his stats. Hyrkan only recognized the fact that he had finally reached level 60. Afterwards, he quickly skinned the monkeys that were lying on the ground. It seemed Hyrkan was more concerned about the items than leveling up. After Hyrkan skinned the monkeys, they began to melt down. Soon, only their bones and skin remained, and Hyrkan carefully examined through them. ¡°GOD DAMN IT!¡± At that moment, Hyrkan shouted out in anger, and kicked the skull of a nearby Sword Monkey. The Sword Monkey¡¯s skull then flew towards an unassuming Skeleton Warrior that had been on standby. Whish! The Skeleton Warrior quickly dodged the flying skull. Then, it stared at Hyrkan as if to say ¡®did I do well?¡¯ After all, Hyrkan had always spent time teaching his Skeleton Warriors on how to dodge attacks. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have the peace of mind to praise the Skeleton Warrior. ¡°Arrrrgh!¡± In the end, he exploded. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just give me one? I¡¯ve killed over a thousand! WHY? What did I do wrong? Tell me Tobot Soft! What did I do wrong here!?¡± To get to level 60 in the shortest amount of time, Hyrkan had given up on hunting Sword Monkeys. However, he could not get rid of his lingering attachment. In the end, he came back when he was level 59 with only about 20% EXP left to go until level 60. Let¡¯s try killing them until I get to level 60! At this point, it would not have mattered even if a Sword Monkey Jewel dropped. He already had a weapon prepared for level 60. However, he did it anyways just to resolve the occasionally tickling he felt in his heart. However¡­ ¡®This is a bug for sure. This god damned game¡­¡¯ The result wasn¡¯t what he had hoped for. Grrrr The forest shook at the sound of Hyrkan gnashing his teeth. Although there were many times Hyrkan was frustrated or driven close to madness by Warlord, this was the first time he was completely toyed with. ¡°Whew.¡± Of course, there wasn¡¯t much he could do in such a situation. He couldn¡¯t go ask Tobot Soft why his item wasn¡¯t dropping lest he get treated as a hacker of some sort. He had no choice but to endure through it. Huff huff. Hyrkan let out breaths of air to calm his anger. What really made Hyrkan cool down was¡­ Whish! His Skeleton Warriors turning their heads around. At their reaction, Hyrkan put up his guard and turned around as well. ¡®Is it an ambush?¡¯ What Hyrkan caught sight of was a heavily armored player running towards Hyrkan without reserve. When the player saw Hyrkan, he stopped in his tracks. ¡°Everyone halt!¡± At the same time that he stopped running, he shouted. ¡°Player! It¡¯s a player, not a monster!¡± His shout was directed at his comrades following behind him. After shouting at them, the player stared back at Hyrkan and lightly bowed. ¡°Sorry about that. I thought you were a monster.¡± It seemed like he confused Hyrkan¡¯s summoned skeletons as monsters. As for Hyrkan, it wasn¡¯t a particularly special experience. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Hearing Hyrkan, the player nodded. Meanwhile, the player¡¯s comrades had made their appearance. Two magicians, two priests, and another swordsman. It was a 6-man party, and they showed great interest as soon as they watched Hyrkan and his Skeleton Warriors. ¡°Could this be him?¡± ¡°Hahoe Mask Hyrkan? Sure looks like it.¡± Among those 6, two knew who Hyrkan was. ¡°There was a rumor he was hunting in the Bulkas Mountain Range. Looks like it was real¡­ his battle videos are absolutely amazing.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that? Is he that famous?¡± Of course, there were some who didn¡¯t know who he was. ¡°He¡¯s pretty well known on YouTube. You should look him up. You¡¯ll be blown away.¡± ¡°Really? How come I¡¯ve never heard of him before?¡± ¡°What do you think? All you ever watch on YouTube are cam girls.¡± It was like they were looking at a monkey in the zoo. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t particularly bothered by it. He was prepared for something like this considering that he was making money through YouTube. In fact, he was rather thankful that they didn¡¯t seem to hold any hostile intentions. In Warlord, most attentions were hostile than friendly. The swordsman player rounded up his noisy allies. ¡°Enough. Let¡¯s get a move on!¡± At the same time, the swordsman looked back at Hyrkan in good manners. ¡°Sorry for bothering you. I wish you lucky drops.¡± ¡®Fu¡­¡± Hyrkan barely stopped himself from losing his temper. Although the player said it without any ill intent, he couldn¡¯t help but be angry. It seemed like the Sword Monkeys might have given him anger management issues. However, he hadn¡¯t lost all his rationality that he¡¯d yell at a player he met for the first time. Hyrkan opened his mouth and slowly let out some words. ¡°Yeah¡­ good luck to you too.¡± Once their goodbyes were made, both sides went on their ways without any trouble. There wasn¡¯t any reason for one. Not many players were actively seeking to vent their frustration on other players. After all, Warlord didn¡¯t have shortage of targets to do exactly that. ¡®Whew.¡¯ At the same time, Hyrkan could tell through his own skin that quite a long time had passed. ¡®It¡¯s been 27 days, so I guess it¡¯s not that surprising that I¡¯d run into other players.¡¯ It took Hyrkan 27 days to get from level 50 to 60. Although he wasn¡¯t sure, he believed it to be close to a new record. He knew it generally took at least 30 days to get from level 50 to 60. This was for the Rankers that were currently in the Top 100 Rankings. But Hyrkan had done so 27 days, at least 3 less than the Rankers. Hyrkan¡¯s level-up speed wouldn¡¯t lose out to the current number one player, the First One. At the same time, it also meant a month had passed since Hyrkan first stepped into the Bulkas Mountain Range. Although the Bulkas Mountain Range was a hunting ground nobody knew about one month ago, it was now known to a certain extent that Bulkas Mountain Range was full of sweet honey and dew. Not only average players, but quite well-known guilds were claiming their territories to begin serious hunting laps. ¡®It¡¯s not the time to vent my frustration at some Sword Monkeys.¡¯ Once a bit more time passed, even more players would arrive. In other words, there would be more competitors. ¡®I better hurry.¡¯ Taking care of things when there was no competition was the basics of a quick game play. ¡®Bulkas Ranger¡¯s Friend, Bulkas Mountain Range¡¯s Cleaner. I now have the minimum requirements to receive the quest.¡¯ Moreover, what Hyrkan would be aiming for from here on was something that couldn¡¯t help but have countless competitors. ¡®This should be enough for me to get the Immoral Prince quest from Maoong, right?¡¯ The Immoral Prince. He was the Corrupt Count¡¯s backer, and at the same time, a prince who was trying to usurp the throne with the Power of Corruption. He was the protagonist of Warlord¡¯s second main scenario quest. It was Bulkas Ranger¡¯s Captain, Maoong, who knew his identity. Hence, this was where the second main scenario began. Currently, Maoong recognized the strange, recent changes in the Bulkas Mountain Range, and although he suspected the Immoral Prince, he didn¡¯t tell anyone about it. Telling others of a prince trying to usurp the throne through Power of Corruption was simply too absurd a tale to tell anyone else. Because of this, one had to complete several quests from the Bulkas Rangers and possess at least 2 titles related to the Bulkas Rangers to get this quest from Maoong. As for Hyrkan, he had completed 22 Bulkas Ranger quests and received the Bulkas Ranger¡¯s Friend, and killed over 1,000 monsters in the Bulkas Mountain Ranger and received the Bulkas Mountain Ranger¡¯s Cleaner title. Now, all he had to do was visit Maoong and he would be treated in a completely different way than before. Then, to further test Hyrkan, Maoong would request Hyrkan to kill the Bear Warrior, who was recognized as the master of the Bulkas Mountain Range. The moment he passed this test, Hyrkan would officially enter the Immoral Prince main scenario quest. ¡®Alright, after making my preparations, I¡¯ll head out immediately.¡¯ After resolving himself, Hyrkan turned his head. Suddenly¡­ Thwack! Hyrkan once again kicked the skull of a Sword Monkey lying on the ground. ¡°ARGH!¡± Although he had resolved himself, his anger had yet to die down. ¡ï¡ï¡ï [Your conversion request has been completed.] After checking the content of the text message, An Jaehyun checked the gold count of his Warlord character, Hyrkan. The number 13,598 reflected onto An Jaehyun¡¯s thick glasses. ¡®I sure gathered a lot in just a month.¡¯ 13,000 gold. It was quite a large sum. In real life currency, it would be worth 13,000,000 won. The money was the result of Hyrkan¡¯s month-long hunting, quest rewards, and YouTube revenue. The money also included the price of items he sold after he had finished using them. It wasn¡¯t that he really made over 10,000,000 won in one month. Even so, it was something to be impressed with. Starting out from the bottom, even going as far as borrowing money from private loaners, he had come far enough to make 10,000,000 won through gaming. It was enough to make him proudly tell his family and relatives what he did for a living. There would be no problem with him telling them ¡®I just stay in-doors 12 hours a day to play games.¡¯ After all, who would criticize him with the money he makes? However, even considering how well he was doing, An Jaehyun was still spending most of his days hungry. ¡®Excluding the minimum living expenses, this is all I have, huh?¡¯ He was currently saving up even a single 100 won coin if he could. ¡®That means I have to cover what I lack with just this.¡¯ Currently, An Jaehyun¡¯s character, Hyrkan, had several holes that couldn¡¯t entirely be covered no matter how much he invested into it. The item setting was fine for now. The Pursuer of Corruption Necklace and Ring was phenomenal to the point he could use it when he was over level 100. His Skeleton Snake set and Orc Hero¡¯s Sword was also something he could use when he was level 70. The problem was with his skills. ¡®The skills I need to buy are¡­¡¯ His summoning tree was fine. He had gotten a free skill every 10 levels, and had even acquired the rare skills [Skeleton Science] and [Madness Helm]. However, looking at his curse skill tree and body modification skill tree as actual trees, they had yet to grow even a single branch. All he had for curses were the Demon Curse and Slow Curse, and Skin Sewing was the only skill he had for the body modification tree. He didn¡¯t learn any skills above that. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to. He simply couldn¡¯t. Why? It was too expensive. Thankfully, An Jaehyun knew what he needed the most currently. ¡®I need to learn Corrosive Ghost for sure.¡¯ Demon Curse¡¯s higher-tier skill, [Corrosive Ghost]. He lowered the target¡¯s defense by corroding its armor. It was one of the core skills of curse magicians. The current market price for the skillbook was 1,000 gold. ¡®That means I also need Blind.¡¯ Corrosive Ghost¡¯s higher-tier skill, [Blind]. As one might expect, it turned the target¡¯s vision into complete darkness. It was also a core skill for curse magicians, and one that was especially useful for PKs. Since he would have to fight many players from now on, it was a skill Hyrkan definitely needed. Its skillbook was also 1,000 gold. ¡®There¡¯s not much choice with body modification since I¡¯ll have to learn Leg Strength Modification before I can learn anything else¡­¡¯ Body modification¡¯s introductory skill, [Leg Strength Modification]. It was a passive skill that raise movement speed and jump power. It provided mobility and survivability to magicians who were lacking in strength stat. Its skillbook cost 1,500 gold. ¡®It¡¯d be great if I can get the False Heart skill on top of it too.¡¯ Rare-rank body modification skill, [False Heart]. It was a passive skill that raised stamina. It cost 1,500 as well. The reason Leg Strength Modification and False Heart was expensive was because it greatly helped black magicians who lacked mobility and stamina. It was a skill all black magicians sought, not just necromancers. Although the demand was high, the supply was small. It was easy to tell why it cost what it did. These were the skillbooks An Jaehyun wanted. The four of these cost 5,000 gold in total. Thinking of that number, An Jaehyun made a blank expression. ¡®I know Warlord is full of bubbles but 5,000,000 won to learn 4 skills is a bit¡­¡¯ Too much. ¡®It sure is a crazy game. I mean, I should¡¯ve known. People even put their houses up for collateral to get the money to play this game¡­¡¯ An Jaehyun realized just how expensive a game he was playing. ¡°Whew.¡± Of course, he didn¡¯t agonize over it for long. He knew what he had to do. For his growth and future, they were undoubtedly necessary. There was no reason to hesitate. In fact, what really was on An Jaehyun¡¯s mind was how to spend the rest of the gold. ¡®I¡¯ll have 8,000 gold after getting the skillbooks. After buying consumables, what should I do with the rest?¡¯ The way to make the most out of his money. That was what filled An Jaehyun¡¯s mind at the moment. Soon¡­ Growl! An Jaehyun¡¯s stomach let out a growl, unable to hold in its hunger. ¡®Is it time to eat already? Time sure flies.¡¯ An Jaehyun got up from his seat. ¡®Let¡¯s see. Why don¡¯t I make some steamed egg? If I put some hams¡­ wait, no. Hams are too expensive. I guess I¡¯ll just do without.¡¯ Even though he spent millions of won on his game character, An Jaehyun was stingy when it came to his stomach. Chapter 55 : Maoong’s Test (2) Chapter 55 : Maoong¡¯s Test (2) Warlord¡¯s main scenario quests were like stepping stones. Once one stepped on one, there was bound to be a next one. It was just that it was hard to bridge the gap between the two stones. As such, the most important thing in main scenario quests was to step on the first stone. If this came too late, the whole quest progression would be slowed. It was obvious, since a slow start could only mean a late finish. ¡°Hyrkan, I thank you for the peace and stability you have helped us obtain. It is because of this that I entrust you with this mission.¡± Thus, the first step Hyrkan just made was incomparable to anything else. ¡°Since I started working as Bulkas Mountain Range¡¯s Ranger, I¡¯ve fought with monsters countless times to complete the mission given to me. Recently, there has been a rise in number of monsters that know how to use weapons.¡± Maoong. His well-groomed beard coupled with his large build made him look like Santa Claus to Hyrkan. With no way of knowing what Hyrkan was thinking, Maoong continued on with his serious speech. ¡°Unless those monsters suddenly grew talent for making weapons, they must have gotten them from somewhere. While we were looking into the cause of it, we discovered a suspicious place. I would like you to investigate this place.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Won¡¯t the Bulkas Rangers be better suited than me for such a task?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a reason behind it. Of course, I don¡¯t want to force you to do anything. You are our, the Bulkas Rangers¡¯ friend, not my subordinate. The choice is yours. How about it?¡± When Hyrkan heard what he wanted to hear from Maoong, he didn¡¯t say no. ¡°I¡¯ve always seen the Bulkas Rangers in respect and I¡¯ve always been thankful of them for their effort in keeping everyone safe. If you are entrusting me with a task, I would of course accept it,¡± [The quest, ¡®Maoong¡¯s Test¡¯, begins.] ¡®It¡¯s finally here.¡¯ Hyrkan yelled in delight. Just to himself of course. He didn¡¯t have any intention of making the same mistake as he did with Ahimbree. Maoong took something out from his sleeve and handed it over to Hyrkan. Hyrkan carefully accepted it, as Maoong immediately told him what it was. ¡°It¡¯s a map.¡± What he received was a map of the Bulkas Mountain Range drawn on a piece of leather. ¡®Oh yeah!¡¯ To Hyrkan, it was no different than a treasure map. ¡ï¡ï¡ï [Maoong¡¯s Test] ¨C Quest Rank: Unique ¨C Required level: None ¨C Quest content: Bulkas Ranger¡¯s captain, Maoong, has given you this mission. This mission is a test to prove your ability. ¨C Quest reward: From Maoong¡¯s collection. A Unique-rank quest. ¡®This is 100% the real thing.¡¯ It was a sure tell sign that it was a main scenario quest. As soon as he saw the rank, he nodded his head. To an extent, he was certain that Maoong¡¯s Test was the starting point of the main scenario quest. When he saw the quest rank, his 99% confidence level turned into 100%. Then, Hyrkan¡¯s eyes naturally fell to the word ¡®collection.¡¯ ¡®Collection¡­ what could it be?¡¯ He knew how the Immoral Prince quest would work out. Even so, there was no way for him to know every little detail of each quest. Even if he knew the big rewards, he didn¡¯t have the brain power necessary to remember every single quest reward along the quest line. Of course, he knew it wouldn¡¯t be anything small. For example, there was no way a Unique rank quest would just give 100 gold as reward. ¡®If it¡¯s a Chronicle Unique, I¡¯ll fly to Japan and get some Wagyu beef. Mark my words.¡¯ Chronicle Unique would be more than what he could ask for. No matter what it was, Hyrkan probably wouldn¡¯t be disappointed. ¡®Even if it isn¡¯t, there¡¯s no problem. Just killing the Bear Warrior should give me about a thousand gold.¡¯ Bear Warrior. Although it wasn¡¯t anywhere on the quest content Maoong gave him, Hyrkan knew it would be the monster he had to kill. Its level was 80. It was 4 meters tall, rather small compared to what one might imagine. It walked on its two hind legs instead of on fours. In fact, it was even equipped with armor and helmet, and held a sword and shield on each of its hands. It even had special battle abilities similar to a swordsman¡¯s Charge and Shout. ¡®Let¡¯s see. I¡¯ll get at least two Bear Warrior set items from it¡­¡¯ As hard to kill as it was, the reward it gave was definite. Boss monsters dropped more items than normal. What was worth the most was the Bear Warrior set, a level 70 Rare rank item set. Its options were quite good. Moreover, killing a single Bear Warrior guaranteed enough crafting jewels to craft at least one Rare item. If one was lucky, he would get enough to make 3. ¡®I know this won¡¯t happen, but if it doesn¡¯t drop any crafting jewels like that piece of shit monkey, I¡¯m going to sue Tobot Soft.¡¯ Plus, its bones, skins, and weapon fragments were used to make Normal rank level 70 items. This also gave quite a bit of money. At this point, a level 70 Normal rank item would go for at least 100 gold. Although the Bear Warrior didn¡¯t drop as many coins since it was a mid-small sized monster, it still dropped enough to make 10 items. Of course, the real deal was the raid video. A Bear Warrior hunting guide had not yet been made. Bear Warrior wasn¡¯t a boss monster that one could randomly run into in the field. It was a monster that required the Bulkas Ranger quest progression to meet. The first video of any boss raid practically had 1,000,000 views guaranteed, even for a no-name. For someone like Hyrkan who was already well-known, it could become his new most viewed video. All in all, Hyrkan would not have to worry about losing out by killing the Bear Warrior. As long as he could succeed in killing it, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about money. On the other hand, if he failed to kill it, it would have a big impact on Hyrkan. ¡®As long as I don¡¯t make any mistakes, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll fail.¡¯ Hyrkan made a bitter smile. ¡®Though, I¡¯m not sure how well not making any mistakes would go.¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï While Hyrkan was on his way after leaving the Bulkas Ranger Village, he noticed them. ¡®Just my luck.¡¯ There were hyenas on his trail. They weren¡¯t there from the start. They had started following him sometime after he left the village. Once they caught sight of Hyrkan, they began to stealthily follow him. ¡®I¡¯m not wearing my hahoe mask, yet they¡¯re following me¡­ they don¡¯t look like they know who I am though.¡¯ There was no way they knew who he was. Currently, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t wearing his Skeleton Snake set and hahoe mask, but a run-of-the-mill magician robe. It was a disguise. The fact that Hahoe Mask Hyrkan was currently active in the Bulkas Mountain Range was a fact anyone could learn by just googling ¡®Hyrkan¡¯ and ¡®Bulkas.¡¯ It was Hyrkan who uploaded the hunting guide on Bulkas Mountain Range¡¯s Sword Monkeys after all. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t an idiot, and there was no way he wouldn¡¯t disguise himself unless the situation called for it. Although he had been treated as a pushover because of it on several occasions, it was better than being targeted after being known as the Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. In any case, the fact that they were chasing him meant they were after a player walking about alone in the Bulkas Mountain Range. It wasn¡¯t the first time Hyrkan was in such a situation. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ If it was any time else, he would only make a move after the other side made their move first. However, he was currently on an extremely important quest. It was different from the usual circumstance. As such, it was time to do things a bit differently. ¡®I need to take care of them somehow.¡¯ No matter what, he had no intention of going to the Bear Warrior¡¯s place with his tail still being bitten. Hyrkan first turned and headed off to another direction. He began to move so it was hard for his pursuers to follow him, and he purposely passed by monsters to make it difficult for them to stealthily chase after him. Because of it, they came out of hiding and began to openly chase after him. When they made their appearance, Hyrkan stopped, and his pursuers then stopped as well. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve met before. Do you need something?¡± Hyrkan was the first to talk. However, no one gave him a reply. All three people staring at him maintained their silence. Meanwhile, Hyrkan examined them carefully. ¡®Three swordsmen. Average items and classic style weapons. They don¡¯t seem to be anything special.¡¯ After coming to his conclusion, he asked again. ¡°If our destination is the same, you guys can go on ahead. No need to gain suspicion by being all sneaky.¡± At Hyrkan¡¯s words, they still did not respond. They only talked quietly among themselves. ¡®What should we do?¡¯ ¡®What should we say?¡¯ Because of the silent surrounding, Hyrkan could faintly hear what they were talking about, and he couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡®They¡¯re complete amateurs.¡¯ Here, Hyrkan made his move. ¡°Warlord sure is full of trash. Don¡¯t they have anything better to do with their money? Why don¡¯t they use that money to donate to a political campaign or something? If they have so much to spare, just use it to wipe your dirty asses.¡± Although he was only talking to himself, each word was spoken loud and clear. It was a provocation. And their reaction¡­ ¡°What? What did you just say?¡± ¡°We were just going to let wait and see, but you¡¯re asking for it.¡± ¡°Ha. Looks like you don¡¯t know who we are. I¡¯ll rip that mouth right out of you.¡± Was exactly what Hyrkan wanted. ¡®Heh, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve gotten a reaction like this.¡¯ The moment Hyrkan saw their reaction, he could be 100% certain of one thing. They weren¡¯t from a proper guild or party affiliation. Even the Top 30 Guilds didn¡¯t hesitate to tail someone and take whatever information they had. In fact, they were quite good at it. Because they were, they knew how to deal with situations like these. They either ran, negotiated, or killed. In any case, they knew exactly what to do. One thing they didn¡¯t do¡­ was being provoked so easily and say something like ¡®do you know who my father is?¡¯ Those who did would quickly be abandoned by their guild. That could only mean they were from a mediocre guild. ¡®Since they¡¯re here, they probably aren¡¯t complete trash. They should at least have played for a long time.¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t need to think for long. Since they were from a mediocre guild, there was nothing to worry about. Especially when he was facing idiots who were so quickly provoked. ¡°I don¡¯t want to know who you are, but considering that¡¯s all you can say in a 3 on 1 situation, you must know you¡¯re a bunch of losers. Ah, let me ask you one thing. You didn¡¯t forget to wear your adult diapers before logging in, right?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what¡¯? I¡¯m saying you¡¯re going to end up shitting yourselves in fear by the time I¡¯m done with you. You better brace yourselves for when you log out.¡± He just had to provoke them a little more. ¡®Was it too childish?¡¯ With a pretty laughable provocation, Hyrkan began to fiddle with his watch. In an instant, he was prepared to change his items. ¡®¡­ on second thought, the diaper thing was probably too much. They can¡¯t be that stupid to fall for something so childish¡­¡¯ Of course, Hyrkan was pleasantly proven wrong. ¡°Fuck it, let¡¯s just kill him.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what he¡¯s got up in his sleeve though.¡± ¡°Who cares? It looks like he was avoiding us for a while anyways. Let¡¯s just kill him.¡± After a bit of whispering among themselves, they introduced themselves. ¡°You fucker, you¡¯ll pay for messing with the Apollo Guild!¡± Apollo Guild! The moment Hyrkan heard those two words, he reflexively charged at them like a 100-meter dash runner. ¡°Slot On!¡± It wasn¡¯t until a bit later that Hyrkan began to reminisce about the Apollo Guild. Chapter 56 : Maoong’s Test (3) Chapter 56 : Maoong¡¯s Test (3) Hyrkan¡¯s body became covered in black liquid as he charged out. It seemed the black liquid was unable to withstand Hyrkan¡¯s speed, as it fell off of his body. When the black liquid completely disappeared, Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Armor could be seen. Hyrkan took something out and threw it on the ground. Then, he pulled out his sword from the sheath hung by his left hip. Chwing! With a strong, metallic sound, Hyrkan¡¯s longsword made its appearance. Hyrkan held this seemingly inexpensive sword with both hands. ¡®Left.¡¯ Already in position to attack, the one Hyrkan was aiming for was the left most player among the three. His name was Wang Jiang. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a name Hyrkan would remember. What was important to Hyrkan were the gaps in his armor and helmet. Hyrkan swung his sword horizontally at these gaps like a baseball player. Whish! His sword cut through the air. Crash! It penetrated the gap and made a rough sound. Hyrkan¡¯s ability to stab the small gaps in armor was more of an art than technique. It was clean and beautiful. ¡®Kuk!¡¯ Of course, for the one on the receiving end, it was like a fierce, unavoidable natural disaster. After suddenly being struck on the neck, he couldn¡¯t even let out a breath of air. Hyrkan didn¡¯t stop there. He continued on like a bulldozer. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The two remaining players watched their ally suddenly disappear. They were unable to respond in the slightest, and stared at Hyrkan knock down their ally. While they were staring dumbfounded¡­ Clack clack! The four Skeleton Fragment Hyrkan threw while charging forward quickly sprouted forth four imposing figures. 2-meter-tall, black Skeleton Warriors with large shoulder bones. Fangs shooting up from their lower mouth clearly showed that they were made using Black Orcs as material. The Skeleton Warriors didn¡¯t hesitate in the slightest as they made their move. In an instant, they charged at the two players staring at Hyrkan. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± By the time they noticed the eerie sound coming from behind them, it was too late. The sight of four Skeleton Warriors charging at them caught them completely off guard, and they were unable to react properly. Crash! A head for one. Crack! The stomach for the other. Clang! They shook as they were hit on their head and stomach respectively. More attacks poured forth as they were shaking. ¡°Shit! Hey!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Although they tried to counterattack by pulling out and swinging their sword, as they were completely off balance, their attacks were nothing more than pointless flailing. The Skeleton Warriors were too good to be hit by such attacks. The Skeleton Warriors dodged the attacks with ease and counterattacked. ¡°Kuk!¡± With a short and rough cry, one of the two players fell. His fate was gruesome to say the least, as the Skeleton Warriors hacked away at him as if they were cutting firewood. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Although the one remaining player shouted towards his ally, he wasn¡¯t in any better positon. Meanwhile, Hyrkan summoned his Golem. Kugugu! The Golem rose from the ground and became a wall that split the battle in half. ¡°Fuck!¡± At the same time, the one who Hyrkan had sent flying to begin the fight finally got up as he cursed. However, what greeted his line of sight was Hyrkan¡¯s sword tip. Stab! ¡°Uk!¡± Hyrkan¡¯s sword penetrated the gap in his helmet with precision, and instantly took away his vision. ¡°What?¡± For the one on the receiving end, it felt like the light had suddenly gone off. Hyrkan simply put Wang Jiang back down on the ground with a kick. ¡°Whoop!¡± Hyrkan pushed down on his chest with his foot, pulled out the sword still stuck in his face, then stabbed it again. Stab, stab. An indescribable bone-chilling sound rang out. Although Wang Jiang struggled, because Hyrkan¡¯s strength stat was higher than his, Wang Jiang was unable throw off Hyrkan¡¯s foot. ¡°Fuck! Do you know who we are? You won¡¯t get away with this!¡± In the end, all he could do was talk. Hyrkan seemed unfazed by his childish threat as he continued to stab his eyes with his sword. ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± Wang Jiang cried out. It was something he could say only because he couldn¡¯t see what was happening to him. If he could, he would undoubtedly piss his pants. As they said, ignorance is bliss. ¡°I¡¯m from the Apollo Guild!¡± At his continued childish threat, Hyrkan stopped his sword for the first time. ¡°Apollo Guild?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right! You¡¯re fucked! We¡¯ll kill you over and over again until you quit the game for good!¡± At this, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but smirk. Then, he continued his sword work. ¡°You fucker, I said stop!¡± Wang Jiang shouted out once again. However, his cries didn¡¯t enter Hyrkan¡¯s ears. Hyrkan began to reminisce. ¡®What do they call this there? Karma?¡¯ The image of a chubby, squinty-eyed man popped up in Hyrkan¡¯s head. ¡®I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be tangled up with him again.¡¯ The man he was thinking of was none other than the Apollo Guild¡¯s guild master, Apollo. He was the son of a rich Chinese tycoon, and lived luxuriously his whole life because of it. Unsurprisingly, he poured huge amounts of money into Warlord to enjoy the same luxurious life, and he formed the Apollo Guild to leech off the guild members. Although the Apollo Guild wasn¡¯t as powerful or influential as the Top 30 Guilds, it still had better management and stronger influence than most other guilds. Their play style was dirty to say the least, as they pressured low level players with their numbers, items, and levels. Although they didn¡¯t regularly PK or monster steal, they didn¡¯t hesitate to do so if they thought they could get away with it. They were the type who pressured the weak and were servile to the strong. ¡®He was quite a funny guy.¡¯ The Apollo Guild and Hyrkan met before a certain boss raid. Hyrkan and the Hahoe Mask Guild had waited a long time for their turn in a boss raid. But when their turn had come, the Apollo Guild interjected, saying that it was their turn. The whole situation was absurd for the Hahoe Mask Guild, but Apollo Guild¡¯s guild master said they should decide who gets to go through a fight between representatives from each guild. His plan was to crush the Hahoe Mask¡¯s representative and claim the boss raid. Of course, Hyrkan had easily crushed their hopes. In their fight, Hyrkan instantly cut off Apollo¡¯s wrist, but it didn¡¯t just end there. The Apollo Guild couldn¡¯t accept their loss and began to fight with the Hahoe Mask Guild. 30 vs 18. Although the Hahoe Mask Guild was outnumbered, the Hahoe Mask Guild had an overwhelming victory with Hyrkan killing 10 of Apollo Guild¡¯s members. The Apollo Guild didn¡¯t give up afterwards. They hired mercenaries and tried to get revenge. Of course, Hyrkan easily crushed them too. Then, one day, while Hyrkan was going somewhere alone, he was suddenly attacked by Apollo and his men. Hyrkan was able to win that fight as well, and in the end, the Hahoe Mask Guild released a statement on Apollo Guild¡¯s behavior, and they were reimbursed along with an official apology. ¡®I remember Kim Dongsoo and I ate a 200,000 won dinner with a Rothschild wine. That foie gras was so good¡­¡¯ Hyrkan had thought that was the end of his relationship with the Apollo Guild. One day, however, Hyrkan ran into Apollo Guild members sexually harassing weaker players and took care of them. This incident spread, and the Apollo Guild became ___ overnight. That was the last time Hyrkan had heard of the Apollo Guild. After that, the Hahoe Mask Guild grew immensely, and became a guild the Apollo Guild couldn¡¯t mess with. ¡®Come to think of it, the amount of items I stole from Apollo was¡­ whew.¡¯ In any case, the profit the Hahoe Mask Guild made from the Apollo Guild greatly helped them grow as a guild. Apollo was the type to have his entire item slots filled with expensive items, and every time Hyrkan killed him, he made at least 10,000 gold from his watch. Hyrkan made good use of Apollo¡¯s items and later sold them off. To Hyrkan, Apollo looked like an angel. Maybe even an arch-angel. ¡°You fucker.¡± That was the end of Hyrkan¡¯s reminiscence. ¡°We are going to chase you to the ends of the earth. You¡¯re going to regret ever playing this game.¡± Wang Jiang was still pouring curses after curses. Watching this, Hyrkan was a little bit impressed. ¡®You still haven¡¯t logged out? How tenacious.¡¯ Most people chose to log out in such a situation. No one wanted to wait around to get logged out forcefully, especially since they had to watch themselves being killed powerlessly. Wang Jiang, however, flapped his mouth endlessly. ¡®He¡¯s going to die with just a couple more stabs.¡¯ Hyrkan knew Wang Jiang had very little HP left, probably about 10% or so. He would die sooner or later. ¡°Hey.¡± Hyrkan stopped his attacks. ¡°You said you were from the Apollo Guild, right?¡± ¡°Heh, you messed with the wrong guy.¡± ¡°Your guild master is Apollo right?¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯re not part of the Top 30 Guilds, you better make a new character.¡± Hearing this, Hyrkan grinned and took his foot off Wang Jiang¡¯s chest. Free to move once again, Wang Jiang twitched his body. Meanwhile, Hyrkan moved his sword near Wang Jiang¡¯s lower body. ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Jiang, who was preparing to get up and put up a final struggle, instantly froze in place. ¡°You, what do you think you¡¯re¡­¡± Chwing! Hyrkan slashed at Wang Jiang¡¯s private area. The armor protecting the area was fine. Although there was a little dent, Wang Jiang couldn¡¯t have received any damage. ¡°Uhuk!¡± However, it was the most terrifying, powerful attack Wang Jiang had ever received. ¡ï¡ï¡ï When Hyrkan turned around after finishing off Wang Jiang, four lined-up Skeleton Warriors greeted him. Watching them, Hyrkan smiled. ¡®My cute babies.¡¯ Hyrkan was more than satisfied by their performance. ¡®These guys are even weaker than I thought. They¡¯re probably somewhere around mid-level 60s.¡¯ Of course, the current outcome wasn¡¯t just a result of Skeleton Warriors¡¯ performance. The three guys from the Apollo Guild were just too weak. Their items were mostly normal rank, with only their weapon and top being rare rank. On the other hand, Hyrkan had an incredible weapon to use against players. The Orc Hero¡¯s Sword. In Warlord, players were also counted as animal-type. Its power in PvP was also why the Orc Hero¡¯s Sword was so popular. Since the Orc Hero¡¯s Sword¡¯s option also applied to Skeleton Warriors, the outcome was only expected. Not to mention, there were no magicians or priests, and they had no time to self-buff either. If they had at least one priest, they wouldn¡¯t have been crushed so easily. In other words¡­ ¡®Considering their items, levels, or skill, there¡¯s no way they made it up here by themselves. The rest of them must be here as well, and they were probably the scouts. The Bulkas Mountain Range should be a good hunting ground for the Apollo Guild.¡¯ The Apollo Guild was likely in the Bulkas Mountain Range. Since the Bulkas Mountain Range was a good hunting ground, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if an entire guild had moved to group hunt. ¡®Well, I¡¯ll be done once I kill the Bear Warrior, so it probably won¡¯t be a problem. It never hurts to be careful though. It¡¯s going to be troublesome if I run into them now.¡¯ Although he wasn¡¯t afraid of the Apollo Guild, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t so bold as to fight them head on. Not to mention, they weren¡¯t what he should be focusing on. Hyrkan turned around. It was time to get back to his original goal. Hyrkan collected the Skeleton Warriors and the Golem, then started walking towards his original destination. Then¡­ ¡°Ah right, the watches!¡± Hyrkan quickly turned back and grabbed the watches. His steps were lighter than usual like someone who stopped at a rest stop to get something to eat. ¡ï¡ï¡ï There was a bar located at the Bulkas Ranger Village famous for its delicious meat and drink. It was a must-visit place for anyone visiting the Bulkas Ranger Village. As one might expect, it was currently filled with people, especially due to Bulkas Mountain Range¡¯s rise in popularity. What was surprising was that there was a group filling up the entire bar as if they had paid to borrow the whole thing. Even more surprising was that there was only one person sitting even though there were plenty of chairs and tables around. ¡°So you¡¯re saying he went after you even after knowing that you were from the Apollo Guild?¡± The only man seated was wearing a memorable item. An armor made of reddish black scales. It was the Crimson Crocodile set, rumored to be one of the most expensive sets in Warlord. In fact, it wasn¡¯t something one could get his hands on with just money, as one needed connections with the designer and the material provider. However, the Crimson Crocodile set was currently looking rather¡­ silly. It changed to fit the body of its user, and thus looked as if it would rip apart at any time. That was how fat the man wearing it was. He looked like the mascot of Michelin Automotive Tires. ¡°Yes, sir. Even though Wang Jiang warned him many times, he apparently did not stop.¡± Around the fat man stood five players wearing stern expressions. They were the executives of the Apollo Guild, which had over 100 members averaging level 60. ¡°What about his face?¡± ¡°They took a video, but it is unclear because of the anti-facial recognition program.¡± The Apollo Guild had entered the Bulkas Mountain Range just one day ago, and they had sent Wang Jiang and the others on a scouting mission. But before they could properly do their job, they ran into trouble. Not only did this trouble get in the way of the Apollo Guild, but it went so far as to attack its members. After hearing this, Apollo had gathered the guild¡¯s executives to plan how to get back at him. ¡°They¡¯ve seen them though, right?¡± ¡°Well¡­ they said everything happened too quickly.¡± ¡°What was he wearing?¡± ¡°They said they caught a glimpse of a skeleton armor, but they¡¯re unable to describe it clearly.¡± ¡°Three guys got taken out by just one person. How can they not remember his face or clothes?¡± ¡°It happened so quick, so¡­¡± Of course, it didn¡¯t seem like things would be that easy. Listening to the executive¡¯s explanation, Apollo frowned, making him even uglier. ¡°Whatever, just get him. Kill anyone that gets in the way. We¡¯ll make an example out of him to show what happens to someone who touches the Apollo Guild.¡± At Apollo¡¯s words, the executives bowed as they sighed on the inside. Other players watching this scene clicked their tongue. ¡®Film a movie, would you?¡¯ ¡®Haa. Look at their fatass pig trying to look cool.¡¯ The sight of the Apollo talking like some mafia boss didn¡¯t sit well with players watching him. Not to mention, his appearance was just as infuriating. On the other hand, there were some players who didn¡¯t even glance at the sight of Apollo making a ruckus. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ A grey-robed player drinking a cup of melon beer was one such example. ¡®Why do I have to come all the way here to scout a newbie I don¡¯t even know about?¡¯ His name was Hatch. As the number one magician in the Stormhunter Guild, his precision and accuracy with long-range magic earned him the name Ballista. His fame easily outshined everyone else in the bar combined. Recently, he had received an order from the guild master. ¡®Hahoe Mask Hyrkan¡­ what does she need him for?¡¯ Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. Those that knew him, knew him well, but to those that didn¡¯t, he was just another rookie. The order Hatch had received was to find him and offer him a position in the guild. ¡®I know this isn¡¯t the only reason why I¡¯m here, but it¡¯s still too much.¡¯ Of course, he wasn¡¯t here just for that alone. His primary goal was to meet the Bulkas Ranger captain, Maoong. It was for the second main scenario quest line, and finding Hyrkan was something the guild master added after hearing Hyrkan was in the Bulkas Mountain Range. Even so, Hatch found it a waste of his time to spend even a single second on meeting a rookie. ¡®The Queen sure is eccentric. There are plenty of others desperate to enter our guild¡­¡¯ Had the order came from anyone else, Hatch would have ignored it. However, the order was from the guild master. Storm Queen Shir. Remembering her face, Hatch shook his head. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± It was then that Hatch received a sudden voicetalk contact. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m at the Bulkas Mountain Range. Yes.¡± A bit into the call, Hatch¡¯s expression turned worse and worse. ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± After finishing the call, Hatch chugged the rest of the melon beer. ¡®Now I have to take care of the Princess too. Dear Lord, save me.¡¯ The Bulkas Ranger Village was slowly filling up with more and more bombs. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Kuooo! A roar of a bear rang out from a distance, shaking the entire forest. ¡®Oh!¡¯ When the roar reached Hyrkan¡¯s body, Hyrkan felt an electrifying sensation from his head to the bottom of his feet. ¡®I¡¯m here.¡¯ Under such terrifying air, Hyrkan fixed the hahoe mask onto his face. ¡®This is exactly what I¡¯ve been waiting for.¡¯ Although he had already fought with a few boss monsters, they were nothing more than lucky encounters. They were chance encounters, rather than real hunts. As such, this would be Hyrkan¡¯s first boss raid where he had prepared every step of the battle. It was nostalgic as well. Ever since the war with the Stormhunter Guild, Hyrkan had never participated in a proper boss raid. It had been several years. It would be a lie to say those years had no effect on his skills. The Bear Warrior raid would be a battle that would not forgive even a single mistake. Increased risk also meant increased worries and concerns. What if his body wasn¡¯t as sharp as in the past? Just the thought of it gave Hyrkan a headache. But now that the battle was just a few steps away, rather than being nervous, his heart was beating in excitement. This is it. Currently, Hyrkan felt his reason for existence more so than any other time. As useless as he was in real life, he was a hero in Warlord. ¡®An Jaehyun, this is where it all begins.¡¯ At the same time, this was a test. ¡®If you can¡¯t kill this thing alone, then you¡¯ll never be anything greater. If you fail¡­ give up on solo play.¡¯ It was a test that determined whether the path he had taken was right or wrong. ¡°Haaat!¡± Hyrkan let out a spirited shout. ¡°COME!¡± It was the start of a legend. Chapter 57 : Bear Warrior (1) Chapter 57 : Bear Warrior (1) The Bear Warrior stood on its hind legs, giving off an intimidating aura. Within its helmet, two jet-black pupils shone with dignity. ¡°Hyrkan, can you really kill that?¡± Bear Warrior. It was the lord of the Bulkas Mountain Range, and as the one in the middle of the strange occurrences happening in the Bulkas Mountain Range, it gave off a fitting aura. Its intimidating presence was enough to make even the most experienced player whimper in fear. It fact, it would be the expected reaction for most. ¡°Bro, I¡¯m Hyrkan. Super Star Hyrkan!¡± In front of such a fearsome monster, the ones that weren¡¯t scared were the strange ones. Some that talked nonsense instead of whimpering were the abnormal and crazy ones. Even back then, Hyrkan was showing his extraordinary talent. His presence wasn¡¯t any less than the Bear Warrior¡¯s. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re really going to push for that nickname?¡± ¡°Jaehyun, I¡¯m fine with most things you do, but that nickname is a little¡­¡± ¡°Yep. He¡¯s usually weird, but at times, he really likes to prove his weirdness with his entire body.¡± ¡°He can fight so well because he¡¯s crazy. What sane person would go all into strength and jump into a fight with a monster like that? You¡¯ll die with just a single hit and end up sucking on your fingers for two days.¡± ¡°Aw, shut it! Stop making fun of someone who¡¯s volunteering to go on the frontlines to fight a monster like that. If you don¡¯t stop, I¡¯m going to just leave this guild!¡± Hyrkan always made his presence known and proved himself. ¡°Let¡¯s stop the chitchat and focus on the battle. I¡¯ll distract that guy and open his back, and you guys shoot some magic, got it?¡± That he was more capable than anyone else. Moreover¡­ ¡°If it looks like I¡¯m about to die, then help. Don¡¯t be stingy with heals. Alright, let¡¯s finish this! Let¡¯s show them we¡¯re not to be stopped here!¡± He constantly proved that those that followed him¡­ would reach the skies with him. ¡®This is the first time I realized how good I am at remembering things.¡¯ Now, however¡­ those memories were nothing but emotional baggage he wanted to throw away. Hyrkan shoved those memories into oblivion. ¡®No need to remember those bastards.¡¯ Although memories weren¡¯t something one could easily forget, Hyrkan had done so at this moment. He only sought memories he found useful. ¡®Bear Warrior has 3 phases total.¡¯ The Bear Warrior had 3 phases which changed based on its HP. When its HP was above 70%, its attacks included only its standard attack mixed with two basic skills. Its aggro was directed at the last one to attack it. The two basic skill it had were Shout and Charge. Charge had a 60 second cooldown time, and Shout had 170 seconds. It also had the Fear skill, which was something almost all boss monsters had, and Fear was on a 900 second cooldown time. When its HP fell below 70%, it entered its second phase. The Charge skill fell to a 30 second cooldown time, and all of its stats increased by 10%. At the same time, when it was attacked by magic, it would always go after the magician regardless of aggro. When its HP fell below 30%, it entered its third phase. The Shout skill turned into a passive skill. Debuff skills no longer worked on it, and the cooldown time on Charge disappeared. On top of all this, its stats increased by 33%. The key point in conquering the Bear Warrior was¡­ ¡®Taking off its armor and shield.¡¯ Disarming. If compared to a player, it would be a wearing a full set. It was equipped with a helmet, a breastplate, shoulder pads, gloves, and boots. Its upper body was entirely covered with armor. Its lower body was mostly protected with only the inside part of its thighs open. Even so, its thick hair protected the thighs, and it was naturally difficult to attack that area. Finally, it was equipped with a shield bigger than its own body and a scimitar-shaped sword bigger than an adult male. The best way to deal damage was to use magic. Fire attribute magic was especially strong against the Bear Warrior as it pierced its armor. However, using fire attribute magic as the main source of damage caused a huge problem when the Bear Warrior entered its second phase. In its second phase, it became a bulldozer that used Charge at magicians in the back while ignoring everything else. When it entered its third phase, that¡¯s when the real hell began. In a situation where there were less magicians, the raid team would now have to deal with fully armed Bear Warrior who couldn¡¯t get debuffed. There was no way the remaining tankers and strikers could deal with it. As such, it was best if one could take off at least 2 of its armor parts, preferably its breastplate and shield. Without the breastplate, its entire upper body became a target. If needed, one could even climb on its back to deal damage. Without its armor, the Bear Warrior wasn¡¯t so difficult. Without the shield, the power of its Charge would lessen greatly. When the Bear Warrior used Charge, it put its shield in front of itself. Plus, if it used Charge without its shield, it took self-inflicted damage. That was the very basic of Bear Warrior hunting method. ¡¯29 points on its shoulders and ribs.¡¯ The real point was to aim for the 29 points joining its armor. The very basic hunting method was something anyone could figure out from seeing its appearance. With just that, it couldn¡¯t really be called a hunting method. A real hunting method had to be more detailed. The 29 points that Hyrkan knew about. It was something worthy of being sold for money. ¡®I¡¯ll first aim for the left shoulder which is holding the shield.¡¯ What Hyrkan had to do now was show how it was done. ¡°Whew!¡± Hyrkan took a deep breath of air, then used a skill. ¡°Golem Summon.¡± ¡ï¡ï¡ï The clash between the 4-meter tall Golem and the 4-meter tall Bear Warrior was more one-sided than one might have imagined. Kuoo! Contrary to his ferocious growl, the Bear Warrior moved with shrewdness. Clang! It blocked the Golem¡¯s arm swing with its shield, and took advantage of any gap in defense it could find to slash its sword. Puhat! It slashed down at the Golem¡¯s left shoulder as if to instantly sever it. For the Golem who was on the receiving end, it could only be thankful that it was a sword and not an axe. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ Watching this scene, Hyrkan could feel a phantom pain in his shoulder. That was how strong the blow was. The Bear Warrior¡¯s attack was both powerful and excellently executed. ¡®This is not the time to be impressed.¡¯ Hyrkan gritted his teeth and organized his thoughts. Then, he swung his right arm like a whip. Whoosh! The Golem copied Hyrkan¡¯s movements and swung its arm like a whip, albeit slower. The Bear Warrior easily blocked its attack with its shield. Kwang! Although it looked like a simple clash, the sound suggested otherwise. The boom from their clash was something straight out of a car crash. Kuooo! The Bear Warrior¡¯s roar cut through the booming sound and rang out. Crack! It swung down with its sword once again, which penetrated deeply into the Golem¡¯s left shoulder, which had yet to recover. The sword continued down from the Golem¡¯s left shoulder to its chest. The resulting wound was enough to instantly kill a human being. Thankfully, the one with the wound was a Golem. Furthermore¡­ ¡®Okay!¡¯ The chance Hyrkan had been waiting for had come. ¡°Hardening!¡± When Hyrkan used the skill, his Golem which had partially turned to dirt started hardening. Then, the Golem¡¯s body grabbed onto the Bear Warrior¡¯s sword. Kuuu! Although the Bear Warrior tried its hardest to pull out the sword, the Golem¡¯s body held onto the sword tightly and refused to let it go. Snap! Meanwhile, Hyrkan snapped his fingers. Whish! As soon as the signal came, two Skeleton Warriors that had been waiting in the corner made their appearance. Two Black Orc Skeleton Warriors fearlessly charged at the Bear Warrior. Puhat! In that instant, the Bear Warrior kicked the Golem¡¯s body with its foot, successfully pulling out its sword from its body. With the sword pulled out, the Golem stiffly fell backwards. Bom! When the Golem¡¯s body touched the ground, the ground rumbled slightly. The Bear Warrior immediately turned its body to face the two Skeleton Warriors charging at it. It then opened its mouth big. Through its mouth¡­ Kuaaa! [Skeleton Warriors ignored the Bear Warrior¡¯s Fear.] Fear struck out. Of course, Fear had no effect on the Skeleton Warriors. Undead monsters had no such thing as a sense of fear. It was one of the benefits of having Skeleton Warriors. Of course, just that wasn¡¯t enough to cover the overwhelming difference between the Skeleton Warriors and the Bear Warrior. Swish! With a swing of its sword, the Bear Warrior easily took care of one of the Skeleton Warriors. Puhat! A Skeleton Warrior was cut in two in an instant and fell on the ground. Although the other Skeleton Warrior swung its sword at the Bear Warrior, the Bear Warrior¡¯s shield blocked the attack with a ¡®clang.¡¯ Although the Skeleton Warrior tried to continue its attack, a sword bore down like lightning from beyond the shield. To evade the attack, the Skeleton Warrior quickly sidestepped to the right. Crack! However, the Bear Warrior was quicker. The Skeleton Warriors left armor was severed off cleanly. As the Skeleton Warrior staggered after losing its balance, the Bear Warrior struck the Skeleton Warrior with its shield. The Skeleton Warrior¡¯s body flew into the air effortlessly. An overwhelming strength! It was enough to make most players gasp with horror. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t so much as to flinch at the sight of it. Hyrkan. The moment the Bear Warrior struck the Skeleton Warriors with its shield, he was already flying towards the Bear Warrior¡¯s back. Like an arrow flying through the air, Hyrkan drew a parabola and landed on the Bear Warrior¡¯s left shoulder. The armor at this spot was lighter than in the rest of the Bear Warrior¡¯s body to allow its joints to move more freely. Hyrkan stabbed his sword in at this spot. Crack! The sound of armor being penetrated rang out. Then¡­ Stab! So did the sound of its skin being penetrated. That was the end to the sound. ¡®A bit light.¡¯ There were no deeper sounds. Instead, another sound rang out. [Bear Warrior falls under the Demon Curse.] The system alert from the Bear Warrior falling under the Demon Curse. Kuooo! To cleanse the curse it just received, the Bear Warrior used Shout. The ringing from the shout lightly shook Hyrkan who was hanging by the sword stabbed into the Bear Warrior. [Demon Curse disappears due to the Bear Warrior¡¯s Shout.] The curse had disappeared! However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t panic. ¡®A game is just a game.¡¯ Instead, Hyrkan acted as if he had expected it to happen. He used the sword stuck in the Bear Warrior as a pivot to spin himself like a hand of a clock. From 6 to 10, Hyrkan quickly climbed the Bear Warrior¡¯s shoulder. Immediately afterwards, he pulled out the Orc Hero¡¯s Sword and threw it somewhere. Then, in the hole made by the Orc Hero¡¯s Sword, he stabbed in another sword. Stab! This time, a deeper sound rang out. ¡°Aha!¡± As did Hyrkan¡¯s laughter. [Bear Warrior falls under the Demon Curse.] [Bear Warrior falls under the Slow Curse.] [Bear Warrior falls under the Corrosive Ghost.] The three curses quickly swallowed the Bear Warrior¡¯s body. Their effects were instant. The Bear Warrior turned its head to the left to bite Hyrkan. However, his movement was visibly slower than before. Hyrkan quickly jumped off the Bear Warrior, using its shoulder as a launching pad. Even afterwards, he had some time, which he of course used effectively. ¡®Here you go!¡¯ Hyrkan grabbed a fist-sized skeleton that was hanging on his chest and threw it into the Bear Warrior¡¯s mouth. The skeleton grew in size to that of an apple. Then¡­ Boom! It exploded. It was Hyrkan¡¯s new level 60 skill, Bone Explosive. Like Skeleton Warriors, they had to be crafted using materials from monsters. The one Hyrkan just threw was worth 50 gold. Although it was called an explosive, it was just throwing money in Hyrkan¡¯s eyes. Its power was easy to see. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to deal fatal damage. In fact, after being struck by the Bone Explosive, the Bear Warrior used Charge at Hyrkan who had just landed on the ground. It was the perfect sneak attack. Those who didn¡¯t know about it would fall victim to it without doubt. ¡®Hmph.¡¯ However, it was an attack pattern within Hyrkan¡¯s expectations. After landing on the ground, Hyrkan immediately moved to his right. Whosh! A bulldozer razed the spot Hyrkan had just been. There was nothing Hyrkan could do to stop the Bear Warrior when it was using Charge. It was hard enough to dodge it. Kwaaaaa! The Bear Warrior stopped only after crashing down five, large trees. Then, it turned around and faced Hyrkan once again. Hyrkan didn¡¯t smile at the sight. ¡®158 seconds.¡¯ He was colder than ever. ¡®I¡¯ll get at least 10 points within the next 158 seconds.¡¯ Chapter 58 : Bear Warrior (2) Chapter 58 : Bear Warrior (2) Fssh! The breastplate disappeared and the Bear Warrior¡¯s back, filled with brown hair like a field of grass, was on fire. At the same time, the Bear Warrior¡¯s obsidian-like eyes shook violently. Kuoo! It turned its head towards the direction the fireball flew from. There, a Skeleton Magician was standing alone. The Bear Warrior worked its two hind legs and charged towards the Skeleton Magician. His stride and speed easily surpassed the limits of his physique. Charge. With this skill, he was a walking natural disaster. In an instant, he closed the distance while holding his shield in front of him. There was nothing the Skeleton Magician could do to avoid the Bear Warrior¡¯s tackle. Kwang! A boom echoed out as the Skeleton Magician¡¯s bones scattered into the forest. Even after creating such a horrific scene, the Bear Warrior didn¡¯t seem satisfied as it continued its charge and broke two more trees. Uooooo! After stopping its charge, it let out a roar filled with fury. The roar cut past the forest like a sword wind and reached Hyrkan who was running away with the Skeleton Magician as bait. ¡®Whew!¡¯ Hyrkan let out a sigh of relief on the inside. ¡®I almost died.¡¯ 33 minutes had passed since his battle with the Bear Warrior began. 14 minutes had passed since he had successfully attacked his target points and took off the Bear Warrior¡¯s breastplate. After that, the Bear Warrior naturally entered its second phase. Once the second phase began, Hyrkan¡¯s strategy became simple. Since he had successfully taken off the breastplate which was his main priority, he just had to focus on dealing damage rather than destroying its armor. Of course, dealing damage wasn¡¯t so easy either. ¡®It really is hard without a priest.¡¯ The most important thing was to land his attacks. He estimated his current power and organization to be that of a 5 to 10 men party of his level. It was impressive. As much as this was the style of the necromancer class, performing the role of so many people by himself was something even the Warlord developers couldn¡¯t have predicted. However, there was a critical weakness in his forces. The lack of a healer. In a situation where everything was over once Hyrkan died, the lack of a healer that could keep him alive was bigger than he had anticipated. The role of a healer was absolute. Once a healer reached level 100, as long as a player did not die, he could be back to fighting condition within a minute. There was a skill that revived an ally even if his HP became 0. It was thanks to healers that Warlord¡¯s strikers and tankers could attach themselves to gigantic monsters like mosquitos to suck their blood. Sadly, the help of a healer was something Hyrkan couldn¡¯t expect in this battle. His only source of healing was a HP recovery candy worth 100 gold each. As such, Hyrkan considered his two Skeleton Magicians as his life lines. When a magic attack struck the Bear Warrior in its second phase, it turned its aggro to the magician. Hyrkan used this fact to his advantage. Of course, it wasn¡¯t something he could rely on often. ¡®With this, Skeleton Magician is on cooldown for a bit.¡¯ To begin with, Skeleton Magician Summon had a longer cooldown time than Skeleton Warrior Summon. Plus, the most he could summon was two. ¡®They¡¯re magic power eating ghosts¡­ er, skeletons!¡¯ Most importantly, the amount of magic power needed to summon them and use magic attacks was huge. He had already used much of the consumable items he brought. He had used 20 Bone Explosives worth 50 gold each, and used so much magic power and stamina recovery candies that he lost count. Because of how much candy he ate, he could taste their flavors just by swallowing his saliva. Furthermore, he had used most of the buff items he had. Currently, he only had about 20 percent of them left. Kuoo! Hearing the Bear Warrior¡¯s roar, Hyrkan shook his head side by side. ¡®It should be entering its third phase soon¡­¡¯ When participating in a boss raid, the quantity of items one brought was key. If the boss monster had more HP than the quantity of items allowed, the raid was a fail. Otherwise, the raid was a success. It goes without saying that it was foolish to risk one¡¯s life on a failed raid. It was the same for Hyrkan. A true expert knew when to back down in face of a failure. It was much better than going overboard and losing everything. Of course¡­ ¡®Please.¡¯ Although many understood this in theory, not many could carry it out in action. The same was true for Hyrkan. Although his head understood what needed to be done, in a situation where he had to run, Hyrkan would not do so. That is, if his plans ever went awry, the only thing left for Hyrkan would be destruction. At that moment¡­ Boom! The Bear Warrior¡¯s loud stomp instantly silenced the loud forest. Although Hyrkan had been anxious, he was slightly relieved as the corner of his mouth curved up slightly. He let out a short breath of air. ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± The third phase had begun. ¡ï¡ï¡ï There was a question that players known to be good at raids received to the point of exhaustion. ¡°What¡¯s the secret to having a good, easy raid?¡± Most players answered like so. It was important to coordinate with your allies. It was important to know the hunting method in and out. It was important to prepare for anything that could happen. It was important to keep calmness in all situations and have good judgement¡­ etc. Although they were decent answers, the most definite answer was something else. ¡°Go for a monster lower than your own level. With that, the raid will be easy and you¡¯ll do a good job.¡± You had to hunt a monster weaker than yourself. Warlord¡¯s monsters were designed so that a level 100 player could hunt monsters under level 100. It wasn¡¯t the developers that did this, but the artificial intelligence behind the system management. In any case, it was much easier for a level 100 player to hunt a level 80 monster than a level 100 monster. It was typical of an RPG game. However, those that were known to be good at raids usually went for monsters 10 to even 30 or 40 levels higher than themselves. A boss monster no less! Most did not consider raids as real raids if this condition was not met. If put in a good way, it was being risky. If put in a bad way, it was being foolish. Of course, those that played to make a living had to be risky and foolish. Having fun wasn¡¯t their main concern. No one watched cars going 80 km per hour on a highway for entertainment. Cars had to race at about 300 km per hour or so for people to watch and be entertained. Otherwise, no one would pay the money to see such a thing. Then what was the best way to be both risky and foolish, yet still produce good results? Everything! You had to be good at everything! Keeping calm and having good judgement were just the basics. Boldness and decisiveness, fast reaction, and readiness to gamble. These were all traits that had to be honed to the extreme. In this sense, Hyrkan was the best. Boom! After entering the third phase, the Bear Warrior¡¯s stats rose by 33 percent. No debuff magic worked on it and it could use Charge without a cooldown time limit. Plus, it was effectively a machine. It attacked anything in its sight and destroyed it. Watching the Bear Warrior charge towards you was like watching a truck trying to crush you at full speed. Most blanked out at such a sight. Hyrkan, on the other hand, waited for a timing. He didn¡¯t blindly dodge the Bear Warrior¡¯s charge. ¡®COME!¡¯ Instead, Hyrkan baited the Bear Warrior. With a large rock behind him, he waited until the Bear Warrior was close enough. Only then did he throw his body to the side and narrowly avoided the Bear Warrior¡¯s Charge. Boom! The Bear Warrior¡¯s body struck the rock and a booming sound rang out. After rolling on the ground and landing, Hyrkan immediately checked out the state of the Bear Warrior, then his own surroundings. ¡®Are there more rocks?¡¯ Although it depended on the situation, it was generally impossible to deal damage to the Bear Warrior with attacks. At least, not with Hyrkan¡¯s current power. It wasn¡¯t that he was completely out of ways to deal damage, but that the method he had was barely effective. For that reason, the best tactic was to do what he had just done. Using a large rock, cliff wall, or thick tree, the Bear Warrior had to be baited to charging. It was easy to say, but he had to perform the action of narrowly dodging a bulldozer throttling at full speed multiple times. Those watching would certainly be on the edge of their seats for the entire duration. Thankfully, this wouldn¡¯t last for much longer. Kuoo! The Bear Warrior had thrown away its shield. Even while examining his surroundings, Hyrkan had never lost sight of the Bear Warrior. When he saw the Bear Warrior¡¯s action, a light shone in his eyes. ¡®A special pattern!¡¯ Having thrown away its shield, the Bear Warrior would cease to be a warrior. Instead, it would turn into a tyrannical beast. One that ran on its fours! One that moved only by its instincts with its life at risk! Hyrkan ran towards the rock he found. Once he did, he threw a Skeleton Fragment and summoned a Skeleton Warrior. A Blood Goblin Skeleton Warrior made its appearance. It stared fixedly at Hyrkan after being summoned, waiting for his command. Hyrkan gave it a Bone Explosive and drew a cross on its skull with his finger. ¡®Good.¡¯ Then, he picked up the Blood Goblin Skeleton Warrior and threw it amidst the grass. Thwack! The moment the sound of it landing rang out, Hyrkan made a similar sound with his finger. Snap! ¡®Here¡¯s the finale.¡¯ Kukuku! The Bear Warrior was charging towards Hyrkan at full speed. On its fours, it was now faster than before. With the rock behind him, Hyrkan faced the Bear Warrior head on. There was no time to even blink, much less gulp. A few seconds afterwards¡­ BOOM! With a thundering blast, the large rock shattered into pieces. The Bear Warrior¡¯s body rolled on the ground after shattering the rock. An enormous monster measured in tons was rolling on the ground. The result was disaster itself. The trees on its path was pulled up by the roots, and the ground became a mess. Kuooo! The Bear Warrior got up from such a state. Its ferocity had not died down in the slightest. As if to show off its good health, it stood on its hind legs. However, it no longer had the aura it once did. Its helmet was crushed from its repeated charge, its breastplate was gone, and its back was burnt black from the Skeleton Magician¡¯s fire. Its shoulder pads and gloves had also become rags and the armor on its lower body was dented in several places. It was in this instant that a crudely designed sword flew to its chest like an arrow. Stab! The Orc Hero¡¯s Sword. The sword dug itself deeply into the weakened Bear Warrior. The Bear Warrior raised its head to look at the one who threw the sword. Hyrkan, wearing his Skeleton Armor, put his hands up and shouted towards the Bear Warrior. ¡°COME!¡± Provocation. It was one that the Bear Warrior had no reason to refuse. It stomped towards Hyrkan. With its sword and shield gone, it raised its hand to swipe Hyrkan down. Then it planned to bite down on him to finish him off. In that instant¡­ Clack clack! The hidden Skeleton Warrior made its appearance. The two horns on its head clearly showed that it was under the effect of Madness Helm. When the Bear Warrior noticed its presence and turned around, it was too late. The Skeleton Warrior had already flung its body towards the Bear Warrior. It flew like a bird and stung the Bear Warrior¡¯s body like a wasp. At the same time¡­ Boom! The Bone Explosive in the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s possession exploded. The destructive force of the Bone Explosive was immense. It had to be. A 500 gold Bone Explosive. It was the strongest one Hyrkan had prepared, one that rivaled an attack by a level 70 magician. Of course, that wasn¡¯t enough. The Bear Warrior had not fallen. Up until here, everything was as Hyrkan planned. ¡®Perfect.¡¯ While the Bear Warrior was distracted by the Bone Explosive, Hyrkan had charged towards the Bear Warrior. Now, he leaped into the air, flying towards it. He grabbed the sword in the Bear Warrior¡¯s chest. Stab! The sword dug in even deeper. Guuuuuo! Just like that, the sword cut down on the Bear Warrior¡¯s skin, muscle, and flesh. What adorned the Bear Warrior¡¯s death was Hyrkan¡¯s sword. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡°I need two titles?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Two titles related to the Bulkas Rangers are required in order to receive the scenario quest from the Bulkas Ranger captain, Maoong.¡± After hearing the explanation, Hatch shook his head. ¡°Two titles to obtain the quest¡­ what a pain in the ass.¡± ¡°The quickest way is to perform 10 quests that the Bulkas Rangers give and hunting 100 monsters within a day. The quest team is currently doing their best, so it should be over shortly.¡± ¡°This is why I don¡¯t like main scenario quests. It takes 2, 3 days to do pretty much anything¡­ hey, is there a level 100 hunting ground nearby?¡± ¡°Past the Bulkas Mountain Range is a Block Field. It hasn¡¯t been opened yet, so I can only suggest you look elsewhere¡­¡± The man explaining stopped when he saw Hatch waving his hand. Shaking his head, hatch gulped down the melon beer in front of him. He was irritated. ¡®Two days at the very least. If I¡¯m slow, I could even be stuck here for four days.¡¯ Four days was enough to level up. Using the time to complete a quest was a bitter thing to do. Of course, it would work out for the better in the future. After all, the title he would get from the quest progress would be worth more than leveling up once. There was something else that was irritating him. ¡°By the way, are you sure Hahoe Mask Hyrkan is near here?¡± ¡°That, we know for sure. There¡¯s a guild called the Apollo Guild. It seems they clashed with Hahoe Mask Hyrkan recently.¡± ¡°The hell is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a guild made by some rich guy named Apollo. His characteristic would be¡­ that he¡¯s extremely fat.¡± At his explanation, Hatch immediately thought of a person. ¡®Ah, so the owner of that poor armor must have been Apollo.¡¯ ¡°So? Why did they clash?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure, but the chance is that the Apollo Guild picked a fight with him. The rumors surrounding them aren¡¯t the greatest. Not that it¡¯s bad¡­ in any case, Hyrkan hasn¡¯t left the Bulkas Mountain Range. We are sure of it. I will take care of looking for him, so you just have to show up when I do.¡± Even at this, Hatch¡¯s expression didn¡¯t brighten up. In the end, nothing was resolved. ¡®I swear, once my contract ends, I¡¯m leaving for sure.¡¯ Remembering the contract duration, Hatch gulped down the melon beer once again. Hatch. His contract with the Stormhunter Guild would last until year 2050. Chapter 59 : Dungeon Map (1) Chapter 59 : Dungeon Map (1) [You completed the quest, ¡®Maoong¡¯s Test.¡¯] [You obtained the title, ¡®Bear Warrior Hunter.¡¯] [You obtained the title, ¡®One Who Killed the Master of the Bulkas Mountain Ranger.¡¯ [You obtained the title, ¡®First Hunter.¡¯] [Golem Summon skill rank rises to D.] [Madness Helm skill rank rises to C.] [You have leveled up.] Perfect! There was no other word that could describe this moment. After successfully hunting the Bear Warrior alone, Hyrkan enjoyed the reward fully. He had completed the main scenario quest, obtained a total of four titles, increased two of his skill ranks, and leveled up. Lastly¡­ ¡°Yep, this is it.¡± In the puddle left by the melted corpse of the Bear Warrior, Hyrkan could see three fist-sized jewels. Picking up the jewels, Hyrkan trembled. ¡®This is what you call a lucky drop!¡¯ The pent up feeling from the Sword Monkeys finally exploded as a smiled formed naturally. He had begun to shoulder dance, which he had not done recently. Along with it, he converted everything from the Bear Warrior into crafting coins. Although it was a tedious task, the smile never left Hyrkan¡¯s face as he toiled. It was one of the happiest face Hyrkan had since starting Warlord. The amount of coins he got was enough to fill the pouch he brought to the size of an adult male¡¯s head. ¡®Today¡¯s just getting better and better!¡¯ He didn¡¯t think he would get three crafting jewels. Three crafting jewels meant much more than getting one more crafting jewel from two. ¡®If I sell these as a set, I can get much more¡­¡¯ Currently, there was no Bear Warrior set anywhere in Warlord. With three crafting jewels, it was enough to craft 3 rare rank items, which was enough to produce a set effect. ¡®Just selling these would net about 10,000 gold at the minimum.¡¯ If he could sell these to an item collector, he could buy an entire cow, much less some meat. ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll be oiling up my stomach¡­ with cow oil that is.¡¯ That wasn¡¯t it. The video he took was phenomenal. A necromancer hunting a boss monster by himself was impressive even in Hyrkan¡¯s eyes. He predicted 5 or even 10 million views. The worth of 10 million views was enormous. Sponsorships would come like candy and the amount he would get from that would be completely different from before. What he was getting in won would turn into yen. In other words, he would get 10 times more than before! ¡°¡­ wow.¡± After a brief pause, Hyrkan kissed his biceps. ¡®Well done, Hyrkan. You¡¯re the best.¡¯ Self-praise. Although he looked like a crazyman, Hyrkan was satisfied with everything he had done to the point he felt no remorse in his embarrassing action. In fact, he wasn¡¯t just satisfied. From one to ten, everything had played out like he wanted. Moreover, this was a first in Warlord history, and first in Hyrkan¡¯s successes. ¡®Yep, An Jaehyun! This! This is it! Your choice wasn¡¯t wrong!¡¯ Solo raid success! Although there was room for improvement, Hyrkan could also feel the infinite potential for improvement from this raid. He now had assurance exceeding confidence. ¡®Just keep going this way.¡¯ I wasn¡¯t wrong! These words that echoed in Hyrkan¡¯s mind was the biggest reward from this raid. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± ¡°What did you just say?¡± Bulkas Ranger Village. Located at halfway up the Bulkas Mountain, the Bulkas Mountain Village was the only place where players could rest, buy consumable items, and receive quests. Of course, those that visited the Bulkas Mountain Range naturally stopped by at least once at this place. Moreover, as people found out that the Bulkas Mountain Range was ideal for levels 60~80, more have been coming by the day. ¡°What do you mean by what? I¡¯m saying what I¡¯m feeling.¡± At such a place, someone was spending his entire time just looking for one person. It was natural that he wouldn¡¯t be in the greatest mood. At the moment, he didn¡¯t even want to hide how he was feeling. ¡°What if the executives hear you? Shut it.¡± ¡°Like they¡¯d come here. They¡¯re too busy fucking around together. Tell them to come!¡± Two Apollo Guild players were currently waiting by the Bulkas Ranger Village entrance, looking for the player that killed three members of the Apollo Guild. They must have spent at least 7 hours by now. It could be considered short, depending on how one looked at it. It was common for players to spend six or so hours to get from hunting grounds to castles. This was also why some players amassed items that raised their movement speeds. However, it wasn¡¯t a short time considering they had paid tens of millions of won to buy the gaming machine and were paying monthly fees to continue playing. 7 hours looking for a person could never feel longer. Not to mention, they weren¡¯t doing this of their own volition. It would be fortunate if foul language was the only thing coming out of them. ¡°I mean, come on. The one that got PKed is the retard. Why do we have to do this for those retards?¡± ¡°Hey, lower your voice!¡± ¡°Three of them couldn¡¯t even take care of one person. How does that even make sense? They were the ones who followed him too! They want us to take revenge for them? Isn¡¯t it better to just cut them from the guild?¡± ¡°Watch what you¡¯re saying. Otherwise¡­¡± ¡°What? I can leave the guild, who cares? There are thousands of guilds in Warlord.¡± The moment he said those words, the player could feel even more rage boiling up from inside him. Leave the guild? Sure. He could do it. It¡¯s not like a guild could prevent him from leaving, and he surely wasn¡¯t breaking any laws by doing so. It¡¯s just that¡­ he was afraid of what would happen as a result. Playing as a runaway wasn¡¯t something he considered fun. No one did. ¡®This dirty world¡­¡¯ Above all, such a thing was sure to happen in the Apollo Guild. The guild master was someone who did anything he could do punish those that ignored him. With how much he was overflowing with money, there wasn¡¯t much he couldn¡¯t do in Warlord. After all, he could hire a Ranker given enough money. Of course, he could still leave if he wanted. He just had to die 6 or so times. But rather than going through such things, it was better to just swallow his pride and enjoy an easier time in his current guild. ¡°Really, fuck this¡­¡± At that moment. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°What? Stop trying to stop me from¡­¡± ¡°No, I was just thinking, what if we just catch a random guy?¡± ¡°What?¡± The Apollo Guild members thought up a solution to their problem. ¡°Think about it. We don¡¯t even know the face of the guy we¡¯re looking for. Then why don¡¯t we just find someone who looks like a pushover? We can just say it was him, and I¡¯m sure the executives will fall for it.¡± ¡°What if they don¡¯t?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll just say we mistook him. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re in the wrong here. They didn¡¯t even give us a picture!¡± At that, the other guild member fell over in a swoop. They were both furious, although only one of them was voicing it out loud. And in their line of sight¡­ ¡°How about him?¡± ¡°Him?¡± ¡°He looks like a pushover. Even if not, it doesn¡¯t look like he has any backers we need to worry about.¡± ¡°He does look like a pushover.¡± A suitable target appeared. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Hatch turned around. ¡®What now?¡¯ There was a ruckus nearby. One player was surrounded by several others. Hatch made apathetic expression. ¡®In Warlord, there are no days without wind.¡¯ Hatch would have usually ignored a situation like this. He was already overflowing with tasks. Even now, he was coming back from a quest to obtain one of his titles. The Top 30 Guilds employed a method where their quest team did most of the work and the main members came by receive credit. Even this was a tedious task, and Hatch didn¡¯t want to involve himself in any more bothersome things. ¡®Eh?¡¯ However, the players in question were players Hatch knew. ¡®Aren¡¯t they from that Apollo Guild?¡¯ And. ¡®Wait, weren¡¯t they looking for Hahoe Mask?¡¯ They were looking for the same person he was looking for. Otherwise, Hatch would not have cared. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ Hatch walked towards the crowded area, and when he did, he could hear what they were talking about. ¡°I already told you, I don¡¯t know who you guys are!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to weasel out of it! Pay for your actions!¡± ¡°What actions?¡± ¡°Going against the Apollo Guild!¡± ¡°I told you, this is the first time I¡¯m hearing that name! I just came here for the first time!¡± Hatch turned his head. A typical traveler¡¯s outfit. To be exact, it was the Subjugation Association¡¯s default set. On top of this, the player in question had the word ¡®pushover¡¯ written all over him. Surrounding him were 6 members of the Apollo Guild. ¡®That¡¯s Hahoe Mask Hyrkan?¡¯ Since he had never seen Hahoe Mask Hyrkan¡¯s real face, there was no way of confirming whether he was looking at the real Hahoe Mask. As such, Hatch gave it a little thought. ¡®As long as Hahoe Mask Hyrkan isn¡¯t an idiot, he wouldn¡¯t come over announcing that he¡¯s the Hahoe Mask after taking care of members of the Apollo Guild.¡¯ The symbol of Hyrkan was his hahoe mask. He appeared in all his videos wearing it. In other words, he could easily hide his identity by taking it off. It was clear that Hyrkan wasn¡¯t such an idiot that wouldn¡¯t make use of that fact. That is, it was impossible for Hatch to decide whether this was the real Hyrkan by looking at his face. After all, he had never seen him before. On the other hand, the Apollo Guild was much more likely to have seen his face. They were taken out by him after all. In any case, they would have more information about Hyrkan¡¯s looks than Hatch himself did. Hatch quickly came to a decision. ¡®If he¡¯s the real one, great. Even if he¡¯s not, I¡¯m helping a guy getting bullied, so I¡¯ll be justified.¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t hurt to try. ¡°Wait.¡± Hatch came forward. At that moment, everyone¡¯s attention turned to Hatch. The Apollo Guild¡¯s members frowned, and it was clear that they were thinking, ¡®who the hell is this?¡¯ On the other hand, the player surrounded by them had a completely different expression than them. His stiff expression seemed to be saying, ¡®this fucker is¡­!¡¯ Of course, Hatch didn¡¯t catch the meaning behind their expressions. He wasn¡¯t the type to study people¡¯s faces, and he surely wasn¡¯t in a situation to be doing so. Hatch only spoke his mind. ¡°Stop causing a ruckus. I have a business with him, so let him go.¡± At Hatch¡¯s words, one of the Apollo Guild members snorted as if he had just heard the most absurd thing. ¡°And who are you?¡± Hatch sneered. ¡®So this is why the Top 30 Guild members sometimes go about hiding their identity. This is fun in a way.¡¯ This was the first time he had been treated this way since he started Warlord. Rather than finding it unpleasant, he found it amusing. ¡°Me?¡± At that moment, Hatch began to fiddle with his watch. Not just the Top 30 Guilds, but most other famous guilds had their own guild uniforms. The Stormhunter Guild naturally had uniforms as well. Although the item options weren¡¯t that good, they were the best defensive items against players. However¡­ ¡®Ah!¡¯ Hatch realized that he hadn¡¯t put his uniform in his item slot. His expression immediately turned to a frown. ¡®What a stupid mistake!¡¯ Quickly taking his hand off his watch, he raised it up and lowered the hood covering his head. Although he didn¡¯t have his uniform on, his face was still well known. He was hoping the other side would notice him and back off. Unfortunately for Hatch, none of the Apollo Guild¡¯s players noticed him. Although they momentarily studied him, thinking he looked familiar, they weren¡¯t able to remember who he was. In the end, the reaction he got wasn¡¯t what he was hoping for. ¡°What? Are you trying to pick a fight with our guild? Do you want to quit this game too?¡± At his words, Hatch didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. Then¡­ ¡°Hey! Hatch!¡± A sharp voice rang out. ¡°Where are you going by yourself? Stick with the team! Do you wanna die?¡± Someone shouted and everyone turned to look at them. Other players who were just watching the situation also turned to look towards the direction of the voice. Then, they all made the same expression. ¡°!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Stormhunter Guild!¡± The Stormhunter Guild. One of the representative guilds in all of Warlord. Their presence was akin to stars on the sky for most Warlord players. Now looking directly at them, they could only gasp for air. One person. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with my luck today?¡¯ The person in the middle of all this, Hyrkan. He was the only one who made an unpleasant rather than surprised expression. Chapter 60 : Dungeon Map (2) Chapter 60 : Dungeon Map (2) Hyrkan¡¯s plan was simple. He would visit the Bulkas Ranger Village in plain clothes, finish his quest with Maoong, then leave with the rewards and a new quest. He had no plans to show off his identity and gather needless attention. Unfortunately, the Apollo Guild had caught sight of Hyrkan who was wearing plain clothes. They didn¡¯t do it knowing Hyrkan¡¯s real identity. Hyrkan could tell that they just stopped a random guy that seemed to be a pushover. Although Hyrkan wasn¡¯t happy that they saw him as a pushover, he was more than happy to laugh it off as fate¡¯s trick. But. ¡®Why are the Stormhunters here?¡¯ Ballista Hatch. The moment Hyrkan saw that face, his face stiffened. With Hatch, Hyrkan¡¯s ill-ties ran deep. Hyrkan had been killed by him three times in the past. Not in a 1v1 of course, but while Stormhunter Guild¡¯s tankers were holding him off, Hatch had used magic and killed Hyrkan. Hatch was undoubtedly a player with skills. His ability to predict Hyrkan¡¯s escape route and attack accordingly always impressed Hyrkan. It was surprising enough for Hyrkan to have seen him, but he was even approaching him saying he had a business with him. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ He didn¡¯t feel good about the current situation. If this was it, then Hyrkan would have passed it off as fate playing a trick on him. Even in the worst case, Hyrkan was confident he could hold his ground against Ballista. Hatch wasn¡¯t good at fighting 1v1 anyways. However¡­ ¡°Where are you going by yourself? Stick with the team! Do you wanna die?¡± Storm Princess Hahui. The moment she appeared, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t just think of this as fate¡¯s trick. Furthermore, Hyrkan knew the situation had become even more complicated. ¡®Why this crazy bitch of all people?¡¯ Hahui. She was a downgraded version of the Storm Queen. She was weaker than Shir, but the problem was that she saw Shir as some sort of a goddess. Why else would she be called the Storm Princess? She was also the person that irritated Hyrkan the most in the past. To Hahui, Hyrkan who had refused Shir¡¯s offer and bared his fangs against her was no different than Satan himself. Although she wasn¡¯t as skilled as Hyrkan, with her going after Hyrkan like a mad dog, she had always irked Hyrkan, like a pebble in his shoes. Furthermore, Hyrkan had never fought Ballista Hatch up front. Hahui, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Not only had seen her up front multiple times, he had been headbutted by her dozens of times. ¡®Let¡¯s not get involved.¡¯ It was only obvious that tension and irritation would fill Hyrkan in this moment. Of course, the ones who were most confused were the Apollo Guild members. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Why are the Stormhunters¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s from the Stormhunter Guild?¡± ¡°We¡¯re fucked¡­¡± Although they had planned on using a pushover to take care of their problems, a tiger had followed the pushover¡¯s trails. Not only were they confused, they were also fearful for their lives. Meanwhile, Hatch and Hahui conversed, not minding the surprised Apollo Guild members at all. ¡°Hatch, you son of a bitch, do you wanna die?¡± ¡°Can you stop saying that? Clean your mouth and be more ladylike.¡± ¡°What did you say, you son of a bitch?¡± ¡°¡­ Nevermind.¡± ¡°If you keep ignoring the guild¡¯s rules, you¡¯re going to die.¡± Hatch only shook his head at Hahui¡¯s foul language. Although her appearance was that of a small, cute girl, she talked and acted like a man. Furthermore, she emphasized the guild¡¯s rules more than anyone else in the Stormhunter Guild. She hated those that affected the guild¡¯s number one rule ¨C group activity. Plus, she was the Stormhunter Guild¡¯s Disciplinary Leader and Assault Captain. Although she was scary, Hatch had to admit her worth was greater than his. ¡®Fuck my life.¡¯ Hatch gritted his teeth and shut his mouth. Although he acknowledged her abilities and achievements, every time he talked to her, he wanted to leave the game more and more. And every time he felt this way, his contract that lasted until 2050 carved away at his soul. While Hatch was thinking about his painful circumstance, Hahui turned her gaze away from Hatch and looked towards Hyrkan. ¡°You¡¯re Hahoe Mask Hyrkan?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± Hyrkan immediately replied. ¡®No need for me to play along with them.¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t know why they were looking for him, but since there were no benefits in revealing his identity, he didn¡¯t plan on doing so. Hahui then glanced sideways to Hatch, giving a ¡®is this him?¡¯ kind of look. Hatch avoided her eyes, indicating he wanted nothing to do with her. Hahui looked at Hyrkan like a wolf in front of a prey. Suddenly, her fist flew towards Hyrkan. It happened in an instant. There were only two who could keep up with what happened in real time. One was Hahui, who initiated the action, and the other was of course¡­ ¡®I knew it. This bitch.¡¯ Hyrkan. He knew the Storm Princess¡¯s temper better than anyone. If he dodged her fist here, it would be obvious that he wasn¡¯t a typical player. Because of this, even though he could have dodged and even counterattacked¡­ Smack! He let himself be hit. ¡®Tsk!¡¯ Like a tree, Hyrkan didn¡¯t move an inch and let himself be hit by Hahui¡¯s fist. By the force of the attack, his body flew backwards like a scene from the movies. Thud! He fell on the ground with his arms and legs out in a ´ó shape. It was perfect. Even Hahui who threw the punch was surprised. ¡°Hey, looks like it¡¯s not him.¡± Watching Hahui say this to his face, Hatch was dumbfounded. ¡®You¡¯re the one who hit him. Why are you looking at me for?¡¯ Meanwhile, Hyrkan got up from the ground. If it happened in real life, he could very well be dead or at the very least be fainted, but he was in a VR game. ¡°What was that?! You think you can just hit people because you¡¯re in a famous guild?¡± At his words, Hahui made a slight frown. Considering her personality, she would not resolve the situation in the correct manner. As such, Hatch took action. ¡°Sorry. Looks like we got the wrong person.¡± Hatch bowed in a 90-degree angle, showing sincerity in his apology. Of course, no victim would let the matter to rest with just that. Hyrkan raised his voice. ¡°You think apologizing is enough?¡± ¡°No, of course not. We¡¯ll compensate you as well.¡± ¡°Compensate?¡¯ Hatch immediately took out a gold colored coin. It was a clean coin with ¡®1000¡¯ written on it. 1,000 gold. In real world currency, it was worth 1,000,000 won. Since it didn¡¯t really hurt when hit in the virtual world, it was enough to make anyone satisfied. Hatch was also more than happy to use 1,000 gold to let the matter to rest. Of course, he was not paying this out of his own pocket. It was the Stormhunter Guild that was paying. The coin he took out was given to him as part of the guild¡¯s support fund. ¡°We apologize.¡± Watching him bow once again in a sincere manner, Hyrkan took the coin with a sour expression. Hyrkan then turned around and looked at the Apollo Guild members. Watching them stand around flustered, Hyrkan opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m going to say this once again. I¡¯m not the one you¡¯re looking for. I can go now, right?¡± At this, the Apollo Guild members could only nod their heads. Although it didn¡¯t look like the pushover was related to the Stormhunter Guild, they weren¡¯t in any position to continue talking in front of them. Hyrkan then disappeared, still looking sour. Just like that, the small ruckus came to an end. ¡ï¡ï¡ï After the crowd dispersed, Hatch looked at Hahui and spoke. ¡°You better get that 1,000 gold back to me.¡± At Hatch¡¯s words, Hahui simply stared at her right fist. Hatch looked at her with a sour expression. ¡®So you¡¯re ignoring me now?¡¯ In that instant¡­ Whish! Her right fist came flying at his face. ¡°!¡± Scared witless, Hatch tilted his head backwards, and Hahui¡¯s fist stopped right in front of his eyes. It wasn¡¯t an intimidation Hatch could just let off as a joke. ¡°The hell was that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s normal, right?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°When a fist is flying towards you, isn¡¯t it normal to react?¡± ¡°What do you¡­¡± It was then that Hatch remembered the scene of the pushover flying backwards with Hahui¡¯s fist. He flew in a picture perfect manner, like something out of the movies. It was almost like he was a dummy, rather than a living being. That is, it seemed like he saw the punch coming, and chose to let it happen without dodging. Of course, Hatch didn¡¯t dwell on it for long. ¡°Who the hell¡¯s gonna dodge when you throw out a punch so suddenly? It¡¯d be weird if you could react.¡± Hahui¡¯s punch was just too quick. Even just now, Hatch could react slightly because he was focused on Hahui. But back then, Hahui had attacked completely randomly. The man who was sent flying was totally justified in his lack of reaction. Not to mention, he didn¡¯t seem like a good player anyways, as if he had spent all his luck just getting to the Bulkas Mountain Range. With the Bulkas Mountain Range¡¯s recent rise in popularity, many players were coming. The number of monsters on the way to the Bulkas Village was low, and the paths to take were laid out online. It was easy for anyone to arrive at the Bulkas Village with enough luck. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Nevermind that, just pay back the 1,000 gold.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Hahui snorted and cut him off. ¡®This bitch. I¡¯m going to transfer away from the guild if only to get away from her¡­¡¯ Hatch also didn¡¯t want to continue talking to Hahui. But it wasn¡¯t so easy for him. ¡°You can be stubborn later. Since we¡¯ve been seen, we have to move fast. Like you said, we have to move as a group. It¡¯s not the time to worry about Hahoe Mask Hyrkan or whoever.¡± It wouldn¡¯t be long until the story of the Stormhunter Guild entering the Bulkas Mountain Range would be spread. They were expecting it in the first place. There was no way rumors wouldn¡¯t spread when the Stormhunter Guild was moving. Plus, if they kept hiding themselves, it would just be a waste of time. As such, the best way was to move as quickly as possible to accomplish their goal once people found out. ¡°Fine.¡± Hahui also agreed with Hatch. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡®That bitch.¡¯ Hyrkan held his boiling anger in. ¡®I was going to let you guys be, but looks like you guys want to follow me to the ends of the earth.¡¯ Although he would never forget his past relationship with the Stormhunter Guild, he didn¡¯t have any plans to go after them in this new life. But since things had turned out this way, Hyrkan was boiling with rage. ¡®They¡¯re just as unlikable in this life as they were in the last.¡¯ It was true that he was able to avoid trouble thanks to Hatch and Hahui. Without them, dealing with the Apollo Guild would have been annoying. ¡®Hmph.¡¯ Hyrkan grit his teeth. He didn¡¯t want to thank the Stormhunter Guild for anything. On the other hand, he was surprised. ¡®They aren¡¯t called the Top 30 Guilds for nothing, I guess.¡¯ The fact that the Stormhunter Guild came to the Bulkas Mountain Range meant that they were progressing in the main scenario quest. Hyrkan could come to the Bulkas Mountain Range because he knew about it from the start. Normally, guilds had to pick up clues from different places and take a roundabout way to get to the areas related to the main scenario quests. The Stormhunter Guild also likely would have found clues regarding the Bulkas Mountain Range while completing multiple different quest routes. ¡®If I started late, it would¡¯ve been quite the hassle.¡¯ The Top 30 Guilds progressed very quickly thanks to their quest teams. They didn¡¯t hesitate to spend money to buy information either. Some of them even shared information with each other. Had Hyrkan spent 10 to 14 more days leveling up as he had originally planned, his path would have overlapped with the Stormhunter Guild. It would have been a disaster if he had failed in hunting the Bear Warrior because of it. ¡®Good thing I did it in one try.¡¯ Hyrkan let out a short sigh of relief. At the same time, Hyrkan became aware of the strength of the Top 30 Guilds, and realized the kind of determination and resolution he had to have to go against them by himself. ¡®I have to be quicker. Next up is meeting Maoong.¡¯ Hyrkan couldn¡¯t afford to waste any time. Chapter 61 : Dungeon Map (3) Chapter 61 : Dungeon Map (3) ¡°A fully armed bear fighting on its hind legs like a warrior¡­ something is definitely happening here in the Bulkas Mountain Range.¡± As Hyrkan told Maoong everything he could about the Bear Warrior, Maoong had a grim expression. When Maoong stopped talking, the air was filled with a serious and somber atmosphere. And as if to match such an atmosphere, Hyrkan also kept a stern expression. Of course, his thinking was completely different on the inside. ¡®Come on, let¡¯s get this over with.¡¯ The fact that the Stormhunter Guild had arrived at the Bulkas Mountain Range made Hyrkan restless. He was no longer happy to keep up with Maoong taking his sweet time. Unfortunately for Hyrkan, Maoong had no way of knowing what Hyrkan was thinking. He was faithful to his role. ¡°Thank you.¡± He started with an expression of gratitude. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, it would have been hard to avoid a casualty. We also learned a valuable piece of information thanks to you.¡± ¡°Please. I¡¯m just happy I could be of help.¡± Hyrkan replied immediately. ¡°Thank you, really.¡± ¡°No, no.¡± Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but make a sour face. ¡®Hurry¡­¡¯ Then, as if Hyrkan¡¯s prayers had been heard, Maoong got up from his seat. After heading to one of the bookshelves that were lined up against the wall, he carefully took out a book. Although its cover didn¡¯t look any different than the others, its inside was filled with folded papers. ¡®Eh?¡¯ The voice inside Hyrkan¡¯s head urging him on disappeared like snow on heated asphalt. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s expectation began to grow, as Maoong placed the folded papers on his desk for Hyrkan to see. ¡°These are maps I¡¯ve gathered during my time here at the Bulkas Mountain Range.¡± Maps! Upon hearing this word, Hyrkan let out a shout inwardly. ¡®Yes! Dungeon maps!¡¯ Dungeon map. As one might expect, it was a map showing the location of a dungeon. In Warlord, dungeon maps were no different than treasure maps. Another name for them was¡­ ¡®Maoong, you¡¯re collecting some good stuff here!¡¯ Certified checks. That was the worth of a dungeon map. A dungeon from a dungeon map guaranteed at least 1 title and a Rare rank item. Dungeons also gave much higher EXP than field hunting grounds, and videos of them were highly anticipated as well. If lucky, one could find hidden quests, and most importantly, the chance of leaving a dungeon with a valuable skill-book was immensely high. Most skill-books that were Rare rank and above came from dungeons. ¡®They say life is full of ups and downs. With what I just went through, this makes me feel so good!¡¯ Hyrkan was back to being extremely happy. ¡®Looks like it¡¯s really going to be beef tonight.¡¯ Hyrkan began to immediately think about his dinner. Maoong then continued. ¡°Considering their value, I¡¯ve kept them with me, but since I cannot leave the Bulkas Mountain Range, it is a waste to just let them be.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°Although it might not be enough of a reward, take one you want.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Hyrkan wasn¡¯t disappointed by this in any way. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter which one I choose.¡¯ He didn¡¯t brood over which one to choose. He simply picked the middle one, from the five maps in front of him. ¡®It¡¯ll be 10,000 gold at the very least¡­¡¯ With a 10,000,000 won check in hand, Hyrkan could feel his heart racing. ¡°I¡¯ll choose this one.¡± Hyrkan picked a map. Maoong then continued as if he had been waiting for Hyrkan to make his decision. ¡°I have one more favor to ask of you.¡± Hyrkan observed Maoong¡¯s actions carefully, and noticed that he had left the maps on the desk. ¡®Oh?¡¯ He immediately understood why Maoong had taken out several maps. ¡®He¡¯s going to give me another one for a favor?¡¯ It looked like Maoong wanted to make a trade with Hyrkan. Hyrkan was more than happy to comply. For the sake of the main scenario quest, if he had to, he would have done Maoong¡¯s favors for free. But since Maoong was giving out such good rewards, Maoong seemed like an angel to Hyrkan. ¡°I will be more than happy to do you a favor, sir.¡± ¡°Beyond the Bulkas Mountain Range, there is a place called the Parung Forest. Do you know of it?¡± Parung Forest. Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but frown for a moment. ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I have received reports of armed monsters, like the Bear Warrior you fought. I¡¯d like to ask you to investigate that place, and if you find anything suspicious, I¡¯d like you to do a closer examination. Although it might not be enough, I will reward you the best I can.¡± Maoong then tapped on his desk twice. At the place his fingers tapped were his dungeon maps. Hyrkan could only nod in response. ¡°I will head to Parung Forest.¡± [The quest, ¡®Maoong¡¯s Request¡¯, begins.] ¡°I give you my sincere gratitude.¡± It was a quest he couldn¡¯t refuse. But hearing the destination, Hyrkan could feel a slight headache coming over him. ¡®Parung Forest¡­ of all the troublesome places¡­¡¯ Parung Forest was a place filled with monsters above level 90. It wasn¡¯t somewhere Hyrkan could go at his current state. Not to mention, although he had fragmentary information on Parung Forest, he himself had never hunted there. Warlord was just too vast for Hyrkan to remember everything. ¡®Whew.¡¯ However, it wasn¡¯t outside of his scope of expectation. In the first place, it was a miracle that a level 60 player like Hyrkan could have passed Maoong¡¯s Test. It was a quest designed for players above level 80, and Hyrkan beat such a quest at level 60. By himself no less! It was only obvious that future quests would grow in difficulty. Hyrkan had already expected that he would need to stop to level up. It was just he felt more pressured with pursuers right behind him. ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll need to focus on leveling up.¡¯ ¡ï¡ï¡ï After leaving the Bulkas Ranger Village, Hyrkan examined the dungeon map he had obtained. The content of the map would make one ask if it was done by a child. There was barely anything on it, and because only a small area could be seen, it was impossible for an unknowing person to figure out where it was. There was only one clue. The two characters ¡®Su¡¯ and ¡®Ra¡¯ written in the corner. ¡®Is it the Sura Canyon?¡¯ Sura Canyon. It was the home of the level 80 monsters, Devil Goats. The Sura Canyon was a long and winding ravine. Hidden within the grass and trees inside were a peculiar species of goats that liked jumped out the canyon¡¯s cliffs as if they were grass plains. ¡®It¡¯s not so bad.¡¯ For Hyrkan, it wasn¡¯t an unfavorable place. In fact, the Sura Canyon was a fine hunting ground. Although the place was filled with Devil Goats, they themselves liked to move about alone. Their combat strength was lower than most level 80 monster, and they gave average amount of EXP. The hunting ground difficulty was below average, but the experience it gave was average. Paired together, it was a great hunting ground for Hyrkan to reach level 70. The problem was that what was good for Hyrkan was good for others as well. ¡®Didn¡¯t the Red Bulls occupy that area recently?¡¯ A week ago, the Red Bulls Guild discovered the Sura Canyon and occupied the area. In Warlord, declaring a monopoly or occupancy held a political significance. Declaring a monopoly meant that no one was able to enter a designated area without permission. Declaring occupancy meant that those who entered a designated area had to abide by certain rules. Those that failed to comply were, of course, killed. In most cases, people acknowledged declaration of monopoly and occupancy for some time. In this case, since it was an occupancy declaration, there would be no problem as long as Hyrkan followed the Red Bulls¡¯ rules. ¡®The guys from Red Bulls aren¡¯t so bad¡­ but I¡¯m slightly bothered that they allied themselves with the Stormhunters.¡¯ Hyrkan was concerned by the fact that it was the Red Bulls who occupied the area. Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have too much of a choice. Rather than hunting elsewhere and going to Sura Canyon¡¯s dungeon, it was much more efficient to hunt in Sura Canyon and go to the dungeon. At this point, even a single day was worth a lot. Without even stopping for a breath, Hyrkan ran in the direction of Sura Canyon. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡°So this is the Bulkas Mountain Range.¡± ¡°The clue to the main scenario quest is here, eh?¡± Ten days after the sighting of Ballista Hatch and Storm Princess Hahui in the Bulkas Ranger Village, the Bulkas Mountain Range had become the hottest place in Warlord. Players of all levels and guilds of all sizes came to look for the treasure that was sure to be in the Bulkas Mountain Range. Fans of Warlord also began to see the Bulkas Mountain Range with great interest. It was the same for Romany. Due to the nature of his occupation, he couldn¡¯t help but have great interest in the Bulkas Mountain Range. Because of this, he couldn¡¯t help but tremble at what he currently had in his hands. ¡°Whew.¡± ¡®It took a full week.¡¯ He had spent a full week to work on a single video. It didn¡¯t mean it had taken a long time. After all, one week couldn¡¯t be considered long in movie production. ¡®To think I made this with just one week¡­¡¯ The reason he was trembling was he was amazed by what he accomplished in just a week. ¡®I see why kids like to make baking powder volcanoes for fun.¡¯ Thinking about the kind of impact his video would have, Romany trembled once again. To calm himself down, Romany took a sip of hot cocoa. However¡­ ¡®This is a real bomb. If the videos so far had been grenades, this one is a bomb strong enough to knock down a few buildings. Not to mention, with the current timing¡­.¡¯ Romany¡¯s hands couldn¡¯t stop shaking. Seeing his continued trembling, Romany smiled. ¡®This is it.¡¯ The knowledge that a piece of art he made could shake the world. How many times would he be able to experience such a feeling in his lifetime? As a creator, Romany couldn¡¯t help but be happy. ¡®This is what I wanted to make!¡¯ Just like that, Romany sent the bomb in his hand to his client. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡°Yes, the work-out has been canceled. Yes, it was sudden.¡± Choi Sulyeon¡¯s secretary, Park Suji. The Choi Sulyeon she knew was someone that all women¡­ no, all human being would be envious of. Not only was she born with everything, she furthermore had the ability to put them to use by 120 percent. ¡®This is the first time she¡¯s acted this way.¡¯ One of her greatest strengths was her ability to create a solid schedule and follow it. Especially when it came to working out, eating, sleeping, or other standard activities, she kept to her schedule without failure. Unless there was a natural disaster happening, she kept to her eating schedule, work-out schedule, and sleep schedule at all times. But for the first time, she ignored her schedules. ¡®This is the first time she ate in her room. Not to mention, she canceled her work-out plans.¡¯ This was the first time Park Suji had seen her act this way since she started serving her. As such, Park Suji couldn¡¯t help but wonder. ¡®What happened?¡¯ While Park Suji was contemplating the different possibilities, Choi Sulyeon was watching a video in her room. Not even a day had passed since the video came out, yet the views were in 6 digits. The first digit was a 6, even. By this time tomorrow, the numbers would undoubtedly be at 7 digits league. Watching the video, Choi Sulyeon¡¯s expression was stiff. She didn¡¯t even wipe the salad dressing on the corner of her mouth, as she watched the 11-minute video on a loop. A scene of someone soloing a never-before-seen boss monster. She engraved each and every one of his movements in her brain. It wasn¡¯t until she had watched the video 6 full times that she finally pulled her eyes away. Over an hour had passed since she started watching, and Choi Sulyeon murmured softly. ¡°¡­ no matter what, I¡¯m going to make him mine.¡± Chapter 62 : Deep Canyon Spring (1) Chapter 62 : Deep Canyon Spring (1) A large, five-meter tall Golem was standing between two trees, fully blocking anyone from passing between. Glaring at it, was a goat whose eyes sparkled with a deep red color. Its appearance was completely different from that of an ordinary goat. It was easily 2 meters in length, was as large as a bull, and its devilish horn was protruding out like a spear. But what was most surprising was its leg power, which easily put ordinary mountain goat to shame. Devil Goat. It was just as aggressive as it sounded. It never hesitated to attack others, even when they had done nothing to offend it. Tudu, tudu! Racing along like a horse and making a sound more terrifying than a buffalo, the Devil Goat charged towards the Golem with its horn in front. The not-so-long distance was closed in an instant. The Golem did not dodge its attack, but blocked it with his body. Boom! An explosive sound roared out, and the Golem staggered. If it had lost a bit more of its balance, it would have fallen backwards without doubt. Regardless, the Devil Goat¡¯s horn had pierced deeply into its body. That was the Devil Goat¡¯s fatal mistake. ¡°Hardening!¡± A shout could be heard from a distance, after which the Golem¡¯s body began to grow hard. Surprised by the feeling from its horn, the Devil Goat struggled to pull out its horn, but in vain. Crack, crack! The sound of the Golem¡¯s body breaking could be hard. The goat had immense strength, but it wasn¡¯t able to pull out its horn easily. Meanwhile¡­ Whoosh! Three Black Orc Skeleton Warriors that had been waiting behind the Golem leaped up into the air, slashing down as it landed towards the Devil Goat. Swish! With the sound of the wind getting cut, the Skeleton Warriors made several deep cuts onto the goat¡¯s body. The Devil Goat fumed, and its eyes turned even redder. It would burst into rage at any moment. However, a fourth Skeleton Warrior made from a Blood Goblin poured cold water over the Devil Goat¡¯s rage. When the small Skeleton Warrior landed its sword on the Devil Goat¡¯s body, three curses fell on it. The Devil Goat¡¯s speed and stats decreased, and the Skeleton Warriors didn¡¯t miss the chance to continuously hack away at the Devil Goat. The small Skeleton Warrior didn¡¯t stop either, as it continued to attack the Devil Goat. Fuuuu! In the end, unable to even struggle, the Devil Goat let out a strange cry as its eyes began to grow dim. Hyrkan who was watching everything from afar put away the Bone Explosive he was holding, in his pocket. ¡®Good.¡¯ When the Devil Goat finally died¡­ [You have leveled up.] Hyrkan heard a message he was expecting. ¡®Finally level 69.¡¯ Hyrkan quickly checked his stats. [Hyrkan] -Level: 69 -Class: Magician -Title: 34 ¨C Stats: Strength (559) / Stamina (181) / Intelligence (319) / Magic Power (429) Hyrkan did not express any joy. He simply put all of his level-up points into strength., then closed the stat window. If anyone looked, it would seem that Hyrkan was pressed in terms of time. Dudududu! In response to Hyrkan¡¯s urgency, the sound of fire roared out, and Hyrkan turned towards the origin of the sound. Boom, boom! Hyrkan shut his mouth tightly as he heard the continued explosions. ¡®The party I saw a while ago must be here.¡¯ The thundering sound of magic was quite appropriate for the high-level hunting ground Hyrkan was currently in. ¡°Ehew.¡± Hyrkan let out a sigh and dismantled the Devil Goat he had just caught. He unskinned the goat with impeccable skill, only taking about 20 or so seconds. Even after that, Hyrkan continued to dismantle its body before the goat¡¯s body fully melted away. ¡®No jewels.¡¯ After checking if a jewel had dropped, Hyrkan converted the bones and skin into crafting coins. He then turned the Golem back into mud and quickly departed. His four Skeleton Warriors quickly followed along, like baby ducks and their mother. Not too long after that¡­ ¡°Hm? There¡¯s still an ice-cream here.¡± One player discovered traces of Hyrkan. The player wearing deep green armor waved his hands, and his allies quickly gathered around him. A total of 7 players. ¡°Looks like someone was just here.¡± They looked at the melting body of a dead monster and the nearby traces of battle. ¡°What¡¯s that pile of mud over there?¡± They had keen observation skills. Having played Warlord for over a year, they were at a much higher level than other players that had started playing at the same time. In Warlord, you needed skills to survive, and keen observation skill was one of them. Being able to analyze a battlefield from traces of battle was one of the few ways to develop skills to deal with sudden, unforeseen situations. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like magic. Golem Summon maybe?¡± ¡°Golem?¡± It did not take long for them to piece together what had happened. ¡°Is there a Golem summoning necromancer nearby?¡± ¡°Necromancer?¡± They went a bit further in their speculations. ¡°Hahoe Mask Hyrkan?¡± Like talking about a Hollywood celebrity, they mentioned his name with casualty. ¡°Shoot. We would¡¯ve seen him if we had come just a bit earlier.¡± ¡°So Hahoe Mask Hyrkan really is hunting in the Sura Canyon. I¡¯ve only heard the rumors, and never seen him in person.¡± ¡°I wanted to see him fight, what a shame.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a huge fan. I hope we can run into him again.¡± One of them then made a square with his fingers and pointed towards the pile of mud used for Hyrkan¡¯s Golem Summoning. ¡°Click!¡± He even took a picture. ¡°Hey, take one with me in it!¡± Another player then squatted down next to the pile of mud and posed. At the same time, different place, while picture of Hyrkan¡¯s pile of mud was being uploaded to a SNS, Hyrkan changed his clothes, disguising himself as a typical swordsman class player. He also turned his Skeleton Warriors back into Skeleton Fragments. ¡®Tsk tsk.¡¯ Then, he clicked his tongue. ¡®I never thought I¡¯d run into trouble because I got too popular.¡¯ As he continued to run, the past few dream-like days flashed by Hyrkan¡¯s eyes. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡°Eh.¡± An Jaehyun noticed the signs first when he saw a familiar picture on the front page of a Warlord-related website he frequented. ¡®That¡¯s me!¡¯ The one in the picture was none other than Hyrkan. An Jaehyun then clicked on the picture, and what first caught his attention was the headline. [Bulkas Mountain Range¡¯s New Boss Monster, Bear Warrior Raid Solo Play!] Under the title was a single video, and below that was an analyses of the battle as long as an entire research paper. ¡®Whoa.¡¯ Of course, An Jaehyun¡¯s mind was spinning. He spent the next three minutes staring blankly at the screen. When he barely snapped out of his daze, he checked the view count of the video he uploaded. ¡°!¡± Seeing the view count skyrocket, An Jaehyun felt a chill rather than happiness. ¡®It¡­¡¯ Furthermore, the countless number of emails that had been sent to his YouTube account turned the chills on his spine into icicles. ¡®blew up¡­¡¯ There was one thing he was certain of. That his video had blown up. Of course, he had already expected a high view count when he received the video from Romany. The video this time was amazing even for Hyrkan who had played and watched Warlord for a long time. The quality of the video was high for something that took only a week to make, and more importantly, the content was different than usual. Everything was unique. The first raid of Warlord¡¯s new boss monster. A soloing necromancer! Everything that made up the video was new. An Jaehyun had originally expected a million views at the very least, and quite possibly more. But the current success was beyond his prediction. ¡®This blew up¡­ but didn¡¯t it blow up too much?¡¯ There was a balance between good and bad in all things. If the result went beyond expectation, there would be an equally great adverse effect. An Jaehyun knew this better than anyone else, and things had worked out just like he expected. The video he uploaded started receiving an excessive amount of attention. The view count skyrocketed, and his video was on the front page of many well-established Warlord fan sites. It was even discussed in the Top 30 Guilds¡¯ broadcasts. He received an unbelievable amount of free advertising. The amount of love calls he received increased equally as well. He received scouting offers from over 20 guilds from the Top 30 Guilds, and he was asked to make an appearance on their shows. He received many sponsorship offers as well, many of which came from well-known corporations and came with huge sums of money. However, An Jaehyun couldn¡¯t just be happy. Although he smiled watching money pile in his bank account, he frowned whenever he turned away from it. Because it was a result outside of his expectation. ¡®It¡¯s good¡­ but it might get a bit dangerous. No, it definitely will.¡¯ One of his goals was to gain fame, but it was too early. ¡®All the crazies are going to come for sure.¡¯ When one became famous, he became a target. The best way to gain fame was to kill a famous player. People bothered him for no reason, and these encounters ended up online for everyone to see. Even people who came with good intentions were annoying. After all, he couldn¡¯t just curse at them to go away. ¡®Ugh, just thinking about it gives me a headache.¡¯ What An Jaehyun wanted was to become famous once he hit level 100. Because at that level, most people he would see in his hunting grounds would be players nearing Ranker-class. Even if he were to run into them, he could handle it appropriately. If they wanted to fight, he would fight them. If they wanted to negotiate, he would do so as well. At the very least, Hyrkan would have something to gain from encounters with near Ranker-class players. Of course, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t do much about the current situation even if he complained. ¡®It¡¯s not that easy to blow up like this¡­ why do I have to go through such a trouble.¡¯ Hyrkan was now too lucky for his own good. However, An Jaehyun didn¡¯t know at this time, that what was in his mind currently, was nothing as compared to the hardships and suffering he would face. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡®¡­ it really was a time of hardships and suffering.¡¯ Thinking about the days he spent hunting in the Sura Canyon, Hyrkan sighed. He was more afraid of players than monsters, and avoided players if he could. Of course, he couldn¡¯t avoid all of them either. At times, it ended nicely, with him just having to take a picture with them. At other times, they PKed each other until only one remained. PKs were more common of the two. After all, Hyrkan was an easy mark. His level was definitely low for someone who was so famous, his items weren¡¯t full Unique, and most importantly, he didn¡¯t have a guild to back him up. To players thirsty for attention, Hyrkan was more valuable than any monster. Some even came to Sura Canyon to hunt him down. Hyrkan went through all sorts of hardship in running away or fighting them. He even had to abandon Sura Canyon for a while, hunt elsewhere, then come back. It was the hardest level-up period he had. It even reminded him of the times he ran away from the Stormhunter Guild in the past. The fact that Hyrkan was reminiscing now meant his hardships were over. ¡®I can finally breathe again.¡¯ Level 69. The reason he set his goal to level 69 and not level 70 was because he already had a place in mind to achieve level 70. ¡®No need to be on the lookout in a dungeon.¡¯ He was planning on achieving level 70 in the dungeon from Maoong¡¯s map. Moreover, once he hit level 70, he had planned to leave Sura Canyon for another hunting ground. ¡®Once I hit level 70¡­¡¯ Thinking about the hardships and suffering once again, Hyrkan smiled. ¡°Huhu¡­¡± The level 70 set items he had purchased with the money from his last video. Just thinking about them made him smile. At the same time¡­ ¡°All you fuckers trying to hunt me. You¡¯re all dead.¡± A spark of rage burned inside Hyrkan. Chapter 63 : Deep Canyon Spring (2) Chapter 63 : Deep Canyon Spring (2) Sura Canyon. After its discovery by the Red Bulls Guild, many people began to visit the Devil Goat-filled canyon. However, there were still many places unexplored by anyone. Currently, there was no one that knew about the small spring located deep within the Sura Canyon. Even if there was, it was unlikely he would think too much about it. The fact that the spring was 30 meters deep, or that a cave could be found at that level, or that a secret area existed inside the 100-meter cave was something no one knew. That is, until now. ¡°Puhu!¡± Someone had discovered the secret. After finishing up a long swim, Hyrkan inhaled a deep breath of air. Then, he crunched down on the candy in his mouth, crushing it into pieces. The 50 gold item that made one freely travel underwater disappeared just like that. As a side note, the Undine Tear Candy tasted like a lemonade and made his breath carry the scent of lemon. ¡®I¡¯m finally here.¡¯ After finishing up the candy completely, Hyrkan climbed out of the pool of water back to land. When he stepped on the ground, he naturally closed his eyes and focused on hearing. [You have entered a dungeon.] [You have obtained the title, ¡®One Who Discovered the Hidden Secret.¡¯] [You have obtained the title, ¡®Dungeon Explorer.¡¯] The expected alerts popped out, and Hyrkan nodded with satisfaction. ¡®I can never get used to hearing these alerts.¡¯ Although the titles he received weren¡¯t particularly good, but no Warlord players would refuse them. The worth of a dungeon wasn¡¯t just this either. Unlike field-type hunting grounds, one could obtain additional experience points or rewards in dungeons. Discovering a secret area within the dungeon, realizing the identity of the dungeon, completely exploring the dungeon, etc. Rewards and EXP could be received based on one¡¯s results, and the EXP received as such bonuses was proportional to one¡¯s level. That is, the amount of EXP one could receive was limited, but there was a definite percentage gain. It was also the reason why Hyrkan came after hitting level 69. ¡®Alright, let¡¯s get this over with.¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t stop to dawdle and prepared himself for exploration immediately. First, he started up the Light app, making his watch light up the dark cave. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯ He could see a tunnel, one that seemed like a gigantic ant had made. Hyrkan looked around and nothing special entered his eyes. ¡®It¡¯s going to take a while to go through the entire dungeon.¡¯ It didn¡¯t seem like a dungeon he could completely explore in just one sitting. Time was gold, and Hyrkan wished to clear the dungeon as fast as possible. A tunnel style dungeon was an okay dungeon by Hyrkan¡¯s standards. ¡®I¡¯ll give it a 70.¡¯ Hyrkan was particularly good at fighting in a narrow space. His Golem could block the path and he could quickly get his Skeleton Warriors behind the enemy by throwing the Skeleton Fragments to its back. Considering the limited space for fights, he would be facing quality over quantity. Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Warriors were especially good in this area. Simulations of battles quickly flashed through Hyrkan¡¯s mind, causing him to smile. It seemed that the result of the battle he imagined was satisfactory. With his smile still intact, Hyrkan threw a Skeleton Fragment on the ground. The fragment immediately turned into a Skeleton Warrior. The Skeleton Warrior made from a Black Orc was carrying a scimitar-like sword, and its black bones easily blended into the darkness. Hyrkan drew a cross on its forehead, and two horns sprouted out from its skull. Madness Helm. In addition, Hyrkan casted Bone Armor on the Skeleton Warrior. White bones filled the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s empty upper body, and its arms became covered by gauntlets. The D-Rank Bone Armor was now able to create both the breastplate and gloves. Then, Hyrkan imbued curse magic onto the sword it was holding. Demon Curse, Slow Curse, Corrosive Ghost, and the recently learned Blind! Once Hyrkan was done with his preparations, the Skeleton Warrior looked unlike a Skeleton Warrior. The black Skeleton Warrior wearing the white Bone Armor made it look like a knight. Its sword, imbued with several curses, also gave off a mysterious glow. Watching his Skeleton Warrior, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly. ¡®There goes my magic power.¡¯ As he wasn¡¯t facing a boss monster, it was a waste of mana to use so much magic power. It was unlike Hyrkan who was trying to save as much magic power as possible. In other words, his situation had taken a complete turn, as compared to when he had begun. To replenish the lost magic power, Hyrkan began to chew on a 30 gold magic power recovery gum. ¡®It¡¯s literally raising proficiency with money.¡¯ In the past, he was frugal with his magic power due to having no money at all. Now, it was different. Although it wasn¡¯t to the point he could change his car to a sports car, he had enough to buy any skillbooks or consumable items he wanted. Thus, Hyrkan¡¯s focus fell to raising his skills¡¯ proficiencies. The only way to do so was to use the skills repeatedly. The magic power lost because of it would then have to be filled with magic power recovery items. It was truly buying skill proficiency with money. As such, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but laugh at himself. ¡®You don¡¯t even eat a 3,000 won per half a gram pork in real life, but you¡¯re chewing on a 30,000 won gum in game. You are one crazy bastard.¡¯ His laugh quickly turned into bitterness. ¡ï¡ï¡ï ¡®Oh?¡¯ After entering the dungeon, Hyrkan began to explore it with his Skeleton Warrior in lead. The tension on his face could be felt behind his hahoe mask, and it wasn¡¯t until his first encounter with a monster that his expression changed. ¡®A slime?¡¯ The monster he encountered was a slime. Slimes were common monsters in Warlord. Although they weren¡¯t like pebbles on the side of the road, anyone could find one if they desired. However, slimes whose insides glowed was a different story. The slime Hyrkan encountered was such a slime. Its translucent body glowed with a red light. When Hyrkan saw the slime, he knew what he was up against. ¡®This is a spirit-form monster dungeon!¡¯ Spirit-form monsters were one of the rarest monster types in Warlord. Appropriately, they were quite expensive for a rather simple reason. The items they dropped were used in creating attributed items. Attributes were an important part of Warlord. Rich players didn¡¯t just buy 1 item set, but rather multiple with different attributes. Because of this, attributed items were always high in demand. A level 70 Rare item would easily go for 3,000 gold in the market. This would be the weakest item amongst them, and decent items would of course cost much more. ¡®This doesn¡¯t seem good.¡¯ As such, Hyrkan felt an ominous foreboding before he felt happiness. The dungeon map he luckily received had the rare spirit-form monsters? He was incredibly lucky. He had been lucky quite often in recent days. The view count on his Bear Warrior video was piercing through the heaven, and the crafting material he obtained sold for an enormous sum of 50,000 gold. He had expected them to go for 20 or maybe 30,000 gold, but he had ended up receiving double the amount he expected. The reason was clear. It was because the Bear Warrior was Hahoe Mask Hyrkan¡¯s first monster. The value of items changed depending on the designer and person who obtained the material. It seemed like one of Hyrkan¡¯s rich fans purchased the Bear Warrior crafting materials. ¡®Aren¡¯t I just too lucky?¡¯ Now, he was facing another incredible fortune. ¡®I¡¯m the type that the luckier I am early on, the unluckier l become later.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s life had always been full of ups and downs. If he was lucky at one point, he was bound to be unlucky at another. Hyrkan knew this better than anyone else. As such, Hyrkan was scared how his string of incredible fortune would backfire. Of course, his worries didn¡¯t last long. His expression quickly loosened. ¡®Well, I can¡¯t say no to this.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like he could refuse thinking he¡¯s too lucky. ¡®Even if some disaster strikes me, how bad could it be? I doubt a truck would come flying through my window.¡¯ Hyrkan walked deeper into the dungeon with joy. ¡ï¡ï¡ï After his continuous string of encounters with slimes, Hyrkan arrived at a dead-end. In this place, he encountered a spirit-form monster as he expected. Salanmanda. The Salamanda was a level 80 spirit-form monster. Its body changed length from as long as 4-meters to as short as 50 centimeters depending on the situation. Its body was made of fire, and thus it could only be damaged through continuous damage over time. Considering the forces Hyrkan had available, it wasn¡¯t a particularly good match. Since the Skeleton Warriors had to close in to attack, it was ill-suited to fight against the Salamanda. Even if their evasive maneuvers were good, they couldn¡¯t possibly dodge the Salamanda¡¯s body heat. The Skeleton Warriors melted under the Salamanda¡¯s intense heat, and the damage ate away at Hyrkan¡¯s magic power. Furthermore, ¡®Salamanda¡¯s Rage¡¯ was activated whenever its HP fell below a certain level. Its heat then became high enough to melt even the Golem. The Skeleton Magicians also did very little in the fight against the Salamanda. The D-rank Skeleton Magicians could only use fire-attribute magic, which obviously was ineffective against the Salamanda. In a way, the Salamanda was a natural enemy of Hyrkan. However, Hyrkan had one of his most peaceful battles in fighting the Salamanda. ¡°Good. Now cut his tail from behind! Well done!¡± The battle itself was a close combat battle. Although the battle couldn¡¯t be described bloody with the lack of blood, it was still a fierce battle. Hyrkan did not participate in the battle. He simply watched on from the back while sucking on his candies. He participated in just two cases. One was to imbue curse magic onto the Skeleton Warriors¡¯ sword¡­ ¡°Hey, don¡¯t approach from the front, go from side. Also, stabs don¡¯t work well, so go for slashes. Got it?¡± While giving commands no one could possibly understand. The other¡­ ¡°Come on, Golem. The skellies are doing well, what¡¯s wrong with you? Stop! I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± Was to furiously shadow box, controlling the Golem with Copy Mode. That was it. Of course, he used up most of his magic recovery items because of it, but Skeleton Fragment, Golem Summon, and Skeleton Magician skill proficiencies went up greatly as a result. Just like that, Hyrkan killed the Salamanda without swinging his Orc Hero¡¯s Sword even once. While tasting the Salamanda¡¯s strawberry flavored ice-cream, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but think¡­ ¡®Rich Lich¡­ you must have had one hell of a time.¡¯ It was the first time Hyrkan felt the joy of being a necromancer. Chapter 64 : Deep Canyon Spring (3) Chapter 64 : Deep Canyon Spring (3) Gamers often dreamt, that in their sleep, their game characters would level up and obtain items on their own. To fulfill this dream, people created macros and other bots, but they weren¡¯t enough to accomplish their dream. It went without saying that Hyrkan dreamt of similar things. He drank coffee and ate glucose candy just for the sake of gaming. When he thought about waking up and doing the same thing again the next day, he really wished someone was there to do the job for him. Now, however, a part of such dream had been fulfilled. ¡°One more bomb!¡± In a 500 square meter space, Hyrkan threw a Bone Explosive amidst the Salamanda, Golem, and Skeleton Warriors. BOOM! With an explosive sound, the Salamanda¡¯s body was torn into pieces. However, the torn parts of its body became little Salamandas, then slowly gathered together back into its original shape. Once it reformed its body, the Salamanda glared at Hyrkan and let out its fury with a strange roar. Whoosh! A strong heat emitted out from the Salamanda¡¯s body. However, before the heat could reach Hyrkan, Hyrkan¡¯s Golem blocked its path. With the Golem as shield, Hyrkan stood relaxed as he snapped his fingers twice. His Skeleton Warriors immediately made their move. The heat was strong enough to melt their Bone Armors. However, the Skeleton Warriors didn¡¯t know things such as fear. The Skeleton Warriors piercing through the heat, approached the Salamanda¡¯s rear, and slashed down with their swords. Whish! Along with the sound of air being cut, the Salamanda¡¯s tail was cut off. The Salamanda turned around and let out another roar. Hearing this roar, Hyrkan smiled and threw in another candy in his mouth. The rich chocolaty flavor melted in his mouth, and the smile on his face became even richer. ¡®God, I love this.¡¯ 3 days had passed since he entered the dungeon, and Hyrkan spent his days the same. He explored the dungeon, killed any monsters that came out, logged out once he fulfilled his quota, rested in the real world, then logged back in. In this process, the only monsters he met were slimes and salamandas. In a way, it was quite boring. However, these were some of Hyrkan¡¯s happiest days. ¡®It¡¯s just so relaxing.¡¯ Although he killed many monsters during these 3 days, no monsters were strong enough to force Hyrkan to fight on the front lines. He simply ate candies, chewed on gums, and drank soda in the back. What was even more surprising was that even with how much he was spending, he wasn¡¯t in the red. It was all thanks to the Salamanda¡¯s Essence. Its expensive drop went for quite a lot in the market. There was an even happier news. [Skeleton Fragment skill rank rose to B.] [Bone Armor skill rank rose to C.] [Demon Curse skill rank rose to C.] He successfully ranked up three of his skills. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just from this dungeon run. The skills had been accumulating EXP for quite some time. It was just that this dungeon run gave them the final push to cross over to the next rank. For Hyrkan, however, they felt like more gifts from the dungeon. ¡®I wish I could hunt like this forever.¡¯ These were the happy days. And the dungeon left him with one final gift. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Dungeons often required players to search for hidden areas, causing players to waste quite a bit of their time. In the worst case, a dungeon run may have been worse than normally hunting in the field. As such, there were tips for finding hidden areas in dungeons. The most representative one was to use fire. If air flowed inside the dungeon, the flame would respond to the air¡¯s movements. Using this method, Hyrkan was able to find the hidden area right away. ¡®No waste of time, I like it.¡¯ Seeing the flame dance along the invisible air, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but smile. Things couldn¡¯t get better than how they currently were. Hyrkan read the air¡¯s movement right away and reached a dead-end. Then, he stabbed his Orc Hero¡¯s Sword into the wall. Clang! The wall made a rigid sound, and Hyrkan simply kicked down the wall as if it was the most normal thing to do. The wall crumbled and an iron door could be seen behind it. It was 3 meters high and 2 meters wide. Strange runic shapes were drawn on the door. Hyrkan carefully grabbed the door handle. Click! At that instant¡­ [Would you like to enter the stage?] An alert popped up. ¡®An instance dungeon.¡¯ It was an alert for an instance dungeon. Without opening the door, Hyrkan took his hands off the door handle. ¡®That would mean the dungeon¡¯s boss is behind this door.¡¯ One had to enter instance dungeons with a conviction. ¡®I wonder what¡¯s behind it.¡¯ Currently, Hyrkan didn¡¯t even know what type of monster was behind the door. He had used most of his consumable items as well. Although he still had a lot left, it wasn¡¯t enough for Hyrkan to bet 48 hours of his time. Hyrkan backed off. ¡®Looks like¡­ he¡¯ll be the sacrifice to my level 70.¡¯ Hyrkan then headed to the Sura Canyon Village to prepare himself. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Resting stops for players didn¡¯t exist in all hunting grounds. As such, players often created one on their own when the game system didn¡¯t provide one for them. Areas created in this way were called villages. When a player held enough authority to order NPCs, he or she could assign NPCs to villages and operate them in a more systematic way. However, this would not happen for some time to come. Moreover, villages were created in flat lands where there were no trees. This was because even if one cleared the trees, they would come back during a field reset. The Sura Canyon Village was located near the entrance of the Sura Canyon, which was more or less a wasteland. The players gathered here were mostly silent. The only times things would get rowdy were when a group of players running from monsters arrived without having lost them. In such cases, the players gathered at the village worked together to exterminate all the monsters. Other than such circumstances, players simply traded items and information, or gathered party or guild members. Moreover, in villages, items were sold for higher or lower than the market price. It was as realistic as it came with the seller adjusting to the demand. ¡¯25 percent higher than the market price¡­ I think this every time I come here, but this would be my job if I didn¡¯t have to level up.¡¯ And as realistic as it was, foul language was often exchanged in the process. It was the same for Hyrkan. Checking out the price tag on the items, Hyrkan made a sour expression. On the other hand, the player selling the items made a big smile. To him, it seemed like Hyrkan would fill up his pocket for quite some time to come. ¡°Is there a discount if I buy in bulk?¡± ¡°Of course! It depends on how much you buy.¡± ¡°I want to buy some magic power recovery candy.¡± ¡°Then I can¡¯t give that big of a discount. As you know, they¡¯re quite high in demand.¡± ¡°I want to buy them in thousand-gold units, so how about a 10 percent discount?¡± ¡°Come on, I won¡¯t be left with anything with a 10 percent discount. This is all I can do.¡± With that, the merchant opened his palm, and Hyrkan¡¯s expression turned sour. Currently, Hyrkan was more worried about wasting time negotiating than wasting money. However, even a rich person couldn¡¯t buy something much higher than its market value. ¡®Well, this is probably the best I¡¯m going to get.¡¯ Hyrkan knew what he was buying wasn¡¯t ordinary consumables. They filled up a very small size, yet were very effective. It was hard to find them when they were low in supply, and he would have to go all the way to a castle to do so. And if he did, it would take a full day for the round trip. ¡°This and this.¡± Hyrkan picked out more items to buy, and seeing the automatically calculated price, the merchant jumped in surprise. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re buying a lot. I¡¯ll cut the price a bit more.¡± ¡°Why not a lot while you¡¯re at it?¡± ¡°Hold on. Let me calculate¡­¡± While these two were making their trade¡­ ¡°This village is doing better than I thought.¡± ¡°Chev, you sound like some king whenever you say that.¡± ¡°Do I? Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to.¡± ¡°No need to be sorry. It was a compliment.¡± ¡°Well, thanks for the compliment then.¡± Two players in typical level 80 armor were strolling through the Sura Canyon Village. It was the Red Bulls¡¯ guild master, Matador Chev, and his secretary, Yel. Although he was one of the most famous players in Warlord, no one was able to recognize him. He was wearing a helmet and Yel was also wearing a hoody. Although such looks would garner strange gazes in the real world, they were one of the most common fashions in Warlord. As such, Chev was able to look around easily, checking out the players nearby. Realizing Chev¡¯s actions, Yel asked a question. ¡°Are you looking for someone?¡± ¡°I was thinking maybe I¡¯ll meet someone I know.¡± ¡°If there was someone famous enough for you to know, then we would have heard about it already.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not entirely true.¡± ¡°There¡¯s someone in your mind?¡± ¡°Hahoe Mask Hyrkan.¡± Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. When his name was mentioned, Yel frowned, and replied in a chic manner. ¡°I don¡¯t get why everyone thinks he¡¯s all that. He was just lucky enough to be the first one to kill a boss monster.¡± Chev corrected her. ¡°First, and by himself.¡± Yel¡¯s frown became even more noticeable at Chev¡¯s reply. ¡°Chev, you can solo a monster like that on your own, right now.¡± ¡°But not if I was at Hahoe Mask Hyrkan¡¯s level. Anyone can kill a monster lower level than them.¡± ¡°Hmph. Who knows, maybe he¡¯s hiding his real level? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s unprecedented.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong.¡± At Yel¡¯s continued retorts, Chev grinned lightly and stopped talking about Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. He didn¡¯t see the need to argue with Yel. However, what was on his mind was completely different. ¡®Even if he did lie about his level, it can¡¯t be that high. Moreover, his battle ability and battle sense, and his ability to appear on camera. Those have nothing to do with his level. He¡¯s not just good at this game. He¡¯s charmingly good.¡¯ Hahoe Mask Hyrkan was someone all of the Top 30 Guilds were looking out for. That was how valuable he was. Someone like him was enough to have his own show on a broadcast channel. Putting aside his ability, he had something unique. That was the most important thing. He wasn¡¯t just good at fighting, he possessed a unique charm that drew people to watch him. When Chev first heard that Hahoe Mask Hyrkan had appeared at the Sura Canyon, he thought it was an opportunity. After all, the only place players could trade items were the Sura Canyon Village operated by the Red Bulls Guild. No matter how well he hid his tail, Chev thought it was only a matter of time before they tracked him down. And when he was caught, Chev planned to make a deal. ¡®Even if I can¡¯t make him join Red Bulls, I¡¯d like to at least form a partnership.¡¯ In truth, Chev had little hopes of Hyrkan joining his guild. Considering how Hahoe Mask had been acting so far, he wasn¡¯t the type to accept an offer to join a guild. No, most people were sure that he was already part of a guild or an organization. Otherwise, it was impossible to show the results he had so far. Because of this, Chev wanted to form a friendship with him. He was sure that would be enough for him to benefit in some way. At the very least, it would be better than being his enemy. Most importantly, as Hahoe Mask continues to make a name for himself, the Top 30 Guilds would have no choice but to pay attention to him. It was entirely possible for them to clash with him at some point. Without previous communication, such things could happen quite easily in Warlord. At the same time, with previous communication, such things could be avoided. Of course, Chev wasn¡¯t here just to meet Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. His real objective was joining the level 150 boss raid that was happening secretively past the Sura Canyon. ¡®He wasn¡¯t that big. About as big as him, was it?¡¯ Chev was simply making best use of his time. This was when a conversation entered his ears. ¡°3,900 gold.¡± ¡°Just a bit more, eh?¡± ¡°Sorry, but this is the best I can do. If you want me to cut any more, you¡¯ll have to go down to the Rito Castle.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll give you 4,000 gold, so how about you add 10kg more of the recovery clay?¡± ¡°Recovery clays are 20 gold per kilo, think about it¡­¡± ¡°Think of it as a service. It¡¯s not so easy to make 4,000 gold in a single deal, you know?¡± ¡°¡­fine. 4,000 gold for 10kg recovery clay and more.¡± ¡°Call.¡± It was a negotiation one could find anywhere, but hearing the negotiated price, Chev stared at the two like a snake. It wasn¡¯t that he was particularly interested in their trade. ¡®If it¡¯s Hahoe Mask, he should use a lot of consumables when he hunts. If I narrow down my search by looking at people who buy in bulk¡­¡¯ Chev felt like he stumbled on a clue, and he couldn¡¯t help but smile. Of course, Chev had no way to know. That the one who gave him the clue was the one he was looking for. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Past the Deep Canyon Spring and the winding tunnels, Hyrkan once again arrived in front of the iron door. ¡®4,000 gold for what I can buy with 3,400 at the castle. That¡¯s 600,000 won just out the window.¡¯ Even if he was overflowing with money, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh considering how poorly he was living in the real world. 600,000 won was enough to feed him for 3 full months, and he had just spent it to save some time. As a result, Hyrkan had a new goal in mind. ¡®Once I become the best in Warlord¡­ I¡¯ll have yukhoe for breakfast, bulgogi for lunch, and steak for dinner.¡¯ Meanwhile, Hyrkan¡¯s hands moved proficiently. He stuffed recovery candy, gum, and clay in several hidden pockets of his armor. It was so that he could take them out and consume them quickly in battle. Being able to hide consumables was a skill on its own right. If he stored all of his consumables in one pocket, he could simply lose the pocket and his life. In raid videos, there were always idiots who kept all their consumables in one pocket and died because of it. As such, experienced players hid consumable items in multiple places of their body like a squirrel hid his acorns. Finally, Hyrkan checked his item slots. The Skeleton Snake set he was wearing was a level 50 set, but he had prepared another item set that greatly increased his fire resistance. ¡®Good thing I got this right too.¡¯ Since Salamandas had appeared in the dungeon, it was likely that the boss monster would be a fire attribute monster as well. Because of this, he bought the extra set at a higher price than normal. Hyrkan then placed his hand on the door handle, and slowly pulled on it. [Would you like to enter the stage?] Hyrkan answered. ¡°I¡¯m going to go hit level 70!¡± Chapter 65 : Skill ‘Armament’ (1) Chapter 65 : Skill ¡®Armament¡¯ (1) A group of fully armed Skeleton Warriors walked along a clean path with lights on their heads. Behind them, Hyrkan carefully followed, tightly holding onto his sword. ¡®This design isn¡¯t one where a spirit would spawn.¡¯ The moment Hyrkan opened the door and entered the instance dungeon, he had a feeling. That the monster he would be facing wasn¡¯t a pure spirit-type monster like the Salamanda. It wasn¡¯t a random feeling either. If the tunnel he was in before had a farm-like feel, the place he was in currently had a research lab-like feel. The most important part of that the path was clean. If it was dirty, then it would have been likely for spirit-type monsters to spawn. It would have meant that spirit-type monsters who couldn¡¯t endure the laboratory testing revolted and took over the lab. But since the place Hyrkan was in was perfectly clean, it didn¡¯t mean monsters took over the place. Then, the guardian protecting the dungeon must be waiting for him somewhere. Such fine details were what made Warlord so charming as a game. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t a good news for Hyrkan. ¡®Did I buy a fire-resistant set for nothing?¡¯ Hyrkan had bought a fire-resistant set for higher than the market price because he thought he would have to face against spirit-type monsters. Although it wouldn¡¯t be too big of a loss if he sold the set, he would still end up with a loss. ¡®What a waste of money.¡¯ Hyrkan walked and calculated the loss in his head. After about 10 minutes, the path he was taking led him to a large room. 1000 square meter area with about 10 meters to the ceiling. It was a large area, and the walls were filled with sword marks. ¡®Ah.¡¯ The moment Hyrkan saw the sword marks, he realized what the guardian of the dungeon was. When he saw the armor in the center of the dungeon, he was sure of his guess. The armor made for a large, 2-meter tall man looked like an armor from the medieval era. It was vastly different than the armor players wore, which focused on making them look better. Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t care how cool the armor looked like. ¡®Bad memories pop up just when you think you forgot them.¡¯ The good news was that Hyrkan had fought against this monster several times before. The bad news was that he had been killed by this monster as well. ¡®So this is the place was where they created Spirit Knights.¡¯ The moment Hyrkan discovered the armor, the armor had also discovered Hyrkan. -Eliminating intruder With a robotic sound, a stream of fire began to flow inside the armor. Soon, the armor became filled with fire as it began to move. Clack, clack! The monster making the metallic sound and overflowing with fire was none other than the Spirit Knight. It was an artificially created monster that used the power of spirits to operate its armor. Its level changed depending on the spirit used as material. Since Hyrkan had killed level 80 Salamandas, the Spirit Knight here was likely to be above level 90. The important thing to note was the Spirit Knight¡¯s special trait. ¡®Just my luck.¡¯ Because it utilized the power of spirits, the Spirit Knight was immune to all debuff magic. That is, it was not affected by curse magic. At the same time, there was no such thing as a critical hit. Just like how spirits had to be killed through continuous damage over time, the Spirit Knight had to be killed in the same way. Finally, it was strong. It was one of the strongest monsters amongst the mid-small sized monsters of its level. The secret behind its strength was its high artificial intelligence. If most monsters fought like wild animals, the Spirit Knight fought like, its name suggested, a knight. Some players compared fighting the Spirit Knight as playing chess. Plus, the Spirit Knight used the high-tier skill, Sword Reinforcement. The cooldown time was 50 seconds, and it was an incredibly strong skill. A battle with the Spirit Knight was sometimes used to estimate a player¡¯s strength. Average players could not win against a Spirit Knight. It wasn¡¯t easy for above average players either. Tankers especially hated facing up against the Spirit Knight. When players raised their shields, most monsters attacked on top of the shield. However, the Spirit Knight avoided the shield and went for any gaps the players had. Hyrkan had been killed by the Spirit Knight as well. Of course, at that time, the difference between their spec was just too big. Hyrkan was around level 100 when he first ran into a Spirit Knight. The Spirit Knight he was facing was level 160. No matter how strong Hyrkan was, it was impossible to cover a gap of 60 levels. The fact that Hyrkan was able to be its match for a while was impressive. In any case, the Spirit Knight wasn¡¯t an easy opponent as Hyrkan currently was. ¡°Hmph.¡± However, Hyrkan had no intention of avoiding the battle. He didn¡¯t have a choice either. There was only one way to leave the instance dungeon. Hyrkan or the Spirit Knight. One of them had to die. Since Hyrkan had no plans of dying, he could only kill. ¡®Let¡¯s do this.¡¯ Snap snap! When Hyrkan snapped his fingers twice, the Skeleton Warrior that had been waiting for his order charged towards the Spirit Knight. Powered by the Bone Armor and Madness Helm, the Skeleton Warriors fearlessly flew towards the Spirit Knight. The Spirit Knight did not waver either. Chwing! It pulled out its sword, and at the appropriate moment, it sidestepped the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s vertical slash, and swung its sword in return. Clack! With the sound of bones breaking, the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s Bone Armor broke apart around its shoulders. It was a frightening blow. However, with the effect of the Madness Helm, the Skeleton Warrior was unaffected, as it immediately attacked the Spirit Knight again. However, its aggressiveness was a poison rather than a medicine. Whish! The Spirit Knight dodged the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s sword and counterattacked. The Skeleton Warrior wasn¡¯t able to fully dodge the Spirit Knight¡¯s attack, ending up with another fatal injury. ¡®This won¡¯t work against that guy.¡¯ The battle style Hyrkan taught his Skeleton Warriors was the dodge-first-attack-second style. Since most monsters attacked aggressively first, this method worked well. However, the Spirit Knight had the intelligence to dodge and counterattack, just like his Skeleton Warriors. It only attacked first when it knew it had the advantage. Moreover, the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s evasive ability depended on Hyrkan¡¯s stats, and as such, it was difficult for the Skeleton Warriors to dodge the Spirit Knight¡¯s attacks like a slippery eel. ¡®The Golem¡­¡¯ Then how about the Golem? ¡®would be useless too.¡¯ The Golem would be even more useless. The Golem was even slower than the Skeleton Warrior, and it would only serve as a punching bag for the Spirit Knight. While Hyrkan was judging the situation, his Skeleton Warrior had become ragged. Even its Bone Armor couldn¡¯t withstand the brutal assault of the Spirit Knight. ¡°Whew.¡± Watching this scene, Hyrkan made his decision. ¡®It¡¯s about time I do my job.¡¯ It was now up to Hyrkan. Besides him, no one could fight the Spirit Knight on the front lines. After throwing two Skeleton Fragments on the ground, Hyrkan charged towards the Spirit Knight. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Hyrkan held his sword with both his hands and swung horizontally towards the Spirit Knight¡¯s left side. On the other hand, the Spirit Knight, holding its sword single-handedly, swung its sword down diagonally to block Hyrkan¡¯s sword. The two swords met¡­ Clang! And let out an ear-splitting sound. Creek, creek! The sound of the two blades grinding against each other was terrifying and hard to listen to. During their clash, Hyrkan was the one to be on retreat. His sword was being pushed back in its path. Seeing the Spirit Knight win against him in power with just one hand, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but feel a headache. ¡®Geez.¡¯ It was a clear proof that his stats weren¡¯t comparable to the Spirit Knight. This wasn¡¯t the only proof either. The numerous cuts on Hyrkan¡¯s body and armor also served as proof. Of course, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t the only one in a sorry state. The Spirit Knight¡¯s armor also had clear signs of a fierce battle. What was certain was that this was the most fierce, intense battle Hyrkan has had so far. ¡®I barely survived. Thank god I learned this skill.¡¯ The only reason Hyrkan was still alive was due to a body modification skill he obtained recently ¨C ¡®False Heart.¡¯ It raised his total HP by 20 percent, and together with Skin Sewing and Bone Armor, it greatly raised his survivability. Without them, he surely would have died. While Hyrkan was drawing the Spirit Knight¡¯s aggro, three Skeleton Warriors jumped towards the Sprit Knight. As soon as the Spirit Knight caught sight of them, it put more strength into its sword and pushed Hyrkan backwards. Then, it turned around to face the Skeleton Warriors. ¡®Okay.¡¯ After staggering for a brief moment, Hyrkan found his balance again. His eyes were fixed at the Spirit Knight¡¯s left shoulder pad, which was already half-broken. Hyrkan didn¡¯t hesitate. The moment the Spirit Knight used Sword Reinforcement and swung its sword at the three Skeleton Warriors, cutting them in half¡­ Crack! Hyrkan cut off the Spirit Knight¡¯s left arm. Puhat! Instead of blood, intense flame spewed out from where the arm was cut off. Hyrkan immediately backed off. Meanwhile, two of the Skeleton Warriors that had been cut in half reformed themselves and stood up. Surrounded, the Spirit Knight stared at Hyrkan and turned to look at the Skeleton Warriors. ¡®It¡¯s time for the finale.¡¯ Hyrkan immediately made an estimation. Sword Reinforcement was still on cooldown for some time. He had two Skeleton Warriors left, and he could use one of them as bait to deliver one more blow. One attack for one Skeleton Warrior. Although it was a losing trade, it would be worth it if it meant he could finish the fight. Hyrkan snapped his fingers and gave the signal. Having finished absorbing Hyrkan¡¯s mana to recover, the Skeleton Warriors charged towards the Spirit Knight. The Spirit Knight stared at the Skeleton Warriors closing in on itself. Watching this scene, Hyrkan estimated the timing. ¡®Not yet.¡¯ Not yet, not yet, not yet. ¡®Now!¡¯ The moment he grasped the timing, Hyrkan charged. The charging power from his high strength stat and ¡®Leg Strength Modification¡¯ passive skill was unbelievably high. In an instant, he closed the distance between the Spirit Knight and himself. Meanwhile, the Skeleton Warriors that had already reached the Spirit Knight raised their arms and swung down. It was impossible for the Spirit Knight to block all of the attacks at the same time. At the same time, it had no intention to block the two Skeleton Warriors¡¯ attacks. It ignored their attacks and turned around, swinging its sword along with the centrifugal force from spinning. Whish! Its sword flew towards the charging Hyrkan. In that instant, underneath the hahoe mask of Hyrkan and underneath the helmet of the Spirit Knight, their gazes met. Although not much had changed, it seemed like Hyrkan¡¯s eyes were dark while the Spirit Knight¡¯s eyes were bright. ¡®You fucker¡­¡¯ In its moment of danger, the Sprit Knight¡¯s excellent artificial intelligence had ordered him to attack the most threatening target. It was something completely unexpected even for Hyrkan. Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have any way of dealing with the attack. Although he reflexively moved his body, it didn¡¯t have much meaning in such a situation. Chwing! The Spirit Knight¡¯s sword destroyed Hyrkan¡¯s Bone Armor and Skeleton Armor, pierced through his Skin Sewing, and sent Hyrkan flying towards the wall. When he landed, he continued to roll on the ground several times. The Spirit Knight didn¡¯t stop there. It ignored the attacks from the Skeleton Warriors and flung its body towards Hyrkan. It planned to use this opportunity to kill the most fearsome foe. Meanwhile, Hyrkan summoned the Golem. Most players would have been taken out before they even understood what had happened. However, Hyrkan knew what he had to do even amidst the chaos of battle. The summoned Golem began to take shape, and became a wall blocking the path of the Spirit Knight. The single-armed Spirit Knight didn¡¯t stop upon seeing the Golem, but instead raised its sword up high. It planned to finish off the Golem before it could fully take shape. The Golem would not be able to last more than a few seconds. In those few seconds, Hyrkan had to recover as much as he could with his recovery items. Hyrkan did so almost instinctively. He reached into the pocket on his waist and grabbed a hand-full of recovery clay. After applying it on his injuries, he took out an extremely expensive HP recovery candy from one of his hidden pockets and threw it in his mouth. Without savoring its taste, he chewed on it and gulped it down. ¡°Huuu¡­¡± Hyrkan then got up and let out a long sigh. His expression was frozen and rigid. From his mouth which was barely visible underneath the hahoe mask, he mumbled. ¡°You¡¯re fucking dead.¡± The Spirit Knight¡¯s blow had awakened the sleeping Hero Slaughterer inside Hyrkan. Chapter 66 : Skill ‘Armament’ (2) Chapter 66 : Skill ¡®Armament¡¯ (2) ¡°I¡¯ve always been curious. Do you mind?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°What¡¯s on your mind when you¡¯re fighting monsters? You always charge at them so thoughtlessly.¡± It was about the time when he was at level 100. Along with Kim Dongsoo and other members of the Hahoe Mask Guild, Hyrkan had gained experience, levels, fame, and achievements. During this time when they were able to earn enough to make a living, Hyrkan, the Hahoe Mask Guild¡¯s ace player, had been killed during battle. It was the result of a reckless battle. The Hahoe Mask Guild had to rest for 48 hours as a result, and Kim Dongsoo took the time to have a drink with An Jaehyun. When Kim Dongsoo asked An Jaehyun the above question, An Jaehyun answered. ¡°Mm¡­ if I don¡¯t kill this guy, I won¡¯t get to eat tomorrow. Something like that.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± When he heard An Jaehyun¡¯s answer, Kim Dongsoo let out a dry laugh as he poured more drink into An Jaehyun¡¯s glass. The reason Kim Dongsoo didn¡¯t pry further was that he took An Jaehyun¡¯s answer as a signal that he didn¡¯t want to talk more about it. However, that wasn¡¯t the case. It was the cold hard truth. An Jaehyun, or rather Hyrkan, did not put much thought into his fights. He wasn¡¯t able to either. By nature, there were too many ways a fight could go wrong. He couldn¡¯t fight with every possibility in mind. In the end, all he could do was remind himself of his resolve. The answer Hyrkan gave was his resolve. There would be no dinner if he didn¡¯t kill the monster in front of him! As much as it was foolish, simple, and ridiculous, it had a good effect. Although this resolve sometimes sent him to forced 48-hour vacations, it mostly helped him achieve his goals. One of these results was his title, Hero Slaughterer. ¡®Skeletons are just assistants. I¡¯ve been taking things easy for too long.¡¯ At this moment, Hyrkan reminded himself of this resolve once again. Then, he held up his Orc Hero¡¯s Sword. ¡®Someone who just sits back isn¡¯t Hyrkan.¡¯ Hyrkan then charged towards the Spirit Knight who had turned his Golem into a ragged doll. The Spirit Knight immediately reacted to Hyrkan¡¯s appearance. He faced Hyrkan and swung down with his sword diagonally. Up until now, Hyrkan had faced the Spirit Knight¡¯s attacks head on. If he did, his Skeleton Warriors would attack in his stead. Rather than dodging the Spirit Knight¡¯s attack, he performed the role of controlling him. This time, however, Hyrkan dodged the attack. Narrowly. He tilted his body to the side slightly, and he could clearly feel the Spirit Knight¡¯s sword brush past him. This was Hyrkan¡¯s original battle style. It was just that he had forgotten about it due to the convenience provided by his Skeleton Warriors. It was the Spirit Knight that had let him remember what he had forgotten for so long. The Spirit Knight had awoken the Hero Slaughterer Hyrkan that was sleeping within Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. After dodging the Spirit Knight¡¯s attack, Hyrkan struck its side with his sword. Clang! A metallic noise rang out as a clear sword cut appeared on its armor. However, the armor wasn¡¯t cut apart completely, showing the Spirit Knight¡¯s formidable defense. As such, after successfully cutting the Spirit Knight once, he brushed past it and turned around. Whish. The Spirit Knight also turned to face Hyrkan. ¡°Hu!¡± With a short breath of air, he once again ran towards the Spirit Knight. The Spirit Knight swung its sword, and Hyrkan once again narrowly dodged its attack as he made another sword cut on its armor. Exchanging one attack for another. Hyrkan¡¯s plan was to exchange tens or even hundreds of such attacks. Of these, if he got hit three or four times, it would be game over. One mistake could potentially be fatal. Any hidden cards the Spirit Knight was holding would be detrimental to Hyrkan, and it was entirely possible that this battle would end up as a disaster for Hyrkan. However, Hyrkan did not worry about what could be. ¡®If I don¡¯t kill him, I won¡¯t have dinner tomorrow!¡¯ Such thoughts weren¡¯t suited for the Hero Slaughterer. ¡ï¡ï¡ï [You have obtained the title, ¡®Knighthood.¡¯] The moment he heard the alert, Hyrkan took out his recovery clay and began to heal his left arm that was about to fall off. After applying the recovery clay onto the severed area, he could feel his left arm moving again. It was truly a game-like scene. Hyrkan then turned his head towards pieces of armor that lied fallen on the ground. The traces of a fierce battle were scattered about on the ground. Watching the parts of the broken armor, Hyrkan grinned. ¡°Kya!¡± Hyrkan let out a scream of joy. ¡®I really am the best.¡¯ This was it. The sight of himself fighting against the odds and coming out victorious. That was the Hyrkan he enjoyed seeing. Of course, there was one thing he wasn¡¯t quite satisfied with. ¡®As I thought, there is a slight delay with the V-Gear I have now.¡¯ Now that he had fought with his all, he had felt something he quite haven¡¯t felt before. His V-Gear¡¯s Level. ¡®Level 6 would be too much. Would a Level 3 do for now?¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s currently V-Gear was the standard Level 1 Model. Currently, the Level 6 V-Gear was about to be released. The difference between Level 1 and Level 6 wasn¡¯t so big, but there was a noticeable difference if a skilled player was using them. Of course, the difference in their performance could only be felt when a player was performing to the limit of his capabilities. ¡®But since I¡¯m able to feel the difference now, it looks like my sense of battle is nearing what it was at my prime.¡¯ This meant that Hyrkan¡¯s senses had come back to what it was during his prime. The feeling he couldn¡¯t quite remember even with the continued Climbing Tests had come back thanks to the Spirit Knight. Watching the remnant of the Spirit Knight, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡®This guy sells for quite a lot too.¡¯ What he was happy about were the items the Spirit Knight would drop. Spirit Knights¡¯ dropped crafting coins called the Spirit Knight Armor Piece, and because they could hold the power of spirits, they were used to create high-tier attribute-resistant armor. Considering the Spirit Knight was also level 90, the items it would drop would at least be at the level 70 range. Hyrkan¡¯s gain would be well over his expenditure. Hyrkan immediately turned the armor into crafting coins, pocketed them, and turned towards the exit. ¡®It¡¯s time to finish this.¡¯ The Spirit Knight was the guardian of the dungeon, and now that it was gone, it meant he was free to loot the place as he desired. Hyrkan gazed at the new, unexplored part as he smiled. ¡ï¡ï¡ï Soon, Hyrkan found himself in a shabby room filled with two wooden desks and three bookshelves. Although there were dozens of books in the bookshelves, most were completely useless novels based on Warlord¡¯s world setting. Although there were players who enjoyed reading about such things, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t one of them. In the first place, Hyrkan knew about the Warlord world better than anyone else. He knew who the Immoral Prince was, and also the identity of the Ruined Kingdom that would be revealed when the Immoral Prince was captured. ¡®Is this it?¡¯ Hyrkan quickly skimmed through the books. ¡°Whoa!¡± Then, when Hyrkan finally found what he was looking for, his eyes sparkled. It was a book with a palm print but no words. ¡®A skillbook!¡¯ It was a skillbook. Furthermore, what Hyrkan had obtained was a No-name Skillbook. Once he placed his left hand on the palm print, a random skill would be materialized based on the player¡¯s class. The skill could then be learned by the player, or he could sell it to others as a skillbook. Most of the skillbooks on the market were created in this way. This was also the reason why necromancer skillbooks were rare. A necromancer skillbook neither was guaranteed to sell well, nor were there enough necromancers to flood the market with them. Of course, it was possible to sell the No-name Skillbook, but most did not do so. Even Normal-rank skillbooks sold for a good amount, and skillbooks from No-name Skillbooks had the potential to be Rare-rank or even Unique-rank. No person would hesitate to open a treasure chest that guaranteed riches. There were people who just sold No-name Skillbooks for a high price, but doing so was like buying lottery tickets. Without hesitation, Hyrkan placed his hand on the palm print. He wasn¡¯t so worried about money anymore, so there was no reason for him to agonize over what to do. [The skillbook reveals its identity.] Hyrkan immediately received an alert, then another in quick succession. [Would you like to learn the skill, ¡®Armament¡¯?] ¡®Mm?¡¯ At that instant, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help but take his hand off the skillbook in surprise. Staring at the skillbook in his hand, Hyrkan asked. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ Then, he placed his hand on the palm print once again. The same alert popped up and Hyrkan once again took his hand off the skillbook. ¡°Armament¡­¡± ¡®Is it that skill?¡¯ Hyrkan wasn¡¯t entirely knowledgeable on the necromancer skill tree. There was limited information on how many skills necromancers had, what the conditions were for obtaining them, or what the skills exactly did. Although he bought information from Helgen early in the game, Hyrkan was now far more knowledgeable than Helgen. As a result, Hyrkan could only think about Rich Lich¡¯s raid videos to infer what the skills he used were. What Hyrkan was most curious about were the armed states of Rich Lich¡¯s skeletons. At first, Hyrkan thought they were wearing something like the Bone Armor. However, he quickly found out after using Bone Armor himself that this wasn¡¯t the case. Hyrkan then wondered if it was because Rich Lich used a different monster as material, but that theory was also quickly debunked as Hyrkan tried out different monsters to craft Skeleton Fragments. In the end, he could only conclude that Rich Lich had another skill. Most important was the fact that Rich Lich¡¯s skeletons were holding excellent weapons. But from what Hyrkan tried, Skeleton Warriors couldn¡¯t use the weapons their master used. They couldn¡¯t use the weapons taken from other monsters either. This could only mean that there was a skill that allowed them to use players¡¯ weapons. Gulp! Hyrkan swallowed his breath. ¡®Is it really possible?¡¯ Hyrkan imagined his Skeleton Warriors holding the Orc Hero¡¯s Sword. Hyrkan let out another breath of air. Then, he pulled up the skill details onto a hologram window. ¡ï¡ï¡ï The Red Bulls Guild held absolute control over the Sura Canyon Village. Being targeted by the Red Bulls Guild meant one shouldn¡¯t even consider stepping one foot into the Sura Canyon Village. The merchants that traded there had to pay a fee to the Red Bulls Guild, and had to submit a proof of identity to them. Although it wasn¡¯t so serious like having to show one¡¯s social security number, players known for being bad mannered had no chance of being accepted. It was the same for a player named Koten. The moment he saw the Red Bulls Guild¡¯s announcement asking for information on a player who purchased a large number of items by himself, Koten gave them all the information he had. ¡°You said he purchased 4,000 golds-worth at once?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Do you remember exactly how he looked like?¡± ¡°Well you see¡­ I¡¯m not too good at remembering faces¡­ but he was definitely Asian.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Mm¡­ I don¡¯t know if this is the right way to put it, but he seemed like a pushover.¡± ¡°A pushover?¡± ¡°You know what I mean, right? It¡¯s like if you see them, you immediately think ¡®I can trick that guy even if I¡¯m not a con-artist.¡¯ That¡¯s the kind of guy I¡¯m talking about. Of course, he wasn¡¯t a real pushover. He knew what he was doing when we were trading. Not that I would have tricked him anyways, but you know what I mean.¡± ¡®We already knew that Hahoe Mask Hyrkan was Asian, and likely Korean¡­ but he looks like a pushover?¡¯ ¡°Damn, how do I report this?¡± In the end, the Red Bulls ended up without much lead on Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. Chapter 67 : Skill ‘Armament’ (3) Chapter 67 : Skill ¡®Armament¡¯ (3) [Armament] ¨C Skill Level : Rank F ¨C Skill Instruction : You can give an item in your possession to the Skeleton Magician as well as the Skeleton Warrior. As proficiency increases, an increased variety of items could be given to the mage under the Skeleton Warrior. -Other : The weapon given to the mage as well as the Skeleton Warrior will become one with the weapon. The mage as well as the Skeleton Warrior has to be summoned to withdraw the weapon¡¯s right. The hologram window displayed the Armament Skill¡¯s description, and Hyrkan removed his Hahoe mask. Then he carefully looked over the description of the skill, and he watched the video regarding the use of the skill. Afterwards, Hyrkan swallowed his exclamation. ¡®An incredible one showed up.¡¯ Armament Skill. It¡¯ll allowed the Skeleton Mage as well as the Skeleton Warrior to become incredibly strong. In one fell swoop, the skill would make the Mage into a powerful being. ¡®It really is an incredible one¡­¡­.¡¯ At the same time, it was a skill that required a steep price. ¡®A skill that¡¯ll put an incredible dent into my account books has showed up.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t filled purely of happiness.He started earnestly calculating the figures. ¡®So how much do I have to spend?¡¯ Currently, level 70 Rare rank weapons with decent options were traded between the price of 500 to 1000 gold. Of course, Rare rank items like the Orc Hero¡¯s Sword, which was closer to the Unique rank, was traded at a much more expensive price. ¡®First, the number of Skeletons I could summon¡­¡­.¡¯ This was Hyrkan¡¯s current Rank of skills related to Skeleton Summoning. [Skeleton Fragment Rank B], [Skeleton Study Rank D], [Skeleton Magician Rank D]. There were 5 Skeleton Warriors able to be summoned through the Skeleton Fragment Rank B.Skeleton Study Rank D¡¯s effect allowed him to summon an additional 3 Skeletons.The effect of Skeleton Magician Rank D allowed him to summon two more. The Corrupt Pursuer¡¯s Necklace allowed for an additional summon with its effect.If he only summoned the Skeleton Warriors, he could summon 11 of them at most. What if he added these two factors? ¡°Hoo-ooh!¡± Hyrkan¡¯s mouth let out a sigh as his complicated emotions were mixed in with it. This skill wouldn¡¯t arm the entire body yet.It¡¯ll just allow it to take up a decent weapon. Hyrkan needed much more money than the security deposit for his one room. Moreover, as the Armament Skill proficiency increases, he would need more money. When he thought about the breastplate, greave, shoulder, boots, and shield¡­. Of course, it was possible to resell the weapons he purchased later on.However, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get the full price for what he paid for.It would impact on how much profit he would bring in.However, it wouldn¡¯t affect Hyrkan¡¯s way of life too much. The important thing was deciding whether he wanted to spend a lot of time selling and purchasing items.If not, he had to secure enough funds where he¡¯ll be able to purchase the items in bulk. Hyrkan stopped thinking at this point.If he thought any more, it felt as if a hole would form in his stomach. ¡®¡­¡­for the foreseeable future, it¡¯ll be protein powders, cheap coffees, and grape-flavored candies.¡¯ Hyrkan let out a bitter laugh. ¡®I can understand how a head of the household feels when he has to save money to be able to support his children and wife.¡¯ In the entirety of his life, he had never married anyone.Moreover, he hadn¡¯t dated either.He already felt as if he had not one, but several children now. His situation was funny. ¡®I don¡¯t have time for this.¡¯ His mirth didn¡¯t last long. First, Hyrkan had to acquire the Skill.He once again raised his hand onto the Skill Book.It requested whether he would like to acquire the Skill. He chose to accept. [You¡¯ve acquired the Armament Skill.] After he finished learning the skill, Hyrkan put the thoughts about the Armament Skill to the back of his head.He once again started to carefully search his surrounding. ¡®Let¡¯s clear the Dungeon first.¡¯ The message indicating the Dungeon Clear hadn¡¯t popped up.He hadn¡¯t received the Bonus EXP that followed a Dungeon Clear. This meant he hadn¡¯t found the element that was required for a Dungeon Clear.Hyrkan had to work on this problem instead of thinking about the Armament Skill. ¡®There should be something here.There should be something that¡¯ll inform me about the identity of this Dungeon¡­¡¯ Hyrkan busily searched through the book cases.Afterwards, he started searching the desk drawers, when it happened. Dul-kung dulkung! One desk drawer wouldn¡¯t open.There weren¡¯t any noticeable change to Hyrkan¡¯s expression as he kicked the desk¡¯s drawer with his foot. Kwah-jeek! Accompanying a rough sound, the desk drawer was demolished.When he looked inside the destroyed drawer, he found a bundle of documents being stored there.The owner of this Dungeon used Salamanders as ingredients.He wrote down the results of his research in making the Elemental Knights. The title on the cover was quite grandiose and weighty. [Research Log about the Ancient Power] It looked like a very important title.However, when Hyrkan caught sight of the title, he let out a single snort.The word ¡®Ancient Power¡¯ was something that was very familiar to him.It was like the name of the neighbor¡¯s dog. It was so familiar that he was almost sick and tired of it. ¡®It¡¯s the Ruined Kingdom¡¯s bait.¡¯ Ancient Power. This was a topic one comes across the main storyline of the Warlord.It wasn¡¯t anything complicated.It was a trope commonly used in most fantasy novels.Some ancient kingdom possessed a special power.They used the power in a wrong way, and it destroyed the brilliant and civilized kingdom. After a long time passes, the power reappears once again in the world, and it drives the world into chaos!That was the basic story line. Additionally, the power used by the current corrupt count, and Baeduk¡¯s prince was also of the Ancient Power.The Warlord users were given frequent clues, so one could piece together this story.This was why these elements of the story was hidden in places like the Dungeons as bait. ¡®When I heard the story for the first time, I was like wow, wow!I was like that.¡¯ Unexpectedly, this subject was a bit of a money maker.The Top 30 guilds were interested in this main scenario quest, which was viewed through the outlook of a Warlord.There were at least one program that dealt with main quests like this. Since he found it here, it probably held a similar story!The fan of this piece would gather, and a minor program would have various conversation about the view of the world inside this work.Moreover, these types of shows were unexpectedly popular. Hundred thousand to millions of viewers enjoyed watching even this minor view of the world. This manuscript wouldn¡¯t bring in an enormous sum of money, but it would bring in enough.In the case of the Top 30 Guilds, they frequently purchased and collected such manuscripts. Hyrkan put away the manuscript.He had planned on taking it any ways, but this manuscript felt much more precious now since he had to worry about the Armament Skill. ¡®I need to earn every penny.¡¯ At the same time, he started berating himself for hunting in luxury up until now . ¡®Shit.Why did I do that?¡¯ It happened at that moment. [You¡¯ve reached the Dungeon¡¯s Secret.] [You¡¯ve cleared the Dungeon.You¡¯ll be given a reward.] [You have leveled up.] With the notice, the not too short Dungeon Exploration came to an end for Hyrkan. Plop plop. Ahn-jaehyun dropped grape-flavored candies into hi cheap coffee. Then he busily worked his hand over the Tablet PC.He was calculating figures using a Calculator App. ¡®At the very least, he would have to give level 60 and up rare weapons to the 11 Skeletons. He could purchase those items using his excess funds of 20 thousand gold.Since he had the level 70 Set Items of Shadow Hunting Dog Set and the White Mamba¡¯s Tooth Sword, he wouldn¡¯t have to invest any more for his own equipment. If he sold the Skull Snake Set and the items he earned from this Dungeon Exploration, he¡¯ll be able to obtain 20 thousand gold. However, he would need around that much spare funds for his future hunting.Then there was the Orc Hero¡¯s Sword¡­He would feel the absence if he sold it.It would better to give it to a Skeleton.¡¯ His calculation didn¡¯t end there.His calculation continued as he crossed from the game into reality. ¡®I¡¯ll have to purchase a higher model V Gear.There was a limit when one used the Level 1.It would be hard to immediately get the level 6, but he should at least purchase a level 3 or level 4. If he switched to a higher model while still paying his old installment, his monthly installment would be¡­¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s forehead was stacked with wrinkles as he continually calculated everything.When he finished his calculation, Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s expression became rigid with his foreheads still furrowed. ¡°Uheekoo.¡± Ahn-jaehyun, who had enough money to live in luxury, suddenly found himself in rags now. ¡®Suddenly, I¡¯m short on money.Fuck.¡¯ He swallowed his sigh.He withdrew his hand from the Tablet PC, and Ahn-jaehyun looked at his one room as he sipped his coffee.The inside of his house was so poor that the large monitor and V Gear felt out of place.The corner of Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s mouth hung downwards. ¡®I thought I was trending up towards the right direction¡­¡¯ He had thought about moving to a new place when he had some money to spare.However, he would have to push that dream further down the line.As if his coffee was bitter, Ahn-jaehyun let out a bitter laugh. ¡®My intent was to play the game to make a living. Currently, I¡¯m putting my living expenses into the game.¡¯ Truthfully, Ahn-jaehyun could make an agreement at any time.The moment he made an agreement he would be able to live a decent life. He just had to pick up one enthusiastic love call sent by the Top 30 Guilds.After 3 years, he would have a decent apartment, and a nice automobile.He would also have a pretty expensive watch on his wrist. He would go to meetings, and he will be able to introduce his job as a Warlord Gamer with pride. He just had to come to an agreement.Then he wouldn¡¯t have to be hungry like right now, and he wouldn¡¯t have to take on any risk. ¡®At any rate, my pride is quite expensive.¡¯ However, he couldn¡¯t make that agreement.He knew the truth.Ahn-jaehyun drank the bitter coffee, and he let out a bitter laugh. However, the numerous grape-flavored candies soon took the edge off the bitterness.The sweetness coated the inside of his mouth. ¡®Still, this is a favorable development for me.¡¯ The appearance of the Armament Skill would most definitely damage Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s expense plan.On the other hand, the appearance of the Armament skill would significantly increase Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s potential. He would get stronger by using weapons.This was most definitely a great thing.However, the weapons in the game didn¡¯t only serve to increase one¡¯s attack.It was the same for the Warlord.Numerous types of weapons were used by the Warlord. Especially when he reached the Unique Rank and the ruined Kingdom arc, weapons containing the Ancient Power would start to appear. The Aura from the weapon could decrease the stat of the targets.On the opposite spectrum, there were weapons that could increase the Stat of the nearby allies.There were even defensive gear that was touted to have an absolute defense. They were really really expensive weapons.If Hyrkan used all the money he had gathered up until now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to buy those weapons.What if he could equip his troops with those weapons?The Skeleton army commanded by Ahn-jaehyun would induce unimaginable fear. Moreover, it wouldn¡¯t end there. ¡®At level 100, I¡¯ll acquire the Skeleton Knights¡­.¡¯ The moment any class reached level 100, one would learn one¡¯s main skills.It would dramatically strengthen his potential. Amongst his summoning skill, there was a skill called ¡®Skeleton Knights¡¯.The Skeleton Knights were twice as strong as the Skeleton Warriors, and their special ability increased the stat of the Skeleton Warriors. Furthermore¡­ ¡®If I also acquire the Death Knights, afterwards¡­¡­.¡¯ After the Skeleton Knights, the creme de la creme of the Necromancer was the Death Knights.A Death Knight was powerful enough of an existence that it didn¡¯t need to be equipped. In the Rich Lich¡¯s Solo Raid video, Death Knights displayed superior battle capability than a fairly skilled ranker. Moreover, if he activated the Death Knight¡¯s special ability called the Immortal Army, the Skeletons surrounding the Death Knight would receive an almost limitless life. Boo-roo-roo! For a brief moment, Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s body shook. Even in his own opinion, he would be able to possess a ridiculous amount of combat power. If only he had money. If he was overflowing with money, Ahn-jaehyun would truly become what he wanted to be.He¡¯ll be able to become a Warlord. ¡®Yes.I have to quickly make money, so I can give my Skeletons good weapons to carry around.It isn¡¯t the time to be standing around like this.¡¯ The thought forced Ahn-jaehyun into moving. Ahn-jaehyun finished his coffee, then he put on his clothes. It was light clothes suited for the end of spring, when summer started to approach.His clothes showed off his skinny frame. Ahn-jaehyun adjusted his glasses, then he stepped out of the house. [Maung¡¯s Request] ¨C Quest Rank : Rare ¨C Quest Requirement Level : None ¨C Quest Summary : Investigate the monsters inside the Pareung Forest. ¨C Quest Reward : Maung¡¯s Trust He manipulated the clock to confirm the content of the Quest.Then Hyrkan turned his head, and he stared at the mountain in front of him.Even viewing it from afar, the large forest gave off a sense of peril. The full forest held a foreboding feeling. Pareung Forest. It was crawling with monsters over level 90.It was a region where a single village hadn¡¯t formed even now. Decent regular users wouldn¡¯t even dare to approach this region. The fairly high level users would come with a party formed by the guild.It was a place where they would be inserted for a full-scale fighting. From the corner of the Pareung Forest, the sound of explosions rang out, and fire rose into the air.Sometimes he would hear a chilling and powerful cry of a monster. Hyrkan, who was viewing this sight, quickly put on the Hahoe mask slung on the waist of his armor.His new armor gave off a sense of sleekness and sophistication. He also wore a hooded shirt inside his armor, and he put on the hood.When he put on his hood, darkness descended to cover Hyrkan¡¯s face. Then he was with the Darkness. [Shadow Hunting Dog Set¡¯s Special Option ¡®Shadow Hunting Doge¡¯ was activated.] [Shadow Hunting Doge Set¡¯s Special Effect increased movement speed.] [Shadow Hunting Doge Set¡¯s Special Effect dims the presence of the wearer.] [Shadow Hunting Doge Set¡¯s Special Effect decreases defense by 20%.] The new power wrapped itself around Hyrkan. As Hyrkan felt the power of his new Defensive Set surround him, he softly spat out his resolve. ¡°I¡¯ll kill all the bastards, who will interfere with me making my money.¡± His account held $232,120,It was a resolve made by someone who had to make a monthly payment of couple thousand a month for the V Gear. Chapter 68 : Helm Ogre (1) Chapter 68 ¨C Helm Ogre (1) [Your Level has risen.] A pleasant sound was heard. ¡®It won¡¯t give me any time to rest.¡¯ However, the moment Hyrkan heard the announcement for his level up, he frowned instead of having a happy smile on his face. He threw his body towards the battlefield in front of his eyes. Hyrkan ran towards a battlefield that held two 3 meter giants with black and ragged skin. They had rock-like skins. Seven Skeleton Warriors, and a golem was nearby. Level 90 monster. Black Troll. Their tough skin meant they had high defense, and they also possessed an astonishing regeneration ability. They also gave a very substantial amount of EXP. This monster had ruthlessly swung its club at Hyrkan a moment ago. He was sent flying after a critical hit. After Hyrkan healed his wound, he was about to eat a consumable item when he leveled up as one of the Black Troll died. The level up bonus recovered him fully. Since his Stamina and Magic was filled to the brim, Hyrkan got a little bit of a breathing room. ¡®This is so tiring.¡¯ He swallowed his complaints. The Black Troll ran towards him, and its club came down like lightning. He sidestepped the blow, then he slid between the Black Troll¡¯s legs to escape. Then he quickly came to a stop. After a quickly leap, he stabbed the White Mamba Fang Sword into the Black Troll¡¯s back. Poo-oohk! White Mamba Fang Sword. It was a level 70 Unique Rank Item. The main attribute of items were assigned randomly. Instead of Strength and Stamina, it rolled Wisdom and Magic. Hyrkan had purchased it at a cheap price at auction. Even at a very conservative price, he had purchased it for 38,000 gold. For the general public, it was a ridiculous price, but Hyrkan felt as if the price had been a bargain. [The Black Troll was poisoned by the White Mamba¡¯s Venom.] White Mamba Fang Sword¡¯s secondary attribute, Poisoning! The damage caused by the Poisoning was quite strong. Moreover, the Poisoning Magic worked very well against Trolls, who had a powerful skin regenerative property. Even if its regeneration was strong, there was still a finite HP. Its HP didn¡¯t recover. It only recovered its wounds. The effect of the poison continued as it disregarded the regeneration ability. Moreover, the sword¡¯s damage was also powerful. This fact was evident when the sword pierced through the very thick leather of the Black Troll in a single breath. When the sword was embedded deep, the Balck Troll¡¯s regeneration ability activated. Its skin started to regenerate around the still embedded sword. Hyrkan had a bloody smile on his face. With both his hands holding the sword, he pressed both his feet against the Troll¡¯s back. He looked akin to a climber using rock climbing techniques. He was skillful and sure in his techniques. There was a reason why Warlord users took the Climbing Test. In Warlord, the Rock Climbing technique was an absolute requisite skill. It was used, while fighting against any monsters over midsize. If one was capable of sticking to the monster¡¯s body, it gave one the opportunity to give constant damage to the monster. Choo-roong! In this position, Hyrkan unsheathed his other sword from his waist, then he tirelessly moved the blade to make countless cuts on the Black Troll¡¯s back. Sss-ooht, sss-ooht! Every time he made a mark with his sword, he saw the wound heal immediately. It was a chilling sight. However, the damage was most definitely accumulating, and the Black Troll¡¯s HP was quickly and abruptly decreasing. Ooh-uhuh! Finally, the Black Troll turned his attention toward Hyrkan. The aggro was steered towards Hyrkan. The Black Troll started struggling to catch Hyrkan, who was stuck to the Black Troll¡¯s back. The Black Troll didn¡¯t perceive the Skeleton Warriors in the front holding terrifying weapons. It was a mistake. What¡¯s worse, the Skeleton Warrior that had been facing the Black Troll earlier was the Black Orc Skeleton Warrior with the Orc Hero¡¯s Sword in his grasp. The sword had the power to ignore the target¡¯s defense¡­ Suh-guhk, suh-guhk! In a flash, he dealt significant damage to both its knees. It wasn¡¯t a wound the Black Troll could ignore. Moreover, that wasn¡¯t the end of it. Ddul-goo-ruk, ddul-goo-ruk! The Skeleton Warriors didn¡¯t let this opportunity pass. They ran towards the Black Troll, while making bone rattles. There was a horn attached to their skulls. It was the Madness Helm, and it made them much more fearsome. Moreover, through Hyrkan¡¯s repeated teachings and continuous battles, the combat AI of the Skeleton Soldiers had already reached a professional level. When the Skeleton Warriors saw a crack, they charged forward like eels swimming towards a crack. After they ran in¡­. Pook, shweek, kook! All kinds of sounds that could be made by swords hitting flesh was made. Ooh-uhuh! The Black Troll¡¯s yell spread out wide into the surrounding. During all of this, Hyrkan tirelessly moved his sword. As if Hyrkan was trying to pull a sword out of the ground, he put both feet on the Black Troll¡¯s back, and he pulled out the White Mamba Fang Sword. Pooh-haht! He extracted his sword, and an arc of blood fountained into the air. Hyrkan dismounted to the floor. Hyrkan rolled once as he dropped, and he came to his feet unharmed. Ooh-oh? The being that had been frustrating the Black Troll by skillfully attacking its back had fallen to the floor. The Black Troll turned his head towards Hyrkan. It meant he turned his back on the Skeleton Warriors, who had been tormenting the Black Troll! Sheek! Hyrkan had a deep smile underneath the Hahoe Mask. [Hyrkan] ¨C Level : 75 ¨C Occupation : Magician ¨C Title : 39 ¨C Stat : Strength(649)/Stamina(219)/Intelligence(352)/Magic(467) ¡®The Hunting Dog Set¡¯s Options are fantastic.¡¯ After he distributed the Stat Points earned from the level up, Hyrkan checked his Stat Window then he put on a slight smile. He had bought this set under the market value in preparation for reaching level 70. He was satisfied with the Shadow Dog Set¡¯s Options. No, it exceeded his expectation. Now that he was well-off in terms of Stats, it also enriched Hyrkan¡¯s heart. Of course. ¡®Still, why are there so many Shadow Dog sets being released? Today I saw at least 10 full sets come on the auction. Will the price drop in the future?¡¯ He had spent a lot of money to purchase the Shadow Dog Set. He paid 37,000 gold to purchase it, so this was a fresh worry for Hyrkan. Since he had invested his entire net worth into commodities, he felt like a stock broker looking at one¡¯s stock daily. He understood how they felt. This situation was basically asking for trouble. Hyrkan looked at himself as he shook his head from side to side. ¡®Let¡¯s only think about the good things. Good thoughts.¡¯ Hyrkan forced himself to think positive thoughts. ¡®Well, my level up is progressing very well.¡¯ The most positive news was his level up pace. Currently, Hyrkan¡¯s level up pace was unrivaled. His goal was to raise 10 levels in a month. At this pace, he¡¯ll be close to becoming the top ranker within a year. Moreover, he have gained 5 levels from the Parung Forest in only 13 days. It was a very surprising level up pace. ¡®I¡¯m most definitely closing the distance with the rankers.¡¯ Currently, the highest level on Warlord was 134. Of course, Perfect One Sulwoo was the one to achieve the top level. The top 100 Ranker was 125. Hyrkan was only level 75, so those levels looked very far away. However, Hyrkan was slowly and gradually narrowing the difference. It was a very positive sign. ¡®¡­¡­this was the result of too many monsters being here. It¡¯s problematic.¡¯ Moreover, the situation wasn¡¯t something normal. Parung Forest. It was teeming with Black Trolls over level 90. It also had field boss monsters like the fearsome Red Eye Ogre. This was the hunting ground where the so-called Red Eye appeared. It wouldn¡¯t have been a problem if this was the only thing he had to be worried about. The problem was there was a very small amount of users permanently stationed at the Parung Forest. Moreover, not many users hunted here. Currently, the Parung Forest didn¡¯t even have a village nearby. Not many users used this place as their stage. The reason behind it was complex. If one wanted to make a village here, one would need a powerful guild to make the village at Parung Forest. The Parung forest wasn¡¯t a bad hunting ground, but a lot of effort would have to be put into making the village. Effort wasn¡¯t the only problem. In the end, there wasn¡¯t a suitable location where a village could be built. The EXP was quite nice here, but the difficulty of this location could give trouble to even the level 90 users. Most of the current Warlord users were between latter half of lvl70 or early lvl80s. From their perspective, the Bulcass mountain was much better option than the Parung Forest. There was no need to suffer by coming to the Parung Forest. This was the reason why the Parung Forest was overflowing with monsters. Unless there was a large influx of users to the Parung Forest, the number of monsters would continue to increase, and at a certain point, it would be too difficult to hunt here. Of course, the practical users retreated at that point. There was no need to risk their lives to stay here. However, Hyrkan had a task he must pass in the Parung Forest. ¡®I¡¯ve searched the Parung Forest for nearly a fortnight, yet I haven¡¯t found any clues.¡¯ Maeung¡¯s Request. He had to find monsters akin to the Bear Warrior. He needed to find a monster wearing equipment like a person. However, to his knowledge, there weren¡¯t any monster wearing armor within the Parung Forest. The Black Trolls and the Red Eye Ogres didn¡¯t equip themselves with items. ¡®Maybe this is like the instance of the Dragon Lizard. I might have come across a Quest Monster with a very low probability of¡­¡¯ If the Parung Forest kept producing a higher number of monsters than expected, Hyrkan had no choice but to retreat. It would be better than dying. However, this meant his quest completion would be pushed to a later date. Hyrkan bit hard at his lips. ¡®The Strormhunters are probably about to graduate from the Bulcass mountains.¡¯ If Hyrkan¡¯s quest was delayed here, the Stormhunter¡¯s Quest line would converge with his. This meant he will be in direct competition with the Stormhunter¡¯s guild. Would it be possible for Hyrkan to win against them? The probability wasn¡¯t that high. Also, he didn¡¯t care if some other guild overtook him, but Hyrkan¡¯s pride wouldn¡¯t allow him to fall behind the Stormhunter guild. Hyrkan stood up. ¡®Should I have entered into a community at that time?¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan thought about what happened 10 days earlier. There were only about 10 user groups operating in the Parung Forest. It was a very low number. If one considered the size of the Parung forest, it could support over 50 teams hunting at this location. These 10 groups were composed of outstanding players. The average level of the party members was level 95. Basically, they were at the cusp of being promoted. The users, who were at the cusp of being promoted, usually overworked themselves to quickly reach level 100. It didn¡¯t matter if it was strenuous, hard and not profitable. They looked for a hunting ground where they could level up in the shortest amount of time possible. This was also true for the Alto Family. They were a group of 5 people, and all of them were level 98. They only needed 2 levels before they all reached level 100. They had come to the Parung forest, since they didn¡¯t have to worry about running out of monsters here. It didn¡¯t matter to them that this place was a much more difficult place to hunt. It was great at first. The place was overflowing with monsters, and the Black Troll¡¯s EXP was quite substantial. However, the Alto Family was starting to feel their limit recently. ¡°Now we have to fight at least three of them at every encounter.¡± ¡°If we only meet Black Trolls, we¡¯ll be fortunate. Recently, aren¡¯t all the Black Trolls being accompanied by smallfrys?¡± The number of monsters weren¡¯t decreasing. Instead, it was actually increasing. It was how the Warlord¡¯s Regen System was set-up. The Warlord Regen System took into consideration of additional users showing up at a map. This was why the system regenerated a higher number of monsters in the field compared to the users. However, no new users had come to this map recently. Eventually, the number of monsters in the Parung forest expanded, and it was up to the users to hunt them down. ¡°What¡¯s the status of our consumables?¡± ¡°We might have to go visit the castle once. Or we might have to call in the traveling merchant. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to hold out until level 100.¡± The biggest problem was the party had used more consumable items than planned as they tried to survive the overtaxing battles. ¡°We were so meticulous in our preparations¡­.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say in the beginning we wouldn¡¯t be able to use it all even if we tried?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a money drain. Will we be taking a loss, because we came here?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be hard for us to make any profit. If we are lucky, we might break even.¡± The Alto family let out a sigh. It wasn¡¯t too hard to go back and restock their items. However, the goal of reaching level 100 would be delayed by a day or two. This made that option unpalatable. They were like 3 day starved dogs with food in their near future. Endure! That¡¯s what they told themselves. Still, they were reaching an end to their patience. It also meant they couldn¡¯t overstretch themselves. It was preferable to waste one or two day in-game instead of wasting 48 hours from the Game Over. They were players who had bought a 20 thousand dollar system and they were paying couple hundred dollars per month on the game. They knew which scenario was more profitable. Still, they couldn¡¯t help, but be filled with regret. ¡°We should have just given the money to the Hahoe Mask, and we should have asked if he could carry us on his bus.¡± Their regret centered around the Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. ¡°He is soloing in this place. I still can¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°I saw it with my own eyes, but I still can¡¯t believe it.¡± Since the Parung forest was a stage with a small number of groups, everyone knew who was operating there. They had also developed their own community, and they helped each other when the need arose. Since no village was nearby, this arrangement increased their survivability. The community also allowed them to make personal connections, and it might benefit them in the future. At the very least, they were sharing the same hunting ground, so they were of similar levels. This was why the Alto family had invited Hahoe Mask Hyrkan to the community, but they were coldly turned down. At the time, everyone thought, ¡®What kind of person is that?¡¯, but now they were in awe of the Hahoe Mask¡¯s skill. The fact that the Alto family had to leave before they could reach level 100 made them feel a sense of loss. ¡°He¡¯s an amazing bastard.¡± ¡°It is rumored that the Hahoe Mask summons Skeleton Warriors, and one of them wields the Orc Hero¡¯s Sword.¡± ¡°The Orc Hero¡¯s Sword?¡± ¡°He gave a Skeleton such an expensive item? Is he some kind of heir to a rich family?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m jealous. If only I could pay2win like the Hahoe Mask, my level would be¡­.¡± ¡°Hahoe Mask. I bet he eat steak and wine everyday. I bet he imports only the highest quality of coffees.¡± ¡°Stop it. I bet he is too tired of meat, so he eat caviar with a spoon like ice cream.¡± The sense of loss they felt made them think about all kinds of things. It happened at that moment. ¡°Huh?¡± One of the user, who was listening to this rubbish conversation, suddenly stood up in place as if he had heard something. ¡°The Toon Party has sent a request for a rescue.¡± ¡°The Toon party?¡± Toon Party. Like the Alto family, the Toon party were composed of members close to advancing into level 100. It was a 5 man party that the Alto family had gotten acquainted with around a fortnight ago. ¡°It seems we are the closest to them. What should we do?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t complete strangers with the Toon party. They helped us out before. We have to leave anyways, so let¡¯s help them then leave. Also, isn¡¯t the Toon party more powerful than us? Shouldn¡¯t they have no problem in taking care of couple Black Trolls?¡± ¡°Did they find the Red Eye?¡± At the question, the man used voice talk to have a brief conversation, then he answered his party member¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s an ogre, but they are saying it is an ogre wearing a helmet?¡± ¡°What?¡± Chapter 69 : Helm Ogre (2) Chapter 69 ¨C Helm Ogre (2) ¡°If you change your mind, this is our voice talk search word, and password. Please join us. Let¡¯s help each other out.¡± He thought about the words spoken by the Alto Family¡¯s leader. He recalled the address given to him by the user named Neal. Hyrkan¡¯s memory wasn¡¯t that great, but it wasn¡¯t too hard remember the address. The search word was Parung Forest, and the password was 991. If he couldn¡¯t remember that, there was something severely wrong with him. Moreover, he recalled how he looked as he turned down their offer. Hyrkan lowered his head. ¡®I guess I was a bit cold at that time.¡¯ He had coldly refused their offer, and he recalled how unpleasant he had looked. Moreover, he now desired their help, so Hyrkan could only let out a sigh. ¡®Will I be able to join the community now?¡¯ Of course, Hyrkan knew the characteristics of a community, and what role it serves. A community was a lubricant-like existence for Warlord. The communities were unexpectedly of great help in numerous situations. They were sometimes more helpful than a guild. The guild took a long time to give help, but the community could give immediate help, since it was composed of users in the same region. It wasn¡¯t uncommon to see a community evolve into a guild. Sometimes, the community was on equal footing with the guilds. This was the reason why he turned down the offer to join the community. The members of a community had a deep and hard to break bonds. Once he dipped his foot in, it would be inevitable he would leave behind his footprint. What would happen if they became close? It was fine to become close to them. Hyrkan was afraid of what would happen after they became close. ¡°Ughhh.¡± Hyrkan let out a moan. Kwahng! Hyrkan¡¯s worries disappeared suddenly with the sound of an explosive boom. Hweeek! Hyrkan turned his head towards where the noise emanated. It had detonated from a pretty far distance away yet the sound of the explosion was quite powerful. Hyrkan, who was far away, heard it with his ear, but he could also feel the explosion with his body. ¡°Oh!¡± Hyrkan reflexively let out a short exclamation. If such an explosion happened in reality, it would cause widespread fear. However, the sound of an explosion occurring in Warlord was like a beacon indicating there was something worth watching for the spectators. ¡°The power used is quite considerable?¡± In truth, the powerful magic used by high level magicians were quite the spectacle. This was the reason why there was a program showing only high level magicians of the 30 Great Guilds using magic. It only showed them using magic, but the number of people tuning in was quite considerable. However, the magicians didn¡¯t like to use magic of this caliber. ¡®So why are they using such magic here?¡¯ They especially almost never used it against regular monsters on a Field type hunting ground unless it was a Boss monster. Basically, the magician¡¯s Magic Stat was on the low side. When one levels up, most of the bonus points was invested into Intelligence. If one had a lot of disposable income, one could use Recovery Items to cover up the short supply of magic power. In that case, the user would invest all the bonus points into Intelligence. It was obvious to say this, but the powerful magical spells required incredible amount of Magical Powers. It wasn¡¯t something one could use easily. The worst situation a magician can be in was when one was short on Magic Powers. One would be literally sucking on one¡¯s thumb for the duration. Also, the really powerful magic could change the tide of the battle. This was why there were some positives and negatives. The magic couldn¡¯t differentiate between allies and enemies. Even if one was in a party, the swung sword or the magic thrown by an ally could cause others damage. This was how the game, Warlord, worked. So what happens if one¡¯s allies get swept up in the area of effect of the powerful magic? It wasn¡¯t something one could forgive by buying the other party member a dinner. However, that kind of powerful magic had made an appearance right now. ¡®Mmmm¡­¡­.¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t dismiss this fact. ¡®It happened when I first came here, and then¡­¡­.¡¯ Usually, normal user would dismiss such an event. A really strong magic had gone off! The user wouldn¡¯t think any further than that. However, Hyrkan was different. He was pitiable and worthless in the real world, but inside Warlord, Hyrkan had more knowledge and experience than anyone. His instincts were more outstanding than a wild beast. It was like that right now. Hyrkan¡¯s mind instinctively organized the situation. ¡®Four days ago.¡¯ Hyrkan had witnessed an enormous explosion when he first came to the Parung Forest. The explosion that occurred at the time was also the result of powerful magic. When he looked into it, a party fighting the Boss monster Red Eye used the magic to buy some time. The Red Eye was killed on that day. This had been 4 days ago. Now the loud sound of an explosion had rang out once again. It may be that the Red Eye was newly regenerated, and some group was trying to take it down. However, there was an important fact he knew. The Red Eye Ogre took one week to regenerate. If the Red Eye was killed 4 days ago, then why was there a such a deafening roar? ¡®There should be no Red Eyes here.¡¯ He was sure of that fact. The Red Eye wasn¡¯t currently present in the battlefield nor any other place inside the Parung Forest. This current situation was a prime example why Hyrkan was thinking about joining a Community. Once the Red Eye regenerates, it would be much harder for him to hunt and search inside the Parung Forest. He had to get his answer before that happened. So why did someone use such powerful magic? Of course, someone could have used it to blow away a large number of monsters with a single blow. ¡®No. There aren¡¯t any users here, who would hunt by kiting. There aren¡¯t any irrational users here, who would try hunting a group of monsters.¡¯ Hyrkan recalled the parties and guilds he saw in this place, and he hadn¡¯t seen anyone who would have tried kiting the monsters. This place wasn¡¯t ideal to try such a group hunting method. This place was overflowing with monster yet someone wanted to kite the monsters? One would fail at least once or twice in ten tries. Moreover, that one or two failure will lead to a Game Over. ¡®Then it means something strong has appeared?¡¯ This was the conclusion he came up with. Hyrkan put on his Shadow Dog Set¡¯s hood. [Shadow Hunting Dog Set¡¯s Special Effect ¡®Shadow Hunting Dog¡¯ is activated.] His presence became faint, and his body became light. Hyrkan started moving swiftly like a Shadow Hunting Dog. When the Toon party sent out a request for help, the first one to arrived was the Alto family, who had been the closest to them. However, when the Alto family saw the Toon Family surrounded by a group of monsters, they didn¡¯t immediately rush in to help them. Instead, they hid between the black trees as they assessed the situation. They had a gut feeling as they viewed the sight. ¡®Ooh-ah. Isn¡¯t this going to be really hard?¡¯ ¡®If we join in, won¡¯t we be killed?¡¯ ¡®What the hell? What are those bastards?¡¯ The situation was much worse than expected. At a glance, they saw at least 8 Black Trolls. Moreover, smallfry monsters were surrounding the Black Trolls. There were over 20 of them, and they weren¡¯t monsters that could be ignored. ¡°Hey. Why are they suddenly wearing armor?¡± ¡°Maybe they formed an alliance with the monster in the Bulkas mountains.¡± ¡°Do you think this is an appropriate time for a joke?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­.¡± Moreover, the monsters were armed. The gears were quite good¡­. It looked better than the gears worn by some users. Their gears were clean, and shiny. It didn¡¯t show any signs of battle. Also, the Black Trolls didn¡¯t have their customary thick wooden clubs for weapon. Instead, they possessed blunt steel swords. There was more. There was a being that drew their gaze more than the group of Black Trolls. ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an ogre wearing a helmet.¡± It was 5 meters tall. Normally, an ogre would explicitly show off its muscles, but this one wore a silver armor. Its most memorable feature was the eyes that could be seen beneath the horned helmet. Its eye was a mixture of red and black. There were 30 of them in total. The 5 members of the Toon party was surrounded by these group of 30 monsters. The Mage and the Priest was within the Shield Magic. The tanker had received a full Buff, and he was trying to block the advancing monsters in front of his party members with his last-ditch effort. This formation wouldn¡¯t last long. If they were going to help, they would have to help them immediately. However, they had never seen these types of monsters before. Moreover, there were 30 of them. The Alto Family merely had 5 members, so they probably would be able to do nothing even if they did step forward. Even during all of this, the Alto Family closely observed the situation. They were trying hard to gather as much information as they could. Eventually, someone made an observation. ¡°The ogre¡¯s eyes isn¡¯t red. I think it is a mixture of red and black? ¡°Black?¡± ¡°Was it exposed to the power of Corruption?¡± ¡°I thought the Corrupt Count was killed?¡± ¡°Even if the Corrupt Count is dead, it doesn¡¯t mean the power of Corruption would disappear. At a glance, I can tell it is a Quest Monster that appears in the Main Scenario.¡± Even during all of this, they were able to recognize the clue. The Alto Family were most definitely worthy of reaching level 100. Of course, if they stepped forward to help the Toon Party, they would reach level 100 at a later date. ¡°If we could open up a path¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say we succeed in opening a path. If their aggro is drawn towards us, who would take on the aggro of that many monsters?¡± ¡°Of course, the tanker should head out..¡± ¡°¡­¡­seriously. Next time I start a new game I will unconditionally become a magician.¡± The Toon Party was trapped within the group of monsters. If the Alto Family wanted to save them, they would have to risk a Game Over. First, they had to open up a pathway, but the aggro would land on the Alto Family. Afterwards, they had no idea how the situation would turn out. The important part was the gravity of word, Game Over. It wasn¡¯t light at all. Moreover, they were at the cusp of level 100. The 48 hours would feel like 48 days to them. The Alto Family looked at each other. ¡®Ah. I really don¡¯t want to die¡­¡­.¡¯ ¡®Should we just ignore them and head back?¡¯ ¡®Still, it isn¡¯t as if we are acquainted with the Toon party for only one or two days. When we said we ran out of items, they even shared their healing items with us.¡¯ ¡®They are good guys¡­¡­.¡¯ They didn¡¯t want to step forward. However, they also didn¡¯t want to run away. As they were thinking hard about the situation, the priest who had been in voice talk with the Toon Party spoke. ¡°The members of the Toon Party saw us.¡± They were seen? Everyone¡¯s face hardened. Now they couldn¡¯t just run away as if they hadn¡¯t seen anything. ¡°What did they say?¡± ¡°They said they won¡¯t be able to escape from this place easily. They said to run. They don¡¯t want us to die in vain. They don¡¯t want us to suffer a Game Over.¡± The moment they heard those words, the Alto Family easily came to a decision. ¡°That son of a bitch. He really knows how to butter up a person.¡± ¡°It would be bad form to run away after hearing those words..¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not over do it. We¡¯ll used some magic to open a path for them. We¡¯ll help them only up to that point. The Alto Family were gamers, who knew romanticism. The situation was already a pandemonium when Hyrkan arrived. Ten users were in a confrontation against a group of monsters. Hyrkan noticed the 10 users were divided into three groups, and each group was fighting independently of each other. This wasn¡¯t a normal formation. This was¡­ ¡®They were attempting a rescue, but instead they were swept up into the fight.¡¯ Basically, they hadn¡¯t intended to join the fight, but the result of the battle had turned out unpredictably. ¡®While they were trying open a path with magic, a portion of the party became cut off by the monsters. Moreover, the ones that went into help the other group became surrounded¡­¡¯ Hyrkan quickly assessed the situation. Truthfully, he didn¡¯t need to assess the situation. That wasn¡¯t the important part. The important part was coming to a decision on what he would do. Hyrkan kept a low profile as he watched the scene. Thanks to the effects of the Shadow Hunting Dog set Hyrkan¡¯s sense of presence was very faint. This was why¡­ ¡®If I just stay still like this¡­¡­.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s thoughts were very devious. He imagined staying in place and doing nothing. It was bad manners, but it wasn¡¯t illegal or against the rules to pick up their loot. It was up to the an individual if one wanted to take the dead¡¯s possession. Moreover, there were going to be 10 users on the cusp of level 100 dead in the near future. The items dropped would be no worse than level 80. If a rare item came out, he would easily be able to sell it for over 1000 gold for each one of them. He had the chance to pick up money that was equivalent to a one month salary of the department head at a large company. Would anyone turn such an opportunity down? If these users had caused even a little bit of hardship for Hyrkan, he would have waited for their death in comfort, while listening to music. ¡®That doesn¡¯t sit right with me.¡¯ However, the current situation was a bit different. First of all, the users over there had never harmed Hyrkan. ¡®I¡¯m sure.¡¯ The group of monsters facing them was definitely the group pointed out by the Maeung. ¡®These were the troops of Corrupt Monsters that the Immoral Prince had wanted to create.¡¯ Hyrkan was pretty familiar with these troops. Warlord users had fought a historically large scaled battle with the Corrupt Army controlled by the Immoral prince. Hyrkan didn¡¯t play a main role in this battle, but he had fought with the Hahoe Mask Guild. He had fought against numerous smallfrys like them. Hyrkan agonized over what he should do. ¡®I have to catch that one.¡¯ The thing he was sure about was the fact that the ogre with the helm had made an appearance. If he didn¡¯t catch it now, there would be no next time. When those users fall today, the news about the Helm Ogre would spread. Even the users here probably new about the Main Scenario Quest in progress, and they probably knew about the special characteristic. The moment they catch sight of the Helm Ogre¡¯s eyes, they will recall the story about the Corrupter¡¯s Power. They will immediately realize that this was a clue for the new Main Scenario Quest. If this truth was spread, the 30 Great Guilds would move. If he wanted to act, this would be his only chance. Moreover,the ten users over there in danger weren¡¯t weak. They were all users at the cusp of becoming level 100. They were plenty strong, and their desire to stay alive was stronger than anyone else right now. If they could live, they would probably be willing to accept anything. In the end, these were people, who knew manners, and they had a sense of romanticism. ¡®If I join the fight¡­ I¡¯ll be able to capture it.¡¯ Hyrkan took off his hood. The darkness disappeared, and his face with the Hahoe Mask equipped was revealed. The power of the Shadow Hunting dog receded. His feet became heavier, and his presence strengthened. ¡®Still, they are users, who possess romanticism. Anyone could tell this would be a very hard task, yet they are helping their Community.¡¯ Hyrkan smiled beneath his Hahoe Mask. ¡®They are users with such upright characters. I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t greet me with empty arms when I save them from the brink of death?¡¯ Chapter 70 : Helm Ogre (3) Chapter 70 ¨C Helm Ogre (3) 7. Kah-ahng, kah-ahng, kwahng! ¡®Aigo.¡¯ Two companions were standing back to back. Tanker Neal had a large shield big enough to cover his body. He heard the sound of steel pounding on his shield. It sounded like a countdown for his death. ¡®I can¡¯t even bring myself to cuss now.¡¯ The plan had been simple. They had planned on sending a powerful magic spell to blow away the monsters surrounding the Toon Party. The Toon party would then use that opportunity to escape. If the situation was unfavorable, they had planned on just retreating. It was a very simple job. So they used the magic. It was a level 90 Rare Flame Type magic. The Bulldozer Bear was used. A 5 meter burning bear crazily ran directly towards the monsters. The Bulldozer Bear was the most suitable magic to break the perimeter. It was quite effective. The Black Trolls wearing armor and the regular Black Troll were pushed back, and they were knocked down to the floor by the Bulldozer Bear. The problem was the trail of fire left by the charging Bulldozer Bear. The Helm Ogre stepped on the burning field. ¡®Can¡¯t this bastard see? Why the hell did he step on that?¡¯ They intentionally tried hard not to draw the Helm Ogre¡¯s aggro, and they never expected the Helm Ogre to step on the fire. After stepping on the fire made from magic, the Helm Ogre took damage, and the aggro instantly landed on the mage. While letting out a roar, the Helm Ogre charged towards the mage and it was very fast. It was very quick and agile. The massive body moved so fast that its movement almost looked like a mirage. As it closed the distance, the Helm Ogre raised its blade high. It was positioning itself to cut down the enemy in a swift manner. Since the mage had low Strength, he would be caught even if he ran away. This meant Tanker Neal had to get in between to block the attack. Neal had said that he would run away, but this was his family he had worked together to almost reach level one hundred. He couldn¡¯t just run away after leaving his family behind. The priest stuck to Neal¡¯s back. The two of them were left behind, so it was out of the question for the other three to run away. Eventually, the Alto Family was also surrounded. The Toon family tried to escape through the gap made by the Altop Family, but in the end, the Toon family was divided into two groups before they were surrounded again. Fortunately, the Toon Party had two Tankers. The two group was separated with the each Tanker anchoring the group. If the Tankers weren¡¯t present, one group would have been wiped out. This was what had happened up until now. ¡®Anyways, these monsters work very well together.¡¯ Even in such a situation, Neal was analyzing the situation. It was the role of a Tanker. In a battle, the Tanker moved the closest around the enemies. If the Tanker couldn¡¯t block the attack, the priest and the mage would die. If the mage and the priest died, the tanker would die. If one of them had to die, it was more ideal for the tanker to die. In Neal¡¯s opinion, the 30 armed monsters here were being commanded. They were too in sync. This was especially apparent when the monsters formed the encircling net. They worked in close cooperation. This was the reason why the party had been instantly surrounded by the group of monsters. On the other hand, this was also their weakness. ¡®The order to form an encircling net must have the highest priority.¡¯ The monsters here had to form the encircling net first, then they could battle. This resulted in not many monsters actually participating in battle to directly attack the Users. The rest of the group tried to keep the perimeter instead of joining in on the attack. It meant the monsters were designed for this purpose. Neal and the other party members realized this, so they only defended the attacks from the attacking monsters. They didn¡¯t use their magic on the perimeter to draw the aggro to them. ¡®We are quite fortunate that this is only a game.¡¯ This result was possible only because this was a game. In reality, if the enemy had enough numbers to form a perimeter, the commander would order a systematic attack. However, the difficulty of the game would become too high if that had happened inside a game. This was why they had to bide their time for an opportunity. If a new party showed up, the group of monsters would move to surround that party too. The problem was that the other parties were still far away. It would be difficult to pin their hopes on them. ¡®If someone would just show up here¡­¡¯ Eventually, Neal had a preposterous idea that was akin to a prayer. At that moment¡­ Kwahng! Someone really did just show up. A sound of an explosion was heard from behind Neal¡¯s back. Instead of being surprised, Neal knew this was a chance that will never come again. After the explosion went off, the perimeter started to pitch and roll. The monsters were moving to surround the new group. The dense perimeter became a little bit less dense. Neal knew well what he had to do. ¡°Lump together!¡± Instead of using this opportunity to run away, they had to gather together. If they scattered now, they would eventually be tracked down. They would be defeated one by one. If they did the opposite by gathering, their number would be 10 users! They would be able to form a battle line with 3 Tankers. Moreover, if the people helping them numbered over five, they wouldn¡¯t be at a numerical disadvantage. They¡¯ll be able to conduct a battle. They¡¯ll live if they lumped together. ¡°Lump together! Lump together!¡± The other two groups also thought along the same line as Neal. They had played Warlord for over a year, and these users were considered above average. They had dove into Warlord by the lure of being able to make ends meet through playing a game. No one here would back off like a coward. They immediately gathered around each other. When the mage and the priest joined the group, the Tankers were hit by the swung swords of the Orc and Trolls. However, there was no Game Over. They got into a triangular formation with the Tankers at each point, then the mages and priest were gathered in the middle. The healing started. ¡°Wow. Nice to see you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really nice to see you. I never thought I would be this happy to see you.¡± ¡°I told you to go yet you came. Why go through all this hardship?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing this for free. I¡¯ll be sure to get a fair recompense.¡± ¡°H¡­heal me.¡± ¡°Anyway, who showed up right now?¡± The conversations started up. It had only been a brief moment, but the party was swept up by various emotions. The party was raucous, and the group didn¡¯t show any signs of calming down. Even the Tankers, who were busy blocking the continuous sword strikes from the Black Trolls and the Black Orcs, tried to get at least a word into the chat as they all repeated the same questions. What explanation was there to be given? At that moment, someone spoke. ¡°It¡¯s the Hahoe Mask!¡± Those words consolidated the atmosphere, feelings and words that had been devolving into a mess. 8. Each of them were worth 50 gold. The Bone Explosives had pretty good power, yet ten was enough to shake the battle field. As the battle field shook, the Black Troll identified the new enemy. The armored group of monsters turned to look at the enemy. They looked towards Hyrkan¡¯s direction. There were 11 Skeleton Warriors and a 5 meter tall Golem lined up behind Hyrkan. Each of the Skeleton Warriors looked different from each other. There were 7 Skeleton Warriors with the Madness Helm on. There were 4 Skeleton Warriors with the Bone Armor. They all couldn¡¯t have the same equipment, because of the Skill Rank and Hyrkan¡¯s available Magic Power. However, they all had one thing in common. Hyrkan was their master and teacher. Ddahk ddahk! Hyrkan flicked his finger, and the Skeleton warriors charged straight towards the monsters. Those with the Madness Helm was the fastest. The Skeleton Warriors were fearless. They didn¡¯t care if the enemy was strong or if their swords would work against them. They just didn¡¯t care. The Skeleton Warriors nimbly evaded the swords flying towards them. Then, they continued their charge forward after cutting the body of its opponent. Chooong! The swords, and armors continuously clashed against each other. Kahhng! The sound of steel ringing permeated the surrounding. It wasn¡¯t a sound that could have come from a symphony. Hyrkan ran in the midst of these noises. He cut through the group of monsters, and as he was running, he stepped on the body of a Troll. He jumped high into the sky, then he landed on the ground. It was where the 3 Tankers had created an open space. Hyrkan landed without any shakiness and opened his mouth. ¡°You have to make it worth my time. Help me catch the Helm Ogre.¡± Straightforwardness. It wasn¡¯t a request. It was almost an order. Those words flustered the party members. However, they weren¡¯t flustered for long. ¡°What do you need us to do?¡± Hyrkan¡¯s words were right. Hyrkan had saved them, so at the very least, they had to make it worth his time. The only thing left was whether they could trust Hyrkan¡¯s skill. Fortunately, that part wasn¡¯t a problem. Everyone here had seen it. ¡°It¡¯s a 1on1 stage.¡± They saw the video of Hyrkan catching the Bear Warrior by himself. Anyone who liked the game Warlord had seen it. If a person still suspected Hyrkan¡¯s skills after that, one wasn¡¯t suspecting his skill. The person had an inferiority complex. ¡°Is it possible for him to deal damage?¡± Of course, the Helm Ogre was several time stronger than the Bear Warrior. The Helm Ogre was probably very close to level 100. At the very least, there was a high probability that the Helm Ogre had the highest level here. Moreover, as a Necromancer, there weren¡¯t that many methods Hyrkan could use to deal damage. If he was a swordsman, who was a Striker instead of a Tanker, he could use skills to optimize his attack power to the extreme end. It was possible for the Striker to deal damage on par with a mage. However, it was hard to expect this from a Necromancer. Even if they could create a 1on1 stage, Hyrkan wouldn¡¯t be able to deal damage easily. ¡°I¡¯ll destroy his armor first. Then I¡¯ll deal the damage.¡± Hyrkan was well aware of this truth. He hadn¡¯t wanted a one-on-one fight in the first place. He planned on destroying the armor being used by the Helm Ogre. If he was able to break the Armor, there were numerous ways to deal damage to the Ogre. No, since he had already decided to use the 10 users here, he didn¡¯t have to worry about dealing damage. Currently, it wasn¡¯t important to see, who could deal the most damage. Depending on the Helm Ogre¡¯s HP status, it used various special abilities as it went through various phases. No one here knew that truth. Like the fight against the Bear Warrior, the right answer was to destroy the armor before the Helm Ogre could enter a new phase. This was the basic plan used when fighting against an unknown monster. These users were at the cusp of level 100, so they knew about this strategy. Since everyone knew this fact, he didn¡¯t have to explain any further, and the party didn¡¯t ask any questions. The situation was sorted out. Hyrkan immediately pointed a finger at a priest. ¡°Buff.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The priest looked dumbfounded as he tilted his head in confusion. Hyrkan spoke as he looked at the priest. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The priest finally started to give Hykan the Buffs, while he had an awkward smile on his face. 9. The battle between the Skeleton Warriors, Black Trolls, and Black Orcs was spectacular. The Skeleton Warriors were fighting 1on1 with the monsters. As a Necromancer, the scene unfolding in front of them was a dream come true. Even though the battle was spectacular, the result wasn¡¯t very good. The Skeleton Warriors could leave a dent on the monster¡¯s armor, but that was the extent of the damage. The monsters didn¡¯t even bother blocking their attacks. Since they were being hit on top of the armor, why would they feel pain? On the other hand, the Skeleton Warriors took significant damage from even a single blow. They dodged well, but once they were hit a part of their body broke off. The ones wearing the Bone Armors fared better, but not by much. Those who didn¡¯t have this protection were in a pitiful state once they were hit on the body. The Golem was in the same boat. With the increase in Skill Rank, the Golem possessed a 5 meter tall frame. At times, the Golem¡¯s attack threw back the Orcs and Trolls, but the end result wasn¡¯t that great. Moreover, the body of the Golem was becoming ragged with each attack. The Skeleton Warriors were being destroyed one after another, yet in the end, no monsters had fallen. They were at a level where they could only buy time. However, even if they were only buying time, it was enough. The Skeleton Warriors and the Golem was distracting a total of 12 Black Trolls and Black Orcs. They distracted the monsters for a good amount of time. The Toon Party and the Alto Family had some breathing room, but they didn¡¯t waste the time that was given to them. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s counterattack those dirty troll bastards!¡± ¡°The Skeleton Warriors are fighting admirably. We have to fight too!¡± The very first ones to move was the Tankers. The Tankers had been dispatched into a triangular formation with them at each points, but now they formed a semicircular formation. They formed a wall, and the monsters pounded against the wall. Kwahng- kwahng! When the Tankers formed the wall, the mages threw the magics they had prepared over the wall. The first magic to appear was the Burning Field. ¡°First, put down the field of fire!¡± One of the mage put his palm on the floor. The fire started from his palm, and it started to spread rapidly across the ground. Hwah-roo-roo-roo! The Burning Field was most effective when used in a long battle against numerous monsters. It couldn¡¯t deal a lot of damage at once, but significant damage accumulated in a long battle. During all of this, a large drop of water the size of a human started to rise into the air. ¡°Shoot!¡± The floating water drop became a large water arrow when the mage¡¯s command fell. Arrow Ball! It had the power to crush armors. It had a very powerful ability to pierce through the weakest part of an armor. It was also an attack sent from the sky, so the attack radius was quite large. The last mage left was a Lightning Mage. He sent a constant stream of low level Lightning Magic called Stun Gun. The monsters had approached the Tankers were affected by the Stun effect. The Black Trolls and Black Orcs that had been continuously attacking the Tankers stopped moving for 1 second. During all of this, the priests were also moving busily. ¡°The Holy Metal will end in 30 seconds. Thirty seconds, Neal!¡± ¡°The Boiling Blood Magic is going into countdown. I¡¯m in cool time, so someone else do it! 10, 9, 8¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Neal 80 percent, Pyong 79 percent, and Tudors 81 percent. End of Report.¡± The role of Priest wasn¡¯t all fun and games. With regards to Tankers, the Priest had to calculate the time left on all the Buffs given to the Tankers. If the Buff suddenly ended, an attack could instantly kill the Tanker. The HP calculation was a given. In the latter stages of the game, a single priest used 10 buff magic. The view of the game changes from a game into something akin to what an airplane pilot sees. The priest would be busily engaged, and the activity would energize the priest. The Toon Party and Alto Family fought in sync as if they had been fighting together for a long time. One by one the monsters were beginning to be eliminated. Then Hyrkan started to move. 10. He put on his hood, and he activated the effect of the Shadow Hunting Dog set. He quickly got closer to the Helm Ogre. The monsters¡¯ aggro was focused elsewhere, and the Shadow Dog Set¡¯s option allowed him to lessen his presence. There was only one monster here that would be able to notice him. The only monster that the party hadn¡¯t pull the aggro was the Helm Ogre, who stood in the middle of the battlefield. The bastard realized Hyrkan was getting close before he got there, so the Helm Ogre prepared itself. The moment Hyrkan approached its attack radius, the bastard attacked first. Kwahng! The Helm Ogre¡¯s sword impacted on the floor. The floor collapsed as if a meteor had fallen. A crater had formed. It let out a bone chilling sound indicating the great power of the blow. However, Hyrkan was nowhere to be seen inside the crater. Hykan had nimbly avoided the sword, then he brushed by the Helm Ogre. The Helm Ogre turned its body to chase after Hyrkan. Its sword was swung horizontally as it turned its body. Hooong! A heavy sound of wind was let out as the sword cut through the empty air. When the Helm Ogre swung at the empty air, Hyrkan stabbed his sword into the space behind the ogre¡¯s right knee. Zzeeeng! The sword was embedded, but it wasn¡¯t embedded deep enough. It only left a small scratch. ¡®Twice? No, I have to stab three times¡­¡­.¡¯ After finishing his move in a flash, Hyrkan widened his distance from the Helm Ogre. The Helm Ogre glared at Hyrkan. Hyrkan tried to avoid the Helm Ogre¡¯s gaze. After avoiding its gaze, he assessed the bastard¡¯s armor. ¡°Hmmm.¡± ¡®I have his measure, but I¡¯m going to have problems piercing it.¡¯ If he wanted to destroy the armor, he had to find out the points where he had to attack. However, he didn¡¯t have any information about how to destroy the Helm Ogre¡¯s armor. Hyrkan had no way of knowing the Armor Break Points. He had no choice, but to do this the hard way! ¡°Countdown!¡± Hyrkan raised his voice, and he voice rang out. Accompanying his shout, the fire that had been spread across the battlefield started to disappear. The magic power that had been supplying the Burning Field had been cut off. ¡°10, 9, 8!¡± Then the countdown was started. The monster couldn¡¯t comprehend what the countdown was about. A single Bulldozer Bear charged towards the Helm Ogre. The Helm Ogre had been focused solely on Hyrkan, so it couldn¡¯t avoid the Bulldozer Bear. Kwahhng! The sound of two enormous creatures colliding was loud. Ggoo-ohhhhh! The Helm Ogre¡¯s yell became much more powerful. As the Helm Ogre let out its cry, it looked towards the one, who had used the magic. The mage was far away, but the mage unconsciously swallowed his saliva! The Helm Ogre¡¯s gaze was strong enough to make him gulp. The Helm Ogre charged towards the magician. At that moment, Hyrkan used the Bone Explosive he had been saving. The Bone Explosive worth 300 gold was thrown towards the Helm Ogre. Kwah-gwahng! The Bone Explosive¡¯s power was considerable, and the Helm Ogre immediately changed its direction towards Hyrkan to attack. It didn¡¯t even make any preparations for an attack. It immediately brought down its sword toward Hyrkan. In a flash, Hyrkan charged towards the Helm Ogre. He passed between its legs. In a breath, Hyrkan was behind the Helm Ogre¡¯s back. Then Hyrkan¡¯s eyes picked up the present made by the Bulldozer Bear. he saw the cracks that hadn¡¯t been there before. There were numerous gaps that had been formed on the armor from the previous impact. Hyrkan eyed the gaps as he acted. Kwah-jeek! The sword force itself into the gap. [The Helm Ogre was affected by the Sloth Curse..] [The Helm Ogre was affected by the Corrosion Ghost.] [The Helm Ogre was affected by the Demon Curse.] The curse had begun. Hyrkan firmly shut his mouth. 11. When the Strength Stat reaches a certain point for the Warlord User, it was very easy for the user to move one¡¯s body. In reality, there was no one that could last by holding onto a nail embedded into a wall . However, when the Strength Stat passes a certain point, tasks like that was quite easy in Warlord. When a user reaches that level, the user could create a crack, and one could hang indefinitely with one finger inside that crack. Of course, skill was needed to last long. The monster¡¯s body was constantly moving. Hyrkan was like a brave cowboy riding atop an angry bull except that paled in comparison to what this was like. One couldn¡¯t predict what would happen at any moment. The liquid flowing down the monster¡¯s back might be sweat or it could be poison. The body could suddenly emit incredible heat or coldness. A monster could pop out from its back like the movie Alien. Even a human with a bug on its back would try to roll around the ground to chase the bug away. Monsters did as much or even more to get rid of the pest. Therefore, the most important aspect was one¡¯s adaptability. One needed excellent responses to a situation that was ever changing. In terms of adaptability, Hyrkan was the best in Warlord. ¡®If we can¡¯t do this, there is no food for us!¡¯ It took 8 minutes 33 seconds. Hyrkan finally took off the Helm Ogre¡¯s armor. There weren¡¯t any singular point he attacked. It was like the dotted line on stamps. He had to make holes to make a dotted line to be able to peel off the armor. It was done with brute force and recklessness. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have any choice. It took around 8 minutes to take off only the breastplate. His shoulder armor, gauntlet, helm and greaves were still present. Only his breastplate had fallen off, but its muscular body was revealed. In some ways, the result was below expectations. However, if one was a Warlord user, one wouldn¡¯t dare say this was below expectations. ¡°He¡¯s more incredible than the video I saw.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a Necromancer? Who would believe it?¡± Hyrkan showed ability that was almost unbelievable. Of course, while Hyrkan was in the frontline, the rest of the users were plenty active during that time. They diligently lessened the number of monsters through battle. When Hyrkan broke off the Helm Ogre¡¯s armor, there were only 4 Black Trolls left. Moreover, there were only 9 monsters left excluding the Black Trolls. They had halved the number of monsters. The Toon Party and Alto Family were most definitely strong users. Of course, one couldn¡¯t discount the active role the Skeleton Warriors and Golem took part in. Also, Hyrkan had laid everything on the line. He didn¡¯t skimp on using his Items. Therefore, the Altom Family and the Toon Family decided to use all their consumable items if it came to it. They didn¡¯t hold anything back. If one considered the cost of the items consumed in this battle, one could easily buy a small car. When all the monsters excluding the Helm Ogre was defeated, the main damage dealing started. ¡°Ee-yah. We finally arrived at this point!¡± ¡°The wrapping is all off, so we just have to eat it!¡± The magicians began damage dealing in earnest. The Water Arrow shot out by the Aqua Ball pierced through the thick skin of the Helm Ogre. The continuous Lightning Spear was powerful enough for the Helm Ogre to momentarily forget about its anger. ¡°I¡¯m sending the Bulldozer!¡± The mages continuously ate magic recovery candies as they shot out powerful magic. It most definitely damaged the Helm Ogre. However, it wasn¡¯t as if the Helm Ogre did nothing. Every time the magic impacted the Helm Ogre it chased after the Magicians. The Tankers had to put their lives on the line to stop the frightening charge. ¡°Ah, shit!¡± There were cases where the Tankers were flung backwards as they failed to block the charge. ¡°Heal! Heal!¡± ¡°Wait a moment!¡± The Tankers took significant damage, but they didn¡¯t hesitate to put their body in the path of the Helm Ogre. While the Tankers killed the clock, Hyrkan moved. Hyrkan stabbed his sword into the Helm Ogre¡¯s spine, and the Helm Ogre turned toward Hyrkan in anger. The accumulated damage changed the Helm Ogre¡¯s movements. When its HP fell below 70%, it used its enormous rage to cause Fear. It reduced everyone¡¯s Stats by 30%. ¡°It¡¯s Fear!¡± ¡°It would have been strange if this monster didn¡¯t have it!¡± It even used a dangerous skill called Knife Throw to heavily wound two mages. ¡°This is crazy. He just threw it? What kind of bastard is this?¡± ¡°Koo-roo. Are you ok?¡± ¡°Uh. I¡¯m barely alive. I¡¯ve only got 2% HP left.¡± ¡°You are quite composed for someone, who just barely survived.¡± ¡°Uh. It¡¯s almost 1 percent. Hey, hurry up and heal me.¡± ¡°Wait a moment. The Heal cooltime¡­¡± ¡°What? Hey! Hey!¡± ¡°I¡¯m kidding.¡± When the HP dropped below 40%, it had activated its Steel Skin. The bastard¡¯s skin became harder than its armor. ¡°Stop attacking with Magic! We can¡¯t manage the aggro in this state!¡± ¡°We have to draw his blood through small attacks!¡± ¡°Oh yes! We can rest for a little bit!¡± ¡°Uh-whew. Those cheeky mage bastards.¡± ¡°If you have a problem, then grow a new character.¡± When the HP went below the last 10%, the Helm Ogre went into Rage mode, and it showcased its scary attack capabilities. ¡°Aigo!¡± ¡°Neal flew! He really is flying!¡± ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen him fly.¡± ¡°What power¡­. This is crazy.¡± ¡°You guys evade on your own! Tankers won¡¯t be able to block its attack!¡± A single fist had the power to blow away a Tanker. Everyone froze when they realized what an uphill battle this would be. Who would charge towards a monster that could fling a Tanker away? There was only one person. ¡®I guess I won¡¯t have to starve for food tonight.¡¯ Hahoe Mask Hyrkan would bring the Helmo Ogre to its end. Chapter 71 : Secret Society (1) Chapter 71 ¨C Secret Society (1) 1. The background was littered with the corpses of Black Trolls and Black Orcs. The Helm Ogre which had fallen resembled a corpse placed within a royal tomb. The corpse was massive. Rationally, everyone knew it was dead and it couldn¡¯t do anything to them. However, this monster had a sense of grandeur that was hard to dismiss. Hyrkan, Alto Family, and Toon Family all looked at the Helm Ogre¡¯s corpse without saying anything. Numerous thoughts started flowing inside their heads. ¡®We really came back from the dead. If I had died here, I would probably be drinking beers until I threw up. I¡¯ll probably be watching the last year¡¯s World Series, where the fucking Cubs came back to win.¡¯ The members of the Toon Party were just thankful that they were alive. ¡®We really have been given a second chance at life. We were lucky. I never expected the Hahoe Mask to come to our help. However, it seems he isn¡¯t helping us for free. He¡¯ll most definitely suggest something or maybe he¡¯ll suggest a deal? What would he ask from us?¡¯ Alto Family was thankful that they were still alive, but they were worried about the cost of their survival. The last was Hyrkan. ¡®It¡¯s quite big. It¡¯s size is comparable to a Golem. It has to be at least 5 meters tall. If I break it down, I could get a bucketful of gold for the ingredients. What do I have to do to make this all mine? Will it be too much if I took everything? However, if I¡¯m being honest, shouldn¡¯t I get everything? No, this is mine. Of course. I was the first to attack, and I also did the Armor Break. I even got the last hit, so of course this is my possession! I also have to get the highest distribution rate for the smallfrys.¡¯ How would he be able to get the bigger share? Only the most materialistic of thoughts occupied his head. The three groups were sorting out all sorts of thoughts. The first to open the gates of communication was the Toon Party. They had all somewhat sorted out their thoughts. The 5 members of the Toon Party turned towards the other 6 people, then the Toon Party bowed. ¡°Thank you for helping us.¡± Before they spoke their peace, they expressed their thanks. They had come back from the brink of death, so they couldn¡¯t help but feel thankful. The Alto Family had helped them despite knowing of the danger. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t even a member of the Community, yet he had helped them as a complete stranger. Moreover, they were at the doorsteps of level 100, so their feeling of gratitude had grown deeper. They had to be sure to clear up this situation, and their actions should reflect their thankfulness. ¡°Since we were in a situation where we needed help, we won¡¯t argue with you. We¡¯ll give up all our rights to the monsters here.¡± After hearing those words, Hyrkan¡¯s mouth briefly changed into a large smile. It happened for a very brief moment, and it almost stretched his mouth into an outrageous proportion. However, the smile disappeared quickly. ¡®Ahn-jaehyun. Control your expression!¡¯ Hyrkan quickly hid his mouth and massaged his mouth. Fortunately, no one had seen Hyrkan¡¯s big smile. Of course, he had erased the smile around his face, but the smile inside his heart hadn¡¯t been erased. ¡®I like it. I really like their stance.¡¯ Hyrkan immediately looked at the Alto Family. Alto Family¡¯s leader Neal thought briefly over his decision. As a Tanker, Neal had suffered the most. ¡®If I¡¯m being honest, the Helm Ogre belongs to the Hahoe Mask. However, even if we exclude that one, the rest of the monsters would easily bring 2 to 3 thousand gold easily¡­¡¯ There were 10 Armored Black Troll, and 20 Armored Black Orcs. They were wearing armor, so without a doubt, metal ingredients needed to produce metal Items could be harvested. That could be turned into coins. It wasn¡¯t just one or two coins. It could tally up to couple hundred coins. It wasn¡¯t an insignificant amount of gold. If a gem came out, the sum would increase sharply. It could come out to be 2 or 3 thousand gold in the end. From the perspective of the Alto Family, they didn¡¯t want to give up this profit, since they had to recouped the cost of the consumable Items they used in the hunt. On the other hand, it didn¡¯t feel right to unconditionally ask for their cut. Thanks to Hyrkan they came back from the dead. As players, who were at the cusp of reaching level 100, they didn¡¯t want to waste their precious time. If it wasn¡¯t for Hyrkan, they would have had to calculate for the lost time, instead of the profit. Neal turned his head to look at his companions. They understood Neal¡¯s thoughts, so they immediately answered him. ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡± ¡°I have no regret, since I avoided a Game Over.¡± Of course, they were going to miss the monster corpses strewn about here. On the other hand, they weren¡¯t the materialistic kind of people. The wouldn¡¯t ask where their belonging was after being saved from drowning in the water. In the end, Alto Family wasn¡¯t solely playing this game for the money. ¡°Let¡¯s calculate, Hahoe Mask.¡± Calculate. Hyrkan clenched his mouth shut at the word. He immediately made a pledge inside. ¡®6 to 4 split. I can¡¯t give them over 4. It isn¡¯t as if they are going to pay for my time. At the very least, I have to get that much.¡¯ Hyrkan was firming up his resolve regarding the calculation. ¡°We¡¯ll give you everything here. Instead, give us permission to take a picture with you.¡± After Neal said this, he waved the other people closer. ¡°Before you skin the monsters¡¯ leather, let¡¯s take a group picture! Everyone gather around!¡± Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help, but laugh when he saw this. His head had been completely filled with materialistic thoughts, and calculations. All of this machination came tumbling down at once like a poorly constructed building. His thought that had come tumbling down was very seedy. Hyrkan felt mixed emotions. ¡®I¡¯m almost envious of their romanticism..¡¯ At that moment, he didn¡¯t know why but he envied the people here more than the 30 Great Guild rankers. 2. There were various types of hunters in this world. There were gunmen who liked hunting with guns. There were archers who like hunting with a bow and arrow. There was also fishermen who liked hunting through fishing. However, all of them had a similar habit. ¡°The photo came out pretty well.¡± ¡°Came out pretty well my ass. It didn¡¯t come out well. We are taking it again.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t take it again. Everyone¡¯s already disbanding.¡± ¡°Ah, I really have to upload this picture on my account. Why is it coming out like this? If I do this right, I¡¯ll gain some subscribers.¡± ¡°You have to take off your ugly face if you want to grow the number of subscribers. Just try posting a nude photo of a pretty model.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Truthfully, isn¡¯t that how it works in reality?¡± If one caught something big, everyone always took a picture in front of the big game. It didn¡¯t matter if it was an animal or a fish. If one caught something big, even people other than the hunter wanted to pose in front of it. They would take a group photo. This was the instinct of a hunter. This was the case right now. Eleven people gathered in front of the enormous Helm Ogre, and they took a picture. Hyrkan was put in the center. He held back his laughter at the nonsense of this situation as he looked at the picture with him in the center. ¡®In the past, I had so many of these pictures that I got sick and tired of it.¡¯ Before he returned to the past, the Hahoe Mask guild always took a picture after a hunt, especially after a Boss Raid. Moreover, Hyrkan alway had stood in the middle of the picture. Every time they had hunted down a monster like this one, Hyrkan took an active role in the battle. Hyrkan erased the smile on his lips as he thought about the past. Those past events didn¡¯t exist anymore. It wasn¡¯t as if he would feel better thinking about such memories. He was only left with mixed feelings. ¡®Hoo-ooh.¡¯ Hyrkan shook his head to dislodge that train of thought, getting ready to dismantle the monsters. The dismantling of the monsters took very little time. Hyrkan owned all the monsters here, but the others helped with the task. The job of skinning the leather finished with relative ease. The people gathered here were used to this kind of work. Weren¡¯t they high levels because they killed a lot of monsters? The reward for the hard work was the melting flesh of the monsters. It was ice cream. ¡°Since this one¡¯s dark, I thought it would taste like chocolate. Why does it take like root beer?¡± ¡°This one tastes quite unique. Is it because it¡¯s a Boss Monster? It¡¯s like a fruit sherbet. The taste is quite profound and mysterious.¡± ¡°I hate sherbet. Don¡¯t they have cookies & cream?¡± ¡°The most recently caught level 150 monster, Blue Slime Dragon, is said to taste like cookies & cream.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather go to a store nearby instead of going to go catch that monster.¡± A conversation started as everyone started eating the melting monster corpses. Still, even during such a friendly conversation, Hyrkan didn¡¯t participate. He was eating the ice cream like a pig. He must have had some pent up resentment about not being able to eat it in reality, so Hyrkan kept scooping the ice cream into his mouth as if to assuage this feeling. Neal approached Hyrkan, and he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask you about being in the same Family or Guild. Have you any thoughts on joining this community? I¡¯m not asking for your help. However, there is the aspect of information exchange or cultivating friendship. We spend a decent amount of money on this game. We can¡¯t play as well as you, so we¡¯ll be in a situation where we¡¯ll be holding your ankles. Still, we can be your springboard sometimes .¡± Neal didn¡¯t want to end the relationship between Hyrkan like this. This had to do with something more than profits. Hyrkan was a very special existence within the world of Warlord. Hyrkan listened to Neal¡¯s words as he looked back with stoic eyes. Hyrkan thought hard on Neal¡¯s offer. ¡®It isn¡¯t too bad.¡¯ The Alto Family was pretty skilled. Truthfully, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to reach this point if their skills were terrible. Moreover, Hyrkan came to an epiphany through their help. He was strong. If one looked through all of Warlord, Hyrkan was the only one who had been able to do the work of a party by himself. He would become much stronger from now on. However, Hyrkan would be much more powerful if he was hunting with a party. The current Hyrkan was monstrous. However, with the help of a mage, tanker and a priest, he would become a very scary beast. If he could keep the proper distance between the people who would be helping him, he thought the arrangement might not be too bad. ¡®They also know the meaning of romanticism.¡¯ Most of all, the Alto Family weren¡¯t people, who devoted their whole lives to this game. They saw the game as a game. The money wasn¡¯t the reason why they were playing the game. The money was something on the side, something they made as they played the game. They spent the money they earned for the pure enjoyment of playing the game. They fell into that category. They were like the large guilds, who had to make calculated decisions. They were also different from the rankers, who were playing this game to make profit. This meant he could probably foster true friendship with them. When his thoughts reached that point, Hyrkan shook his head inside his heart. ¡®Yes. That is why they won¡¯t be compatible with me.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t because Hyrkan couldn¡¯t get along with these people. They were quality players. It was the opposite for Hyrkan, since he felt he wasn¡¯t worthy of them. He was doing this for money and fame. The only thing he was good at was playing games. He had sacrificed his life in reality to catch the money and fame. He wouldn¡¯t be a good influence on these people, who were simply playing this game for fun. Nothing good would come from mixing with them, and he couldn¡¯t mix with them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hyrkan slightly lowered his head, shaking it in refusal. When Neal saw this, he shrugged his shoulders. He didn¡¯t feel bad about it. Instead, he felt better, since the Hahoe Mask had thought about it more seriously than the last time he suggested the enrollment into the community. At the very least, it meant Hyrkan had refused after careful consideration. ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll still cheer for you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Also, what are you going to do with today¡¯s battle footage? No matter how I think about it this is quite an extraordinary bait.¡± Hyrkan immediately understood what Neal was saying. ¡®Of course, he realized what was going on.¡¯ The dark energy within the pupils was clear evidence that the monsters had been exposed to the power of Corruption. Moreover, even if the Alto Family wasn¡¯t on the Corrupt Count¡¯s Quest, they had some general knowledge about it, so of course, they realized what was going on. According to his words, it seemed they had recorded everything. When the footage was released, the information about the Helm Ogre would surely spread. ¡®Hoo-ooh..¡¯ From Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, this development wasn¡¯t ideal. On the other hand, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t prevent the info from getting out even if he tried to block it. The only thing he could do was to ask for them to put a mosaic over his face. If they do that, it was up to the Alto Family and the Toon Party, on whether they want to reveal the information about the Helm Ogre. Moreover, the first one to find the Helm Ogre had been the Toon Party. The fact that they were even asking for Hyrkan¡¯s input was all out of courtesy. ¡°If your goal isn¡¯t to sell it, you own the rights to the recorded footage. You can do as you like.¡± ¡°Is it ok if the Hahoe Mask appears? If you don¡¯t want it¡­¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be weirder to upload it with a mosaic over the mask. Just do as you want.¡± ¡°Thank you. I really want to keep these kinds of memories as it is.¡± Hyrkan let out a light laugh. Truthfully, he wanted to hide his identity. However, these people weren¡¯t trying to make money off of the footage. They were probably going to produce the footage as a memento, so they could reminisce on it. Hyrkan didn¡¯t want to mess up their fond memories for his small benefit. They had shown him good etiquette, so he should do the same. ¡®I really can¡¯t mix with these types of people.¡¯ This was why he had said they were different from him. Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help it. He became weak when dealing with these types of people. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t want to become soft. In the future, he couldn¡¯t become weak. ¡®A guy like me is more suited to play with the bastards of the 30 great guilds, who has terrible personalities. I¡¯ll play with the greedy and the self-centered bastards.¡¯ Neal, who didn¡¯t know what Hyrkan was thinking, put forward his hand. He put forth his right hand. Hyrkan grabbed his hand. ¡°If we have a chance to meet next time, let¡¯s at least greet each other.¡± ¡°All right.¡± 3. The information spread across online, and the ripple effect moved at a surprisingly fast speed. ¨C Hahoe Mask Hyrkan¡¯s Helm Ogre attack! A diary-like post was uploaded to the SNS, and several pictures were uploaded with the post. The word spread incredibly fast, and it was seen by those who enjoyed Warlord. ¨C I¡¯ve attached a clip! This is only a small taste. I will upload the full video later! All right. I will upload it immediately if I get a 1000 likes! The video was soon released. It wasn¡¯t uploaded by the Hahoe Mask Hyrkan himself, but it was enough to bring several hundred thousand people to view it. Amongst the several hundred thousand people viewing the Hahoe Mask Hyrkan, there members of the 30 great guilds also included in the figure. A lot of them were watching it for the Main Scenario Quest. The Helper. Most in the 30 great guilds called The Helper when they needed support. The Helper had seen the video of Hyrkan. ¡°He fights incredibly well.¡± ¡°He had no prior information, yet he did an Armor Break. His skills are almost unbelievable.¡± ¡°He looks like a guy, who played this game for 5 to 6 years?¡± Everyone was surprised by Hyrkan¡¯s skill. However, there was something else that surprised them even more. ¡°The Hahoe Mask didn¡¯t go to Parung Forest to level up. We¡¯ve basically confirmed he went there for the main scenario quest.¡± ¡°The next location after Bulkas mountain was the Parung Forest? Aren¡¯t the Stormhunter Guild progressing along the same route?¡± ¡°Does this mean the Hahoe Mask¡¯s Main Scenario Quest is progressing at a faster pace than the Storm Hunters?¡± They had found out the reason why the Hahoe Mask stayed at the Parung forest, and the reason made them even more surprised. ¡°The guild behind the Hahoe Mask is carrying out the Main Quest Scenario from outside our control.¡± ¡°Are the Hydra Guild doing this without our knowledge? They have the ability to be the furthest along on the Main Scenario Quest within the 30 great guilds. We even missed out on the Corrupt Count.¡± ¡°It could be the Stormhunter Guild. This route happens after the Bulkas Mountains. That¡¯s the route taken by the Stormhunters.¡± ¡°Someone has to hurry up and take measures against him. Isn¡¯t that the reason why we are receiving this money?¡± Chapter 72 : Secret Society (2) Chapter 72 ¨C Secret Society (2) 4. ¡®It¡¯s finally here.¡¯ When he arrived at the Bulkas Range¡¯s village, Hyrkan was thankful this was only a game. ¡®I ran for the whole day. Shit.¡¯ If this wasn¡¯t a game, Hyrkan would have been drenched in sweat. He would be on the floor trying to catch his breath. ¡®Why doesn¡¯t Warlord have something like a Warp gate? It would be quite convenient if they made something like that.¡¯ He complained for a brief moment, but afterwards, Hyrkan was thankful for the stylish leather armor he was wearing. ¡®Fortunately, I was lucky enough to have purchased the Shadow Dog set. If not, I would have ended the game in anger.¡¯ After he defeated the Helm Ogre in the Parung Forest, he gathered all the ingredients for coins. Then Hyrkan immediately moved towards the castle closest to the Parung Forest. Even at his top speed, the closest castle was about a half day away. It was very far away. However, he had no choice. He couldn¡¯t sell the miscellaneous ingredient coins he obtained from the Helm Ogre at a reduced price. It was impossible for him to carry these items around, and a storage where he could deposit the items were only available at a castle. After he visited the castle, he immediately ran towards the Bulkas Range¡¯s village. He wanted to finish his quest before his exploits spread. ¡®I¡¯ve worked hard like a dog, so shouldn¡¯t it be coming out soon? Is it going to give me another test?¡¯ He had to find the Maeung to complete the quest. Hyrkan¡¯s thoughts drifted towards the Maeung. His thoughts once again recalled the flow of the Main Scenario Quest. ¡®The Society should be coming out soon¡­¡­.¡¯ One would become a member of the Secret Society through the Maeung. The most important part of this was to proceed on the story of the Immoral Prince. ¡®I really want to put on the Society Ring really soon¡­.¡¯ Moreover, the benefits he would earn as a member of the Secret Society was enormous. ¡®Yes. The Society Ring is on the line, so I have to be patient. Patience. Patience is winning.¡± Hyrkan pulled himself together and he soon met the Maeung. He told the Maeung about the Helm Ogre, and the Maeung put on a very serious expression when he heard Hyrkan¡¯s story. ¡°Unfortunately, it seems my prediction has come to pass.¡± The Maeung was sincere and he had a heavy atmosphere around him. Hyrkan didn¡¯t unnecessarily pour cold water on such an atmosphere. Instead, he played up that atmosphere. ¡°What are you saying? Do you perhaps know the identity of these monsters?¡± ¡°Mmmm.¡± The Maeung swallowed what he was about to say at Hyrkan¡¯s question. 1 second, 2 second, 3 second¡­¡­ As he was watched the Maeung hesitate, Hyrkan kept cursing inside. Finally, the Maeung opened his mouth. ¡°If it¡¯s you¡­¡­ I¡¯ll be able to trust you.¡± Maeung¡¯s Trust. This was what he earned the this Quest. It allowed the Maeung speak out from his heart. ¡°From a certain point in time, the number of monsters in the world increased exponentially. The appearance of the Subjugation Association gave us some breathing room. However, a power appeared recently, and it can topple the balance we achieved.¡± ¡°I know about it. I also¡­ I¡¯ve also chased after the power of Corruption before.¡± Hyrkan wanted to speed up the conversation, so he tried to lead the conversation. ¡°Mmmm. Any ways, the power of Corruption allowed the monsters to become strong. On the other hand, I found out there was another ability that comes with the power.¡± Even though Hyrkan tried to lead the conversation, the Maeung ignored Hyrkan¡¯s words. Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help, but smirk inside at the Maeung. Moreover, Hyrkan was already well aware of the other ability that came with the power of Corruption. ¡®He¡¯s going to say it is the power to control the monsters.¡¯ ¡°It is the power to control the monsters.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Hyrkan acted as if he was surprised. As if he was satisfied with Hyrkan¡¯s response, the Maeung continued to speak. ¡°The monsters exposed to the power of Corruption doesn¡¯t act according to their instincts. They move with forethought as if they are carrying out orders. This means someone is controlling these monsters. In truth, the Corrupt Count also used the power of Corruption to control the monsters, and he used them as underlings.¡± ¡°However, isn¡¯t the Corrupt Count dead?¡± ¡°Yes. The Corrupt Count died at the hands of heroes.¡± Heroes! Hyrkan grumbled inside when he heard those words. ¡®Heroes? Bullshit. Those bastards make unreasonable demands when things don¡¯t go their way.¡¯ Hyrkan swallowed his dissatisfaction that was about to burst forward. ¡°However, is the Corrupt Count the only person able to use the Power of Corruption? Moreover, the Corrupt Count is dead, so why does the monsters with power Corruption continue to show up?¡± The Maeung¡¯s speech was finally reaching the end. The light within Hyrkan¡¯s eyes was slowly changing. ¡®Uh. The story is proceeding faster than I expected?¡¯ ¡°That means there is someone else behind this.¡± Hyrkan had a different look in his eyes. He quickly said the right words to enthusiastically agree with the Maeung. ¡°That person must be an extraordinary person. I won¡¯t even dare to tell you who it is. I have my suspicions but I cannot speak about it in this place right now. However, it is someone with authority. There is a high possibility that the person is a lord or a noble. Perhaps the Corrupt Count was just this person¡¯s lackey.¡± ¡°It really is a frightening thought. A person akin to the Corrupt Count still exists on this world. Moreover, if it is someone, who could order around the Corrupt Count as an underling¡­¡± ¡°It is rather a big problem. The death of the Corrupt Count would embed a sense of caution in that group. The next time they show themselves it would be after they finished getting ready to battle the world.¡± As the Maeung spoke, he opened a drawer. ¡®Is it coming? Is it really coming out right now? Really?¡¯ Hyrkan swallowed his saliva as he looked on. ¡°I¡¯m telling you all of this since you have the courage and ability to be able to share a common cause with me. Moreover, you have a noble mind. You would lay down your life for the world.¡± The Maeung praised Hyrkan. It was a very high praise. However, not a single word of the Maeung entered Hyrkan¡¯s ears. ¡®Ah!¡¯ The Maeung had taken out a ring from the drawer. Hyrkan¡¯s thoughts turned blank when he caught sight of the ring. ¡®Finally!¡¯ This was the item. He had always wanted this item, but he could never possess it. That item had shown up in front of his eyes. ¡°Please help me save the world from the immoral people who are using the power of Corruption.¡± ¡®Finally, the Society Ring will be in my possession.¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t worry about it. He was like a machine. He answered the Maeung without even thinking about it. ¡°Yes! Give me any task!¡± At that moment, a notice popped up. [You¡¯ve earned the ¡®Secret Society¡¯ title.] The title had appeared. ¡®All right! The Society Title!¡¯ This was what he had been waiting for. Also, this wasn¡¯t the end. ¡°Thank you for accepting such an unreasonable request. However, I would like to introduce you to someone. After crossing the Parung Forest, you will reach the Great Urugal mountain range after you travel a little bit more. When you reach the entrance of the mountains, you will find a blacksmith by the name of Olf. Go find him. If you show him the ring, he won¡¯t kill you at the very least.¡± [ Quest ¡®Blacksmith Olf¡¯ is starting.] A Quest had appeared. Hyrkan frowned a little bit when he heard the quest. He knew the names of Blacksmith Olf and the Great Urugal mountain range. The Great Urugal mountain range bisected the world. Moreover, no one had been able to cross it as of yet. The Ruined Kingdom existed across this mountain range. ¡®Aren¡¯t all the basic monsters that come out over there over level 100?¡¯ Currently, it was a land of death for any users in Warlord right now. It was a place where only the very top rankers could eliminate the monsters, and they would be able to survive only if they put survival as the highest priority. ¡®Uh-whew. It makes me want to barf just thinking about it.¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t be strange if one died, while traveling to that place. Blacksmith Olf was a very famous NPC in this game. He was only a select few NPC that was able to make Epic Items. He was an Ahimbree Rank NPC. In many ways, it wasn¡¯t a person a level 80 user could approached. ¡®If I die on the road, I would be dying a dog¡¯s death.¡¯ Hyrkan was worried. However, his worry melted away when he saw the very plain golden ring given to him by the Maeung. ¡°This ring is a pledge. Anyone, who has this token, shares the same cause as us. We don¡¯t have a name. We just call ourselves the Secret Society.¡± Secret Society¡¯s Ring. It was now in Hyrkan¡¯s possession. 5. Halfway up the Bulkas mountain. A user wearing a hood was using a tree stump as chair, and he was looking at something. [Secret Society] Title Effect : Every Stat is increased by 3%. The user¡¯s identity was Hyrkan. After receiving 3 presents from the Maeung, Hyrkan soon arrived at the Ranger Village. He did this, because he had pursuers following him. As he had expected, several users followed after him when he came out of the Maeung¡¯s house. He was moving to lose them and, in the end, he had arrived at this location. It was annoying, but it was the price of becoming famous. This was a problem he would have to overcome as he progressed in the future. On the other hand, there was a positive outcome that came out of this. As he was losing his tail, he was able to cool his red-hot head. He had suddenly been put in this situation, therefore he was able to organize his gains. ¡®Ok. This makes it 9%.¡¯ The Secret Society title he had earned this time was a percentage title. If he combined it with the Ahimbree¡¯s Disciple, and the Rising Star title he got before, then all of his Stats would increase by 9%. ¡®There isn¡¯t much content to the Quest.¡¯ On top of it all, the explanation regarding the Quest was quite simple. It told him to go to the entrance of the Urugal mountain range, and he was to meet Olf there. There was no reward to the quest. It simply said to go meet him. The important thing wasn¡¯t the quest. Instead, it was the gold ring equipped on Hyrkan¡¯s hand. Hyrkan manipulated the time, and he put up the option for the ring on a hologram window. [Proof of the Secret Society] *Main Properties ¨C Unique Rank Item ¨C All Stat +77 ¨C Required Level : Level 70 and up ¨C Required Condition : Title ¡®Secret Society¡¯ *Sub-Properties ¨C Stamina and Magic Power recovers 20% faster. ¨C When one has the title ¡®Pursuer of Corruption¡¯, the stat related to profession +22 ¨C This item belongs to the wearer. *Miscellaneous ¨C It is a token of the Secret Society, who chases after the power of Corruption. The great blacksmith devoted his heart and soul to make this ring. He used gold that was eaten and thrown up by a dragon as ingredient. It carries an enormous power. It felt as if his eyes would pop out just from looking at the options. The options to the ring were quite spectacular. ¡®It¡¯s in my possession now.¡¯ Hyrkan laughed. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh. The Proof of the Secret Society! If he recalled the memory before he came back to the past, the item¡¯s existence and option was revealed by the Hyrdra Guild. The first one to take down the Corrupt Count was the Hydra Guild. They even showed a remarkable pace during the Immoral Prince portion of the quest. They were the first one to acquire the Proof of the Secret Society. Moreover, when the option was first revealed, everyone had the same reaction. It was a cheat item! It was an item that broke the balance! Hyrkan also had a similar response. He couldn¡¯t help it. Basically, if one wanted to earn this Item, one needed to have the Pursuer of Corruption title. The Stat relating to the occupation was 99 points, and the rest of the Stats were 77 Points. If he included the Stats that would increase, the total sum was 352 Points. It was an incredible figure. However, the real reason why people called this a cheat item was the recovery speed increase option for the Stamina and Magic Power. Buffs that increased recovery speed was in existence, but there were very few items which had that option. If an item such as this was used by a Tanker with a lot of Stamina or a Priest with a lot of Magic Power, they would recover more than they expend. It wasn¡¯t only them. It was very popular for Strikers or Mages, who were always short on Stamina and Magic Power. Also, this was an item that could only be used by the select few. It was possible to earn it during the Immoral Prince¡¯s storyline. In the end, only 179 of them would be released. It seemed like a high figure, but if one considered the number of people playing Warlord, it was an extremely small number. Hyrkan had always wanted this item, and he thought he would be able to obtain it this time around. However, he never expected to get it so fast. Hyrkan kept looking at his hand with the ring from various angles. He was like a new bride, who had just received a 10 karat wedding ring. The smile wouldn¡¯t leave his lips. ¡®It makes me full just by looking at it.¡¯ It really felt as if his stomach was full just from looking at it. Of course, he wasn¡¯t really full in reality. Hyrkan checked the time. ¡®It¡¯s dinner time.¡¯ It was time to fill his stomach for real. He checked the surrounding before the log out. Hyrkan immediately started the procedure to log out. [The log out countdown will start. 10, 9, 8¡­¡­.] Then the countdown started. ¡®Yes. This is the feeling. Let¡¯s eat until my stomach bursts today! The Society Ring came out, so I can celebrate by eating a steak.¡¯ Hyrkan smiled as he tried to decided whether he wanted to eat a sirloin steak, a beef tenderloin, or a t-bone steak. He started thinking about this happy dilemma. 6. *Bubble, bubble.* Ahn-jaehyun had a corpse-like expression as he looked at the boiling ramen, which was emitting a spicy scent. ¡°Shit.¡± When the ramen was close to boiling, a bitter sound came out of Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s mouth. Not too long ago, Ahn-jaehyun decided to splurge big time today. He was going to eat a steak today. He had made enough money to afford it. He earned the ingredient coins including the ones from the Helm Ogre. There was the renewed donations and the youtube ad money coming in. If he combined all his income, he had 2 month worth of living expense. After he paid the monthly Warlord subscription fee, he had just enough to pay for the installments on the newly purchased Level 4 V Gear. However, a single notification changed Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s dinner menu from a steak to a ramen. [A special promotion for those, who purchased the 3rd and 4th level V GEAR! This is a unique chance to upgrade to the 5S Model!] He would have to pay an additional thousand dollars every month for the next 2 years. When he received the notification for the order of the 5s Model V Gear, Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t even worry over his decision. ¡®I have to have this.¡¯ The level 6 Model was going to be released soon, so he knew this promotion was done to clear the inventory. However, the level 5S Model was much superior for Warlord than the 6S Model. No one knew this fact right now, but Ahn-jaehyun knew the truth. Of course, the 6S Model was the best, but it was a Model that couldn¡¯t be purchased by Ahn-jaehyun. In his current situation, the newest model he would be able to purchase was the 5S Model. He would have to increase his monthly payment by 1000 dollars to earn the newest equipment. Ahn-jaehyun would never say no to that. Of course, he pulled the trigger. The phrase ¡®first come, first serve¡¯ didn¡¯t allow Ahn-jaehyun to even think about the decision. This was obvious, but he now had additional monthly expense. Instead of getting the steak, he had to settle by getting a beef-flavored ramen. After he turned off the gas stove, Ahn-jaehyun shook his head from side to side. ¡®What¡¯s the point of earning money? Every cent I earn goes right back into the game.¡¯ He let out a grumble as he raised his chopsticks to swirl the ramen. He saw a small piece of beef inside the ramen. It was the size of a baby¡¯s nail. Ahn-jaehyun delicately picked up the little piece of meat. It had been a while since Ahn-jaehyun had tasted beef. Chapter 73 : Secret Society (3) Chapter 73 ¨C Secret Society (3) 7. ¨C This is to be expected from the Hahoe Mask. ¨C Are you putting up the Hahoe Mask part too? I¡¯ll be waiting. ¨C Isn¡¯t he better at Armor Break than most rankers? I don¡¯t know why he is a Necromancer. ¨C If we look at the Helm Ogre¡¯s eyes, can we tell if it is a Corrupt monster? ¨C I looked at it closely after I read the post above. There is a black marbling in his eyes, so it¡¯s 100% Corrupt. ¨C So the Corrupt Monster was at the Parung Forest. It is a main quest monster. I guess I¡¯ll have to go there once. The video garnered over 100,000 comments. Choi-sulyeon angrily scrolled down with her smartphone to read the comments left below the video. She scrolled up endlessly and, as if she didn¡¯t want to see it anymore, turned off the smartphone¡¯s screen. Her reflection could be seen after the screen turned black, her face filled with irritation and discontent. However, she still looked beautiful. ¡®Which guild is in the possession of the Hahoe Mask?¡¯ Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. He couldn¡¯t be called a super rookie any more. Now the 30 great guild had their eyes out for him. He was a topic of conversation, and he was talked about as much as any of the rankers. Moreover, his skills were already acknowledged by the rankers. Even with the same level, class, and items, no one could easily guarantee that they will win against the Hahoe Mask in a 1on1 matchup. On top of that, he had chosen the class of Necromancer, and it meant he had intimate understanding of this game, which allowed him to become as strong as he was now. All the guilds coveted him. The 30 great guilds and the influential guilds were focusing on growing Necromancers now. However, the final product paled in comparison to Hyrkan. Currently, the 30 great guild thought Hyrkan was attached to a guild. They determined there must be a guild sponsoring him. If that wasn¡¯t the case, they couldn¡¯t come up with an explanation regarding the Hahoe Mask¡¯s play. It was impossible to accept his success if that wasn¡¯t the case. That was the reason why Choi-sulyeon was angry. She was irritated he wasn¡¯t within her grasp. Moreover, it made her much more irritated when that person was within another person¡¯s grasp. ¡®How the hell are they in front of us?¡¯ The guild with the Hahoe Mask in their grasps was farther along in the Main Scenario Quest than the Stormhunter guild. She wasn¡¯t annoyed by it. She was seriously worried about this problem. Choi-sulyeon gritted her teeth. She wanted to look for a decisive method where they would be able flip the situation. However, she felt frustrated since she couldn¡¯t come up with any ideas. At that moment, her smartphone suddenly rang. She saw a familiar number on the screen. ¡®A call?¡¯ Usually, he contacted her through the chatting app. There must really be an urgent business if he was calling her directly. Choi-sulyeon answered her phone. ¡°What is it?¡± ¨C It¡¯s a breaking news. ¡°Do you really need to deliver this news by calling me?¡± Choi-sulyeon¡¯s voice was sharp. The officer of the Stormhunters who had contacted her realized Choi-sulyeoun was in a fould mood. He immediately told her the news without any preamble. ¨C Triple Wing and Big Smile just declared war. ¡°How bad is it?¡± The light in Choi-sulyeon¡¯s eyes changed. Of course, she knew those guilds. Those two guilds were part of the the 30 great guilds. ¨C It¡¯s almost an all-out-war. ¡°That is a breaking news.¡± When the call ended, Choi-sulyeon moved quickly. ¡®Is the Corrupt being finally coming out?¡¯ For a brief moment, she stopped worrying about the Hahoe Mask. 8. [Your Level has risen.] When he successfully achieved level up, the Black Troll skewered by Hyrkan fell forward. Hyrkan extracted his sword from the Black Troll¡¯s body. Hyrkan looked around his surrounding, then he lowered his guard. The Skeleton Warriors who had been in their fighting stance relaxed as they took cue from their master. Hyrkan gathered them around him. Hyrkan checked his Stats, while he was in the midst of the Skeleton Warriors. [Hyrkan] ¨C Level : 80 ¨C Class : Magician ¨C Title : 40 ¨C Stats : Strength(762)/Stamina(321)/Intelligence(491)/Magic Power(605) ¡®The effect of the ring is killer.¡¯ He invested his Level Up bonus points to Intelligence, and he couldn¡¯t believe his Stats even though he was looking right at it. There wasn¡¯t any indication here, but the effect of the Stamina and Magic Power recovery increase option was quite devastating. Currently, Hyrkan barely felt the lack of Magic Power. That wasn¡¯t all. ¡®This 5s Model was really well made. It feels completely different from the Level 4 Model.¡¯ The Level 5S Model was worth its cost. He didn¡¯t regret cutting his daily spending money for food and basic necessities. This two factors allowed Hyrkan to basically slaughter the monsters inside the Parung Forest. ¡®It¡¯s time for me to graduate from here.¡¯ In other words, he had outgrown the Parung Forest. Of course, he would be able to become level 100 by staying at the Parung Forest. In fact, most of the users hunting in the Parung Forest right now were at least level 90. However, Hyrkan was able to take down stronger monsters than the ones here. He wanted something with better exp. ¡®Also, there are more people here now.¡¯ Above all else, when the footage of the Helm Ogre was released, the users over level 100 flocked towards the Parung Forest. These users were the ones who picked up the scent of the Main Scenario Quest. Now, the 30 great guilds would do anything to send their guild members this way. His competitors will increase. Moreover, those who were jealous of Hyrkan¡¯s fame would try to start a fight with him for no reason. At this point, Hyrkan thought hard about his decision. ¡®It would really be hard for me to go to the great Urugal mountain range right now.¡¯ If he was currently level 90, Hyrkan would have headed towards the great Urugal mountain range. The difference of 10 levels was quite significant. ¡°Hoo-ooh.¡± Hyrkan let out a troubled sigh. ¡®Let¡¯s take care of this first.¡¯ Hyrkan momentarily halted his worrying thoughts and started dismantling the Troll¡¯s corpse. He peeled off the leather with a deft touch, waiting for the Troll to melt away. In that brief amount of time, he found an article on the Internet. ¡®The Triple Wing and Big Smile is going at it for real.¡¯ The current hot news in Warlord was the fight between the members of the 30 great guilds. It was Big Smile vs Triple Wing. Big Smile was a guild consisting of mainly Chinese users. They were top 3 within the 30 great guilds in terms of membership. Triple Wing had users from all over the place, so it was meaningless to associate any country with the guild. Like Big Smile, they were also one of the top 3 guilds in terms of haivng the most members. These two guilds had diversified their businesses. Since they had a lot of users, they had their hands in a lot of things. Whether it was the Main Scenario Quest, PVP, Raid, or regular hunting, they created a lot of contents regarding Warlord. On the other hand, they didn¡¯t have a sure-fire content they could fall back on. Since both guilds operated in a similar way, the two guilds clashed quite often. They considered each other to be competitors. ¡®Wow. They intruded on a Raid? They were always on bad terms, but this seems to be more serious.¡¯ This conflict didn¡¯t look ordinary even in Hyrkan¡¯s eyes. Moreover, it was a very big deal that the Big Smile had intruded on a Triple Wing¡¯s Raid. The guild members always bumped heads with each other on the road, and they had frequent skirmishes. However, it was something that could be overlooked. Although if one interrupted a raid, it was a statement saying one didn¡¯t care if they died or the other side died. It basically meant the fight was on and they weren¡¯t going to put any time limit to it! The act perpetrated was egregious enough to elicit this response. Before Hyrkan returned to the past, the two guilds had a bad relationship with each other, but it wasn¡¯t enough to elicit such a desperate struggle. ¡®Is it because of me?¡¯ There was a high probability that Hyrkan was the main cause of this event. This was commonly called the butterfly effect. Hyrkan had returned to the past, and this was the result of him changing the history. He had already massively fucked over the Hydra guild. If such factors starts to mount, there was a high probability that it culminated to a war between these two guilds. Of course, he didn¡¯t feel a single inkling of guilt at the sight of the two guilds colliding with each other. No, he was thankful instead. ¡®Yes. I hated seeing both these guilds. It would be great if they both go under from the fighting.¡¯ He didn¡¯t have any good feelings towards these two guilds. When the Stormhunter guild decided to chase Hyrkan out of Warlord, they had sought the cooperation of the 30 great guild. A ragtag group from the Triple Wing and Big Smile had attacked Hyrkan to gain notoriety. They didn¡¯t even fight him one on one. They gave some bullshit excuse saying it was his judgement day. About half a dozen of them attacked Hyrkan. Those mother fuckers. Except¡­. ¡®Just by looking at this, you never know what will happen in this world.¡¯ This thought acted as a catalyst. ¡®Wait a moment.¡¯ This was a catalyst that changed Hyrkan¡¯s train of thought. ¡®Was Ahimbree also a member of the Society?¡¯ Hyrkan glanced at his left hand. ¡®What would happen if I meet Ahimbree while wearing this ring?¡¯ 9. The list of his worries was long. ¡®If I go to the Bagntz castle to meet Ahimbree and come back to the Parung forest, the round trip would take a whole day. Will I be wasting my time?¡¯ It would take him at least a day to go meet Ahimbree. From Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, the one day¡¯s time made him hesitate. If he couldn¡¯t earn anything from Ahimbree, he would basically wasting his precious time. ¡®Ahimbree is a NPC that gives a Skill Book later at level 200. Let¡¯s go meet him at least once.¡¯ Ahimbree was a mainstay NPC in Warlord. Hyrkan would see this NPC several times in the future. He had a cause to contact Ahibree, but should he leave him alone? Hyrkan thought hard on it and came up with an answer. ¡®Anyways, I can¡¯t immediately approach the great Urugal mountain range right now. If I die on the way there, I¡¯ll receive a 48 hour penalty. That would hurt more.¡¯ After making his decision, he sought out the Bangtz castle after a long absence to meet Ahimbree. It wasn¡¯t too hard to meet Ahimbree. ¡°You are his student.¡± Normally, if one didn¡¯t have a quest, it was impossible to meet Ahimbree. In Hyrkan¡¯s case, he had earned the title of Ahimbree¡¯s Disciple. This was another power of that title. This was how he was able to meet Ahimbree. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about you from the Maeung. You are now a member of the Society.¡± When Ahimbree saw Hyrkan, he immediately brought up the story about the Society. Hyrkan was filled with anticipation. ¡°Yes. I am proud of becoming a member of the Society.¡± ¡°I also feel happiness at seeing you pick the right path.¡± ¡°No. You are the reason why I was able to earn such an opportunity.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s end the pleasantries here. The Society¡¯s role is very important, and at the same time, it has to be kept as an utmost secret. Our enemies are everywhere. They are men with influence. You have to be careful. Moreover, you have to get stronger. Our enemies are strong as they could be.¡± Hyrkan sounded out his feelings at that moment. ¡°That part worries me greatly.¡± ¡°Worry?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve received a mission from the Maeung. However, it is a mission I cannot carry out with my current ability. I¡¯m not afraid to die, but I am afraid of failing the mission.¡± Those words made Ahimbree stare intently at Hyrkan. Maybe the programming and the AI was assessing Hyrkan¡¯s situation, and it was calculating to come up with an answer. However, it really felt as if this other being was giving careful consideration instead of a calculation. Basically, it didn¡¯t feel like a game. ¡®Sometime, this kind of stuff scares me a little bit.¡¯ Hyrkan held his breath when Ahimbree opened his mouth. ¡°Do you want to become stronger?¡± ¡°I think that would allow me to defend the world from this Corrupt group.¡± ¡°You need power so you can save the world from the monsters?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then this is the only preparation I can give you.¡± After Ahimbree spoke, he took out a piece of paper. He placed the paper on top of the desk while tapping a fallen pen with his finger. The pen got up by itself and started to busily dance on top of the paper. The pen started dancing from the top and came to a stop at the bottom. The pen fell over as if it was exhausted. Ahimbree placed the pen aside and folded the paper. Then, he lifted it towards Hyrkan. Hyrkan approached closer to Ahimbree and took the paper. Ahimbree gave a stern warning to Hyrkan. ¡°If you want power to fight then you have no choice but to grow it through fighting.¡± [Quest ¡®Ferocious Battlefield¡¯ as begun.] Ahimbree gave him an admission ticket into the Battlefield. 10. Heh-bibin, one of the officers in Big Smile, covered his face with both hands. He did this even while a breathless battle was happening in front of him. He had on a very worried look. Until a moment ago, he had been busy throwing magic in the hunting ground. However, the number of viewers for the most recent broadcast made him act this way. ¡®The number of viewers are plummeting.¡¯ The recent war between Triple Wing and Big Smile didn¡¯t bring smiles to anyone. Instead, it made everyone sad. The all out war with the Triple Wing wasn¡¯t ending easily. Instead, it had ballooned into something they couldn¡¯t control. During all of this, the viewership didn¡¯t expand. Instead, the number of viewers watching Big Smile¡¯s broadcast was greatly reduced. With the all-out-war with a member of the 30 great guild looming, this drop in viewership was a very serious issue for Big Smile. ¡°Fuck. That Brook bastard. He¡¯s an officer yet he made such a mess like this!¡± In the end, Heh-bibin exploded. Big Smile¡¯s officer Brook was the main culprit who had started this all-out-war. He wanted to cut Brook into pieces. A small incident with the Triple Wing was the root cause of this all-out-war. Brook had reached out on Triple Wing¡¯s SNS and criticized them. Of course, the Triple Wing demanded an apology. They wanted Brook to put up an apology post on the SNS. Instead of an apology, Brook had put up insults. ¡®Crazy bastard. He should have nipped it in the bud. If I was the Guild Master, I would have cut this bastard from the roster!¡¯ In the first place, Brook lived by feeding off of his own pride. He was a selfish guy, who only thought about himself rather than the others around him. Still, Heh-bibin never expected this guy to be this crazy. In the end, the Raid had detonated the beginning of this war. Brook led his personal troops to conduct a Boss Monster Raid and someone had interrupted it. The interloper was a member of the Triple Wing guild. However, the initial fault was with the Triple Wing, so they had given an apology. The apology was basically consisted of an ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ Brook couldn¡¯t hold himself back. Brook didn¡¯t send a report to his guild. He took his personal troops to the nearest Triple Wing¡¯s Raid and interfered with them. This was the end result. ¡®We need a turnaround.¡¯ They had focused their forces towards the war with the Triple Wing, so the content of their usual broadcasts were becoming poor. It was affecting their viewership numbers. If their viewership numbers decreased, it would affect the money they earn from sponsorship. It would finally lead to the live channel being given to a different guild. The situation was keep getting worse. This was why Heh-bibin was looking for an opportunity to turn this situation around. There needed to be some kind of change. However, such an opportunity was hard to come by. ¡®Isn¡¯t there anything suitable?¡¯ At that moment, Heh-bibin received a text. When he heard the notification for an incoming text, Heh-bibin frowned. ¡®Apollo. Why is this guy sending me a text?¡¯ The ID indicated it was from Apollo. He was Heh-bibin¡¯s personal patron. Apollo was wealthy, and he had given considerable monetary support to several officers in the Big Smile Guild which mainly consisted of Chinese users. Of course, Heh-bibin had kept a respectful distance from him. He knew Apollo wanted to make a guild in his own namesake, so it wasn¡¯t proper to be in contact with him. However, he had already taken Apollo¡¯s money. At the very least, he could give Apollo his attention. Heh-bibin opened the text. Chapter 74 : Battlefield (1) Chapter 74 ¨C Battlefield (1) 1. [Battlefield] ¨C Quest Rank : Rare ¨C Quest Level Range : Over 80, Equal or below level 100. ¨C Quest Content : Battlefield. Please get rid of all the monsters across the Terube castle walls. ¨C Quest Reward : The Reward changes depending on the number of monsters killed. Hyrkan had a queer expression on his face as he looked at the content of the Quest. ¡®I never expected to have the opportunity to run a Battlefield in this fashion.¡¯ Battlefield. The hunting content that exemplified Warlord after the the Boss Monster Raid was the Battlefield. The Battlefield was a stage where the monsters would be crawling all over the place. Ordinarily, there was a standard castle wall, and the field across it was the stage for the Battlefield. Only the skilled users acknowledged by the Subjugation Association was able to go into a Battlefield. Hyrkan had received the Battlefield Admission Pass from Ahimbree, and it was a form of a ticket. ¡®It is a hellhole overflowing with money.¡¯ The Battlefield¡¯s regen system was turned up higher compared to a normal Dungeon or a field hunting ground. There were a lot more monsters and they appeared at a faster rate. The monsters were endless even if one kept killing them. Moreover, only the users who satisfied a prerequisite condition could go in. It was basically a land overflowing with monsters. Of course, it was dangerous. However, the danger came with great EXP and the reward was quite good. If one performed well on the Battlefield, the Subjugation Association would acknowledge the player publicly. The public notoriety one could gain wasn¡¯t comparable to the one gained through the Quests given by the Subjugation Association. Once one build one¡¯s reputation from the Subjugation Association, one could gather further titles. Later on, one could gain authority within Warlord. It wasn¡¯t a reward that could be ignored. However, the fact that there was a lot of monsters wasn¡¯t why this hunting content was the most popular one after the Raids. There was always an Event Quest attached to the Battlefield Quest. The content of the Event Quest was usually about catching a certain monster. If one was able to catch this specific monster, the Reward was quite significant. ¡®The jackpot Rewards appeared at a Battlefield for users over level 200¡­. It ranged from one thousand gold to the appearance of a Unique Item. It was unexpectedly big time.¡¯ On top of this, the Event Quest was given to multiple parties, and it happened simultaneously. Naturally, there was a competition to catch the Boss Monster. This was why this event was fun. Usually, one had to wait one¡¯s turn when a Boss Monster appeared. That was the etiquette. However, this concept was useless on the Battlefield. One had to use every ways and means to kill the target monster on the Battlefield! Basically, that was the rule. It was a form of chaos allowed by Warlord. Some users enjoyed the Battlefield fights more than the Boss Monster Raids. This was a stage that suited Hyrkan¡¯s style. Unexpectedly, Hyrkan hadn¡¯t participated much on the Battlefield stage. One had to gain a reputation, complete tasks, and be acknowledged for one¡¯s skill by the Subjugation Association. Only then would one be able to gain a pass into the Battlefield. The Hahoe Mask Guild had mainly focused on Boss Monster Raids so, of course, he didn¡¯t have much opportunity to do this. ¡®This will be fun.¡¯ This was the reason why Hyrkan had a queer expression on his face. This would be fun, However, he also knew that he hadn¡¯t been able to do this in the past, because he hadn¡¯t been in a situation where he could compete in this battle. Of course, this wasn¡¯t a stage for users who soloed. The basic party structures numbered between 5 to 7 members on the Battlefield. On the very large Battlefield stage, one could create a party up to 30 members. Of course, that was an exception to the rule. Basically, Hyrkan had to go up against 7 member parties. It wouldn¡¯t be easy. As mentioned before, the Battlefield didn¡¯t have any rules. It was quite common to see PKs. If it was the old Hyrkan, he would have dispassionately made a decision, and he would have ripped the Battlefield Admission Ticket into pieces. However, the current Hyrkan was different. ¡®Below level 100¡­¡¯ Hyrkan would enter a Battlefield where the users would be between level 80 and level 100. ¡®At least there won¡¯t be a lot of users here who went through the 1st Promotion.¡¯ It says up to level 100, so there might be some users who went through the promotion already. They¡¯ll be hard to deal with, but the users below that level won¡¯t be too hard to deal with if he was being honest. Moreover, he had earned the proof of the Secret Society. Hyrkan¡¯s battle capability was amazing. ¡®It won¡¯t be easy, but it isn¡¯t impossible.¡¯ Moreover, Warlord users were romantics. The act of soloing a Boss Raid Monster, or soloing the Battlefield also fell into this sense of romanticism. Of course, if the outcome was favorable, one could also expect a tidy profit from the footage. ¡®Anyways, I can¡¯t immediately go to the Urugal mountain range right now, and I need more money.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t too hard for Hyrkan to make his decision. 2. ¡°You want me to get rid of the Hahoe Mask?¡± A greasy, slow and inarticulate voice flowed into Heh-bibin¡¯s ear. ¨C Yes. I beg of you. The main character of the voice was Apollo¡¯s guild master, Apollo. His voice made Heh-bibin feel uncomfortable. ¡°The Hahoe Mask¡­¡­ What¡¯s the reason?¡± ¨C He insulted our guild. Heh-bibin, who had been listening to Apollo¡¯s story, had to stop himself from laughing at Apollo in ridicule. ¡®Insulted? What a joke.¡¯ Apollo guild was the one disgracing the Apollo guild. They were doing it to themselves. They put strength above all else, and they basically acted with poor manner. How could such a guild be insulted any further? That was the real question here. However, Heh-bibin only showed his true feeling through his expression. He didn¡¯t say it out loud. ¡®I guess I¡¯ve gone as far as I can go.¡¯ Normally, when Apollo brought such requests, he would give various reasons or no reason at all when he firmly turned down Apollo. Big Smile Guild was one of the 30 great guild, and Heh-bibin was one of the officers in that guild. If he personally helped out the Apollo Guild, wouldn¡¯t he be inviting trouble by doing so? The problem right now was the current situation. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I have to think about this right now.¡¯ Big Smile wasn¡¯t in a good state right now. From Heh-bibin¡¯s perspective, he couldn¡¯t ignore the money given by Apollo, but it wasn¡¯t enough to put his life on the line. The important element here was Apollo¡¯s father. He needed a closer tie to Apollo¡¯s father. His father wasn¡¯t that amazing, but he possessed enough wealth to easily drop a sponsor contract worth a million dollar. Moreover, his father ran a company that was well-known within China. Truthfully, the name of the company was more important than the money. If they could get a sponsorship from that company, the guild would get recognition and trust. ¡®The Hahoe Mask¡­¡­.¡¯ If it was a reasonable request, he would have accepted the request. If only the mark wasn¡¯t the Hahoe mask. ¡®It¡¯ll be difficult.¡¯ Currently, all the relevant people in the 30 great guilds knew about the Hahoe Mask. He was that hot right now. If he could make a cameo in a broadcast, one could easily get a million viewers. Of course, it was possible to get more than that. The 30 great guilds and the rest of the guilds was trying hard to contact him. If Apollo Guild took care of him by accepting the request of the Apollo guild, the Big Smile Guild wouldn¡¯t receive any good publicity. Big Smile already had a negative public impression and they didn¡¯t need to pour gasoline on top of it. Heh-bibin thought hard on it once again. Then he gave his answer. ¡®I can¡¯t afford to move any of our forces to catch the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ If he wanted to track down and kill the Hahoe mask, he would need a significant amount of manpower and effort to succeed. If he made it the business of the Big Smile guild, it would be child¡¯s play. However, that option wasn¡¯t possible. In the end, Heh-bibin had to move his personal troops and his personal guards, but they were woefully inadequate for this task. It was easy to kill him, but finding the Hahoe Mask was the hard part. Heh-bibin opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. The guild is in a tough place right now. Moreover, I can¡¯t do anything unless I know the the exact location of the Hahoe Mask.¡± Refusal. ¨C Please I beg of you. Big Smile doesn¡¯t have to put their name out there. If you can catch that bastard, I will pay you what the task is worth. However, Apollo didn¡¯t stop. He kept up his entreaties. At his request, Heh-bibin eventually came to a compromise. ¡°Big Smile can¡¯t move to capture the Hahoe Masked. However, I can use various individuals to look for the Hahoe Mask. We¡¯ll talk again once I find him.¡± Even as he spoke, Heh-bibin thought there was a very low probability he¡¯ll be able to find the Hahoe-mask. If it was easy to meet the Hahoe Mask, the 30 great guild wouldn¡¯t have to go all over looking for him. However, it didn¡¯t take him too long to change his mind. 3. The high castle walls made one think about a modern building. It stretched out to the sides, and it was hard to see the end with the naked eye. Hyrkan¡¯s expression hardened when he saw the existence of the castle wall from afar. ¡®This is the first time I¡¯m visiting the Terube castle walls.¡¯ The wall he was looking at was named Terube. It was located north of the Bangtz castle, which Hyrkan had visited earlier. It was like a Maginot line that blocked the group of monsters from moving towards the south. On top of that, no one had broken ground above the castle walls. There was a Block Field formed over it. This was why there was a lot of interest in this place. What was the method to break the Block Field? If the Block field was broken and the monsters were killed, what was across this place? ¡®If I remember correctly, the Frozen Kingdom is across this place?¡¯ Of course, Hyrkan knew about it. Across this castle wall, there was a frozen kingdom if one kept traveling that way. It was a stage set up for users over level 200. Hyrkan had nothing to do with that stage in the past. ¡®The Stormhunter bastards took everything from the Frozen Kingdom¡­. Shit¡­¡¯ When he thought about the memories regarding the Frozen Kingdom, he fought down the bitter smile that formed on his face. Hyrkan swallowed his bitter memory. He moved towards the keeper¡¯s office one had to always visit to go across the castle walls. The keeper¡¯s office already had a lot of visitors. Numerous users were gathered there. Of course, most of them were around level 80. ¡°Mmm?¡± ¡°Uh?¡± The users recognized Hyrkan¡¯s style of clothes. They realized the presence of Hyrkan by his Shadow Dog leather set and the Hahoe Mask he wore. ¡°Is that the Hahoe Mask?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t the Hahoe Mask at the Parung Forest? Why would a person at the Parung Forest come north to the Terube castle walls? Doesn¡¯t it take a very long time to make the round trip?¡± The atmosphere was becoming unsettled. ¡°Why else do you think he came here? He came to run the Battlefield.¡± The unsettled atmosphere soon turned to nervousness. There was only one reason why a user would come here. The Battlefield! There was no other reasons. The only users capable of crossing the castle walls were those who had received the Battlefield Pass. Normal users could do nothing here; not even the merchants came to this place. If Hyrkan was here, he was probably at this location for the same reason as them. He came here to run the Battlefield, and it would start soon. ¡°A really incredible competitor has shown up.¡± ¡°Is he going to run it by himself?¡± ¡°He caught the Bear Warrior by himself, so it¡¯s quite possible he might solo the Battlefield.¡± ¡°Remember when he caught the Golden Skeleton? The Hahoe Mask will be a very formidable competitor.¡± It basically meant an incredible competitor had appeared. This was the cause of their nervousness. The users¡¯ expression changed. It was the expression made when looking at a rival. Their expression wasn¡¯t that great as they stared at the very difficult competitor. They frowned as their eyes narrowed. Some even expressed their displeasure. Hyrkan put on a slight smile as he looked at their expressions. ¡®This will be fun..¡¯ Hyrkan used to feel such feelings of wariness directed at him everyday. This level of wariness was laughable. When he was with the Stormhunters, he had gone head to head with the 30 great guilds. If he was someone, who would become afraid from seeing users of similar level put up their guard, he wouldn¡¯t have started a war in the first place. Of course, not everyone was looking at Hyrkan that way. Several users greeted Hyrkan, who was famous in Warlord. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the Hahoe Mask?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve enjoyed looking at your videos.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Are you here to run the Battlefield?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you think I can take a photo with you?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± People stuck to Hyrkan to take a evidence photo. Not all people played this game by devoting their whole life to it. There were more users playing this game for fun than those who put their lives on the line. For these people, it was a fun experience where they were able to meet a famous player like Hyrkan. However, there was a gaze looking at Hyrkan that fell into a third category. ¡®Why was the guy Heh-bibin hyung-nim talking about at this location?¡¯ The user stealthily covered the round smiley face mark on his chest. This man was in the third category unlike the people in the other two categories. 4. Hyrkan was about to take his 5th evidence photo when a short man wearing large armor appeared. ¡°Attention!¡± The armor looked burdensome on the man. The man was the captain keeper of the Terube castle walls. His name was Bagel. He appeared as he spoke in a loud voice. The man continued to speak without taking the stock of the mood around him. ¡°I won¡¯t give you a long speech.¡± The words he spat out was stiff, yet his voice was slight and beautiful. It was as if a sweet boy was trying to put on a serious front. Several female users had a queer smile on their face. It seemed Bagel was their type. However, none of the users acted out of turn at Bagel¡¯s words. No one did anything strange. Nothing good would come from antagonizing a NPC in Warlord. These users were over level 80, and they were well aware of this fact. Bagel continued to speak without any difficulty. ¡°Each of the warriors here have been acknowledged by the Subjugation Association. At the same time, we recruited you here, so you can use your abilities to your heart¡¯s content. This is why I will open the castle gate for you guys.¡± Everyone nodded their head as Bagel continued his speech. ¡°The castle gates will open 144 hours later after it is opened once. During that time, all you have to do is fight. Kill the monsters. There is nothing else. The more you kill the more befitting the reward will be.¡± Reward! It was a sweet word, but none of the users reacted to that word. Instead, everyone waited for Bagel¡¯s next words. ¡®I don¡¯t want to know that. Tell us the other part.¡¯ ¡®Tell us the event.¡¯ Everyone gathered here already knew about the reward. They wanted something else. ¡°Also, there is a monster tormenting the keepers of castle wall. The person, who¡¯s able to kill it, will receive a personal reward from me.¡± It happened when Bagel spat out those words. [Event Quest ¡®Blue Giant¡¯ is starting] The new quest was starting. The users finally let out a smile. Everyone had come here to receive this quest. They had come to the Battlefield for this reason. ¡°Each of you are responsible for your own lives.¡± Bagel let those words linger, then turned his back towards the group. The moment Bagel turned his back, everyone predictably looked at the watch on their left wrist. Everyone reacted at the same time. ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°Wa!¡± Hyrkan also let out a yell. ¡°Wow.¡± The reason for the reaction was¡­ ¡®The Quest Reward is a Unique Skill Book? Crazy!¡¯ This battlefield had a jackpot item on the line. Chapter 75 : Battlefield (2) Chapter 75 ¨C Battlefield (2) 5. [Blue Giant] ¨C Quest Rank : Unique ¨C Quest Level Range : Over level 80, Equal or Below Level 100 ¨C Quest Content : Defeat the mutated monster, Blue Giant, who has appeared on the Battlefield. ¨C Quest Reward : Unique Skill Book(Belongs only to acquired user) ¨C Miscellaneous : This Quest is an Event Quest. When the event ends, the Quest will disappear. Unique Skill book. Hyrkan couldn¡¯t get used to the content of the Quest, even though he kept looking over it again and again. He felt thankful once again that his Hahoe Mask hid his expression. ¡®Isn¡¯t this a bit over-powered?¡¯ The Quest was quite powerful. There was the stipulation that this Skill Book couldn¡¯t be traded. However, the fact that the Unique Skill Book couldn¡¯t be traded wasn¡¯t that important. The fact that it had come out was a big deal in itself. Unique Skills couldn¡¯t easily be gained even if one had money. This meant possessing a Unique Skill allowed one to differentiate oneself from the others in the same class. Moreover, it meant a user would gain separation in an outstanding fashion. This game was all about competition, so the advantage of having an excellent differentiator was invaluable. However, Warlord wasn¡¯t a game where it would allow anyone to easily gain this excellent differentiator. That wasn¡¯t the case at all. Until now the people who earned a Unique Skill book as a Quest reward in Warlord was either incredibly lucky or they put in enormous effort that made up for the lack of luck. Or one could use enough money to make up for the effort and luck. If one wanted to earn it, there needed to be as much cost or luck proportional to what was earned. One thing was certain right now. Hyrkan didn¡¯t think this situation wasn¡¯t solely based on luck. ¡®It means the difficulty must be set incredibly high.¡¯ Hyrkan had never properly run a Battlefield, so his knowledge about the Battlefield was limited. However, he knew when a jackpot reward was on the line, the difficulty would be very high. It was an Event Quest with a reward that made one question if such a jackpot reward had really appeared. He was well aware that there was an equal amount of failure and success when such an Event Quest appeared. ¡®Well, the difficulty level doesn¡¯t mean anything to me.¡¯ No, the difficulty of the quest was probably the ancillary problem. The reward was frightening. This was natural. ¡®Of course, everyone¡¯s face has changed.¡¯ The competition would become frightening. He looked through the eye holes of the Hahoe Mask. His eyes were barely visible behind the mask, and Hyrkan quickly looked around his surrounding. He looked at the expression of his competitors. ¡®It seems everyone knows who the strong one is.¡¯ The guarded feeling towards him couldn¡¯t be compared to before. It had become so large that it was almost visible to his eyes. Hyrkan was able to calm himself after seeing their expressions. Hyrkan bit his lips hard. From their perspective, Hyrkan was the player that demanded the highest level of alertness. They wouldn¡¯t allow Hyrkan to do as he liked. If it was necessary, they would ally with each other to attack Hyrkan first. ¡®The difficulty has suddenly increased.¡¯ He didn¡¯t have any relationship with anyone here, therefore he wanted to enjoy the Battlefield a little bit. He¡¯ll record the footage and sell it to level up! He had approached this place with a light heart, but now he had to bet life and death on this event. Of course, it didn¡¯t mean he wanted to give up. ¡®Yes, I¡¯ll do it. Haven¡¯t I survived even messier situation than this? Ahn-jaehyun! Use your head. Analyze the situation. Find a way.¡¯ The Unique Skill Book will help him in the future when he face enemies that couldn¡¯t even be compared to the ones right. Later, Hyrkan will have to compete with large and scary existences called the 30 great guild. The Unique Skill would be of great help when he went up against them. He had the chance to gain much here. If he ran away just because he was afraid of dying, then he would be better off exchanging all his items into cash. He would be better off using that money to go eat some beef. ¡®All right.¡¯ In the end this was a dog fight. Numerous people will hold hands with each other for profit, and attack him. They¡¯ll try to fuck over Hyrkan. ¡®If they bother me, I¡¯ll take at least 30 of their watches.¡¯ Hyrkan was at his best in this kind of fight. [There is 59 minutes left until the castle gate is opened.] At that moment, the time showed up on their wrist watch. 6. ¨C Hyung-nim. The Hahoe Mask is over here. Big Smile guild¡¯s large membership base was the guild¡¯s weapon. Since there were a lot of members, it was inevitable that cliques formed within the organization. Whenever a large number of people gathered, the number of factions would increase. This was a truth that wouldn¡¯t change even when people were at death¡¯s door. If one wanted to survive in a competition against a rival faction, one needed to grow allies hidden from the public eyes. This was also true for Heh-bibin. He had diverted a part of the guild¡¯s capacity for his own use, and before he knew it, Heh-bibin was growing a promising prospects for his own faction. Cho-oohroong, who he had contacted, was someone he had put the most effort into developing amongst all the prospects under him. There was some company in China who wanted to get rich by creating a pro-gamer¡¯s club. They gathered prospects to train them, but when Warlord came out, it suppressed all the other games. The club folded, and Cho-oohroong became unemployed. This was when Heh-bibin had stepped in to feed Cho-oohroong. Heh-bibin gave him enough respite, so he could game once again. He was a prospect worth waiting for. If Heh-bibin did well in growing him, he had enough skills to one day become a key member of his force. It was a shame he hadn¡¯t been able to bring him to Warlord earlier. He was growing this prospect in secret, because he felt it was a waste to develop Cho-oohroong openly in the guild. Cho-oohroong was such a person, and he had stepped onto the same stage as the Hahoe Mask by coincidence. Heh-bibin was annoyed by Cho-oohroong¡¯s words instead of being surprised. ¡®Fuck.¡¯ He had wanted to just overlook this request, but now he wouldn¡¯t be able to. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s the Hahoe Mask?¡± ¨C His Item Setting is the right one for the Hahoe Mask. Of course, this could be a copycat Hahoe Mask. However, he looks the part. Moreover, I¡¯ve seen his vids several times. My intuition is telling me this is him. Heh-bibin pulled up the information on where the Hahoe Mask had been seen last. ¡®The bastard was at Parung Forest, so why did he come to the North Battlefield? How did he earn an admission ticket into the Battlefield? Is he perhaps doing the Subjugation Association¡¯s Quests, while doing the Main Scenario Quest?¡¯ The Parung Forest was located at the easternmost part of the current Warlord. The Terube Castle Walls, where Cho-oohroong was at, was located at the northernmost part of the map. Just moving from the forest to the walls would take several days. This was why most users who were focused on leveling, would never do such a thing. It was more profitable to hunt during that time period. For a ranker, one¡¯s ranking changed depending on what you earned and lost in the span of several days. Of course, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t a ranker, but he was in a position where he had to level up quickly. However, the important part was the fact that Hyrkan was there. ¡°When are you guys being inserted into the Battlefield?¡± ¨C We have 50 minutes left. ¡°Your identity?¡± ¨C There is no way I was discovered. You know that I don¡¯t work out in the open. ¡®Hoo-ooh.¡¯ After hearing his answer, Heh-bibin started tapping at the calculator inside his head. There was a risk in getting rid of the Hahoe Mask. He was strong, famous and popular. He had more fans than haters. ¡®The thing that bothers me is that he probably has someone behind his back.¡¯ There was another reason. Hyrkan had a backer. It wasn¡¯t out in the public, but if one looked at his level up speed, hunting style, skills and the Items he possessed, one could tell he wasn¡¯t someone, who had no money. The result he achieved couldn¡¯t be attained with only his own skills. It was impossible to get that kind of result without any help. No, even if it was possible, Heh-bibin wouldn¡¯t accept such an explanation. To become the best in Warlord, one had to make an enormous amount of investment. If one bothered the Hahoe Mask, it would inevitably irritate his backer. ¡®There must be a good reason why he keeps his backer¡¯s identity a secret.¡¯ However, one could extrapolate what would happen based on Hahoe Mask¡¯s previous pattern of movement. The backer wasn¡¯t someone who would move just because the Hahoe Mask was defeated once. The probability was low. If the threshold was that low, then the fact that he had been hiding himself until now was laughable. ¡®If I keep thinking about it, it¡¯ll be endless.¡¯ Heh-bibin froze the complicated thoughts that was filling his head. Truthfully, his worries weren¡¯t based on evidence. It was a worry that was based on guesses. He couldn¡¯t guarantee the result of what would happen after this. This was why he had to organize his thoughts. He had to look at it simply. Should he take out the Hahoe Mask or not? He tried to make a list of the merit and risks involved in these two choices. ¡®If I don¡¯t take him out, there is no risk. However, if Apollo found out the truth about my non-action, the relationship I have with Apollo will be severed.¡¯ Apollo was a greedy and selfish bastard. Apollo would never let someone be if the person got on his nerve. Hahoe Mask hadn¡¯t insulted the man, but he had insulted the guild he had created. This was why he was making a request to Big Smile, one of the 30 great guilds. It was purely for revenge. This showed how petty and vindictive he was. Moreover, Apollo knew about Cho-oohroong. He knew Cho-oohroong focused leveling up through hunting on the Battlefield Stage. The Hahoe Mask will probably release his battle vid, and there was a high chance Apollo might see Cho-oohroong there. Information spread pretty quickly in this business. Then Apollo would unconditionally leave Heh-bibin. He would leave Heh-bibin and give that money to someone else to establish a new connection. Moreover, Apollo might try to screw over Heh-bibin if Apollo felt betrayed by him. ¡®If I catch the Hahoe Mask, I can get a lot of benefit from Apollo. The problem is I¡¯ll make the Hahoe Mask my enemy¡­.¡¯ There were merits to taking care of the Hahoe Mask. Apollo had a lot of connections. However, as he said earlier, he would be making enemies of the Hahoe Mask and his backer. The heart of the matter was determining if he could eliminate the risk. ¡®There is a very small number of people, who know Cho-oohroong is part of Big Smile, and not many know he is specifically under me. The world doesn¡¯t know. However, they¡¯ll find out once Cho-oohroong makes his debut¡­ When we reach that point, no one would nitpick on what I did. Moreover, even if the Hahoe Mask had one of the 30 great guild as his backer, there was no reason why he would be pushed around. Of course, I¡¯m assuming Big Smile was still one of the 30 great guild when that time arrived.¡¯ Cho-oohroong wasn¡¯t part of Big Smile. At the very least, he wasn¡¯t officially part of their guild. ¡°Hmm.¡± The choice was unexpectedly easy. The only thing left was the method. ¡°Cho-oohroong.¡± ¨C Yes, hyung-nim. ¡°Do you think you can kill the Hahoe Mask?¡± The answer was immediate. ¨C Do I just have to kill him? The reply came back really fast. He didn¡¯t have a single iota of hesitation. ¡®Mmmm?¡¯ Heh-bibin knew Cho-oohroong had supreme confidence in his skills, but he wasn¡¯t someone who did anything beyond his capability. ¨C So I just have to make it so that the Hahoe Mask doesn¡¯t step into Warlord for the next 48 hrs? It sounded as if something was up. Heh-bibin answered with an expression of anticipation. ¡°If you can record a vid of the process, then I don¡¯t care what methods you use. No, it doesn¡¯t have to be a vid. You can also take a pic. ¨C It¡¯ll be possible. No. Actually, I might not need to step forward at all. As expected, something was up. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¨C This Battle Field Quest¡¯s Reward is a Unique Skill book. ¡®Ah!¡¯ When he heard those words, Heh-bibin¡¯s thoughts made a complete 180 turn. Heh-bibin delivered his last words. ¡°I¡¯ll contact you after 20 minutes. You get ready.¡± ¨C Yes. After ending the call, Heh-bibin immediately attempted to call Apollo. The phone call connected immediately. As if Apollo had been waiting for Heh-bibin to contact him, it took him mere seconds to pick up the phone. Heh-bibin asked a direct question to Apollo. ¡°I just have to kill the Hahoe Mask?¡± ¨C Yes. You just need to kill him. I don¡¯t care who does the deed. ¡°Tell me the scenario.¡± 7. On the battlefield, no one knew who would become their enemy or ally. Everyone firmed their resolve, looking towards the closed castle gate. Bagel appeared once again in front of them. He still wore his armor. Instead of a feeling of gravitas, he still gave off a feeling of cuteness. Several female users stared at Bagel and fanned their faces with their hands. They were most definitely recording a vid of Bagel. When Hyrkan saw this, he had a sullen expression on his face for a brief moment. ¡®Now that I think about it I¡¯ve never seen a stacked and beautiful NPC since the start of the game. Why do I always meet tanned dudes? Is there a shortage of pretty NPC in this game? Do I have to go the Fairy¡¯s Forest?¡¯ Suddenly, he felt his progress of his gameplay inside Warlord very dry. Of course, it was a very trivial matter, and the thought was wiped away by Bagel¡¯s words. ¡°Open the gate!¡± Bagel¡¯s loud and energetic voice rang out. The single gate that existed between the walls started to move slowly. Ggi-ri-ri, ggi-ri-ri, ggi-ri-reek! The mechanisms sounded like a stiff body complaining as it limbered up. The sound gave off a sound of desolation. The loud sound gave goosebumps to the users. The door that descended into the floor didn¡¯t look like a door. It looked like a piece of the castle wall that was shaped like a big door. Everyone was silent at the sight in front of them. Were they admiring the view? No. They were overwhelmed. This was an amazing sight. It was a ridiculous sight that can only be seen in virtual reality through the game machine. At times, the view made one hold one¡¯s breath. It was the same for Hyrkan. He had seen numerous sights such as this, so it wasn¡¯t as if he couldn¡¯t breathe from being overwhelmed. However, it didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t amazed by it. ¡®This is why Warlord is fun and scary at the same time.¡¯ Anything was possible in this world. It was a scary place where the virtual reality sometimes seemed more real than the real world. The world of Warlord was a stage Hyrkan decided to live in. The door finally descended all the way. There were 8 parties behind Bagel. It meant there were 53 users. ¡°You¡¯ve accepted that you might die here, so I won¡¯t say come back alive. Die at your appointed time, but kill as many monsters as you can. Also, I¡¯ll give you a last warning. Even if you return to the castle gate for the purpose of survival, the castle gate will not open unless 144 hours has pass.¡­¡­.¡± It happened before the word came to an end. Hweek! Hyrkan quickly put on his hood. With the darkness covering his face, he was the very first one out the castle gate. ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Huhk!¡± Several people unconsciously flinched when they saw this. They weren¡¯t surprised from the simple fact that Hyrkan had moved. They were like hunters that flinched when they witnessed their quarry suddenly move. ¡°¡­¡­ed.¡± After they flinched, Bagel finished his words. Bagel quickly turned to see Hyrkan run past him. Hyrkan was very fast. He was already disappearing into the forest located beyond the walls. Hyrkan was the first one to throw the dice. 8. When Hyrkan ran forward, Cho-oohroong had a brief thought. ¡®Oh no.¡¯ He felt his plan going awry. ¡®This is going off script.¡¯ He had to kill Hyrkan. To do this, he had come up with a plan. It wasn¡¯t difficult. Cho-oohroong approached the users who were wary of Hyrkan, and he had floated a deal to them. They¡¯ll eliminate Hyrkan first. Then, they can hunt peacefully afterwards. When the Event Monster, the Blue Giant shows up, the competition would start anew! When numerous factions were in competition, it was basic tactics to ally oneself with some of the groups to eliminate the competition. No one had turned down Cho-oohroong¡¯s suggestion. There were 7 parties excluding Hyrkan. Including the party Cho-oohroong was in, 5 groups had agreed to the suggestion. Even someone of the players who took photos with Hyrkan was included in the group. This was this, and that was that¡­¡­ This was the proof that the Hahoe Mask¡¯s reputation, the distinct way he handled himself, and his skills didn¡¯t always attract admiration and applause. ¡®I thought this would be easy¡­¡­.¡¯ He thought the game was already over. Hyrkan would have had to face 5 groups. There were a total of 38 users. Since the surrounding was crawling with monsters, he thought Hyrkan wouldn¡¯t have any place to run and no one would help him. However, Hyrkan had moved immediately. Hyrkan¡¯s actions were unexpected. Those who agreed to catch Hyrkan together started to look at each other. It was so sudden that there was confusion. Cho-oohroong was the one to organize everyone amidst the confusion. ¡®If he¡¯s going to hunt, he¡¯ll leave a trace. He still has 144 hours left. We could also catch him at the end.¡¯ Cho-oohroong looked at the users who had formed a community with him. Cho-oohroong used the voice-talk program to inform them of the change in plan. They nodded their heads instead of answering back. Then they looked at the users who hadn¡¯t agreed to work with them. ¡°Why is the Hahoe Mask moving so fast?¡± ¡°Should we hurry up our pace?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take this slowly. We have to catch monsters first. The most important thing is to protect one¡¯s body.¡± At that moment, they had decided to eliminate anyone who hadn¡¯t joined their community. They would do this before they eliminate Hyrkan. Chapter 76 : Battlefield (3) Chapter 76 ¨C Battlefield (3) 9. When one went across the castle walls, the first thing one saw was the bones of unknown remains. One could see some human bones, but it was mostly littered with large monster bones. It was basically a wasteland with all kinds of bones decorating the land. It was basically a field of bones. Across the plains, there was a forest with large trees. The horizon was visible above the large forest, and the forest was more terrifying than the field of bones. The forest shook intermittently, and at times¡­ Kooh-oh-oh-oh-oh! A roar rang out. The forest itself was a monster¡¯s nest. Those who invaded the body of the forest could feel it with their five senses. ¡°So this is what a Battlefield is like.¡± ¡°It looks harder than I thought it would be.¡± This was the first time the Tinkerbell Party was running the Battlefield. The stage that opened up beyond the castle was much more than they expected. Of course, they had a hard time immediately adjusting to the stage. When the castle door opened, they were the last one to reach the forest. Even after reaching the forest, they were filled with nervousness. The nervousness filling them ate away at their composure. They had started to walk into the forest when, all of a sudden, they were immediately thrown into battle. ¡°Ah! You guys?¡± The people they had faced only a couple dozen minutes ago showed up as enemies. ¡°W¡­what?¡± ¡°What do you mean what? This is a hazing ritual for you rookies.¡± It wasn¡¯t just one party. Five parties appeared, surrounding the Tinkerbell Party. They didn¡¯t even hold a conversation. There wasn¡¯t time to exchange curses and excuses. The battle ended before it started. 10. ¡®Look at what these bastards are doing.¡¯ Hyrkan had his hood on, and he was doing his best to crouch on top of the tree branch. He saw the sight of the Tinkerbell Party perishing from start to finish. ¡®When they became surprised when I stormed out of the door, I knew something was amiss¡­ The 5 parties are working together?¡¯ It was a common sight to see a party like the Tinkerbell party suffer in the Battlefield. Normally, the parties fought with each other, but the bloodshed were clustered in the beginning or the latter half of the Battlefield. It was very important to eliminate the competition either before the main monster hunt or before one takes on the Event Monster. The middle part is mostly focused on hunting monsters, so there was an implicit understanding to not attack each other. In the end, one of the reasons why users come to the Battlefield was the overabundance monsters. They were here to level up at a much faster rate. This time it was clear why the Tinkerbell Party was targeted. At a glance, one could tell they were new to the Battlefield. The experienced users didn¡¯t pause to see the Battlefield stage in surprise. They immediately moved into the Battlefield, and they looked for a place to hide in the surrounding. Basically, anyone who stayed in the entrance was asking to be targeted in the beginning. The Tinkerbell Party didn¡¯t just paint a target on themselves. They were basically begging others to kill them! However, Hyrkan never expected 5 parties with over 30 members to rush forward. ¡®Five¡­¡­ If my memory is correct, the 5 parties have a total member of 20, 28¡­ Is it 38 people?¡¯ The 5 parties were working together. He knew why they joined hands with each other. ¡®They are really determined to catch me.¡¯ Their target was himself. It was Hyrkan. The quality of users participating in the Battlefield was about the same. The level limit made it so. If there weren¡¯t any level limit, the high level users would come here to wreak havoc. Many felt an irrational feeling of unfairness when Hyrkan appeared on this stage. The 5 parties didn¡¯t hesitate to make an alliance. ¡®Also, didn¡¯t those bastards act all friendly when they wanted to take photos with me? Assholes.¡¯ From Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, nothing about this situation made him happy. ¡®Still, this is a bit weird.¡¯ At the same time, he harbored a suspicion. ¡®No matter how I see it, they are going all-in on catching me. Wasn¡¯t this a little bit excessive even for a Unique Skill?¡¯ He somewhat understood what was going on, but he did feel that their actions were a bit excessive. Hyrkan narrowed his eyes. ¡®Did I steal a watch from one of them in the past?¡¯ Of course, there was practical or economical reasons. However, there could also be personal reasons mixed in there. Revenge! It was a very emotional and unproductive reason, but it was also a motivation that made people move. If he was being truthful, Hyrkan¡¯s gaming history wasn¡¯t squeaky clean. He had ruthlessly killed anyone who bothered him. The fault was with his opponent, but they weren¡¯t the kind of people who would admit to that in the first place. They wouldn¡¯t have fought if that was the case in the first place. If this was about revenge, this outcome wasn¡¯t too strange. ¡®Is it perhaps those bitches I screwed over before? Was one of their white knights in that group? Probably not. Did those guys somehow find out I¡¯m the Hahoe Mask? Is it the friend of that guy I screwed over when I caught the Golden Skeleton?¡¯ Anyways, there were a lot of people dying to catch Hyrkan. There were too many that Hyrkan couldn¡¯t pinpoint the source. Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have to think long on it. ¡®Well, whatever. The 5 parties of 38 people is my target.¡¯ Hyrkan watched as he saw the 5 parties take the Tinkerbell party members¡¯ watches. He stopped his trivial thoughts, and he started making his plans in earnest. ¡®If I follow my heart, I would want to record footage for the entire 144 hours. I want them to feel as if they were the supporting characters of a live Saw movie. However, that¡¯ll waste my hunting time, so I¡¯ll finish them within 24 hours.¡¯ He made his plan in a flash. This was all routine for Hyrkan. 11. ¡°What a really fucked up situation.¡± It hadn¡¯t even been two hours since the Terube castle wall¡¯s gate had opened. Before they could even properly start their monster hunt, the Mongmart Party was surrounded by other users. Mongmart Party¡¯s Tanker Board was angry when he saw the several dozen users surrounding them. He yelled with an incredulous expression on his face. ¡°Even if this is the Battlefield, aren¡¯t you guys taking this too far? What¡¯s the meaning of coming at us with an alliance of 5 parties?¡± His shout was filled with anger. As if they agreed with Board¡¯s anger, the two priests, 3 magicians, and swordsman of the Mongmart Party also had expressions filled with anger. On the other hand, the 30+ people didn¡¯t have any expressions on their face. They were calm and it seemed they weren¡¯t going to respond to the Mongmart Party. ¡°You¡¯ve run the Battlefield numerous times. You should have known you might run into a situation like this.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s end this quickly.¡± These were users who were used to such tactics. This was why they participated in the Battlefield. This didn¡¯t happen all the time in the Battlefield, but it was something that could break out at any time. If one felt embarrassment, shame, sorriness, or guilt then they didn¡¯t belong on the stage called the Battlefield. ¡°Even if there is no rules in the Battlefield, isn¡¯t this too much?!¡± Since they were the ones holding the short end of the stick, they could only curse. They could probably swear for 24hrs straight in this situation. With a proper battle about to happen, Cho-oohroong looked on in silence as the parties exchanged words. Then he discreetly gripped his sword. ¡®There is no need to drag this out.¡¯ The Mongmart Party wasn¡¯t their main target. ¡®If Hahoe Mask notices something is amiss, he might go into hiding. That would put me in a tough spot.¡¯ The main target was the Hahoe mask. He had to take care of this situation before the Hahoe Mask realizes what was going on. If Hyrkan realizes the groups had allied with each other to catch him, he would act according to the situation. He wouldn¡¯t fight upfront. He¡¯ll most definitely be on the run, and he¡¯ll try to take advantage of opportunistic moments. It wasn¡¯t easy to chase after a single fleeing user in the Battlefield. Moreover, there was an additional reason why he had to catch the Hahoe Mask. ¡®I have to catch that bastard..¡¯ Once he catches the Hahoe Mask, he¡¯ll immediately receive a reward of a million Yuan. This was the bonus pot put on the line for the Hahoe Mask hunt by Apollo. ¡®Million Yuan¡­¡­.¡¯ For killing one user, he would easily earn more than $100,000 here. Cho-oohroong was already planning out what he would do with that money. Anyways, if he wanted to quickly settle this situation, he had to do the dirty work. Even if over 30 users surrounded them, their opponents were veterans of the Battlefield. Their levels and Item Settings were similar all similar. The result was obvious if one considered the numerical advantage. However, the situation could always change. Basically, there was a high chance that some casualties would occur if the Monmark Party struggled against them in their death. No one wanted to become the casualty. This was why someone had to take the bullet. Someone had to lead this battle if one wanted a quick resolution. This was why Cho-oohroong moved. When he moved, the users of the Swordsman Class moved slowly as they took on the role of Tankers and Strikers. The magicians started to cast magic from behind them. The priests readied themselves in the backline, and they focused on the upcoming battle. It happened when everyone¡¯s attention was focused on a single location. ¡°Huh!¡± The perimeter was tightening when someone breathing their last breath was heard. ¡®What is it?¡¯ Cho-oohroong was looking at his targets when he heard a sound from beyond the Mongmart party. Cho-oohroong¡¯s gaze moved quickly. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Cho-oohroong¡¯s eyes picked up the Skeleton Warriors. There were 3 of them. The three Skeleton Warriors ran towards a priest and stabbed him. The Skeleton Warriors withdrew their sword, then stabbed once again. ¡°Ooh-ahk. Shit!¡± The priest let out a yell, alerting the others of his emergency situation. However, by that time, the three Skeleton Warriors had already stabbed the priest¡¯s body a dozen times. The priest¡¯s defensive gear wasn¡¯t that great. The defensive gear was dependent on one¡¯s level, so the priest¡¯s body was basically pudding. Moreover, the attack power of the Skeleton Warriors was on a frightening level. Before the priest could cast his healing spells, he was turned into a mess. ¡°Shit. What¡¯s going on over there?¡± One of the priest¡¯s companion saw him go down, so he turned to run towards the Skeleton Warriors. He ignored the Mongmart Party. At that moment, everyone was filled with thoughts of saving the priest! ¡®We¡¯ll be in a dangerous situation if the priest goes down.¡¯ Cho-oohroong thought along the same line. A priest was of great importance to a party. Priests were more important in the Battlefield than the mages. If one didn¡¯t have a priest, it was better to logout and wait for the door to open. As befitting the status of Heh-bibin¡¯s rising star, he started thinking about what would be coming next. ¡®Wait a moment.¡¯ The Skeleton Warriors wouldn¡¯t just show up by themselves. Cho-oohroong turned his head. ¡®Ah!¡¯ Four Skeleton Warriors suddenly appeared from a different direction. Everyone watched in surprise as the group of Skeleton Warriors jumped another priest. Cho-oohroong¡¯s thoughts naturally moved onto the next thought. ¡®Where¡¯s the Hahoe Mask?¡¯ Since the Skeleton Warriors were here, there was no way the Hahoe Mask was not here. As Cho-oohroong expected, the Hahoe Mask appeared. ¡°Ooh-ah!¡± From behind Cho-oohrong, he stabbed a priest affiliated with Cho-oohroong¡¯s party. Hyrkan immediately withdrew his sword and struck the priest¡¯s neck. Afterwards, he sawed at the priest¡¯s neck. In a flash, the priest¡¯s neck was half-severed. Hyrkan appeared in this fashion, making sure the priest was dead. ¡°Charge!¡± When Hyrkan appeared, the Mongmart party moved as if they had been waiting for this. No, he was sure they had been waiting for Hyrkan. The Mongmart party moved towards the opposite direction from where Hyrkan had appeared. They were splitting up their troops. If one wanted to catch two rabbits, they would inevitably have to divide their group into two. The problem was the group surrounding the Mongmart party. There wasn¡¯t a normal power structure between these parties. One needed to go through the process of suggestion and negotiation when dealing with them. One had to consider the situation, assess what method one had to use, and suggest the method. Then, the group had to agree with said method. It was a frustrating process, and it wasn¡¯t something that could be done in a desperate situation where a second could mean the difference between life or death. ¡®Fuck!¡¯ Even Cho-oohroong was taken aback as Hyrkan used his blade on his party¡¯s priest. The way Hyrkan killed the priest was close to torture, and Cho-oohroong could only look on. After killing a priest in a flash, Hyrkan¡¯s eyes met Cho-oohroong¡¯s gaze. It lasted only for a brief moment. Hyrkan immediately turned his head around and started running towards a different user. ¡°He¡­¡­.¡± He was also a Priest. Poohk! The Priest was about to yell out for help, but Hyrkan stabbed his sword between his eyes. Hyrkan didn¡¯t stop running as he carried off the Priest on his shoulder. He was running away. ¡°Follow him!¡± ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Hahoe Mask!¡± At that moment, a group of users followed after Hyrkan. How could they do nothing when the target was running away? At that sight, Cho-oohroong swallowed his saliva. Cho-oohroong was at a loss for words. ¡®H¡­he got us.¡¯ Cho-oohroong was struck dumb; he was at a loss for words. 12. Pook pook! With the priest on his shoulder, Hyrkan ran as he repeatedly skewered the body of the priest like a shish kabob. Until a moment ago, the priest had shouted all kinds of curses at him, but now his body was slumped over like a corpse. Hyrkan laughed when he saw this. ¡®He forcefully logged out.¡¯ The user had been slung across Hyrkan¡¯s shoulder like a luggage, and he stabbed as he retreated. It seemed it wasn¡¯t fun to experience it live. Finally, Hyrkan turned to look for the first time at the 3 people chasing him. ¡®They are following me like dogs.¡¯ The three of them had successfully chased after Hyrkan. This meant these users had Stat that was comparable to Hyrkan. They were Strikers. They were users of the Swordsman Class who mainly focused on their Strength Stat. Hyrkan had slowed down just enough so they had an easier time following him. Then, he allowed them to incrementally close the distance. In the end, he had stopped. ¡®Is it here?¡¯ After stopping, he discreetly turned his head to look around his surrounding then he dropped the priest from his shoulder. Chul-puh-duhk! He wasn¡¯t dead yet, but the user had given up on this character. The priest¡¯s body was basically a corpse. Poohk! Hyrkan planted his sword into the priest¡¯s spine. He placed two hands on the sword, and he looked at the three Strikers. The sight of Hyrkan was intimidating and frightening. ¡°S¡­stop.¡± ¡°Hoooo!¡± Even the veteran users couldn¡¯t attack Hyrkan immediately. The imposing feeling coming off of Hyrkan had caused them to come to a stop. The three, intimidated users who had stopped came to their senses and ordered their thoughts. ¡®Ah, shit.¡¯ ¡®We¡¯re the only ones here¡­¡­.¡¯ Their battle capability was most definitely outstanding. They were of the Swordsman Class, and they had focused on raising their Strength Stat. No one would choose to grow this Class if it was weak. However, the opponent was the Hahoe Mask. ¡®Can the three of us take down the Hahoe Mask?¡¯ ¡®He doesn¡¯t have his Skeletons?¡¯ He controlled 10 powerful Skeleton Warriors. He was strong enough to solo Boss Monsters with them. He was someone who possessed a ridiculous amount of skill. Will three Swordsman be enough to take him down? It was possible. However, it wouldn¡¯t be easy. ¡®Should we just run away?¡¯ ¡®We don¡¯t have priests any more. What should we do?¡¯ Everyone was filled with nervousness as they raised their weapons. Those with shields raised it in front on them. Hyrkan wordlessly looked back at them. Pook pook! He took out the sword stuck in the priest¡¯s back, and he kept repeatedly stabbing the body. It seemed he wanted to be sure that the priest was dead. ¡®Crazy son of a bitch!¡¯ The sight was so frightening that the three of them couldn¡¯t even come up with a way to buy time or try something else. It was at that moment. Koo-uhhhhh! Accompanying a terrifying roar, four monsters ran towards them. They were horned Trolls with gray skin. The three Strikers could only look at the four Trolls with a dumbfounded expression on their face. Hyrkan put a big smile. ¡®That Golem is slow, but its timing is pretty killer.¡¯ Hyrkan had unsummoned his Golem and the monsters came to kill the Golem¡¯s master. Hyrkan had readied a monster bomb. 13. ¡°How many of you are left?¡± ¡°Six.¡± ¡°Nine.¡± ¡°We¡­¡­.¡± They had started out with 38 users, but the number had been reduced to 30. In a flash, 8 users suffered a Game Over. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if they hadn¡¯t gained anything. As the Mongmart Party was running away, they were able to eliminate 3 of their users. However, their current situation was embarrassingly bad even if one added in their gains. The biggest problem was¡­ ¡®We lost 4 Priests¡­¡­.¡¯ Eight users had suffered Game Over, and half that number was priests. Amongst the 5 parties, there had been a total of 8 priests, and now four of them were gone. ¡®We¡¯ve been perfectly undone.¡¯ It was a frightening situation. Even though this was only a game, Cho-oohroong felt a chill run down his back. Currently, the community was formed with 5 parties, yet they had lost 4 priests. If the community dissolves, one party would be without a priest. Basically, it was a death sentence. ¡®I never expected the Mongmart to join hands with the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ They were in a critical situation only because Mongmart Party had joined hands with the Hahoe Mask. That was the only reason. When they surrounded the Mongmart Party, they pulled the priests to the back to protect them. It was par for the course. The Strikers and Tankers were sent towards the front line to start the engagement. Since they had surrounded their enemies, this was the most logical and suitable tactic. However, no one expected the Hahoe Mask to appear then and there. To make it worse, the Hahoe Mask divided his Skeleton Troops into two groups, killing two priests in a single strike. Afterwards, Hyrkan quickly killed one priest himself, then he ran away with another priest on his shoulder. ¡®The Hahoe Mask has never run the Battlefield before, so how is he able to come up with these tactics?¡¯ It was a very smart play. Instead of killing the priest on the spot, he carried the priest, who had no battle ability. He killed the priest as he carried him around. He was crafty. Hyrkan had a craftiness that could only beasts could come up with. This was how Hyrkan killed four priests by himself. The 5 parties had combined forces, yet he was skilled enough to pick off the 4 priests. His skill gave Cho-oohroong goosebumps. Furthermore, he had intentionally baited the Strikers, and he used the monsters to turn the Strikers into road kills. Even though he was on the losing end of it, he almost let out a sound of admiration. This clarified something. Hyrkan had perfectly read the intent of Cho-oohroong and the others. This basically meant¡­. ¡®This isn¡¯t the end.¡¯ It basically meant this was the beginning. Cho-oohroong and the other parties were the first ones to proceed with no rules governing their actions. If their opponents didn¡¯t follow the rules, they didn¡¯t have the grounds to complain. One had to be ready to battle with monster at any time especially in the Battlefield. The Battlefield had so many monsters that the monsters came looking for the users. On such a stage, it was impossible for 4 priests to cover over 20 users. The worst part was the rest time. It was impossible to game for the whole day. In several hours, everyone was going to logout to rest. Several people were saying they weren¡¯t going to log back until the 144 hours was up. Instead of being blindly hit with Game Over, some thought it would be better to take a 144 hours break. They would avoid the Game Over, while they take a week worth of break. This meant their numbers would shrink once again. Eventually, they wouldn¡¯t have a numerical advantage. ¡®I can¡¯t let that happen.¡¯ Cho-oohroong felt the need to organize this situation. He gathered the leaders of the other parties. ¡°We have to continue to work together. If we go our separate ways, we¡¯ll just become targets.¡± ¡°You want us to hunt together in this state?¡± ¡°If we stay together, at the very least, the enemies won¡¯t attack us directly. We still have a decisive numerical advantage. Don¡¯t we need to put our survival as our highest priority?¡± There wasn¡¯t any pushback. ¡®Shit.¡¯ However, when Cho-oohroong looked at their expression, he could sense they weren¡¯t happy with him. ¡®They are trying to put the blame on me.¡¯ In the end, Cho-oohroong was the first one to suggest the attack on the Hahoe Mask. It was human nature to blame someone else when things don¡¯t go your way. ¡°Well, let¡¯s do that then.¡± They gave their assent, but they weren¡¯t explicit with their answers. Cho-oohroong realized something was amiss. Hyrkan appeared in front of them once again about 5 hours after the castle gates had opened. Everyone was getting ready to logout, so they were looking for a safe zone when it happened. ¡°Who¡¯s the mastermind behind all of this?¡± Chapter 77 : Golem Upgrade (1) Chapter 77 ¨C Golem Upgrade (1) 1. ¡°Who¡¯s the one behind all of this?¡± Hyrkan recited his words with the Mongmart Party behind his back. It was a terrifying sight. The Hahoe Mask made the other users recall the face of the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t feel like a normal living person. Several people even stopped breathing. Since they were holding their breathe, it wasn¡¯t easy to talk. Everyone stared at Hyrkan without saying anything. Those who caught Hyrkan¡¯s eyes quickly averted their head. When there was no answers forthcoming, Hyrkan opened his mouth once again. ¡°Let¡¯s not drag this out. You guys were definitely trying to catch me. There should be a main culprit, who suggested this plan.¡± As he spoke, Hyrkan stared at a single person. The person who met Hyrkan¡¯s gaze frowned. Of course, this person didn¡¯t like the fact that he was under suspicion. When the user met Hyrkan¡¯s gaze, Hyrkan furrowed his brows and spoke in a sure manner. He spoke with a loud voice. ¡°Are you the mastermind? Have you perhaps met me in the past? Did you experience me severing your wrist?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not me.¡± The user answered immediately. Hyrkan asked the question once again. ¡°Then who is it?¡± At that moment¡­ ¡°Do we have an obligation to answer your questions? It isn¡¯t as if we did anything wrong. This is the Battlefield. The Battlefield.¡± A user didn¡¯t like Hyrkan¡¯s domineering attitude, so he spoke in a combative manner. Hyrkan¡¯s gaze naturally landed on the person who spoke towards him. As if the user didn¡¯t want to be overwhelmed by Hyrkan¡¯s spirit, he spoke in a much more forceful manner. ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, then let¡¯s fight! Even if you prattle on, there aren¡¯t anyone here, who would listen to you. If we planned on talking to you, we wouldn¡¯t have attacked you in the first place.¡± It was a provocation. Let¡¯s fight! In a sense, this was a reasonable response. Hyrkan¡¯s side was still at a numerical disadvantage. Hyrkan could summon his Skeleton Warriors, and there was the Mongmart Party. Overall, there were less than 20 of them. Moreover, the 5 parties formed to catch Hyrkan still had more priests than Hyrkan¡¯s group. It wasn¡¯t as if they hadn¡¯t done anything wrong, but they had enough ammunition to come up with an excuse. It was the excuse that trumped all excuses. This was the Battlefield. In this situation, they didn¡¯t have to act like sinners in front of Hyrkan. That was the truth. ¡°This is the Battlefield¡­¡­.¡± Hyrkan was well aware of this fact. He had shown himself since he was aware of this fact. ¡°I¡¯m saying this, because this is the Battlefield.¡± Hyrkan¡¯s words silenced them for a moment. They looked around their surrounding. ¡®What is it?¡¯ ¡®He said those words: ¡®because we are in the Battlefield¡¯? What is the meaning behind his words?¡¯ There were almost no one in the 5 party alliance who thought that they would lose head to head with Hyrkan and the Mongmart Party. At the same time, no one here wanted to have a group fight in the first place. It would be prudent to hear out Hyrkan first. ¡°I want to know if there is a mastermind behind this plot. Was this done because a person had a grudge against me? If so, I would like to settle my account. The Event Monster hasn¡¯t come out yet, and I don¡¯t want to waste my time doing PK especially when it doesn¡¯t give me any EXP. Shouldn¡¯t it be the same for you guys?¡± ¡®Of course, these bastards came here to hunt. Everyone here knows the importance of time.¡¯ This was Hyrkan¡¯s plan. Truthfully, Hyrkan was angry at those who allied with each other to take him down. If he wanted to cut off all their wrists, he would be able to do it. Moreover, he had eliminated half their priests earlier on, so it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to kill them through attrition. The problem was there was nothing to be gained by Hyrkan if he did that. He¡¯ll be able to take their watches, but it wasn¡¯t as if the watches always gave jackpot items. There was a possibility Hyrkan might not be able to hunt at a decent pace in the 144 hours period. The loss he would take by spending most of the time PKing would be massive. He had been lucky enough to be able to gain entrance to the ultimate hunting ground. These users wouldn¡¯t give him any EXP, and he didn¡¯t want to waste most of his time fighting them. The decisive factor was the Unique Skill Book that was up for grabs as reward. From Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, it would be more advantageous for him to walk the easier road. Nothing good would come from making this any more difficult than it had to be. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t the only one who was thinking along the same line. A lot of them had accepted the offer to kill Hyrkan because they wanted to boast on the SNS afterwards. However, there hearts were quite shaken right now. ¡®Is he trying to call a truce?¡¯ ¡®Yes. We¡¯ll be fighting each other anyways once the Blue Giant shows up. What¡¯s the point of fighting right now?¡¯ ¡®Since it turned out like this, let¡¯s give up on the Event Monster. Let¡¯s just focus on leveling up. It would be much better than dying.¡¯ Everyone was convinced. Still, no one immediately agreed with Hyrkan. It wasn¡¯t as if there was not a mastermind behind this plan. Cho-oohroong was the mastermind, and that truth wouldn¡¯t change. All the users here wasn¡¯t able to point at Cho-oohroong to put all the blame on him. He would become the twisted hero, and it would have the side effect of deflecting the blame onto them. Anyways, Cho-oohroong had merely made the offer. They had made their own choices, so everyone here was culpable. ¡®This is a mess.¡¯ Of course, this was the worst case scenario for Cho-oohroong. Now Cho-oohroong would have to talk to Hyrkan. Then he would have to explain his reasons. Of course, he didn¡¯t have to tell the truth. Cho-oohroong had no reasons to reveal his identity. He must not. If this incident was connected to Big Smile, then the situation would turn from a mess to the worst possible situation. ¡®I have no choice.¡¯ Cho-oohroong quickly finished his calculations. ¡®Let¡¯s end this cleanly.¡¯ Instead of backing slowly towards the edge of a cliff, he would rather jump off at his own volition. He would take care of what comes next afterwards. This was the best method. Cho-oohroong yelled out. ¡°I¡¯m the mastermind.¡± At those words, Hyrkan turned to look at Cho-oohroong. Hyrkan slightly tilted his head in puzzlement. ¡®Huh? It feels like I¡¯ve seen him somewhere?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a familiar face, yet he had seen that face somewhere. It wasn¡¯t as if Cho-oohroong had a common appearance. He had a strong jaw and thick facial features. Even his eyebrows were thick. He had a face that would leave a lasting impression on someone. If Hyrkan felt like he had seen this man somewhere, then the possibility was high. ¡®I guess it really was someone with a personal grudge against me?¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t suppress his growing curiosity. ¡°Do you have some grudge against me?¡± ¡°No way. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen you.¡± ¡°Your reasons?¡± ¡°You are strong. If we hadn¡¯t joined up, we had no chance of taking you down. I didn¡¯t want to see a competitor flourish in front of me.¡± It was a ridiculous reason, but Hyrkan had heard this line of reasoning quite often. Hyrkan nodded his head. He could accept that reasoning. ¡°Since I started this, at the very least, I¡¯ll finish it. I request a 1on1 match.¡± Before his words could finish, Cho-oohroong got into his fighting stance. He pointed his sword towards Hyrkan. It caused a commotion in the surrounding. ¡®Incredible.¡¯ ¡®He wants a 1on1 match with the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ No one here expected Cho-oohroong to suggest a 1on1 match. It was most definitely an unexpected turn of event. In some ways, it was also a sight that was quite heroic. In the end, he had stepped forward to take responsibility for his own action. It was an act that deserved applause instead of a pointing finger. Moreover, this would be Cho-oohroong¡¯s last gambit at a winning move. ¡®Since I will never be able to have a good relationship with the Hahoe Mask. It would be best to cleanly settle my account with him.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t confident he could win against Hyrkan. Hyrkan was a monster. If he wanted to take down Hyrkan in a 1on1 battle, he would at the very least need to have advanced in his Class. However, it wasn¡¯t as if the chance of his victory was 0%. Cho-oohroong wasn¡¯t weak. There wasn¡¯t that many in his level that could win against him. ¡®I¡¯ll win. I¡¯ll use any method for this win.¡¯ If he won, it would be a big deal. Cho-oohroong would eat all of the accolade that was associated with the Hahoe Mask. In a single battle, his name would be spread across the entirety of Warlord. He would be known as a Super Rookie. Moreover, he would receive great reward from both Heh-bibin and Apollo. The potential gain made it worth gambling his life, which was worth 48 hrs of playing time. This one time gamble wasn¡¯t such a bad thing. Hyrkan looked at Cho-oohroon, and he took out a single Skeleton Fragment from his pocket. Then he threw it in front of Cho-oohroong. The Skeleton Warrior immediately formed, and it stood between Hyrkan and Cho-oohroong. He didn¡¯t speak. He didn¡¯t make any gestures. However, everyone could see Hyrkan had accepted Cho-oohroong¡¯s request. Cho-oohroong got into his stance. ¡®All right. I¡¯ll get rid of the Skeleton first.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Warriors were nothing like the normal Skeleton Warriors. Everyone, who was knowledgeable about Hyrkan, knew this. This was why people were very curious as to how Hyrkan fostered his Skeleton Warriors. Numerous guilds and wealthy individuals had already made public requests towards Hyrkan. They wanted him to sell them his method of fostering these Skeleton Warriors. It dodged quite well. The Skeleton Warrior was able to dodge normal blows quite easily. It fought better than an average user. If one attacked thoughtlessly, the Skeleton Warrior would find the user¡¯s opening. It would allow the Skeleton Warrior to counter-attack. This was why sometimes the Skeleton Warriors acted as if they were weak. ¡®When fighting against a counter type, the answer is to use the counter attack against them.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Warriors were adept at dodging the enemy¡¯s attack, and counter-attacking afterwards. On the other hand, if one didn¡¯t attack first, and fight a defensive battle, the Skeleton Warriors wouldn¡¯t be able to show their impressive battle capability. They were strong, but at the same time, they were simple. Even if they were simple, it was still hard to overcome them. The Skeleton Warrior¡¯s biggest weakness was its defense. The Skeleton Warriors without Bone Armor would take considerable damage even without hitting it with a Skill attack. It¡¯s constitution was that weak. From Cho-oohroong¡¯s perspective, he had no reason to attack in haste. Moreover, this was a very important battle. Instead of overextending himself, it was important for him to keep a level headed mind. Cho-oohroong was on his guard as he looked for an opening to attack the Skeleton Warrior. Cho-oohroong was waiting for the Skeleton Warrior to attack him first. ¡®Come. After I cut you up, I¡¯ll immediately charge the Hahoe Mask to close the distance between me and him.¡¯ Hyrkan smirked as he looked at Cho-oohroong. Hyrkan let out a laugh as he took a fistful of Skeleton Fragments out of his pocket. He threw it over Cho-oohroong¡¯s head, and the fragments landed behind Cho-oohroong¡¯s back. ¡®Uh?¡¯ Cho-oohroong¡¯s gaze unconsciously followed the Skeleton Fragments. He saw the Skeleton Fragments land on the floor. ¡°Fuck!¡± Cho-oohroong unconsciously let out a curse as he turned his body. It wasn¡¯t just one Skeleton Warrior. Around ten Skeleton Warriors showed up behind his back. He would have to face them first. No, he didn¡¯t have the time to think about this. His body moved before he could think. When Cho-oohroong turned around, he had basically left his unguarded back towards Hyrkan. Hyrkan wouldn¡¯t miss this opportunity. He would capitalize on it. ¡®You are dead.¡¯ Hyrkan immediately threw the Bone Explosives on his waist towards Cho-oohroong. He had thrown 5 Bone Explosives towards Cho-oohroong¡¯s feet. Each of them were worth 50 gold. Kwahng! It exploded immediately. ¡°Ooh-ahk!¡± The force of the explosions was quite significant, and it sent shock wave into the surrounding. The users near Cho-oohroong reflexively turned their head to the side or they raised their arm to their face. They tried to avoid or block the shockwave. During all of this, Hyrkan threw his body between the explosions. Hyrkan¡¯s eyes saw through the dust and smoke caused by the explosion, and he found Cho-oohroong. Hyrkan quickly grabbed him. Shweek! Hyrkan stabbed his sword into the gap between Cho-oohroong¡¯s armor, and the opening in his helm. Kwah-jeek! The sword let out a gross sound as it was embedded into the back of Cho-oohroong¡¯s neck. ¡°Kook!¡± A scream exploded out from Cho-oohrook¡¯s mouth. Hyrkan didn¡¯t stop there. He put more strength into the sword that was embedded in the back of Cho-oohroong¡¯s neck. Cho-oohroong¡¯s body couldn¡¯t overcome Hyrkan¡¯s strength. He crumpled forward. Chul-puh-duhk! Cho-oohroong had fallen to the floor. Hyrkan immediately stepped hard on the small of his back. Hyrkan made it so that Cho-oohroong wouldn¡¯t be able to get up easily. Afterwards, he took out the sword embedded in Cho-oohroong¡¯s neck by a little bit, then he pressed down accurately once again. Pook! He kept stabbing. Pook, pook! It was a consecutive rhythmic sound that would be spat out by a machine. The battle was already over. Cho-oohroong had taken significant damage and he wouldn¡¯t be able to receive help from others. There was no way he could overturn this situation. ¡°Shit!¡± Cho-oohroong could only bitterly yell out as he lay on the floor. Hyrkan spoke to Cho-oohroong. ¡°Since you lost in terms of skill, you probably think the slate is wiped clean with me.¡± Cho-oohroong bit his lips as if his inner thoughts had been revealed. ¡°However, I hate thinking that way.¡± As he spoke, Hyrkan jabbed as if he was putting a period at the end of his words. The sword was being stabbed into the back of Cho-oohroong¡¯s neck. ¡°Did you think about showing me any special consideration? You only thought about how to screw me over. Do you think I¡¯ll give a bastard like that a clean defeat?¡± Pook! Hyrkan kept stabbing with his sword. Cho-oohroong gritted his teeth. ¡°Did you lose your mind?¡± There was no pain here. There was no way it would exist here. Worse had been done to him in this game. However, he had never been this angry. His anger boiled within his chest. He was angrier than the time when Cho-oohroong was forcefully cut from the pro-gamer¡¯s club without any compensation. Anger that he had never felt before started filling Cho-oohroong. ¡°You son of a¡­¡­.¡± Cho-oohrong spat out a curse. Pook, pook! Hyrkan stopped Cho-oohroong¡¯s words with the use of his sword. ¡°Huhk!¡± The embedded sword dug once again into the back of Cho-oohroong¡¯s neck and the point pierced all the way through the neck. Hyrkan felt the point of his sword embed itself into the ground, and he left his last words. ¡°You are dead the next time I meet you. I will kill you. No matter what.¡± The commotion in the surrounding was calming down at this point. This allowed most of them to see the corpse of Cho-oohroong beneath Hyrkan¡¯s foot. The moment the battle had ended, everyone looked on in silence. ¡°Cho-oohroong!¡± Someone loudly yelled out Cho-oohroong¡¯s name. It was a user in the same party as Cho-oohroong. However, it wasn¡¯t Cho-oohroong who reacted the moment he heard the shout. It was Hyrkan. His expression changed. ¡®Ah.¡¯ Hyrkan finally remembered. ¡®Cho-oohroong¡­¡­ Yes, he¡¯s in the Killer Smile team of the Big Smile guild. That¡¯s where I saw this bastard. So why is Big Smile aiming for me?¡¯ Cho-oohroong wasn¡¯t able to earn anything this run. 2. When Cho-oohroong died, a member of his party yelled towards Hyrkan. ¡°What a cowardly act!¡± ¡°Cho-oohroong asked for a fair and honorable fight!¡± Hyrkan let out a laugh as if their words were ridiculous. Hyrkan shrugged his shoulder. ¡°I fought him 1on1 yet you call me cowardly? If I had been unlucky, wouldn¡¯t I have fought a 38 vs 1 battle?¡± Cho-oohroong¡¯s mate was about to raise their voice towards Hyrkan again, but they closed their mouth. He wasn¡¯t wrong. He was a Necromancer, so it would be funny to complain about him using Skeleton Warriors, and Bone Explosives. ¡°This¡­¡­.¡± Their bodies shook from suppressing their anger. Hyrkan ignored Cho-oohroong¡¯s mates, and he looked at the rest of the users. ¡°This resolves the situation. I fought a 1on1 battle and the mastermind is dead. We¡¯ll start over once again.¡± Unlike his earlier words, Hyrkan¡¯s words turned respectful. ¡°We¡¯ll start over again. I don¡¯t care whether you form another alliance. Let us focus on hunting monsters until the Event Monster comes out. Since this is the Battlefield, I won¡¯t require you to follow anything other stipulation.¡± After finishing his words, Hyrkan took out the sword piercing Cho-oohroong¡¯s neck. Then he hacked at Cho-oohroong¡¯s left wrist with his sword. Kah-ahng! The sound of steel rang out. ¡°It seems he is wearing good gauntlets.¡± Kah-ahng, kah-ahng! Hyrkan struck as if he was using an axe. Numerous blows were aimed at Cho-oohroong¡¯s hand, which was equipped with a gauntlet. Soon the armor became deformed and the wrist was severed. Hyrkan kicked at the hand, then gathered the watch. After he took the watch, Hyrkan spoke as he looked at his surrounding. ¡°All of you guys have fun.¡± After saying those words, Hyrkan quickly left the location. The Skeleton Warriors hastily followed after him. At that moment¡­ Koo-ohhhhhh! The throng of monsters had gathered there after hearing the sound of the explosions. The Battlefield was once again moving at a breathless pace. Chapter 78 : Golem Upgrade (2) Chapter 78 ¨C Golem Upgrade (2) 3. ¡°Shit!¡± One of the users tripped on a rock and fell. Kwahhhng! The large wolf that was chasing after the user ate almost half his body in one bite. ¡®He¡¯s dead.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Polio.¡¯ The users didn¡¯t stay to see the frightening sight of their buddy get eaten. They didn¡¯t even glance back. They didn¡¯t even think about helping him, since it gave them extra time. They ran away with all their might. They had used their party member as a sacrificial lamb, and it worked. They no longer heard the breathing or footstep of the wolf. When they reached a location where there was no trace of the wolf, the three party members finally stopped to look back. They were finally able to talk after checking nothing was behind them. ¡°Shit.¡± The same word yelled out by the devoured party member came out of their mouths. ¡°Even running away isn¡¯t easy.¡± ¡°Everything is messed up now.¡± ¡°Right. When the Hahoe Mask killed most of the priests, there was no point in hunting in parties.¡± It had been 88 hours since the Battlefield had been opened. Significant amount of time had passed in the Battlefield, and the appearance of the users wasn¡¯t something that wasn¡¯t befitting the name of the Battlefield. A continuous battle between the monsters and users never took place. There was no breathless battle. The result was a one sided fight. The normal result wasn¡¯t the monsters becoming the sacrificial lamb instead it was the users. The reason was of course Hyrkan. The Hahoe Mask left after dispatching Cho-oohroong, and seven monsters suddenly showed up in his wake. A significant number of users died once again in this battle against the monsters. The parties couldn¡¯t even communicate with each other amidst such a condition. They just scattered every which way. Of course, they didn¡¯t ally with each other anymore. If someone took it upon themselves to make it happen, an alliance could have been formed once again. However, everyone remembered the fate of Cho-oohroong who had stepped up to take the lead. They had seen the seen the process live. The image of what happened to him wouldn¡¯t fade away from their thoughts. So the parties started hunting by themselves. Each party put an acceptable amount of distance between each other. They each secured a region and started to hunt. Under the silent truce, the parties did what most parties did in the Battlefield. The problem was most of the parties weren¡¯t at their most optimum state. There were parties who had lost a priest, a tanker, or a striker¡­ If one made an analogy, they were like mouths. Some had lost their front tooth, and some had lost their molar. They couldn¡¯t chew the monsters properly with a mouth missing teeth. The Battlefield was so full of monsters that monsters came looking for users. The users tried to avoid the repeated monster battles, but in the end, all the parties chose to give up. ¡°The castle gate will open soon. Let¡¯s go to the castle gate now. We can logout there, and we can log back in when it¡¯s time.¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll find users in the same situation if we go near the castle gate. Maybe, we¡¯ll come to an agreement there to work together.¡± ¡°I never thought I would waste my time this way.¡± ¡°We were fortunate that we didn¡¯t die this time.¡± If they overextended themselves in the monster hunt, they would be wiped out. It was better to go to the castle gates to wait while they still had a somewhat intact party. This was the course taken by users, who had some breathing room. They would log out near the castle gates for safety. Those who had lost a lot of their party members had a hard time even getting to the castle gate. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the case for everyone. Only one person! One person¡¯s fortune was completely different from the others. [You have leveled up.] ¡°All right. My Stats are full! That damn wolf bastard! I¡¯ll catch it with myself!¡± This one person was overflowing with energy amongst the overflowing horde of monsters. It didn¡¯t matter if he was doing well or bad in his hunt, he was enjoying himself. This one person¡­¡­ Of course, it was Hyrkan. Large Wolves, Large Bears, Large Snakes¡­¡­ The beasts possessed blood colored patterns on their pelt, and they were crowding in front of Hyrkan. Hyrkan threw 3 Bone Explosives as if he was spraying sand. Kwah-gwah-gwahng! The expensive Bone Explosives were worth the price of ramens Hyrkan could eat for a month. It was a powerful sight to see the result of the explosions. While this thunderous roar was ongoing, two Skeleton Warriors wearing Bone Armor and the Madness Helm immediately ran forward. Each of them had weapons that was easily over 1000 gold, and the battle capability of these Skeleton Warriors were amazing. Their sword cut through the leather of lvl 80 monsters like paper. Pooh-oohk, suh-guhk, ssoo-oohk! The sound of stabbing, slicing, and chopping was heard. After the roar of the Bone Explosives, the sound of butchery was heard. Koo-huhng! The cry of the monsters that followed was closer to a sorrowful sound than a menacing sound. The sight that unfolded in that place was one-sided and overwhelming. It made one feel sorry for the monsters. Of course, the ones in the worst shape was those who were caught by Hyrkan. After leveling up, Hyrkan had recovered all his capabilities. Hyrkan charged towards a wolf who had scratched his body. ¡®I¡¯ll fuck you up.¡¯ When he closed the distance, Hyrkan stabbed the short sword into the bastard¡¯s eye. In a breath, he jumped on top of the red spotted wolf¡¯s body. As soon as he got on the body, he stabbed down with his Fang Sword. He used the embedded sword as a handle and started attacking the wolf¡¯s body with another short sword. Pook pook. Pook, pook! After he finished stabbing the body four times, a rectangle shaped piece of flesh fell off. When the piece of flesh was dug out, he immediately put something that was hotter than medicine into the wound. Bone Explosive! Hyrkan forcefully pushed the powerful item into the hole. Soon, he used all his energy to cause the Bone Explosive to detonate. Kwahng! The sound of the exploding Bone Explosive was the quietest one yet, but the result was quite gruesome. Hoo-doo-doo! The explosion scattered the blood and flesh into the surrounding. It left behind a grotesque mark. Koo-roo-roo¡­¡­. The wolf was starting to falter. The wolf wasn¡¯t able to resist after suffering under the White Mamba¡¯s poison and the accrued damage. He couldn¡¯t even struggle. Hyrkan didn¡¯t show any mercy to the wolf. Since this bastard¡¯s life was almost at an end, Hyrkan wanted to end it faster and in a more sure manner. Poohk poohk! After the terrifying sound rang out consecutive times, the wolf died. After extracting his sword, Hyrkan immediately searched for a new monster. He found one that the Skeleton Warriors were having a hard time taking down. There was a smile on Hyrkan¡¯s face as he moved his body. ¡®All the monsters here are mine!¡¯ The other parties either died before they could fight the monsters properly, or they had given up. Hyrkan didn¡¯t know this for sure but he had predicted events would happen this way. He had predicted this course of event when he hatched the trap to get rid of the priests with the help of the Mongmart Party. How could a party go on a normal hunt without their priests? This was why he had done what he had done. This was why he had left alone the users who had shown their teeth to him. It was the reason why he had accepted Cho-oohroong¡¯s request for a 1on1 battle. Even if Hyrkan didn¡¯t act, he knew they would have to retire once their priests had been eliminated. No competitors meant the most valuable monsters belonged to Hyrkan. ¡®The only one left is the Blue Giant¡¯ ¡°Ooh-haha!¡± Hyrkan unconsciously let out a laugh as if he was too happy. His laugh rang out through the Battlefield. 4. Kooh-oohng! It had blue skin. It¡¯s skin color was incongruous with the color of the forest. The giant had a single eye, and it was fallen to the floor like a stiff board of wood. When the giant fell, its body crushed 5 trees, transforming them into balled-up tissue paper. There were seven swords sticking out of the fallen Blue Giant¡¯s body. A Golem with half its body crushed was nearby, and one of its shoulder was slumping without any strength. ¡°Hoo-ooh.¡± Blue Giant. He was finally able to take the bastard down. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t let out a cheer in joy. He let out a long sigh. ¡®I was barely able to catch it. If I made a wrong move, I might have died.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t too hard to find the Blue Giant. It was taller than the trees of the forest, and its skin color was blue. It also had a sense of presence that made it easy to find. He just had to climb up a tree and look around to find it. The hard part was killing it. ¡®Its offensive and defensive ability was subpar, but its HP¡­. It was really comparable to a Level 100 Boss Monster.¡¯ It was worthy to be called an Event Monster. Its HP was abnormally high. Since it had so much HP, Hyrkan had to use a lot of time to catch it. He had used up 28 minutes. Hyrkan¡¯s damage dealing was incredible. He had the Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Mages, and the Golem. If he mixed in some curse magic, he could deal damage that was comparable to a 5 man party. Once he started to liberally use the Bone Explosives, his damage dealing couldn¡¯t even be compared to a 5 man team. This was why Hyrkan was able to end this fight around the 30 minute mark. ¡®Is this what they call it a blessing in disguise?¡¯ He had been able to catch this monster, because of the current situation. If he had to catch it in an environment with a lot of competitors, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to take it down easily. Moreover, it would have been impossible to catch it in secret. He would have been constantly interfered with. He would have had to adopt a hit & run strategy, and this might have opened up the possibility of someone else stealing the monster. In the end, if Cho-oohroong didn¡¯t aggressively chase after Hyrkan, this opportunity would have never come to Hyrkan. ¡®So why the hell is Cho-oohroong trying so hard to catch me? Did I somehow meddle with Big Smile?¡¯ That was the part where he still had his misgivings. He didn¡¯t think Cho-oohroong simply moved against him because he coveted Hyrkan¡¯s fame. Hyrkan didn¡¯t think Cho-oohroong would move for such a personal reason. The Big Smile wasn¡¯t an organization that was loose with their members. This meant someone in Big Smile had order Cho-oohroong to eliminate Hyrkan. This was hard to comprehend even for him. Hyrkan hadn¡¯t crossed Big Smile yet. Not at this point in time. ¡®No. Moreover, the Big Smile shouldn¡¯t have time for me right now.¡¯ The Big Smile wasn¡¯t in a position where they would be able to spare their attention to Hyrkan. Currently, they were in war with Triple Wing, and they were a troublesome group to deal with. If they bothered Hyrkan in such a situation, they were basically adding on to their troubles. ¡®Any ways, the 30 great guilds only have assholes.¡¯ It was clear from Hyrkan¡¯s perspective. They had attacked him out of the blue. Hyrkan had quickly evaded the attack and sent back a counterpunch. He was able to earn a watch, but it didn¡¯t mean he would forgive Big Smile. It was the opposite. ¡®Let¡¯s see what happens when you come into my crosshair, Big Smile. I¡¯ll shatter you guys into pieces.¡¯ Hyrkan put Big Smile right below the Stormhunters on his list. It was obvious, but it wasn¡¯t a good place to be if you were ranked under the Stormhunters. Hyrkan was brooding over his revenge list when it happened. [The Battlefield¡¯s Even Monster ¡®Blue Giant¡¯ has fallen.] Everyone within the Battlefield was given the announcement. Hyrkan also heard the announcement. When he heard the announcement, he touched the app on his wrist watch. [138 : 33 : 22] Hyrkan smiled when he saw the time. ¡®If I come back after a nap, it¡¯ll be perfect.¡¯ It was almost time for him to leave the stage called the Battlefield. 4. ¨C I¡¯m sorry. When he heard Cho-oohroong¡¯s answer, Heh-bibin didn¡¯t spit out his boiling anger. He spoke in a calm manner. ¡°Today¡¯s events will be a bitter medicine for you. Don¡¯t forget about today¡¯s event, and go reflect on what you did wrong.¡± ¨C I will take your words to heart. ¡°You did well. Go rest for awhile..¡± ¨C I¡¯m sorry. When the phone call ended, Heh-bibin clenched both of his hands into fists. If he had his handphone in his hand, he would have thrown it against the wall. Fortunately, he was within the game so he couldn¡¯t do that. ¡®Fuck.¡¯ Heh-bibin answered calmly, because he valued Cho-oohroong. If it had been someone other than Cho-oohroong, he wouldn¡¯t have let it go so easily. Heh-bibin had taken a big hit from this job. The immediate monetary damage wasn¡¯t that high. ¡®Apollo. That bastard knows about this.¡¯ The problem was Apollo. He was very underhanded, and he wouldn¡¯t let go of this information easily. ¡®He¡¯ll try to use me through blackmail.¡¯ Heh-bibin was an officer of the Big Smile, and it was an opportunity where Apollo would be able to put him to the fire. Since he didn¡¯t want Hahoe Mask to realize Cho-oohroong was part of Big Smile, he would have to accept whatever deal Apollo presented. This was a headache inducing situation. The worst case scenario was the Hahoe Mask finding out the connection between Cho-oohroong and Big Smile. If he joined forces with their enemy, Triple Wing, then this wouldn¡¯t end at just hurt feelings. Big Smile might be kicked out of their spot in the 30 great guild. ¡®Shit.¡¯ Heh-bibin¡¯s heart burned into a black crisp when he thought about such a scenario. It seemed someone wanted to burn Heh-bibin¡¯s heart once again. ¡°Shit.¡± A single call arrived. After checking the call was from Apollo, he gritted his teeth before he answered the phone. While he was gritting his teeth, he let the anger within his heart bleed out. ¡®Hahoe Mask. You will pay for this.¡¯ Chapter 79 : Golem Upgrade (3) Chapter 79 ¨C Golem Upgrade (3) 5. Ggiiii! The firmly shut castle gate let out a bizarre sound and started to lower slowly. These users had waited outside the castle walls. When the castle gate was lowered, the waiting users all frowned. ¡°Shit.¡± There was no shout of joy. A bitter sound came out of all the user¡¯s¡¯ mouth. ¡°This Battlefield run was completely ruined.¡± ¡°Still, aren¡¯t we fortunate? We survived. The number of dead users are quite numerous¡­¡± ¡°Like hell it is. We pointlessly messed with the Hahoe Mask¡­¡­ If we acted normally, we would have gotten a good amount of EXP and Items even if we couldn¡¯t take down the Event Monster. Why did we do what we did!?¡± ¡°Hey! Why are you getting mad at me? You said it was a good idea. Didn¡¯t you agree to it?¡± ¡°Yeah. However, weren¡¯t you the one who talked to that bastard, Cho-oohroong?¡± This was a stage where the reward was larger than ever. This was why everyone had high expectations on this event. It wasn¡¯t an over exaggeration to say they had ambition in their heart. However, they didn¡¯t receive any reward. Instead, they were forced to eat a big pile of shit. They were a mess as they waited for the castle gate to be lowered. They weren¡¯t even able to hunt monsters. In the end, they had wasted a massive amount of time. If someone felt good about this situation, the person needed to get their head checked. Kooohng! While the users were blaming each other, the massive gates reverberated as if someone was knocking on the floor. Chuh-buhk chuh-buhk! As if they had been waiting for this, the NPCs were on standby beyond the castle gate. They started to cross over using the castle gate as a bridge. They were knights. Every one of them had shining armor on. At a glance, one could tell the armor was expensive, and it had a lot of options. The knights also had a sense of dignity that went well with the armors. There were 13 knights. All the knights wore helms, so it was impossible to find out their identity. There were exactly 11 users. Amongst the 13 knights, there was one that was noticeably smaller than the others. It was easy to discern his identity. ¡®It¡¯s Bagel.¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s Bagel.¡¯ As the users guessed, the short knight was the castle¡¯s owner and its manager. It was Bagel. As if he was answering the user¡¯s¡¯ expectation, he revealed his identity through his voice. ¡°From now on!¡± When Bagel shouted out those words, the 12 knights moved quickly. After they moved outside of the castle gate, they formed a semi-circular formation. They took off the shields equipped on their backs and placed it in front of them. The semi-circular line was like a castle wall when the knights placed their large shields in front of them. After the formation was solidified, Bagel finished his speech. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 1 hour!¡± After the speech ended, the users enter the castle gate one or two at a time. Each user¡¯s shoulders were slumped. Stragglers. There wasn¡¯t any other word that could describe what they were. They had wasted their time. The 144 hours wasn¡¯t a short amount of time. All they could do was reflect on their actions. From behind them, they heard a voice that gave off a different feeling from their own. ¡°You guys were all here?¡± The owner of the excited voice was none other than Hyrkan. ¡°Did you guys all do well in your hunt? Did you have fun? I had a really good hunt. Do you see this? I had so much Ingredient Coins that it was a chore to pick out the best ones! Ooh-haha!¡± Hyrkan stabbed a dagger into the heart of the stragglers who had barely survived. This was Hyrkan¡¯s last revenge. 6. ¡°Amazing.¡± Hyrkan had entered Bagel¡¯s office, and Hyrkan was sitting face to face with him. Bagel¡¯s expression was honest as he complimented Hyrkan. Hyrkan slightly lowered his head as he received the compliment. ¡°No. I only carried out the mission you gave me.¡± ¡°You carried out the mission. You carried out the mission¡­¡­.¡± It seemed Bagel really liked what Hyrkan had said. He even recited Hyrkan¡¯s words a second time to mull over it. ¡°I like that expression. You carried out the mission.¡± While he was watching this, Hyrkan was glum inside. ¡®I don¡¯t give a shit if it is a good expression. Just hurry up and give me the reward.¡¯ He had no more business with the Battlefield. Each minute and every second was precious to Hyrkan. He wanted to just received the reward then leave. However, Bagel had no idea what was in Hyrkan¡¯s mind, so Bagel spoke for almost 10 minutes. It wasn¡¯t as if he was talking about some meaningless story. ¡°Recently, the number of monsters have significantly increased. Amongst them, there are some bizarre ones that we have never seen before.¡± ¡°These monsters have blue skin, and they let out a frigid energy¡­¡­ They do not belong in the forest located across the castle wall, and they are growing in number.¡± ¡°In my opinion, if one travels past the forest on the other side of the castle wall, one would come across another forest. I think these bastards are coming from an unknown place beyond that forest.¡± ¡°If you have a chance in the future, I would like you to break the frontier of the land beyond the forest. I want you to find out what¡¯s on the other side of the forest. We are at a time where we will have to attack first to survive.¡± He was giving out information. There was a new stage beyond the Battlefield. Bagle was giving him hints about the Frozen Kingdom. ¡®I¡¯ll take off the Ice Queen¡¯s head for you later. Just stop talking and give me the Skill Book.¡¯ It was a precious clue but from Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, he already knew all of this. Basically, this was useless chatter. Hyrkan endured through the 10 minutes, which felt more like 10 hours. Then Bagel finally gave Hyrkan the book. ¡®Oh!¡¯ At a glance, the cover of this book was different from a normal book. The cover was bound with black leather, giving off a very luxurious feeling. There was a handprint on the leather cover, but it looked more like a unique design. It looked as if a master artisan had put his heart and soul into making it. ¡®Finally¡¯ The Unique Skill Book had finally appeared. Hyrkan rejoiced. However, Bagel didn¡¯t give the book to Hyrkan immediately. Bagel continued to speak after he took out the book. ¡°This is a present I am only giving to you. I will never give this out to anyone again. It is only for you.¡± Hyrkan laughed inside. ¡®It said the reward belonged only to the user who acquired it. Still, was it necessary for him to say all that? Couldn¡¯t he have just given it to me?¡¯ ¡°Yes. I will receive it with thanks.¡± He had no thoughts of giving it away to someone else. Hyrkan was afraid Bagel was going talk more, so he immediately put his hand over the cover with the hand print. [The identity of the Skill Book is revealed.] The no name Skill Book was unsealed. ¡®It would be a jackpot if something like Vodoo Skeleton came out. Please let it be Voodoo Skeleton. Voodoo Skeleton! Come out Voodoo Skeleton!¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s heart was racing when a new announcement popped up. [Would you like to learn the Clay Play Skill?] ¡®Huh?¡¯ This was the first time he had seen this skill. ¡®Clay Play?¡¯ It was a skill he had never seen before, and it was a name he couldn¡¯t come up with even if he tried. A question mark formed on top of Hyrkan¡¯s head. However, there was only one choice for Hyrkan at this moment. [You have learned the Clay Play Skill.] He had no choice, but to learn it. ¡®What is it?¡¯ Hyrkan had a confused expression on his face, when Bagel tried to speak to Hyrkan once again. ¡°I hope this will make you stronger, and I hope you will show me more brilliant exploits in the future.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Across that forest¡­¡­.¡± It seemed Bagel wasn¡¯t going to let go of Hyrkan any time soon. 7. [Clay Play] ¨C Proficiency : Rank F ¨C Skill Use : A monster¡¯s gem is used as sacrifice. The Golem can transform into the sacrificed monster. The gem is consumed when used. ¨C Miscellaneous : The Golem will take on the outward appearance of the monster. As the Skill Proficiency increases, the Golem will get closer to the original monster¡¯s capabilities. There is an exception. It won¡¯t be able to use the monster¡¯s skills classified as Special Ability. The monster cannot be bigger than summoned Golem. Moreover, the Defense and Stamina won¡¯t change. Clay Play Skill. ¡®So if I sacrifice the gem dropped by a monster, it can take on the same appearance as that monster?¡¯ Basically, the very lackluster appearance of the Golem could be changed into a monster¡¯s shape with this skill. Of course, only the appearance changed. As the Skill Use explained, its Defense and Stamina wouldn¡¯t change. However, if the sacrificed monster gem was of high level, the Golem could almost reach the offensive capability of the monster once the Skill Proficiency was raised. Basically, the outer appearance and the Attack Stat was being copied. The downside was quite obvious. ¡®It¡¯s a skill that requires money once again.¡¯ Every time he used this skill it would consume a gem. If it was a Boss Monster gem, a single use of this skill would consume at least couple hundred gold. On the high side, he might have to use a gem worth couple thousand to hundred thousand gold. This was on a different level than the Armament Skill. If he armed the Skeletons with weapons, he could take it back and resell the weapons on a later date. This skill used up the gem. It was like the Bone Explosives. Moreover, the characteristics of the golem made it hard to travel with it. In Hyrkan¡¯s case, he sometimes had to run away or hide during battle. In a day, there were times when he had to re-summon the golem several times a day. He had a lot of places where he had to spend his money on. He even had to cut back on his food money, and living costs. This skill could be a critical blow for Hyrkan. He had been eating only ramen and kimchi these days. This skill was the critical blow that could eliminate kimchi from his daily diet. ¡®If the Golem could copy the monster¡¯s battle AI then this is a jackpot.¡¯ However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t disappointed by this turn of events. It was the opposite. This was an incredible deal if the Golem could copy the battle AI alongside the appearance. It couldn¡¯t copy the special ability or skill possessed by the monster, but the monsters were designed to face numerous users. This meant their battle AI was outstanding. Moreover, it was normally almost impossible to train the Golem¡¯s battle AI like the Skeleton Warriors. Also, there were skills that could reinforce the Golem¡¯s lack of Defense and Stamina. It was possible to cover up the deficiency. He would even be able to change its attribute. There were the Fire, Ice, and Iron Golem Skills. This Skill had the chance to be as powerful as the Armament Skill. ¡®Wait a moment. Will I be able to make those monsters? Can I make a Wyvern or a Griffin?¡¯ It might be possible for him to ride it. In fact, the Golem had Travel mode, except the Golem was too slow. The ride quality was the worst, so no one used it. However, if he used the Clay Play Skill to change the Golem into a flying monster, Hyrkan would be able to earn a frightening amount of mobility. Great mobility was valued much more than Unique Items in Warlord. ¡®I never expected such a Skill to be in existence.¡¯ It was a surprising Skill. Moreover, he had never seen this Skill before, so the surprise Hyrkan felt was that much bigger. Hyrkan had never seen it. It was a skill that had never come out on Rich Lich¡¯s Solo Raid vids. Basically, it was a skill that even Rich Lich didn¡¯t have. Rich Lich was someone, who had so much money, that it was rotting away. Yet Hyrkan was able to get his hand on a Skill that Rich Lich didn¡¯t have. ¡®I¡¯ll have to test this Skill out first. I¡¯ll have to make a proper evaluation.¡¯ 8. ¡®I¡¯m finally level 90.¡¯ He used his Tablet PC to check Hyrkan¡¯s Stats, Item Setting, and Items in possession. Ahn-jaehyun put his empty hand into a bag of chips. The bag of chips was so large that it swallowed his arm up to the elbow. However, Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s hand came back out empty. Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s gaze left the Tablet PC and headed towards the inside of the bag. There was only crumbs left. Ahn-jaehyun frowned when he saw this. ¡®I didn¡¯t eat a lot of it yet it¡¯s already empty?¡¯ He could eat as much caviar sushi inside the virtual reality, but Ahn-jaehyun was stuck with a bag of chips filled with nitrogen. Chet! Ahn-jaehyun clicked his tongue. ¡®The world is only filled with thieving bastards.¡¯ He moved his gaze away from the empty bag of chips and checked the time. ¡®It¡¯s time to go to the dream land.¡¯ It was time to sleep. He would sleep for 5 hours. After his physical body recovered, he would connect to Warlord like always. Then he will go on a trip. ¡®I¡¯ll be finally going to the great Urugal mountain range.¡¯ The great Urugal mountain range! He hadn¡¯t been able to attempt it since his level was lacking. Now he would have to depart towards this scary, and desolate land. Hyrkan¡¯s character was already on standby inside the Parung forest. He had already finished gathering the consumable Items. He also readied his confidence. ¡®I haven¡¯t advanced yet, but I should be able to reach the entrance of the Urugal mountain range without dying.¡¯ Of course, if he moved after reaching level 100 and advancing in rank, he would be able to travel much more safely. The problem was time as always! Currently, the Stormhunter guild had caught up right behind Ahn-jaehyun. The Stormhunter guild had already took over the Parung Forest, and they were getting ready to take down the Helm Ogre. Truthfully, the Stormhunters were ready to fight the Helm Ogre at a much earlier time. They had already sent out a notification into the surrounding. There was a reward for the user that could find and provide the location of the Helm Ogre. Moreover, those who helped the Stormhunters would be given ample compensation. Of course, they didn¡¯t say they didn¡¯t have to say they would punish those, who catches the Helm Ogre, instead of them. However, most Warlord users inside the Parung Forest knew enough to stay out the Stormhunter¡¯s business. Nothing good would come from interfering with them. When that information came out, it was fair to say the Helm Ogre was basically the property of the Stromhunters. However, another group had caught the Helm Ogre before them. When he thought about that incident, it made Ahn-jaehyun let out a hearty laugh. ¡®I don¡¯t know who those users are, but I¡¯ll have to give them some medicine if I come across them in the future. Those lovely users did a very lovely act.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t known who had caught the Helm Ogre. However, if one looked at the surrounding circumstances, there was high possibility that one of the 30 great guilds secretly caught the Helm Ogre. It was probably done to cause a setback for the Stormhunters. No one in the 30 great guilds wanted the Stormhunters to leave them in the dust. Ahn-jaehyun had gained some time, but he couldn¡¯t delay any longer. He had a reason why he had to hurry. ¡®I will never lose to the Stormhunters!¡¯ For the last time, Ahn-jaehyun checked the youtube page views and the support payment. Then he immediately went into his sleeping place. *snore, snore* Soon, the snoring sound of sleeping Ahnjaehyun filled the small room. 9. The 5 man party was using the fallen tree as a bench. It was a very strange mix of users. It was a 5 man party yet there were no Priests or Magicians in this group. Each of the 5 users wore armor, and they all had at least one weapon. The Items equipped by them were quite diverse. There was no unifying look to their Items. The color and design of the items were all different. However, they were all powerful Items. The Items worn by these 5 people had the best options for the current standards of Warlord. These items boasted the highest level and price. It was akin to the best sports car of different models being gathered in one place. ¡°Should we go catch the Helm Ogre?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spout such nonsense. The best members of Stormhunters are dispatched to the Parung Forest right now. If the 5 of us go there, it would be tough even for us to survive. Truthfully, we were lucky that time.¡± ¡°Still, we should accept the risk to interfere with them. We¡¯ll be able to give the Stormhunters a big setback in progressing their Main Scenario Quest. Moreover, they wouldn¡¯t know we did it. I¡¯m sure this will lead to a war.¡± ¡°Still, we should know our limit. Isn¡¯t it more important for us to block the Hydra guild? I cannot find out any information about their Main Scenario Quest. I¡¯m sure they are the furthest along amongst the 30 Great Guilds.¡± ¡°From what I heard, Red Bulls and the Sweeper guilds are unexpectedly fast in their progress.¡± ¡°Of course, everyone is fast. They are spending a lot of money on this game. It would be absurd if their progress was slow after spending that much.¡± ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Uh.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± They all stopped their conversation and focused on their ear. The 5 of them stood up at the same time. ¡°I¡¯m going north.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go together! Moreover, where will the rest of you guys be going?¡± ¡°North, South, or East. I¡¯ll choose from those three. First, I have to meet up with the Triple Wing. I don¡¯t know where I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°You are going to suffer some hardship this time.¡± ¡°Our actions won¡¯t have meaning if we don¡¯t suffer hardships.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± When the conversation ended, they didn¡¯t even say farewell. They immediately dispersed. Chapter 80 : Olf’s Errand Chapter 80 ¨C Olf¡¯s Errand 1. Great Urugal Mountain Range. Most users didn¡¯t even realize such a landmark existed in Warlord. It was an obscure stage, yet it was crawling with powerful monsters that would suit even the famous Ranked users of Warlord. A single user was running through such a dangerous land by himself. Pah-aht, paht! There weren¡¯t any paths that could be called a road in sight. The user was incredibly fast as he ran across the rugged terrains at full speed. He wasn¡¯t simply fast. Obstacles like rocks and tree roots continuously appeared, but he avoided them all. He even used some obstacle to push off of it to increase his speed. He looked like an animal. At the same time, one could see his desperate resolve. The reason for this user¡¯s will was the existence following right behind him. Kuhng kuhng kuhng! A black dog was letting out rugged barks. Its outer appearance looked akin to a greyhound. It had a sleek black body that made it look agile. However, no one would are to call this monster a dog. Its body was longer than 3 meters even when one discounted the length of the tail. It was massive, and its eyes were burning. It wasn¡¯t a metaphor. It had big burning flames for eyes. The most striking sight was the slobber that flew out as it ran. The dog slobber flew out of the panting muzzle, and it boasted a power to melt the vegetations and rocks in the surrounding. It was horrifying to think about what would happen when one was bitten with a mouth full of such saliva. This monster, which caused him to imagine such a horrible scenario, was named the Black Hound. It was over level 130 and it was nicknamed the Priest Killer. It was a nickname that sent shivers down the hunters who enjoyed party hunting. Some basic monsters reacted to magic attacks as they prioritized attacking mages first. The Black Hound was unique in that it reacted to healing and buff skills. It prioritized attacking the priests. When one becomes poisoned from its bite, it couldn¡¯t be healed through a low rank Antidote Skill. It was an extremely potent poison. This was why it was nicknamed the Priest Killer. Currently, it was showcasing its incredibly fast speed. This monster was most suited for hunting and tracking than any other monster. When it was first revealed in Warlord, a 10 man party had come across it. The combined level of the party was over 1,100, yet they weren¡¯t able to put up much of a fight. The party was wiped out in 20 minutes. ¡®Shit!¡¯ Hyrkan had picked up a tracker of that caliber, and it felt as if he was about to die. ¡®If only I had a Wyvern Golem, I wouldn¡¯t have to go through all this hardship!¡¯ As he ran, Hyrkan recalled what had happened for the past couple days. Hyrkan had earned the Clay Play skill as reward from the Battlefield two days ago. He immediately started experimentation to find out more about the skill. He had used a lot of money to purchase various types of monster gems. He used the ingredient gems as sacrifice to change the Golem into various monsters. Hyrkan had really wanted to fly, but he had failed to obtain the requisite ingredients. However, he had found something about the Skill. The important part was the Skill Proficiency of the Skill. At Rank F, the Clay Play Skill gained only half the capability of the monster that was being copied. If one only had half the Specs, it would be impossible to fly. In other words, he needed to get as close to 100% of the monster¡¯s stat. Then he would be able use a Wyvern golem, Griffin Golem or even a Dragon Golem as a private plane. This could happen only if his Skill Rank was high enough. Anyways, he would have to delay the plan of using a monster as a private plane. Hyrkan used his two legs to approach the great Urugal mountain range. This was two days ago. ¡®I¡¯ve been running away for two whole days¡­¡­ Why the hell am I doing this while paying a lot of money to play this game? Sometimes it really make me wonder.¡¯ For the past two days, Hyrkan had traveled around the entrance of the great Urugal mountain range to search for the blacksmith olf. When monsters showed up, he didn¡¯t even battle them. He ran away. It was rare for him to experience a proper battle. Of course, he saw several monsters he had wanted to catch. However, all the monsters that appeared at the great Urugal mountain range were difficult to take down for Hyrkan. He needed to spend a considerable amount of time fighting any of the monsters here, and he would be making a lot of noise in the process. It would attract monsters like the Black Hound, and the act of running away was difficult in itself. It was apparent he would become a target of uncommon monsters. Moreover, when facing a monster like the Black Hound, one didn¡¯t get away for free. ¡°Chet.¡± Hyrkan clicked his tongue. He didn¡¯t throw just one Skeleton Fragment. He had to throw three of them into the distance. After falling to the ground, the Skeleton Fragments immediately took form into becoming Skeleton Warriors. Each Skeleton Warrior were 2 meter tall, and they each held a well-used sword. Their appearance was imposing. They looked as if they were ready to cut down the drooling black dog with a single slash. However, the Skeleton Warriors didn¡¯t stand a chance with the Black Hound. They weren¡¯t even able to attack it once. It happened in a flash. The Black Hound chasing Hyrkan moved like the wind, and it munched on the two Skeleton Warriors at the same time. It took a bite. Kwah-jeek! It chewed them in a single bite. In a flash, the skull of the two Skeleton Warriors were crushed like a hollow candies. Hyrkan¡¯s Magic immediately decreased. In a flash, the Black Hound bit into the skull of the last remaining Skeleton Warrior. The Black Hound¡¯s movement was surprisingly fast. The Skeleton Warriors trained by Hyrkan didn¡¯t even stand a chance. Hyrkan gritted his teeth when he saw the massive amount of his magic being consumed in second. ¡®It really is like a dog.¡¯ Hyrkan was barely able to run away after sacrificing his 3 Skeleton Warriors. He gritted his teeth and made a new resolve. ¡®When I hit level 100 and advance in my Class, I¡¯ll hunt down every one of these bastards. I¡¯ll melt their flesh and I¡¯ll cut their bones into bits and pieces. Then, I¡¯ll scatter it across the world.¡¯ It was a frightening thought, but if one thought carefully on it, it was the same kind of thoughts Hyrkan always brooded over. He met the blacksmith Olf on the 30th hour after he had left the Parung Forest. 2. The meeting with the blacksmith Olf was intense. He was 130cm tall. Hyrkan would have to sit on a knee-high stool to be able to come face to face with the short dwarf. In the beginning, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t even aware the dwarf was there. The short dwarf quickly headed towards him. Hyrkan had a hard time identifying who this person was. When the distance between the two of them decreased, Olf swung the enormous hammer in his hand towards Hyrkan¡¯s stomach. ¡°Kuhk!¡± His single attack blasted Hyrkan into the air like a tennis ball, and he was slammed into a tree. His HP had been 85% full, but in a flash, it dropped below 1%. ¡®I have to live!¡¯ Hyrkan was barely able to save his life. He instinctively took out the recovery items hidden in various parts of his armor, downing them into his mouth. This was the most intense greeting Hyrkan had ever received. While he was doing all of this, Olf stood in front of Hyrkan. Hyrkan was on the floor as he looked up at Olf. ¡°Who are you?¡± Hyrkan once again let his instinct guide his action. He raised his right hand. It was the hand with the ring on. It was the Proof of the Secret Society. Hyrkan had his glove on, so the ring wasn¡¯t visible. Fortunately, Olf had the ability to immediately recognize his own handiwork. Olf was getting ready to bring down the hammer on Hyrkan¡¯s head, but he put the hammer that was as tall as him down on the floor. Koohng! The hammer¡¯s head dropped to the floor and the sound was unusually loud. Without realizing it, Hyrkan eyed the head of the hammer. At the same time, he fell into his thoughts. He even forgot the situation he was in right now. ¡®So that¡¯s the famous Olf¡¯s Hammer¡­¡­ It is a monstrous weapon that takes off a percentage of a user¡¯s HP¡­¡¯ The item he had only seen through the vids was right in front of his eyes. However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t given any time to admire it. ¡°So you are the human sent by the Maeung. The Maeung contacted me a while back that he¡¯ll be sending someone. You are finally here. What the hell were you doing while you were coming here?¡± Olf¡¯s words were very curt. ¡®¡­¡­It is as I¡¯ve heard. This character was designed to piss off the users. I¡¯ve just started to talk to him, yet he is already making me angry.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s feeling was about to go through an abrupt change when it happened. [You¡¯ve received the Title ¡®Someone Who Has Met the Blacksmith Olf.¡¯] [You¡¯ve received the Title ¡®The First One to Meet Olf.] The announcement for the titles popped up. ¡®Uh? It gives two titles?¡¯ It suddenly cooled Hyrkan¡¯s boiling anger inside. Hyrkan¡¯s expression changed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being late!¡± At that moment, Hyrkan meant what he said. ¡®It gave me not one but two?¡¯ He had expected to get a single title. It was very difficult to meet Olf. If a user forced himself to meet Olf, the Blacksmith would ruthlessly kill you. If one considered how difficult it was to meet Olf, the title was to be expected. The title was ¡®Someone who have met the Blacksmith Olf.¡¯ Its option was to increase the Class attribute by 25 points. It was a great title. However, this was the first time Hyrkan saw the title, ¡®The First One to Meet Olf.¡¯ ¡®Someone ate it in secret.¡¯ Who would have guessed such a title existed? On top of that, the title was in Hyrkan¡¯s possession now. From Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, he wanted to kiss Olf on the lips even if he had a dirty and unruly beard. Olf had no idea what Hyrkan was thinking, so he looked on with cold eyes. Hyrkan stared back into Olf¡¯s eyes Silence had descended. Within the silence, Hyrkan once again organized the information he had about Olf in his head. ¡®I never expected to meet him like this.¡¯ Blacksmith Olf was a NPC and he was one of the top 10 most famous figures in Warlord. He created a lot of uproar, since Olf had a hand in bringing out a good number of Epic Items in Warlord. These Epic Items had tremendous options. At the same time, Olf was the most inhospitable NPC towards the users. The treatment Hykan had received was the norm. Unless one has a special quest or qualification, the hostile Olf attacked the user on the spot. His attacks were incredible. Even Level 200 users wouldn¡¯t dare go up against him. This was why several users had teamed up together to take revenge on Olf, but no one had ever succeeded. Olf was one of the strongest NPC in Warlord. Moreover, Olf had the Olf¡¯s Hammer which allowed him to easily destroy the users. It was a famous item made by the game, and it was known for its cheat option. ¡®It¡¯s the hammer worth 1 hundred thousand dollar cash.¡¯ Some wealthy user had put a bounty out saying he¡¯ll give 1 hundred thousand dollars to the person who brought him the hammer. Of course, it was a nonsensical request. Olf¡¯s Hammer couldn¡¯t be gained even if one killed Olf. If Olf was killed¡­ If Olf died, the Quests within the game couldn¡¯t progress, so the item was made to prevent such a scenario. ¡®Wasn¡¯t there a guild formed specifically to get that bounty?¡¯ However, there were always couple crazy bastards in the world, who wanted to try the impossible. Hyrkan thought about the memories of that time. He had on a bitter smile inside. ¡®¡­¡­So how long do I have to stay here like this?¡¯ Hyrkan had organized the thoughts in his head, but Olf was still staring down at Hyrkan. His gaze wasn¡¯t that welcoming. It gave off the impression that he was looking at a trash. It was enough to twist one¡¯s mood from being viewed that way. Hyrkan had no idea why they would design a NPC like him. He really was curious as to why someone would create such a character. Eventually Hyrkan ran out of patience, so he opened his mouth. ¡°Boss Maeung wanted me to help Olf-nim¡­¡± ¡°How can I trust a bastard like you with my business?¡± Olf cut off his words like a knife. ¡°Please test my abilities.¡± ¡°A test?¡± Olf laughed hard in derision through his beard, and it cut away at Hyrkan¡¯s mood. ¡°Yes. I will pass any test you give me to prove my competence.¡± ¡°Poo-poohp!¡± The overly embellished laughter was spat out by Olf. Olf stamped the finishing touch on Hyrkan¡¯s foul mood. Hyrkan pressed down hard on the anger that was about to burst out of him. ¡®You son of a bitch. Once I hit level 300, you are dead. No, level 300 would be too low. Maybe, at level 350¡­ I should be on the safe side¡­. Yes, you are dead once I hit level 400.¡¯ At that moment, a new goal was formed inside Hyrkan. Suddenly, Olf took off a pouch from his belt and threw it at Hyrkan. ¡°Go find those pale bastards at the Baheim Forest and deliver this pouch to them..¡± [Quest ¡®Olf¡¯s Errand¡¯ has started.] His words were brief. After he spoke the single sentence, Olf grabbed his hammer and immediately turned his body. ¡°W¡­wait a moment!¡± Olf didn¡¯t give Hyrkan the chance to hold him up. Olf disappeared in a flash from Hyrkan¡¯s side. ¡®Ah. It¡¯s the Shadow Boots!¡¯ Hyrkan finally realized Olf had the Shadow Boots. The item had the option to make one disappear from a user¡¯s sight in an instant. ¡®If I had the Olf¡¯s Hammer and the Shadow Boots, I could take care of the Stormhunters. It would be like a work out. Ah, I really want those items.¡¯ After Hyrkan shook his head from side to side, he stood up. After standing up, Hyrkan looked down at his stomach. His defensive gear was ruined. If he repaired it, it would be back to normal. However, for the time being, he would have to leave it in its damaged state. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡®If you hit a person, you should at least leave behind the repair fee. I had to go through all kinds of hardship just to meet that fucking NPC.¡¯ After he let out a short burst of cuss words, he let out a really deep sigh. ¡®Anyways, I¡¯ve taken care of the difficult part.¡¯ He had successfully carried out his mission of meeting Olf at the great Urugal mountain range without being killed. He really accomplished a big task. If Hyrkan had followed the balance of Warlord, he wouldn¡¯t have even been able to attempt this task at this level, yet he succeeded. At the same time, a new task had been given to him. ¡°The Baheim Forest¡­¡± Baheim Forest. ¡®It has been awhile since I¡¯ve met an Elf.¡¯ Its other name was the Forest of the Elves. Chapter 81 : Olf’s Errand (2) Chapter 81 ¨C Olf¡¯s Errand (2) 3. [Hyrkan] ¨C Level : 90 ¨C Class : Magician ¨C Title : 47 ¨C Stat : Strength(895)/Stamina(357)/Intelligence(538)/Magic(664) After looking at his Stats, Hyrkan blinked as his eyes widened. Then he looked at his Stat Window once again. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ A user of Hyrkan¡¯s caliber was well acquainted with his Stats. It was preposterous to not be able to recognize his own Stats. He would forget his phone number or home address before he would forget his Stats. It was unthinkable. Although Hyrkan wasn¡¯t that great at math, he was proficient enough to calculate the Stat values within his head. ¡®It seems all my Stats got a 3 percent increase? Am I seeing this wrong?¡¯ Hyrkan quickly finished his calculation, then he checked the title. [The First One to Meet Olf] Title Effect : All Stat is increased by 3 percent. Hyrkan stopped breathing. ¡®Wow.¡¯ All Stats increased by 3 percent! ¡®I knew the blacksmith Olf gave out a lot of good stuff, but I never expected such a good title.¡¯ Olf didn¡¯t make make Rare or Unique Item. Olf was associated with making Epic Items, so he was a NPC that gave out a lot of title with good effects. The Epic Items also had a lot of ties with the Main Quests. Hyrkan was well aware of this fact. However, Hyrkan had never been the main character to receive such Items or Titles until now. ¡®He really is an incredible bastard.¡¯ Hyrkan rubbed his stomach. ¡®Although, his personality is bad, and he is annoying.¡¯ He had received an unexpected present, and Hyrkan immediately checked the content of the Quest. [Olf¡¯s Errand] ¨C Quest Rank : Unique ¨C Quest Level Range : None ¨C Quest Content : Deliver the item given to you by Olf to the Baheim Forest. ¨C Quest Reward : None The Quest Content wasn¡¯t anything unique. It was a quest with no special rewards attached to it. ¡®He really is just using me as an errand boy.¡¯ Essentially, it was a trash quest. However, he had no choice but to carry this quest out, even if there was no reward. Still, that didn¡¯t mean it was an easy quest. ¡®The Baheim Forest¡­¡­ Isn¡¯t it at the Clapper Jungle?¡¯ The Baheim Forest was actually a forest where one of the Elf tribe lived. It contained a village where the Baheim tribe lived. The users enjoyed meeting the Elves in Warlord. Amongst the races, they enjoyed the highest popularity. Weren¡¯t the Elves a race known for their beauty? Unless one was killed by being pierced by an Elf¡¯s arrow, there was no reason to hate the Elves. Actually, the fondness for the Elves were a little bit overboard in some cases. There were some users that showed excessive interest in the Elves. Some did party play with an Elf NPC. Some even showed affection towards them. Moreover, there were users, who wanted to become a couple with an Elf NPC within the game. There were extremely disgraceful users whose life mission was to make this come true. ¡®Maybe I should have shown some some interest in the Elves in the past??¡¯ Unfortunately, it was quite hard to meet the Elves in Warlord. Like the blacksmith Olf, one needed a related Quest to be able to talk to the Elves. Of course, the information regarding these Quests were released a little bit later on. However, at this point in the game, the information regarding the specific Quest Route for meeting the Elves were almost never traded. Hyrkan also didn¡¯t have much information on the Elves. He knew the Baheim Elf Tribe was at the Clapper Jungle. However, he didn¡¯t know that info, because he was interested in the Elves. He knew it since this had been part of the Main Scenario Quest content. Basically, he would have to find out the specifics of the content by bumping his body against it. ¡®Even if I worry about it, I won¡¯t find an answer.¡¯ Of course, it was meaningless to worry about it right now. Hyrkan turned his head. The Clapper Jungle was located north of the great Urugal mountain range. Hyrkan had his head turned northward. ¡®All right.¡¯ Hyrkan reaffirmed his resolve. It happened at that moment. Kuhng kuhng! A dog started barking with all its might from behind Hyrkan. He turned his head around in fright. He caught sight of a single black dog. ¡°Shit!¡± Hyrkan started running, and the drooling Black Hound chased crazily after Hyrkan. ¡®When I advance in rank, I¡¯ll kill every one of those sons of bitches.¡¯ Hyrkan left the great Urugal mountain range and headed towards the Clapper Jungle. 4. Clapper Jungle. The enormous trees shot into the sky as if it didn¡¯t know the boundary of the sky. The Clapper Jungle was filled with the Clapper trees, and it was one of the most famous and magnificent view in Warlord. Streams meandered to the middle of the Jungle, and it had formed a lake. It was majestic to see the Clapper trees from afar, but it was much more impressive within the jungle. The trees reached high into the sky, giving the illusion that there was a green colored sky above. The place held a profound and mysterious beauty. When the first user to find the Clapper Jungle recorded the video of the scenery, it drew 30 million views even though the footage was 3 hours long. The Clapper Jungle was the main hunting ground used by users between level 100 to 110. The most common monsters were the Tree Bark Snake, Hook Praying Mantis, and the Cursed Trapper Tree. It wasn¡¯t a place where one earned very good items or EXP, but it was a decent hunting ground. The users, who used the Clapper Jungle as their stage, gathered at Clapper Village, which was located at the entrance of the jungle. The Clapper Village was quite large, and it even had a branch of the Subjugation Association there. However, the most striking part of this place wasn¡¯t the village¡¯s size or the superb view of the Clapper Jungle. It was the users who used this place as their stage. There was a clear difference between the users over level 100 and below 100. It was the difference between possessing a powerful power after finishing the Advancement and not having it. Once one finishes one¡¯s Advancement, one¡¯s occupation that showed up on the Stat Window changed. One would then get a specialized Class instead of the Swordsman, Priest, Magician Class designation. There was the Fighter and Liner, Monk and Assister, Magic Swordsman and Mage, and etc¡­. Of course, the most distinguishable feature of these users was the experience and skill they had gained along the way. The moment Hyrkan entered the Clapper Jungle¡¯s Subjugation Association, he could feel the difference. Normally, if he entered a Subjugation Association in any castle he went to, most users would show surprise at Hyrkan with his Hahoe Mask on. Some put on an awed expression as if they had seen a celebrity. However, it was different here. ¡°Is it really the Hahoe Mask?¡± ¡°A famous person has shown up here. Did he finish his Advancement?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll know once we see him in action. Anyways, the fact that the Hahoe Mask is here¡­ There must be something interesting here?¡± Instead of being surprised at seeing Hyrkan, these users thought about the potential profit they would be able to get their hands on. Hyrkan received their gazes, and he was able to fully realize the situation he was in. ¡®Now I¡¯ll be playing with guys who really like playing this game.¡¯ An adequate amount of nervousness sharpened Hyrkan¡¯s concentration and sharpness. At the same time, Hyrkan quickly turned his head to look at his surrounding. He first looked at the users equipped with the symbolic emblems. At a glance, one could see several emblems present here. His eyes caught sight of several guild emblems. Hyrkan searched through his memories and discovered that many of them were from fairly famous guilds. However, no one was from the 30 great guilds were present. ¡®I¡¯ll have to go with Plan A.¡¯ In other words, no one from the 30 great guilds had yet to find out about the Baheim Elf Tribes within the Clapper Jungle. Even if the members of those guilds were present, Hyrkan had no plans to trade information with them. Hyrkan had no choice but to go with his original idea. ¡®I have no choice, but to do all the Quests related to the Clapper Jungle.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s hardships had just begun. 5. ¡°Thanks to you, the Clapper Jungle will be a bit quieter now.¡± Hyrkan put on a forced smile as he heard words spoken by the Clapper Village¡¯s NPC. ¡®This is the 20th Quest. Please just let me move on. Please¡­¡¯ This was the 10th day inside the Clapper Jungle. During the 10 day period, Hyrkan had done all the Quests that was available to him. Once he started doing all the Quest available in the Clapper Village, he formed a relationship with NPCs. This would lead to the higher rank Quests. In the end, he hoped he would get the Quest related to the Baheim Elves. This was the most typical way for a user to get close to a hidden truth in Warlord. Of course, people of the world preferred quality over quantity. It was the same for Hyrkan. ¡°Do you perhap have anything else for me to do?¡± ¡°Mmm. You can go see Chess at the Red Log Cabin. He is trying to acquire Tree Bark Snake¡¯s leather.¡± Hyrkan¡¯s face crumpled. ¡°Is it perhaps a task that requires gathering of the leathers?¡± ¡°The reward will be pretty good.¡± [Quest ¡®Chess¡¯ Request¡¯ has started.] When he received the Quest, Hyrkan let out a forced laugh. ¡®Shit! I don¡¯t want to do this shit!¡¯ Just by hearing the name of the Quest he could tell it was just a monster hunting Quest. ¡®I¡¯m going to hit level 100 first if things keep going this way.¡¯ The end to his patience had shown up 3 days ago. When the week was up, Hyrkan finally had to throw out a bait. He put up a post to trade information. He put up a post saying he wanted information regarding the Elves within the Clapper Jungle. It was a double-edged sword. He was basically telling other users that Elves existed inside the Clapper Jungle. This was why he hadn¡¯t wanted to take this route. However, at this point, it was more important for him to get information regarding the Baheim Tribe. He couldn¡¯t worry about spreading information at this point. He had thrown out a big bait, yet no one was biting. His anxiety deepened. ¡®The Stormhunters have already caught the Helm Ogre.¡¯ It especially made him more restless knowing that the Stormhunters had already left the Parung Forest after catching the Helm Ogre. It was at that moment. [A Mail has arrived.] The mail arrival alarm was heard. Hyrkan immediately checked the address of the mail. It was a newly made mail address. Someone wanted trade information regarding the Baheim Elf Tribe. The content was very brief. [Would like to trade. The location will be in front of the Red Log Cabin.] Hyrkan¡¯s expression unknotted. ¡®Finally?¡¯ He had spread the bait 3 days ago, and he had finally gotten a bite. Of course, he had no idea if the person who bit on the bait was a hustler, trash or a big fish. First, Hyrkan immediately replied to the mail. [Tell me about your appearance or distinct features. I¡¯ll go directly to you.] Another mail came back immediately. [I will look for you.] Hyrkan was torn. ¡®Is this bastard trying to catch me instead?¡¯ However, his indecision was brief. ¡®No. If I reveal myself as the Hahoe Mask, it might give credibility to the bait I put out. I¡¯ve already spilled the beans about the Elves, and the fact that I¡¯m hunting at the Clapper Jungle isn¡¯t a secret.¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t want to feel anymore anxiety, so he didn¡¯t think too hard on this decision. Hyrkan decided to make a bold decision. [Hahoe Mask] Hyrkan sent another short mail. As he was sending it, he made a firm resolve. ¡®If this guy is trying to fish me, his wrist won¡¯t stay intact.¡¯ 6. The Red Log Cabin. A merchant NPC named Chess used this place as his home. He was the NPC that gave out Quests that had gold rewards. He was popular amongst users who were aiming for the gold reward instead of the level up. There were about 3-4 users waiting for their turn in front of the Red Log Cabin. Hyrkan stood a bit away from the other users. Of course, everyone¡¯s gaze headed toward Hyrkan. On the other hand, Hyrkan didn¡¯t show any interest to the users. Hyrkan was on high alert, and he surveyed his surrounding. ¡®Why is he so late?¡¯ In a flash, he had to determine if the person who took the bait was a snake or a big fish. If he confused a snake with a fish, then Hyrkan would be the one being bitten. This was when the nervous Hyrkan caught sight of an extraordinary user. ¡®Uh?¡¯ It was a user with enough fame and reputation to make Hyrkan nervous in an instant. He was famous enough to grab the attention of users, who had been focusing on Hyrkan. ¡°It¡¯s Whistling.¡± ¡°Whistling Pitbull!¡± Hyrkan¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡®Why is the Whistling Pit Bull here?¡¯ Whistling Pitbull. His appearance looked very similar to a pit bull. His face looked very fierce. Of course, he wasn¡¯t famous because of his ferocious look. First, he was one of the first to put his name up in the top 100 Ranking Board during the early days of Warlord. He had exceptional abilities, and he also showed a great passion for this game. Of course, his name had long been pushed out from the top 100 Ranking Board by those who devoted their lives to Warlord. Still, his level was still sufficiently high. ¡®Currently, Whistling Pit Bull should be in the latter half of level 120 or early 130s?¡¯ He was either at the latter stage of level 120 or he was in the early parts of 130. It was on par with the level of the highest level users. In other words, his level was too high to consider the Clapper Jungle as his hunting ground. He had no reason to be here. He might have another motive to be here instead of hunting. ¡®Perhaps?¡¯ Hyrkan was nervous. ¡®Is he here to catch me?¡¯ Didn¡¯t Hyrkan have a lot of enemies? It was natural for him to be suspicious. Moreover, he had fought with the Whistling Pitbull before he had returned to the past. Of course, Hyrkan had won. However, amongst the users he had fought before, the Whistling Pitbull¡¯s capabilities and battle sense had left the biggest impression on him. Moreover, he was part of a large guild that was close to entering the 30 great guilds. He was part of the Fighters Guild. Of course, Hyrkan would be nervous at his appearance. Moreover¡­ ¡®He¡¯s coming towards me.¡¯ He was clearly walking towards Hyrkan. Hyrkan discreetly put his hand into his pocket and started touching the Skeleton Fragments. If needed, he thought about doing a pre-emptive attack. At this point in time, Hyrkan hadn¡¯t gone through his advancement. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to fight Pitbull, who had over 30 levels on him. The users in the surrounding tensed up. ¡®The Whistling Pitbull and the Hahoe Mask are together?¡¯ ¡®I think a good vid would come out of this?¡¯ Everyone was probably getting ready to record when the two of them started fighting. Every user in front of the natural looking Red Log Cabin was tense. In this anxious atmosphere, Pitbull stepped in front of Hyrkan. Hyrkan didn¡¯t even bother to greet him. The moment he spoke would be the brief window of opportunity Hyrkan needed. He just glared at Pitbull¡¯s face through the Hahoe Mask. However, Pitbull didn¡¯t avoid his gaze. As befitting his nickname of Pitbull, his entire face gave off an impression of a fighting dog. His demeanor was very ferocious. If one didn¡¯t know him, others might think he was trying to start a fight just from looking at the Pitbull¡¯s face. It was at that moment. ¡°Maybe¡­¡­.¡± The Pit Bull spoke in a really low voice. ¡°Can you help me break open this Quest related to the Elves? It is my life¡¯s dream to meet the Elves¡­¡± Whistling Pitbull. He was a man with a romantic idea about the Elves. Chapter 82 : The Baheim Tribe (1) Chapter 82 ¨C The Baheim Tribe (1) 1. The enormous Trapper Trees rose high into the sky, and the Tree Bark Snakes wrapped around the tree branches. They possessed an incredible camouflage ability and it was hard to discern them with the naked eye. It used its amazing camouflage skill to stay hidden as it stayed wound around a tree branch. It patiently waited for a prey to travel near it. When the prey appeared, it launched itself towards the ground. Its hunting method could be described as being struck by lightning during a clear day. Then it happened at this moment. Choo-roop! The Tree Bark Snake¡¯s knothole-like eyes landed on its preys. The tree branch-like tongue flicked out, and its actions was quite bold. When the preys got within range, the Tree Bark Snake loosened its hold on the branch and fell towards the floor. Kyahhh! Its mouth opened wide, the four poisonous fangs gleaming. The snake¡¯s body was 9 meters long and the presence it gave off was beyond impressive. It was dreadful. Just thinking about it made one¡¯s body shudder. The two users watched as the dark shadow fell towards them yet they didn¡¯t tremble. Instead, they had calm expressions on their faces. As they watched the snake fall, they started making calculations. They considered where the snake would land, as well as where they would have to move if they wanted avoid the snake¡¯s attack. They also thought about how long these actions would take and what the best method was to counter attack. Of course, it was impossible to calculate all of this in one¡¯s head. However, through extensive battle experience, they were able to calculate all of this on instinct. Sssoook! The ferocious pitbull looking man raised his right hand with which he held his sword. He grabbed the sword with both hands. Sssoook! The one wearing the Hahoe Mask kept walking. As the man raised his two-handed sword high over his head, he looked at the falling Tree Bark Snake. There was still a good distance between the two of them. The poisonous fangs would have a hard time reaching the man, and one would need a prayer for the sword to reach the snake. At that moment¡­ Shweeeee! The user swung his two handed sword with great power, and it descended as if it was trying to cut the world in half. Choo-oohng! The sound of the sword splitting the air could be heard as a blue crescent was sent forth. Shah shah shah! The crescent flew at high speeds, letting out a terrifying sound. This was a Rare Rank Skill that could be learned by fighters over level 120. It was called the Crescent Cut. It was basically a Sword Qi. This was a skill that was coveted by the users, who chose the Swordsman Class. It was a very powerful Attack Skill. The cutting force and the the attack power was much more powerful than the combined might of two or three Skills used in succession by a pre-advancement Swordsman Class user. Moreover, the one who used this skill had a level 120 Unique Weapon equipped, and he was level 131. On the other side, the Tree Bark Snake was only level 105. Also, it had the lowest defense amongst the monsters of similar levels, so its fate was already sealed. Pooh-hwaht! It looked as if the snake¡¯s head was bisected into two. The Crescent Sword Qi started slicing through the head, dissipating after it reached the 1/4 mark of the Snake¡¯s body. Koohng! The Tree Bark Snake with the bisected head fell to the floor as it let out a crude noise. The sliced body was letting out a slightly translucent liquid that looked like tree sap. It was the snake¡¯s blood, but there was no metallic smell. It smelled like wet grass. Pooh-hwaht, pooh-hwaht! The snake wasn¡¯t dead yet. It was still moving vigorously, spreading its grass-smelling blood everywhere. The single strike had caused critical damage, but the user didn¡¯t stop there. He approached the struggling Tree Bark Snake and slashed down with his sword again. He was cutting off its life instead of its body. ¡®As expected, level is gangster.¡¯ Hahoe Mask Hyrkan suppressed his bitter laugh as he witnessed the sight. It happened at that moment. [Your level has risen.] Hyrkan¡¯s ears heard the clear voice. Hyrkan had just received good news, but he suppressed his bitter laughter. ¡®I never thought in my life that there would come a day I would ride a bus like this.¡¯ In Hyrkan¡¯s head, he thought about his meeting 6 days ago with Whistling. 2. ¡°I¡¯ve found a Quest Hint regarding the Elven Tribe within the Crapper Jungle. However, it is impossible to do it with my abilities. I¡¯ll give you all the information regarding the Quest if you clear the Quest with me. That¡¯s my proposal. ¡± Whistling had said his life¡¯s dream was to meet the Elves, and he gave Hyrkan the offer he had prepared. His proposal was very simple, yet it was one-sided. ¡®Did I hear him wrong?¡¯ The proposal was too tilted in favor of Hyrkan. This was why Hyrkan didn¡¯t smile from happiness. Instead, he looked back with suspicious eyes. ¡®Is Whistling trying to position himself so he can fuck me over?¡¯ If he found a 100 dollar bill on the floor, he would feel happy. However, if someone came up to with a thousand dollar check trying to give it to him, he would call the police to check this person out. Hyrkan was clearly the benefactor of this deal. Wasn¡¯t this deal basically giving Hyrkan the Quest Info to meet the Elves for free? Hyrkan didn¡¯t needlessly weigh the merits of the choice inside his head. ¡°If you want to give me a Game Over, just PK me here. If you want to fuck me over in a different way or if you are trying to extract information from me, I want you to skip these needless machinations. Just ask me your questions right now so we can get this over with.¡± He couldn¡¯t trust Whistling¡¯s words! Hyrkan expressed what he was truly feeling inside. Whistling¡¯s face stiffened and he nodded his head. ¡°Are you saying you can¡¯t trust me? Is that how it is?¡± ¡°The only thing I can trust in Warlord is this.¡± As he spoke, Hyrkan raised his left hand to show the watch on his wrist. Whistling¡¯s face hardened a little bit more. ¡°I also don¡¯t trust you, Hahoe Mask. I only suggested this deal because I respect your skill. However, I don¡¯t plan on surrendering anything else to you.¡± Hyrkan let out a short breath when he saw this. ¡®Whistling Pit Bull. What kind of a man was he¡­¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan worked his not too good head into overdrive. He tried to recall every memory and information regarding the Whistling Pit Bull. Small anecdotes started popping up in his head. Hyrkan knew Whistling had been part of the Fighters guild. He was famous yet there hadn¡¯t been much gossips regarding him. Moreover, his reputation decreased as Warlord became more serviced. The reason being Whistling wasn¡¯t playing this game to earn big money. It was only a rumor, but it was said that Whistling didn¡¯t feel the need to make money, since he was from a well-off family. He had heard this rumor right before he had his one on one battle with Whistling. Hyrkan recalled Kim-dongsoo had told him that story. At the time, he had thought he couldn¡¯t lose to someone, who was born with a golden spoon in his mouth. ¡®Yes. Wasn¡¯t he a regular member?¡¯ The deciding factor was that fact that Whistling wasn¡¯t an officer of the Fighters guild. He was a regular member, and in the end, he continued to be a regular member. This wasn¡¯t because the Fighters guild hated Whistling. Whistling was the one who had kept an appropriate distance from the Fighters guild. If one became an officer, one had no choice but to become sensitive to the guild¡¯s profit and politics. There were a surprisingly high number of high level users who just wanted to be regular guild members. They just wanted to do the minimum amount of guild related work and they wanted only a limited amount of influence in the guild. ¡®At the very least, I know he isn¡¯t hear to catch me at the request of Big Smile or some other 30 great guild.¡¯ Hyrkan opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll receive the Quest Info and we can complete the Quest together. Do you want to just give me the Quest Info?¡± ¡°If you need it, I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°From my perspective, I have no reason to decline your help. Still, you have a reliable guild called the Fighters behind you. Why are you making this deal with me? You¡¯ll be able to finish this more easily if you call on the help of the Fighters guild. I¡¯m really curious about that point.¡± Whistling thought about it for a brief moment and he thought Hyrkan¡¯s question was reasonable. So he gave his answer. ¡°Then my nose will be hooked by the guild. They would ask me to do something of equal value to the Quest Clear.¡± Wasn¡¯t it Whistling life long dream to meet the Elves? Then why not play a dating simulation game where an Elf comes out? There were more questions he could have asked. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t question him any further. Didn¡¯t one have to respect other¡¯s taste? Whistling was basically taking a loss out of his own volition. There was no reason why Hyrkan should agitate someone who was willing to do that. ¡°All right.¡± He put out his hand instead of blathering on. Whistling grabbed his hand. 3. After Whistling shook hands with him, he gave Hyrkan the information about the Quest. ¡°First, you have to finish this 5 particular Quests given by the Clapper Jungle branch of the Subjugation Association.¡± The Quest routes Whistling found was convoluted. ¡°Then you¡¯ll be able to have the qualification to receive a quest from a NPC named Rongju.¡± First, one had to finish 5 particular Quests given by the Subjugation regarding the Clapper Jungle, then one would gain the qualification to receive a quest from an Adventurer NPC named Rongju. He appeared in two day interval within the Trapper Jungle. ¡°You have to complete 3 Quests given by Rongju, then you¡¯ll be able to talk with a girl NPC who had been saved by Rongju. Her name is Selene.¡± Once one finished the Quests given by Rongju, one will earn the right to talk to Selene. Selene was famous for being the girl of silence. ¡°Selene knows about the Elves.¡± Even if one knew the Quest Route, the content of the Quest Route was quite hard. Moreover, if one had to find out the Quest Route without knowing anything prior to it¡­ Hyrkan was genuinely impressed by Whistling. ¡®I thought he was a casual gamer enjoying this game for fun, but he¡¯s a madman. If his life¡¯s dream is to meet the Elves, couldn¡¯t he have played some other game? Why do these insane deeds inside Warlord?¡¯ Of course, this wasn¡¯t something worth admiring. Anyways, Whistling helped Hyrkan with his Quest Progress afterwards. The deal was for Hyrkan to receive the same Quest as Whistling. In the process, Whistling obviously had to catch the monsters for Hyrkan. Whistling was an expert with level 130 skills, and he possessed a Unique Weapon. The Trapper Jungle was like a playground for him. Moreover, Whistling had practically lived inside the Trapper Jungle for the Quest Clear, so he was like a nightmare for these monsters. ¡®His body knows all of the monster¡¯s pattern. At the very least, he¡¯s fought over 1000 monsters of each type here.¡¯ Whistling was so amazing that Hyrkan had no choice but to acknowledge him. ¡®Even if my Spec and Class was the same as him, Whistling would be better at hunting monsters inside the Trapper Jungle.¡¯ He was better than Hyrkan. No one would acknowledge it, but it basically meant Whistling was one of the best in Warlord. ¡®He killed over 1000 useless monsters that was of no help to his level up just to see the Elves. Crazy bastard.¡¯ The more surprising fact was that Whistling was having a hard time raising a single level even after hunting 6 days within the Trapper Jungle. Even now, if he invested himself entirely to leveling up, his level was high enough where he could become one of highest levels. However, he had given up that goal just because he wanted to see the Elves. Hyrkan had started Warlord later than most people so he couldn¡¯t truly comprehend Whistling¡¯s reasoning even if Hyrkan played Warlord his whole life. ¡®In any case, there are a lot of strange bastards in this game. It seems the crazy to normal ratio increases as one reaches the higher level. There are too many crazy people.¡¯ Warlord didn¡¯t have any people of sane mind! Hyrkan once again felt the full brunt of that truth. 4. ¡°His skin was so clear that it felt as if it was transparent. If he stood below the Trapper Tree, he would look like a fresh foliage because of his skin color! He also had very pointy ears and a beautiful face. If it wasn¡¯t for him, I wouldn¡¯t be alive right now. I want to relay my thanks to him. Please give him this letter in my stead.¡± [Quest ¡®Selene¡¯s Letter¡¯ has started.] Selene¡¯s large eyes and freckled face made the young NPC girl a striking figure. After receiving the Quest, Hyrkan immediately checked the content. [Selene¡¯s Request] ¨C Quest Rank : Rare ¨C Quest Level Range : At least 90 ¨C Quest Content : Deliver Selene¡¯s Letter to the Tribe within the Forest. The hints can be heard through Selene. ¨C Quest Reward : Biscuit made by Selene¡¯s hands. After checking the Quest Content, Hyrkan talked to Selene. ¡°Could you tell me where I can find him?¡± Selene answered as if she had been waiting for his question. ¡°I¡¯m having a hard time remembering it. I was being chased by a Tree Bark Snake, chased into a dead end. I had nowhere to run. At that moment, a Rock Elemental appeared and protected me. Then he shot an arrow through the snake¡¯s head. After killing the Tree Bark Snake, he delivered me to Rongju ahjushi.¡± This was all the hint she gave Hyrkan. Hyrkan came out of Selene¡¯s living quarters. As if he had been waiting for Hyrkan, Whistling approached him. ¡°There are only two hints. There¡¯s the dead end road and the Rock Elemental.¡± ¡°I just heard it right now, so I¡¯m well aware of it.¡± ¡°When I heard the hint, I looked everywhere that could be described as a dead end road. I looked at every blocked path, cliffs, and even places with big boulders! I searched the Trapper Jungle thoroughly. However, the Event where the Elf shows up never triggered. The Rock Elemental also never appeared. I thought maybe fighting Tree Bark Snakes near a dead end road was the prerequisite to triggering the event. I lured the Tree Bark Snakes to every likely place, yet it didn¡¯t trigger the event.¡± Whistling finally told Hyrkan the problem he had been facing. Whistling was well aware of the fact. He knew that he would be taking the biggest loss in the deal he proposed to Hyrkan. Despite it all, he proposed such a deal because he was plain frustrated. ¡°Did I have a choice?¡± Moreover, if the person wasn¡¯t the Hahoe Mask, he wouldn¡¯t have gone out of his way to suggest such a disadvantageous deal. Hyrkan was known for his incredible battle capability, and he had the ability to clear Quests very well. There was even rumors saying that Hyrkan was ahead of the 30 Great Guilds in the Main Scenario Quest. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say Hyrkan¡¯s ability to clear Quests was peerless. From Whistling¡¯s perspective, he had lucked out. ¡°Then there¡¯s a high probability that location is the Baekong Falls.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hyrkan immediately gave an answer. This wasn¡¯t hard. Hyrkan already knew where the Baheim Elven Tribe appeared. He just didn¡¯t have the qualification to meet them before. ¡°A waterfall? The event is triggered at a dead-end road. Didn¡¯t you hear Selene¡¯s hint?¡± Since Whistling didn¡¯t know what was going through his head, Hyrkan¡¯s answer from left field sounded like wishful thinking. Hyrkan lightly laughed as he looked at Whistling. Then he answered Whistling. ¡°This place isn¡¯t reality. It¡¯s a game. Users like us are supermen who could climb a 100 meter cliff with bare hands. A dead-end road for users of our caliber should be something like a waterfall. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± In reality, a 2 meter wall was called a dead end. When a 20 meter wall shows up in Warlord, users didn¡¯t even think about jumping it. They would think about whether they should break through the wall using their fists or head. This was how users thought in Warlord. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­.¡± Of course, they were talking about a native of Warlord, so they couldn¡¯t use real world standards here. This was the reason why Whistling hadn¡¯t been able to find the answer. ¡°After level 200, if someone mentions a dead-end road, one should be prepared to jump over lava.¡± ¡°Is the Baekong Falls really the event location?¡± Whistling repeated the question to Hyrkan. Hyrkan responded to Whistling with these words. ¡°Then do you want to make a bet? I¡¯ll put 100 gold on the line that the Baekong Falls is the correct location.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡­ All right.¡± Hyrkan laughed happily at his answer. Chapter 83 : The Baheim Tribe (2) Chapter 83 ¨C The Baheim Tribe (2) 5. It was a winding and endless road. When they followed upstream of a river ending at a lake, they arrived at a cliff. The river was falling off the cliff and the sound of the water falling was deafening. It was letting out a violent scream. The two users arrived at the location where the river was letting an endless scream. Hyrkan and Whistling faced each other. Hyrkan opened his mouth to speak. Whistling also opened his mouth to answer back. However, their voices had no chance against the sound of the waterfall. Hyrkan shook his head as he closed his mouth, then tapped lightly on his wrist watch. Whistling also closed his mouth when he saw this. He nodded his head. The two of them started touching their wrist watch. ¡°The sound of the waterfall is immensely wonderful.¡± ¡°Is this place the Baekong Falls?¡± The conversation between the two finally started. ¡°We have to pray that we are at the right place or else we would have come here for nothing. Anyways, prepare to give me your 100 gold. You can¡¯t back out later on.¡± ¡°If I could really meet an Elf in a place like this, I would give you 100 gold. No, I would even give you 1000 gold.¡± ¡°Wait a moment. Let me record those words.¡± With the incredible sight behind as their background, the two of them held a conversation that didn¡¯t have much substance to it. Since it was a trivial conversation, the conversation quickly came to an end. The thick mist of water started to tickle their faces. ¡®It really is a dead end.¡¯ The Baekong Falls had a semi-circular shape. Moreover, the stage perfectly fit the description of a dead-end road. Hyrkan and Whistling stood in front of the dead-end, both of them looking speechlessly at the waterfall. ¡°So do we wait for the Elf to come?¡± Whistling was the first one to break the silence. Instead of answering him, Hyrkan took out the 5 Bone Fragments from his pocket. He spread it across the floor. Whistling knew what Hyrkan¡¯s action meant. Whistling¡¯s expression changed as he quickly looked towards the back. One had to slightly tilt one¡¯s head back against the falling waters to see them. Whistling saw 4 enormous Hook Praying Mantises, as well as 5 Tree Bark Snakes that looked like moving logs. These bastards were so large that they would make a lot of sound if they started moving. However, the sound of the waterfall had drowned out the sound of the monsters. This was why Hyrkan and Whistling hadn¡¯t been able to sense them. It was as simple as that. They hadn¡¯t been aware of monsters¡¯ presence. ¡°Bone Armor.¡± Hyrkan¡¯s summoned Skeleton Warriors were equipped with armor. Gloves, chest armors, greaves and even shoulder armors were put on! The white armor made it look as if the Skeleton Warriors had swollen in size. At the same time, a horn appeared on the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head. After putting on the Madness Helm, the Skeleton Warriors opened their mouth wide and aggressively expressed their violent nature. As if it was answering the call of the Madness of the Skeleton Warriors, the swords grasped by the Skeleton Warriors let out a blue light. Hyrkan gave the attack order. The Skeleton Warriors immediately split in five directions, and they charge without reserve towards the monsters. During all of this, Hyrkan had taken out a gem from his pouch. The gem in his hand was used to summon the Golem. The gem within Hyrkan¡¯s hand melted, and it dripped onto the floor. Koo koo koo! A muscular, one-eyed giant with a hammer appeared out of the uneven ground. Cyclops. Cyclops had a very ferocious nature, and the Golem had inherited its nature. It no longer had its dull appearance. The Golem immediately charged towards the monsters. Koong, koong, koong! The 6 meter tall giant made out of dirt caused the ground to ring out as it moved. Hoo-oohng, kwahng! The giant swung down with its hammer, and it created a crater. A part of the Tree Bark Snake¡¯s body was hit with the hammer, and it flattened like a sheet of paper. Kyahhhh! Of course, the monsters responded by counterattacking. Five Skeletons, one Golem, and nine monsters became tangled with each other, creating a mess. It was only then did Hyrkan and Whistling move. The bedlam was their playground. The Hook Praying Mantis swung tirelessly as it tried to catch the Skeleton Warriors. Hyrkan climbed the Mantis¡¯ body. Hyrkan stabbed at a location where the exoskeleton was thin. Whistling put an appropriate distance between him and the monsters. He performed his Crescent Cut to chop the monsters into pieces. The 9 monsters were down to below half of its numbers before 3 minutes were up. In a flash, there were only two left. ¡®Let¡¯s see which one I¡­ Ah!¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan let out a yell. ¡°Leave one of them alone!¡± The moment Hyrkan¡¯s words ended Whistling swung his sword to take off the head of the Hook Praying Mantis. ¡°What?¡± Hyrkan immediately answered Whistling¡¯s question. ¡°We have to re-enact the situation.¡± Hyrkan flicked his finger as he spoke. The Skeleton Warriors, who had been moving in an agile manner, immediately lowered into their defensive stance. They shifted into defense mode. The last surviving Tree Bark Snake lashed out with its tail like a whip. The tail strike hit a Skeleton Warrior, and it was flung away as its body disintegrated. Hyrkan twisted one corner of his mouth as he watched his Magic decrease. ¡®Chet.¡¯ It put him in a foul mood, but he had no choice. NPC Selene said an Elf saved her when she was in trouble. Then they would have to recreate a similar scenario. ¡°All right.¡± Whistling understood what Hyrkan was talking about, so he put away his sword into its sheathe. All of Hyrkan¡¯s summoned underlings went into being Fragments, or the Golem returned to the earth. The chaos lessened and Tree Bark Snake was alone by itself. It continued its wild movements. Hyrkan and Whistling took turns to avoid its attack. However, this continued on for a while. ¡®It¡¯s already been about 3 minutes.¡¯ A not too short amount of time had flowed by, but they didn¡¯t see any signs of change. Hyrkan looked at his surrounding, and he started feeling a bit anxious. ¡®It has to come out.¡¯ There was a reason why Hyrkan was feeling anxious. ¡®A thousand gold is on the line. The Elves have to come out!¡¯ It was a trivial reason. It was at that moment. Kyahh! The Tree Bark Snake let out a coarse sound, and its tail whipped against Whistling. When Hyrkan saw this, he involuntarily winced. ¡®Why?¡¯ Whistling was the Trapper Jungle¡¯s greatest gosu. It was a fact that Hyrkan had acknowledged. His battle ability was better than Hyrkan inside the Trapper Jungle. Yet he suffered an attack from a simple tail strike from a Tree Bark Snake? It seemed almost impossible. However, it happened. Whistling suffered an attack from the tail attack! ¡®Ah.¡¯ He baited the attack. He purposely got hit so it would look like he was in trouble. Hyrkan realized his own mistake. ¡®Crazy bastard.¡¯ Whistling was a Striker Type. This was why he was able to Advance as a Fighter. No matter how good a defensive gear one had on, it was still burdensome to take the full brunt of an attack from a monster. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t die. Still, unless he had a very particular fetish, no human or users liked being hit. Fortunately, Whistling¡¯s sacrifice paid off. Pooh-hooh! From beneath the lake located below the waterfall, a Golem made out of enormous boulders appeared. The Boulder Golem headed immediately towards the Tree Bark Snake, and an arrow appeared out of nowhere to pierce deeply into the body of the Tree Bark Snake. That arrow was the first of many arrows. Kyah, kyah! The Tree Bark Snake started to struggle. Hyrkan and Whistling smiled as they looked at the monster. ¡®If I came here alone, I would have never been able to meet the Elven Tribe.¡¯ Whistling and Hyrkan nodded to each other. Then the Elves, who they had been yearning for, appeared in front of them. 6. Their skin could be described as pure instead of pale. There was a very slight green tinge to their skin, overflowing with a feeling of refreshment. Their features were delicate. It was as if they had been drawn with the end of a thin brush. However, they didn¡¯t look frail. They gave off an air of sophistication. Their large eyes held the color of emerald and their high noses gave off a sense of arrogance. Their face was small compared to their high nose, and the combined effect of the features gave off a sense of aloofness. Their pale lips had a delicateness that seemed to have been made for an art piece. When one saw them, one couldn¡¯t help but show appreciation regarding their unforgettable beauty. Moreover, the Elves had cosmetics applied to their faces. Instead of it giving off a dry feeling, their appearance was filled with a sense of refreshment. The delicate scent of evergreen was coming off their body. ¡°Who are you guys?¡± A pure voice flowed out of the Elf¡¯s mouth. However, her voice was buried by the sound of the falling waterfall. This was why Hyrkan and Whistling looked at each other without saying anything. No matter what the Elf said, they didn¡¯t have the ability to hear what the Elf had said. Of course, Hyrkan was the first one to react as he picked up what was going on. Hyrkan looked over the Elf¡¯s face, and he put on a slightly sour face. ¡®Somehow I get a leery feeling when I see pretty people.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t as if Hyrkan hated beauties. Of course, no one in the world hated beautiful people. It was weird, but the sense of distrust came up before the feeling of admiration. He wouldn¡¯t put the beauties before his work. In Hyrkan¡¯s experience, it was rare for him to have a normal encounter with beautiful women. Moreover, the worst insult in his life was given as present to Hyrkan by a beautiful woman. This was why the Elven Race¡¯s beauty made Hyrkan put up his guard. On the other hand, Whistling looked at the Elf in front of him with an absent-minded face. He kept staring at the Elf. Hyrkan nudged Whistling¡¯s side with his elbow. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say this was your life¡¯s dream?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Whistling finally realized what was going on, so he started walking towards the Elf. He still had a dazed expression on his face, so the Elf took couple step backwards in surprise. Gwahhhhhk! As she took several steps backwards, she quickly pulled her bow back. There didn¡¯t seem to be an arrow loaded, but one could tell something transparent was notched. ¡°Hey, stop!¡± Hyrkan spoke out, and those words made Whistling alert once again. The Elf warned Whistling once again. ¡°Please reveal your identity to us.¡± They still couldn¡¯t hear her because of the sound of the waterfall. Whistling rolled his eyes around as he tried to guess what was going on. Then he opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m Adventurer Whistling. I¡¯m an Adventurer¡­ The child you saved sent this letter.¡± Whistling tried to take out Selene¡¯s Letter, which he had safely put away within his pocket. It was a funny sight to see a large human awkwardly try to take out the letter. The Elf once again pulled back on her bow. She thought Whistling was taking out a weapon. Whistling quickly took out his hand in fright to show that both his hands was empty of weapons. Then he unbuckled his sword from his waist, and he placed it on the floor. Afterwards, he was able to take out the letter. He placed the letter on the floor and he retreated backward with both his hands raised. Hyrkan snorted as he saw this sight live. ¡®Jeez. Are they trying to make a movie?¡¯ A character unarming themselves to show that he didn¡¯t hold any hostile intent towards the natives was a scene commonly seen inside movies. However, he never expect to see such a sight within the game. Hyrkan tried very hard to stop himself from ridiculing them. At that moment, the Elf started to aim the bow towards Hyrkan. It basically meant she wanted Hyrkan to backoff like Whistling. Hyrkan had an annoyed expression as he raised both his hands up high towards the sky. There was no need to make it more difficult here. When Hyrkan and Whistling backed off a sufficient distance, the Elf relaxed slightly and she picked up the letter. Before she read the letter, she brought the letter up to her nose and she sniffed it. ¡°So you received a request from that child.¡± Before she read the letter, the Elf had already discerned the content of the letter. She let out a long whistle. The hidden Elves started to show themselves one or two at a time. ¡°Since you¡¯ve seen us, we can¡¯t just send you back like this. We¡¯ll guide you to our village.¡± Those words were still not registering with Hyrkan and Whistling. Instead¡­ [You¡¯ve completed the Quest ¡®Selene¡¯s Letter.] [You¡¯ve earned the Title ¡®A Person Who Encounter the Elves¡¯.] The system announcement informed Hyrkan and Whistling of the situation. 7. Five Elves surrounded Whistling and Hyrkan. They continued to wander around near the Baekong Falls. During this time, the two of them shared a conversation. ¡°Wasn¡¯t I right? I told you they were at the Baekong Falls. Since your lifelong dream has been fulfilled, you can¡¯t go back on your words. At the end of this, you have to give me the gold.¡± As Hyrkan spoke, Whistling was still looking at the surrounding Elves with a dazed expression. It wasn¡¯t the simple case of being dazed by beauty. He looked as if he had been hypnotized by something. Hyrkan shook his head from side to side as he looked at Whistling¡¯s expression. ¡®He isn¡¯t like the Pit Bull I knew from before. He fell into that category of people?¡¯ Whistling Pitbull. He was nicknamed the Pitbull because of his outer appearance. However, as befitting his nickname, he possessed the tenaciousness of a fighting dog. He was decisive. He saw the battle to the end without sparing his body. He was like a cool hunting dog that never gave up once he entered the battlefield. However, the current Whistling looked nothing like a pit bull. He didn¡¯t even give off a feeling of pet dog. ¡°Do you really like the Elves that much?¡± Hyrkan finally asked the question. It was a question he had avoided asking until now. He had no reason to ask it. Hyrkan didn¡¯t care about other people¡¯s preferences. Hyrkan had already given up finding a teammate. He only had two categories. A person fell into either the profitable or non-profitable category. If the person could lead Hyrkan to a profit, he didn¡¯t care if the person preferred Dwarfs instead of Elves. He would be able to overlook their taste. He could even overlook a person liking the Orcs. He would have to think long and hard though if someone¡¯s preference ran towards the Trolls. At Hyrkan¡¯s question, Whistling slowly opened his mouth. ¡°Of course. I really like them. It was one of the main reason why I started playing this game.¡± ¡°I guess you like beautiful women.¡± ¡°What man doesn¡¯t like beautiful women? However, it isn¡¯t as simple as that.¡± ¡°You have another reason?¡± ¡°I have a great admiration towards the Fantasy genre.¡± ¡°What?¡± After he thought about it for a moment, Whistling told Hyrkan the reason he had told no one before. It was a gift, since Hyrkan had helped him out. ¡°Warlord is a game. I won¡¯t deny that fact. However, amongst all the games out in the market, it had a setting that was closest to a Fantasy world. It was my lifelong dream to meet the Elves in such a world. To me, Elves are symbol that epitomizes the Fantasy genre.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Now that I¡¯ve met the Elves, I think I will truly be able to enjoy this world. Moreover, it feels like I could give it my all in playing Warlord now.¡± Whistling grinned. ¡°Isn¡¯t everyone playing this game for those reasons?¡± At those words, Hyrkan recalled someone. ¡®He¡¯s a guy that likes the challenge itself.¡¯ Don Quixote. He was a challenger, who lived for the chivalric romances. Whistling was cut from the same cloth. At that moment, Hyrkan knew it for sure. ¡®There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll become teammates with Whistling.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t become comrades with Pit Bull. Hyrkan was on the complete other side of the spectrum with those who were playing this game out of enjoyment and romanticism. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± At that moment, the barrier in front of Whistling and Hyrkan was taken down. Then the hidden Baheim tribe¡¯s village inside the Clapper Jungle appeared. There were countless bridges connecting the Clapper Trees, and houses hanging off of trees. The sight filled Hyrkan¡¯s vision. [You¡¯ve received the title ¡®Baheim Tribe¡¯s First Customer¡¯.] He immediately heard the announcement for the Title. When Hyrkan heard the announcement, he patted Whistling¡¯s shoulder. ¡°All right. You should have fun playing this game.¡± He realized not too long ago that he couldn¡¯t become teammates with Pit Bull. If that¡¯s the case, they would have to part ways here. ¡°What?¡± Whistling spat out a reply at Hyrkan¡¯s abrupts words. However, Hyrkan ignored Whistling¡¯s questio, and he spoke toward the Elf on the side. ¡°I¡¯m here on an errand for the blacksmith Olf. I would appreciate it if you could take me to someone in charge of this place.¡± Chapter 84 : The Baheim Tribe (3) Chapter 84 ¨C The Baheim Tribe (3) 8. Thick vines were interconnected between the large trees, and the Elves were walking across the vines at a quick pace. Unlike walking a tightrope, one didn¡¯t feel a sense of danger. It felt as if they were children playing jump rope. The sight evoked a feeling of wonder. The Elves, who had created such a surprising sight, all twitched their ears at the same time as if they had promised to do so beforehand. The Elves¡¯ emerald eyes headed toward a single location like arrows. Their gazes landed on Hyrkan and the single Elf that was guiding him. Chu-buhk, chubuhk. Unlike the Elves traveling across the vines, Hyrkan and the Elf was walking on land. The sound of their steps sounded unusually loud. Their steps stopped under a particular tree. ¡°Take this.¡± The Elf that had guided Hyrkan suddenly gave him a thick and tough vine. Hyrkan took the vine and raised his gaze. His eyes followed the line, and at the end of it was a house. The house wasn¡¯t made by cutting parts of the tree. The house was made out of already broken parts of tree. It was neither tidy nor shabby. Instead, there was a sense of mystique that permeated the house. If one saw it for the first time, the sense of mystique would have made him fall into a trance. ¡®This is all bullshit.¡¯ However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t dazed. The sense of mysticism worked only on someone who saw this for the first time. ¡°Climb up.¡± At the Elf¡¯s word, Hyrkan started quickly climbing up the vine before the Elf could gesture towards it. He didn¡¯t need to use his feet. He used only his arms, and he went up as if he was sprinting a short distance. The Elf glared at Hyrkan from below. The Elf¡¯s gaze was filled with vigilance and hostility. It made the bottom of Hyrkan¡¯s feet turn cold. Hyrkan glanced below then he put on a mocking smile. ¡®As I suspected, I don¡¯t mix well with handsome or pretty people.¡¯ He was once again awakened to the unpleasant reality when Hyrkan reached the tree house¡¯s floor. The tree house¡¯s door was located on the floor. It was a round door with a diameter of around 1 meter. It was a little bit larger than a manhole cover. Ddok ddok! Hyrkan knocked on the door over his head as he dangled from the vine. The door opened and a face could be seen across the dark space. He had a youthful appearance. If Hyrkan had to guess his age using normal human standards, he would have to put the man in his 30s. However, his beautiful appearance was the most striking one he had seen amongst the Elves. There was a large scar made by a knife above the bridge of his nose, and at the end of the scar, there was another scar that looked as if a tip of an arrow had punctured that location. From afar, it looked as if someone had drawn an exclamation point on his face. Instead of it looking hideous, the scar made him look look more stylish and cool. ¡®The exclamation scar¡­ So, this guy is Drah.¡¯ NPC Drah. He was Baheim tribe¡¯s chieftain. Amongst the Elf enthusiasts within Warlord, he was quite popular. He was always within the top 5 of every popularity poll regarding the male Elves of Warlord. Hyrkan always disparaged the poll result, and he considered people who casted the vote to be crazy. He even yell out, ¡®Do they have nothing better to do?¡¯, once. Hyrkan raised his hand towards the Chieftain Drah. He was asking for a handshake. However, Chieftain Drah just stared at the hand offered by Hyrkan. 1 second, 2 second, 3 second¡­¡­ After 10 seconds had passed, Chieftain Drah spoke before he took the hand. ¡°So you are the person sent by Olf-nim.¡± If it hadn¡¯t been for the Secret Society Ring, chieftain Drah would have kicked Hyrkan to drop him to his death. Chieftain Drah shook Hyrkan¡¯s hand only after saying those word. Only then was Hyrkan allowed to see the inside of Chieftain Drah¡¯s house. ¡®This is the first time I¡¯ve come into an Elf¡¯s home. I¡¯ve only seen it through footages.¡¯ Hyrkan turned his head. He wanted to see his surrounding, and at the same time, he wanted to film everything. Hyrkan looked everywhere. The most eye-catching part was the ceiling. The ceiling had small holes where water couldn¡¯t pass through, but the light and wind could filter through. He let out a sound as he looked at the cloth making up the ceiling. ¡®Elf Silk.¡¯ If used to make a defensive gear, it had pretty good defense and it was light. Moreover, Elf Silk had Attribute Resistance. Overall, the room was dark. The small room had furnitures made from broken or rotten wood. It was vaguely shaped like furnitures, since the wood wasn¡¯t cut from trees. ¡°Sit.¡± Hyrkan sat in a simple chair. He wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if the chair collapsed on itself at any moment. The story line started immediately. ¡°Did you bring it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hyrkan immediately took out the pouch from a secure location on his body, then he gave it to Chieftain Drah. [Quest ¡®Olf¡¯s Errand¡¯ is complete.] ¡°Mmmm!¡± After receiving the pouch, Chieftain Drah immediately opened it and place the content on the top of his palm. Soo-roo-roo! A silver colored liquid that looked like mercury fell on top of Chieftain Drah¡¯s palm. After it fell, it immediately started to move as if it was alive. Soon, it looked like a circlet one could wear on one¡¯s head. Hyrkan¡¯s eyes shined. ¡®It¡¯s the Circlet of Purification.¡¯ Circlet of Purification. It was from a mystical pond that was able to purify anything. The circlet was made using silver excavated from the bottom of the Pond of Purification. Once equipped it had the Option of giving immunity towards all abnormal statuses. It had the unlimited ability to dispel the Curse Skills, and the Debuff Skills. It was an incredible item. ¡®I can buy beef with that. No, I can buy a whole cow if I had that item.¡¯ One could directly acquire the silver from the Pond of Purification to make the circlet, but the Pond of Purification was a special location that had to be found at the same time as a special Boss monster. It was very hard to find the Boss and the location. Moreover, the amount of silver one could excavate was random. One had to be very lucky to have enough to make a Circlet of Purification from the Pond of Purification. At this point in the game, he could get whatever he wanted in terms of price. It might be worth several more times its weight in gold. ¡®I know for sure there is a Circlet of Purification given during the Immoral Prince part of the Quest.¡¯ Moreover, the current Main Scenario Quest might be the one that gives the Circlet of Purification as a reward. Hyrkan gulped. While he was thinking this, Chieftain Drah confirmed it was the Circlet of Purification and immediately put it back into the pouch. When the hard circlet touched the pouch, it turned into liquid and was sucked back into the pouch. ¡°Thank you.¡± This was the first time Hyrkan had received a word of thanks from Chieftain Drah. ¡°It was nothing.¡± ¡°You probably went through a lot of hardship to get here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m on Olf-nim¡¯s errand. It is proper for me to go through all of this.¡± When Hyrkan¡¯s words ended, Chieftain Drah¡¯s expression slightly improved. ¡®Is this the end?¡¯ Chieftain Drah wordlessly looked at Hyrkan. His disinterested eyes seemed to say, ¡®Your work here is done, so why aren¡¯t you leaving?¡¯ ¡®This isn¡¯t how it¡¯s suppose to play out.¡¯ Hyrkan hesitated for a moment. ¡®Isn¡¯t he suppose to give me the Corrupted Elf Quest? I¡¯m sure of it.¡¯ This was the reason why the blacksmith Olf had given the Circlet of Purification to the Baheim Elf tribe. An Elf from the Baheim tribe had become drunk on the power of Corruption, and he had betrayed the Baheim tribe. One had to catch the Corrupted Elf, and the power of Corruption had to be purified from the Elf. Chieftain Drah was supposed to explain this to Hyrkan. Then, he was suppose to give the Quest to capture the Corrupt Elf to Hyrkan. However, he just kept staring at Hyrkan. Chieftain Drah seemed determined to make Hyrkan the most shameless human. Eventually Hyrkan opened his mouth. ¡°Do you perhaps have anything that needs my help? Olf-nim instructed me to help with anything the Baheim tribe needed. That was what he said.¡± Of course, Olf hadn¡¯t said those words. The situation was desperate enough that he betrayed Olf. Chieftain Drah answered Hyrkan¡¯s question without putting much thought into his words. ¡°I¡¯m just thankful you came all the way here for an errand. I don¡¯t want to give you a task that is beyond your capability.¡± He got his answer. ¡®Shit!¡¯ This was the worst case scenario for Hyrkan. ¡®I got caught in the level restriction.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t reached a level where he would be able to carry out the Quest. Most Main Scenario Quests didn¡¯t have a level restriction. It was intended as an invitation for the unqualified people to participate in the Quests. Still, there had to be a cut-off point. The first episode of the Corrupt Count was a Main Scenario Quest for the users between level 1-100. The second episode of the Immoral Prince was for users between level 100-200. Of course, the third part of the Quest was for users between level 200-300. The difficulty of the Quests were set with this in mind. Basically, Hyrkan was progressing through the Immoral Prince part of the Main Scenario Quest right now. The difficulty was set with users over level 100 in mind. However, Hyrkan¡¯s current level was 96. ¡®I knew this day would come.¡¯ He had been worried about this. This had been a likely scenario. However, he never expected his worries to turn into reality at this juncture. In a way, this happened because Hyrkan was too amazing. He had basically exceeded the game¡¯s standard by a significant amount. ¡®I guess I have to get to level 100 now?¡¯ There was only one way to resolve this problem. He had to level up. ¡®I have 4 levels to go. I¡¯ve already somewhat filled my EXP, so I have to raise it only by 3.5 level. So it¡¯ll probably take me 10 days even if I rush it?¡¯ He had no choice. If he wanted to quickly progress in his Quest, he had to raise his level. There was no other answers except for this. The answer was clear. He was annoyed, but he didn¡¯t think too long on it. ¡®I can reach level 100 here. I have enough consumables. I¡¯ll just level up here then I¡¯ll receive the Quest. Afterwards, I can go to a castle with a Class Tower for my advancement. Then I¡¯ll use all the money I have to get a level 100 Item.¡¯ After he finished his thoughts, Hyrkan got up from his seat. ¡°I¡¯ll see you again next time.¡± 9. The moment Whistling saw Hyrkan, he called after him. ¡°Did everything work out?¡± Hyrkan answered in a brusque manner. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I guess a problem cropped up. Anyways, I saw you were conducting a quest involving the Elves. That¡¯s amazing. I never expected the Hahoe Mask to move along a Quest so quickly. I stayed here with a do or die attitude, but I haven¡¯t received a quest yet. ¡± Hyrkan discreetly glanced at Whistling.. ¡°¡­¡­I know you won¡¯t do it, but don¡¯t spread any unnecessary information. If this truth became well known, there is no way the other users will leave me alone.¡± Whistling smiled. He had a terrifying smile on his face. Whistling wanted Hyrkan to trust him, and he tried to put that intent behind his smile. However, it caused Hyrkan to feel uneasy. This time Hyrkan was the one to reply first. ¡°What about you? Since you¡¯ve achieved your life¡¯s wish, what do you plan on doing next?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll continue doing all the Quests available to me by the Baheim tribe. I¡¯ll increase their affinity towards me one step at a time. I¡¯ll work towards finding more quests. My immediate goal is to make a Quest Map.¡± Hyrkan had never seen Whistling with such an expression of anticipation before. This was something Whistling really wanted to do. ¡®So that¡¯s the reason why¡­¡¯ Hyrkan realized how Whistling had become an old hat before Hyrkan returned to the past. ¡®This is the reason why he is behind the others.¡¯ Whistling really enjoyed playing this game. Instead of the Rankings, he put more importance on the fantasy experience that could be given by the game of Warlord. ¡°All right. I wish you success.¡± Even if he killed hundreds or thousand monsters nearby, Whistling wouldn¡¯t be able to level up! ¡­..He decided not to point out such jaded and reality-based words. He firmly closed his mouth. Moreover, he wouldn¡¯t give any warning or advice. Whistling had made a different choice from him, and it wasn¡¯t the wrong choice. ¡°How about you? Can you tell me what you will be doing in the immediate future?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be trying to reach level 100.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± At that moment, Whistling took out gold coins from his pocket, and he handed it to Hyrkan. Hyrkan¡¯s expression changed. ¡®Oh yes!¡¯ Of course, this was the winnings from their bet. Hyrkan quickly took the coins and started to count the coins. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s expression crumpled. ¡°Hey. Isn¡¯t this only 10 gold? I thought you were going to give me 100 gold?¡± Whistling grinned at those words. ¡°Thankfully, you aren¡¯t asking for 1000 gold.¡± ¡°Since you remember those words, I guess I¡¯ll have to collect on the 1000 gold. When are you going to give me the 990 gold?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only amount I can give you.¡± Hyrkan¡¯s expression hardened. ¡®Is he playing with me?¡¯ He was always meticulous with his calculations. The 90 gold wasn¡¯t something that could be easily ignored. Also, it was a money that fell out of the sky. With that money, he could purchase a 1 month supply of ramen. ¡°If you sold the sword equipped on your waist, can¡¯t you pay that amount a thousand times over?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only gold I have on me.¡± ¡°Then perhap¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll work off the rest of the money. What if I do a task that is worth 90 gold? I¡¯ll help you level up.¡± Those words¡­ It was such shocking words, since it was words that Hyrkan would never say to someone else. It took him awhile to understand what Whistling was saying. It took him a long time. ¡°Uh?¡± He finally understood what Whistling was getting at. ¡°So you are going to let me ride the bus?¡± Hyrkan was shocked. He had gone through all kinds of hardship in Warlord, and he had experienced all kinds of wars here. However, this was the most surprise he had felt in Warlord. 10. [Your level has increased.] [You have earned the title ¡®Expert¡¯.] [You¡¯ve obtained the title ¡®Necromancer¡¯.] [A strong power is roiling within your body.] When he leveled up, Hyrkan didn¡¯t share a moment of happiness with Whistling, who was nearby. With a stiff expression, Whistling tapped the shocked Hyrkan on the shoulder twice. ¡°That should be enough, right? I¡¯m going. If there is an opportunity, let¡¯s meet up again at a later date. At that time¡­ I¡¯ll have to receive something from you.¡± With those words, Whistling got ready to log out. Hyrkan tilted his head back in thought as he looked at Whistling. ¡®Wow. I hit level 100 in 8 days. I never thought such a feat was possible.¡¯ With the help of Whistling, Hyrkan was able to focus on his hunt to level up. During all of this, a level 130+ expert had given up any thoughts about leveling himself, and he wholeheartedly acted as a helper. The result had exceeded Hyrkan¡¯s every imagination. He had done something in 8 days that would have normally taken 10 days. If it took 10 seconds to run 100 meter, he had basically decreased the time to 8 seconds. It was an incredible feat. He had a weird feeling as he saw the presence of Whistling fading away. He was cool, obstinate, and amazing. He wondered if he could game like that¡­ Several feelings coalesced inside his chest. Those feelings¡­ Koong koong! Hyrkan pounded his chest with his hand to break it up. ¡®That kind of romanticism is a luxury to me.¡¯ Moreover, Whistling was Don Quixote. If he could game for pleasure, he would want to play like it like Whistling. Sometimes he wanted to game without any worries or concerns. Moreover, if he wanted to, he could choose not to be like this. However, Hyrkan had chosen a different path. ¡®That isn¡¯t what I need.¡¯ Hyrkan started walking. 11. ¡°The child is drunk on the power of Corruption. There is only rage and blind faith left in him. The child is desperately trying to Corrupt our race. It is the duty of our tribe to catch him.¡± Hyrkan nodded his head at Chieftain Drah¡¯s words. ¡°However, our tribe cannot easily leave our territory. Originally, one of our tribe members has to complete this task. However, you have the trust of Olf-nim, and we trust him. This is why we will leave this task to you.¡± [You¡¯ve obtained the title ¡®Friend of the Elves¡¯.] [You obtained the title ¡®Member of the Baheim Tribe¡¯.] He gained two titles. The announcement for the title didn¡¯t ring in Hyrkan¡¯s ears. He was focused on what Chieftain Drah was saying. ¡°You have to track down the child, and you have to confirm the truth through the child. I hope you will fight against the power of Corruption for the tribe and the Society.¡± [The Quest ¡®Fallen Elf¡¯ has started.] After saying this, Chieftain Drah handed him the pouch. It was the pouch Hyrkan had given him in the first place. ¡°The Circlet of Purification is in there. It is a mystical item that corrects any abnormal statuses. If you bind the child with this item, you will be washing away his Corruption. If the Corruption is washed away, he will tell you the truth..¡± At this juncture, Hyrkan¡¯s expression brightened. ¡®Are they perhaps giving me the Circlet of Purification? Is it the Quest Reward? Is this for real?¡¯ His very dim expectation was suddenly about to become reality. It felt like buying a lottery ticket with one¡¯s pocket money by chance, and a large sum of money had been won through the lotto. However, this feeling didn¡¯t last long. ¡°You can¡¯t lose the Circlet within that pouch. If you lose it, you¡¯ll pay a hefty price.¡± Since this hadn¡¯t been given to you, don¡¯t you dare sell it! The warning basically held that meaning behind it. Hyrkan¡¯s expression became sullen. ¡®I should have guessed. They wouldn¡¯t give this item as a Quest Reward at this juncture. It probably has the option blocking users from wearing it.¡¯ After speaking his words, Chieftain Drah looked at Hyrkan. Hyrkan looked back with a sullen expression. 1 second, 2 second¡­. The silence continued. It was at that moment he opened his mouth. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have anything else to say to me?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t have anything to say to me?¡± ¡°Nope. I want you to leave if you don¡¯t have any other business with me.¡± At that moment, Hyrkan¡¯s expression crumpled. ¡®Is this really it? I don¡¯t even know the exact location of the Corrupted Elf. At the very least, don¡¯t they have to tell me a direction?¡¯ This was an unexpected situation. ¡®This is crazy. What kind of game quest is so open ended like this?¡¯ As expected, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t compatible with beautiful men or women. Chapter 85 : Deal with the Redbulls (1) Chapter 85 ¨C Deal with the Redbulls (1) 1. [Hyrkan] ¨C Level : 100 ¨C Class : Necromancer ¨C Stats : Strength(991)/Stamina(445)/Intelligence(658)/Magic Powers(755) [Skill List] ¨C Summon [Skeleton Fragment(A)], [Madness Helm(B)], [Bone Armor(B)], [Skeleton Magician(B)], [Skeleton Science(C)], [Golem Summon(B)], [Hardening(D)], [Bone Explosive(C)], [Armament(D)], [Clay Play(E)], [Skeleton Knight(F)] ¨C Curse [Demon Curse(B)], [Slow Curse(C)], [Corrosive Ghost(C)], [Blind(D)], [Curse Science(E)], [Lethargy(F)] ¨C Body Strengthening [Skin Sewing(C)], [Leg Strength Modification(C)], [Fake Heart(D)], [Boiling Blood(E)] Ahn-jaehyun checked his character¡¯s Stats and Skills through the Tablet PC, then he checked his youtube page. The number of people subscribed to his page had broken through the half million mark. His recent footages weren¡¯t all jackpots, but they showed a steady rate of growth in views. Moreover, there were too many comments below the reply button so it was hard to go through them all. Lastly, Ahn-jaehyun checked the summary of his bank account. He had been overwhelmed by the overflowing numbers before, but the numbers that came into his sight was quite poor. The amount of money he had was less than the number of subscribed viewers on his youtube page. The moment he saw those numbers Ahn-jaehyun let out a long sigh. ¡°Uh-whew!¡± The moment he became level 100 the first thing he did was to go through his Advancement. His character¡¯s class was finally changed from Magician to Necromancer. With his Advancement, his Stats had grown a lot. He also gained the Skeleton Knight Skill he had wanted so bad. Afterwards, he gathered as much funds as he could, then he purchased the level 100 Items. ¡®Whatever I earned had been squeezed out.¡¯ Clear Spider Set and Golden Mantis¡¯ Scythe Sword. Both were incredible items. The Clear Spider set was made from Clear Spider¡¯s webs. It was so popular amongst the level 100 users that it picked up the nickname Ferrari. It was a very good defensive set. Since it was made out of spider webs, one couldn¡¯t feel its weight, yet its defense was superior to sets made out of steel. Its basic Stat Options were unparalleled amongst the Rare Items of the same rank. On top of that, when one wore the whole set, it activated extra defense, increased movement speed, self-regeneration, and Stat increase options. All of them were quite valuable. The Golden Mantis¡¯ Scythe Sword was top 5 in attack amongst the level 100 Unique Rank weapon Items. It was a very powerful sword. The ancillary options were worse than the regular Unique Items. However, the weapon had such a high attack that the other deficiencies could be ignored. Ahn-jaehyun had to empty most of the money he had saved tenaciously to buy these two items. The leftover money was used to buy new ingredients for the Skeleton Fragments, Golem ingredient gem, and consumable items. He had used all of his money. He didn¡¯t have a single gold to his name now. If he told this truth to the people around him, they probably would have treated Ahn-jaehyun like a madman. Ahn-jaehyun felt it himself. ¡®I spent an incredible amount of money.¡¯ The currency he spent wasn¡¯t just gold. He had spent hard cash, so Ahn-jaehyun shut his eyes tight as he calculated. He really did spend a lot of money. ¡®My preparation was perfect.¡¯ On the other hand, Ahn-jaehyun felt a sense of confidence now. The fact that he had invested his money into Warlord meant he was that much stronger now. He had spent a lot, so that meant Ahn-jaehyun had become powerful. No matter what stage he went to right now he was confident that he would be able to pull his own weight. If need be, he was confident he could eradicate the Black Hounds from the great Urugal mountain range. ¡®I was perfect in my preparation. Perfect, but¡­¡­.¡¯ The problem was¡­ ¡°Where the hell do I find the Corrupted Elf?¡± He was all set, but he had no idea what to do now. He didn¡¯t even have a direction he could go towards. He searched his memory about the content of the Corrupted Elf Quest. Ahn-jaehyun started massaging his temple with his hands. ¡®So this is what it meant when they said it was random.¡¯ Amongst the Immoral Prince episode, the Corrupted Elf Quest was one of the more important Quests. This was the reason why Ahn-jaehyun knew that the Baheim Elf Tribe was near the Baekong Falls inside the Clapper Jungle. Moreover, if Ahn-jaehyun followed the thread of his memory, he remembered the location of the Corrupted Elf was chosen at random. He was sure of it. When they said random, Anhn-jaehyun thought the location would be set when he received the Quest. The game would choose one cardinal point of either north, south, east, or west. ¡®How can it be random to this extent?¡¯ He would have never guessed the true meaning behind the word ¡®random¡¯. ¡®I want to see the guy who came up with this game.¡¯ ¡°Uh-whew!¡± Ahn-jaehyun once again let out a sigh. Fortunately, Ahn-jaehyun was well acquainted with the macro view of the Immoral Prince episode of the Main Scenario Quest. ¡®Let¡¯s think this through slowly, Ahn-jaehyun. There must be a clue here.¡¯ This was also why Ahn-jaehyun knew what role the Corrupted Elf played in the Quest. ¡®Wasn¡¯t it the Corrupted Elf¡¯s role to train the Corrupt army?¡¯ The role of the Corrupted Elf was to hide in forests and nurture the rebel force that¡¯ll help the Immoral Prince take over the throne! The Helm Ogre killed by Ahn-jaehyun was a part of this plan. It was a clue. ¡®In Warlord events, Corrupted Monsters makes an appearance sometimes, so there must be a connection with the Corrupted Elf.¡¯ When a monster was suddenly exposed to the power of Corruption, it will show up as an Event Monster armed with weapon, and it possessed black eyes. There was a high chance that the Corrupted Elf was there. Basically, he would have to gather information on where and when all the Corrupted Monsters had shown up. If he could analyze those datas, he would be able to plot the route taken by Corrupted Elf. He would be able to find its location. ¡®It isn¡¯t as if there isn¡¯t a method.¡¯ The gist of his idea was to gather information, then he would have to analyze the information. If one could do that, anyone would be able to find the Corrupt Elf. For example, if one prepared and reviewed for the entrance test thoroughly, one would be able to get into the Seoul University. However, anyone else who studied hard could also get in. If he tried hard, would he be able to gather both the information and analyze it? ¡°Shit.¡± It meant Ahn-jaehyun couldn¡¯t do it alone. In the first place, the Main Scenario Quest wasn¡¯t made so a single person could complete it. Numerous users had to pool together information. The Quest was made in a way to make the users cooperate with each other, and the users had to put their heads together to come up with the answers. However, Ahn-jaehyun couldn¡¯t just release all the information he had right now, and he couldn¡¯t ask the Warlord players to finish the Scenario Quest with him. After thinking it over, Ahn-jaehyun decided to go with the second best plan. He had to make a deal with the members of the 30 Great Guilds. In his current situation, if Ahn-jaehyun really wanted to catch the Corrupt Elf by himself, he would have to make a deal with the 30 Great Guilds. Only then would it be possible to attempt this by himself. ¡°Chet.¡± This was disappointing. However, one thing was for sure, it was a waste to give up right now. Currently, Ahn-jaehyun was rapidly progressing through the Main Scenario Quest. He was well ahead of his competitions. If he gave up early, he wasn¡¯t just giving up on the Main Scenario Quest. Ahn-jaehyun would be giving up on the reason why he had sacrificed everything he had to play this game. ¡®I have no choice..¡¯ If he wanted to step on the 30 Great Guilds and rise above them, he would have to make some deals with some of them right now. Fortunately, he had enough bait to trade with them. ¡®Fortunately, I had spread the identity of the Corrupt Count beforehand.¡¯ Amongst the 30 Great Guilds, he had handed over the identity of the Corrupt Count to 29 of the 30 Great Guilds. He had excluded the Hydra guild. He could propose a deal using the the mail address he had used last time. Aside from the transaction, he needed a platform where he would be able to make a deal. He needed a platform where he could make a deal with any guild. The only thing left to do right now was to choose a partner. ¡®In terms of gathering information, the Hydra Guild is the best, but¡­.¡¯ Amongst the 30 great guilds, the Hydra Guild was the furthest along on the Main Scenario Quest. If It wasn¡¯t for Ahn-jaehyun, the Hydra guild would have taken care of the Corrupt Count. This was also the reason why they weren¡¯t a suitable transaction partner. ¡®If I offer up a proposal, they¡¯ll probably try to kill me during the transaction.¡¯ From the Hydra guild¡¯s perspective, he had given the identity of the Corrupt Count away. He had suddenly given the information to the 29 guilds without asking for any compensation. They probably wanted to kill Ahn-jaehyun, who had handed this information over. They had suffered an incredible loss because of him. ¡®The next in line is the Storm Hunters and the Red Bulls?¡¯ After the Hydra guild, the only guilds that distinguished themselves by catching the Corrupt Count was the Stormhunters and Red Bulls. When these two guilds killed the Corrupt Count, they pulled ahead of all the other guilds. Moreover, they had closed a significant distance with the Hyrda guild, who was furthest along the Main Scenario Quest. This caused the two guilds to shift their resources from Raiding into progressing the Main Scenario Quest. ¡®The Stormhunters overlap with me in terms of the Quests.¡¯ The Main Scenario Quest being carried out by the Stormhunters was the same as Ahn-jaehyun. If he requested a deal for information with them, it was basically grabbing the hands of a competitor, who was hot on his heels. It was basically asking the competitor to run together to the goal line. ¡®Yes. I can never give up, because of those bastards. If I give up, the one that benefits the most is the Stormhunters.¡¯ Even if that wasn¡¯t one of his reasons, he would never make deals with the Stormhunters. So there was only one left. ¡°Red Bulls¡­¡­.¡± 2. ¨C What do you want to do? It was Red Bull¡¯s guild master Matador Chev. As one of the most famous users representing Warlord, he was thinking very hard on the problem. ¨C Should we accept the proposed deal? ¡°When does he want an answer by? ¨C He didn¡¯t put a time limit on it, but if we are late in answering, there is a high chance that the dealer might ignore us later. ¡°How much time do we have to think on this?¡± ¨C Faster is better. This kind of information transactions has to be done in a swift manner. Of course, Chev remembered it. Someone had sent him a mail, and thanks to the information contained within it the Red Bulls guild was able to catch the Corrupt Count. A mail had once again come from the address that had given him such a valuable information before. The content was brief. [I have a customer who wants to trade information regarding the Main Scenario Quest with the Red Bulls guild. Would you like to make a deal?] ¡®Was he a broker?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t requesting an info trade for himself. He explicitly said he had a customer wanting to do the info trade. The information that was vital in the Corrupt Count hunt was provided by this person. However, it was apparent now that he wasn¡¯t personally providing the information. He was acting as the go-between in passing along the information. It was proof that this person was a broker. This wasn¡¯t something special or weird. If it was profitable, a perfectly healthy person would even sell their own organs for money. Don¡¯t people sell other humans for money even in reality? Warlord was a marketplace where enormous amount of money changed hands. It would be weird if there wasn¡¯t any information brokers in Warlord. ¡®Yes. It¡¯s better that he is a broker. The fact that he is a broker means that we can approach him for trades at any given time.¡¯ Anyways, the proposal that was sent from the other side was decent. Red Bulls used to be a guild who only focused on Raids. Now their group was shifted towards progressing the Main Scenario Quest. They were putting a lot of resources towards this. The problem was they couldn¡¯t recover what they had invested just from doing well. They couldn¡¯t be merely good. It was important that they were better than their competitors. ¡°How would you rate his credibility?¡± ¨C At the very least, we don¡¯t have to worry about his credibility. Also, didn¡¯t we gain a lot last time because of him? I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll come out at a loss from dealing with him. This information merchant was the first one to reach out, and give them the identity of the Corrupt Count. The Corrupt Count¡¯s identity wasn¡¯t known by anyone at the time. As his adviser had said, there was no downside in cooperating with the information merchant. Chev immediately gave his answer. ¡°We¡¯ll do the trade.¡± ¨C Yes! I¡¯ll immediately send the mail. 3. Ahn-jaehyun read the mail sent by the Red Bulls. [The information we want is regarding the dwarf of the Red mountain. We want to know the location of the Red mountain.] The moment he saw the content of the mail Ahn-jaehyun rooted through his memories. ¡®The Red Bulls are progressing on the rescue the kidnapped dwarf story.¡¯ The Immoral Prince needed to arm the Corrupted Army, so he had kidnapped a dwarf to produce the weapons. The Red Bulls were on the Main Scenario Quest where they had to rescue this dwarf. ¡®So they want the secrets of the Salt Mountain.¡¯ The identity of the Red mountain that the Red Bulls wanted to know was the Salt mountain located on the south of the continent. It looked like a mountain made out of white salt, but the Salt mountain contained a mine that produced red steel. If one followed the quests related to the Salt mountain, one would naturally find out about this fact. Of course, this truth was spread at a slightly later date. The Salt mountain was a hunting ground where level 120 monsters appeared, so it was a very difficult place to hunt. There weren¡¯t many users who used that stage. Users started operating around that region only recently. This was why this information was known amongst only a select few lucky users. It wouldn¡¯t be too long before the Red Bulls acquired this info on their own. It wasn¡¯t a long time for Ahn-jaehyun. However, the Red Bulls was in the dark as to when they¡¯ll find the info. This was why the deal would be able to be made. ¡®I have enough to make this deal.¡¯ At the very least, he had prepared some cards he could pull out. The only thing left was Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s final decision. ¡®The only problem is that my identity might become known.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun had gone through all the bothersome steps to look like a broker for a very simple reason. It would be a problem if the Hahoe Mask showed up at the designated location given by the Red Bulls. Unless the Red Bulls were stupid, they would connect the dot between the Hahoe Mask, the information about the Corrupt Count, and the mysterious information merchant. Since he put up a front as a broker, the identity of the information merchant wouldn¡¯t be found out to be the Hahoe Mask. For the immediate future, he wouldn¡¯t receive any suspicion, but it wasn¡¯t a guarantee that it wouldn¡¯t happen. Still, the truth wasn¡¯t important here. If the Red Bull suspected that the Hahoe Mask and the information merchant ran in the same circle, then they might move against him regardless of not knowing the merchant¡¯s identity. Even if that doesn¡¯t happen, Red Bulls would most definitely hold more interest and wariness towards the Hahoe Mask. If he was to go through with this proposal, he had to be ready for such eventuality. Of course, Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s ultimate goal was to leapfrog the 30 great guilds. He was already receiving a lot of attention, but he had to set a goal to receive much more interest in the future. ¡°Hmmm.¡± At that moment, Ahn-jaehyun thought about the Big Smile guild. They hadn¡¯t shown their teeth towards Ahn-jaehyun yet, but the Big Smile guild had attacked him with the Hahoe Mask as their target. This meant they¡¯ll probably attack him once again in the future. Currently, he couldn¡¯t go head to head with the Big Smile. In fact, the decision to fight them wasn¡¯t in his hands. Big Smile was the one who had pulled the trigger first. From Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s perspective, it was best to make it so that they couldn¡¯t pull the trigger again. ¡°¡­¡­Should I go meet them once?¡± Chapter 86 : Deal with the Red Bulls (2) Chapter 86 ¨C Deal with the Red Bulls (2) 4. The large forest was filled with trees, and 3 users had surrounded a small and scrappy goblin. There was traces of a fierce battle, and the users were the victors. However, if one looked at their expressions, one would have a hard time telling if they were really the victors. One of the group members spat out his words as if he had had just lost. ¡°Ah. I can¡¯t do this any more. Why is this game so hard?¡± ¡°From the vids, I saw a person solo several of these monsters. Do we perhaps need to get some Items? This is way too hard. At this rate, when am I going to level up? I want to go through my Advancement soon!¡± ¡°Stop spouting nonsense about Items. The price for Items is no joke now. Actually, the low level Items are more expensive. I¡¯ve always spent a good amount of money during my gaming career, but I¡¯ve never seen a game that was as expensive as this.¡± The complaining 3 users were in a hunting ground that had been provided for users between level 10-20. It was the Tinkle Forest. It was a place where one could most accurately feel the popularity of Warlord right now. ¡°We saw this monster first!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we attack it first?¡± ¡°Hey! Let¡¯s settle this through PK!¡± ¡°Kill that son of a bitch!¡± The popularity of Warlord was sky-high, and the number of new users was increasing at an explosive rate. The endless wave of new users meant most of the monsters in the level 30 and below hunting grounds was almost extinct. This was why the hunting ground that had been provided for the low level users was filled with disorder caused by the users instead of monsters. In such an atmosphere, two users was using a fallen tree trunk as a bench. At a glance, it didn¡¯t look remarkable. Both users were wearing the supplies given by the Subjugation Association for the level 10 users. In terms of Warlord user¡¯s standard, these items weren¡¯t even fit to be used as rags. One was basically wasting one¡¯s time by wearing such items. One of the user was wearing a Hahoe Mask, yet it wasn¡¯t enough attract the gazes of others. It was easier to find new users wearing the Hahoe Mask than finding a monster. Of course, no one knew the truth. ¡°Hahoe Mask¡­¡­ I really wanted to meet you, but I never expected to meet you here like this..¡± The other user wasn¡¯t wearing a Hahoe Mask. He was someone who represented Warlord as being one of the most skill users. It was Red Bull¡¯s guild master Chev. ¡°Me too. I had no desire of meeting you and I never expected to meet you here like this.¡± This user wearing the Hahoe Mask was the original one, the one who had started the fad of wearing it. None of the users who had laid eyes on him here was aware of this fact. No, even if he revealed his identity through his own mouth, no one would take it as the truth. It was the reason why they had chosen this place for the meeting. It sounded paradoxical, but this was a stage where one didn¡¯t need to worry about other¡¯s gazes. So what was the reason behind this meeting? ¡°You didn¡¯t want to meet us? Weren¡¯t you the one who asked for this meeting?¡± ¡°I never expected my trade partner to be the Red Bulls.¡± ¡°Why did you request this meeting then?¡± ¡°The Quest route we are taking doesn¡¯t overlap with your Quest route. We are competitors, but we are taking different roads. Therefore, I believe we could help each other out until we reach the goal line. I just never expected such a big fish to show up.¡± This was being done because it would be mutually beneficial. Red Bulls had been the first one to accept the proposal. The broker had sent a message saying, ¡®The informant wants to have a direct meeting with you.¡¯ Of course, the Red Bulls was torn about the decision. However, the part that put the exclamation point on the matter was the message saying, ¡®The Hahoe Mask will come to the meeting as the other side¡¯s representative.¡¯ At that moment, Chev decided he would come to the meeting himself. ¡®I never expected Chev to come here.¡¯ ¡®This is a chance to meet with the Hahoe Mask and his benefactor. There¡¯s no harm in elevating their status.¡¯ This was how this meeting had come to be. ¡°Since we have similar motives, the deal should be easy.¡± At Chev¡¯s reply, Hyrkan took out a note instead of speaking. He handed it to Chev who was sitting next to him. ¡°Let¡¯s finish the deal before we speak any further.¡± Chev also took out a note and handed it to Hyrkan. After swapping each other¡¯s notes, they immediately read the content of the note. There were two locations listed on Hyrkan¡¯s note. Chev¡¯s note held three locations. No other explanation was needed. They weren¡¯t looking for a perfect answer. It was enough to have a direction pointing towards the answer. If one could narrow couple hundred destination to two destinations, it was already a big boon. Afterwards, the two ripped the notes into pieces. This was the end to this particular deal. ¡°Do you perhaps want to join our guild?¡± Now another deal could be proposed. ¡°Our guild sponsors don¡¯t have too much power, so it would be hard for us to guarantee that you will receive the front-end treatment. However, we can treat you well enough. You would be able to boast about it others in the gamer profession.¡± Chev turned his head to look at Hyrkan. Hyrkan immediately gave an answer to his proposal. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have a contract.¡± ¡°Of course. You have a backer.¡± Hyrkan shrugged his shoulders at Chev¡¯s words. ¡°Doesn¡¯t everybody know about that?¡± ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s hard to be sure what is true in this world.¡± ¡°If I was unaffiliated, what would have been your proposal? I want to hear about it.¡± ¡°We would have give you 3 spots in our broadcast programs, and you would have received 20% of the ad money. As for your appearance fee, we would have given you something on par with the highest rate in the business.¡± When he heard those words, Hyrkan unconsciously gulped. ¡®Uh? Is he really prepared to give me all that?¡¯ Chev¡¯s proposal was incredible enough to tempt Hyrkan who had firmed his heart against such offers. Normally, a Warlord-related broadcast had an average of 10 ads. Of course, one could add more than that. It may be obvious to say this, but the amount of money made by a popular broadcast was enormous. Chev was willing to part with 20% of the profit gained from the ads. It was most definitely a special treatment. In normal cases, one would get less than 10%, and more often than not the guild wouldn¡¯t give any ad money in the first place. ¡®The price of my body has most definitely gone up.¡¯ Hyrkan pressed down hard on the slight smile and the interest from forming. ¡°Too bad. If I knew about your offer first, it would have been better for me.¡± As he held himself back, he spoke in a disinterested manner. When Chev heard those words, he immediately got up from his seat. ¡®If he isn¡¯t coming over after being given such a significant proposal, it means he can¡¯t. Basically, a normal offer from a guild won¡¯t be able to pull him away.¡¯ It was true that he coveted the Hahoe Mask. On the other hand, there was a limit to what Chev and the Red Bulls could offer to the Hahoe Mask. Anything more than what he had offered was beyond Chev¡¯s authority. When a task is impossible, one had to learn when to cut bait. ¡°I guess it¡¯ll be too hard to recruit you, but it seems we¡¯ll be able to help each other.¡± This put an end to his recruitment efforts. Hyrkan nodded at Chev¡¯s words. Since their Quest routes were different, there was no harm in cooperating with each other until they reach their respective goal line. Moreover, they didn¡¯t have to make any additional negotiations. ¡°So how should I contact you next time?¡± They just had to agree on a method of contact. ¡°Let¡¯s do it like how we are doing it right now.¡± ¡°Through the broker?¡± Hyrkan nodded his head. Chev thought about it for a brief moment. Truthfully, it was better to use a hotline instead of going through a broker. On the other hand, this particular broker had set up this meeting, so he would have to show some respect to the broker. In the end, Chev didn¡¯t have a good enough relationship with the Hahoe Mask to set up a hotline. Moreover, from Red Bull¡¯s perspective, they didn¡¯t have any evidence that backed up the Hahoe Mask¡¯s credibility. ¡°All right.¡± Chev, who was already standing up, started to turn away from Hyrkan. ¡°I¡¯ll see you next¡­¡­.¡± At that moment¡­ ¡®This is it.¡¯ Hyrkan spoke as if he had waited for this moment. ¡°Be careful of the Big Smile.¡± Chev whipped his head around when he heard those words, but Hyrkan was already on the move. Chev caught sight of Hyrkan¡¯s back. 5. ¡®Whew. That scared me stiff..¡¯ Hyrkan was running at full speed and he used his hand to rub at a location below his chest. ¡®Did I succeed?¡¯ Hyrkan had prepared a lot for today. He yelled out his line, ¡®Be careful of the Big Smile!¡¯, about a hundred times in front of a mirror as he practiced his expression. ¡®At the very least, this will prevent the Red Bulls from cooperating with the Big Smile.¡¯ He was satisfied with result. Hyrkan had insisted on meeting face to face with the Red Bulls because he wanted to give a warning about the Big Smile. On top of that, he hadn¡¯t given any reasons to his warning. He couldn¡¯t, since it was baseless. Truthfully, there wasn¡¯t any clear reason why the Red Bulls should be careful of the Big Smile. Since the words he had thrown out didn¡¯t have any rhyme or reason, he had to exhibit an atmosphere where his words would have to be believed. ¡®I¡¯ve been thinking about this situation in too simple terms.¡¯ He once again ruminated on the result he had created with his action, and Hyrkan nodded his head. ¡®Like this, I have to form walls between the 30 Great Guilds.¡¯ While he was planning out this meeting, Hyrkan formed a new goal. The 30 Great Guilds were an opponent Hyrkan had to step on. Hyrkan didn¡¯t have to worry about being targeted by a single guild. He could handle that much. The problem would be if the 30 Great Guilds cooperated with each other to eradicate Hyrkan. If he truly wanted to step on and leapfrog the 30 Great Guilds, he had to ruin the relationships between the guilds. He had to play each sides against each other. This was what Hyrkan needed to do. ¡®Yes. I can¡¯t repeat the same mistake again. I have to stop those bastards from getting friendly with each other.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s thoughts ended there. ¡®Also¡­¡­.¡¯ It was time to change the picture inside his head. There were two locations written on the note handed over to him by Chev. Moreover, the note also contained information on which location was more likely to be the place he was searching for. ¡®It says there is a higher chance of the Corrupted Elf being at the Red Lake.¡¯ The stage was called the Red Lake. It was a hunting ground where level 120 and up monsters showed up. In the middle of a large forest, a small red lake was located there. Unlike the normal hunting grounds, where the normal sized monsters appeared, this place was unique. The mid to large sized monsters appeared here. If a large monster appeared, numerous users would have to attack to take it down. It was a Raid type hunting ground. This was why it was nicknamed the Raid Training Ground! ¡°Ha ha.¡± ¡®I really like this.¡¯ Before Hyrkan had returned to the past, this was the training ground he had used to develop his method of dealing with large monsters. Hyrkan¡¯s expression brightened as he ran. ¡®It feels like I¡¯m going back home.¡¯ 6. ¨C It is only a hunch, but I think it¡¯s the Salt Mountain. The other two places doesn¡¯t really fit the description. It is as if it was added after the fact to make it fit with the other location. It is highly likely that the place we are looking for is the Salt Mountain. ¡°If it is the Salt Mountain, we¡¯ll focus all our attention there.¡± ¨C Of course. After concluding the deal with the Hahoe Mask, Chev immediately contacted his most trusted subordinate to send him the information. Chev told the subordinate the 3 locations given to him by the Hahoe Mask. His subordinate immediately searched for data regarding those locations and gave his opinion. Normally, the call would have ended there. However, after a brief indecision, Chev asked a new question. ¡°Are the Big Smile guild dangerous?¡± His underling gave an immediate answer to the question. ¨C The Big Smile? They are dangerous. ¡°Your reasons?¡± ¨C Master might already know this, but the Big Smile fighting against the Triple Wing. They are on the losing side right now, and they aren¡¯t showing any signs of rallying. Since the Big Smile is on shaky footing, the Underfoot guilds are riled up right now. ¡°The Underfoots?¡± Underfoot. It was a term coined for the guilds with enough force and influence to be able to contend for the spot on the 30 Great Guild. However, they weren¡¯t included in the 30 Great Guilds yet. They were basically under the feet of the 30 Great Guilds, so the term stuck. The Underfoot Guilds were gunning for the live channels. If they could acquire a live channel, they¡¯ll basically be considered a part of the 30 Great Guilds. From the perspective of the guild masters of the 30 Great Guilds, they were an opponent they had to be very vigilant against. Chev¡¯s eyes turned sharp. ¡°Give me a more thorough explanation..¡± ¨C Several Underfoot guilds are talking about merging to form a new Guild. They plan on usurping Big Smile guild¡¯s live channel. That¡¯s the rumor right now. ¡°So it¡¯s only a rumor?¡± ¨C It isn¡¯t just a rumor. Several Underfoot guilds are lobbying the Triple Wing for help. Chev, who was listening to the story, let out a long sigh. ¡°It¡¯s really complicated.¡± His subordinate answered with laughter in his voice. ¨C The money being exchanged isn¡¯t small. This is a game, yet it isn¡¯t a game. This fight is only child¡¯s play right now. At the very least, nothing big has happened in reality. Chev let out a bitter laugh at his subordinate¡¯s words. ¡°So why do you think the Big Smile is dangerous?¡± ¨C Once the live channel is stolen, Big Smile will be smashed. In reality, it isn¡¯t just about the profit made from the broadcasts. They have a lot of investors, and they had spent their money without a care.If the live channel was taken from them¡­ It is so horrible that I don¡¯t want to imagine it. ¡°It really is too terrible to imagine.¡± ¨C If such a situation occurs, Big Smile will use any method possible to piss up a storm. You have to look at them as a ticking time bomb that¡¯s about blow up. So why did you bring up the Big Smile? His subordinate finally asked the question, and Chev gave a short answer. ¡°Someone told me to be careful of the Big Smile.¡± His subordinate didn¡¯t even need to ask who this person was. The fact that Chev had asked this question in such a guarded manner meant the person, who gave this info was a noteworthy figure. ¨C ¡­¡­I¡¯ll tell them to be on guard. There is no downside to being careful. Chev took his subordinate¡¯s advice into consideration. ¨C It¡¯ll be good to put a good amount of distance between the Big Smile and us. ¡°That might be for the best.¡± The talk about Big Smile ended there. His subordinate switched the topic. ¨C So when are you going to come over here? We are finished preparing for the Raid. Guild master just has to show up. Raid! That word had the effect of organizing the complicated thoughts inside Chev¡¯s head. He was like the Pavlov¡¯s Dog. Everything about Chev changed. ¡°After 6 hours, we¡¯ll immediately charge into the Raid.¡± He had to once again do remarkable feats as the hero of the battlefield. Chapter 87 : Corrupted Elf (1) Chapter 87 ¨C Corrupted Elf (1) 1. It was 10 meters long. It was a beast with two feet and two wings. It looked similar to a chicken. However, it had gray lizard-like scales instead of feathers. Its tail was long, reminiscent of a dinosaur¡¯s tail. Moreover, its comb was quite memorable. The red comb on top of its head was sharp like a blade and the wattle under its beak was letting out a soft light. It was letting out a strange foreboding feeling. The beak between the comb reminded one of a large spear. However, the most striking part of its appearance was its armor. It wore a red armor that was akin to a horse saddle. Its name was the Gray Cockatrice. It was a level 120 mid-sized monster. It was one of the many monsters that drank out of the Red Lake. One couldn¡¯t look down on it, but it was a monster one could take down if given the opportunity. The Garten Party had been hunting at the Red Lake for 4 weeks, and they had already caught 5 of these monsters. ¡°Shit!¡± However, their reaction was different from the last time they had met this particular monster. ¡°We caught a Corrupted monster last week yet it appeared once again? How is this possible?¡± The loud complaint was heard by the Gray Cockatrice, and it quickly turned its head. When it turned its head, one could see it in its eyes. It was as if a vast quantity of black ink had been dripped into a gray lake. The black energy was swirling inside the eyes. The ten users, who were part of the Garten Party, frowned as they saw the light in its eyes. ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°We have to fight it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be easy.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that bastard fast at moving? If we run, three to four of our party members will be killed. It¡¯s better to fight it right now, then ask for help.¡± At that moment¡­ ¡°It¡¯s about to bite!¡± One user who had been keeping an eye on the Gray Cockatrice let out a yell. Everyone¡¯s gaze focused on the Gray Cockatrice. They caught sight of its beak opening wide. Its open beak was wide enough to put a human head through. From the wide open beak¡­ Ggi-roo-roo-roo! An ear-piercing cry was let out. Instead of a sound, the bizarre cry transformed into wind and started to gust into the surrounding. The power of the wind was considerable as the plants filling the Red Lake started to tremble. In between the horrible shriek¡­ [Corrupted Gray Cockatrice let out a sudden roar.] [Every Stat will be reduced by 20%.] [You are feeling Fear. Your movement speed will be decreased by 15%.] They heard the announcement. [The Mysterious Soft Candy nullified the Fear and the Curse.] After hearing the announcement, the ten users heard a new announcement. They had already taken a consumable item. It was the effect of the Mysterious Soft Candy. Small fireworks were going off inside the mouth of the Ten Users. The very first ones to move was two users equipped with heavy armors, large shields, and powerful hammers. The two users boasted similar body size, and they ran towards the Gray Cockatrice, who was still letting out its bizarre cry. One of the user raised his hammer high, then yelled out. ¡°Lightning Stun!¡± Accompanying his shout, the thrown hammer spun like a wheel as it flew towards the monster. Pahjeek, pah-ji-jeek! As the hammer spun, it started creating lighting. The flying hammer changed its trajectory like a curveball, accurately striking the Gray Cockatrice on its head. Kwahng! The explosive sound reverberated and the Gray Cockatrice stopped letting out its cry. When the horrendous shriek stopped, the Gray Cockatrice focused its gaze on the user, who had thrown the hammer. The user, who had thrown the monster, readied himself for the imminent attack as he put the large shield in front of him. During all of this, the other 8 users were moving busily. The 3 Magicians readied their magic, and two Strikers quickly positioned themselves behind the Gray Cockatrice. Two Priests readied themselves behind the Magicians and a single priest shadowed a single Striker. There was a flurry of movements. At the height of the movement, a sound that notified the start of the battle was heard. Gga-gahng! It was the sound of the Gray Cockatrice¡¯s beak ramming hard into the tanker¡¯s shield. 2. ¡°Breaking news! Breaking news!¡± Smarwolf Village. The Smarwolf Village was the closest settlement near the Red Lake region, but it wasn¡¯t a large town. There were exactly 12 buildings in the entire village. The largest building was a 3 story building, which was occupied by the Subjugation Association. Of course, the users who had come to this place all gathered at the Subjugation Association¡¯s branch office. ¡°Garten Party was wiped out!¡± When the several dozen users gathered on the 1st floor heard the breaking news, it was as if hail was dropping on the surface of a lake. It created multiple ripples. ¡°The Garten Party?¡± ¡°I thought their average level was 127? They were wiped out, but how could they be wiped out at the Red Lake considering their level of skill?¡± ¡°In truth, they just graduated to those levels. They were hunting here to train.¡± People started developing doubts as to the validity of the news. However, their misgiving was cut off immediately when they heard this. ¡°They were killed by a Corrupted Gray Cockatrice!¡± It wasn¡¯t said by the user, who had yelled out the breaking news. Someone else had given the explanation. When the users heard the explanation, several of them let out a sigh of complaint. Poo-hoo! ¡°It¡¯s a Corrupted Monster again?¡± ¡°Recently, the Red Lake has been acting strange. It hasn¡¯t been like this before. Now the Corrupted Monsters regen almost regularly now.¡± ¡°We already caught one last week. It hasn¡¯t even been a whole week¡­. I don¡¯t think its a bug.¡± ¡°The Regen Time was probably changed.¡± It seemed this wasn¡¯t the first time such an occurrence had happened. No one moved around restlessly from confusion. Instead, several of them started giving their opinions. ¡°We can¡¯t just let it be. We have to catch it. Do we have to for a party like last time?¡± ¡°We could form a party, but would anyone join it? I calculated the profit and loss last time. I estimate each user who had joined the party had a loss of around 3-4 hundred gold.¡± ¡°They took a loss? I thought a lot of Ingredient Gems had dropped?¡± ¡°A lot of them died. They had to give compensation for those users who died, so there weren¡¯t any profit left.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too strong. The ones that are appearing recently are somehow worse. Aren¡¯t they showing up wearing armor? The 1st rate Raid teams of the 30 Great Guilds would probably have to do this. A party hastily constructed from the parties here won¡¯t get the job done.¡± The serious conversations continued. It happened once again in front of them. ¡°Breaking news!¡± A new breaking news had arrived. Everyone turned to look at the user, who had yelled out. The user spoke when everyone¡¯s gaze was on him. ¡°The Hahoe¡­¡­.¡± Before the user could end his sentence, the door to the Subjugation Association opened and a single user appeared. He had a light cloth armor that made one doubt if it gave any defense. The user looked to be wearing a taekwondo uniform, and his face was covered by a Korean traditional mask. It was a unique mask called the Hahoe Mask. ¡°¡­¡­Mask is coming this way.¡± ¡°We know. He¡¯s over there.¡± After hearing the reply, the user who had shouted out the breaking news turned his head. Everyone¡¯s gaze was on the new user, who had appeared. Their gazes headed towards Hyrkan. Instead of being confused by the gaze on him, Hyrkan pulled back his shoulders and he proudly stood with a straight back. ¡®Finally, my fame has reached this point. Kyahh. It really makes me want to play this game more.¡¯ 3. The Red Lake was a hunting ground for users over level 120. It was quite popular amongst the many hunting grounds. There were 3 reasons why this place was popular. First, level 120 medium to large monsters appeared here. The important point was that the Boss Monsters didn¡¯t show up here. Instead, the normal mid to large sized monsters appeared here. Most of the mid to large sized monsters one meets in Warlord was Boss Monsters. The 30 Great Guilds and even the Underfoot Guilds was able to use Boss Monsters as practice partners. This wasn¡¯t true for normal parties or the small guilds. So this stage was a great place to practice for a Boss Monster Raid. Secondly, the EXP given here was worth its time. Even a single mid to large sized monsters gave a great amount of EXP, so one didn¡¯t have to try so hard to catch a lot of them. The amount of ingredient coins one could acquire was significant, and the probability of a Gem Ingredient showing up was high. The third reason was the rule. Since only the high level users gathered here, it was hard to act with bad manners. This stage had the strongest unwritten rule amongst the hunting grounds, so it was possible to focus solely on hunting. The most important reason amongst the three was the first one. Users had to know how to hunt mid to large sized monsters. It was only then would one be able to enjoy Raids. Raids were the flower of Warlord. If one didn¡¯t know how to raid, one would have to level up only by catching regular mid to large sized monsters. It would be very boring. This was why this hunting ground was packed. If there wasn¡¯t an open spot in a party, one had to take a ticket. One would have to wait one¡¯s turn. ¡°Spot? There are a lot of spots open right now.¡± Luckily, a spot opened up when Hyrkan arrived. It wasn¡¯t just one. Multiple spots opened up. Hyrkan titled his head in confusion. ¡°From what I heard, there weren¡¯t any spots left, and there was a 2 day waiting period.¡± ¡°A party was just wiped out right now. This caused several parties to give up and leave towards a different location¡± Hyrkan once again tilted his head in puzzlement. At that moment, someone had approached Hyrkan from his back. Hyrkan slowly turned his head to look behind him. He saw a man. He was a user wearing decent armor. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. His appearance was striking. The man asked a question as he looked at Hyrkan. ¡°You are the Hahoe Mask?¡± Hyrkan¡¯s eyes narrowed. He had too many enemies, so his heart was filled with suspicion instead of being filled with welcoming feelings. ¡°Since I can¡¯t show you my face, I can¡¯t prove my identity. However, I am operating under the name of the Hahoe Mask.¡± With those words, Hyrkan looked at the other man¡¯s item setting. ¡®His level¡­¡­ Well, he seems to be around level 120.¡± Truthfully, he had no idea what items this user was wearing. It wasn¡¯t as if Hyrkan had memorized every item. Moreover, the item¡¯s design could be changed solely at the user¡¯s discretion. Unless there was a special ingredient that was being displayed, it was hard to discern the identity of an item just by looking at its design. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Pelato. I¡¯m affiliated with the Golden Brothers guild.¡± Golden Brothers. At that point, Hyrkan let out a sigh of relief. ¡®He isn¡¯t an enemy..¡¯ He was well acquainted with this guild. They were the guild who had increased in strength alongside the Hahoe Mask Guild. The Hahoe Mask Guild and the Golden Brother Guild attempted to seize the stranglehold held by the 30 Great Guilds. They were a famous guild that represented the Underfoot guilds. Currently, they boasted a force that was comparable to one of the 30 Great Guilds. However, he had never heard of the name Pelato. ¡®It basically means he is a smallfry.¡¯ It was either one of two things. He had a reason to stop playing this game or as Hyrkan suspected, this guy wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. ¡°Golden Brothers. I¡¯ve never fostered a bad relationship with such an amazing guild. What do you want with me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here to cause a fight. I¡¯m just here to give you a proposal.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s about entering your guild, I¡¯ll decline.¡± Hyrkan had a slight pain in his stomach as he gave his answer. ¡®Ah, the recruitment proposal by the Red Bulls was fantastic.¡¯ He thought about the recent conversation he had with Chev. After that conversation, he researched the recent profit the Red Bulls had pulled from showing ads on their live channel programs. As he started calculating the figure, an amount that made his insides hurt appeared. Hyrkan had refused such a massive offer, so he had no reasons to accept the recruitment proposal of the Golden Brothers. The Golden Brothers didn¡¯t try to recruit him. ¡°Would you like to catch the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice with us?¡± Hyrkan tilted his head in confusion at the proposal. This was the third time someone ask him to join their party. ¡®Corrupted?¡¯ When he understood the situation, the light in Hyrkan¡¯s eyes changed. Corrupted Gray Cockatrice. ¡®Isn¡¯t this killing two birds with one stone?¡¯ I¡¯m sure now. This is evidence that the Corrupted Elf is here. Hyrkan corrected his posture. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t have the spare time to do that. I¡¯ve already made plans. I don¡¯t want to deviate from what I have to do.¡± It would be the worst plan for him to accept their proposal. Hyrkan¡¯s true target wasn¡¯t the Corrupted Monster. His target was the Corrupted Elf who was making these Corrupted monsters. Of course, he would have immediately turned down the proposal even if he didn¡¯t have something else to do. ¡®The fact that he is giving me this proposal means his party is an improvised party. There¡¯s a limit to what an improvised party could do at this stage.¡¯ Chemistry was important. Even if everyone was skilled users, it was hard to develop chemistry on the spot. Moreover, even if he was famous, this was the first time Hyrkan had stepped on this stage from Pelato¡¯s perspective. It meant he needed a sacrificial lamb. Pelato needed the weight behind Hyrkan¡¯s name. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t a pushover who would immediately accept this proposal. He only looked like a pushover. Pelato also stared at Hyrkan. ¡°Too bad. I wanted to fight in sync with the famous Hahoe Mask.¡± Pelato turned his back towards Hyrkan. Hyrkan¡¯s eyes narrowed as he looked at the user¡¯s back. ¡®It seems they are trying to catch it through any means possible¡­ Is there any way I¡¯ll be able to use the Golden Brothers?¡¯ Hyrkan started to form a plot. Chapter 88 : Corrupted Elf (2) Chapter 88 ¨C Corrupted Elf (2) 4. Hyrkan looked at the Red Lake in front of his eyes. If he calculated the size of the lake, it would be around 30 pyeong. It wasn¡¯t small, but one couldn¡¯t call it large either. Instead of a lake, it was closer to a collection of ponds. The water that filled the lake to the brim was red like its name indicated. However, this red color didn¡¯t give off an ominous feeling. The water gave off a feeling as if it would taste like a sour fruit if one drank it. Hyrkan squatted in front of the lake. He cupped his hands, and he gathered the water into his mouth. It tasted like an unripe fruit. A slight tanginess and a fresh bitterness swirled around inside his mouth. ¡®It¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve tasted this.¡¯ Of course, it wasn¡¯t tasty. No one would search this place out to come taste this water. It tasted like soju to Hyrkan. It wasn¡¯t tasty. However, when he drank it, the taste reminded him of something. For a brief moment, Hyrkan soaked in his memories. ¡®This is the place where I refined my basic skills. I was able to confirm my potential here and it allowed me to have a dream.¡¯ In the initial phase of forming the Hahoe Mask guild, they were extremely poor. Everyone didn¡¯t have money, so they equipped lower level items or even the normal Rank items. Since their item specs were lacking, it had been really hard to hunt. There were times when they located monster corpses that were thrown away because users were lazy to butcher the corpses or they were left behind for some other reason. Sometimes, that would be the only time they felt pleasure. They ignored the Quests; they didn¡¯t even dream about getting titles. They focused on hunting to level up as fast as they could. The Hahoe Mask Guild had gone through considerable amount of difficulties, but they were able to reach level 100. After going through their Advancement, they were ready to begin Raiding in earnest. With that in mind, they had come to the Red Lake to train. This was where he had seen the possibilities. Hyrkan had shown his potential and the confidence that he could do this was gained here! He wouldn¡¯t be the best, but he was confident he could get the job done. Hyrkan¡¯s presence gave confidence to the Hahoe Mask guild. It also bolstered his own confidence. He was able to see his own potential. ¡®Hmmm.¡¯ Now it was all just bitter memories. Hyrkan shook the remaining lake water off his hands. Hyrkan stood up and raised his gaze. Hyrkan¡¯s eyes already picked up something moving underwater towards him from the distance. ¡®It¡¯s already here.¡¯ Hyrkan was standing next to the lake. This was where monsters came to sate their thirst. All the monsters living at the Red Lake had the habit of drinking from this lake. This was why they made the lake their territory. The Red Lake had several dozen pond sized lakes like the one in front of him. If a user wanted to hunt here, each of these lakes were a stage set up for the users. Currently, the one coming towards him were Hyrkan¡¯s monster. Of course, Hyrkan got ready to greet to it. Hyrkan picked an underling that will greet it. ¡®Of course, it has to be this one.¡¯ He had already picked out an underling that will greet this monster. Ssoohk! Hyrkan took out a Skeleton Fragment. This wasn¡¯t the regular Bone Fragment he carried around. Gem. The Skeleton Fragment was made by carving a Gem ingredient. The appearance of the Skeleton Fragment looked similar to a Skeleton Warrior with its Bone Armor on. However, there were differences. The design of the Bone Armor was slightly different compared to the one Hyrkan summoned. Moreover, the Skeleton Warriors only wore pieces of an armor. This one was completely encased in armor, and the biggest difference was that this Skeleton Warrior held a shield. This was a Skeleton Fragment of a Skeleton Knight. Hyrkan threw the Skeleton Knight Fragment on the floor. The thrown gem quickly morphed into the Skeleton Knight. The corner of his mouth lifted as he looked at the Skeleton Knight. ¡®It is cool no matter when I see it.¡¯ It was well over 2 meters tall and it had a heavy build. The Skeleton Knight¡¯s aura and strength couldn¡¯t be compared to the Skeleton Warriors. However, the difference wasn¡¯t only in its size. It didn¡¯t have the aura of fragility that a normal Skeleton Warrior possessed. There was a pure and elegant light twinkling between its skull. As it let out its breathe, a dark smoke came out from between its mouth and it subsided. This process repeated itself. [Special ability ¡®Chivalry¡¯ was activated.] [Special ability ¡®Leader¡¯ was activated.] On top of all that, the Skeleton Knight made its presence known as the System Announcement range out. These were the Skeleton Knight¡¯s special abilities. Chivalry and Leader was active. Chivalry was an option that proportionally increased the Stat of a Skeleton Knight as the number of Skeleton Warriors increased. Every time a single Skeleton Warrior was added, the Skeleton Knight¡¯s Stats was increased by 5 percent. Currently, the Stat could be increased up to 25%. The Leader was a special ability that increased the Stat of the Skeleton Warriors, who fought close to the Skeleton Knight. Currently, it increased their Stat by 10%. Moreover, the Leader skill stack with the Skeleton Science and Madness Helm. When a Skeleton Knight was nearby, the Skeleton Warrior and Magician¡¯s attack capability became quite scary. Moreover, the Skeleton Knight had a passive option. Even at Rank F, it allowed him to summon 3 additional Skeletons. Hyrkan didn¡¯t stop there. Hyrkan spread his Skeleton Fragments. Eight Skeleton Warriors and two Skeleton Magicians appeared. Hyrkan once again spread another batch of Skeleton Fragments. Nine Fragments were thrown. Seven Skeleton Warriors and two Skeleton Magicians appeared. He had a total of nineteen! If he included the Skeleton Knight, he had twenty! This was the maximum amount of force Hyrkan could currently summon. Hyrkan smiled as he saw the group of Skeletons. ¡®It isn¡¯t on Rich Lich¡¯s level, but I feel a bit more like a Necromancer now.¡¯ In front of Hyrkan¡­. Koo-roo-roo! The group of Skeletons looked towards the Red Lake. An enormous 20 meter long lizard appeared with its guards up. There were 5 spear-like thorns growing out of its back. The striking Thorn Lizard flicked its tongue. This was for his video¡¯s view count. His supporting actor had appeared. 5. Ko-oohng! The large Thorn Lizard charged directly into the Skeleton Knight¡¯s shield. Choo-choo-choo! The Skeleton Knight was being pushed back but it wasn¡¯t bowled over. It stayed upright as it resisted. Koohng, koohng! The Thorn Lizard ket ramming the shield as it tried to topple the Skeleton Knight. Ddul-gooluk, ddul-gooluk! The Skeleton Warriors flew at the Thorn Lizard like arrows. A couple climbed atop the Thorn Lizard¡¯s body and several moved around its body, swinging their swords. Shweek, shweek! The tough leather of the Thorn Lizard didn¡¯t allow the Skeleton Warriors to make deep wounds. However, the Skeleton Warriors were equipped with expensive weapons so they were most definitely hurting the monster. Keeeee, keeeee! The Thorn Lizard let out a cry when it was wounded. It started to turn away from the Skeleton Knight as it let out a cry. It planned on sweeping all of its enemy with its large body, turning like the hand of a clock. The large monster was 20 meters long and it was spinning with all its might. Several Skeleton Warriors were sent flying by its movement. However, the Skeleton Knight wasn¡¯t sent flying. It jumped over the flying tail to avoid it and brought its sword down as it landed. Poo-haht! The Skeleton Knight¡¯s sword made a long and deep wound on the body of the Thorn Lizard. Keeeeee! The Thorn Lizard stopped its movement, glaring at the Skeleton Knight. Hwa-roo-roo! During all of this, 4 large fireballs headed towards the body of the Thorn Lizard in an arc. On the other side of the Skeleton Knight, the Skeleton Magicians were using the Golem as a castle wall. They had thrown their magic spells. The fireballs fell on the spine of the Thorn Lizard, after which the flames began to spread instantly. Hwa-roo-roo! The flames looked like a mane. After the Skeleton Magician threw their magic, they started to cast their second magic spell. Their two bony hands were raised in front of each other, and a small fireball started to form in between their palms. The Skeleton Magicians started moving their hands around as if they were playing with it, and the fireballs started to increase in size. The Thorn Lizard immediately threw its body towards the Skeleton Magicians. Koo-oohng! However, the Golem wouldn¡¯t allow it to harm the Skeleton Magicians. The Golem used its body to block the Thorn Lizard¡¯s charge. As expected, the Golem was pushed back, but it didn¡¯t fall down. Keeeeee! The Thorn Lizard couldn¡¯t hold back its anger, so it let out a roar. At that moment, 4 Skeleton Warriors on its horn started to move. The Skeleton Warriors didn¡¯t show any signs of fear as they threw their body towards the incomparably large Lizard. The only spectator of this sight was Hyrkan. He took out a candy from his pocket and put it in his mouth. Bbah-doo-dook! He immediately chewed on the candy. Gulp gulp! Then he immediately took out a small bottle, downing the content in a single gulp. Gulp gulp! He finished it off with a gum. Hyrkan chewed furiously, trying to extract the sweetness from the gum as soon as possible. Hyrkan continuously eating all of these items, and his expression didn¡¯t look too great. ¡®I don¡¯t have any magical energy left.¡¯ Twenty Skeletons and a Golem was battling the Lizard. It was the best stage for a Necromancer to showcase his abilities. However, the magic power he needed for this stage was beyond Hyrkan¡¯s capabilities. The result was predictable. Hyrkan hadn¡¯t focused his entire Stat on Magic Powers, so it strained his resources to control this many troops at once. Beside the fact that he was overextending himself, it was also a waste of resources. Of course, Hyrkan knew this truth. Still, there was a reason why he chose to do it this way. ¡®Yes. The footage will come out great.¡¯ He had to catch two rabbits here. First, he had turned level 100 and needed a full-scale footage of how a Necromancer fights. It was the same for all the Classes, but the Classes became much different once one goes through the Advancement. Moreover, the footage of a Necromancer over level 100 was rare. The footage he would produce this time was basically a lottery ticket that was guaranteed to win. Moreover, he had to let his presence be known. He had to make them realize the Hahoe Mask wasn¡¯t some unique Necromancer. He had to make people realize that Necromancer Class was strong in itself. This would deter scrubs from picking a fight with Hyrkan. ¡®My proficiency is rising too.¡¯ The second reason was the Proficiency of his Skills. If he wanted to raise his Skill Rank, he had to use it a lot in battle. It would be in his interest to use his skills in various types of battle. It was especially helpful in increasing in rank when one fought against medium to large monsters. The problem was it was very hard to hunt a mid-sized monster on the normal fields. Most of the mid-sized monsters were Boss monsters. If one wanted to Rank up the lacking Skills, it was best to overuse it at the most suitable stage. If one had the funds, this was the most wise course of action. This was why Hyrkan had bound his hands behind his back, and he started eating numerous recovery items. ¡®Still, I¡¯ll be broke when the hunting ends here¡­ For a while, I¡¯ll have to eat the cheap ramen.¡¯ Of course, his inside hurt. His one week worth of grocery fee was being drained away as if he was drinking water. There was no way he would feel comfortable inside. Except¡­ ¡®Still, they fought very well.¡¯ His hurting insides were soothed by the fact that his Skeleton Warriors were fighting well even without his instructions. A message suddenly arrived during all of this. Every user at the Red Lake joined a community when they came here, and someone had sent a note to the entire community. Hyrkan opened the note and took a glance at it. [The Corrupted Gray Cockatrice is moving north.] Hyrkan frowned when he saw the warning message. ¡®They still haven¡¯t caught it.¡¯ Corrupted Gray Cockatrice. The estimated level of the monster was between 130 and 140. The level wasn¡¯t low not by a long shot. Moreover, this one had the title of Corrupted. This wasn¡¯t a regular monster. One would have to consider it a Boss monster. ¡®Of course, they can¡¯t catch it.¡¯ Currently, if one wanted to take down a level 140 Boss monster, the 30 Great Guild¡¯s 1st string Raid teams would have to take care of this. However, the Raid team¡¯s schedule was tight. The schedule was planned out a week in advance. They couldn¡¯t suddenly change their schedule because a monster had suddenly appeared at the Red Lake. It wasn¡¯t an easy task to make such a change. ¡®Moreover, it¡¯s probably burdensome to come here.¡¯ At the same time, the Red Lake was a stage where someone couldn¡¯t claim it. It was a precious location. It had the nickname of being the Raid Training Facility. Various guilds and unaffiliated users treasured this place. If someone claimed this location for themselves, there would be a quick revolt. A problem appeared at an ownerless house. Who would want to solve such a problem in earnest? ¡®Nobody would volunteer themselves to catch this monster.¡¯ The most crucial problem was the fact that the users here were worth a lot. Hyrkan was the only level 100 user here. Most of the users here were over level 120, and there were a good number of level 130 users here. Their levels would put them in the top 1% of Warlord. It was hard to reach this point just through pure skills. These users started playing Warlord from the beginning, and they had spent an incredible amount of money in this game. These users didn¡¯t think of Warlord as a game. They thought of it as a way of life. These users were quick at calculating and forming judgements. Of course, they would be able to calculate the risks. ¡®Did he say his name was Pelato?¡¯ He spoke opposite of what everyone wanted to do. He had stepped forward saying he wanted to catch the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice. This basically meant Pelato probably had an ulterior motive. There was only one announcement posted up in the community board. It was an announcement trying to gather members for an attack force for the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice. Pelato was affiliated with the Golden Brothers. However, he was publicly gathering volunteers to hunt down the Corrupted monster. ¡®There must be some merit to doing this if he willing to take this risk.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t pinpoint what Pelato was aiming for. However, Hyrkan knew Pelato wasn¡¯t doing this, because he loved the Red Lake. Hyrkan put on a bloody smile when he thought about Pelato¡¯s appearance. ¡®I¡¯ll wait and bide my time.¡¯ Truthfully, Hyrkan was in a hurry. He had to kill the monster to gain a hint regarding the Corrupted Elf. If the 30 Great guilds got involved, Hyrkan¡¯s option of intervening would disappear. Still, it was also true that Hyrkan won¡¯t be able to catch this monster by himself. It would be wise to cooperate with Pelato. However, he didn¡¯t feel the need to extend his hand out first. He¡¯ll wait. Pelato will come to him with an attractive offer at a later time. That will especially be true if he sees the footage Hyrkan would be uploading soon. Pelato would have to bet large to win over Hyrkan. Hyrkan let out a smile. ¡®Luck is running my way.¡¯ 6. Pelato. He was affiliated with the Underfoot guild named Golden Brothers. He had a background where most Warlord users would be envious of him. He was level 134. He was comfortably in the top level range, and his item setting wasn¡¯t inferior to anyone. However, there was a reason why he was at the Red Lake. His standing within the Golden Brothers wasn¡¯t that great, and the fact that he was here was the greatest proof. ¡®I¡¯ll catch this monster. I¡¯ll prove my ability and I¡¯ll enter the first string team.¡¯ If he was really skilled, he wouldn¡¯t be here. He would be one of the members carrying out the Raids for the Golden Brothers. His skill was lacking. He was sent to the Red Lake so he could become more skilled. Basically, he was a 2nd string member. This was Pelato¡¯s current circumstances. Of course, Pelato didn¡¯t like his current situation. Moreover, he didn¡¯t think his skills were lacking compared to the 1st string members. He speculated the reason why he couldn¡¯t become 1st string member was because there weren¡¯t any spots open on the 1st team. ¡®I have to¡­¡­.¡¯ He had waited patiently until now. However, the recent round of rumors was making him desperate. ¡®I have to become a 1st string member before there is a guild merge.¡¯ The Big Smile Guild was on shaky grounds, so several Underfoot guilds including Golden Brothers were thinking about merging. There was a well-known rumor that the merged Underfoot Guilds were going to gun for Big Smile guild¡¯s position. It was only a rumor, but there was a good chance that it might happen. If the rumor turned out to be true, Pelato would gain a lot more competition. This was why he had to solidify himself as a 1st string member before such events came to pass. This was the reason why he was aiming for the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice. This monster was basically a Boss monster. If he had a crucial role in taking it down, he would be re-evaluated by his guild. He won¡¯t be immediately put into the 1 string team, but it would put his career back on track in becoming a member of the Raid team. The problem right now was that there weren¡¯t enough volunteers. ¡®I have to catch the monster at all cost. I¡¯ve formed three parties by gathering the volunteers, but there are only 16 of us¡­. At the very least, I need to gather 30 members.¡¯ Most of the users that came to Red Lake had left after determining they had to spare their own lives. Many users determined it would be better to hunt at a different hunting ground. In this kind of situation, there was one way to increase the volunteers. One had to provide a merit that¡¯ll allow them to overcome the risks. However, Pelato didn¡¯t have enough power to provide such merits. There was no way his guild would help him. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ His worries were soon solved. ¨C Pelato. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s been awhile.¡± ¨C Yes. How have you been? ¡°Same as always.¡± ¨C Anyways, I heard you are publicly gathering members for Raiding the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice? ¡°The rumor has spread that far?¡± ¨C I don¡¯t need rumors to know about such things. I just need a single search to know about it. Anyways, there is someone who wants to speak with you. What do you want to do? Do you want to speak to this person? ¡°Who is it?¡± ¨C It¡¯s a person from the Apollo Guild. They are a guild with a significant amount of capital behind them. They want to speak with you. It was the Apollo Guild. Chapter 89 : Corrupted Elf (3) Chapter 89 ¨C Corrupted Elf (3) 7. ¡°The consumable items needed in the Raid will be provided.Level 120 Unique items will be loaned out to you.¡± The offer was sweet. ¡°This is my condition.During the Raid, you have to lure the Hahoe Mask into a Game over.¡± The price he had to pay was also terrifying. For a moment, this was why Pelato worried over the decision after hearing the full story.The proposal was too sweet to dismiss it immediately, yet it was too burdensome to accept it. The man from the Apollo guild had to reformulate the proposal. ¡°I am loaning out the Unique items as compensation.If you succeed in this, I¡¯ll just give you the ones you used.¡± He had put another weight on the scale, and the scale was tipping to one side. ¡°All right.¡± Pelato accepted the offer. 8. [Your level has increased.] [Skeleton Science Skill Rank has risen to Rank B.] It had been 3 days since he started hunting at the Red Lake.Hyrkan finally experienced his first Level Up at the Red Lake. After finishing his Level Up, he immediately opened the Red Lake Community Board on the hologram window.Hyrkan didn¡¯t show any interest in the large monster he had just caught. It was because there was a post about the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice. ¡®There is a fair number of people gathered now.¡¯ The content of the recruitment notice was significantly different from the one he saw from 3 days ago. There were two big changes. The consumable items needed for the Monster Raid will be provided by Pelato, and if needed, he will loan out Unique items. If one had money, it wasn¡¯t a difficult thing to do. ¡®So where did he get all that money from?¡¯ The consumable items and the loaned items would cost a pretty penny. Of course, since Pealto was making such a big investment, the footage rights was given to him.Moreover, he would get 30% of all the ingredient coins and gems earned from this Raid. On the other hand, if they failed on the first try, he would lose a lot of personal capital in this venture. Anyways, Pelato¡¯s attempt worked. The previously slow to fill Raid attack force was quickly filled with participants.Currently, 25 users had joined the group. This was within the range of possibility. However, there was a reason why Hyrkan was more sensitive to this job.Hyrkan checked the content of the message he received during his previous battle. [Participation Bonus 5 thousand gold.Success Bonus 20 thousand gold.] ¡®A total of 25,000 gold.¡¯ If he participated in this Raid, he would be given 5 thousand gold.Moreover, twenty thousand gold would be given if the hunt was successful! Pelato was betting an enormous amount of gold on him. ¡®He is laying it on strong.¡¯ In the beginning, the Participation Bonus was 2 thousand gold, and the Success Bonus was 10 thousand gold. The amount had doubled. However, it wasn¡¯t as if there wasn¡¯t a good reason why it had increased.Yesterday, Hyrkan had uploaded the battle footage of him fighting the large Thorn Lizard.The responses he got back was very favorable.It had been sufficient enough to drive up Hyrkan¡¯s price. However, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t accept this situation at face value. ¡®If it was me, I wouldn¡¯t bet this much.¡¯ The merit of having Hyrkan join the public enlistment wasn¡¯t small. It would be easier to gather additional members through Hyrkan¡¯s reputation.Moreover, the probability of succeeded the raid on the 1st try increased significantly. Even if one considered those factors, Pelato¡¯s bet was ill-advised.Moreover, he probably hadn¡¯t given this offer to everyone.He probably gave it to Hyrkan only. If someone other than Hyrkan found out about this, there would be infighting within the group. ¡®I¡¯m sure there is something going on here.¡¯ If Pelato had the capital to make such an offer, Pelato would have given it during the first meeting.Why was he so desperate now?It was most definitely strange to see him make such a reckless bet. ¡°Hmmm.¡± Normally, he wouldn¡¯t touch such work when there might be a secret plot behind it. The problem was Hyrkan was also in a bad spot. ¡®I have to catch it.¡¯ Currently, the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice¡¯s infamy was rising.The Raid teams that were capable of taking down this monster were finishing up their scheduled plans, and they would soon come up with new plans on what they would do. The Corrupted monsters were still worth a lot.This was especially true for the highest level users with the Corrupted Items.It was a chance to obtain additional Corrupted Set items. If a little bit more time passed, he was sure the 30 great guilds would move. Of course, he had to catch it before them.If he wanted to personally take down the the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice, this was his only chance. ¡®I have no choice.¡¯ He had no choice to grab the dirty hand of the user, who was full of secret plans. This was the reason why he was worried. 9. ¡°The bastard¡¯s targeting priority is magic.If it is hit with magic, it will target the magicians.To draw the aggro from it, one has to deliver two consecutive effective blows to the bastard.¡± There were 35 total users, which amounted to 6 parties. They had all gathered there to catch the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice, who was making a mess of the Red Lake.Pelato stood in front of them as if he was delivering a speech, and he started explaining the plan for the Raid. ¡°This monster also has Fear.It will decrease everyone¡¯s Stats, and our movement will be slowed. So, please eat the candy.If you are exposed to the Fear, retreat to the back.Also, if you are exposed to the Fear and retreat to the back, you will receive a demerit.As your demerit starts to stack, you will receive penalty when we are distributing the ingredient coins and gems.¡± Pelato was very serious as he gave his speech. However, the content of his speech wasn¡¯t that special.If one was a user over level 100 in Warlord, these were instructions one would already know even if it wasn¡¯t said out loud to them.The participants expected there would be some special content to his speech, but the participants¡¯ expression became apathetic. It was the same for Hyrkan. ¡®He doesn¡¯t have any additional information.This means he only has the standard tactics to use in the attack.¡¯ ¡°Since we don¡¯t know what¡¯s beyond phase 1, let¡¯s play it by the book.¡± Pelato spoke exactly what Hyrkan had been thinking.However, it wasn¡¯t as if Hyrkan was the only one, who was having such thoughts. Several party members put on an expression as if to say this was all to be expected. However¡­ ¡°Before the magic attack, we have to shave off as much defense off of the monster. We¡¯ll focus on the Armor Break. There will be 3 users assigned to the role of Strikers, and the three users will alternate with each other to attack the monster.The group will consist of Umyo Party¡¯s Diong, 1945 Party¡¯s Naple,and Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. The three of them will make up the group.¡± At that point, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help, but change his expression. ¡®What?¡¯ Hyrkan looked at Pelato through the eye holes of the Hahoe Mask.Pelato also looked at Hyrkan, and when their eyes met, Pelato turned his gaze away. He was most definitely avoiding Hyrkan¡¯s gaze. ¡®Why am I assigned as a Striker?¡¯ Once again, Hyrkan had doubts. It was true that he could fill in the role of a Striker well. The Armor Break skill he had shown when taking down the Bear Warrior and Helm Ogre won him a lot of admiration.An average Striker wouldn¡¯t be able to put forth his name next to Hyrkan. However, Hyrkan had done the Armor Break, since he was soloing. When it comes down to it, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t a Striker.Hyrkan didn¡¯t mind doing it, but this Raid team had 6 Strikers. So why was he insisting on putting Hyrkan into the Striker group? ¡®Is he trying to fuck me over?¡¯ Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t like it. Before he had returned to the past, it had been the same.The Striker position suited him the most.Hyrkan knew this.However, he also knew the dangers. One had to stick to the body of the large monster to continuously attack.It was basically riding a sports car with no brakes. Moreover, Hyrkan had recently displayed his strong power as a Necromancer. Hyrkan¡¯s eyes narrowed. However, he didn¡¯t react. ¡®All right.¡¯ If this was Pelato¡¯s secret plan, it would be better to antagonize Pelato after he reveals his secret design.If he bothered him right now, Pelato could just deny it with his words. ¡®I¡¯ll go along with it.For now¡­¡¯ This was why Hyrkan allowed himself to be manipulated. ¡®However, if you mess with me, it will cost you much more than your watch.¡¯ 10. Ggiiiiiii! It had been a while, since the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice had discovered a prey.It expressed itshappiness. Three tankers equipped with enormous armors and shields were in place in front of the monster. Three hidden figures were on the other side watching this sight.It was Hyrkan and the two other Strikers, who were tasked with the same mission. However, it wasn¡¯t the role of Tankers nor the Strikers to send out the first salvo. ¡°Ready your magic!¡± Pelato, who was one of the tankers, yelled out. As if they were trying to encompass the surrounding, the magicians raised the magic they had finished casting.Each of their hands held either fire, ice, lightning or wind. ¡°Attack!¡± When Pelato¡¯s command finally came down, ten magic spells headed towards the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice, which was running towards the Tankers. Ten had been sent. Eight of the ten magic spells hit the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice¡¯s body. Keeeee! The Corrupted Gray Cockatrice let out a shriek as it explicitly expressed its pain. However, the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice was fine considering the number of magic that been used on its body.Parts of its body was blackened, and the gray feathers were burnt.Blood dripped out of the deep wounds.However, if one took into account of its big body, it didn¡¯t look like critical wounds. It only gave pain to the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice. It was wounded just enough to stoke its anger. The Corrupted Gray Cockatrice searched its surrounding with its eyes.It looked for the magicians, who had sent the magic spells. Something came flying towards its beak. Kwahng! A hammer spun towards it as it let out lightning. Keeeee, keeeee! The Cockactrice immediately shook its head when it was hit by the hammer. After hitting the beak, the hammer returned to its master. ¡°Ooh-rah-cha-cha!¡± The hammer¡¯s owner was already close to the Cockatrice. The Cockatrice was still shaking its head as it tried to get rid of the Stun effect.However, the Cockatrice was still trying to chase the magicians instead of the Tanker, who had swung his hammer. However¡­ Puh-uhk! After regaining his hammer once again, he brought down the hammer on the Cockatrice¡¯s body! Keeeet! The Cockatrice¡¯s head turned quickly towards the Tanker.The Tanker gritted his teeth as he immediately raised his shield. Kwah-jeek! As soon as he raised his shield, the Cockatrice¡¯s sharp beak impacted on the shield.If he had been slightly late, his body would have suffered the same fate as his shield. Its power was immense.The shield had been pierced as the beak needed only couple centimeters more depth to break through the shield.The sharp part of the beak was dug in so deep that one could see through the shield. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to hold on like this.The buffs aren¡¯t enough.¡¯ ¡°Thousand Geun Weight!¡± The Tanker sensed he won¡¯t be able to resist the monster easily, so he used his Skill.His weight increased as he became rooted in place. There was no retreat! It seemed the beak attack on the Tanker¡¯s shield wasn¡¯t enough for the monster.It started to stomp with its foot. Kwahng, kwahng! The enormous monster didn¡¯t show any signs of holding back its strength.While the Tanker was blocking all of the Cockatrice¡¯s attack, the Strikers moved. ¨C The Hahoe Mask is moving. ¨C Everyone get ready! The first one to move was Hyrkan. When they saw Hyrkan move, the rest of the party members moved along with him. The Strikers on standby switched positions with the Tankers and Magicians. Finally, Hyrkan had closed the distance with the Cockatrice.In a breath, he got on the Cockatrice¡¯s body using his swift movements. Hyrkan¡¯s eyes surveyed the wounds on the Cockatrice¡¯s spine.He chose one of them as he stabbed his sword into the wound. Poo-oohk! It was a level 100 Unique item.Hyrkan boasted Strength stat that was higher than most swordsman, so his attack couldn¡¯t be weak. Keeeee! The Cockatrice had been distracted by the Tanker, but the power of the blow made the Cockatrice take notice. At that moment¡­ Puh-uhng! An enormous fireball impacted on the Cockatrice¡¯s head, and it popped like a water balloon. The exploding ball of fire covered the entirety of the Cockatrice¡¯s face then it disappeared. Of course, the Cockatrice¡¯s gaze headed towards the magician, who had used the magic.The monster¡¯s interest in Hyrkan disappeared, and Hyrkan was able to breathe. ¡®Hoo-ooh!¡¯ The Tanker predicted the Cockatrice¡¯s move, so he got in place. Hyrkan grabbed his embedded sword, and he waited for the next opportunity. ¡®They are controlling the Aggro pretty well.¡¯ The Aggro was being controlled much better than he thought it would be.The Tankers and Magicians had good chemistry.Also, Pelato¡¯s directions were easy to follow. Of course¡­. ¡®I don¡¯t know how far we can go on like this.¡¯ Of course, the first one or two pass went well for any Raids.Now they would have to repeat this process couple dozen times to couple hundred times. During this process, even one mistake would result in someone paying the price. Hyrkan bit his lips.Of course, Hyrkan had no thoughts of bearing that price. At that moment¡­ Kwahhng! An enormous fireball took Hyrkan by surprise. 12. Flame Strike magic. It was a level 80 Rare rank magic.It was the main magic used by Flame magicians, who wanted to deal serious damage. Basically, the magic boasted a strong striking power. The Striker, who was on the back of the monster attempting an Armor Break, was touched by this powerful magic.It was the worst type of accident one could commit. ¡°Who sent that?¡± Pelato, who had witnessed it from nearby, let out a desperate shout. ¨C I¡­I mixed up the signal. A reply was given immediately. ¡°Get a hold of yourself!¡± Pelato spat out another word. However, the situation only allowed limited conversation. ¨C What should we do? ¨C Give us the next order, commander! If an accident happened, the situation usually turned in a state of emergency. This was the case right now.The Cockatrice was hit by an unexpected attack, and it was heading towards the Mage.It was heading towards a direction where a Tanker couldn¡¯t be dispatched. Normally, when one used magic, a Tanker was placed between the mage and the monster.The Tanker would immediately block the monster once it starts to chase the magician. Basically, a Tanker couldn¡¯t block the Cockatrice right now. There were only two answers to this situation. ¨C Reset? ¨C Retreat? In this situation, they had to either run away or reset the Raid. If they ran away, they all had to scatter.It was basically an announcement to give up on the battle. Reset was basically returning to the initial condition of the Raid.In a situation like this, the magicians would send their magic towards the monster like they did in the beginning.There would be too many targets, so the Aggro would reset.The only problem with the reset was the fact that one couldn¡¯t guarantee Hyrkan¡¯s life, who was hanging off of the monster¡¯s back. Hyrkan¡¯s item setting wasn¡¯t that high on magic defense, and his Stamina stat wasn¡¯t high either.If magic spells rained down on him, he wouldn¡¯t survive the experience. ¡®Of course¡­¡­.¡¯ However, Pelato had already made his decision.He had already decided this course of action two days ago. ¡°Res¡­¡­.¡± They would reset. The magicians would once again send their magic spells at once. That was the plan, but¡­¡­. ¨C I¡¯ll block it. The situation went sideways. Ten Skeleton Warriors suddenly appeared on the body of the running Cockatrice. The Skeleton Warriors that had appeared started to ruthlessly stab at the Cockatrice¡¯s body. Keeeee! The Cockatrice let out a long cry, and it started to roll on the ground. The magicians, who were about to throw the magic spell in their hand, swallowed their spit.Pelato also swallowed the word he was about to yell out. ¨C The situation has been straightened. Only one person spoke within the silence. ¨C The bastard, who threw the magic by mistake, should stay out of this battle.If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll consider PKing you. Hyrkan spat out those words. Chapter 90 : Corrupted Elf (4) Chapter 90 ¨C Corrupted Elf (4) 13. ¡®I almost died.¡¯ Hyrkan distanced himself from the Cockatrice as the Skeleton Warriors bought some time for him. He thought about what just happened. He didn¡¯t even have to think about it. He was sure the magic thrown by the magician had headed towards him. The accuracy was so spot on that he wanted to give praise to the magician¡¯s skill. If he exaggerated his compliment, he wanted to ask why the magician was a pitcher in the MLB. That was how accurate the magic hit its mark. However, there was a reason why he was able to survive despite the attack. ¡®I¡¯m glad I was prepared.¡¯ Preparation. He had prepared for this situation. He had stacked the expensive candy, expensive gum, and even the pricey Snake Essence! He had kept all three of them in his mouth. ¡®Still, my HP went down to around 30%¡­. If I hadn¡¯t invested in the Body Strengthening Skills, I would have died.¡¯ Again, Pelato had underestimated Hyrkan¡¯s Stamina. Hyrkan hadn¡¯t skimped on the Body Alteration Skills. There was the ¡®Skin Sewing¡¯ Skill that increased his passive defense, including an increased defense against magic. There was the ¡®False Heart¡¯ Skill that significantly increased his Stamina. Then, there was the ¡®Boiling Blood¡¯ Skill that increase the rate of HP recover and, at the same time, mitigated the HP lost from burns and blood loss. He saw the true result of his investment into the Body Strengthening Skill Tree. It also helped that he had done his best to gather as many titles as he could. The titles were a big help in gaining a large Stamina Stat. Anyways, he was alive. Since he survived, Hyrkan had the right to take over the leadership role. ¡°Did I tell you before? If you move without my permission, your severed wrists will be the only thing uploaded to my youtube page.¡± The 30 users all froze in place at Hyrkan¡¯s warning. ¡°The magician who threw the magic spell at me should especially take my words to heart.¡± The magician who had attack Hyrkan was frozen like an ice statue. Pelato¡¯s expression also hardened. ¡®Is it possible?¡¯ From Pelato¡¯s perspective, Hyrkan¡¯s words didn¡¯t sound so innocent. ¡®Did he catch on¡­¡­.¡¯ Pelato was the commander, yet he was keeping his silence. Thus, the other members of the party couldn¡¯t act. Everyone just glanced around and surveyed the situation. The progress of battle in front of their eyes were ever-changing. Keee, keee! The Cockatrice ignored everyone, and it was busy getting rid of the Skeleton Warriors attached to its body. Its fierce struggle dislodged the Skeleton Warriors from its body. When the Skeleton Warriors were thrown to the ground, it either ruthlessly stepped on the Skeleton Warriors or pecked at them as if it was eating corn from the ground. The beak broke apart the Skeleton Warriors¡¯ skull. The Skeleton Warriors were pretty adept at dodging its attack. At times, the Skeleton Warriors were able to stab the body of the Cockatrice. However, it would be impossible for the Skeleton Warriors to change the tide of battle all on their own. The number of Skeleton Warriors decreased rapidly. There had been 10 of them, but now there were only four of them left. The countdown had started. The four became three. The three would become two then one.The Cockatrice¡¯s attention would turn to others. ¡®Don¡¯t we have to move now?¡¯ ¡®We should change our formation.¡¯ The party members kept looking at each other. They could continue to play this game of ice tag. ¡°Didn¡¯t I warn you? I told you not to move.¡± However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t allow them to respond. There was a reason why he did that. ¡®I will never hand over the command post.¡¯ Hyrkan decided he wanted to command this situation. He had already confirmed that Pelato was gunning for Hyrkan. It would be crazy for him to hand over the role of commander to Pelato. However, words were insufficient. He couldn¡¯t take the command just by flapping his lips. He had to show them his skills. ¡®I show you what a real commander looks like.¡¯ Hyrkan took out a gem. It was more pitch black than black. The gem containing the thick, black light was gripped by Hykran, transforming into a black, murky liquid. Drip, drip. The black murky water dropped to the liquid. Koo-koo-koo! The ground let out a cry as it shook. Finally, a giant snake that boasted a length of 7 meters showed up. It was a Snake Golem. The ingredient and the owner of the gem was the Black Anaconda! There were many types of snake-type monsters in Warlord, but this particular one had the trick of squeezing its prey into two pieces. When the snake appeared, Hyrkan gave his attack orders. In a flash, it slithered towards the Cockatrice. Kwah-kwah-kwah! The Snake Golem moved across the floor, its movement rough and boorish compared to the Black Anaconda. However¡­ Keeee! The Snake Golem was at a distance where the Cockatrice would have noticed it. However, it was still busy facing the Skeleton Warriors. In a flash, the Snake Golem encircled the Cockatrice. Its skill was surprisingly on par with a Black Anaconda. ¡°Hardening!¡± Hyrkan immediately used the Hardeninig skill. The Golem made out of dirt hardened like a rock. Koo-oohng! The Cocatrice was unable to keep its balance, so its large body fell to the floor. Several users held their breath when they saw this sight. ¡®Such a method was possible?¡¯ ¡®Fantastic!¡¯ He used the Clay Play Skill to create a Snake Golem. The Snake Golem had encircled the target, and it had used the Hardening Skill. It was an amazing combination. They almost let out a sigh of admiration. Keeee! The Cockatrice, who was at the wrong end of this attack, was letting out a screech. The Snake Golem was wrapped around the entire length of the Cockatrice¡¯s body, and it was having a hard time dislodging the Snake Golem, which had turned into stone. Bboo-dook, bboo-dook! Of course, one couldn¡¯t ignore the Cockatrice¡¯s power. Every time the Cockatrice struggled a crack formed on the Snake Golem. They once again swallowed their spit as they continued to watch the sight. ¡®Should we head in right now?¡¯ ¡®Isn¡¯t our time to attack?¡¯ The Cockatrice was being tied up perfectly. At the same time, the countdown started. The Snake Golem could hold on for a finite amount of time. Even the users who weren¡¯t a Necromancer could see that time was running out. There was less than 1 minute left. In truth, this fact in itself was amazing. In a Boss Monster Raid, a Boss monster had been restricted of its movement for 1 minute. This wasn¡¯t something a user could do. Normally, this was the time used to prepare. The magicians would prepare magic spells, the Strikers would stick to the monster to get rid of the armor, or the party would change formation. However, no one could move right now. ¡®What do we do?¡¯ ¡®Should we move?¡¯ ¡®Who¡¯s giving the orders?¡¯ They were told not to move. Hyrkan had said so. During all of this, Hyrkan was operating his voice talk program. ¡°Choose.¡± He tried a 1 on 1 chat instead of a group chat. ¨C What? Pelato was his conversation partner. ¡°Choose whether you will fight the Cockatrice with me or do you want to fight me with the Cockatrice.¡± ¨C What are you¡­¡­. Boo-doohk, booh-doohk! While the conversation continued, the continuous struggle of the Cockatrice caused cracks all over the body of the Snake Golem. They didn¡¯t have a minute. They were down to seconds. Pelato was getting desperate. Hyrkan continued speaking in a calm manner. ¡°Who incited this?¡± At that moment, Pelato made his decision. He could tell Hyrkan wasn¡¯t a normal user by his appearance. Moreover, he already knew about Pelato¡¯s secret plans. In the end, if Hyrkan decided to actively interfere in this raid, Pelato would never be able to catch the Cockatrice. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t in a position where he could take down Hyrkan. He didn¡¯t even need to list the pros and cons of doing this. ¨C A¡­Apollo. It was the Apollo Guild. Hyrkan immediately switched to the voice talk option and yelled out to everyone. ¡°Magicians get your magic spells ready. Priests give full buffs to the Strikers. After the magic strikes, the Strikers will run in.¡± Hyrkan had yelled out the instructions instead of the commander. Normally, they would just ignore any order that didn¡¯t originate from the commander. However, an answer came as if they had been expecting this. ¨C This is the West magician team. We are short on time. ¨C Right! If we start casting now, we need at least 1 minute! ¨C This is the priest team. Do you not realize how long it takes to cast a full round of buffs? They needed more time! Hyrkan had heard those words countless of times during his raids. He smirked as he spoke. He had to buy time. Hyrkan was very familiar with that work. ¡°I¡¯ll buy some time.¡± Hyrkan immediately summoned new Skeleton Warriors. Moreover, there was a specific Skeleton in the middle of the group. [Special Ability ¡®Chivalry¡¯ was activated.] He had the Skeleton Knight. 14. Storm Hunter¡¯s Storm Princess. Red Bulls guild¡¯s Matador. Hydra guild¡¯s First Head. There was a similarity between these users beyond the fact that they were leaders of the largest guilds in the 30 Great guilds. They were all Swordsman class users, and they always lead from the frontline. They commanded their troops while being always nearest to the monster. At this point, anyone would ask the question. Wasn¡¯t it too dangerous for the most important party in the group to fight in the frontline? However, this was the wrong question to ask. They were considered to be important precisely because they fought in the frontline. Basically, the positions that received the most attentions were either the Strikers or the Tankers. Those in the frontline decided whether a Raid failed or not. When one was being commanded by a skilled Striker or Tanker, the Raid felt different. Currently, it was like that. ¡°Did you see its body shake?¡± ¨C It did? ¡°I¡¯m sure it is a sign that it is going into phase 3.¡± ¨C What do we do? We don¡¯t know what happens in phase 3. ¡°Since we don¡¯t know it, we do it by the book. The Tankers will be placed at the North, South, East, and West. This is in preparation for an unexpected situation. The magicians will ready their most powerful magic for a single strike.¡± ¨C Where should we sent the magic spells? ¡°I¡¯ll decide. My cute Skeletons are sacrificing their bodies to stall it, so if you miss, you better be ready to take responsibility.¡± ¨C Yes, boss! It was like the ocean with violent waves, and Hyrkan was basically the buoy floating atop the ocean. Hyrkan commanded on top of the Cockatrice¡¯s back. His command skill was so great that everyone participating in the raid felt a feeling of admiration. The evidence was all over the Cockatrice¡¯s body. When Hykran fell off the Cockatrice¡¯s body, he immediately used the Skeleton Warriors to divert the aggro. Its entire body was covered in wounds. The armor it had been wearing was gone, even its gray leather was peeled off. Its appearance was appalling. It was evidence that Hyrkan¡¯s command had been flawless. Now the Cockatrice basically had no defense. ¡°We are starting the countdown.¡± The Skeleton Warriors, who had been acting as bait, retreated as Hyrkan started the countdown. Hyrkan counted down to zero! It happened when that word was spoken! Koo-uhhhhh! Three enormous flaming bears charged towards the Gray Cockatrice. Several dozen ice spears formed about the Cockatrice¡¯s head, and the spears plummeted towards it. For the finale, clouds formed above the Cockatrice¡¯s head and the black clouds spat out yellow lightnings. Gwah-roo-roohng! Everyone¡¯s vision turned yellow when the level 120 Unique rank magic, Mega Thunderbolt, fell from the sky. The ground almost split from the power of the continuous magic spells. The surrounding landscape wasn¡¯t able to hold out. Keeeeee! Even being assaulted by such attacks, the Cockatrice let out a cry as it let its presence known. ¨C Sick. I¡¯m sick of this. ¨C Its defense should be almost 0. What kind of bastard could survive such a magical barrage? ¨C What kind of bastard? Of course, it¡¯s a monster. The party members spoke to each other as they watched the sight. Hyrkan made a tight fist once again. Drip, drip! Black liquid dripped down through his clenched fist. Koo-koo-koo! The ground shook, and a Snake Golem immediately appeared. The Snake Golem quickly maneuvered over the rocky terrain, and it was very close to the Cockatrice. The Cockatrice turned its head to look at the Snake Golem. The unsightly monster only had malice left within it. The Cockatrice used its large beak to peck at the Snake Golem¡¯s body. Kwah-jeek! The Cockatrice¡¯s beak was embedded deep within the Snake Golem¡¯s body. At the same time, the Snake Golem moved its body to encircle the Cockatrice¡¯s body. ¡°Harden!¡± Soon, the Golem had turned into stone and the Cockatrice fell to the floor. The Cockatrice struggled, and the Golem¡¯s body immediately started to crack. Hyrkan yelled out his instructions. ¡°Thirty seconds. Strikers will be in charge of the finale.¡± ¨C Roger! After replying, the frightening Strikers with full buff started to move. They were going to end this. The Strikers were always closest to danger, so they were very suspicious of commanders. If they didn¡¯t trust the commander, then they wouldn¡¯t move. When Hyrkan¡¯s word ended, the Strikers ran immediately towards the monster. It was evidence that showed the Strikers 100% trusted Hyrkan¡¯s command skills. ¡®We just need to finish it off.¡¯ He had been perfect in his command. ¡®I¡¯ll have to request a reimbursement from Pelato for all the money I spent today..¡¯ Hyrkan had just completed his calculations when his eyes picked up something. Poohk! He saw the scene of an arrow flying towards the Cockatrice, and the arrow was planted on the Cockatrice¡¯s body. A single arrow shot had ended the life of the very tenacious Cockatrice. ¨C What? ¨C Who shot the arrow? ¨C No user in Warlord uses a bow! Everyone was taken aback. Hyrkan was the only one who wasn¡¯t taken aback. He was running towards the direction of where the arrow had come from. A sound was heard in Hyrkan¡¯s ears. [The Corrupted Elf has appeared. Please track him down.] The announcement that helped the Quest Progress was heard. 15. Heh-bibin was in a good mood. ¡®The situation is finally on the mend.¡¯ Big Smile had been backed into a wall by the Triple Wing, but recently, they had come across some favorable news. They had developed a live channel program involving a popular Chinese actor. It would be shown on public television in China. In truth, this program had been long in the making, but they hadn¡¯t been able to get anyone to back it. They had started airing it recently, and the result was better than expected. Moreover, there was a lull between the war with the Triple Wing. The two guilds still had a bad relationship, but for now, they avoided getting into a war that would lead their guilds into life or death situation. It wasn¡¯t as if they had come to a special agreement. It came to be because they heard rumors indicating the Underfoot guilds were gunning for the spots occupied by the two guild. They didn¡¯t want to become sacrificial lambs in these trouble times! This was how they came to a tacit agreement. ¡®If we build up our fighting power again, we¡¯ll be able to climb to the top again.¡¯ Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if all the problems had disappeared. Still, it gave them time to rebound so Heh-bibin was thankful. He was in a good mood until he had heard the news. ¨C Excuse me. Do you perhaps know about this? The employee in charge of keeping the Big Smile guild¡¯s items in storage was called Hae-bibin. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¨C When we last spoke, you told me to loan out items to the Apollo guild if they asked. Do you remember? Apollo guild. Heh-bibin¡¯s face crumpled a little bit at the word, then his face relaxed again. ¡°Yes. Yes, I did.¡± Heh-bibin¡¯s weakness was being exploited by the Apollo guild. He tried to give some preferential treatments towards the Apollo guild. This was why they had loaned out the items. He hand made an extra effort so the Apollo guild could get the loaned items. Truthfully, he thought no problem would arise out of it. The biggest problem that could happen in loaning out the items is the loss of the item. If he considered Apollo¡¯s financial coffer, he didn¡¯t need to worry about that. So why was it being mentioned right now? ¨C Recently, the Apollo guild borrowed a lot of Unique items. ¡°Did he perhaps lose all of them?¡± At this point, Heh-bibin wished Apollo had lost all the items. If so, he could secretly tie off their relationship. ¨C That isn¡¯t it¡­¡­ It seems the Unique items were moved to the Red Lake. Unfortunately, Heh-bibin¡¯s wish went up in smoke. ¡°What?¡± Red Lake. Of course, Heh-bibin knew about that location. ¡®Why did the Apollo guild go to the Red Lake?¡¯ Heh-bibin tilted his head in confusion as he thought about the level of the core users in the Apollo guild. It was a location that was accessible to the Apollo Guild, but Apollo¡¯s personality didn¡¯t suit that location. First, the Apollo guild couldn¡¯t act like he was a king in that location. If Apollo acted like he did in the regular field, he would be smashed into pieces at the Red Lake. Moreover, Apollo didn¡¯t have the skill required to hunt there. ¡®No. That pig bastard has no reason to go there..¡¯ Items weren¡¯t the only thing required to succeed in a Boss monster raid. One¡¯s own personal skill was important. Apollo didn¡¯t have the requisite skills. If he went to the Red Lake himself, he would only realize that he was trash. All he was capable of doing was eating EXP from the back. At that moment, Heh-bibin suddenly remember something. It was the latest news. ¡®Maybe¡­¡­.¡¯ A Corrupted Gray Cockatrice had appeared at the Red Lake, and someone was gathering an attack force to take it down. Moreover¡­. ¡®¡­¡­He is trying to catch the Hahoe Mask?¡¯ There was new that the Hahoe Mask had appeared there. Once he combined the two news, it made Heh-bibin frown. A terrible hypothetical situation appeared in his mind. ¡®Maybe. No way¡­¡¯ What if Apollo was using the borrowed Unique items from Big Smile to catch the Hahoe mask? If so, who would take the blame for the incident? ¡®¡­¡­no way.¡¯ Heh-bibin desperately tried to contact Apollo. Chapter 91 : Elf’s Keepsake (1) Chapter 91 ¨C Elf¡¯s Keepsake (1) 1. ¨C Hahoe Mask! What the hell are you doing? The voice rang in his ear, but Hyrkan ignored it.He was focused solely on one thing.He concentrated on the being with pointy ears, who was running away with great agility. ¨C Hahoe Mask! As if he was trying to interfere with Hyrkan, Pelato kept yelling out his name.In the end, Hyrkan spoke in a low voice as if he was mumbling. ¡°Hey, you aren¡¯t in a position to yell at me.Just clean up the situation over there for now.¡± ¨C What? What are you talking about? Hyrkan¡¯s words were short on explanation.Pelato had a very natural reaction. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have the time to give a long explanation.Moreover, there was no reason to.He wasn¡¯t required to do so. ¡°If you don¡¯t like that option, I can reveal how you tried to fuck me over after being hired by the Apollo guild.Why don¡¯t you think about what would occur if that happens?¡± Pelato finally closed his mouth.Silence finally descended upon Hyrkan, and he once again put in all his effort to chase after the Elf. The Elf was much slower than he thought it would be.The really swift Elves were impossible for users to follow in the forest.Hyrkan had prior experience in chasing after Elves, so he was well aware of this fact. Hyrkan had a hunch. ¡®It wants to be caught.¡¯ Warlord was cooperating with him, so he could smoothly progress in his Quest.It was very rare to receive cooperation from the game, since Warlord was usually an inhospitable game. Of course, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t going to refuse the help. This kind of cooperation from the game was rare.If he refused such help here, a chance like this would never present itself to him again. Still, it wasn¡¯t an easy task to catch the Elf.An average user would never be able to catch it.The speed wasn¡¯t the problem.The problem was the location.When one ran full force inside a forest,it was like running an obstacle course with a blindfold on. ¡®All right.I¡¯ll catch you.¡¯ Hyrkan was experienced in running away from various people for his survival, so this wasn¡¯t a problem for him. The distance between the two was steadily getting narrower. Of course, the Elf realized this fact, and it suddenly turned its head.This was the first time Hyrkan had seen this Elf¡¯s face. ¡®I knew it.¡¯ The escaping elf¡¯s face was different from the faces of Elves he had seen before. There was a black tattoo on his face¡­¡­ No, it looked more like a scar than a wound, and there was something black within it.The sense of beauty one felt when seeing an Elf couldn¡¯t be felt from this one. Still, the Elf¡¯s eyes were striking.The Elves usually had emerald colored eyes, but its eyes were dyed black now.The contrast was too stark. He knew the definition of the word, but this sight made him clearly feel what the word, Corrupted, meant. It also meant he had gotten close enough to be able to confirm the color of its eyes. If things progressed along this line, Hyrkan would catch the Elf.This was Hyrkan¡¯s intention and choice. Now it was up to the Elf to make its own choice. Will it just let itself be caught?Or will it fight? The Elf made a decision. Poo-hoop! Suicide.This was the decision made by the Corrupted Elf.The Elf showed the intention of taking the truth to the grave.It wasn¡¯t going to tell anyone about his master¡¯s secrets. The result of its choice became immediately apparent.The Elf threw up blood, and it fell like a puppet with its string cut.Its momentum made him roll couple dozen times across the ground, and his body was in rough shape. Hyrkan bit his lips when he saw the sight. It was an unpleasant sight.Moreover, he didn¡¯t like what he had to do now.He took out a pouch from his bosom.He had carried it around like a treasure. The Elf glared at Hyrkan when he approached it.Hyrkan avoided the Elf¡¯s gaze.The Elf was sprawled out like a corpse, and Hyrkan poured the silver liquid on the Elf¡¯s head. When the silver liquid touched the Elf¡¯s head, it took shape to fit around the Elf¡¯s head. The Circlet of Purification! The item started purifying the power of Corruption that had been dominating the Elf¡¯s nature and intellect. There must have been a recoil.The corpse-like body of the Elf started to shake as if there was an earthquake. Kool-luhk, kool-luhk! The Elf suddenly threw up black liquid.Then it closed its eyes tight, and it let out a moan. Eventually, the Elf opened its eyes again, and its emerald eyes were revealed.The power of Corruption that had been controlling the Elf was gone.This was the surest evidence that proved the Elf had regained its sanity. The Elf¡¯s eyes looked at Hyrkan.Hyrkan didn¡¯t say anything.He waited for the Elf to speak. However, the Elf couldn¡¯t speak.It opened its mouth, but the sound of its voice never made it past its throat. At that moment, it was as if the Elf had suddenly remembered something.The Elf squeezed out the last strength it had left to tap its left chest region with its hand. That was it.After performing the minor movement with his hand, the Elf closed its eyes, and its body slumped.Its body immediately started to shrivel up like an old tree. Hyrkan laughed bitterly as he saw this sight. ¡®The game is quite romanticized.It really is a romanticized game.¡¯ After letting out his bitter laugh, Hyrkan took out a note and map from the Elf¡¯s pocket. 2. ¡®Shit.¡¯ After ending the conversation with Hyrkan, Pelato looked around his surrounding.The nearby party members were staring at him.They were requesting for an answer from Pelato. Pelato couldn¡¯t come up with anything. ¡®What¡¯s should I say?¡¯ The current situation was a mess. An arrow had suddenly killed the Cockatrice when the group was about to kill it.Moreover, when the arrow flew in, Hyrkan had immediately chased after the being, who had shot the arrow. In this situation, the rest of the party could only look on. Moreover, wasn¡¯t Hyrkan the one who had been commanding the party up until now? ¡®What does he want me to do?¡¯ Anyways, the ball was in Pelato¡¯s court now.He was the one, who had planned this Raid.If there was a problem, he had to take the responsibility. Moreover, he was in a bad spot. Hyrkan knew his weak point.If this business became known to the Golden Brothers, Pelato would be unconditionally kicked out from the guild. If it ended at an expulsion, he would be quite fortunate. However, if he was involved in a scandal, no guild would take him in.He would basically have to give up on this game.Without the help of a large guild, one couldn¡¯t progress in this world. This was the reality of Warlord these days. At the very least, he had to bark when Hyrkan said for him to bark.Hyrkan said Pelato had to take care of this matter, so he had to take care of this matter. ¡°Didn¡¯t everyone get their EXP?¡± At Pelato¡¯s words, everyone checked whether they gained their EXP or not. ¡°We got it.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this much more than expected?I received a considerable amount.¡± Their EXP had increased. It basically meant everyone there had a claim to the monster. ¡°Since we gained the EXP, the monster¡¯s corpse is owned by us.¡± The rights to the Cockatrice¡¯s corpse was reserved for the Raid party. They received EXP and the Items.They hadn¡¯t lost either one of them. Pelato reinforced this point.There were some hiccups along the way, but the benefit they had targeted had been earned. ¡°What about the Hahoe Mask?¡± Of course, he had to answer for the sudden disappearance of Hyrkan.The people gathered here weren¡¯t common users.Hyrkan had immediately responded to the situation.It meant Hyrkan had expected this to happen. In other words, the party members wanted to know why they hadn¡¯t been told about the situation if Hyrkan knew events would turn out like this. They wanted an explanation. ¡°He has a Quest.¡± After a brief brainstorm, Pelato came up with a short answer. ¡°Hahoe Mask joined the raid in the first place, because it was part of his Quest.He is currently progressing in the Quest right now.¡± The answer was plausible.After hearing the explanation, all the users nodded their head, and it seemed they had accepted it. ¡®Now that I think about it the Hahoe Mask is quite far along the Main Scenario Quest.¡¯ ¡®Wait a moment.Does this mean this monster was related to the Main Scenario Quest?It is a Corrupted monster, so the possibility is high.¡¯ ¡®If I chase after the Hahoe Mask right now, will I be able to join his Main Scenario Quest?Should I chase after him?¡¯ The party members started to think about how they could interject themselves into the current scenario.The commotion within the group lessened. Pelato, who had been looking at the party members, swallowed the sigh that was about to come out. ¡®This is all tangled up.¡¯ He had given the obvious answer, but the answer he had given wasn¡¯t advantageous to Pelato. He had made another mess.Pelato had implied there was a prior agreement with Hyrkan, yet that wasn¡¯t true.If Hyrkan disputed his words, Pelato would be labeled a liar. ¡®Now I¡¯m at the mercy of the Hahoe Mask no matter what.¡¯ A equals B. Their relationship crystallized at that moment. 3. When Hyrkan returned, the Cockatrice¡¯s body had been dismantled, and it had already melted away. Hyrkan immediately held a conversation with Pelato at an isolated location. ¡°You received consumable items from the Apollo guild.How much do you have left?¡± ¡°Quite a lot.¡± ¡°Since you tried to fuck me over, you should give that to me as a repayment.¡± Pelato let out a sigh inside as he heard Hyrkan¡¯s words. There were a lot of consumable items left, because Hyrkan had directed the Raid.If one put a price on those items, it was quite a lot. Yet Hyrkan wanted it all? It was a waste, but he had no choice. ¡°All right.I¡¯ll agree to that.¡± Currently, Hyrkan was holding Pelato¡¯s life line.Pelato fervently wished Hyrkan wouldn¡¯t ask for anything bigger. ¡°Also¡­¡­.¡± However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t done speaking.Pelato bit his lips before he even heard what Hyrkan was going to say. ¡°You can keep all the merits regarding this Raid, Pelato.¡± ¡°What?¡± At that moment Pelato couldn¡¯t believe what he had just heard. ¡°Are you saying you will allow me to take credit for the result of today¡¯s Raid?Is that what you mean?¡± Hyrkan nodded his head. ¡°H¡­how come?¡± This was most definitely to his advantage, yet Pelato started asking questions in suspicion instead of thanking Hyrkan. He expected to be beat, yet a sweet piece of chocolate had been put into his mouth.In some aspect, his reaction was to be expected. ¡°I have no reason to ruin everything for you.I¡¯ll summarize it for you. You tried to kill me at the request of the Apollo guild, and I found out about it mid-raid.During the raid, you did nothing, and I commanded the Raid.Now that I have your weak-point I don¡¯t have a reason to blab about it.¡± From Pelato¡¯s perspective, the arrangement wasn¡¯t that ideal.However, Pelato didn¡¯t frown. Hyrkan added more to the explanation. ¡°As you probably know by know, I have a lot of enemies.In such a situation, what would I gain by embarassing a skilled user from the Golden Brothers?¡± ¡°I¡­I guess so.¡± ¡°Moreover, it isn¡¯t as if I¡¯ll make any money from embarrassing you.It¡¯ll just created a rift between the Golden Brothers and me.¡± Pelato quickly nodded his head. At that moment¡­ ¡°All right.You can keep the footage of this raid.¡± Hyrkan had given him a big present. ¡®Huhk!¡¯ Pelato forgot about the mess he was in, and he had a surprised expression on his face.He looked ridiculous from an outside point of view. This demonstrated how big of a present he had been given by Hyrkan. No matter how you looked at it the Boss Monster Raid footage had a lot of value.Most footage brought in small amount of money, but it one was lucky, it could net a lot of money.Moreover, the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice that had appeared at the Red Lake was an attractive Boss monster. Also, this footage could be put into his resume.This Raid wasn¡¯t done with the experienced members of a large guild.This was an attack party made out of random volunteers.He had formed the party, and he had shown off his ability to lead such a party.This could be a feather in Pelato¡¯s cap. Of course, the latter half of the Raid was commanded by Hyrkan. If Hyrkan asked for the rights to the footage, Pelato would have handed it over.It was a given. Yet Hyrkan was willing to just give him the rights? ¡°Really? I can put the footage of this Raid on my page.¡± ¡°Of course.However, it isn¡¯t for free.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°You made a wise decision.¡± Hyrkan answered in a vague manner.However, Pelato was able to see through to the meaning behind Hyrkan¡¯s words. ¡°Of course. From this day forward, I won¡¯t participate in any ventures that would cause you harm.I promise on my character.¡± It seemed Hyrkan was satisfied with the answer.He nodded his head.Pelato also had a satisfied smile as he looked at Hyrkan. ¡°Ah.¡± At that moment, it seemed Hyrkan had remembered something.He immediately handed over a note to Pelato. ¡°This is the list of candies I had to eat, because of the magic thrown by your magician.It is quite a lot.¡± Pelato¡¯s face stiffened when he received the note.The consumable items listed were very expensive.These consumable items had great effect, and not even members of the raid teams of large guilds used it readily. ¡°Of course, you should be willing to shoulder the burden.Right?¡± Pelato put on an awkward smile. This was how the Corrupted Gray Cockatrice Raid came to an end. 4. ¡®You son of a bitch, Apollo.If you aren¡¯t going to use the knife yourself, then you should just fuck off.Why are you causing me so much trouble?¡¯ The man was skin and bones. He had sunken eyes, and there were dark circles under them. His entire body screamed out the fact that he was someone addicted to a game.The item essential to a game addict, caffeine, was in front of Ahn-jaehyun.He was drowned within his thoughts. ¡®Apollo is greedy, and he is an ill-tempered pig.Still, he isn¡¯t dumb enough to put in this much effort and capital to catch me.¡¯ This thoughts centered around Apollo. Before he returned to the past, he had been deeply involved with Apollo.At the time, Apollo had frothed at the mouth to catch Ahn-jaehyun, but he could understand the reasoning behind it. However, that was before he returned to the past.Currently, he didn¡¯t have a good relationship with the Apollo guild, but he hadn¡¯t thought it was this bad. It was true that Ahn-jaehyun had fucked over the guild members of the Apollo guild.However, it should have been minor damage from the perspective of Apollo. Of course, if one considered Apollo¡¯s dirty personality, one could see why he was pursuing his revenge.Still, Apollo was spending a lot of money.It was money worth the annual salary of a new employee.Ahn-jaehyun couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡®Still, where did that pig get all those decent Unique items? What especially vexed Ahn-jaehyun was the part where the Apollo guild had loaned out the Unique Items. At first, when he heard about Pelato loaning out the Unique items, he thought Golden Brother or an affiliated guild was loaning the items out. Only a guild of that size had the capacity to do it. ¡®He said Apollo guild had directly loaned those Items out.That¡¯s impossible.¡¯ It basically meant Apollo guild wasn¡¯t at a level where they could pull this off. Apollo guild wasn¡¯t small.They also had financial backing.If one looked at the users affiliated with the guild, their level were on the high side compared to the entire population of Warlord. However, they weren¡¯t a guild with enough in-game supply to be able to loan Items out to others. In the end, it meant there was someone else that had loaned out the Items to the Apollo guild. ¡®What a troublesome bastard.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun stopped worrying at this point. In truth, he couldn¡¯t find out what the Apollo guild had done unless he could capture and torture Apollo for answers. Ahn-jaehyun could only do one thing.He could prepare. ¡®The Big Smile bastards were also like this.I haven¡¯t done anything big yet, but they are already messing with me.Do I have honey rubbed all over my body?¡¯ Slowly, the larger guilds were trying to keep Ahn-jaehyun in check. Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s goal was to fight them by himself. ¡®All right.Just wait for me a little bit.Even if you guys don¡¯t want to, I¡¯ll fight you guys.¡¯ However, it would be impossible for him to fight them right now.Until he could grow his strength, he needed forces that would help him. He had won over Red Bulls and Pelato to his side. If it was the Golden Brothers, it was big enough that the Apollo guild wouldn¡¯t mess with them.Unexpectedly, Pelato might turn into a decent shield. Of course, his main intention was to grow his strength. Ahn-jaehyun thought about the Elf¡¯s keepsake. There had been a map, and a note. He couldn¡¯t decipher the content.He probably had to visit Ahimbree, Chieftain Drah or Maeung to find out more about it. However, he could guess at the identity of the map even if he couldn¡¯t verify it right now. ¡®There is a great chance that this is a Dungeon Map.¡¯ The map would lead him to something.Of course, he had no idea if this something was a monster or a treasure. ¡°If something big appears this time¡­. If something like a Corrupted Destroyer¡¯s Necklace drops, I would go to the streets of Myeongdong, and dance in my underwear. Will this lead to something big?¡± The only thing he wished for was a treasure. Chapter 92 : Elf’s Keepsake (2) Chapter 92 ¨C Elf¡¯s Keepsake (2) 5. He was a magician that represented the Stormhunter guild.At that moment, Hatch was feeling regret. ¡®Shit.¡¯ Hatch¡¯s gaze headed towards his leader, Storm Queen Shir.The always beautiful woman seemed to be in a foul mood.In truth, she was a woman, who usually didn¡¯t have a bright expression on her face. Currently, she had on such a ferocious expression that no one dared to crack a joke. ¡®Why did I have to bring that up?¡¯ Hatch had carelessly let slip some words. Of course, Hatch didn¡¯t think he said anything that would offend Shir¡­He hadn¡¯t called her a spinster, who never had a boyfriend before!He hadn¡¯t said somethinginflammatory like that. He really said something innocuous. ¡®Why do I have to suffer like this because of the Hahoe Mask?¡¯ Hahoe Mask. Most Warlord users knew of his name by now.When Hatch saw a uploaded vid with him in it, he unconsciously spoke about it. ¡®Hey, the Hahoe Mask¡¯s hunting video is up.¡¯ That was all Hatch had said. The problem was Shir had immediately reacted to those words. After checking the footage, her expression changed.She gave off a murderous intent as she spat out her words. ¡°Why is he ignoring the love calls we sent?Why is he hunting with a minor user from the Golden Brothers? Why is the Hahoe Mask keep turning down our requests?¡± At that moment, the members of Stormhunter¡¯s Raid team were gathered around Shir, and they kept their mouths shut. They would experience a huge calamity if they agitated Shir when she was in a foul mood. However, Shir¡¯s mood didn¡¯t show any signs of improving. After some time passed, the other members glared at Hatch with resentment. ¡®Why did you have to open your big mouth?Why did you have to create such an atmosphere?¡¯ From Hatch¡¯s perspective, he really felt regret over his action. However, he couldn¡¯t take out his anger on anyone.There was only one thing he could do in his current situation. ¡®Hahoe Mask.If you join our guild, you are dead.¡¯ He enthusiastically cussed out the Hahoe Mask. 6. Hyrkan had been running diligently when he stopped for a moment. ¡®Is someone calling me?¡¯ Hyrkan turned to look, and his vision didn¡¯t pick up anyone. He thought someone had called out his name, but of course, he didn¡¯t hear any voices. Hyrkan shook his head from side to side. ¡®Some bastard must be talking smack about me.¡¯ Accompanying that brief thought, Hyrkan¡¯s gaze headed towards a peak of a particular mountain.The peak of the mountain was shaped oddly.The peak looked like a bird¡¯s head.It was very similar in appearance to an eagle¡¯s head. ¡®I¡¯m almost there.¡¯ Eagle Mountain. This was a location where monsters between level 80 and 90 appeared.Amongst the users, this location had long been a popular hunting ground. Of course, this wasn¡¯t Hyrkan¡¯s destination. ¡®I have to head northeast from the Eagle Mountain.¡¯ Hyrkan took out a note from his pocket. There were words on the bottom of the page that hadn¡¯t been there originally. ¡®I saved a lot of time when all of this was resolved by the Maeung.¡¯ The owner of the handwriting was Bulkas Ranger¡¯s Captain, Maeung. The first person Hyrkan had visited with the Elf¡¯s Keepsake was the Maeung.He planned on visiting the Maeung, Drah and Ahimbree in that order.If he was unlucky, he wouldn¡¯t get any answer from all three of them. Fortunately, he got an immediate answer from his first visit.Maeung spoke about the map and the note. ¡°If the Corrupted Elf, who betrayed the Baheim tribe, gave this to you with his dying breath, then the location listed here must be related to those bastards.The probability is high.¡± ¡°Can you decipher this map and note?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about the map, but I can immediately translate the content of the note.¡± Maeung immediately translated the content of the note. ¡°The place where the eagle watches.The place is surrounded by blue mists, and there is a secret village between them.¡± ¡®Uh?¡¯ When he heard those words, he immediately knew where the village was located at. ¡°I don¡¯t know where this place is located at.The clues are too vague.¡± This was why Hyrkan spoke with confidence. ¡°I¡¯ll go find and visit this place.¡± ¡°You will?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t I the only one available right now to do this job? Of course, I believe this is a job I should do.¡± Maeung was deeply moved by his words.He patted Hyrkan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thank you.¡± [Quest ¡®Elf¡¯s Keepsake¡¯ has started.] It had been two days since he received the Quest from Maeung. Hyrkan looked at the Eagle Mountain.He followed the direction where the Eagle¡¯s head was looking towards to. It was looking towards the northeast. ¡®I¡¯m sure that¡¯s the Blue Mist Forest.¡¯ The Eagle was looking towards a location where blue mists obscured the surrounding. Those were words that described the Blue Mist Forest.He had never visited the location, but Hyrkan remembered the place. It was a hunting ground for level 100 to level 130. The difficulty level of this hunting ground was much higher compared to the hunting grounds of similar level. The reason why the Blue Mist Forest was difficult was the existence of humanoid monsters called the Smogrians. Its body was mainly made out of blue fog. It didn¡¯t have strong offense or defense, but they were similar to the Undead type monsters.They had a powerful regeneration ability.Moreover, it was very difficult to sense their presence within the Blue Mist Forest. In fact, it was hard for users in the same party to keep track of each other within the Blue Mist Forest.It was inevitable for this place to be difficult. This was why no one went there. Most users avoided going to this hunting ground, and in the past, Hyrkan had no reason to visit this location. However, it was different for him right now.There were multiple reasons why Hyrkan had to visit the Blue Mist Forest. ¡®I have to hurry up and get there.¡¯ Quest? Of course, it was one of the reasons why he wanted to get there.However, he had an additional reason. ¡®I have to get there before some other bastard eats my Title!¡¯ The Blue Mist Forest region had been inaccessible, because of the Block Field.This was the reason why the Eagle Mountain was a popular hunting ground for users.The Block Field basically prevented any higher level monsters from entering the field. When Hyrkan received the quest to go to this location, the Block Field had been cancelled. If he was the first one to reach the location, he would be able to earn the Titles. ¡°Hoo-ooh!¡± Hyrkan let out his breathe, and he started to run again. 7. [You¡¯ve earned the Title ¡®Visitor of the Blue Mist Forest¡¯.] [You¡¯ve earned the Title ¡®Discoverer of the Blue Mist Forest¡¯.] The moment he heard the Title Announcement Hyrkan put on a big smile. Hyrkan immediately check the Title Option. [Visitor of the Blue Mist Forest] Title Effect : Stamina +3, Magic Power +3 [Discoverer of the Blue Mist Forest] Title Effect : Strength +10, Intelligence +10 The Titles had better Options than he thought it would have. ¡®This is why users put their lives on the line for the Titles.This is the taste.¡¯ If he looked at it from a strictly numerical perspective, he had just earned Stats equivalent to gaining 5 levels in one sitting.Currently, it took Hyrkan 3 days to level up once.So this was quite the boon for him. However, his happiness ended there. ¡®So what do I have to do here?¡¯ It was hard to even think of this place as a forest.The blue fog was everywhere, and it tamped down the happiness he had felt when earning the Blue Mist Forest Titles. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure this place was never mentioned before.¡¯ The Main Scenario Quest route within Hyrkan¡¯s head didn¡¯t have the Blue Mist Forest as a destination. Of course, the Main Scenario had several routes.Hyrkan couldn¡¯t remember every one of those routes. If he had such good memory, he would have studied hard during his school days.He would have entered a good college, and he would be living a completely different life. Still, he remembered most of the important parts. However, the word, Blue Mist Forest, didn¡¯t ring a bell within his memory. ¡®Is this perhaps an Event Quest?¡¯ There was a possibility this was an Event Quest.This would be an Event Quest specifically made for those progressing through the Main Scenario Quest.The expensive items related to the Main Scenario Quest¡­.It was the Chronicle Rare.The Rewards that might be given may be Chronicle Ranked items. He would avoid a loss if one came out.It would be a jackpot. On the other hand, if a Quest route that he was unfamiliar with shows up, it would cause considerable amount of trouble for him. Of course, the fact that he had to finish this particular Quest didn¡¯t change. Hyrkan once again checked the content of the Quest. [Elf¡¯s Keepsake] ¨C Quest Rank : Unique ¨C Quest Level Range : Over level 100 ¨C Quest Content : Find the location being pointed by the Corrupted Elf¡¯s Keepsake.Find out Anuah¡¯s secret. ¨C Quest Reward : Someone¡¯s Keepsake. The pressure within Hyrkan¡¯s chest increased by a lot. ¡®This is really endless.¡¯ He had to find the place indicated by the Keepsake, and he had to find the secret!It was a really open ended instruction. Moreover, the reward was ¡®Someone¡¯s Keepsake.¡¯ This matter wasn¡¯t funny at all. ¡®Well, Warlord is always like this.¡¯ However, Hyrkan had only one choice when standing in front of a Quest. Complete the Quest! If he didn¡¯t complete this quest, it would be impossible for him to progress any further. Hyrkan organized his situation. Hyrkan had to battle in this place using every method available to him. Moreover, Hyrkan had never faced the monsters that appear within the Blue Mist Forest. Since it said to find a secret, he had to brace himself for the eventuality of combing through the Blue Mist Forest. If he combined all these facts, it became apparent what Hyrkan had to do. Hyrkan threw 3 Skeleton Fragments. ¡®Shall I get acclimated to this place first?¡¯ Battle. That is what Hyrkan had to do now. 8. They were human shaped monsters made out of Blue Mist.A gold colored blade arced swiftly towards the monster¡¯s head. Kwahng! The sword obliterated the Smogrian¡¯s head. If this was a person, it would have been a critical wound or a deathblow. However, the Smogrian still moved well without its head. In fact, the neck with its head removed was bubbling.The bubbles formed, and it started to harden in due time. Its head was regrowing. This was the time to ruthlessly attack the monster before its head could reform. However, Hyrkan ignored the one without its head.He moved towards another monster. He was well aware of the Smogrian¡¯s regenerative ability. Ddul-goo-ruhk, ddul-goo-ruhk! However, Hyrkan had put his trust in his Skeleton Warriors.They would finish the monster. It was as if they reacted to Hyrkan¡¯s trust.Two Skeleton Warriors appeared from the fog, and they started stabbing the headless body of the Smogrian. Kwahng, kwahng! The sword swung by the Skeleton Warriors ruthlessly broke down the Smogrian¡¯s body.The blows were that powerful. During all of this, Hyrkan had demolished another head of a Smogrian, and he was moving on to the next target. ¡®Chet.¡¯ However, the thick fog prevented Hyrkan from moving farther away.The fog was so thick that he was barely able to see the burning eyes of the Skeleton Warriors.Of course, it was impossible to check how many Smogrians there were. ¡®It feels like I¡¯m surrounded, yet I don¡¯t know how many there are¡­.¡¯ Hooooong! At that moment, an enormous club parted the air from behind Hyrkan, and an incredibly scary sound was heard. Hyrkan dived to the side in fright. Kwahng! A large club landed where Hyrkan had been standing. The 7 meter tall Ogre Golem had swung its club.It was an attack aimed at the Smogrian in front of Hyrkan, but Hyrkan had been in the way. Hyrkan yelled out as he was barely able to dodge it. ¡°You son of a bitch! You cost me a lot, yet you dare to attack me!¡± Of course, the Golem couldn¡¯t understand Hyrkan¡¯s words.The Golem ignored Hyrkan¡¯s words. It seemed it had adopted the AI of the barbaric ogre.The Golem attacked recklessly, and it indiscriminately swung its club towards the Smogrians. Kwahng, kwahng! The Ogre Golem was well worth the money.Every time the Ogre Golem swung its club it destroyed a Smogrian with a single strike.They weren¡¯t just destroyed.They were blown to pieces. The Ogre Golem probably caught more Smogrians than Hyrkan. [Your level has increased.] The Golem caused Hyrkan to level up, so he decided to look more kindly at the Ogre Golem¡¯s mistake. Hyrkan had recovered all his of his Magic Power and Stamina. ¡®I¡¯ll overlook this since I leveled up.¡¯ Hyrkan immediately activated the Bone Armor Skill, and the Madness Helm. It felt as if the strengthened Skeleton Warriors didn¡¯t want to lose to the Ogre Golem.The Skeleton Warriors once again attacked in a berserk state. Hyrkan also readied himself to move. ¡®Huh?¡¯ However, Hyrkan¡¯s eyes picked up Smogrians he hadn¡¯t seen before.It meant the Smogrians had tightened the perimeter around Hyrkan and his minions. At a glance, he could see over twenty of them. ¡®Huh huh.¡¯ Hyrkan let out a false laugh when he saw their excessive number. ¡®The Battlefield felt like childsplay compared to this.¡¯ It had been 15 days since he had entered the Blue Mist Forest. During that time, Hyrkan had raised 6 levels, and he had reached level 107.The level up pace was extremely fast, and it was thanks to the incredibly numerous population of Smogrians. Truthfully, it was a blessing to be able to catch so many monsters.Currently, the Warlord was devoid of monsters to catch for the beginner users.It was so bad that users watched videos of other users hunting or they watched the televised shows to pass the time. Still, even the great Hyrkan had to pull out from the battle at a certain point.If one thought about Hyrkan¡¯s skill, this was inconceivable. The thing that frustrated Hyrkan the most was the fact that he wasn¡¯t able to search the forest the way he wanted.There were too many monsters to do that. The thick blue fog made it impossible to see the terrain.Even if one wanted to follow the map, there were too many Smogrians swarming him.He couldn¡¯t move to where he wanted. It was like navigating a maze with one¡¯s eyes closed. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if he was devoid of any option. After re-gripping his sword, Hykran looked forward. ¡®Shall I just blast through?¡¯ He decided to charge without looking back! If he didn¡¯t worry about retreating, he could force his way through to a direction he wanted to travel. Of course, his escape route would be cut off.If he was unlucky, it would be Game Over.He had kept this plan as a last resort. However, he couldn¡¯t hunt indefinitely here. ¡®If an answer doesn¡¯t come out before I reach level 110¡­¡­.¡¯ Hyrkan made a resolution. Chapter 93 : Elf’s Keepsake (3) Chapter 93 ¨C Elf¡¯s Keepsake (3) Sweepers Guild. They were one of the 30 great guilds, but they provided a markedly different content from the other guilds.They possessed killer contents. The guild used the strong Magicians within the guild to completely wipe out the monsters in a selected region.The guild sweeped the monsters, and this was the killer content offered by the Sweepers guild. Of course, they didn¡¯t clear out the monsters for pure reasons. Eventually new monsters would appear.However, there were a lot of merits in eliminating all the monster in a set amount of time. This was mainly done when a Block Field appeared.The investigation of the Block Field was more important than the monster hunt. If one was lucky, one could gain hints to the Main Scenario Quest.Moreover, one could earn titles. The guild also went into hunting grounds where the population of monsters had grown too much. They eliminated the monster, and at times, they effectively controlled the population of monsters for the users. They were decisive.The guild brought several hundred to a thousand high level Magicians to a hunt.With the help of various potions, they poured out their strongest magic at the same time. It was quite a sight, and this could be only seen within Warlord. It could be compared to fireworks. In truth, it was hard to gain anything through such a hunting method.It wasn¡¯t easy to level up, and the efficiency of the hunt decreased.Once they killed all the monsters, they had to wait for the regeneration of the next batch of monsters.Moreover, it wasn¡¯t only the Magicians, who went to these events.Numerous Priests and Swordsman users followed to assist the Magicians. Even with all of these disadvantages, the Sweepers guild promoted this concept.The reason was the revenue from broadcasting these events.They were one of the top 5 in terms of bringing in profit with their footage in the 30 great guilds.Their contents were that mesmerizing. Of course, the Sweepers Guild puts out an announcement before they commenced their monster cleaning. [The Blue Mist Forest was found north-east of the Eagle mountain, and we are planning on sweeping it.We will give a fixed compensation to the users, who are in the midst of a hunt.Thank you for always cheering and helping the Sweepers guild.] When the announcement came out, it would have been wise to escape this stage.If one died by getting swept up in the magical bombardment, one wouldn¡¯t even be able to collect one¡¯s insurance. However, not everyone could choose the wise course of action. ¡®Shit.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s expression crumpled when he saw the announcement. ¡®I thought I would suck on some honey, since not many users were coming towards this place.I never expect it to turn sour like this.¡¯ While Hyrkan was hunting inside the Blue Mist Forest, a decent amount of users had come to the Blue Mist Forest. However, amongst all of them, there weren¡¯t anyone, who used the Blue Mist Forest as their main hunting ground.The difficulty of the hunting ground was too high. The online community had already judged the Blue Mist Forest to be an inefficient hunting ground. This wasn¡¯t welcoming news to the users. It was the opposite for the Sweepers Guild.This was a boon. Now that the Block Field was released, secrets were surely there.Since regular users stayed away from coming here, the Sweepers Guild would get very low amount of complaints as they started their cleaning.The biggest obstacle in proceeding with a monster cleaning by the Sweepers was the existing users. Of course, the sweep wasn¡¯t going to be easy.The Sweepers Guild was one of the 30 great guilds, yet the Blue Mist Forest was infested with level 110+ monsters.It would be impossible to clear out the place in one go. There was one thing that was definite.Now that the Sweepers guild was on the move the countdown had started for Hyrkan. It was time to turn his resolution into action. ¡®I must have lost my mind.¡¯ Hyrkan questioned himself as he ran through the fog. Kooh-uhhhh! A Smogrian suddenly appeared in front of Hyrkan.Its arms were like sharp blades, and they were swung towards Hyrkan. However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t surprised by its appearance. Hweeek! Instead, he easily dodge its arms, and he ran past as he stabbed the Smogrian on its side. Pah-kahk! While he was doing so, Hyrkan quickly swung his sword to separate its upper and lower body. A crumbling sound was heard instead of a slicing sound as the Smogrian was sliced in half. Kooh-uh, kooh-uh! It was cut in half, but its arms and legs were still moving.It immediately opened its mouth, and it let out a horrible shriek towards Hyrkan. He looked at the scene from the corner of his eyes, and Hyrkan clicked his tongue. ¡®I must have lost my mind.¡¯ Hyrkan once againquestioned himself. His gaze had moved past the Smogrian he had cut in half, and it headed towards the far back. The thick fog was limiting his vision, so he couldn¡¯t confirm it with his sight.However, the shimmer of numerous Smogrians flickered in front of Hyrkan¡¯s eyes. ¡®I must have lost my mind.¡¯ This was the third time he questioned himself. He made a resolution to cut through the Blue Mist Forest, so he had immediately turned his resolution into action.At first, it wasn¡¯t that hard.Smogrians weren¡¯t slow, but they weren¡¯t fast enough to catch Hyrkan. He had incredible Strength Stat, and he had the Leg Strength Modification(C).His ability to run was amazing. Moreover, he could easily deal with those, who blocked his path.He just had to destroy anything that appeared in front of his eyes. However, there was a limit to any course of action! Hyrkan had repeatedly ran away, and now he had a significant tail behind his back. If one¡¯s tail become sufficiently long enough, it will catch up to you.The number of Smogrians following after him had turned into the Rubicon river.He couldn¡¯t turn back now. ¡®I expected it, but¡­¡­.¡¯ Of course, he had expected something like this. However, the number of Smogrians converging on him as he headed towards the center was mind boggling.It was much more than he expected. ¡®How can there be so many of them?¡¯ It was so bad that it felt as if he was being swarmed by bugs. He would have understood if there were a lot of user making the Blue Mist Forest as their preferred hunting ground.This would increase the number of monster being regenerated.However, that wasn¡¯t the case at all right now.No, even if he took those factors into consideration, there were too many monsters here. It meant there was something special going on with the current situation. Was it a bug? ¡®What¡¯s the cause?¡¯ There must be a special reason why the population of monsters here had increased in an explosive manner. From Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, he wished for the latter.If it was a bug, this would be endless, and he would eventually get a Game Over. However, the change Hyrkan had been hoping for arrived after he had been running for 20 minutes. ¡®Huh?¡¯ After a certain point, Hyrkan knew something had changed. ¡®They aren¡¯t following me?¡¯ They had chased after him as if Hyrkan had killed their parents.However, the presence of Smogrians disappeared after a certain point in time. Smogrians had shown up everytime he took a step, but they were all gone now. Hyrkan turned to look behind him.When Hyrkan stopped, he knew the monsters should have caught up to him, but there were none of them. ¡®Maybe?¡¯ Hweek! Hyrkan had his suspicions, so he threw a Skeleton Fragment into the distance. After traveling a long distance, the Skeleton Fragment turned into a Skeleton Warrior. After taking form as a Skeleton Warrior, it slowly walked towards Hyrkan, since there was no battle present.It just idled as it stared at Hyrkan. Hyrkan flicked his finger twice. the Skeleton Warrior did nothing, but it got into its fighting stance. ¡®Would you look at this?¡¯ It meant there weren¡¯t any monsters nearby.Hyrkan tilted his head in puzzlement. ¡®What? Then why would it suddenly¡­¡­.¡¯ Of course, suspicion bloomed within him. ¡®Ah!¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s suspicion was answered when he turned his head. Hyrkan caught sight of a black object. Hyrkan had finally arrived at the location he wanted.Hyrkan smiled. ¡®Yes.This is it.¡¯ After regulating his breathing, he immediately checked his consumable items and his own status.He had brought a large amount of supply, so he still had a lot of consumable items left. Moreover, the consumable items he had right now were the ones he received from Pelato.These were basically free item, so it tasted really good.It felt as if the the items were more effective than it really was. He didn¡¯t know what would happen, so he put a Resistance Effect Candy in his mouth as a precaution.Afterwards, he shouted out in an overbearing manner. ¡°Let¡¯s quickly end this! Come at me!¡± The response to Hyrkan¡¯s shout was immediate. [You¡¯ve acquired the Title, ¡®Person who Encounter the Corrupted Comrade¡¯.] Hyrkan¡¯s expression slightly changed. ¡®Uh?¡¯ It was an announcement for acquiring a Title. This was good news.He never expected to suddenly gain a title here. However, Hyrkan felt an instinctive threat at the word Corrupted Comrade. ¡®Corrupted Comrade?¡¯ He had heard those words before. ¡®M¡­maybe?¡¯ The black object revealed itself in front of Hyrkan. It was close to 2 meters tall.Its shape was clearly humanoid.It wore armor on its lower body, but its upper body was bare.His muscular body was sooty, and it looked as if it didn¡¯t have any pupils.Its eyes were hollow. However, its appearance didn¡¯t catch Hyrkan¡¯s eyes.It held a rusty and plain longsword in its right hand.Hyrkan caught sight of a gold ring on its finger. Hyrkan twitched a finger.It was the finger with the Society¡¯s Ring equipped on it. ¡°Fuck.¡± Hyrkan let out a sigh, and he started cussing. Corrupted Comrade. It was a member of the Secret Society.It probably had chased after the Corrupted Power, and it must have gotten caught.After numerous torture sessions and experimentation, it had been turned into a monster. Truthfully, he didn¡¯t mind such backstories.The important part was that a member of the Secret Society was his enemy, and the ability it possessed. ¡®A bomb rolled in instead of a pumpkin.¡¯ It had complete immunity against physical attacks.This was ability of the Corrupted Comrade. Pooh-haht! Hyrkan swung his golden sword called ¡®The Sword made out of Golden Mantis¡¯ Sickle¡¯.It bit into Corrupted Comrade¡¯s body. The wound healed each moment as Hyrkan¡¯s sword made a cut. It was like cutting water with a sword.This wasn¡¯t just about having great regeneration ability. ¡®Shit.¡¯ Hyrkan clicked his tongue, when his sword couldn¡¯t make any wounds.He slid past the Corrupted Comrade, and he created some space.He had his back turned as he tried to widen his distance from the Corrupted Comrade. Ooh-uhhhhhh! When he turned his body, Hyrkan felt the presence of the Corrupted Comrade.It had already closed the distance.It swung its sword as it let out a frightening sound. It was swung from top to bottom.It couldn¡¯t even be called a sword swing.It brought down the sword without any form. However, it was really fast. Hyrkan was having a hard time dodging.He had to hold his sword horizontally to block the strike! Kah-ahng! The rough clang of steel rang out, and Hyrkan¡¯s feet was pressed into the ground. Hyrkan had a unique sword that was so well known for its attack and durability that it was nicknamed as ¡®The Gangster¡¯.If he had a lame level 100 Rare rank Sword, it would have been shattered into pieces by this blow. This was how fast and strong the attack of the Corrupted Comrade was.Hyrkan was barely able to fight it. ¡®The Skeleton Warriors won¡¯t work.¡¯ In other words, he couldn¡¯t use the Skeleton Warriors to buy time. If it was the Skeleton Knight or the Golem, they would be able to buy him some time.However, buying time was the only thing they could do. If he fought a monster to just buy time, he would just regret it at the end. In the end, Hyrkan needed some other answer to this problem. Choooong! Hyrkan was face to face with the Corrupted Comrade.Hyrkan slid its sword away.This created enough time for him to back away. Kwahjeeek! The Corrupted Comrade¡¯s sword embedded itself on the ground Hyrkan had been standing on.During all of this, Hyrkan threw a Skeleton Fragment into the distance. The Skeleton Fragment turned into a Skeleton Magician. This was the answer.If it was invulnerable to physical attack, he had to get rid of it with magic! Of course, this wasn¡¯t a full solution.However, this was a critical part in coming up with an answer. Hyrkan took a deep breath. At that moment, the effort and practice he had done in secret flashed through his mind. When he returned to the past, Hyrkan had made a promise to himself.He¡¯ll do everything by himself, and he would reap the benefits all by himself! However, Hykran had a lot of homework he needed to finish before he could achieve that goal. One was finding out a way to defeat a monster, who couldn¡¯t be harmed through physical means. There was only one solution.He had no choice, but to develop a magical attack. His best option was to learn attack magic like a proper magician. However, unless he wanted to put all his effort into magic, his efforts would be useless. Even if he bought Skill Books with money, his limitations would be evident unless he was able to rank the magic up to a High Rank Magic. The only magical attack he could use was the Bone Explosives.Then there was the Skeleton Magicians. The Bone Explosives were powerful, but expensive.There was also a limit to how many he could use.It was suitable as an aid for damage dealing, but it was impossible to use it as one¡¯s main attack. So there was only one option left, and it was the Skeleton Magicians.Unexpectedly, the attack of the Skeleton Magicians were quite high .As the Skeleton Magician¡¯s rank increases, the power of the magic increased.If it received the buff from the Skeleton Knight and the Skeleton Science, the damage would increase further.If he could gain a Skill related to Skeleton Magicians, than their magic could become very powerful. However, the problem was in how to use them. Unlike the Skeleton warriors, he couldn¡¯t train the Skeleton Magicians to act as he wanted. In the end, the Skeleton Magicians had to recognize his attack pattern first.Then they would be able to move in sync with Hyrkan. This was what he had worked on in practice. He learned how to dance with a monster, while the Skeleton Magician was watching!The fruition of his practice could be seen right now. Puh-uhng! The magic thrown by the Skeleton Magician stuck to the back of the Corrupted Comrade.It started to burn, and the body melted.However, the flame disappeared after a little while. Still, the efficacy of the attack was apparent.It had instant recovered after Hyrkan¡¯s sword strike, but this wound wasn¡¯t closing easily. Koo-uhhhhh! The Corrupted Comrade immediately glared at the Skeleton Magician. Pook! Hyrkan stabbed his sword into its body to get the attention of the Corrupted Comrade. Pook! Then he stabbed one more time. It hadn¡¯t received any damage, but it focused its attention back towards Hyrkan once again.It swung its sword towards Hyrkan. Shweeeek! Hyrkan barely avoided the sword. Hooohng! However, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t avoid the second high to low strike. Kah-ahng! He blocked with his sword. Hyrkan gritted his teeth. ¡®I¡¯ll move 5 steps to switch location.¡¯ Hyrkan was barely able to untangle himself from the face to face deadlock, then he moved 5 steps.He didn¡¯t simply move backwards.He switched position.The Corrupted Comarde moved with Hyrkan. The two of them stood there as they clashed swords once again Puh-uhng! The Skeleton Magician¡¯s magic hit a bull¡¯s eye on the Corrupted Comrade¡¯s back. If Hyrkan hadn¡¯t moved, the Magic spell would have landed between Hyrkan and the Corrupted Comrade. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have any time to rest.He was busy trying to draw the aggro of the Corrupted Comrade after they ended their standoff. ¡®If I die from being hit by my Skeleton Magician¡¯s magic, I would have to quit Warlord from the embarrassment I would feel.¡¯ If other users had the chance to see what was going on¡­. If the audience was the skilled users of Warlord, they would have been shocked instead of being impressed. Hyrkan looked like a shooting game expert, where one was dodging missiles flying in from all directions.He was on the level of an expert, who could turn the tables by guiding missiles towards the enemy. He had to repeat this action continuously, and the timing was difficult that it made one feel faint. This couldn¡¯t be achieved only by practising. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t good at anything in real life.Even though, he was an insignificant being, he was very talented at Warlord.His potential couldn¡¯t be compare to anyone. ¡®All right.I got the feel of it.¡¯ At that point, Hyrkan summoned an additional Skeleton Magician. ¡®Let¡¯s double the pace.¡¯ This was the moment when one of the most popular video of Hyrkan was born.The video was called ¡®The Waltz¡¯. Chapter 94 : Waltz (1) Chapter 94 ¨C Waltz (1) Ddahk ddahk ddahk! Every time the chin of the Skeleton Magician moved, it clacked.It was as if a crazy magician was laughing. Accompanying the bizarre laughter, the Skeleton Magician threw a big fireball.It flew quickly through the air in an arc.At the end of the arc, the body of the Corrupted Comrade was present.The size of its body had decreased significantly. Puh-uhng! When the fireball reached the target, it exploded.Accompanying the explosion, the flame blew apart into sparks of flame, and they stuck to the Corrupted Comrade¡¯s body. Hwah-roo-roo¡­. Up until now, the flames had quickly extinguished itself. However, the flames continued to burn, and it let its presence be known. Hyrkan was watching all of this from a nearby location.He gripped his sword as he stood 2 meters away.Hyrkan lowered the point of his sword towards the ground instead of pointing it towards the Corrupted Comrade. Battle Complete. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t let go of his feeling of tension. He still hadn¡¯t heard the announcement.There weren¡¯t any announcement indicating that his Quest had been completed, and he hadn¡¯t received any Titles.This meant the battle was over, but the instance wasn¡¯t at an end. Hyrkan looked at the Corrupted Comrade, and he stood vigilant of his surrounding. More time passed, and nothing special was happening. ¡°Whew!¡± Hyrkan was finally able to let out a short sigh. When he let out the sigh, his mind had some available space to think. The available space was occupied by idle thoughts. ¡®Tsk.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s idle thoughts were filled with self-reflection. ¡®I got hit twice.¡¯ He took out a candy from a secret pocket located near his chest, and he put the candy into his mouth.There were various spots on his clothes that was blackened. This was the trace left behind after he was hit by the Skeleton Magician¡¯s magic. He hadn¡¯t been hit by the full brunt of the magic spell.When the fireball exploded after hitting the Corrupted Comrade, the sparks of flame had hit him.This was what had left behind the marks on his clothes. It was hard to see this as a big problem.The clothes worn by Hyrkan was a Defensive Set made from of the Clear Spider¡¯s webs.It wasn¡¯t an item that could be destroyed by such minor damage.To be truthful, he hadn¡¯t taken much damage.Moreover, it had been necessary for him to stick to the Corrupted Comrade, so the amount of damage he suffered was inevitable. It wasn¡¯t something that should make him take time for self-reflection. ¡®I¡¯ll have to practice a little bit more.¡¯ However, Hyrkan was still not satisfied with this battle, so corner of his mouth drooped. Hyrkan chewed on the candy as he had an introspection.The flame that had been burning the Corrupted Comrade¡¯s body started to subside.When the flames died down, its muscular body was gone.Hyrkan saw a skinny body that was akin to a skeleton. ¡°Thank you.,¡± It was burnt black, and an unpleasant voice emanated from the skeletal body. Hyrkan realized what was happening, so he moved closer to the Corrupted Comrade. When Hyrkan approached the Corrupted Comrade, it spoke while standing upright. ¡°Thank you from freeing me from this pain.¡± Hyrkan took off his glove.He spoke as he displayed his golden ring, the Proof of the Secret Society. ¡°Ah, you are¡­¡­.¡± Its eyes were already burnt black, so it was impossible to see Hyrkan through its naked eye.However, the Corrupted Comrade had no problem identifying Hyrkan.As with the other NPCs, it could sense the distinctive energy emitted by the Secret Society¡¯s ring. ¡°Please take my keepsakes to Maeung.Then¡­.Tell Maeung that he was right.Please deliver those words for me.¡± After he spoke those words, the Corrupted Comrade dropped to his knees.This was the first time the Corrupted Comrade had fallen to his knees. Pshhhhhhh! Then he started to disintegrate into ashes. [Quest ¡®Elf¡¯s Keepsake¡¯ has been completed.] [The Quest ¡®Will of a Comrade¡¯ has started.] The Quest Announcement immediately popped up. ¡®Great.¡¯ He could wrap this up. Hyrkan released the built up tension. [You¡¯ve earned the title ¡®Destroyer of Corruption.] However, Hyrkan became tense once again. ¡®Uh?¡¯ Something unexpected had happened. The thick blue fog made it hard to see even an object right in front of their noses.Five users walked together through the blue fog. It seemed this group had gone through several battles already.Their clothes were a bit rumpled. On the other hand, that was a huge accomplishment.This place wasn¡¯t an easy to place to fight.They had fought several battles within the Blue Mist Forest, yet only their clothes were rumpled.This meant they hadn¡¯t taken much damage.It was evidence that their skills and levels were extraordinary. The five of them came across a boulder that could be used as a chair within the thick fog. For a brief moment, they slightly relaxed as they started a conversation. ¡°It really is hard to hunt here.¡± ¡°How can there be so many monsters here?No matter how I think about it, this is an abnormal amount of monsters. ¡± ¡°Even though there used to to be a Block Field here, there is a good reason why the Users aren¡¯t flocking to this place.This place is the worst as a hunting ground.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make it more appealing as a place to conduct the Sweep?¡± Sweep. If one overheard this word, anyone could discern their identities. Sweepers! The five of them were part of the Sweepers guild.They were an advance party sent to investigate the location they were going to do a full-scale cleaning. Their average level was 130.They all possessed high level, and they were masters at survival. Moreover, they were outstanding at evaluating monsters. ¡°Will it be possible for us to Sweep this place? The level of the monsters seem quite high?¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t their Health and Defense weak?I¡¯ll be an easy Sweep.The problem is whether we will be able to take footage in this place.¡± ¡°I guess the fog is a bit much here.¡± ¡°How about clearing the fog with the Wind type magic?We can push away all the fog then we can commence our magical bombardment.Wouldn¡¯t that make a great vid?¡± ¡°Bring a magician here to check if it¡¯ll work.¡± ¡°Anyways, it¡¯ll be hard for a small party to hunt here.At least, we confirmed that.There is no way anyone is hunting here.¡± They were holding a conversation to get rid of their nervousness when it happened. ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± One of the user hadn¡¯t been participating in the conversation.The user, who had been keeping watch, suddenly let out a yell. The party members immediately got into their battle stance when they heard the shout.The Tankers stepped forward, and the Priest got his Heal magic ready.Moreover, they were cautious.They didn¡¯t try for pre-emptive attack.No matter what happened, they were confident that they¡¯ll be able to cope with the situation.They were veterans affiliated with one of the 30 great guilds. ¡®Huh?¡¯ ¡®Uh?¡¯ The being that was approaching them was most definitely a user. They could see a rough outline of the figure, but it was completely different from the shape of a Smogrian. If one considered the sight one could actually make out, there were plenty evidence that suggested that the person in front of them wasn¡¯t a Smogrian.The Smogrians had a similar coloring to the blue fog, so one couldn¡¯t see it unless it was really close to a user. The deciding factor was how fast this being was approaching them.When this user discovered the Sweepers guild members, he stopped.Only a user would stop when one sees another user. ¡®Who the hell hunts in this place?¡¯ Moreover, the user was alone. ¡®Crazy!¡¯ ¡®He¡¯s hunting by himself here?¡¯ The five users had a dazed expression on their face. Eventually, the distance between them narrowed.The two sides were close enough to be able to see each other¡¯s faces. ¡°Hahoe Mask?¡± Someone spoke. A reply came immediately. ¡°Which guild are you affiliated with?¡± It was a pretty unfriendly answer.It was a non-answer, and that point couldn¡¯t be argued. He didn¡¯t even confirm his identity, yet he asked for their affiliation.They couldn¡¯t consider his words to be a proper answer. However, the Sweepers guild members answered without making any fuss. ¡°We are affiliated with the Sweepers guild.¡± At that moment, Hahoe Mask finally came fully into view.Hyrkan asked the five users a question. ¡°Did the Monster Sweep already start?When I saw the announcement, it said the Sweep would be starting five days from today.¡± ¡°We are the advance party.¡± After a brief conversation, the two sides looked at each other. Hyrkan¡¯s appearance was bizarre in the eyes of the Sweepers guild members.The most striking part of his appearance was the big bag he was carrying.It was a large duffel bag that a soldier might use.The bag looked as if it was about to burst. It was evident that the bag was filled with Ingredient Coins. As members of the Sweepers guild, they were well aware of this fact. This was why their surprise was much larger. ¡®My god. He really was hunting here?¡¯ ¡®By himself?¡¯ The number of Ingredient Coin was basically the number of monsters Hyrkan had taken down. They were beyond being impressed. The Sweeper Guild members were shocked. ¡®Incredible.¡¯ ¡®Recently, I heard the 30 great guilds were competing with each other to recruit him.I now understand why.¡¯ The five of them were still trying to process their surprise when it happened. ¡°Then I¡¯ll¡­¡­.¡± Hyrkan was about to leave, but he stopped as if he just remembered something. ¡®Ah.¡¯ Soooohk! Hyrkan extended his hand towards them.He wasn¡¯t asking for a handshake.He had his palm up as he extended his hand.If he wanted a handshake, he would have extended his hand straight. The Sweepers guild members were confused as they looked at his palm. What was the meaning of this? Then doubt started to creep into their expression.Hyrkan gave a curt explanation. ¡°I¡¯m retreating since I saw the Sweeper guild¡¯s Announcement to clean this place. Don¡¯t I qualify for the compensation?¡± The Sweeper guild members put on awkward smiles at his words. ¡®My god.¡¯ ¡®If he sold the the Ingredient Coins he has right now, won¡¯t he be able to gain several thousand gold in return?¡¯ He was probably making a lot of money from the views he got on his videos.It was an amount of money that a regular person couldn¡¯t even dream about making.This was the first time the Sweepers guild members met Hyrkan, so they were also having a hard time imagining it. ¡°Are you perhaps saying one of the 30 great guilds is going back on their word?¡± Hyrkan spoke again, and his words were strict, earnest, and serious. ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry, so it would be great if you can settle the account right now.¡± If he didn¡¯t immediately receive the compensation, it felt as if he was ready to make this situation bloody!That was the vibe he was giving off. In the end, Hyrkan left after receiving 100 gold. Ahn-jaehyun wordlessly stared at his Tablet PC.He was staring at a particular Item¡¯s Option. He stared fixedly at the Tablet PC, and it seemed Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s vision became blurry.He turned his eyes away from the Tablet PC.He closed both his eyes, and he cover his face with both his hands.His eyes throbbed. It was easy to read the Item¡¯s Option.If one knew Korean, even a child could read it.Ahn-jaehyun was overly knowledgeable regarding the game of Warlord, so he could understand the content just by glancing at the Stats. This was the reason why he reacted this way. ¡®Wow.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun knew the value of these Items better than anyone. He couldn¡¯t help, but be surprised. ¡®I never expected to get my hands on these items through such a method.¡¯ These were the Items that made Ahn-jaehyun so surprised. [Corruption Destroyer¡¯s Necklace] *Main Properties ¨C Unique-rank Item ¨C Increases class-specific stats proportional to level ¨C All stats +33 ¨C Class related Stats +33 ¨C Chosen Stats +33 ¨C Required Level : 100 ¨C Required Condition: Title ¡®Corruption Destroyer¡¯ *Sub-properties ¨C When one wears items related to the Pursuer of Corruption, Destroyer and Arbiter, chosen Stats + 99 ¨C When equipped, damage received is decreased by 10%. ¨C This item reverts to its owner. *Miscellaneous ¨C It is a necklace for Corruption Destroyers, who resist against the power of Corruption.It holds a strong power. [Member of Society, Ivan¡¯s Sword] *Main Properties ¨C Unique-rank Item ¨C Strength +77 ¨C Stamina +66 ¨C Intelligence +55 ¨C Magic Power +44 ¨C Required Level : level 120 ¨C Required Condition : At least, 1000 points Strength *Sub-properties ¨C When equipped, 15% of monster¡¯s defense is ignored ¨C When equipped, it is possible to use the Skill, ¡®Haste (C)¡¯. (Cool time 15 sec) ¨C This Item cannot be destroyed. ¨C This item reverts to its owner. *Miscellaneous ¨C This is Ivan¡¯s Sword.He was a member of the Secret Society.As expected of a sword made by the Blacksmith Olf, it contains a strong power. These were the two items left behind by the Corrupted Comrade.It was the Keepsakes left behind by Ivan. He had to take the 3 Keepsakes to Maeung, which included the Secret Society¡¯s Ring.As the reward for the Quest, Maeung had given him this two items. When he received the Items, Ahn-jaehyun was in a state of disbelief. He threw away the Pursuer of Corruption Necklace, and he equipped the Corruption Destroyer¡¯s Necklace. He stored the Ivan¡¯s Sword in his storage, since he couldn¡¯t equip it yet.Then he exited the game, and he had been staring at the two Item¡¯s Options until now! ¡®I never expected such a jackpot to show up.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun had a hard time believing in his current situation. He had gained incredible Items that was well beyond his expectations. Ahn-jaehyun removed his hands from his face.He opened his closed eyes.It was hard to believe, but reality was reality. ¡®There is no reason to be flustered. There is no need to be worried.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun simplified his current situation. He had been lucky, so he had gotten a Spec Up. Now he just had to use the Spec Up to his advantage to play the game. No, he had to ride this momentum. ¡®Yes, I have to keep this momentum going.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun had his savings and the money he received from his sponsors.He thought about his financial situation. He worked hard to save his money, so he had a good amount of money saved. ¡®I have to burn it all.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t used his money , since an unexpected situation could crop up in the future. Still, he hadn¡¯t been planning on spending the large sum of money. ¡®This is the time to let it all hang out.¡¯ However, he had to build upon his momentum, so he would have to make a direct investment. It was time to spend his money even if his spending money for food decreased. ¡®I have to seriously invest in the defensive gear of my Skeletons.¡¯ If he upgraded his Specs a little bit more, he would be able to hunt in level 140 hunting grounds at level 110. Currently, the level 140 hunting ground could be considered the front lines right now.The number one ranking player, Perfect One, was at level 164.The top 100 Ranking started from level 152. If he was going to hunt in the frontlines, he had to equip himself with the latest items.As always, the latest gears were the top-selling items. Ahn-jaehyun made a fist. ¡®Yes.I have to charge for my footages from now on.Then I¡¯ll be able to bring in the real jackpot when I sell my footages.¡¯ He had to get a little bit more serious about bringing in more profit. ¡®Wait, what should I do with the footage?¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun thought about the footage of him battling the Corrupted Comrade.When he gained the Corruption Destroyer Title, he hadn¡¯t been able to think of anything else.This was why he hadn¡¯t given any thoughts to his footage. ¡®At best, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to hit a million view with this¡­¡¯ Truthfully, the footage wasn¡¯t that appealing in the eyes of Ahn-jaehyun. Hahoe Mask fans liked Hahoe Mask fighting a full-fledged battle with a monster.However, in this footage, he hadn¡¯t even attacked.He avoided, baited and danced. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll leave it to the Romani Films.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun thought about the Romani film company. If Ahn-jaehyun did a poor job editing the footage, he was sure his reputation would take a hit.This was why he needed help from a professional. Ahn-jaehyun prepared his video file, then he contacted the Romain film company. The conversation was brief.It was as if they been waiting for Ahn-jaehyun to contact them.They happily accepted the job.When he sent the video file to the Romani film company, Ahn-jaehyun had a small wish. ¡®I hope there will be enough views to offset the cost.¡¯ When the file was sent, any thoughts about the footage containing his fight with the Corrupted Comrade left his mind. ¡®What should I spend my money on? Shall I buy a staff that can be used by the Skeleton Magicians?¡¯ From that point on, his mind was filled with thought about equipping his Skeletons. Chapter 95 : Waltz (2) Chapter 95 ¨C Waltz (2) 4. A single Skeleton Knight was in a heated battle with a Black Hound. The battle wasn¡¯t tight at all. It was obvious that the Black Hound held the upper hand. As the battle continued, deep wounds started to appear on the Skeleton Knight¡¯s body. Kuh-huhng, kuh-hung! The Black Hound let out rough barks as it either scratched the Skeleton Knight with its claws or it bit the Skeleton Knight with its teeth. Every time it attacked a significant wound was formed. If the Skeleton Knight hadn¡¯t been wearing armor and the Bone Armor wasn¡¯t layered on top of it, the Skeleton Knight would have become a chew toy for the Black Hound. Shweeek! Moreover, the sword swung by the Skeleton Knight was able to wound the Black Hound, but the wound wasn¡¯t deep. The Black Hound was known for its large body and tough hide. The wound was only a little bit deeper than a scratch. At this point, it was obvious that the Skeleton Knight was inferior to the Black Hound. Was this the cause? ¡®Uh-whew.¡¯ Hyrkan let out a sigh. He hadn¡¯t participated in the battle. He just observed the battle from the back. Truthfully, this particular battle shouldn¡¯t have made him sigh. It was a given that the Skeleton Knight¡¯s battle ability wasn¡¯t on the level of a Black Hound. However, this was something very obvious that he had known even before the battle. Hyrkan¡¯s level was 114, so there was no way his summoned Skeleton Knight would possess a higher level than him. On the other hand, the Black Hound was a level 130 monster. Moreover, it was one of the strongest mid-sized monster in the level 130 range. It would have been more strange if the Skeleton Knight was able to fight on par with the Black Hound. However, Hyrkan hadn¡¯t let out a sigh, because of the Skeleton Knight¡¯s battle capability ¡®The money I spent on just one Skeleton¡­¡­ It was more expensive than my down payment on my one room.¡¯ It was all about money. ¡®I emptied everything, yet I was only able to equip one of them.¡¯ Currently, the Skeleton Knight was equipped with level 100 Unique Items. His Armament Skill was Rank C, so he could equip four parts including the weapon. Hyrkan decided to equip the Skeleton Knight with Unique Items. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as expensive or good as the Golden Mantis Scythe Sword or the Clear Spider defensive set. However, he hadn¡¯t skimped on his spendings. As Hyrkan had said before, the Skeleton Knight was wearing a collection of Items that was more expensive than the down payment on his one room. This was the part that made Hyrkan let out a sigh. ¡®I¡¯m out of ramen, and the coffee¡¯s all gone¡­.¡¯ Hyrkan reflexively opened the Hologram window to access his Youtube page. He wanted to check how much donation he had received. Of course, he didn¡¯t have to view his account to see that he had no donations. Still, he decided to check the status of his donations. It was basically scraping the bottom of an empty rice bowl with a spoon¡­ His appearance was pitiable, and very miserable. Hyrkan couldn¡¯t hold back the bitter laugh as he considered his own status. ¡®I¡¯ve finally gone crazy. It isn¡¯t as if I¡¯ll suddenly gain money if I stare at it¡­¡¯ He finally caught sight of his donations. ¡°Uh?¡± Hyrkan was having a hard time believing what he was seeing. 5. It was Dmitri Shostakovich¡¯s Waltz No. 2 or the Second Waltz. It was a very beautiful song. It was a lyrical music, where at times it was lively. From start to end, the music never lost its grace. The music had a strong magic of making people want to start moving their body to the music. With this beautiful song as background, two people were dancing. They weren¡¯t lovers. On one side, there was an enormous muscular monster. On the other side, there was a human wearing a Hahoe Mask. Also, each dancers held hideous swords that was unbefitting this dance. They were an ill-matched pair for this dance. However, their movements were in sync with the music. It was uncanny. Kah-ahng, kahng! The sound of their swords clashing rang out. Accompanying the sound, they lead each other around a restricted stage. Puh-uhng! The crescendos were the sound of magic exploding. The sounds of the explosion was interspersed within the song, and the sound was much more powerful than the sound of drums accenting the strong points of the music. The highlight was last half of the video. In the former part, various instruments were used in concert. However, when the battle reached the latter half, a saxophone solo started. The saxophone¡¯s unique mournful sound continued to the end, and it created a serene scene when the battle ended. The footage ended after 3 minute 40 seconds. ¡°How wonderful was that?¡± Red Bull¡¯s guild master Chev was watching the video with others. He asked the question to his aide Yel. ¡°Well, he is good.¡± She hated that Chev held the Hahoe Mask in such high esteem. However, she couldn¡¯t help, but acknowledge the footage. It was that great. Chev replayed the video, and he spoke in a tone of admiration. ¡°I heard when one becomes a master at something, it become an art form. It seems the Hahoe Mask has reached that level.¡± Chev¡¯s continued to give high praise. Yel pouted when she heard Chev¡¯s repeated high praise. Around the same time¡­. ¡°A talented person is talented.¡± The first string raid members of the Stormhunters guild was also watching the Hahoe Mask¡¯s new video. They admired the Waltz. Hatch was the first one to articulate his feelings. ¡°Where the hell did this guy appear from?¡± ¡°Hooong. If I meet someone, who dances this way, I¡¯ll be able to destroy him in an instant! I¡¯ll win in a fight against him!¡± Hahui answered in an ill-tempered manner when she heard Hatch give his compliments. Hatch smirked as he looked at her. ¡®She must have been quite surprised by this.¡¯ Hatch had bickered with Hahui the most, so he knew what her personality was like. The fact that Hahui was speaking like this meant she was feeling a sense of inferiority. ¡°All right. Now you are just bragging.¡± ¡°Hoong.¡± At that moment, Hatch and the rest of the members naturally looked at their leader Shir. ¡®How is she going to respond to this?¡¯ ¡®Our boss really has an eye for talent.¡¯ Shir¡¯s interest towards the Hahoe Mask was great. If one was a member of the Stormhunter guild, this was a well known fact. Basically, this video had put a fire to her desire to have this talent. It was more apt to say a bomb had gone off. However, Shir didn¡¯t respond immediately. She didn¡¯t say anything as she thought in silence. The guild members of the Stormhunter also waited in silence. She finally opened her mouth. ¡°Hatch.¡± ¡°Yes, boss.¡± ¡°How many guilds within the 30 great guilds do we have an amicable relationship with?¡± ¡°There are twelve.¡± ¡°Send this to all twelve of them.¡± What should he send? Hatch looked back with a questioning look on his face. Shir answered with a resolute expression on her face. ¡°The Stormhunters are calling dibs on the Hahoe Mask. Tell them to keep their hands off of him. 6. Kuh-huhng, kuh-huhng! Hyrkan was running on full tilt as he tried to run away from the Black Hound that was chasing him. This was the one that had been fighting a 1on1 battle with his Skeleton Knight, not too long ago. It still possessed numerous wounds it received from the Skeleton Knight¡¯s sword. After crushing the skull of the Skeleton Knight, the Black Hound has immediately chased after Hyrkan. ¡®This is crazy.¡¯ In truth, Hyrkan could kill this monster with the skills he currently possessed. However, Hyrkan was running away as if he had been bewitched by something. ¡®What the hell happened?¡¯ The numbers had bewitched Hyrkan. Seven hundred seventy thousand views. This was the current view count on the battle footage with the Corrupted Comrade called the Waltz. It hadn¡¯t even been a day since the video had been uploaded, yet he was at the cusp of 1 million views. The views was rising sharply. That wasn¡¯t the end of the news. His Waltz video was being put up on the main page of every website related to Warlord. It was causing quite the sensation. It was being called the best battle video in the history of Warlord! It was being said he had elevated his battle to an art form! There was enough extreme praise to make him feel embarrassed since he was the target of those praises, and the donations were coming in at an explosive rate. This was why his thoughts was all jumbled up inside his head. Kuh-huhng, kuh-huhng! The Black Hound let out a rough bark towards Hyrkan. Hyrkan yelled out in annoyance. ¡°Shut the hell up!¡± Of course, the shout couldn¡¯t be understood by the Black Hound. Hyrkan was so messed up in the head right now that he spoke those words out loud. Moreover, Hyrkan knew what it meant to reach the milestone of 1 million views in a day. ¡®Will I get to 100 million?¡¯ If he could get 1 million views in a single day, then he had the chance to reach hundred million views! This wasn¡¯t a certainty, but it was a general rule of thumb. Moreover, if he reached that 100 million views, his own valuation would change. His income from just the ads would be incredible, and the brand of his nickname would rise in worth. At the very least, Hyrkan would earn enough money where he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the cost of buying ramen. Hyrkan tried to catch his breath. ¡®I never expected a big hit from this.¡¯ Basically, this was a big hit! This was the jackpot one dreamed about for those who wanted to earn one¡¯s keep through playing Warlord. Hyrkan was finally able to think clearly once again. His head had been filled with numbers, but the thoughts inside his head was organized now. Hykran put his hand into his pocket. Then he took out a handful of Skeleton Fragments, and he scattered them. At the same time, Hyrkan came to a stop. When Hyrkan stopped, the Black Hound was already right in front of his nose. Kuh-huhng! The Black Hound opened its mouth wide as if it wanted to crush Hyrkan¡¯s head with a single bite. Hyrkan used the sword in his hand as a shield to block its insolent attack. The Black Hound chewed on Hyrkan¡¯s sword as if it was a bone, and it didn¡¯t stop in its charge. Hyrkan¡¯s body was being pushed backwards. During all of this, the Skeleton Warriors appeared, and it charged toward the Black Hound to help their owner. When the Skeleton Warriors reached the Black Hound, they stabbed their swords into its large body. The Black Hound turned its attention towards the Skeleton Warriors, who had stung him like a swarm of bees. When he became free from the Black Hound, Hyrkan waved his sword around to shake off the Black Hound¡¯s slobber from his sword. Eventually, he re-gripped his sword, and there was a smile on his lips. ¡°¡­¡­oh yes!¡± Hyrkan¡¯s shoulder started to shake from his exclamation, which was infused with happiness. 7. ¡°That¡¯s the end!¡± ¡°Wow! We caught it! The Raid was a success!¡± A large bear, which boasted a body of 30 meter in length, fell down. At that moment, over thirty users in the surrounding simultaneously raised their hands into the air. They started to celebrate their victory. It was a level 160 Boss Monster. One of the 30 great guilds, Triple Wings, had taken down the Eagle Bear. The leader of the raid party was named Skool. He was also an executive of the Triple Wings guild. Skool started to look for a particular user. Everyone was celebrating and sharing their happiness with others, but a single user was off to the side by himself. ¡°Thank you for helping us.¡± The user shook his head at Skool¡¯s words. ¡°No. I just did what I was paid to do. I didn¡¯t do much.¡± ¡°No way, Michael. We were able to overcome this great tribulation, because of you. This was also true with the previous war with the Big Smiles¡­ We keep becoming indebted to you..¡± The user named Michael nodded his head, and he refused to respond to Skool¡¯s words. Skool spoke carefully to him.. ¡°If you come to our guild, we would treat you in a first class¡­.¡± An executive of a 30 great guild was directly recruiting this user. This was unheard of. However, Michael put on a small smile as he shook his head when he heard those words. Skool swallowed what he was about to say. ¡°Since you are our benefactor, I won¡¯t bother you anymore. Still, if you need any help from us, please contact us.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± At that moment, Michael raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have to receive an urgent call¡­¡± Michael turned to walk away after he spoke those words. After moving to an appropriate distance, he answered the call. There wasn¡¯t much substance to the call. ¡°I just finished my raid. What do you need?¡± ¨C One more person has been added to the List. When he heard the word List, Michael¡¯s face hardened into an ugly expression. ¡°Who?¡± ¨C Hahoe Mask. From now on, we kill him on sight. It¡¯s an order. The call ended there. Chapter 96 : Waltz (3) Chapter 96 ¨C Waltz (3) 8. ¨C Awesomeeeeee! ¨C I¡¯ve never seen such a thing even in a movie! ¨C This is good enough to be made into a movie! ¨C If you have a conscience, you should donate a dollar if you saw the footage. ¨C The bastard above me is unscrupulous. He donated only 1 dollar? I donated 2 dollars. ¨C The bastard above me is unscrupulous. He donated only 2 dollar? I donated 3 dollars. ¨C The bastard above me is unscrupulous. He donated only 3 dollar? I¡­¡­ It had been 1 week since the Waltz video was uploaded. There were already over 1 million comments underneath the Waltz video. However, the more striking figure was the views. [20,397,119.] The number was eight figures long. In a week, he had rocketed through 20 million views. It was considered a success if one reached 1 million view, yet his view count was increasing by 3 million everyday. This was beyond his imagination. It was a jackpot. As the one, who had won the jackpot, Ahn-jaehyun had a smile on his face. He looked like a deranged person, but it was to be expected. ¡®Wow. This is spooky. This is on a frightening level.¡¯ There were 3 million playbacks everyday. If a one per 1,000 people donated a dollar, then he would receive $3,000. Even if he discounted the donations, his current ad revenue couldn¡¯t even be compared to the ones he received before. His earnings didn¡¯t end there. Ooohng! Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s smartwatch vibrated to announce the arrival of texts. Ahn-jaehyun had a happy smile as he checked the figures on his smartwatch. [WR Entertainment has deposited $500.] [DBC has deposited $500.] [TW Contents has deposited $500.] The smile on Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s mouth was so wide that it looked frightening. His smile evoked the villain from the Batman movie. He looked like the Joker. Warlord was watched by everyone in the world, so the contents related to Warlord was popular. Currently, a very large number of media companies were creating contents related to Warlord. They were in a position where they needed to broadcast the Waltz video. This was par for the course, but the media companies needed to enter into a contract with him to air the copyrighted Waltz video. Ahn-jaehyun was well acquainted with how this industry worked. When he uploaded his Waltz video, he had put up a copyright fee of $500. It would allow the contractors to use the video for 1 year. ¡®At the time, I thought $500 was a bit too high¡­.¡¯ The amount was a bit higher than normal. He wasn¡¯t from a decent sized guild. If one was uploading a personal, it was inevitable for the content to be sparse even if the quality could be overlooked. Ahn-jaehyun had decided on the contract fee of $500, but in truth, it had been an audacious move. Instead of setting a very low contract fee from the beginning, he had bet on himself. He had been confident that he would be producing impactful videos in the future, and he was sure his worth would rise significantly in the future. Still, the media companies were acknowledging Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s potential now, and they had willingly entered into the $500 contract. ¡®Well, $500 is probably the price of a chewing gum compared to the money these big media companies used.¡¯ On top of all of this, there was one more sector that had acknowledged Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s worth. ¡®They want to insert their sponsored logo into 3 of my videos for $70,000 dollars¡­..¡¯ It was the sponsors. Up until now, Ahn-jaehyun had received several sponsor contracts. However, most of them had been sponsors that were trying to enter into a contract on the cheap with Ahn-jaehyun before he got big. There was even one that had proposed a three year contract for $3,000. However, it was different now. This particular sponsor wanted a total of three videos. The 3 videos would include the Waltz video and two future videos. They were willing to deposit $70,000 if their sponsored logo was inserted into the videos! Of course, there was an additional condition. This would have to be an exclusive deal where only their sponsored logo would be inserted into the videos. ¡®The conditions are good.¡¯ This was an exclusive contract, but that wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. The contract dealt with the number of videos instead of the time he would be bound to the contract. Ahn-jaehyun would have to put the sponsored logo into his two future videos, and the contract would come to an end. ¡®The sponsor is better.¡¯ The thing that made this deal much more attractive him was the fact that VV Enterprise was the one suggesting this sponsorship deal. VV was the acronym for Virtual Videos. They were a company with cutting-edge technology in producing virtual reality videos. Virtual reality videos were videos viewed using the VR machine. This wasn¡¯t like a simple movie where one viewed the movie as a third party. This wasn¡¯t a 2D movie either. One could enjoy the movie through the main character¡¯s POV or some other unexpected POV. VV possessed technological prowess, and they liked to sponsor skilled virtual reality gamers. Basically, they were like the sports star marketing companies akin to Nike and Adidas. The fact that VV was offering a contract meant they had rated Ahn-jaehyun highly! There was no reasons to decline this contract. ¡®I¡¯ll sign a contract with VV.¡¯ He had the copyright contracts, donations, ad revenues and now a sponsor contract! After finishing his calculation, Ahn-jaehyun wiped away the unsightly smile off of his mouth, and he let out a sigh. ¡°Hoo-ooh.¡± He had been worrying about his food money only a couple days ago. Who could have guessed such a turn of events would happen? In some ways, he had made a narrow escape. Ahn-jaehyun let out a sigh, and he happily thought about the luxury items he would buy. ¡®I¡¯ll go to the market tomorrow. I¡¯ll put some pork neck into the kimchi-jjigae. I¡¯ll also buy couple cans of Spam.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun was getting ready to buy tremendous luxury items. ¡®Moreover, when the lump sum of money comes in after the contract with the sponsor¡­ Yes, I¡¯ll gather ingredients, and I¡¯ll make custom uniforms. It¡¯ll look awesome if all my Skeletons wore the same clothes.¡¯ Of course, others will be the ones being decked out in real luxury. 9. Ten Skeleton Warriors wore garbs that was made out of the hide of some primitive beast. The clothes were made out of shaggy furs. Each of the Skeleton Warriors wore Bone Helms, and they all held identical swords in their hands. The gray colored fur clothes was glistening with luster. It almost looked as if the fur was wet. Kuh-huhng, kuh-huhng! There was a Black Hound being surrounded by a group of Skeleton Warriors. The Black Hound was penned in as it let out consecutive rough barks. It looked around its surrounding. It had so much murderous intent in its barks that a normal person would have unconsciously stepped backwards. It was that terrifying. However, the Skeleton Warriors weren¡¯t people, so they didn¡¯t budge an inch. They started to slowly close the encirclement. As the encirclement closed, the Black Hound must have felt suffocated. The Black Hound jumped away like a spring. Tah-aht! After jumping away once, the Black Hound immediately bit into the shoulder of the nearest Skeleton Warrior. Kwah-jeek! The Skeleton Warrior¡¯s body made a sound that was reminiscent of a candy being chewed. An incredible event occurred afterwards. The ferocious dog, which never let go of something it bit, spit out the Skeleton Warrior. [Black Hound has been poisoned by Poison Mink¡¯s Venom.] This was the effect of the Poison Mink¡¯s Venom. Poison Mink. It had a cute name, so some people mistook it for being a cute monster. In reality, it was a hairy monster over 5 meters tall. It looked like Bigfoot. It was a level 110 Boss Monster, and its special characteristic was the thick poisonous fur that covered its body. This was why it was named the Poison Mink. The defensive gears were made from the ingredients gathered from the Poison Mink, and it had the special effect was poisoning anyone, who touched the gear. The Poison Mink¡¯s Venom was special in that the poison had a rare abnormal effect. Paralysis of the Five Senses! When one was poisoned by the Poison Mink¡¯s Venon, the function of one¡¯s five senses decreased temporarily. ¡®It¡¯s worth the high price!¡¯ The Black Hound with its five senses temporarily dulled headed towards Hyrkan. Hooong! Hyrkan swung his sword, and the Black Hound intercepted it with its mouth. Kwah-jeeek! The Black Hound chewed on Hyrkan¡¯s sword as if it was a bone. Hyrkan put strength into his sword as if he was trying to cut through the Black Hound¡¯s mouth. However, the Black Hound refused to back down as it resisted. It was a battle of strength vs strength. In the end, Hyrkan was inferior. Hyrkan¡¯s body was being pushed back. Even if Hyrkan was an all-strength Necromancer, he wouldn¡¯t be able to win against a level 130 monster in terms of strength. The Skeleton Knight moved, while this was occurring. On the opposite side of Hyrkan, the Skeleton Knight readied itself. It didn¡¯t miss the golden opportunity created by its master. It charged the Black Hound with its sword raised in front of it. It used the sword like a spear, and the sword embedded deep into the Black Hound¡¯s body. [The Black Hound has fallen under the Demon Curse.] [The Black Hound has fallen under the Slow Curse.] [The Black Hound has fallen under the Corrosive Ghost.] [The Black Hound has fallen under the Slow Curse.] In a flash, the four Curses within the Skeleton Knight¡¯s sword took hold on the Black Hound. When the Curses activated, Hyrkan came to a complete stop. At the same time, the teeth biting Hyrkan¡¯s sword started to shake. As time progressed, it started to shake harder. Eventually, Hyrkan scratched the Black Hound¡¯s teeth as he started to crack open its mouth. Poo-hwaht! Hyrkan¡¯s sword forced the the Black Hound¡¯s jaws to open wider. Kuh-huhng! The Black Hound struggled in pain as its mouth was being forced open. At that moment, the Skeleton Knight brought down his sword again on the Black Hound¡¯s body. Kwah-jeek! It sliced through flesh, and the sound of bones being crushed was heard. Poohk poohk! Afterwards, all the Skeleton Warriors stabbed with their swords. The Black Hound struggled mightily. The Skeleton Knight and Skeleton Warriors backed away, so they wouldn¡¯t get tangled into the Black Hound¡¯s struggling body. Kooh-roo-roo! After its struggles stopped, the Black Hound looked at its surrounding with its guard up. ¡®This will be number 100 of these bastards.¡¯ ¡°As I promised before, I¡¯ll make you all extinct.¡± 10. [Your Level has increased.] [You¡¯ve gained the Title ¡®Black Hound Hunter¡¯.] [You¡¯ve earned the Title ¡®Great Urugal Mountain¡¯s Novice Hunter¡¯] When the Level Up ended, Hyrkan looked at his surrounding. The Skeleton Warriors wore identical fur clothes. They looked imposing as they stared back at Hyrkan. ¡®They look really cool.¡¯ Hyrkan was more satisfied with the sight than the level up. ¡®It was worth it to spend a lot of money on them.¡¯ The Skeletons weren¡¯t his girlfriends, yet he felt satisfied at gifting them Mink coats. He was probably the only human on earth, who felt that way. Of course, Hyrkan was satisfied. He had acquired the Poison Mink ingredients to manufacture these items, and the items were better than expected. He was satisfied with the effects of the poison. The Paralysis of the Five Senses was most effective in controlling the aggro of the monsters. This was why Hyrkan was able to level up quickly at the entrance of the Great Urugal Mountain. He had gained a Title. The Title ¡®Black Hound Hunter¡¯ increased his Stamina by 10 points, and the ¡®Great Urugal Mountain¡¯s Novice Hunter¡¯ increased his class-specific stats by 10 points. Both of them were great titles. It was one of the reasons why he had decided to hunt at the Great Urugal Mountain. We wanted to obtain the titles. If one had the ability to hunt properly at the Great Urugal Mountain, one could earn a lot of Titles. It was a repository for Titles. ¡®If I could have it my way, I want to stay here until I reach level 130, but¡­.¡¯ Hyrkan glanced at the peak of the Great Urugal mountain. The entrance to the Great Urugal mountain range was a really good hunting ground. There weren¡¯t that many users, who operated around this location, so there weren¡¯t many competitors. The monsters that showed up here were diverse compared to the other regions. Moreover, people liked to view monster hunting videos from this location. Normally, he would have leveled up as much as possible at such a location. ¡®The Quest is more important.¡¯ However, it wasn¡¯t time yet. Hyrkan once again checked the content of the Quest he received from Maeung. [Cursed Domain] ¨C Quest Rank : Rare ¨C Quest Level Range : Over Level 120 ¨C Quest Content : Corrupted Comrade. Please investigate Ivan¡¯s Mission ¡®Cursed Domain¡¯ in his stead. ¨C Quest Reward : Skill Book This was the Quest that was given to him by Maeung when he received the Ivan¡¯s Sword and the Corruption Destroyer¡¯s Necklace. He had to reach level 120 to progress in this Quest, so he made leveling up his highest priority. In truth, if he there weren¡¯t any level restrictions, he would have moved immediately towards the Cursed Domain. However, Hyrkan had been hunting to reach level 120, so he had given his competitors enough time to be able chase after him. ¡®The Stormhunters put their Quest progress behind closed doors, so I have no idea how far¡­ I have to accept that I might not be the front-runner in the future.¡¯ It was especially true for this Quest route, since his competitor was the Stormhunters guild. He had given them enough time to be able to catch up to him. Basically, he had given them a window where they could have surpassed him. Maybe the Stormhunters guild had also received the Cursed Domain Quest, and they might be carrying it out right now. If he was unlucky, he might even run across the Stormhunters, while carrying out the Quest. Even if he didn¡¯t come across them, everyone would try to keep him in check now. It was inevitable. The world worked that way. As one climbs higher, one encounter stiffer winds. If he was running towards becoming the best, he had to overcome these obstacles. Thanks to the recording of the big hit called the Waltz, Ahn-jaehyun had been able to strengthen his forces extensively. He had equipped 20 Skeletons with rare items, and he had passed his Golden Praying Mantis Scythe Sword to his Skeleton Knight. It was clear to see. Hyrkan was quickly closing the distance between him and the lead group. When he closes the distance and pass them, he would open up a bottle of champagne. In other words, he had a long way to go before he could uncork that bottle of champagne. Hyrkan¡¯s facial expression settled into a cold mask. Chapter 97 : Cursed Domain (1) Chapter 97 ¨C Cursed Domain (1) [Hyrkan] ¨C Level : 122 ¨C Class : Necromancer ¨C Title : 66 ¨C Stats : Strength(1351)/Stamina(598)/Intelligence(789)/Magic Power(883) He was checking his Stats through the Hologram Window, and one side of his lips started to droop.He frowned as if he was upset.At a glance, one could tell something had soured his mood. Hyrkan walked towards a densely wooded area as he continued to frown.Hyrkan started moving between the trunks of the trees when he suddenly disappeared. It happened 10 seconds after Hyrkan disappeared. ¡°Uh? Where is he?¡± ¡°What? Wasn¡¯t he here until a moment ago?Why can¡¯t we see him?¡± ¡°Search carefully! He was here a moment ago!¡± The three Users started to look around the the location where Hyrkan had gone missing. Two of the Users was wearing armor, and one User was wearing a priest¡¯s robe.This was a party made out of two Swordsman and a Priest. They weren¡¯t wearing particularly expensive items.It was a mixture of Rare and Normal Rank Items.There wasn¡¯t any uniformity in the Items they had on.This was especially true for the armors.The two users looked unsightly in their armors. Hyrkan was looking down at the Users from atop a tree branch, and he still had an unpleasant smile on his face.As he was smiling, Hyrkan took a handful of Skeleton Fragments out of his pocket, and he threw it towards the ground. Too-too-toohk! The Skeleton Fragments rained down like hail, and one of them hit a User¡¯s helm. Toohng! It lightly hit his helm. ¡°Huh?¡± A dull sound rang out inside his helm, and the User lifted his head up in confusion.When he looked up, he saw a large object falling from the sky.That was all he saw. Poohk! A white sword pierced through the helm to lodge itself in between the User¡¯s eyes.Of course, he didn¡¯t see the sword strike. ¡°Uh.What the hell?¡± It sounded as if the User had suffered an accident instead of being attacked. The words that slipped out the User¡¯s mouth was something one would say when one suffered a mishap. The person directly involved didn¡¯t react properly. However, his two companions had the proper reaction. ¡°It¡¯s the Hahoe Mask!¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Accompanying the shouts, one of the two remaining party members swung his sword towards Hyrkan. Hyrkan had just landed on the floor and his sword was still stuck between the User¡¯s eyes. Shweek! Hyrkan easily avoided the horizontal sword strike.The attack wasn¡¯t that fast, and it was lacking in terms of technique. Moreover, he hadn¡¯t used any Skills.The attack was like child¡¯s play to Hyrkan. The sword, which had lost its target, immediately hit the other party member, who had been standing next to Hyrkan. Ggahhng! It was a joke of a sword, but the User, who had swung the sword, had a decent amount of Strength Stat.The sword strike immediately put a dent in his comrade¡¯s armor. ¡°Ooh-ahk!¡± The blinded User finally reacted in a way befitting the situation. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°Sorry? Why the hell did you attack me?What¡¯s going on right now?¡± ¡°The Hahoe Mask was above our heads!¡± ¡°Really? Where is he right now?¡± ¡°He¡¯s next to you!¡± ¡°What?¡± The blinded user became frightened, and he started to show vigilance against his surrounding.Of course, he had the Blind status, so he couldn¡¯t see anything. ¡°Cure! Someone Cure me!¡± ¡°Yes.All right!¡± Hyrkan stared blankly at their antics as he stood several steps away. The scene of the rag tag group struggling didn¡¯t amuse Hyrkan.It actually made him depressed. The three of them took advantage of Hyrkan¡¯s consideration.They were afforded a brief respite, so the three of them got into formation.Then they shouted towards Hyrkan. ¡°Hyrkan! We challenge you!¡± Hyrkan didn¡¯t answer their shouted words.He didn¡¯t even get into his fighting stance. The Skeleton Warriors, who had already formed, moved instead of Hyrkan. ¡°Uh? Uh!¡± The situation had already come to an end.The five Skeleton Warriors wore the Poison Mink fur armor, and the monsters were too powerful for the half-assed 3 man party to handle. Hyrkan didn¡¯t even need to participate in the battle.It wasn¡¯t worth it, and the situation resolved itself in a dull manner.Hyrkan cut off the wrist watch from the User¡¯s corpses. He mumbled to himself in a brusque manner. ¡®This is the tenth group.¡¯ The view on his Waltz video had broke through the 70 million mark. The view count wasn¡¯t showing any signs of slowing down.The ripple effect caused by the video was currently getting larger. A snowball was rolling down a snow-covered mountain. The Waltz video was a big hit, and of course, it had been mentioned in the media. The media attention would once again focus the public¡¯s interest on the video.It basically started a feedback loop. In this process, the Hahoe Mask¡¯s worth naturally rose, and when his worth rose, the number of groups hunting for his head increased. Of course, no one would give a reward for taking down Hyrkan.Warlord didn¡¯t have such a system. Still, logic didn¡¯t necessarily pass muster in this game.Why were so many people trying to catch Hyrkan?Currently, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t suspicious of the situation. He just considered it to be an unwelcoming situation. ¡®There really are a lot of weird bastards that want to pick a fight with me.¡¯ In the past, he would have smiled at the watches that automatically dropped into his lap. He would have cut off the wrists of customers, and he would have considered their watches to be a donation. Thankyou very much! He would have thanked them. However, the current Hyrkan wasn¡¯t the past Hyrkan. ¡®They think I¡¯m fair game?Is that what¡¯s going on?¡¯ Currently, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t make a big profit by taking watches away from mediocre users. It would be more beneficial if he could kill one more monster than wasting his time on these Users. Moreover, the fact that the mediocre Users were targeting Hyrkan was sure evidence that Hyrkan was being seen as an easy target. Of course, it isn¡¯t as if there weren¡¯t any reasons for this to be true.First, Hyrkan¡¯s guild affiliation wasn¡¯t formally known.He was unaffiliated. The fact that he was unaffiliated meant Users won¡¯t have to worry about a possible backlash. Even if Hyrkan was amazing, he was soloing this game.For Warlord Users, a high head count was the ultimate trump card. There wasn¡¯t anything that could beat sheer number of Users! This was a law akin to law of gravity to Warlord Users. In the Warlord User¡¯s minds, Hyrkan was someone that could be killed if the numerical advantage could be pressed. The bigger problem for Hykran was the fact that there was another faction, who thought along the same line as the normal Users. Guilds! Other groups were looking down on Hyrkan more so than the Users. ¡®If I idle here, I¡¯ll get swept up into a dog fight, and I might be put down like a dog.¡¯ He was in danger He could power through here, and he could create a stronghold for himself.On the other hand, if he wasted his time here, he wouldn¡¯t be able close the distance with the frontrunners.He would be stuck without being able to improve on his standing. Hyrkan was well aware of the danger, so this was why Hyrkan wasn¡¯t in a good mood. While Hyrkan had an ill-humored expression on his face, he took out a Gem.He melted the Gem using Clay Play.When the melted Gem reached the floor, it immediately transformed into a long-legged Lizard Golem. Hyrkan rode on the back of the Lizard.He spoke as he dug his heels into the side of Lizard. ¡°Drive Mode, destination Missandra¡¯s Castle.¡± After receiving its order, the Lizard Golem started to run quickly.Hyrkan opened his Hologram Window, and he replayed a video. ¨C We are currently entering the second phase.There hasn¡¯t been any casualties yet.There is a 98% chance that our plan will succeed. It was the Stormhunter¡¯s Boss Raid video. Warlord Users watched successful Raid videos, so they could review and make preparation. It was impossible to learn everything through actual experience. ¡®I have to study hard.¡¯ Of course, he had to do more to become stronger. ¡®If I progress in the Main Scenario Quest, I¡¯ll be able to gain a lot of Chronicle Unique Items.¡¯ If one wanted to get strong in Warlord, one needed Items with powerful Options. ¡®I have to lay the foundation, so I can get up to the level of the Ranked Users.¡¯ He had to lay down these foundations, so he could become truly powerful as he leveled up. ¡®Just wait a little bit for me.When I levelup into the Rankings, I¡¯ll tie those, who dared to touch me, including the guilds.I¡¯ll cut all their hands and necks.¡¯ Hyrkan knew better than anyone on how he could get over his current difficulties. Hyrkan headed towards the Cursed Domain. Apollo had a corpulent body that made one sympathize with the armor he wore.A User wearing a robe approached him. ¡°The Hahoe Mask is said to be moving towards the southeast..¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°While he is moving, he has taken down a significant number of users.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Apollo¡¯s answer was very short. When he heard Apollo¡¯s answer, the User named Jiang carefully brought up a question. ¡°So why do we have to pay so much attention to the Hahoe Mask?¡± Jiang had become an officer of the Apollo guild, so he could receive the crumbs off of Apollo¡¯s table.In truth, he didn¡¯t care what Apollo did if he continued to receive the crumbs off of Apollo¡¯s table. The other officers didn¡¯t question Apollo¡¯s decisions.They just did what he asked, then they did what they wanted behind his back. However, it was hard to understand Apollo¡¯s decision.He couldn¡¯t hold back his curiosity.This was why Jiang had posed his question.Moreover, Jiang was the first one to ask Apollo a question amongst the executive members of the Apollo guild. Apollo opened his narrow eyes when he heard Jiang¡¯s question.If someone saw him right now, one would think he still had his eyes closed. Jiang added more details to his words. ¡°To be truthful, the Hahoe Mask did kill our guild members.However, it wasn¡¯t an egregious enough offense to invest this much resource into the revenge?This is especially true if we consider the amount of money we invested into the Red Lake incident¡­.It was a large sum of money, but what benefits did we gain?¡± ¡°Hoong.¡± Apollo let out a loud snort at his words.Accompanying the snort, Apollo spoke what was inside his mind.This was the first time he had done so. ¡°I don¡¯t care about bastards like the Hahoe Mask, who shine for a brief moment.¡± Jiang¡¯s eyes narrowed. Apollo was a greedy and vindictive pig.Still, his intelligence wasn¡¯t on the level of a pig. He was capable of using his head. No, he thought in shrewd ways when needed.He had a lot of greed and obsessions.It was akin to a starving pig with food in front of it.The pig sometimes came up with ingenious ideas to get to the food. It seemed this was the moment where Apollo had come up with an ingenious idea. ¡°Listen to me closely, Jiang.Currently, we have a hold over Heh-bibin.¡± Jiang nodded his head. Apollo had contracted out the hunting of the Hahoe Mask to Heh-bibin, and Heh-bibin had failed.The funny part was that Hahoe Mask didn¡¯t know Heh-bibin and Big Smile had targeted him.However, Apollo knew the truth. Moreover, the weapons that was borrowed from Big Smiles was used in hunting the Hahoe Mask.The Hahoe Mask also didn¡¯t know about this.Apollo was the only one, who knew about it. This was Heh-bibin¡¯s weak point. ¡°Moreover, the Big Smile isn¡¯t in a good state right now.Aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± On top of that, the Big Smiles guild wasn¡¯t on good standing amongst the 30 great guilds.Recently, they got some breathing room, but it wasn¡¯t as if they had made an official truce with the Triple Wing. There were plenty of reasons to believe that the war would continue sooner or later. The Big Smiles had a stubborn problem. They lacked killer contents. The guilds that fought for the top spots amongst the 30 great guilds all had unique contents.This was their strong point. The guilds like Red Bulls and Stormhunters showed overwhelming skills in Raids.The Hydra Guild showed the uncanny ability of progressing in the Main Scenario Quest, and any Quests related to it.In the case of the Sweepers guild, they had a unique content called the Monster Sweep. However, the Big Smiles guild was a bit different.They were a large guild, yet they weren¡¯t really good at anything. To be blunt, if they weren¡¯t a guild made out of mostly Chinese Users, they wouldn¡¯t even be in the 30 great guilds.The market called China had elevated them to their current status. Basically, they couldn¡¯t get out of this with their own efforts.If they can¡¯t get out of their troubles using their own efforts, then they could be influenced by outside forces. ¡°Perhaps?¡± When he heard the story, Jiang had a thought. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not aiming for scraps like the Hahoe Mask.I want an executive seat in the Big Smiles guild.That is what I want.¡± Apollo started to laugh. ¡°I¡¯ve already finished my negotiations with Brooks. Brooks will look out for my back now.¡± Apollo was aiming for an executive seat inside Big Smiles.Moreover, he had won over one of Big Smile¡¯s executives. If Apollo fulfilled certain conditions, Brooks was willing to bring in Apollo into the Big Smiles guild.From Brooks¡¯ perspective, there was no downside in having an amicable relationship with Apollo, who had a stout background. The problem was Brooks¡¯ accident had caused a war between Triple Wings and Big Smiles.This in turn weakened Brooks, but on the other hand, it had elevated Heh-bibin¡¯s influence. In such a situation, what if one knew about Heh-bibin¡¯s weak point? Jiang was impressed. ¡®His head works really well in certain situations.¡¯ He had thought Apollo only cared about greed and money.He never expected him to come up with such a plan. At the same time, greed took hold inside Jiang. ¡®It¡¯s a good thing I asked him about it.This opportunity is a jackpot.¡¯ If Apollo could become an executive of the Big Smiles guild, the Apollo guild would be absorbed into the Big Smiles guild.The executive members of the Apollo guild would be treated pretty well inside the Big Smile guild. If one received preferential treatment from one of the 30 Great guilds, it was akin to making a transition from a civilian to noble status in the middle ages. Jiang lowered his head. ¡°As expected of our guild master, the scale of the plot you think about is on a different level.I thought you had been trying to catch a mouse like the Hahoe Mask.You planned on using the mouse as bait to capture a whale.¡± ¡°Yes. A man like me should fish for a whale instead of a small fish. Isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You are correct.¡± He immediately spat out a flattery. Apollo had a generous smile on his face as he listened to Jian¡¯s flattery. Chapter 98 : Cursed Domain(2) Chapter 98 ¨C Cursed Domain(2) Hyrkan stared intently at a large boulder.The boulder didn¡¯t look too special on the outside.In truth, the boulder wasn¡¯t anything special. Took took. Hyrkan used a shovel to dig up the fine soil near the boulder.There would have been no significance to this boulder if an Ingredient Coin hadn¡¯t appeared inside the hole. ¡°Chet.¡± Hyrkan clicked his tongue after checking the Ingredient Coin.His expression naturally changed into a sour expression. ¡®In the end, I¡¯m back to the same location.¡¯ He put the Ingredient Coin back into his pocket.Hyrkan closed his eyes with a frown on his lips. ¡®I never expected this to turn out like this.¡¯ Hyrkan knew where the Cursed Domain was located at.It was one of the important parts of the Main Scenario Quest, so of course, he knew where it was located at. It was located southeast of Misandra¡¯s Castle, where there was a tall mountain called the Ricky mountain.There was a long winding road past the Ricky mountain, and one had to cross the Inue Lake! One finally reached the boundary of the Cursed Domain after crossing all of those landmarks. If one could pinpoint a location to this degree in Warlord, one was basically as knowledgeable as a navigator. However, he was currently going around in circles.He couldn¡¯t even get past the Ricky Mountain. ¡®I had no idea the Block Field was still up.This is really unexpected.¡¯ Block Field. No Users could get past this barrier, and it was in the way of Hyrkan. The Block Field was placed beyond the Ricky Mountain, and Hyrkan already knew the Block Field hadn¡¯t been dispelled yet.It was something one could confirm through several internet searches. Still, he never thought the Block Field would be a problem for him. ¡®I¡¯ve received the Quest, yet the Block Field is still present¡­This is a pain.¡¯ Hyrkan had received the Main Scenario Quest.In most cases, the Main Scenario Quest acted as a key in dissolving the Block Field.This was why Hyrkan hadn¡¯t worried over the Block Field.He had been worried about getting to the Cursed Domain faster than everyone else.He wanted to get there first, and he wanted to eat all those delicious Titles. ¡®Some random bastards tried to block my path before and now such a trivial thing is blocking my path.¡¯ Of course, this fact didn¡¯t have all negative connotations. Instead, it could be seen as a positive news. ¡®The fact that the Block Field is around means the Cursed Domain is still intact¡­It means the Storm Hunters haven¡¯t reached this place yet or they are progressing in a different Quest route as me¡­I like that.¡¯ The possibility of the Stormhunters guild receiving the same Quest to search for the Cursed Domain, and them being ahead of him was gone. It was an element that was sufficiently positive. ¡®All right.¡¯ Hyrkan let go of his sour mood, and he organized his situation. His next task was set.He had to dispel the Block Field.A Block Field couldn¡¯t be dispelled by force. ¡®It¡¯s been awhile since the Misandra¡¯s Castle was released to the Users.I¡¯m sure the Quests are completed up to a certain point.¡¯ Hyrkan turned his head.First, he had to return to the Misandra Castle. ¡®Huh?¡¯ As if it had been waiting for Hyrkan to turn his head, a monster appeared behind Hyrkan. Koo-roo-roo¡­¡­! Koo-huhng! Koo-huhng! It was a wolf human standing on its two feet.It was a werewolf.It was different from a normal werewolf.It was holding very rusty knives in both hands. It was a level 100 monster called Weapon Werewolf. Amongst the level 100 mid-sized monsters, it was a monster of average difficulty.It wasn¡¯t hard to kill, but it wasn¡¯t easy to kill either¡­Basically, it was a middle of the road monster. Four of them appeared.At the very least, it was numerous enough where a single User wouldn¡¯t be able to easily deal with them. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t even unsheathe his Ivan¡¯s Sword when the pack appeared.He didn¡¯t even snort at their appearance. Instead, he flicked his fingers twice. This caused the Skeleton Warriors that had been on standby to appear from behind the Weapon Werewolves.They held golden colored swords that looked to be made by smelting gold. Kuhng! As if they were surprised by the appearance of the Skeletons, the Weapon Werewolves desperately turned their bodies. The battle started immediately. Kwahng! The Werewolves let out a roar as they charged first. The eyes of the Skeleton Warriors and Knight burned as they silently looked at the Werewolves.They dodged the incoming attack, and their fighter¡¯s disposition was strong enough to cut the enemies with a single stroke. Hyrkan had a sour expression on his face as he opened his Hologram Window. Then he searched for more information. ¡®No 30 great guilds are present in Misandra¡¯s Domain.There aren¡¯t even Underfoot guilds there.This might be more annoying than I thought it would be.Any ways, what should I have for dinner tonight?¡¯ Hyrkan was starting to fight battles in a way that was befitting a Necromancer. Misandra¡¯s Castle was revealed to the Warlord Users around 2 months ago. In the world of gaming, two month was almost like two years.It wasn¡¯t a short amount of time, and a lot of Users had visited Misandra¡¯s Castle.They wanted to dispel the Block Field present beyond the castle.This was why they diligently found and cleared the Quests. However, the Block Field would not be easily dispelled.They kept finding likely clues, yet no one could find the actual key. In a situation like this, the Users made a simple judgement call. ¡°Oh well. I¡¯ll just go hunt somewhere else.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll only get a single Title if the Block Field is dispelled.Wouldn¡¯t it be more profitable to level up at a different hunting ground?¡± Give up. It was the obvious course of action. Not many Users were willing to invest their time here when it hindered with one¡¯s level up. Moreover, Misandra¡¯s Castle was located in an ambiguous location. One could earn Quests between level 80 to 100 at Misandra¡¯s Castle. The level 80 Users diligently did their Quests, and they diligently leveled up. What happens when they reach level 90? In Warlord, there was a single goal every users tried to fulfill at level 90.It was to get to level 100 as soon as possible.They wanted to go through the Advancement!If one wanted to go through the Advancement as soon as possible, one had to find an effective hunting ground. Misandra¡¯s Castle was hardly an effective hunting ground, so there was no reason to stay there. In the end, the Users left for various parts after they completed Quests up to a certain point. New Users influxed into this location, but they repeated the actions of their predecessors. Of course, not everyone left. ¡°Does anyone want to do a Quest with me?¡± Zeet. He was different from the other Users.He was part of the minority of people, who was staying behind at Misandra¡¯s Castle for his Quest progress. He was level 91, and his Class was Magician. As a Magician, he couldn¡¯t operate out in the field by himself. This was why he was gathering party members at Misandra¡¯s Subjugation Association.He was trying to progress in his Quest. ¡°What kind of Quest is it?¡± ¡°It is an Exploration Quest. It is a Quest to find the remains¡­¡± ¡°Does it give a lot of EXP? What¡¯s the Reward?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an Exploration Quest, so it doesn¡¯t give much EXP nor a lot of rewards.¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°What?¡± in the end, his recruiting process always ended on a bad note. It was the same right now. What for? After saying that phrase, the User turned around and left as if he never wanted to see Zeet again. The User¡¯s action was so cold that Zeet felt a little bit humiliated. Zeet gritted his teeth. ¡®Shit! I should have chosen the Swordsman Class instead¡­At the very least, I could carry out the quest whether I sink or swim!¡¯ Zeet manipulated his watch as he spoke.He checked the Quest again. [Blackened Remains] ¨C Quest Rank : Rare ¨C Quest Level Range : 90 ¨C Quest Content : Recover the Blackened Remains. Deliver it to the fugitive ¡®Chados¡¯. ¨C Quest Reward : Chados¡¯ Staff. Blackened Remains Quest. It was a Rare Rank Quest. It meant it wasn¡¯t an easily obtainable Quest.However, it wasn¡¯t special enough where only Zeet was carrying it out. It was actually the opposite.If one was diligently leveling up from level 80 to 90 at Misandra¡¯s Castle, one would receive this Quest.The Quest Route had already been made public. However, there was a Quest that was nicknamed the Diploma.When Users received this Quest, a vast majority of them left Misandra¡¯s Castle to search for another hunting ground.It was as if they had graduated from this location. There was a reason why Zeet was holding onto this Quest, while he was stalled in leveling up. ¡®I¡¯m sure this Quest is the key that will break open the Block Field.¡¯ Numerous Users went through the Quests available at Misandra¡¯s Castle, and they all reached the Blackened Remains Quest.However, no one had solved the Quest yet.The Block Field remained closed.There was ample reasons why one should be suspicious that this Quest was related to the Block Field. Of course, one could be suspicious, but it was hard to have conviction about such a conjecture. Zeet was so sure, because while he was progressing another Quest, he had found the identity of Chados. ¡®Chados is a fugitive.For some reason, he is a fugitive running away from some unfortunate circumstances.¡¯ Chados was a fugitive that had run away from somewhere across the Block Field.He had heard this story from a NPC caretaker named Dodo, who maintenanced the castle walls.Moreover, this truth hadn¡¯t been spread anywhere online.Zeet had never disclosed this information to anyone. This was basically Zeet¡¯s trump card. He was very sure about his conjecture.He just had to ramp up his efforts in gathering party member.That was the answer. The problem was¡­¡­. ¡°Hey, look who it is?Isn¡¯t it, Zeet?¡± Zeet had a disadvantage that no one else had here. ¡°You are still operating out of Misandra¡¯s Castle? Huh?¡± Three Users approached Zeet.The three Users had identical guild emblems on their chests.It was the Swing Guild. ¡°I thought we squared everything last time!¡± Swing Guild. It was a medium-sized guild with about 300 members. They weren¡¯t considered to be one of the 30 great guilds nor were they part of the Underfoot guilds. They were a guild formed for the purpose of mutual cooperation.The members of the guild consisted of low level Users to pretty high level Users.There were a diverse group of Users gathered in this guild. Moreover, they were a guild in bad standing with Zeet. ¡°What did I say?Did I say we¡¯ll smash you to pieces when we find you near the Field?¡± ¡°What a strange bastard. We were just wondering why you were still here. We were just curious!!¡± ¡®Shit. They should just be transparent with their threats, sons of bitches!¡¯ It had been a disagreement that happened quite frequently in games. They had met up by chance, and they had started a party hunt.They bickered, since they weren¡¯t in sync with each other.The bickering escalated. ¡®Why are you so lacking?¡¯ ¡®Like your mother?¡¯ As the conversation escalated, feelings were hurt and there was had been an argument. Zeet had gotten in a disagreement with a User, and there had been an accident afterwards during the party hunt. Zeet was a bit late in his assist, so the User that was playing the role of a Tanker had experienced Game Over. It was an accident born out of a mistake, but the aggrieved User felt like it was done on purpose. Afterwards, all of Swing guild didn¡¯t see Zeet in apositive light.This was why these Users had spent a long time at Misandra¡¯s Castle, yet they operated far from each other. ¡®Those damn bastards.They aren¡¯t even a 30 great guild, yet¡­Since I¡¯m alone, they are ganging up on me like a pack of dogs.¡¯ This was the reason why Zeet wasn¡¯t able to aggressively further his agenda.This was why he solicited every new Users he saw to join his party. ¡®Yes.It isn¡¯t that I¡¯m dodging shit, because I¡¯m afraid of it.I¡¯m avoiding it since it is dirty.¡¯ A man appeared in front of Zeet. ¡®Uh?¡¯ To escape the attention of the Swing Guild, he was about to head out.At that moment, he came face to face with a User at the door. He had on a plain armor, and there was a plain sword equipped on his waist.The impression the User gave off¡­.. ¡®He has a really gullible face.¡¯ The User really looked like someone that could be tricked. In a flash, Zeet¡¯s eyes checked the other User¡¯s Item setting. ¡®Swordsman Class!¡¯ At a glance, this User obviously had a setting common to the Swordsman Class. Zeet reflexively asked the man a question. ¡°Are you perhaps here to receive a Quest?¡± The User silently nodded his head. ¡°Then would you like to do a Quest with me?¡± Zeet spoke the next part with a low voice. ¡°This is a secret, but the Block Field might open if this Quest is completed.¡± He wouldn¡¯t have made that comment about the Block Field to Normal Users, but the man in front of him looked as if he would fall for anything¡­He felt this was a chance that would never come again, so he had thrown out the bait. As if Zeet¡¯s bait had taken hold, the User looked at Zeet with an interested expression on his face. ¡°If it isn¡¯t true, how much are you going to give me?¡± ¡°What?¡± However, the words and tone of his voice didn¡¯t indicate he was interested.The other User continued to speak. ¡°If I complete the Quest and the Block Field is still up, how much compensation are you going to give me?¡± He was most definitely a pushover, but it seemed Zeet had met someone with a real tiger¡¯s mouth. Chapter 99 : Cursed Domain (3) Chapter 99 ¨C Cursed Domain (3) A Weapon Werewolf was in three pieces as the corpse was broken and mangled on the ground. The User, who had been looking at the corpse, whipped his head around.He spoke towards a Magician teammate. ¡°If you throw magic around like that next time, I¡¯m going to declare a PK match against you.¡± ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± The conversation was too brusque and one-sided to call it a conversation between comrades.It was beyond a warning. He had basically delivered a threat.When Zeet received the warning, he immediately apologized instead of getting mad. ¡®His temperament is entirely different from his appearance.¡¯ In truth, it was a reaction that didn¡¯t match Zeet¡¯s personality.It wasn¡¯t as if Zeet¡¯s personality was dirty or ill-tempered. Still, he was more rowdy than he was quiet. His personality had been the reason why he had gotten into a conflict with the Swing Guild.If Zeet had kept quiet when he had minor or emotional disagreements, he wouldn¡¯t have heard words like ¡®You better watch out next time you go for a hunt, you son of a bitch!¡¯ However, Zeet had killed his temper for now, and he was deferring to his new partner.The reason was simple. ¡®¡­¡­his skills are killer.¡¯ His current partner was incredibly skilled. Truthfully, Zeet was having a hard time believing his current situation. If he was a normal User, he wouldn¡¯t have even offered up a ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯.He would have just turned his head away, but he needed to show sincere concern for this particular partner. In truth, Zeet had thought his partner was in the category of the unskilled Users.The skilled Users weren¡¯t usually interested in what he had to offer. This User seemed to operating on his own, so Zeet thought the User was like a roaming duckweed.He thought this User was like him. How could Zeet have guessed that this User was so skilled? ¡°There is one more coming.I¡¯ll block it.When it turns it back to you, you should immediately use your magic.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Zeet was able to move around much faster as he searched for the Blackened Remains.It was thanks to his skilled partner. ¡°Be sure of yourself when you throw it. Your timing will be way off if you hesitate like that.¡± ¡°I know.I¡¯m sorry.It was a mistake.¡± Of course, a skilled partner would require others to be at their best, but it was something Zeet was willing to put up with. ¡°If the Quest is completed and the Block Field isn¡¯t dispelled, your life¡­¡± ¡°What? What did you just say?¡± ¡°Ah, this is just me talking to myself.I¡¯m just talking to myself.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t your words too clear for it to be you talking to yourself?¡± ¡°So are you saying you want to hold a grudge against me?¡± ¡°Ah, no.Ah!It¡¯s the werewolf!I¡¯ll start my Casting!¡± Sometimes his more skilled partner would joke around.His words were frightening, but Zeet was sure they were jokes.At the very least, Zeet decided to think of it like that. ¡®He¡¯s probably joking. If he wasn¡¯t joking¡­.¡¯ Zeet briefly shuddered as he saw his partner run at the Weapon Werewolf to block it.This was how excellent his partner¡¯s skills was.He was so skilled that Zeet had never seen his partner use his Skills even once. He wasn¡¯t using his Skills, yet he was sufficiently skilled enough to fight off a Weapon Werewolf.This mean his partner was an incredible expert. If one was over level 150 equipped with Unique Items, one could crush a Weapon Werewolf through one¡¯s Spec. Anyways, Zeet had the experience of partnering up with other parties and guilds. He had partnered up with a variety of parties and Users.He could immediately tell his current partner¡¯s skill was extraordinary. ¡®This is really my last opportunity.¡¯ Moreover, the opportunity to work with such a skilled partner was hard to come by. This was why on the third day of Blackened Remains Exploration Quest, Zeet revealed the information he had been hiding. ¡°Shall I tell you about the Blackened Remain Quest?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been keeping your mouth shut until now.So why are you telling me right now?¡± ¡°It just means the information I have is worth a lot.It isn¡¯t something I would tell someone at a first meeting.¡± ¡°All right.Tell me.¡± This meant Zeet was ready to trust his partner this time, and he was showing his conviction in his desire to finish the Black Remains Quest. ¡°If you search for the Black Remains Quest, you¡¯ll hit on a lot of search results.It is basically the terminus Quest one can receive at Misandra¡¯s Castle.Still, why was no one able to solve it?What was the reason?The biggest reason was quite simple.It took time to break this Quest.Users wanted to level up and go do their Advancement.It was more wise and profitable to focus on leveling up than the Quest.¡± Zeet. He had arrived at the Misandra¡¯s Castle when it was first released. He hadn¡¯t come here with some goal in mind. In the first place, he didn¡¯t have friends, partners, or a guild to play this game with.He followed his feelings as he roamedtowards various locations like a floating duckweed.He bounced around doing adventures, and he had arrived at Misandra¡¯s Castle by coincidence. Moreover, he hadn¡¯t stayed at the Misandra¡¯s Castle with some specific goal in mind.His level coincided with Misandra¡¯s Castle, and it was a decent place to work out of.That was the sole reason why he stayed there. The fun part for Zeet was the fact that he was able to acquire a variety of information as Users and groups passed through Misandra¡¯s Castle. This method was quite inefficient if one wanted to Level Up or Spec Up at this location.However, it was a very effective way to acquire information. This was why Zeet was able to gather as much information that could be used in Scenario Quests around Misandra¡¯s Castle. ¡°Let¡¯s return to the topic at hand.Beyond the Misandra¡¯s Castle, I think there might be an Event Location there.¡± Zeet¡¯s partner appropriately showed interest in Zeet¡¯s words. ¡°What¡¯s the basis for this?¡± ¡°If you look at the NPCs at Misandra¡¯s castle, several of them have the Titles of Fugitive or Refugee.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°As I progressed through the Quests related to the Subjugation Association, I increased my Intimacy Level with the NPCs.That was when I started hearing a particular expression being repeated. The most typical expression was ¡®Beyond there¡­¡¯Basically, they were trying to express something ominous was present beyond the mountain, where the Block Field was present.¡± ¡°Maybe, the monsters gave them the ominous feeling.¡± ¡°These are NPCs within the Subjugation Association, where the purpose of the Association was to subjugate the monsters.If there were monsters, they would usually talk about how they would catch the monsters.They typically don¡¯t worry about how to avoid the monsters, because of the ominous feeling they felt.¡± ¡°You are quite knowledgeable about this game.¡± ¡°Look here, man.I spent 8 hours a day since Warlord was opened.¡± ¡°Yet you are only at that level?¡± ¡°This game is very unfair.In truth, my situation is quite normal.Warlord is overflowing with Scenario Quests even if we discounted the Main Scenario Quest.Each NPC in a castle all has at least one Scenario Quest. I don¡¯t want to jump from one hunting ground to another.Isn¡¯t it stranger to hop to another location like grasshoppers just because one wants a little bit more EXP?What kind of game is that?Even miners working in mines don¡¯t operate like that.¡± ¡°Continue with your story.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll return to the main point. I¡¯ve spoken to all the NPCs inside Misandra¡¯s Castle, and from their conversations, I¡¯ve determined this might not be a Block Field.There is a high probability that this is a barrier instead of a Block Field. There is something across it, and the barrier is to block this thing from coming to Misandra¡¯s Castle.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the connection between the barrier and the Blackened Remains?¡± ¡°The Blackened Remains that is mentioned in the Blackened Remains Quest might be a symbolism.Well, that part isn¡¯t that important. The important fact is that a lot of Users had tried to clear this. There was no downside in doing it. However, a lot of Users got frustrated trying to clear this quest, and no one was able to finish it.Do you know why?¡± ¡°It was more profitable to go for the Advancement.¡± Zeet had a mysterious smile on his face when he heard his partner¡¯s words. ¡°Think hard on it. Quite a lot of resolute users have tried this search.Let me simplify it for you.Weren¡¯t the Users trying to hunting, and conduct the search at the same time?This was what had happened.Naturally, the searches near level 90 monsters happened more frequently than other location. In other words¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Not many people searched the low level hunting grounds.¡± ¡°Yes.That was their blind spot. There are hunting grounds around here where low level monsters appear.However, no one would concentrate on those hunting grounds.What crazy low level Users would come to a place that¡¯s considered to be the last stop on a Quest?¡± Zeet¡¯s eyes shone as he spoke. This was the background information on why Zeet had been obsessed with this Quest, and it was also the reason why he was so sure he could clear the Blackened Remains Quest. At the same time, he had never told anyone about this truth.In truth, if he told someone else about this, other would have cleared the Quest instead of him. Moreover, if someone posted this online, the person would probably get praised online. However, that would be the end of that. Zeet wanted to be the main character in this story. Moreover, he hadn¡¯t met a partner, who actually wanted to help him.This was why he never spoke what was inside his heart. Truthfully, Zeet wanted to be a protagonist for this particular Quest.As he had told his partner, he had played this game for a long time.He wanted to leave an achievement that was all his own. He would feel a little bit of return for the amount of money and time he had invested in this game. During all that time, there were only a handful of people, who even wanted to listen to his offer.Amongst all of them, this was the first time he had a partner, who would follow his instructions for 3 days.It didn¡¯t matter how much he complained. ¡°Therefore, if we move to the locations where there are low level monsters, we might find it.¡± ¡°Correct!¡± This was why Zeet was thankful. It was good fortune that he had met a good partner.Although, he didn¡¯t look to have a good personality. ¡°Be happy.This is the first time I¡¯ve revealed this information to anyone else.¡± His partner smiled for the first time at Zeet¡¯s words.It made him feel a sense of deja vu as if he had seen that smile from some video before. This was a hunting ground where a monster slightly above level 60 appeared.The Sick Werewolf appeared here. This hunting ground was located a bit farther away from Misandra¡¯s Castle, so it wasn¡¯t that popular. The biggest problem was the fact that one would have to get past a hunting ground filled with level 80 monsters to reach this place. Moreover, the adjacent hunting grounds all had monsters that exceeded level 80. It was basically a hunting ground with mines located everyone.It wasn¡¯t a place where one could hunt comfortably. If it wasn¡¯t for that reason, it was actually a nice hunting ground where there were no competitors. The Swing Guild had members of diverse levels.To help the low level guild members, it wasn¡¯t strange for them to come hunt at locations where the Sick Werewolves appeared. ¡°What are you doing here, Zeet?¡± If Zeet hadn¡¯t shown up with a new partner, there wouldn¡¯t have been any problems. ¡°I¡¯m just passing by.I¡¯m passing through here.¡± Zeet saw six guild members.It was a party with 2 women and four men.Within the game, he felt a chill run up his spine when he saw the group. His first thoughts was ¡®Why were these Users here in the first place?¡¯Moreover, he never expected it to be the Swing guild. On the other side, the Swing guild considered this to be a pretty good opportunity. Users, who had spent a decent amount of time at Misandra¡¯s Castle, all knew Zeet had put in a lot of effort in trying to progress in the Blackened Remains Quest. The Swing Guild members were all thinking along the same line. ¡®Is the Blackened Remains here?¡¯ This was why Zeet was taken aback.In truth, he had been afraid of this happening.This was why he hadn¡¯t come here even if he suspected this was the location. ¡®Shit. I had to run into the Swing Guild, of all the people¡­..¡¯ If the Swing Guild realized what was going on, they wouldn¡¯t let Zeet go easily. ¡°You are just passing through? Who gave you permission to be able to pass through here? This place is within our guild¡¯s jurisdiction.¡± When he heard those words, Zeet immediately knew what the Swing guild members were thinking. ¡®These bastards have a rough idea of what going on.It was inevitable.Those bastards were always interested in every one of my moves.¡¯ They wouldn¡¯t easily believe his words. ¡°Why are you barking out nonsense? No guild can block someone from passing through a field.Even the 30 great guilds don¡¯t act that way!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if normal Users pass through here.However, you have an account to settle with our guild.¡± ¡°What account?¡± ¡°One of our guild member suffered Game Over because of you.Of course, you have to settle that account.¡± There were two reasons why the Swing Guild had done nothing to Zeet.They had watched him, while they grinded their teeth. First, they weren¡¯t allowed to PK within the castle grounds. PK was possible, but they would be cussed out by everyone for carrying it out. It was possible to do it outside in the fields, but Zeet always moved with a new party.He wasn¡¯t officially affiliated with any groups.If they attacked Zeet, they would basically be attacking the party he was in.This was why the Swing Guild held back from carrying out their revenge. ¡°Areyou trying to kill me?Is that what you are trying to do?¡± ¡°No way.¡± It was the truth.They had no plans on killing Zeet.It might make them feel better to just kill him, but not every answer to a problem was to kill the other User. ¡°We aren¡¯t a PK guild.¡± The Swing guild wasn¡¯t a ¡®bad manners guild¡¯, and they were absolutely not a PK guild. ¡°We just want your sincere apology, and a promise of a compensation.That is all we want.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even kill him that time!He got killed by a monster!¡± As the one suffering this indignity, Zeet thought their actions were ridiculous.Of course, he hadn¡¯t behaved well at the time, but he never had any ill intent. It had been an accident.That should be all there was to it.They shouldn¡¯t take revenge on him, because of an accident. When Zeet raised his voice, the Swing guild members immediately hardened their expressions. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that person?Why are you guys fighting?¡± The two women in the party reacted in an odd way.They reacted as if they didn¡¯t know what was going on.Also, one could tell they were getting annoyed by the situation. In truth, the four men had mobilized to help the two ladies level up.This was a low level hunting ground for this two women!It was a romantic gesture inside the game.From the view of a third party, these Users were desperately trying to get a date even if it was within a virtual reality. Anyways, these four Users were trying to be looked favorably by these two women, so they couldn¡¯t avoid this confrontation.Moreover, this was a four vs two fight. ¡®Should we fight them?¡¯ ¡®Zeet is a scrub.However, the remaining User¡­At a glance, he doesn¡¯t look like much.¡¯ ¡®If we fight, we¡¯ll most definitely win. It isn¡¯t as if they have a priest.Isn¡¯t it just a 2 man party?¡¯ The result of the fight was clear.At the very least, it looked obvious to Zeet and the Swing Guild Members. Zeet gritted his teeth. ¡°How much do you want?¡± This was the worst case scenario for Zeet.If he suffered a Game Over and the Swing guild used the clues gather from his movements, they might clear the Blackened Remains Quest.His number one priority was to survive this encounter. ¡°One thousand gold should be enough.¡± ¡°Crazy bastards.¡± An immediate answer was given at that moment.It hadn¡¯t come out from Zeet¡¯s mouth.It was Zeet¡¯s partner, who had spoken. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Zeet tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°What?¡± The Swing guild members also tilted their head in confusion. Everyone looked at Zeet¡¯s partner. He didn¡¯t look like someone, who would spit out those words, ¡®Crazy bastards.¡¯ It was quite the opposite.He looked like a pushover, who wouldtremble in fear if one yelled, ¡®Hey!¡¯, in a mean way. Everyone was dazed as they stood still for a brief moment. Zeet¡¯s partner raised his voice. ¡°It isn¡¯t as if you guys discovered Misandra¡¯s castle, yet you are claiming ownership of a hunting ground?Crazy bastards. I was going to tolerate it, and let it pass, but this is bullshit. If you continue to insist on this bullshit, you guys are sick.¡± ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± ¡°Me? Will you know me if I inform you?Do you want my character name, real name, home address, birthplace, and birthday?Will you be able to know who I am?¡± ¡°¡­¡­are you trying to pick a fight with me?¡± ¡°Pick a fight with you?Shall we go repeat what was said a moment ago?Shall we go poll, who people think started this quarrel?Do you want to bet 10 thousand gold on it?¡± The members of the Swing guild closed their mouth tight. It wasn¡¯t as if what Zeet¡¯s partner had said was wrong. If one put aside their grudge, the Swing Guild was basically using their superior number to bully Users. This was the truth. The only reason why they got away with it was the fact that strength was the law here.If this happened in real life, people would have already reported them to the police. In other words, Swing guild still held the power here.There was no reason why they should close their mouth and tamp down their anger. ¡®Son of a bitch.¡¯ ¡®Ellie and Yoz is watching us right now.This is a bit embarrassing¡­¡¯ Viol, who possessed the highest level, moved.He had already reached level 102. ¡°You are a third party, yet you are inserting yourself into a matter between Zeet and our guild¡­. How interesting.¡± In truth, Viol was a User that shouldn¡¯t be present here.He was here to celebrate his Advancement.He was here to help the low level Users, while he impressed others with the Skills he had earned from his Advancement.He had come here to show off.If he was being a little bit more truthful, he had come here, since he had a strong interest in the female User named Ellie. ¡°If you are trying to pick a fight, you should be more clear about it. Put up your sword.Let¡¯s do a 1on1 battle.¡± ¡°What are we betting on the match?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s put our wrist on the line.¡± Zeet¡¯s expression harden at Viol¡¯s confident manner. ¡®Don¡¯t do it.That bastard already went through his Advancement!¡¯ On the other hand, Zeet¡¯s partner smiled. ¡°All right.I¡¯ll accept the terms.If I can¡¯t take you down within 3 minutes, I¡¯ll work like a dog under the Swing guild for the rest of my life.¡± Viol kept his emotion in check when he heard the other User¡¯s provocation. This caused him to speak in a way he normally wouldn¡¯t. ¡°We aren¡¯t an inferior guild where a bastard like you can just join.¡± Viol was markedly different from Zeet¡¯s partner, who had on a plain Item setting.As befitting a User, who went through Advancement, he had a fairly robust Item setting.Viol looked the part as he tried to act like a gentleman.He also had his helm off. The fact that his face was exposedmeant that he was confident. ¡°If a certain crazy bitch heard your words, she would have killed you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± With those words, Zeet¡¯s partner bent as if he was picking up something from the floor.When Zeet¡¯s partner stood back up, he immediately rushed toward Viol. Kah-ahng! The sound of two swords clashing rang out. Viol didn¡¯t even have the opportunity to let out an urgent shout. Poo-hwaht! At the same time, Zeet¡¯s partner threw the sand he was holding in his hand towards Viol¡¯s eyes. Since he wasn¡¯t wearing his helm, the sand hit Viol¡¯s eyes. ¡°W¡­what the hell?¡± Viol was taken aback. Zeet¡¯s partner planted his sword between Viol¡¯s eyes. ¡°Kyahhhk!¡± It was a more frightening scene for those watching more so than the actual User, who had suffered the attack. This was how the battle with Viol ended.Viol was in a Blind state as he struggled.Zeet¡¯s partner tripped him, then he pushed his foot down hard on Viol¡¯s chest.Viol wasn¡¯t fully sure what was going on, but he understood he had been overcome. When he had come to this realization, Viol stilled. ¡°This is the end to the 1on1 battle.I won¡¯t confirm my kill, so you can leave after you give me your watch.What about the rest of you?Ah, you can walk past this place.However, you will have to give a toll fee of 100 gold.Unlike someone else here, I¡¯m giving you guys a very conscientious price.¡± Of course, the situation wasn¡¯t¡¯ resolved yet. The remaining three members raised their weapons.It seemed they weren¡¯t willing to pay the toll fee, and walk away from this. Zeet¡¯s partner looked at his opponents, then he spoke to Zeet. ¡°Hey, Zeet.If these guys try to get their revenge on you on a later date, it isn¡¯t my fault.You agree, right?¡± Chapter 100 : Cursed Domain(4) Chapter 100 ¨C Cursed Domain(4) ¡°Do you want me to sever your wrist and take your watch?Or do you want to keep your wrist by giving your watch voluntarily to me?Which one would you prefer?¡± ¡°I¡­I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± ¡°Since I¡¯ve received your watch, what about the toll fee?¡± ¡°What? Toll fee?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to get past me alive?If you want to get past me, then of course, I would have to receive a toll fee.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any gold right now¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I can take Ingredient Coins or Ingredient Gems. If you don¡¯t have those either, you can get a loan.Don¡¯t you have a lot of comrades you can get a loan from?Also, you two over there.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Us two?¡± ¡°Since the two of you didn¡¯t even think about attacking me, I won¡¯t take your watches.Instead, you¡¯ll have to give me a toll fee.¡± ¡°W¡­we have to give you money too?¡± ¡°It is a conscientious price of 100 gold.¡± ¡°Can you cut us some slack?We didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°Please cut us some slack.We are women¡­¡± ¡°Women? So what? It isn¡¯t as if you girls will date me just because I let you girls go.So why should I let you girls off the hook?¡± ¡°So if we go out with you¡­¡± ¡°Ah, sorry.I¡¯ll turn down that offer.The two of you aren¡¯t my cup of tea. Maybe someone will be your white knight?Ah.What do I mean by white knight? I¡¯m asking if anyone here would pay instead of the ladies here.¡± Zeet couldn¡¯t believe what was unfolding in front of his eyes.He looked on with an absent-minded expression. ¡®My god.¡¯ This had happened in an instant. The process of defeating Viol happened in an instant.Moreover, the events that happened afterwards also unfolded in an instant. The other party didn¡¯t have a good mix of members.There was a Magician, Priest and Swordsman. The party wasn¡¯t made up in a way where they could gang up on a single opponent.In truth, the party had only one Swordsman. The Swordsman User wasn¡¯t able to put up a proper fight. Kah-ahng! When the two swords clashed, the Swordsman User¡¯s sword bounced off.At the same time, he had lost his balance.This was the result of being overwhelmed by the opponent¡¯s Strength Stat. Of course, when the Swordsman User was stabbed in the eyes, he was afflicted by the Blind effect.Afterwards, the Swordsman User had become a meat shield.Instead of buying time for his Magician, he was used as a shield.The Magician let out the words, ¡°Uh uh? Uh uh!¡±, before he was subdued.The Magician¡¯s arms and legs were cut. When the Magician and Swordsman was subdued, a Priest didn¡¯t really have any other choice. This was how the previous conversation had started. ¡®I never thought I would personally witness such a thing.¡¯ It was common to see a single person fight multiple opponents in Warlord.This was a game.If one¡¯s Spec was overwhelmingly high, a single person could fight against several dozen people. However, the current situation wasn¡¯t the result of differences in Spec. The opponents had been crushed by strength, but something felt different. It felt as if something much stronger had crushed them.It wasn¡¯t correct to say it was solely the difference in strength.Was it a difference in temperament? This was a feeling one would get when one saw a tiger tear apart a rabbit. In that context, this was a hard sight to swallow. Of course, Zeet had seen videos that was similar to what he was seeing. ¡®It isn¡¯t as if he is the Hahoe Mask¡­.¡¯ Hahoe Mask. His battle style was similar to the Hahoe Mask. Moreover, the sand toss was one of Hahoe Mask¡¯s go-to move. In recent days, the Hahoe Mask didn¡¯t use the sand toss any more. However, his early fans were a very passionate about the Hahoe Mask¡¯s sand toss. Many people became his fan, because of that move. While Zeet was watching with a slack-jawed expression, the situation was resolved. The Swing guild members settled each of their account, and they left.Finally, Zeet approached his partner. ¡°Maybe I should have asked each of them for 200 gold¡­¡± A chill ran up Zeet¡¯s back when he heard his partner talk to himself. ¡®What will happen if the Block Field doesn¡¯t open after the Quest is completed?Do I really have to give him money?¡¯ Accompanying the anxiety, he was truly worried about what would happen. ¡°Is it really ok to act like this? I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll come back for revenge.¡± Zeet had fallen out with the Swing guild, and he was still paying the price for it.Swing guild wasn¡¯t that great of a guild, but it was powerful enough to suppress a single User.They had committed the first transgression, yet they weren¡¯t virtuous enough to admit that they were wrong in the first place. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. At their level, they won¡¯t even be able to get a queue ticket to face me.¡± His partner had dismissive expression on his face regarding Zeet¡¯s worries. ¡°What?¡± Zeet replied with a question, but his partner didn¡¯t elaborate on his answer. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s move quickly.I don¡¯t want to unnecessarily get caught up in an annoying business.It seems the other side picked up on what we are doing.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Zeet finally came to his senses. ¡°Yes.We have to move quickly.¡± His partner¡¯s words were correct. The Swing guild members, who were spared their lives, weren¡¯t dummies.They¡¯ll go request help from the other guild members.There were a considerable amount of Swing guild members around this region.Zeet personally knew over 10 members. This was especially true since Viol had been taken down.They would surely try to get their revenge.Viol was someone that was pretty high up in terms of level in the Swing guild.This happened in any organization, but the way they treat someone depended on how much the member could contribute towards their organization. This was reason enough to hurry up their pace. ¡°Are you perhaps a fan of that person?¡± During all of this, Zeet asked a question he was very curious about. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Hahoe Mask.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°No.I¡¯m just saying you have a similar fighting style as the Hahoe Mask.Ah. Of course, the Hahoe Mask is a Necromancer, and you are a Swordsman.¡± Zeet¡¯s partner just smirked at his answer.Of course, Zeet¡¯s partner didn¡¯t answer the question. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up.¡± That was his partner¡¯s answer. When one plays Warlord, sometimes it feels like one is putting pieces of a puzzle together. This was how Zeet felt right now. They diligently searched the hunting ground where the Sick Werewolves appeared.In the process, they found a clue. As if black rain had fallen from the sky, there were black ink-like marks on the trees, rocks and ground. Moreover, anything that touched the black liquid wasn¡¯t doing well. In the case of the tree, the trees were shriveled up only where the black water was touching.The rocks and earth was corroded when in contact with the black liquid. The black liquid was clearly the source of the problem. ¡°So this is why the Sick Werewolves appeared.¡± Moreover, there was a high probability that the reason why the Sick Werewolves were appearing instead of the normal Werewolves was the effect of the black liquid.In other words, it was highly likely that this place was the location they were looking for. ¡°Let¡¯s just follow it. We can do the clean up later.¡± ¡°All right.¡± This was like following the breadcrumbs left by Hansel and Gretel.Zeet and his partner followed the black marks.After traveling for awhile, they found a small hidden cave hidden between the foliages. Moreover, there was a Black Skeleton within the cave.It was praying with its hands clasped like a high priest. It was the Blackened Remains. ¡°This is why no one was able to find it.Who would have thought it would be here? ¡± When Zeet found it, he spoke in a despondent manner, then he immediately lowered his head. ¡®Fucking hell.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help, but curse inside. ¡®I worked like a dog for over two month to be able to see this shabby Skeleton¡­¡¯ It looked like a worthless Skeleton.In truth, what person likes a skeleton?Skeletons were always an ominous symbol.Yet he had spent two month to find this Skeleton. It was apt to describe it as him working like a dog.From other people¡¯s perspective, he had basically wasted two month.From Zeet¡¯s perspective, it felt as if he had dug a hole for two months.It wasn¡¯t funny. However, at that moment, he felt an emotion that he had only felt when he began playing Warlord. ¡®Still, this is a first.¡¯ No one had been able to accomplish this.Countless number of people had given up on this Quest, and he was the first one to complete it.He wouldn¡¯t characterize it as coming in 1st place, but it was a monumental moment for him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Zeet¡¯s partner shrugged his shoulders when he heard Zeet speak. ¡°We can exchange pleasantries later. However, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like you to keep in mind.¡± ¡°Keep in mind?¡± ¡°If we break open this Quest and the Block Field isn¡¯t gone, then you¡¯ll have to a choice to make like those Swing guild members.¡± Zeet smirked at those words.He laughed as he replied. ¡°You really are a strange bastard.¡± His partner shrugged his shoulder.Zeet didn¡¯t take his words to be a threat.He thought his partner was playing with his words.Of course, his partner might be warning him in truth, but Zeet didn¡¯t care in the end. ¡°All right.If it doesn¡¯t come down, I¡¯ll give you the money.I¡¯ll give you a thousand gold.¡± As he spoke, Zeet carefully picked up the Skeleton.When Zeet¡¯s hands touched the Skeleton, everything except the skull disintegrated into dust. ¡°Uh? What the hell?¡± ¡°It must have eroded.¡± ¡°D¡­does this mean we failed the Quest?¡± ¡°Since the skull is the only thing left, it means we should take it.We just have to escort it to where it wanted to go.¡± Zeet came to his sense when he heard the word ¡®escort¡¯. ¡®Ah.¡¯ It was time to part ways.Zeet felt a sense of loss. Zeet hadn¡¯t made any comrades up until now.It was true that a part of the reason why no one wanted to play with him was the fact that Zeet wasn¡¯t exceptionally skilled.However, the biggest obstacle had been the fact that Zeet was annoyed by the other Users. What kind of game would it be if one only focused on leveling up and hunting? One had to enjoy the game itself for it to be a game for him.He wasn¡¯t interested in hunting like a mad man to become the best.That was a minor part of the game for him.It was pointless. This line of thought discouraged the need to find a comrade. However, for the first time he had found a User, who he wanted to play the game with. Regrettably, it wouldn¡¯t be possible. ¡®At a glance, he is an expert, who had hid his level.There is no way he would want to play the game with me.¡¯ He had caught on awhile ago.He realized that his partner wasn¡¯t a small fry like him. ¡°Yes.Let¡¯s end this.¡± Zeet put on a smile. ¡®I want to play the game with a guy like this.¡¯ In the future, Zeet would come to be known as the Quest Man.This was the moment that started it all. It happened the moment Hyrkan reached the peak of Ricky Mountain.An Announcement was heard inside his ears. [You gained the Title ¡®Person who Conquered the Peak of the Ricky Mountain¡¯.] He was finally at the peak. This meant the Block Field had been removed.Hyrkan raised his head to look at the lake that was located on the other side of the mountain. ¡®I invested 3 days on this.¡¯ He had to dispel the Block Field.Without any plans, he had used up 3 days to open the door. However, Hyrkan let out a sigh of relief instead of being frustrated. ¡®I¡¯m fortunate that there was guy like Zeet here.¡¯ Zeet. If he hadn¡¯t been here, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to finish the Quest in 3 days.This was why he didn¡¯t say his time had been wasted.He was actually thankful. ¡®I¡¯m really thankful for that guy.¡¯ If Users like Zeet didn¡¯t exist, how much time would Hyrkan have had to spend in dispelling the Block Field by himself? One week?Maybe Hyrkan would have had to retire here. ¡®Guys like him make Warlord go around.¡¯ Zeet and Users like him were the small components located all over Warlord. They were willing to to the small detailed tasks, so the Warlord Users could advance. The world was like a clock.There were large and expensive parts, but one won¡¯t be able to make the clock work with just those components.The small parts played a role that was as important as the large parts.The Rankers of the 30 great guilds determined the flow of Warlord, but in the end, Warlord was made up of regular Users. Of course, this wasn¡¯t an important story for Hyrkan. Hyrkan didn¡¯t go too deep into his reverie.He wasn¡¯t in a situation where he would allow himself to fall into a reverie. Hyrkan harbored a suspicion. ¡®This doesn¡¯t match with the info I know.¡¯ Cursed Domain. Hyrkan knew that this place was of low importance in the Immoral Prince section of the Main Quest. [The Cursed Domain is where the the Immoral Prince carried out his experiments.This was the location where power of Corruption was exposed to the monsters through his experiments.It was also the location where the clue about the Immoral Prince could be found.] This was all the facts Hyrkan knew about the Cursed Domain. If he looked at the current situation, Hyrkan knew this wasn¡¯t a stage he could easily finish.This might take awhile. ¡®A barrier.¡¯ If the scenario is as Zeet surmised, the barrier had been made by those who had run away from the Cursed Domain.On top of that, the Blackened Remains acquired by Zeet was the remain of the Magician that had been maintaining the barrier with his magic. It wasn¡¯t a simple Block Field set in place by the System.There were a lot of cases where a Block Field was set by a Scenario.The Battlefield he had fought at the Terube castle wall was a prime example. Moreover, if one crossed a Block Field linked to a Scenario, there was a pretty important Event Stage on the other side.For example, the Frozen Kingdom was across the Terube castle wall. The heart of the problem was the fact that Hyrkan didn¡¯t have any information about that important stage. ¡®I¡¯m sure of it.Someone pocketed the Cursed Domain, and the information was never released.¡¯ This meant the Users from the time before Hyrkan returned to the past had cleared the Cursed Domain, and they had never disclosed this fact to the public. ¡®This place is where level 140 monsters show up¡­.¡¯ One would have to be at least level 140 to hunt at a hunting ground of this quality.The Event probably required a higher level than 140, yet he had never heard about it.There weren¡¯t many organizations that could cleanly swallow the whole event. It could only be pulled off by the 30 great guilds and the Underfoot guilds.This meant there was a high chance the Cursed Domain held something very delicious.It was something worth hiding. Hyrkan organized his current situation. ¡®I don¡¯t have any information.¡¯ Hyrkan had no idea what the Cursed Domain held. ¡®Moreover, my level is only in the 120s.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t entirely impossible for him to go to a level 140 hunting ground, but it wasn¡¯t an easy stage for him. ¡®I don¡¯t care if a dog or a cow shows up.However, I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be an ordinary dog or cow.¡¯ When such a stage opened, a dog or a cow would appear.However, the dog might be a trained attack dog instead of a normal dog.A bull could come out instead of a normal cow, and he would be the matador with no experience in facing these bulls. These were the mountains Hyrkan would have to climb in the future. Hyrkan put on his Hahoe Mask and he smiled. ¡®This will be fun.¡¯ Rumors in Warlord traveled faster than the wind. ¡°Did you hear about it? The Block Field across Misandra¡¯s Castle was dispelled.¡± ¡°Over there? How?¡± ¡°The Blackened Remains was found.¡± ¡°Who found it?I thought that Quest was a bug?I thought no one was able to find it?¡± ¡°His name is Zeet. Anyways, he found it.¡± Rumors in Warlord was highly combustible.The fuse was lit immediately. ¡°So what¡¯s across the Block Field?¡± ¡°The Users are disseminating information as they thoroughly search the mountain.However, it seems the place is crawling with unexpectedly strong monsters.The lowest level monsters are over level 140.The average level of the hunt is around level 150.¡± ¡°Level 150?That¡¯s incredible! I bet the Rankers are very interested in that place.¡± When the fire burns hot, the flame sometimes make the person drunk. ¡°Moreover, there is a rumor going around.The location might be an Event Stage and the reward is a Unique Item.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Think about it.It¡¯s a level 150 Event location, and the reward is a Unique item.Doesn¡¯t that mean the reard is a level 150 or higher Unique Item?¡± ¡°A level 150 Unique item¡­.Wasn¡¯t there a recently sold Item like that?¡± ¡°It was a Level 150 Unique Item that Dropped from the Blue Dragon Slime Raid.It was a Magic Wand.It was sold at 250,000 gold, but the sale was a dud.In the end, it was traded for a level 140 Full Unique Defensive Set.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a ridiculous price.Two hundred fifty thousand gold¡­.¡± ¡°The User backed out of the deal.He said he would rather use it than sell it for only 250,000 gold.¡± They were drunk on the recent events, sothey started talking nonsense. This was how lies and rumors spread rapidly across Warlord. Chapter 101 : Guerrillas (1) Chapter 101 ¨C Guerrillas (1) It was large and bizarre looking¡­ The trees looked like ghosts with its arms wide open, and it looked as if they were letting out a scream. The dense forest itself was giving off an ominous vibe. There were thick blue fog that was layered in between the tree. It was foreboding instead of being creepy. It wasn¡¯t desirable to battle in such a bleak forest. Moreover, the monsters made this place much more undesirable. It was a monster with a lower body of a lion, upper body of an orc, and the head of a goat. Moreover, the monster was holding a very rusty halberd. The combination of spear and battle-ax would immediately make the weak turn their head away. However, these factors didn¡¯t have affect the group that was facing off against this monster. Hoo-oohng! It was a Cursed monster. The monster was named Voodoo Chimera, and its attack was fierce. A powerful power was being emitted by its bizarre body, and it used this power to swing its Halberd. The Halberd didn¡¯t just slice through the air. It ripped through the air. Kwahng, kwahng! Every time the terrifying attacks came down against the shield, the sound of the impact made the bluish fog retreat in fright. That was how frightening the blows were. Koo-uh! Koo-uh! Moreover, the Voodoo Chimera let out a most peculiar shout as it delivered each strike. It sounded as if the Curse had manifested in its shout. If one went by the sounds of the battle, the Voodoo Chimera sounded as if it was overwhelming its opponent. However, the eyes showed a slightly different result. ¡°It¡¯s overflowing with strength.¡± He was wearing a black armor that could be called a little bit too sturdy. He stood in front of the Voodoo Chimera¡¯s attack with a large black shield, and the Tanker wasn¡¯t being pushed back an inch. He was calmly blocking the reckless attacks with his shield. This wasn¡¯t the only thing he was doing. As he was blocking the attack, he was moving. He was slowly baiting the Voodoo Chimera into a position he wanted. His skill was amazing. The sight reminded one of an expert dancer teaching a student the steps to a dance. He was quite good. The only thing better was the Magician¡¯s skills. ¡°Hang on a little bit longer.¡± While the Tanker was occupying the monster, the Magician finished his Casting, and he threw a fireball. The fireball was the size of a person¡¯s body, and it floated in the air like a balloon. The Magician lightly moved his hand around, and the fire balloon followed the movement of his hand. The fire balloon arrived on top of the Voodoo Chimera¡¯s head, and it twitched as if it was getting ready to burst. At the same time, the Magician invoked a new magic with his other hand. Unlike the magic from before, it was quite intuitive as to how he would use this magic. Fire Spear! It was 5 meters long, and the design was like any other normal spear. It was simple. The Magician threw the Flame Spear as if he was throwing a javelin. It wasn¡¯t hard to hit the target. The experienced Tanker¡¯s skill gave the Magician the perfect opportunity to hit it on the back. It was like throwing at a dart board. The only thing the Magician had to worry about was how many times he wanted to hit the monster. That was it. Shoong! The Fire Spear headed rapidly towards the Vodoo Chimera¡¯s spine. Right before the Fire Spear could land, the Magician clenched the fist that had been controlling the Fire Balloon. He timed it perfectly. The twitching fireball finally revealed its true nature. Poo-hwaht! An enormous Fire Snake unfurled from the fireball. The Fire Snake appeared with its mouth wide open, and it descended with the intent of biting off the Chimera¡¯s head. Duhp-suhk! The Fire Snake bit the Voodoo Chimera¡¯s head. Poo-hwaht! The Fire Spear immediately impacted the Voodoo Chimera¡¯s back. The Magician didn¡¯t end it there. He immediately used both hands to summon as many Fire Arrows as possible, and he launched it all at the same time. He was skilled enough to manage three magic spells in a single attack. It wasn¡¯t an easy thing to do. If one wanted to be a great Magician, it was a level of skill one would need to possess. When most monsters were hit with magic, they prioritized their attacks on the Magician. The aggro was pulled towards the Magician. This couldn¡¯t be helped. If it was inevitable, the Magician had to let out as many Magic on the monster as possible! The Voodoo Chimera suffered from the magical attack, yet it was still alive. It immediately charged towards the Magician as it burned like a torch. ¡°Oh-ooh!¡± The Magician had a strange smile as he saw the monster charge towards him. There was no fear on his face. When there was a distance of about 10 meters between the Magician and the Voodoo Chimera, the Striker stepped forward. The Striker had been on standby as she waited for the monster to close the distance. Poo-oohk! The hidden striker was a female User. As befitting a female User, she was wearing a stylish yet casual armor. There was a good mix of silver and black colored armors. She didn¡¯t have her helm on. It seemed she had taken off the helm on purpose to boast her long red-tinged hair. In Warlord, Users like her were categorized as Users, who only cared about their outside appearance. The head was the most important part of the body, yet they refused to protect it. These were idiots, who were drunk on their own self worth. However, this female User was too skilled to be put in the same category as those idiots. The Voodoo Chimera was charging at a speed comparable to a speeding car on the highway. She had ambushed it, yet she was accurate with her strike. This wasn¡¯t an easy feat. This was a bit of an exaggeration, but it was like striking down an arrow in flight. Moreover, the female User was using the Rush skill to move at high speeds. It was common sense that a speeding car was harder to steer. When she combined the Rush with here Lightning Strike, the Striker¡¯s sword was easily able to pierce through the thick hide of the Voodoo Chimera. Moreover, she was able to create a large wound around the region where she had stabbed. It looked like a wound made by a drill. Koo-uh-uh! The Voodoo Chimera let out a horrible shriek as it was sent flying. The Magician shook his head from side to side as he observed the car crash that had occurred in front of him. If his comrade was lacking in ability or she made a mistake, the Magician would be the one on the floor instead of the Voodoo Chimera. Despite all of that, he was relaxed instead of being taken aback. He spoke towards the Striker. ¡°You aren¡¯t wearing your helm again, Lily?¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll die someday from having your head crushed. I¡¯ll have to get a footage of you getting your head crushed in the future.¡± ¡°You want to die?¡± ¡°Hey. The Voodoo Chimera is getting up.¡± It was a level 140 monster, yet these Users were relaxed with the Voodoo Chimera in front of them. It was the Noopy Family. Their average level was 155. Their levels weren¡¯t enough to break into the top 100 Ranking, but they were semi-Rankers. They maintained the difference of 10 levels between the top 100 Rankers. They were a 4 man veteran party, who were active since the start of Warlord. The Noopy family focused on regular hunts instead of Raids. Their ability to conduct a Raid was lacking, but on the other hand, they were comparable to the members of the 30 great guilds in their ability to take down the mid-sized monsters. In fact, they were reputed to be better than the 30 guilds. This was how exceptional these players were. If the 30 great guilds increased their proficiency in clearing raids, the Noopy family increased their proficiency in taking down the normal monsters. At that moment, the Priest spoke. ¡°An Evil Eye is heading towards us. Hurry up and wrap this up.¡± The expression of the members immediately changed when they heard those words. The Tanker once again engaged the Voodoo Chimera, and the Magician started casting his magic. The Striker moved towards a suitable location. While all of this was going on, short conversations was shared between the group. ¡°Evil Eyes. We can¡¯t stack points, because of those bastards. Whenever we start getting on a roll, those bastards shows up¡­.¡± ¡°When will we get the Quest that will allow us to catch those bastards? We¡¯ve already spent one week here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard from someone else that someone has to reach a predetermined amount of points to acquire the Quest.¡± ¡°Really? What¡¯s our current Point Ranking?¡± ¡°Fourth.¡± ¡°Then it won¡¯t be possible for us to do it.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t do it.¡± When they were sharing this conversation, all four users immediately thought of one User. ¡°There¡¯s the Hahoe Mask.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just pray the Hahoe Mask reaches the required Points. He¡¯s already far ahead in 1st place.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s aim for the 2nd place instead of the 1st. I¡¯m pretty sure the Reward is determined by the Point Rankings.¡± After saying those words, they once again focused on their battle. When the Cursed Domain opened, several rumors started to spread. The source of today¡¯s rumor was an NPC. ¡°You did well today. If I combine the result of your hunt, it is worth 150 points.¡± The User made a sour expression at Sarabo¡¯s words. ¡°I caught a big one, yet it is worth only 175 points?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t a big catch. It just looks like a big catch.¡± It was the Red Beard Sarabo. As the name indicated, he was a man with a big red beard. He was 190 cm tall with a robust body, and he always had a sword equipped on each hip. The NPC was skilled enough to easily take down the normal Users. Moreover, amongst the numerous NPCs in Warlord, he wasn¡¯t top 10 in recognizability, but he was within the top 20. Sarabo appeared soon after the Block Field was released, and he made a temporary town. From the temporary town, he took on the role of handing out Quests to the Users. Basically, he was an Event NPC! Of course, the Users were quick to catch on about this fact. The appearance of Sarabo meant the Cursed Domain was a stage for an Event! It was understandable why all these baseless rumors cropped up from his appearance. The Quest content given by Sarabo was quite simple. ¡°This place is the Cursed Domain. The barrier had sealed this place up until now, but the power of the barrier was finally spent. Now this place is disclosed to the public. This was why the Subjugation Association is planning on purifying the Cursed Domain. Currently, the Domain has been taken over by the Voodoo Chimeras. Those bastards aren¡¯t particularly strong, but there are mutated version of the monster, who can use a special Skill named Evil Eye. The Subjugation Association has no idea how to deal with them. This might be obvious, but the person who kills the most Voodoo Chimera will get a reward befitting the number of kills.¡± One didn¡¯t have to be smart to understand the content. If one enjoyed playing Warlord, it was a simple content that could be understood in an instant. One had to avoid any engagement with the Evil Eyes, and it was basically a start to a competition to see, who could catch the most Voodoo Chimeras. Moreover, the famous parties in Warlord had converged on this location. The users above level 140, who conducted regular party hunting instead of Raiding to raise their levels, appeared in droves. The Users from the Underfoot guilds, and the 30 great guilds came too. However, these Users weren¡¯t members of the front line group of these guilds. They had time to spare in their schedule. Also, Rankers with their names up in the Rankings showed up. This was the war between stars. Amongst the battle between stars, there was a main character, whose name shone the brightest. Kwahng! The Enormous Stone Axe cut the Voodoo Chimera¡¯s body in half. The axe was wielded by the Minotaur Golem. Poo-oohk! The Skeleton Knight mercilessly stabbed the fallen Voodoo Chimera with its sword. It was equipped with a really expensive Unique defensive gear, and it wielded the incredibly expensive Golden Mantis Scythe Sword. Poohk, poohk! Two Skeleton Warriors wearing various Rare and Unique Rank Items were also participating in the battle. They were surrounded by the Bone Armor, and a horn was grown on top of their helmeted head. Poo-hwaht! The User¡¯s appearance was very simple in design. He was equipped with a one-of-a-kind Chronicle Unique Item named Ivan¡¯s Sword. He swung the sword to dice up the Voodoo Chimera¡¯s body. It was the Hahoe Mask. He was the Cursed Domain¡¯s brightest star. [Your Level has increased.] [The Skeleton Science Rank has increased to Rank A.] [Golem Summon skill has increased to Rank A.] [Skeleton Knight Skill has increased to Rank D.] [You¡¯ve acquired the Title ¡®Butcher of Voodoo Chimeras¡¯] ¡®This was like eating honey. Honey!¡¯ He leveled up, acquired a Title and his Skills got a Rank Up! The three consecutive Announcements would make any Warlord dance in joy. Hyrkan had a big smile on his face. ¡®This place is awesome.¡¯ It had been 10 days since he started hunting at the Cursed Domain. Hyrkan was at an advantage at the Cursed Domain compared to any other hunting grounds. The most important skill needed in the hunt within the Cursed Domain was mobility. One had to kill as many Voodoo Chimeras, while avoiding the mutated Voodoo Chimeras called the Evil Eyes! Mobility was crucial to accomplishing this task. One of Hyrkan¡¯s best attribute was mobility. If needed, he could unsummon all his forces. On the other hand, this wasn¡¯t true for a normal party. The Strikers were mobile. However, the Magicians, Tankers and Priests were poor in terms of mobility. Their Strength Stat was too low. The party had to react to problems before it cropped up. Hyrkan could move even if a problem cropped up. This difference was huge. However, problems was something that might or might not occur. It also helped that the Voodoo Chimera was a perfect monster for Hyrkan. The Voodoo Chimeras were strong, but their defense was on the weak side. If one had a User that can tank decently, they were surprisingly easy to kill. Lastly, they gave a significant amount of EXP. They were level 140 monsters, but the EXP given by the Voodoo Chimeras were close to those of level 150 monsters. Hyrkan¡¯s level was still in the 120s, so this was an enormous amount of EXP. ¡®This is why they probably cleared this in secret.¡¯ On the other hand, he could understand why the Cursed Domain had been cleared in Secret. It was a Points Competition Quest. If less people knew about it, wouldn¡¯t there be less competitors? Moreover, this Points Competition held at the Cursed Domain wasn¡¯t advantageous to the Users, who were good at Raids. It was advantageous for Users, who like to do regular Party hunting. ¡®I should be getting close.¡¯ The end to the hunt for points was coming to end soon. Sarabo would probably tell him how he¡¯ll be able the hunt the Evil Eyes. Then the Reward will be handed out. ¡®What will come out?¡¯ Of course, the biggest reward would be given to the User ranked 1st in the Point Ranking. It would be given to Hyrkan! ¡®I want something like a Skill Book. Skill Book!¡¯ Then the day finally arrived. ¡°I¡¯ve arrived at the Cursed Domain.¡± ¨C Already? A soft green light flowed over the User¡¯s armor. He stopped for a brief moment to answer the reply he heard in his ears. He looked at the sight that was in front of him. It was a very ominous forest. The User opened his mouth after he looked at the forest for a brief moment. ¡°I¡¯ll investigate about the Quest first. That is my main mission. If the situation allows it, I¡¯ll eliminate the Hahoe Mask.¡± The incoming reply was short. ¨C All right. Keep up the good work. ¡°Thanks.¡± After the brief conversation, the User wearing the green colored armor disappeared into the blue fog. Chapter 102 : Guerrillas (2) Chapter 102 ¨C Guerrillas (2) A temporary town was erected near the Cursed Domain with Sarabo at its center.Most of the Users that had gathered in the town was over level 140. Of course, most of the Users gathered here had played Warlord since it opened.They were the the inhabitants of Warlord, and they had spent five to six hours a day since the opening day¡­A good number of the Users experienced fingers being pointed at them in worry by their parents and friends. They would say things like ¡®Tsk tsk!Does the game feed you?Will it feed you?¡¯, yet these players continued to play for an inordinate amount of time. This is why everyone here was well aware of how Warlord worked. This was why everyone here was guarded rather than being awestruck by Hyrkan.He was someone that had to be kept in check. ¡®In the end, the Hahoe Mask got the 1st place.¡¯ ¡®This makes no sense.To my knowledge, the Hahoe Mask is level 130.There is a 10 level gap between me and him.Moreover, the Hahoe Mask is hunting by himself.How is he able to catch more monster than a 4 man party?¡¯ ¡®Is the rumor of him being some incredible rich kid true? Did he really spend a million dollar on this game?At the very least, his Items are Unique Rank, and even his Skeletons are equipped with Unique Items¡­..That fucking rich bastard.If he wants to flaunt his money, he should do it somewhere else!¡¯ Hyrkan was well aware of how others looked at him. ¡®I¡¯ve arrived.¡¯ The attention he got from his surrounding was worrying, but at the same time, it was something long-awaited. ¡®I¡¯ve finally caught up to them.¡¯ He had received these kinds of gazes before he had returned to the past. At the time, he needed two years to receive it.Moreover, he wasn¡¯t by himself at the time. He had to attack in droves to barely get the frontrunners to be wary of his party. His current pace was the only evidence he needed.He had made the right choice. Everything Hyrkan possessed was invested into this world called Warlord.There was an evidence he wanted to see above all else.He wanted proof that he hadn¡¯t been wrong.This was the only thing that could console Hyrkan, when his heart wavered. ¡®I was unexpectedly lucky.¡¯ Truthfully, provocation came alongside these gazes. Aside from the provocation, Hyrkan had experienced a widescale attack before.Hyrkan thought there was a good possibility something bad would happen in the near future. He had hardened his heart. However, no groups decided to provoke him.They looked at him with dissatisfaction and wariness, but they did nothing. Hyrkan didn¡¯t know the exact reason, but he had his suspicions as to whyno one was attacking him. ¡®I never expected to benefit, because of the Red Bulls.¡¯ In recent days, Red Bull¡¯s guild master Chev had referenced the Hahoe Mask in an official interview. During the interview, Chev mentioned that the Hahoe Mask¡¯s Waltz was the most memorable footage he had seen related to Warlord in recent days.The reporter immediately asked if Chev was acquainted with the Hahoe Mask.As if he had been waiting for the question, Chev gave an answer. ¡°I don¡¯t know him officially.I¡¯ll leave it at that.¡± When he gave his answer, the discussion online got a little bit more heated. ¨C The Hahoe Mask is acquainted with the Red Bulls? ¨C Maybe the Hahoe Mask is Red Bull¡¯s hidden ace card? ¨C Wow.If the Hahoe Mask enters the Red Bulls, wouldn¡¯t that trump everything?If the Hahoe Mask enters the frontline Raid team of the Red Bulls, they¡¯ll become the strongest in Warlord! ¨C This is a rumor, but there is a rumor saying they are lovers. ¨C Aren¡¯t they both men? ¨C This is why it¡¯s such a big news. ¨C There are a lot of crazy people on the top. Of course, there are cases where weird rumors heated up.Still, the interview was the reason why no one was messing with the Hahoe Mask.They didn¡¯t want to offend the Red Bulls. ¡®He must have really taken a liking to me. Or maybe his Quest progress is going really well, because of the hint I gave him.¡¯ Of course, Chev didn¡¯t speak about him for no reason.Chev knew the influence his words possessed. It had been a form of signal.It was a signal say he wanted a closer relationship with the Hahoe Mask. From Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, this was all very sudden, but he didn¡¯t have any reasons reject it. ¡®I was right in wearing the Mask.¡¯ Hahoe Mask. In the end, the Hahoe Mask had given him an identity.It gave him a chance to build up his non-existent background. As a result, there was nothing holding him back now.He was able to finish first in the Vodoo Chimera hunt, and he was able to proudly stand in front of Sarabo as the Point Ranking leader. ¡°Good job.¡± These were the Users, who had been operating out of the temporary town.These were the groups ranked 1st to 4th in the Point Ranking.Sarabo gathered the four groups, and he gave each of them a gem.The red gems were generating light on their own. ¡°With your help, I was finally able to come up with a method to block the Evil Eye¡¯s Curse. The gems I gave you all will block the spread of the Curse.¡± At that moment, everyone realized what was going on. ¡®So this is how the story will progress.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯ll give a ticket up to the 4th place?This is turning out to be quite interesting.¡¯ ¡®Basically, the ones with the tickets can receive the quest.¡¯ There had been a lot of talk about the reward given depending on the Point Rankings.There were talks about Sarabo giving a Unique Item or a Skill Book.There were also talks about a reward of over 100,000 gold¡­. However, those rumors were incorrect. This gem could block the curse of the Evil Eye!This was the reward.It basically meant a select group of Users could Raid the Evil Eye. ¡®Everything up until now was the preliminary rounds.¡¯ ¡®We are the only ones that can participate in the main round.¡¯ It was a pretty valuable reward.Currently, the Evil Eyes were roaming around the Cursed Domain, and they weren¡¯t allowed to be targeted.When one saw an Evil Eye, the curse activated, and all of one¡¯s Stats suffered a 50% reduction.Moreover, one¡¯s movement speed was decreased by 80%.It was a frightening curse. If it was a level 200 User, one might be able to overcome it.However, it was impossible for level 150 Users to catch the Evil Eye. Of course, there was an additional reward for the 1st place User. ¡°You contribution was the largest. I¡¯m giving this reward only to you.¡± It was the reward. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Use it well.¡± ¡°What?¡± It was a single coin. The coin had 1,000 stamped on it. ¡°T¡­this is it?¡± Hyrkan was genuinely taken aback as he asked the question.Sarabo patted Hyrkan on his shoulder. ¡°You did well.¡± Hyrkan shook when he heard those words. ¡®No!Give me an Item instead!Item!¡¯ He never expected the 1st place reward to be a mere 1,000 gold.Of course, 1,000 gold wasn¡¯t a small figure.It was very rare to get more than 1,000 gold as a reward.This was a pretty large reward. However, Hyrkan had used his Bone Explosives and other resources liberally to get the 1st place in this Quest.He was dumbfounded. ¡®Really?Fuck!¡¯ Unbidden cuss words were close to pouring out. Sarabo lightly brushed off Hyrkan, and it spoke towards the rest of the group. ¡°The only thing let is to catch the Evil Eye then you have to enter the Cursed Castle.The first one to catch the Evil Eye and arrive at the Castle will be given this sword.¡± Took took! As it was speaking, Sarabo patted the sheath of the sword he wore on his left hip. ¡°I¡¯ll give this sword as a reward.¡± [Quest ¡®Evil Eye Hunter¡¯ has started.] [This is a Conditional Quest.] The real Quest had just started. The rumor was spread immediately. Those ranked 1st to 4th in the Point Ranking could catch the Evil Eyes.The rumor was they had to form a team to hunt down the Evil Eye. Moreover, the Quest Reward was one of Sarabo¡¯s sword! The Users that had lost in the points competition hadn¡¯t left.They planned on staying at the Cursed Domain to hunt.Of course, they would be interested in such a Raid, and at the same time, they finished calculating their moves. ¡®It¡¯s the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯ll be most advantageous to be able to team up with the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ Everyone gathered here were experts.They were all very skilled.However, they all had the same obvious weak point.They excelled at regular hunting, but no one here had many experience in fighting the Boss Monster Raids. Evil Eye wasn¡¯t a Boss Monster, but the difficulty was so high that it could be considered to be a Boss Monster. They needed a User with a lot of Boss Monster Raid experiences.From that perspective, the Hahoe Mask was the best amongst the pieces here. It was the same for Hyrkan. ¡®I can¡¯t do this by myself.¡¯ Evil Eye. If he wanted to kill the monster, he could do it.Currently, there weren¡¯t any monsters here that he couldn¡¯t catch on his own. However, he wouldn¡¯t be able to catch it faster than his competitors. ¡®Shit.I never expected it to be a qualifier.If I knew about it, I would have just aimed for the 4th place!¡¯ It couldn¡¯t be helped. Hyrkan¡¯s weakness was quite apparent right now. It was impossible for him to cause massive damage in a short amount of time. ¡®I have to get this reward.I¡¯ve spent a lot of money, so I have to get Sarabo¡¯s Sword.¡¯ Armor Breaking. When one is trying to destroy the target¡¯s defensive gear, the User¡¯s skill was more important than one¡¯s Class Skills.One had to stick to the monster¡¯s body, while using a variety of Skills.It wasn¡¯t easy. The existence of Skill Cool down was another hindrance.This basically meant there wasn¡¯t much difference between Hyrkan and a Sword Class User when it came to Armor Breaking. However, it was a different when he had to fulfill the role as a damage dealer.For example, let¡¯s say there¡¯s a level 140 Swordsman, who had advanced to the Fighter class. If this User received a full Buff from a Priest, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t come close to the sudden damage the Swordsman could cause using a combination of his three Skills.It didn¡¯t matter what methods Hyrkan used. On the other hand, Hyrkan had the Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Knight, Skeleton Magicians and the Golem.He was able to deal a constant amount of damage.If one considered the total damage, Hyrkan was almost on par with a normal Swordsman Class. ¡®I have to catch the Evil Eye, and I have to be the first one to reach the castle.¡¯ Anyways, it was important to be able to deal critical damage in a speed run.In a speed run, it wasn¡¯t about lessening the HP.It was basically more advantageous to just demolish the monster.For example, if one was fighting a User, it would be better to just cut their throat for an instant Game Over rather than apply constant damage to decrease the HP to 0. ¡®There are a total of 5 parties including me.¡¯ Moreover, if one wanted to catch the Evil Eye, one needed a party of around twenty people. If the 5 parties combined, they would reach close to that number. Of course, if they did that, it would become a problem as to who would receive the Sarabo¡¯s Sword as a reward. If Hyrkan wanted to keep the Sarabo¡¯s Sword, he would have to give the rest of his party members something of equal value. On the other hand, someone might insist on taking the Sarabo¡¯s Sword by paying the requisite price. ¡®It isn¡¯t too late to think about this afterwards.¡¯ Of course, the most important thing to do right now was to catch the Evil Eye, and reach the Cursed Domain¡¯s Castle. ¡®Let¡¯s catch it first!¡¯ Hyrkan was fired up more so than any time he could remember. ¡°The armor is off!¡± ¡°He succeeded in Armor Break before it moved onto the next Phase!What a crazy son of a bitch!¡± Evil Eye. It was 5 meters tall with armor covering its body.It had the head of a snake, but it had only one enormous eye. Its true appearance was finally revealed to the world. It had a lower body of an enormous goat, and the upper body of an ogre. Its skin were like rags, and there were signs of the skin being sewn together. On top of all of that, it had an enormous snake¡¯s head, and the single eye was letting out a red light.Its name was well-matched. Hyrkan quickly came down to the floor after he took off the monster¡¯s armor by himself.The Evil Eye glanced at Hyrkan with its single eye. However, it didn¡¯t chase after him.Three tankers had gotten into a triangular formation, and the Evil Eye¡¯s movement had been restricted. It looked funny seeing 2 meter tall Users blocking the progress of a 5 meter tall monster.However, they had enough power to be able to fend off the Evil Eye. ¡°The Magicians are ready!¡± ¡°Just ignore the phases.Let¡¯s just focus on the damage dealing.!¡± ¡°Focus on the damage instead of the HP. Let¡¯s go for destruction of its body!¡± Hyrkan exited the stage, and he caught his breath.A Priest came up to him. ¡°Do you need a heal?¡± Hyrkan shook his hand. The Priest looked over Hyrkan¡¯s body.Hyrkan¡¯s clothes were dirty, but there were no rips.It was evidence that Hyrkan hadn¡¯t been hit, while Armor Breaking. It is said the wounds are a badge of honor on a battlefield, but wounds weren¡¯t a badge in Warlord. It was the opposite.It was a badge of honor to be unhurt like Hyrkan. ¡°You are incredible.I¡¯ve never seen anyone, who is better at taking off a monster¡¯s armor.¡± Hyrkan flicked his finger instead of replying to the statement. Ddul-goo-ruhk ddul-goo-ruhk! When he did so, the Skeleton Magicians on standby started to raise their arms up high.There were 5 Skeleton Magicians wearing red colored robes with gold trims.They held staffs with a black gem mounted on them.Instead of looking cool, they looked expensive. The Priest let out a bitter laugh as he observed Hyrkan.The Priest realized what was going on. ¡®He is almost making me speechless right now.¡¯ The owner did the complicated task of Armor Breaking.The Golem and Skeletons were used to deal damage.Depending on the situation, they were also used as Tankers to divert the attention of the monster. ¡®However, there is hard cap to his ability.¡¯ Hyrkan was incredible. However, at the same time, the Priest could see an obvious weakness. ¡®He is over-pacing himself.¡¯ Rest was very important in a Boss Raid. Boss monster raids were a marathon.It wasn¡¯t a short-distance sprint.One could also characterize it as a relay race.People ran with all their might, but when the baton was handed off, they got to rest.This would allow them to sprint with all their might when their turn came once again. However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t like that. If Hyrkan ran the whole course at this pace, we would be able to achieve an unimaginable record.However, Warlord wasn¡¯t a marathon.There wasn¡¯t a goal line.It was a world where numerous people fought for their Rankings. ¡®This isn¡¯t my problem.¡¯ Of course, the Priest didn¡¯t need to worry about Hyrkan¡¯s circumstances right now. ¡°Then get ready for the next attack.¡± The Priest decided to root for Hyrkan to fall over in exhaustion. After hearing the Priest¡¯s words, Hyrkan half-heartedly waved his hand instead of answering him.The Priest left, and Hyrkan regulated his breathing. After the Hahoe Mask¡¯s team caught the Evil Eye, they raced towards the Cursed Castle. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll get the first place?¡± ¡°There is no way someone could have caught it faster than us. Of course, I¡¯m assuming the raid teams of the 30 great guild isn¡¯t present.¡± ¡°Wow! The Evil Eye Hunter title raised the class-specific stat by 20 points! It¡¯s a jackpot.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The Users, who were running, felt their chests start to fill with happiness.When they reached the castle as the 1st place team, they would receive Sarabo¡¯s Sword.Everyone would be able to gain a lot of money. Everyone¡¯s steps were light, because they were happy. They arrived at near the very run down castle wall of the Cursed Castle.In a flash, they jumped over the moat, and they climbed over the wall.They used the plentiful cracks to climb up the castle wall.For Warlord Users, this was a easy as running across a flat ground assuming one had a certain amount of Strength. It happened when they crossed the castle wall. [You¡¯ve acquired the Title ¡®Visitor of the Cursed Castle.¡¯] Everyone acquired the Title at once. [You¡¯ve completed the ¡®Cursed Domain¡¯ Quest.] ¡®Ok.¡¯ Hyrkan had just completed another Main Scenario Quest. [You¡¯ve failed in completing the ¡®Evil Eye Hunter¡¯ Quest.] In conclusion, everyone received an announcement saying they had all failed at completing the Evil Eye Hunter Quest. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What the hell?¡± They were like actors in an opera.Everyone¡¯s expression crumpled at the same time. They frowned, because they discovered there were other guests inside the castle. ¡®Someone did it faster than us?¡¯ They would have understood it if they had made a mistake in the Evil Eye hunt. However, the Hahoe Mask¡¯s team couldn¡¯t picture a more perfect run. This was especially true since Hyrkan and the Strikers had cut off the Evil Eye¡¯s head when it was about to enter into the 2nd phase.This had decisively reduced their raid time. However, there had been a party that was faster than them? Hyrkan also couldn¡¯t help, but be taken aback. He was already pissed off at the 1 thousand gold reward yet he had also lost out on Sarabo¡¯s sword?His insides would hurt for at least a week. ¡®Who the hell are those bastards?¡¯ Hyrkan looked on with a poisonous expression.He looked over the group that had caught the Evil Eye before him. ¡®The Noopy Family?¡¯ It was the Noopy Family. It was a group, who had received the Evil Eye¡¯s curse blocking gem alongside Hyrkan. ¡®These guys are skilled, but they shouldn¡¯t have been able to do it faster than me.¡¯ Even Hyrkan admitted their skills were exceptional.However, this party didn¡¯t have enough firepower to catch the Evil Eye faster than him. Hyrkan continued to look at the other members of the group. Hyrkan¡¯s eyes eventually landed on a User wearing a silver armor, which was surrounded by a green light. He wore a cylindrical Great Helm, and he was talking to the Users around him.He didn¡¯t seem to be a comrade of the other Users.The other Users treated him like a superior. ¡®Huk! Is that the Greenstone Imoogi set? Is this for real?¡¯ Greenstone Imoogi. It was a level 150 Boss monster, and it was very strong.Currently, it was one of the three most difficult level 150 Boss monster Raids that had been successfully completed. Moreover, the only Guild that had been able to successfully finish the Raid was the V&V Guid.They were a member of the 30 great guilds. There was a great amount of worth to this Boss Monster.The ingredients from the Greenstone Imoogi could be used to make a 5 part Unique Item set.When the set option activates, it gave an incredible effect. ¡®My god. Why is that thing here?¡¯ When one delivers a critical hit to an enemy, the ¡®Imoogi¡¯s Curse¡¯ was cast.The ¡®Imoogi¡¯s Curse¡¯ decreased the opponent¡¯s defense by 25%. Moreover, the Imoogi¡¯s Curse can be stacked with other curses. As the monster¡¯s level increased, the effect of the Imoogi¡¯s Cursed decreased.However, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say this was the best defensive set one could get when going up against monsters below level 150. On top of all of that, V&V guild was currently monopolizing the Oksan¡¯s Hourglass, where the Imoogi appeared. Any Items related to the Greenstone Imoogi was being monopolized by the V&V guild.The guild had a strict policy of never selling it to anyone outside of the 30 great guilds.The big donors of the V&V guild, and the close allies within the 30 great guilds were the only ones able to wear the set.It was something one couldn¡¯t acquire even if one had the money. In fact, the Greenstone Immogi¡¯s Set options had never been released to the public.He knew it only because he was Hyrkan. How could such a set be in front of his eyes? Hyrkan was nervous, and at the same time, he had a hunch. ¡®This isn¡¯t someone, who should be here. Is he a member of the V&V guild?¡¯ A whale lived in the ocean instead of a lake.That was the point.This bastard should be playing in bigger waters than the Cursed Domain, yet he was here.In other words, there was a reason why he had come to the small lake.He didn¡¯t come here by mistake. ¡®What the hell?¡¯ It happened at that moment. ¡®Uh?¡¯ The unknown User wearing the Greenstone Imoogi met face to face with Hyrkan.They didn¡¯t see each other eye to eye.The User wearing the Greenstone Imoogi set had a Great Helm on his head, and it covered his entire face.Hyrkan had his Hahoe Mask and a hood had been thrown over his head.It wasn¡¯t possible for them to see eye to eye. ¡®He¡¯s giving me a cold feeling.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan thought about the event before he returned to the past¡­. ¡®It¡¯s very cold.¡¯ He had glory right in front of his eyes, yet he had fallen due to a nonsensical reason.Those memories flitted through his mind. Chapter 103 : Guerrillas (3) Chapter 103 ¨C Guerrillas (3) ¡°How did you guys pull it off?¡± There was no butting heads.It wasn¡¯t as if there had been some nefarious plot.In the end, they had lost in a fair fight. Instead of being angered, they were curious.The team with Hyrkan as the centerpiece had pulled off a perfect raid.They had been singing their own praise.However, another party had caught the Evil Eye with a better time?They couldn¡¯t believe it. However, no one gave a straight answer to the question. ¡°Well, we were just lucky.¡± That was it. No one elaborated any further.It was as if they had come to an agreement beforehand.Instead of carrying on the conversation, the members of the party kept eyeing a particular User intermittently as they spoke. The members with the Hahoe Mask¡¯s team observed how the Noopy Family acted.They had a rough idea on what was going on, so they started eyeing the User too. ¡®Who is he?¡¯ ¡®Those Items look extraordinary.What kind of Items are those?¡¯ However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t cast side-glances at the User.He outright stared at the User. ¡®If it¡¯s the Greenstone Imoogi set¡­ The level 150 Evil Eye would have been child¡¯s play.¡¯ Hyrkan knew about the worth and Option of the other User¡¯s Items.Hyrkan immediately pieced together what had happened. With the Greenstone Imoogi set¡¯s effect, Evil Eye wouldn¡¯t even be strong as a level 150 mid-boss monster.It would be like an average level 130 boss monster. Moreover, the Users gathered here all had serious fire power.If they received such a boon, Hyrkan could see how they had killed the Evil Eye faster than his team. It would have been hilarious and sad if they had been slower than his team. ¡®If I can equip my Skeleton with one of those¡­.¡¯ Hyrkan coveted the Greenstone Imoogi Set. The Greenstone Imoogi set¡¯s special characteristic was its curse, which activated when a critical hit happened.This would be perfect for a Skeleton Warrior. He could create a Skeleton using low level monster¡¯s bones as ingredients. Then he could equip this set on the Skeleton and use it to specifically cast Curses. It would be very effective.It was no wonder why Hyrkan coveted it. However, his thoughts regarding the Item ended there. He was curious as to who his opponent was.He had lost the incredibly valuable Sarabo¡¯s Sword, because of him.It made his stomach hurt so much that he felt like dying.He was also dying to have the Greenstone Imoogi set, yet Hyrkan couldn¡¯t do anything about it. It wasn¡¯t possible, so that¡¯s that. Moreover, this was the first time Hyrkan had met this User, but it wasn¡¯t as if the User was friendly towards him. If that man was really interested in Hyrkan, he would have approached Hyrkan as a helper.Instead, he had decided to go to Hyrkan¡¯s competitor. ¡®That bastard came here to fuck me over.¡¯ Hyrkan saw through to the core issue. If that User wearing the Greenstone Imoogi set wanted to talk, trade or negotiate with Hyrkan, he would have come to Hyrkan first. However, the User had done the opposite.It was obvious to everyone that he had secretly aligned against Hyrkan.He had basically fucked over Hyrkan, and it meant he had no plans on striking up a friendly relationship with Hyrkan. ¡®Since the Quest is done, I have no reason to stick around here.¡¯ The right thing to do was to leave this stage before unnecessary conflict started. As if it had read Hyrkan¡¯s inner thoughts, Sarabo appeared. ¡°All of you are marvelous.Good job.¡± The distribution of the reward for the Quest started.Sarabo¡¯s Sword was given to the Noopy Family. ¡°Please show us its Option!¡± ¡°Wow.Is it a rare?Or is it a Unique?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the level restriction?¡± The Users became unsettled. The members of the Noopy Family smiled as they acquired the Item. An amicable yet disordered atmosphere formed inside the Cursed Castle. However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t part of this atmosphere. Moreover, the Greenstone Imoogi swordsman Sinclair was gone too. After leaving the Cursed Castle, Hyrkan ran at full speed.However, his tail closed the distance quickly.A tail had attached himself right after he had left the castle.Hyrkan couldn¡¯t shake his tail no matter what.The distance between them kept shrinking. They were at the center of a forest.The blue fog had receded a little bit, and the person Hyrkan expected appeared. It was the User, who had been wearing the Green Imoogi set. ¡®What the hell?¡¯ ¡­¡­or not. ¡®Bat Marauder set?¡¯ It was an armor made out of reddish black leather. The User was wearing a helmet that made him look like Batman. ¡®Amongst the level 100s sets, those Items have the greatest speed Option¡­.¡¯ Bat Marauder set. It¡¯s official name was the Giant Blood Bat set. The Giant Blood Bat was a level 140 rare monster.One had to catch the Giant Blood Bat to be able to make this set, and it had numerous Options regarding to movement speed.Basically, it was an upgraded version of the Shadow Hunting Dog set he had worn before. Of course, the price and the options wasn¡¯t even comparable to the Shadow Hunting Dog set. If the Shadow Hunting Dog set was a Sonata, the Giant Blood Bat set was a Ferrari. Moreover, the design was similar to Batman¡¯s suit, so its nickname was the Bat Marauder set.Basically, it was the Batman set. ¡®He has the Greenstone Imoogi and the Bat Maurauder set.The last remaining slot is probably filled with something of similar rank¡­¡­.¡¯ A Warlord User could fill a total of three slots. This User¡¯s two slots were filled with incredible Items, so the last slot was probably filled with something similar.At the very least, he probably filled it with a level 140 Unique Item set. ¡®Tsk.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan had come to a decision.He opened his mouth. ¡°Do you have some kind of business with me?¡± ¡°Are you the Hahoe Mask?¡± ¡°If I said no, will you believe me?¡± At that moment, his opponent manipulated his wrist watch.He had changed his Item Slot. Sinclair had activated his third Item Slot. The look he unveiled was an armor made out of black steel. It looked very sleek, and the helm had the shape of a wolf. ¡®He even had the Black Steel Wolf set.¡¯ Black Steel Wolf Set. Amongst the countless number of Set Items in existence, this was one of the top 10 Items in existence right now. It was especially famous for its high defense. Amongst the highest level Items, it was famous for its surest defense. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say almost no weapon held an advantage over the Black Steel Wolf set. ¡°I have no personal enmity towards you.¡± Hyrkan didn¡¯t mince words when his opponent spoke. ¡°All right.I, the Hahoe Mask, doesn¡¯t shy away from fights that come my way.¡± Sinclair had come to catch Hyrkan, so he smiled at Hyrkan¡¯s words. ¡®He is unexpectedly prideful.The probability of him running away isn¡¯t high.¡¯ Catch Hyrkan. This was the order given by the organization Sinclair was part of. Moreover, there was also a bounty on his head. ¡®Currently, the Hahoe Mask has a bounty of 50 thousand dollars.¡¯ Hyrkan had a 50 thousand dollar bounty on his head. This wasn¡¯t reality.It was a game, and he had an overwhelming advantage in terms of Spec.He would be earning a lot of money just by killing a User, who was 30 levels below him. ¡®The Items that comes out from his Watch is mine.¡¯ Moreover, there would be additional profit he would gain after killing Hyrkan. It had been agreed that any Items that could be stolen from the Hahoe Mask¡¯s wrist watch was his to keep. If his research was correct, Hyrkan was an incredibly rich person, and it was known that he didn¡¯t spare any costs in acquiring Items. ¡®I lost a lot of time, but it seems I¡¯ll gain a huge profit here.¡¯ Sinclair started to have happy thoughts. As if he was trying to break Sinclair¡¯s revery, Hyrkan spoke in a very solemn manner. ¡°Shall we do the battle off the record?Let us keep no records or footage. How about we bury this battle in our hearts after this?¡± At those words, Sinclair stopped his imagination from running away from him.It seemed Hyrkan wanted to talk to him a little bit more. ¡°I¡¯ll be thankful if we did that.¡± Sinclair decided to humor him. ¡°Since we are to fight, let¡¯s put our lives on the line in no uncertain terms.¡± ¡®Put our lives on the in no uncertain terms?¡¯ Sinclair was suspicious as to what he was saying, but Hyrkan took off his glove and he cut his wrist with his sword. Kwahk! Ivan¡¯s Sword immediately sliced deep into Hyrkan¡¯s wrist.If he did had brought down the sword about half a dozen times harder, it would have been enough to cut off his own wrist. Sinclair¡¯s expression hardened when he saw the sight. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± ¡°What the hell am I doing? Do you not know about the Watchman Style?¡± ¡°Watchman?¡± Kwahjeek! He once again brought down his sword on his wrist.A smile could be seen below the Hahoe Mask, and he continued to speak. ¡°We¡¯ll give each others our watch.It is a life and death battle that one cannot avoid. You don¡¯t know about it?¡± Sinclair thought about it for a brief moment.The Watchman battle wasn¡¯t conducted like this to his knowledge.However, this wasn¡¯t something unusual.Warlord was game that catered its service to the world.Depending on where the User was from, the battle styles and trends varied. It wasn¡¯t as if Sinclair knew about everything. ¡°You sliced your own wrist to give your watch to your enemy.This isn¡¯t even funny.¡± There was simple reason why one would cut one¡¯s wrist to extract a watch.In Warlord, the owner couldn¡¯t release one¡¯s wrist watch even as the owner.There was only one way to release it.One had to take it off after cutting the watch off the wrist. It was horrifying, but it made a perverse sense. He was going to give the watch to his enemy then fight.It was a gesture expressing his will.He was basically saying he¡¯ll fight his enemy until he¡¯ll be able to recover his watch. Moreover, he was cutting off his own wrist! ¡®It seems he is really determined to go through with this.¡¯ Sinclair looked on in silence as he watched Hyrkan cut his own wrist.It was known that the Hahoe Mask had never experienced his wrist being cut before. Hyrkan finally severed his wrist, and he took off the watch.He used Body Glue to reattach his wrist. With his reattached hand, he threw his watch. ¡°Since you don¡¯t know about the Watchman Style, it can¡¯t be helped.You keep it for now. It¡¯ll be mine once again after a couple of minute. It is inevitable.¡± After he received the watch, Sinclair¡¯s expression hardened.Something twitched within Sinclair¡¯s heart. ¡®Fuck.¡¯ From the time he had started Warlord to now, Sinclair had always been the best. However, his situation didn¡¯t allow him to reveal the fact that he was the best. If he revealed himself right now, he could become more famous than the guild masters of the 30 great guilds. In fact, Sinclair was treated like a VVIP by the 30 great guilds. The 30 great guild masters requested communication with him.They asked him for help, and at times, they tried to recruit him. He was someone of that stature, yet the Hahoe Mask was acting as if killing Sinclair would be easy. ¡°It reattaches pretty well since it¡¯s a game.¡± Hyrkan once again spoke to Sinclair. ¡°Ah! You chased after me with such fervor, yet you are trying to run away with my watch?¡± It was a provocation. ¡°The items in there is only worth a pittance to me.If you run away, it would be unsatisfactory¡­ Well, all right.I promised this will be off the record, so I won¡¯t spread any rumors.However, the memory of you running away with your tail behind your leg will remain in my memories.¡± After saying his provocation, Hyrkan sneered below his Hahoe Mask. When Sinclair heard the provocation, he took his glove off before he thought about what he was doing.Then he raised his sword. It was a smile that he wanted to knock right off Hyrkan¡¯s face. He planned on cutting his wrist. ¡°Watchman Style.What a fun concept.¡± When Hyrkan saw what he was doing, the smile around Hyrkan¡¯s mouth disappeared.It was Sinclair¡¯s turn to smirk. Finally, his wrist had been cut, and Sinclair tossed his wrist watch towards Hyrkan. Hyrkan wordlessly stared at the watch thrown at his feet.As all of this was going on, Sinclair used the Body Glue to reattach his wrist like Hyrkan. The expression on their faces had changed.Hyrkan¡¯s expression had hardened, and Sinclair had a mocking smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll remember the Watchman Style.¡± At Sinclair¡¯s words, Hyrkan answered by kicking the watch near his feet in a frustrated manner. It was evidence that Hyrkan was angry. Sinclair smirked as he laughed. ¡®The content of my investigation was all wrong.He¡¯s the really prideful type. He gets easily riled up by provocations.He probably never experienced hardship in this game.He probably played the game thinking he is better than everyone.¡¯ It looked as if Hyrkan was filled with rage.He took out numerous Skeleton Fragments, and he scattered it on the ground. At the same time, he summoned his Golem. Koo koo koo! The Golem appeared, and the Skeleton Fragments morphed into Warriors.Hyrkan yelled out in the midst of an unsettled situation. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but you¡¯ll pay dearly for challenging me!¡± He yelled out with a voice full of anger.Sinclair raised his sword, and he started casting his Buff skills. At the same time, Sinclair started drawing up a plan inside his head. ¡®There is a limit as to how many Skeletons he can summon. In the end, I¡¯ll be at an advantage if I fight him head on.¡¯ Sinclair had devised a method to take down the Hahoe Mask, and it was quite simple. He would eliminate all of Hyrkan¡¯s summoned familiars, then he would take down Hyrkan! Normally, he would ignore the familiars, and he would try to take out the summoner as soon as possible.However, this was actually the more dangerous plan.Hyrkan¡¯s personal battle prowess was better than an average Striker.He wasn¡¯t someone that could be eliminated in a short amount of time. While fighting Hyrkan, one would be in the worst position if one was surrounded by Hyrkan¡¯s underlings. Moreover, the Skeleton Fragments and the Golem summon consumed a lot of Magic Power. Those skills most definitely had a cool down. Of course, the course of action chosen by Sinclair required him to destroy the fearsome Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Knight and Golem. They were difficult opponents as some people even considered them as being glitch in the system.However, Sinclair didn¡¯t feel any sense of threat from them. ¡®I¡¯ll destroy them completely.¡¯ After finishing casting his Buffs, Sinclair immediately used the Charge skill.As he used the Charge skill, he swung his sword imbued with the Booster skill. Shweeeek! He combined the Charge and Booster skill.Both were Rank A skills.The sword swung by combining these two skills were so fast that the Skeleton Warriors had no chance of dodging it. Moreover, Sinclair was able to control his body, which was on overdrive through the Charge skill. A single use of the Charge skill allowed him to cross path with three Skeleton Warriors, and he hit all three of them with a single blow. He was like a car that couldn¡¯t use its break to control its speed.However, he was able to cleanly change directions or it looked as if he was doing it. The power of the strike was that much more terrifying.The strike looked as if it just brushed by the Skeletons, but all the Items equipped by the Armament skill were destroyed. During all of this was going on, the Golem had taken shape, and it was bring down its massive arm towards Sinclair. The enormous hunk of rock was falling towards Sinclair¡¯s head. However, the attack was laughably slow for Sinclair.Moreover, the Clay Play skill hadn¡¯t been used, so this was a normal Golem.The chance of the Golem¡¯s attack hitting Sinclair was the same as being hit by lightning. Koooohng! The evidence of his composure was shown when he lightly avoided the attack, and he immediately jumped onto the Golem¡¯s fist, which had impacted the ground. At the same time, he swung his sword. Shweeeek! A crescent sword energy was emitted from his swung sword, and it headed quickly towards the Golem¡¯s shoulder joint. Poo-hwaht! One strike. He had severed the Golem¡¯s shoulder with one attack, and the arm fell away to the floor. Koooohng! The arm fell to the ground as it let out a lot of noise. During all of this, the Skeleton Knight had been moving.Sinclair swung his sword towards the Skeleton Knight¡¯s body. Kah-ahng! It was the Skeleton Knight pitted against Sinclair.They exchanged blows atop the detached fist of the Golem. Ggee-reek, ggee-reek! Then the battle between power vs power was initiated. Of course, the winner was Sinclair.Sinclair¡¯s sword easily pushed away the Skeleton Knight¡¯s sword. At that moment, Sinclair foot pushed against the Skeleton Knight.The Skeleton Knight was inferior in terms of strength, so it started taking steps backwards. The Skeleton Knight fell backwards. The surface atop the Golem¡¯s fist was uneven.The act of regaining one¡¯s balance was outside of the skill possessed by the Skeleton Knight. Sinclair raised his sword high as he shifted towards the fallen Skeleton Knight. ¡°Thunder!¡± Accompanying a short shout of invocation, Sinclair¡¯s sword descended. The sword immediately fell like thunder. Gwah-roong! Then he called for real thunder.A single thread of thunder fell towards the sword right before it impacted. Thunder! This was a level 160 Rare Fighter Skill.Amongst the currently discovered Fighter Skills, this was the strongest one! A specific feature of the Thunder skill was being used now against a lower level opponent.It had the Option of ignoring the opponent¡¯s defense.Hyrkan was at least 30 level below Sinclair.Basically, the Skeleton Knight summoned by his had no defense against his attack. The result was terrifying. It was only one Skill, but the Skeleton Knight had been burnt to a black crisp.It was such a critical blow that the Skeleton Knight was down for the count. ¡®This was easy.¡¯ Sinclair had a triumphant expression on his face.At the same time, Sinclair looked for Hyrkan. Hyrkan had been so confident that his attitude had been arrogant.Sinclair was curious to see what kind of expression he had on his face. He wanted to remember the devastated and crushed look on Hyrkan¡¯s face. ¡®Mmmm?¡¯ However, he wasn¡¯t¡­ ¡°Uh?¡± He really wasn¡¯t¡­. ¡°I¡­it can¡¯t be?¡± Hahoe Mask was nowhere to be seen. ¡®Ooh wah¡­¡­ Look at speed at which my Magic is being consumed. His damage dealing is incredible.¡¯ As he was running, Hyrkan clicked his tongue as he watched his Magic decrease with incredible speed. ¡®Does this mean he was over level 160? He most definitely has his name up in the Rankings.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan had a thin smile as he looked at the watch grasped in his hand. ¡®Greestone Imoogi, Bat Marauder and the Black Steel Wolf¡­I could give one to the Skeleton Knight.¡¯ He had been speaking out of the both side of his mouth. When he mentioned the word Watchman, Hyrkan had never considered fighting with Sinclair. The case against not fighting was overwhelming. His opponent had researched about Hyrkan. Sinclair was a very skilled player, and he had come prepared for the fight. On the other hand, Hyrkan had zero information on his opponent. He hadn¡¯t plan on fighting. In the first place, Hyrkan never fought a hopeless battle. ¡®Still, I never expected him to fall for my bullshit¡­¡¯ He had acted pretty convincingly as he brought up the non-existent Watchman style.He even cut off his wrist, and gave his watch to Sinclair.He had been planning on using his watch as a sacrifice as he attempted to run away. He hadn¡¯t been trying to get his opponent¡¯s watch.His aim was to make his opponent believe that he was going to battle no matter what.If he gave away his watch, it made this deception more believable.At the very least, if his opponent received Hyrkan¡¯s watch, he would think it less likely that Hyrkan would run away. Of course, if his deception worked and he was able to run away, he would have suffered a huge monetary loss.Still, it would be better than suffering a 48hrs penalty on top of losing his Items.It was important to note that the most important Items equipped by Hyrkan like the Secret Society Ring, Ivan¡¯s Sword and the Corrupted Accessories couldn¡¯t be lost.These Items would always revert to him. This meant his scheme had brought in a jackpot. However, his happiness ended there. He put the watch into his pocket, and he looked at his Magic.He gritted his teeth when he saw only 20% of his Magic left. ¡®If I fought him, it would have been horrible for me..¡¯ It meant Sinclair had killed his summoned familiars at an incredible speed.If he fought Sinclair head on, he couldn¡¯t guarantee his victory. It wasn¡¯t good news. ¡®Why the hell is a bastard like that aiming for me?¡¯ At the very least, Hyrkan was now aware that a big fish was gunning for Hyrkan. Hyrkan gritted his teeth once again. Chapter 104 : There is No Free Lunch (1) Chapter 104- There is No Free Lunch (1) In Warlord, one could transfer an Item from acquired watch through the fence NPC. Of course, the fence NPC was located in a neighborhood with a menacing atmosphere.It was common to see Users, who lost tehir items through PK, to stake out near the fence NPC. This was why sometimes one might meet one¡¯s enemies near the fence. Of course, fights didn¡¯t occur around the NPC.There was a tacit agreement that forbid PK near the fence.If one broke this unwritten rule, the User would suffer much more damage than actually losing a single watch. This was the reason why everyone kept their manners.The only thing they could do was glare at other Users with murderous intent.This worsened the menacing atmosphere around the fence. There was a saying in Warlord that said, ¡®If you want to experience an intense atmosphere, go near a fence instead of going to a Boss Raid!¡¯ ¡°My commission is 1 gold..¡± In such a rough atmosphere, those who can¡¯t keep their cool became the prey. Hyrkan knew this better than anyone.However, Hyrkan¡¯s expression indicated otherwise. ¡°The commission fee is 1 gold. Are you perhaps trying to cheat me out of my commission?¡± The fence NPC continued to speak in a threatening manner.As if he finally came to his senses, Hyrkan put his hand into his pocket.When Hyrkan finally took out a coin, Hyrkan¡¯s expression changed. It was as if he had a couple screws loose. He had a silly smile on his face. In the end, Hyrkan handed over the gold coin to the fence. ¡°Huh?¡± The coin wasn¡¯t engraved with the number one.It had the number 10 imprinted on it. It was worth 10 gold. This wasn¡¯t a small amount of money.In real money, it was worth around 100 dollars. No one in the right mind would pay 100 dollars for a 10 dollar service.Moreover, this fence NPC didn¡¯t give back change. Didn¡¯t Hyrkan put his life on the line for .1 gold before? Something extraordinary was going on here. ¡°My commission is one gold.¡± This was something that could be corrected immediately. ¡°It¡¯s a tip.¡± However, Hyrkan left the 10 gold in place.He immediately left after taking the Item. The fence looked at Hyrkan with its head tilted in confusion.The fence NPC didn¡¯t chase after a User if they overpaid. This scenario hadn¡¯t been programmed. The fence¡¯s expression immediately reverted to its normal expression, and it got ready for the new customer. [Helm Imbued with the Greenstone Imoogi¡¯s Soul] *Main Properties ¨C Unique-rank Item ¨C Strength +144 ¨C Stamina +144 ¨C Required Level : 150 *Sub-properties ¨C The Wearer¡¯s Stamina recovery speed is increased by 5% ¨C If one equips set items¡®Imbued with the Greenstone Imoogi¡¯s Soul¡¯, class-specific stat increases ¨C If three parts of the set item ¡®Imbued with the Greenstone Imoogi¡¯s Soul¡¯ is equipped, all Stat will be increased by +50 ¨C If five parts of the set item ¡®Imbued with the Greenstone Imoogi¡¯s Soul¡¯ is equipped, all Stat will be increased by +100 ¨C If five parts of the set item ¡®Imbued with the Greenstone Imoogi¡¯s Soul¡¯ is equipped, the ¡®Greenstone Imoogi¡¯s Curse¡¯ is activated *Miscellaneous ¨C The essence of a Greenstone Imoogi with a vengeful spirit is dwelling with the Item. He looked at the Stat of the Item stored in his storage.Ahn-jaehyun checked the Stats once again, and he let out a sigh that was filled with mixed emotions. ¡®Wow.¡¯ He had read the Item¡¯s Option so much that it had been imprinted into his brain.However, his heart started pounding when he started reading the Item¡¯s Option once again.Even if his heart suddenly came to a stop, his heart would probably start back again if he saw the Item¡¯s Option. This was how incredible the Item he possessed was. Ahn-jaehyun once again let out a sigh admiration. ¡®It feels akin to buying a 1st place lotto ticket that I know will be a winner.This is really incredible.¡¯ It was a level 150 Unique Item. Moreover, this particular one was produced and circulated solely by the V&V guild. They went as far to never selling it to the public.They dealt this Item only within their guild. This was why one couldn¡¯t even put a fair market value of the set. Ahn-jaehyun was well aware of this fact.Moreover, this fact brought Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s heart back to its normal rhythm. The pounding died down. Ahn-jaehyun drank a sip of his coffee. ¡®It¡¯s a jackpot, but the problem is I can¡¯t sell it to anyone.¡¯ As Ahn-jaehyun surmised, he couldn¡¯t sell the Greenstone Imoogi Helm to the public. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t the V&V guild try to fight me, while foaming at the mouth, when they realize I sold this piece?¡¯ When the helm appeared in the auction, the V&V guild would immediately take action. ¡®If you purchase the Imoogi helm, our guild will declare war on you as a service!¡¯ He was sure that was how the guild would react.As a customer, one would probably be too afraid of the V&V guild to purchase this Item. Moreover, if it was a full set, there might be a User, who might risk the danger of crossing the V&V guild.However, he didn¡¯t have the full set, and the Greenstone Imoogi Helm could only show its true worth when it was in a set. A single piece wasn¡¯t that popular. This was why his potential customer was already predetermined. ¡®I have no choice, but to return it to its owner.¡¯ He had no choice, but to sell it to its original owner. The thought brought a smile to Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s lips. Ahn-jaehyun found the current situation to be quite humorous. The thief was basically selling the goods back to the owner.It was most definitely a ridiculous situation. This was a given, but when the owner receives the purchased Item, the owner willstep forward to try to kill the thief.However, Anhn-jaehyun wasn¡¯t too worried about that part. The bastard would have tried to kill Ahn-jaehyun even if this incident never happened. He was going to fuck over the bastard one more time, so it made Ahn-jaehyun smile. Also, from Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s perspective, the owner of the Item wasn¡¯t the one, who had attacked him.There was a possibility that Sinclair had been been gifted the Item or the Item had been loaned to him by the V&V guild. This was why Ahn-jaehyun thought a deal could be struck.Whether it was a present or a loan, the V&V guild would want to recover something that had been lost.It would be tough to see the Item in the hands of another person. The problem right now was the fact that he didn¡¯t know the identity of the person, who had ambushed him.Also, he didn¡¯t have any contacts within the V&V guild.It wasn¡¯t as if he could just search out the V&V guild then ask for a deal from them. There was only one answer left. ¡®I¡¯ll contact the V&V guild through the Red Bulls. It¡¯ll allow me to make some kind of bridge with them.¡¯ He had to exploit a personal connection. ¡®I never expected the Red Bulls to be so helpful like this.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun felt that it had been worth the effort to develop this personal connection. ¡°I heard you got spanked by the Hahoe Mask, Sinclair?How can you lose against a User, who is 30 levels below you?It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± A woman wearing a robe made out of snake leather spoke.She spoke in a sarcastic manner, and it inevitably brought out a reaction from Sinclair. ¡°Shut up. The bastard ran away. I didn¡¯t lose.¡± It was a reasonable reaction¡­¡­ He reacted in a temperamental manner. ¡°I heard he stole your watch?That means you got spanked.¡± ¡°I got hoodwinked by the bastard.He didn¡¯t steal it from me.¡± ¡°Whatever.So which Item did you lose?Don¡¯t you usually fill all three slots?¡± An answer came out from another source. ¡°He is wearing that armor, yet he doesn¡¯t have that idiotic helmet on his head.The answer can be easily deduced.¡± When a stolen watch is re-issued to the User, everything was given back to the User except a single Item stored in each slot. Since he wasn¡¯t wearing his helmet, it meant the helmet had been taken from Sinclair¡¯s watch. ¡°Is it perhaps the Greenstone Imoogi Helm?My god.¡± The woman had been speaking playfully until now, but her expression became genuinely worried. ¡°Of all the¡­.Didn¡¯t the V&V guild loan that out to you?¡± The woman¡¯s reaction made Sinclair¡¯s feelings fall off a deeper cliff. Sinclair gritted his teeth instead of answering.He didn¡¯t want to speak any further. He thought it was fortunate that he was inside a game.If this had been reality, his face would have been beet red as if it was about to explode. ¡®Shit.That mother fucking Hahoe Mask.¡¯ Naturally, Sinclair though about the Hahoe Mask, and he chewed on his lips. ¡®Watchman Style? Son of a bitch.¡¯ In truth, he was in a state of disbelief.He had fallen for a scam called the Watchman style.When he searched for the Watchman style online, it returned no result. This might be a unique method developed to hoodwink a dumb User.Sinclair had probably been the first sacrificial lamb for this method. It didn¡¯t matter how he spun it.This was a bad look for him. ¡®I¡¯ll kill him no matter what.¡¯ The humiliation didn¡¯t end there.Sinclair was in a much fouler mood, because the much anticipated watch of Hyrkan only yielded a Normal Rank robe. Even if they weren¡¯t on a similar level, he had expected a level 120-130 Unique Item.It was known that the Hahoe Mask was always equipped with expensive Items. Basically, he had stolen the Item of an owner, who owned a masterpiece.However, when one opened the wallet, the only thing inside was two 20 dollar bills and couple coins. ¡®Hahoe Mask.I¡¯ll kill you every time I meet you in this game.¡¯ Sinclair had to pay the penalty for losing the Greenstone Imoogi Helmet, and his organization was taking care of the aftermath. First, he would have to have a conversation with the V&V guild.Sinclair would have a clear idea where he stood only after he ended his talk with the V&V guild.It was best to take all the beating in one sitting.It would be the worst if his punishment came consecutively in multiple parts. ¡®Shit.¡¯ Above all else, Sinclair had never experienced failure, so his pride had been hurt. His organization contacted him at that moment. ¨C The Greenstone Imoogi helm that was stolen by the Hahoe Mask was recovered by the V&V guild. For awhile, Sinclair is in charge of any business related to the V&V guild.During that time, Sinclair is going to act as a member of the V&V guild.Try your best to think of this as a volunteer service, Sinclair. ¡°Yes.¡± Sinclair planted the sword of revenge inside his heart. After the Corrupt Count Raid, the Red Bulls and Stormhunters maintained a close and friendly relationship. Of course, this relationship was unofficial.They were two of the top guilds fighting for the top spot within the 30 great guilds.If their friendly relationship was made official, the other guilds would become alarmed, and they would act accordingly. Since this close and friendly unofficial relationship had to be maintained, the existence of a hotline was needed. The Storm Queen and the Matador had established a hotline where they could contact each other unilaterally. It sounded pretty good saying it like thatl, but it basically meant the two of them knew each other¡¯s phone number. Currently, Che-sulyun was calling Chev.As she was calling him, Che-sulyun¡¯s face was covered with some unknown face pack. ¡°Chev.¡± ¨C I¡¯m in a Raid right now.If you want to talk to me, you¡¯ll have to keep it short. Chev was the recipient of the call, and he was in a tense situation. He had picked up the phone during a battle.Of course, Chev would be in a foul mood. Of course, Che-sulyun wasn¡¯t someone, who cared about Chev¡¯s mood. ¡°I heard a transaction was made between the Hahoe Mask and the V&V guild.I acquired information that the Red Bulls acted as an intermediary.¡± Che-sulyun¡¯s voice was calm, and her expression didn¡¯t change.This was the effect of the face pack. If she got angry or frowned, the pack would be rendered useless. Of course, Chev didn¡¯t know about this, so he was a bit surprised at her reaction.He asked her a question. ¨C Your intelligence capabilities is impressive.I never realized it was at such a level. In truth, Chev had expected a call from Che-sulyun.One of the main sponsors of the V&V guild was run by Che-sulyun¡¯s family.A deal had been conducted between the V&V guild and the Hahoe Mask.Of course, she would hear about it. It would have been more suspicious, if she hadn¡¯t heard about it. When Chev received a call from Che-sulyun, he had expected her to yell at him with a thunderous voice. Unlike how she looked, she was incredibly terrifying. ¡°I thought I made myself clear last time.¡± Of course, Che-sulyun had called to give a warning. ¡°The Hahoe Mask is ours.Don¡¯t touch him.¡± Chev smirked at the warning. ¨C I didn¡¯t touch him. He¡¯s the one, who suggested the deal.Since I¡¯ve had couple dealings with him, he wanted me to put down a bridge for him. ¡°You are lucky I have my pack on.If we were holding this conversation inside the game, I would have already killed you.¡± Face pack. Chev finally realized the reason why Che-sulyun was speaking so calmly. ¨C I guess I am very lucky that you have your pack on. Which part of your sentence should I reply to? ¡°Give me all the information you have on the Hahoe Mask.¡± Her voice was still calm. However, Chev had a feeling that her calmness had reached its limit. He wasn¡¯t going to mince his words. ¨C I¡¯ll put this out in no uncertain terms. I won¡¯t lie. I have great interest in the Hahoe Mask, and I want him on my team. ¡°Hmmm.¡± ¨C If this results in my guild warring with the Stormhunter guild, I¡¯m willing to put up with it.I want the Hahoe Mask to enter into my team. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¨C However, even after such a resolve, I wasn¡¯t able to recruit the Hahoe Mask.You may glean what you may from my answer. ¡°Hand over the info.¡± ¨C I have no information regarding the Hahoe Mask. I just have a route I can use to make a deal with him. The trade route I am talking about is the Information Merchant, who revealed the identity of the Corrupt Count. Che-sulyun¡¯s brows twitched at his words.A very small wrinkle formed on her pack. ¨C That is all the information I can give you.You should consider it a present .The fact that I¡¯m even telling you this much is, because I¡¯m taking into account our relationship. Red Bulls are in a cooperative relationship with the Stormhunters.We aren¡¯t in a master and servant relationship. Che-sulyun didn¡¯t give an answer.Chev was waiting for her to answer, but words weren¡¯t coming easily to her. In the end, Chev continued to speak. ¨C I¡¯m not speaking as the guild master right now. I¡¯ll give you some personal advice.Hahoe Mask only does deals.He gives only as much as he receives.If you really want a closer relationship with the Hahoe Mask, you should try getting him in your debt. Che-sulyun still hadn¡¯t answered him. ¨C If needed, I can act as an intermediary. I plan on contacting the Hahoe Mask soon.Are you still on the phone?There¡¯s no answer.Huh?Did the call get cut off? Che-sulyun was finally able to open her mouth.She had a big frown on her face. ¡°Are you telling me to become his Daddy Long Legs?¡± It seemed she would have to buy a new pack. Chapter 105 : There is No Free Lunch (2) Chapter 105 ¨C There is No Free Lunch (2) [Your Level has increased.] Accompanying the Announcement, the Black Lamia¡¯s body flopped to the floor. It was a large monster about 10 meters long. It had the lower body of a snake, and a muscular upper body. It also possessed a snake¡¯s head. The sight of the monster falling left a strong impression. Koong! The sound of the impact was also incredible. Hyrkan had been attached to the Black Lamia¡¯s back, but when the Black Lamia fell to its death, he couldn¡¯t resist against the shock of the impact. He was thrown into the air. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t do anything in the air. He didn¡¯t even brace himself for the landing. He didn¡¯t do anything to lessen the impact he would feel. He fell to the floor like a lifeless corpse. Even after he fell to the floor, he didn¡¯t move. He was still like a corpse. Ddul-goo-ruhk ddul-goo-ruhk! The surviving Skeleton underlings gathered around Hyrkan. The Skeleton Knight¡¯s Bone Armor was shattered, and all the surviving Skeleton Warriors were marred by injuries. There was a total of four Skeletons, and they surrounded Hyrkan in a circle as if they were making a perimeter. They stared down at Hyrkan. It was a bizarre sight. Moreover, the Skeleton Warriors were using Hyrkan¡¯s magic to slowly recover their body. They didn¡¯t look like his underlings right now. It looked as if Hyrkan was surrounded by monsters that was about to eat him. If someone unwittingly came upon this sight, one might make the mistake in thinking Hyrkan was being attacked by the monsters. At that moment, a thought crossed Hyrkan¡¯s mind. ¡®Ah. I¡¯m really tired.¡¯ It was tiring.. In truth, Hyrkan should have already ended his playing time. If he followed his original schedule, he should have been logged out 40 minutes ago. He should have been asleep dreaming about eating steaks inside his dreamland. Moreover, time was very valuable to Hyrkan. If one wanted to be called an expert in Warlord, one had to dedicate one¡¯s life to Warlord. However, the biggest obstacle wasn¡¯t the scary monsters inside the game. It was being able to keep one¡¯s body healthy. If the level 130 Black Lamia wasn¡¯t such a sweet fruit, Hyrkan wouldn¡¯t have made any changes to his schedule. ¡®I almost didn¡¯t catch it.¡¯ Of course, the Black Lamia was worth investing his time to catch it. In the Great Urugal mountain, the Users were still avoiding the region between the entrance and the halfway point of the mountain. In this ambiguous region, there was a very low chance of finding the Black Lamia. Most users weren¡¯t even aware of the existence of the Black Lamia. If he could get the footage of the hunt and make an Item out of the Ingredient coin, it would be worth a lot of money. The incredibly luxurious Snake Leather Belt was made out of the ingredient coin dropped by the Black Lamia. It was very popular amongst the female Users. He didn¡¯t regret catching it. However, there was something that worried him. It took him much longer than expected to catch it. ¡®My condition is a mess these days.¡¯ Condition Disorder. A person¡¯s condition couldn¡¯t always be great. There were good days and bad days. However, Hyrkan¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t showing any signs of recovering easily, and the issue was dragging at Hyrkan¡¯s ankle. This had been also true today. He could have caught it faster and with more style, but he hadn¡¯t been able to. This wouldn¡¯t be a problem with the monsters, but this would be a very big problem if he met the Users, who were gunning for him. ¡®It¡¯ll be very dangerous if I meet one right now.¡¯ The probability of tricking another one with the Watchman Style was higher than his chance for victory right now. Hyrkan gritted his teeth. ¡®Patience.¡¯ Hyrkan showed his patience. However, Hyrkan¡¯s patience couldn¡¯t calm down his twisting uneasiness. At that moment, a thought appeared inside Hyrkan¡¯s mind. ¡®I have to be patient. I have to think about the Red Skeleton set. Yes, I can wear it now.¡¯ Red Skeleton Set. A smile barely formed around Hyrkan¡¯s lips when he thought about the Item set. ¡®Uh?¡¯ When he saw it for the first time, he almost doubted his own eyes. ¡®What the hell?¡¯ He had made a deal with the V&V guild. The Red Bulls had been the middle man. As a price for handing over the Greenstone Imoogi helm, the V&V guild promised to give a level 130 Unique Rank weapon named ¡®Gargoyle Knight¡¯s Sword.¡¯ Truthfully, he didn¡¯t like the deal. Hyrkan was in more need of a defensive gear instead of a level 130 weapon. Hyrkan currently had a Chronicle Rank item. Ivan¡¯s Sword wasn¡¯t inferior to any level 140 Unique Rank weapons. It was that great in terms of Options and offensive capability. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t going to use a level 130 Unique weapon, so this Item was basically an expensive paperweight. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t turn it down, but a paperweight was a paperweight. It was a paperweight he could sell at a high price. If need be, he could give it to his Skeleton Knight or Warrior. He could get his bang for buck through that method. Moreover, if he asked for a defensive gear instead of a weapon in such a situation, it could have upset the entire deal. Excessive greed could cause harm. It was best to take what was given in such a situation. But! ¡®Why did they give me a Red Skeleton set?¡¯ He checked the inventory list given by the Red Bulls. It contained the weapon from the V&V guild, and a defensive set. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t a normal item. It was the full Red Skeleton set. ¡®Isn¡¯t this quite expensive?¡¯ Red Skeleton Set. The Red Skeleton Knight was a level 130 Boss monster. The ingredients and gems dropped by the boss was used to make the Rare Rank Items. Currently, the set was one of the top 10 known level 130 Rare Rank defensive sets. It was a very decent item. Of course, it was inferior to a Unique Rank item, but it still took a good amount of gold to be able to gather this entire set. Moreover, there weren¡¯t that many in existence. If one wanted to purchase it immediately, one had to pay a premium price. ¡®Wait a minute. Isn¡¯t this from the Stormhunters?¡¯ Currently, the ones who were providing most of the Items related to the Red Skeleton was the Stormhunters guild. It wasn¡¯t as if the Stormhunters guild were the only ones supplying it, but there weren¡¯t that many guilds or teams that could catch a level 130 Boss Monster whenever they wanted. The Red Skeleton Knight Raid was quite difficult. The success rate was low unless it was done by an experienced Raid team. It could be basically considered the Stormhunter guild¡¯s Item. ¡®Did they deliver it to me by mistake?¡¯ Anyways, this was something that shouldn¡¯t have been sent to Hyrkan. It was reasonable for Hyrkan to believe that the item had been delivered by mistake. It wasn¡¯t as if there weren¡¯t any accidental deliveries in Warlord. No matter how great the game system, is, humans were prone to mistake. At that point, Hyrkan agonized over his decision. ¡®Maybe I should just take it?¡¯ If this was mistakenly sent to him by mistake by the Stormhunters guild, he might take it for himself immediately! He wanted to see the Stormhunters bellyache over it. He would have purposefully kept the item. ¡®Isn¡¯t that a bit of a stretch?¡¯ However, the Item hadn¡¯t been sent by the Stormhunters. It had been given by the Red Bulls. Currently, the Red Bulls had been of help to Hyrkan. If he carelessly took one of their Items, it would inevitably bring trouble with the Red Bulls. Hyrkan immediately contacted the Red Bulls guild. On that day, Hyrkan experienced something for the first time. ¨C It wasn¡¯t delivered to you by mistake. It is a present from an admirer of the Hahoe Mask. You don¡¯t have to return it. An angel was present in this damn game called Warlord! ¡°I don¡¯t know who it is, but give my thanks to that person. Please deliver a message for me. I¡¯ll treat the person to lunch if we ever get to meet in real life!¡± Hyrkan smiled brightly when he remembered that incident. ¡®I don¡¯t know, who it is, but I¡¯ve been blessed. For reals.¡¯ Accompanying the smile, Hyrkan checked the Option of the Red Skeleton set, which was stored in his 3rd slot. [Red Skeleton Set] *When 2 parts are equipped ¨C Class-specific stats +55 *When 3 parts are equipped ¨C Class-specific stats +77 ¨C The cool time of all skills decreased by 10% *When 4 parts are equipped ¨C All stats +50 ¨C The magic power consumption of all skills decreased by 10% *When 5 parts are equipped ¨C All stats +100 ¨C When in battle, the Red Skeleton Knight¡¯s Aura is activated. Hyrkan had a satisfied smile on his face. The part he liked the most was the Red Skeleton Knight¡¯s Aura. When it was activated in battle, the damage percentage was decreased based on the wearer¡¯s HP. When the HP decreased by more than half, it increased the All Stats by percentage proportionally to the HP lost from that point on. This effect activated instead of damage reduction Option. ¡°Slot on!¡± Hyrkan immediately activated his Slot. It looked as if eight enormous spider legs were grasping Hyrkan. Strands started to appear from Hyrkan¡¯s back, and it was wrapping around Hyrkan. The strands were sticking to Hyrkan¡¯s body, and it was rapidly taking shape. In 3 seconds, Hyrkan¡¯s Item Setting was changed. Hyrkan immediately checked out the design of his new defensive set. He used a video program to check out his entire body. ¡®Uh?¡¯ Hyrkan was a bit surprised. ¡®Its design is similar to the Skeleton Snake?¡¯ The Red Skeleton set was similar in design as the set he wore when he was level 50. It looked similar to the Skeleton Snake set. The Skeleton Snake set had meant a lot to Hyrkan. At the time, he was short on funds, so he had ignored the appearance of the Items. He only looked at the Options as he wore whatever he could get. He had been a fashion terrorist. The Skeleton Snake set was the first set Item that had looked good. Of course, there were differences between the two sets. It was similar in that the sets looked as if the User was wearing a Skeleton over black tights. As befitting the name of Red Skeleton set, the color of the bones was red. The red colored bones went very well with the black tights. However, the part he fancied the most was the helm. There was a thick bone that was curved like the tail of a pig attached to the helm, and the face region of the Skeleton Helm it wasn¡¯t shaped like a normal skull. It was shaped like the Hahoe Mask. This was a definite proof. ¡®Wow! This really is a customized set.¡¯ This was proof that someone custom-ordered this design for Hyrkan! Hyrkan smiled. He hadn¡¯t been feeling well for a while, but suddenly he felt much better. His condition was surging boundlessly towards the sky. ¡®I¡¯m feeling great now. It feels like my luck is starting to come back to me!¡¯ Hyrkan used this momentum to charge towards the Bulkas village. Bulkas Ranger Master Maeung. In recent days, this particular NPC¡¯s fame was increasing at a much faster rate than the other NPCs in Warlord. All the Users worth their salt was seen meeting Maeung quite frequently. Of course, the Users realized this NPC was incredibly important at this stage of the game. Numerous Users tried to increase their contacts with Maeung. Any Quest info, Quest route and raids related to the Maeung was heating up the online community. With all that in mind, Hyrkan had come to meet with Maeung. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Hahoe Mask?¡± ¡°Ah? It¡¯s the real Hahoe Mask!¡± He hadn¡¯t concealed his identity. He was wearing his new clothes. If he had concealed his identity to meet with the Maeung, the Users would would have thought he was a pushover based on his bare face. They would approach him to cause trouble. Hyrkan knew this better than anyone, so he decided to reveal his identity. It prevented the mediocre users from approaching him. Moreover, there was an additional reason why they stayed away from him. ¡°Uh? What the hell is that? Is that a new set Item?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Red Skeleton set! I¡¯m sure of it! It¡¯s the Red Skeleton Set! However, I¡¯ve never seen that design.¡± ¡°The helm looks like a Hahoe Mask. It seems he custom made it to look like a Hahoe Mask.¡± ¡°He custom made the Red Skeleton Set. I heard the Hahoe Mask is the child of a magnate. I guess the rumor is true.¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t born with a golden spoon. He was born with a diamond spoon. I¡¯m so envious.¡± He was showing off his newly made Item in front of everyone! This might be his true purpose in coming here like this. When one acquired an expensive Item, it was best to show it off to other Users instead of the monsters. When Hyrkan faced Maeung, Maeung immediately greeted Hyrkan. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for your arrival.¡± Before Hyrkan could start up a conversation, Maeung reached for a map on top of his desk. Then it ignored Hyrkan¡¯s attempt at a greeting, and it immediately gave Hyrkan a Quest. ¡°We found this Dungeon map, which is related to the Cursed Domain. This secret Dungeon is below the Cursed Castle. I believe some kind of experiment had been conducted there. You task is to bring me evidence from this Dungeon.¡± [The Quest ¡®Evidence¡¯ has started.] Maeung didn¡¯t even consult Hyrkan. It just gave the Quest. It forcibly pushed the Quest onto Hyrkan. ¡®This is¡­. The Crest of the Royal Family will appear.¡¯ This basically meant the second Main Scenario Quest, Immoral Prince episode, was going to start in earnest. Nine Users were gathered in one location. A variety of Items were being worn by these Users. If one was knowledgeable about Warlord, one would realize these Items required very high levels, and they were all very expensive. The nine Users equipped with these Items were in a conversation, and the atmosphere around them indicated something important was going down. The nine users looked like employees that was getting ready for a company¡¯s important project announcement. They were busy and disordered. ¡®Where did the information come from?¡¯ ¡®Is the Quest information correct?¡¯ ¡®Check it again!¡¯ ¡®Give me that too!¡¯ ¡®What happened to the thing we spoke about before?¡¯ The conversation was very chaotic. A User that looked to be the head of the group started to bring order to the conversation. He set the right mood then he spat out his words. ¡°Attention! Let¡¯s summarize it. Who had the closest relationship to the Corrupt Count? Was it Prince Arthur or Prince Dean?¡± The atmosphere had settled, and an answer was given. ¡°It is public knowledge that Prince Arthur was the patron of the Corrupt Count. However, if we analyze the numerous Quest content and Quest info regarding the Corrupt Count, it had become apparent that the Corrupt Count has more of a connection with Prince Dean.¡± ¡°I knew it. The name was a trap. I suspected it. Isn¡¯t Arthur too obvious?¡± The other eight Users nodded their heads at the leader¡¯s words. ¡°Does the Red Bulls guild know about Prince Dean?¡± ¡°There is a high probability that they don¡¯t know about him. They basically found out about the Corrupted Count by luck last time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. However, that¡¯s a problem.¡± The leader gritted his teeth when he thought about that time. ¡°We can¡¯t allow what happened with the Corrupted Count to happen again. He have to unconditionally take the lead on this. How can 9 heads lose to a beast that has only one? Aren¡¯t I right?¡± No one gave an answer. They put on their game face instead of answering. Chapter 106 : Catacombs (1) Chapter 106 ¨C Catacombs (1) Cursed Domain. The powerful monsters called Voodoo Chimera were swarming this location. This was a difficult stage where a User had to be at least a certain level to play here. Moreover, the Evil Eyes appeared intermittently. If one wanted to block the Evil Eye¡¯s Curse, one had to finish the Quest to get ¡®Sarabo¡¯s Charm¡¯. Even Users well over level 140 were ruthlessly sent back to reality if one didn¡¯t have ¡®Sarabo¡¯s Charm¡¯. Moreover, this location didn¡¯t drop really good Items, and the EXP wasn¡¯t that great considering the difficulty of the Voodoo Chimera hunt. The method to clearing the Voodoo Chimera was still under research. From that perspective, this was really a cursed place for high level Users, who sought efficiency in their hunts. They should have had no reason or interest in stepping onto this stage. However, there were an unusual amount of high level users hanging around the Cursed Domain. These Users were all over level 140. ¡°What¡¯s the status of the Quests?¡± ¡°There¡¯s definitely a variety of Quests here compared to other locations. There are more Search Quests and Commission Quests compared to the simple Hunt Quests.¡± After the Noopy Family arrived at the Cursed Castle, a branch office of the Subjugation Association was established inside the Cursed Castle. At the same time, the Cursed Castle received a respectable name called Heuban¡¯s Castle. The NPC related to the Subjugation Association revealed new NPCs that started to fill up the Heuban¡¯s Castle. This was the reason why the Users were coming here. New NPCs had appeared. New Quests meant opportunity. The Cursed Domain was the land of opportunity. This was what the Cursed Castle had turned into. Hyrkan arrived at the Heuban¡¯s Castle. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The Sword Class User over there.¡± ¡°You mean the Swordsman wearing the Rusted Steel set? Who cares? Isn¡¯t the Rusted Steel set a level 90 defensive set? Maybe he came here to sightsee. Don¡¯t pay attention to him.¡± He came in secret. He hadn¡¯t worn his custom Red Skeleton set given to him by his unknown benefactor. He wore the defensive gear that had been previously equipped by his Skeleton. He had appeared with his identity hidden. There was simple reason why he had hidden his identity. ¡®If I¡¯m following the map correctly, the Secret Entrance should be over there.¡¯ Dungeon. This was the reason why he had hidden his identity. Maeung had given Hyrkan a map that showed where the secret Dungeon was located beneath the Cursed Castle. It was described as being a secret region of the castle, but it was basically a Dungeon. This was an obvious thing to say, but it wouldn¡¯t be great if this information was leaked. Moreover, the Users that were operating out of the Cursed Castle right now were like demons, who knew the ins and out of Warlord. The Users were here on the off chance that an unexpected opportunity might pop up. If Hyrkan operated in this region as the Hahoe Mask, he would be like a mother duck with its ducklings following after it. He¡¯ll have a large tail of Users following after him. Anyways, Hyrkan¡¯s effort had been a success. None of the Users within the Cursed Castle paid any attention to him. This expedited his progress in getting to his destination. ¡®Uh?¡¯ At that moment, something had suddenly attracted Hyrkan¡¯s attention. It was a statue. It was a statue of several Users in a heroic pose. They were the four heroes, who had killed the first Evil Eye. They had also reached the Cursed Castle first. The Subjugation Association had created a statue of the Noopy Family. ¡®Shit.¡¯ Of course, the Noopy family had more or less stolen the Sarabo¡¯s Sword from under him. ¡®The Options on that Item was killer.¡¯ The Options for the Sarabo¡¯s Sword had been immediately posted online. Hyrkan gritted his teeth when he thought about it. As a level 140 Unique Rank Item, the Sarabo¡¯s Sword had great Options. At the same time, the Item was tradeable, and it was high in scarcity. If he had sold it for a high price, he would have been able to make some eye-popping amount of money. ¡®If it hadn¡¯t been for that son of a bitch¡­¡¯ If Sinclair hadn¡¯t interfered, the Item would have been in the possession of Hyrkan. When he thought about the situation, it made his inside burn even if he was inside the game. Hyrkan shook his head from side to side. ¡®If I get a little bit stronger, I¡¯ll keep hunting him down until this game closes it service.¡¯ He made a resolution as he shook his head. At the same time¡­ ¡®Please let there be something amazing in this Dungeon.¡¯ He prayed earnestly. Hyrkan¡¯s thoughts were very busy in many aspects. Koohng! The ceiling of the pitch black tunnel fell. When the bricks forming the ceiling hit the ground, the rugged sound rang out. As if he was trying to quell the rugged sound from ringing out, a person fell through the ceiling! He let out a minimum amount of sound as he landed, and he immediately manipulated the watch on his wrist. ¡°Slot on.¡± He yelled out a short phrase. The armor made out of red bones appeared. The owner of the Red Skeleton set was Hyrkan. After he finished the Item Switching, he held his breath as he listened to his surrounding. ¡®There¡¯s nothing nearby.¡¯ Fortunately, he didn¡¯t hear anything out of the ordinary. Afterwards, Hyrkan let out a complaint. ¡®Why isn¡¯t there any Announcements? Usually there should be an Announcement regarding a User entering the Dungeon. Where¡¯s the announcement for the Titles?¡¯ Hyrkan turned on the light app on his wrist watch after he complained couple more times. Paht! The light source was small, but the powerful light illuminated the surrounding. It allowed Hyrkan to be able to estimate the size of the tunnel. The tunnel was quite large. From the floor to the ceiling, there was a distance of about 3 meters. The width was slightly less than 5 meters. Most family cars could drive through this tunnel. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m at the right place¡­.¡¯ Hyrkan was relieved when he saw the size of the tunnel. A tunnel of this size wouldn¡¯t be used as an escape tunnel. This meant this tunnel was built for a different purpose. Hyrkan stealthily took out a single Skeleton Fragment. He summoned the Skeleton Knight. As soon as he summoned it, Hyrkan placed the light app on top of the Skeleton Knight¡¯s head. The Skeleton Knight had become a walking light bulb. Hyrkan decided to reward his Skeleton Knight. He activated the Madness Helm then he summoned the Bone Armor. He also placed Curses on the sword being held by the Skeleton Knight. How long had he been walking? ¡®All right.¡¯ The material making up the tunnel had changed, then a straight road suddenly appeared. Hyrkan could sense something had changed. [You¡¯ve entered the Dungeon ¡®Catacombs¡¯.] [You¡¯ve earned the title ¡®Visitor of the Catacombs¡¯.] [You¡¯ve earned the title ¡®Awakened from Slumber¡¯.] The Announcements he heard immediately confirmed his suspicions. A smile formed on Hyrkan¡¯s lips. ¡®Yes. This is it.¡¯ At the same time as the Announcements, a noise intruded into the quiet space. Ddul-goo-ruhk, ddul-goo-ruhk. Hyrkan heard a very familiar sound. The smile on Hyrkan¡¯s lips shited in an odd way. ¡®What the hell?¡¯ Eventually, a skeletal version of a Voodoo Chimera appeared in front of the Skeleton Knight. It was none other than the Chimera Skeleton. The smile around Hyrkan¡¯s lips turned into a sneer. ¡®Would you look at this?¡¯ It was rusty, but the Chimera Skeleton was fully equipped. The Chimera Skeleton had a presence couldn¡¯t be ignored. Moreover, there were two of them. It felt as if the tunnel was packed, and it inevitably increased the pressure given off by the monsters. If he had been a normal User, he would have been nervous in this situation. However, the monsters were laughable to Hyrkan. ¡®Who do you think I am? How dare a Skeleton show themselves in front of me!¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t summon any additional additional Skeleton Warriors or Magicians. He didn¡¯t even summon his Golem. He spoke in a low voice as he stood behind the Skeleton Knight. ¡°If you get killed by such opponents, get ready to dodge my fists every day in training when I summon you the next time.¡± It was as if the Skeleton Knight understood what had been said by Hyrkan. The Skeleton Knight opened its mouth wider than usual, and it unhesitatingly charged towards its enemies. Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Knight skill was Rank C. It was a case where the Rank was rising much faster than Hyrkan¡¯s level. It was evidence that the Skeleton Knight had performed more brilliantly than he had expected. Moreover, every one of his summoned Skeletons were influenced by the Rank A Skeleton Science skill. It increased all stats of the Skeleton by 30%. On top of that, the Skeleton Knight was using the Madness Helm skill. The Rank A Madness Helm had the effect of increasing all stats by 30%. It didn¡¯t end there. There was something else that could also be used by the Skeleton Knight. It was the Rank A Bone Armor. A layer of sturdy Bone Armor protected the Skeleton Knight¡¯s entire body. Of course, the Bone Armor was inferior to Rare Rank defensive sets. However, the Rank A Armament skill allowed Hyrkan to equip the Skeleton Knight with the Clear Spider set and the Gargoyle Knight¡¯s sword. The Bone Armor was like a coating laminated over steel. As the finishing stroke, Hyrkan had trained his Skeletons everyday whenever he had some spare time. This allowed the Skeleton Warriors to be able to dodge Hyrkan¡¯s attack, who boasted a higher Strength stat than a Swordsman class. These were the reasons why Hyrkan¡¯s pride wouldn¡¯t let his Skeleton Knight lose to a similarly equipped Skeleton monsters. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right! Drill him!¡± The Skeleton Knight was defending Hyrkan¡¯s pride. The Skeleton Knight cornered the two Chimera Skeletons, who were blocking the tunnel. Hweeeek! In the small space, the Skeleton Knight easily dodged the halberds swung by the Chimera Skeletons. The Skeleton Knight immediately swung its petrified sword towards the Chimera Skeleton¡¯s armor. Kwah-jeek! The one-sided attack continued, and the Chimera Skeleton¡¯s armor was turned into junk. The only thing left was to trash the Chimera Skeleton¡¯s body. From the back, Hyrkan touched his Bone Explosives and Skeleton Fragments. The sight in front of Hyrkan was satisfying. ¡®My hard labor was worth it.¡¯ It felt akin to your kid getting into a named university. He truly felt that way. At the same time, he gained confidence. ¡®I¡¯m better than Rich Lich.¡¯ He was confident in that statement now. Hyrkan had built himself up to a point where he had jumped over his role model, Rich Lich. The only thing he was lacking was funds. If he had the funds, Hyrkan could do everything that had been shown to him by Rich Lich. ¡®Yes. All I need is money.¡¯ Of course, money was the source of his biggest problem. ¡®If I had money, nothing would be impossible in the first place.¡¯ Hyrkan was like a parent with a child, who was about to enter into college. He felt a feeling akin to a parent worrying about the school tuition. Hyrkan was growing at an incredibly fast pace. He didn¡¯t have to worry about the front-runners anymore. Several Users suspected the secret to the ridiculous fighting abilities of the Skeleton Warriors. They were attempting to grow a Necromancer like the Hahoe Mask. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t feel threatened by them. He wouldn¡¯t have to worry about any of them unless someone gets hit by a truck and that someone is sent back into the past. The problem was the fact that Hyrkan would truly be competing against talented individuals, who had dedicated their lives to Warlord. He would have to compete again those who achieved a lot in this game through their effort and talent. Moreover, the market for the Items he would use will change now. If Hyrkan wanted to get the best quality Items befitting his level, his funds would be inadequate to the task. Even if he did have the funds, he would run into those, who would halt a deal, because of who he was. When his train of thought reached that point, Hyrkan¡¯s expression cooled off. His Skeleton Knight¡¯s performance had heated up his heart, but now it had cooled off. His cooled heart directed Hyrkan¡¯s hand to move. Hyrkan took out several Skeleton Fragments, and he threw it over the Chimera Skeletons. The Skeleton Warriors formed behind the Chimera Skeletons. They opened their mouth wide as they waited for his command. Hyrkan flicked his finger twice. As if the Skeleton Warriors were trying to console their master, they leapt into action. Chapter 107 : Catacombs (2) Chapter 107 ¨C Catacombs (2) The familiars summoned by the Necromancers could be developed in such a way that they gained combat AI through battles. This was especially effective if the familiars fought a large number of similar type monsters.Moreover, it would be best if one minimized the losses taken by the familiars in battle.As the familiar gains numerous victories against the monsters, their combat AI increases to an altogether different level. This was why numerous Warlord Users mothballed their current character after seeing the Hahoe Mask¡¯s Skeletons.They had been tempted into growing a Necromancer. The Necromancer didn¡¯t even need to command the familiars. When a monster appeared in the big tunnel, the Skeleton Knight was the first one to face the enemy. While the Skeleton Knight was occupying the monster, Hyrkan threw one or two Skeleton Fragments to the other side of the Skeleton Knight and the monster.That was all he had to to do. This simple action allowed him to form a formation where his Skeleton underlings attacked from the front and the back. Since the Skeletons were fighting one type of monster here, they had become specialist after fighting the same monsters several hundred times.The Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Knight held the numerical advantage, and they were placed in advantageous positions by Hyrkan.The outcome of the battles were basically settled. The one-sided battle continued to happen.It was so one-sided that Hyrkan didn¡¯t have the chance to do anything! It was so bad that he could take his eyes off the battle.He watched some unknown guild¡¯s Raid video. In many ways, the Catacombs Dungeon was too ideal for Hyrkan. ¡°Jeez!Really!¡± It would have been perfect except for one thing. ¡°Why did another dead-end appear here!Why? What¡¯s the reason? I just want to go forward!¡± The Catacombs was a maze Dungeon. ¡°Ooh-ahhh. Really!¡± Hyrkan was pretty poor at finding the right route in the maze type Dungeon. If it wasn¡¯t for this fact, the exploration of the Catacomb would have been like a vacation instead of work. This one factor drove Hyrkan nuts. ¡°What are you looking at? Shut your mouth!¡± In the end, Hyrkan became hysterical towards the Skeleton Warrior, who was staring at him with its mouth open. At that moment, the light within the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s eyes changed.The two globes within the socket of the skull started to burn. Was the Skeleton Warrior resentful at being exploited? Was it angry towards its vicious master, who beat on it whenever he had a free time?Did the Skeleton finally snap? Of course, that wasn¡¯t the case. After the light within its eyes changed, the Skeleton Warrior immediately turned around.It looked towards its back. The light above the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s head illuminated the surrounding, and a Chimera Skeleton came into its view. The Skeleton Warrior got ready to charge into battle. However, Hyrkan moved before the Skeleton Warrior could move.Hyrkan raised Ivan¡¯s Sword, and he charged in towards the Chimera Skeleton before his Skeleton Warrior could get there.The battle started immediately. The sword was hovering around the Chimera Skeleton like a satellite, and his constant sword swings crushed the Chimera Skeleton¡¯s armor.He broke its bones, and when a thick piece of bone was cut away, he tossed it far into the distance.The sight made one feel sorry for the Chimera Skeleton.The battle was that one-sided. The battle reached its peak when Hyrkan was successful in stealing the Chimera Skeleton¡¯s skull.When he stole the skull, he let his Skeleton Warrior finish the battle, and he started to have fun by hitting the skull as if it was a bongo drum. It had been a week since he had entered the Catacombs. This was a solution he had found, which relieved his hysteria. [Those who Find the Wall] ¨C Stamina +2 Recently he had gained a new Title.Ahn-jaehyun tightly closed his eyes when he saw it. ¡®Shit.I received this one again.¡¯ Those who Find the Wall. In a maze type Dungeon, one acquired this title when one encounters a certain number of dead-ends. The Title Option wasn¡¯t that great. These were Titles one could only gain when one finds a deadend.Users with time on their hands intentionally searched out deadends to gain these Titles. On the other hand, when one received this title unintentionally, it caused anger instead of happiness. ¡®The Quest isn¡¯t progressing at all.¡¯ This was the reason why Anh-jaehyun was mad. In truth, the Catacombs Dungeon was Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s most optimal hunting ground.The EXP given was quite high, so the level up pace was very good.Moreover, the hunt wasn¡¯t difficult, so he barely used any consumable Items. However, the Quest progress was basically stalled compared to the hunting speed. The Catacomb Dungeon¡¯s maze was bigger than expected, and it was complicated.Moreover, the maze was pitch black, so it increased the difficulty of clearing the maze.On top of all of that, he had no clue on how to solve mazes.From Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s perspective, the maze was driving him crazy. ¡®I¡¯m sure Users, who are good at this kind of stuff, would have solved this immediately.Why is my luck so poor?¡¯ Of course, luck was a big factor in all of this.If he had luck on his side, he would be able to get past this place in a single breath. This fact was evident by seeing the map of the Catacomb Dungeon that was being updated by Ahn-jaehyun. If a User was lucky, the maze map would look simple and fragmented. However, Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s map was too detailed.He had run into too many walls, and he had marked all the dead-ends he had encountered.He had so many route marked that he could sell it later as a comprehensive map. However, it just made Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s insides burn. ¡®This game is a real mother fucker.¡¯ In the end, Ahn-jaehyun had to take an emergency measure to help his sour stomach.He didn¡¯t take a digestive medicine.He used a more sure-fire method. He checked the current summary of his bank account. A happy smile formed around Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s lips when he saw the balance. ¡®My stomach feels full from just looking at this.¡¯ With the help of his successful Waltz video, he was getting a constant stream of ad money and donations. He even received support fund from his recently signed sponsor. The amount was quite large. If he wanted to, he could immediately leave his one room behind. He could probably find a 20-30 pyeong apartment near the metropolitan area.He would be able to purchase a small or medium sized apartment. He would also be able to buy a car with a lump sum. However, Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s standards differed from others. ¡®If I save a little bit more, I can purchase a level 130 Unique defensive Set.Shall I buy it for my Skeleton Knight?No, it might be better to equip all my Skeleton Magicians with Unique Rank weapons. Should I purchase a Skill book?If the Skeleton Magicians can use the Dark Flame skill¡­.However, a single Skill book is worth 10,000 gold, and it is rarely put up on the market.Maybe it would be better if I just abandon that idea?¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s thought about his happytroubles made him thirsty, so he opened his fridge.In a surprise, he decided to take out the milk carton.Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t even bother to pour the milk into a cup.He just drank it straight out of the carton. The milk was more expensive than Ramen, but Ahn-jaehyun downed the whole thing.He smiled with a milk mustache on his face. ¡®This makes me feel like I¡¯ve been a bit successful.¡¯ The milk helped erase the sensation of his insides burning.It disappeared like melting snow. Ahn-jaehyun once again focused on the map on the Tablet PC.He calmly thought it over as he looked at the map. ¡®I¡¯ve pretty much discovered every route.I just have to be patient.It¡¯ll be done soon.Yes, there is no reason why I have to get discouraged.You weren¡¯t wrong, Ahn-jaehyun.¡¯ After regaining his calm, the light within Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s eyes became cold. Hyrkan noticed the definite change.He caught sight of a Chimera Skeleton wearing a different armor.It was very similar to the ones he had seen up until now, but Hyrkan didn¡¯t miss the clear difference. ¡®I finally get to see it.¡¯ Hyrkan had searched for a difference, and he had found a faint emblem imprinted on the armor. It was circular emblem, where three snakes were biting each other¡¯s tails! ¡®The three snakes are Prince Dean¡¯s Crest.I finally get to see it.¡¯ In one viewed the world of Warlord, there was a faction, who had the most territory and the strongest forces.In the era of the monsters, the Hiban kingdom was at the frontline of fighting the monsters.When the third prince was born, castle of Bayan was given to the prince. Before he was born, the great Archmage Bokan gave the prince a name. The name implied the prince would drive away the nightmare descending on the world with martyrs on his side. The name he had given was Dean. Moreover, as the father and king ruling over the Hiban kingdom, the prince was given the title of Un Northland.It meant he was the protector of the Northern lands. Bayan Dean Un Northland. Then the crest with the three snakes was bestowed on him.The three snakes was named Martial Arts, Wisdom and Destiny.He was symblolized as being the trigon prince. ¡®I¡¯ve finally arrived at the edge.¡¯ When the power of Corruption left over by the Fallen Kingdom was found, Prince Dean sought to steal the throne with his new found power.He had conducted numerous evil deeds as he dreamed about creating his own era.He was the Immoral Prince. The tracks of Prince Dean had finally appeared. It meant Hyrkan was on the right path.It was evidence that he was carrying out the Immoral Prince episode correctly. Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t care about the epic storyline related to Prince Dean. The important thing right now was that he had discovered a Chimera Skeleton wearing an armor engraved with Prince Dean¡¯s crest.Basically, he had found the breadcrumbs left behind by Hansel and Gretel. ¡®I can finally get out of the Catacombs now.¡¯ If he followed the breadcrumbs, he¡¯ll find the witch¡¯s house, then the delicious cookies making up the house will show itself. Hyrkan raised his head as he looked into the darkness. Che-sulyun was checking out someone¡¯s youtube page through her smartphone.A slight wrinkle formed on her cold face.The wrinkle had formed near her bewitching eyes. ¡®Why isn¡¯t he uploading any videos of it?I purposefully special ordered it from a designer.¡¯ It was akin to gifting your significant other with a handmade scarf. This was like the boyfriend coming to the next date without the scarf around his neck.This was how she felt. Of course, she had never felt this kinds of feelings before, so she couldn¡¯t identify what was fouling her mood like this.The fact that she couldn¡¯t identify this feeling meant it kept worsening her mood. At that moment, the smart phone¡¯s screen suddenly changed.It was an incoming phone call. The call was coming from the Stormhunters guild.It was Hatch.It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that he received the most abuse from Che-sulyun in the Stormhunters guild. ¨C Master. ¡°What is it?¡± ¨C Uh¡­¡­. It was the effect of him being constantly berated by her.Hatch felt nervous when he heard Che-sulyun¡¯s voice. He knew he was sticking his hand into boiling oil. Unfortunately, he had to continue on with his conversation. ¨C There is someone, who wants to speak directly to master. ¡°Is he someone important?¡± ¨C At the very least, he is more famous than me.He also possesses very high level, and he holds a high position.His rank is a bit too ambiguous to describe it. The light in Che-sulyun¡¯s eyes changed when she heard the expression he used.There was only one organization within Warlord where that particular turn of phrase was used to describe them. ¡°Are you talking about a head of the Hydra guild?¡± ¨C Yes. Hydra guild. The nine heads possessed ranks that differentiated them, but at the same time, they were all heads.They were treated as equals.The organization didn¡¯t have the structure of boss, officers and underling. This was why their ranks were described as being a bit ambiguous. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the immediate point she wanted to go over. ¡°Just say he is from the Hyrdra guild.Do you really have to speak in such a roundabout way?¡± ¨C The person insisted I describe it like that. ¡°Is he next to you?¡± ¨C Yes. ¡°Did you secretly make some kind of deal with a head of the Hydra guild?¡± ¨C No way! I am contracted to be within the Stormhunters until 2050.I would never dare to do such an act. The other side approached me first.He wants to have a conversation about a Quest, and he asked to speak to someone of similar rank as him. The heads of the Hydra guild was similar in rank as the Stormhunter¡¯s guild master.Che-sulyun was the onlyone, who fit the description. This was the reason why Hatch had to call her. The problem was the fact that Che-sulyun wasn¡¯t in a good mood. Che-sulyun immediately answered him. ¡°I bet he is trying sound out the relationship between our guilds.If he wants a conversation, then tell him to go through the official channel.The one, who wants something, should be the one crawling on the floor.¡± ¨C What? Before Hatch could reply, the call ended. The screen immediately changed to the Youtube page she had been viewing.However, there was a slight change on the screen. ¡°Huh?¡± He had uploaded a new video.The light within Che-sulyun¡¯s eyes changed as she played the new video. In the video, a User wearing a Red Skeleton set appeared. A slight smile formed on Che-sulyun¡¯s lips when she saw the figure.When the video ended, she immediately called Hatch¡¯s phone. ¨C Ah, master! He says this business is really important.I¡¯m sure this is a negotiation regarding the Main Scenario Quest¡­. ¡°I¡¯ll take the call now, so make room for him.¡± ¨C What? ¡°Didn¡¯t you say he is next to you? Give him the phone.¡± After several seconds, she heard someone else¡¯s voice. ¨C I¡¯m the 5th head.We¡¯ve acquired a crucial clue regarding the Main Scenario Quest.We want to carry out the Quest with your guild. Chapter 108 : Catacombs (3) Chapter 108 ¨C Catacombs (3) When he was filming the Waltz video, a thought had gone through Hyrkan¡¯s mind. ¡®This won¡¯t make any money¡­¡­.¡¯ However, his prediction had been very off, and he had been very happy at being proven wrong.The Waltz video allowed Hyrkan to make a leap into becoming a star. With this as context, today¡¯s footage might be a big failure. ¡®This will make me some money.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan felt something entirely different from when he had filmed the Waltz video.His hunch, intuition and instinct was the polar opposite of what he had felt that time. ¡®I really feel like this will be a jackpot.¡¯ Hyrkan had finally exited the tortuous maze, and he had arrived at a new entrance. It was the entrance to an Instant Dungeon, where he wouldn¡¯t be able to come out once he entered. It was clearly evident that this place was where the Catacomb¡¯s Stage Boss was located at. Hyrkan didn¡¯t show any hesitation as he jumped into the stage. He didn¡¯t have any worries.He hadplenty of consumable Items.Moreover, his body was itching at the thought of getting out of this boring Catacombs. In the end, he reached a massive graveyard. The graveyard was large enough to be reminiscent of a small domed stadium. It was a cemetery filled with skeletons of Chimeras.It was also filled with the ownerless armors and weapons. It was a Dungeon befitting the name of Catacombs.It was mass graveyard for the Chimeras. [Who dares to wake me from my rest!] There was an ogre here. No, it wasn¡¯t an ordinary ogre. It was a skeleton made out of ogre bones, and it had a clear and distinct emblem¡­ It was the trigon emblem.The ogre had a big emblem belonging to Prince Dean engraved on the chest armor it was wearing. [What are the Guards doing?] Its voice was very menacing, and it let out a roar.The ogre skeleton¡¯s right hand held a fearsome and large iron mace.Its left held a weird looking lantern.It was a gem hanging on a chain, and it was giving out a purple light. Even at this point, Hyrkan¡¯s intuition still hadn¡¯t thought this would be a jackpot.Hyrkan was trying hard to come up with a method that¡¯ll allow him to dispose the Catacomb¡¯s Boss Monster and the Guards. It happened at that moment. [You disgraceful bastards! Get up! Get up and get rid of this being, who interferes with my rest!] The Gem Lantern held by the Catacomb Guardian let out a powerful purple light. Something akin to ghosts started to exit out of the purple light, and it was being absorbed into skeletons scattered in the surrounding. At that moment, Hyrkan had a hunch. ¡®Maybe?¡¯ This Boss Monster¡¯s special ability was quite clear. It was a type that can summon Skeleton underlings.Basically, this type of monsters were labeled Lich style monster. They were pretty rare to come across, but they weren¡¯t an anomaly.They weren¡¯t that special. This would be true if the opponent hadn¡¯t been Hyrkan. ¡®Finally, I¡¯ve finally achieved a great Matchup.¡¯ He was Warlord¡¯s best Necromancer, and he was a new breed of Necromancer¡­.He was the Hahoe Mask Hyrkan, who had founded the Hahoe Mask style. ¡®This is a really big Match up.¡¯ If these confluence of factors weren¡¯t present, this battle wouldn¡¯t have been given any special meaning by Hyrkan. ¡®I can get 10 million at the very least.¡¯ Since he was the Hahoe Mask, this Boss Raid was special.It¡¯ll be memorable one. It was a battle between the Lich Style Boss Monster and the Hahoe Mask Necromancer.If one was fan of the Hahoe Mask and a fan who enjoyed watching Warlord, this was a matchup impossible to ignore. [You bastard.You will pay the price of waking me from my rest!] Hyrkan let out a roar, then he let shouted towards the Catacomb Guardian. ¡°You¡¯ll make me pay the price?How dare you!I am the Hahoe Mask, yet you want to make me pay?¡± Hyrkan spoke his line as he acted out the scene. This battle would be worth a lot.This was why he had to act cool and act the part! Of course, he regretted saying it the moment the words left his mouth. ¡®Those lines didn¡¯t sound too great. It¡¯s embarrassing.¡¯ Of course, an NG was always possible in acting. With the Catacomb Guardian letting out its angry words in front of him, Hyrkan earnestly thought about his new lines. ¡®Yes. This is it.¡¯ He finally came up with a new line.Hyrkan made a pose, and he once again yelled out his words. ¡°A price¡­¡­ You will feel it in your bones as to who I am.¡± The line he gave was still very corny. However, there was a smile on Hyrkan¡¯s lips as if he liked the line he gave. ¡®Feel it in your bones! That¡¯ll be a famous line.¡¯ If a screenwriter could look into Hyrkan¡¯s heart, he would have a dumbfounded expression on his face. Hyrkan was oblivious to this fact.He was drunk on his own words.Of course, he did what he had to do even if we was drunk. [Kill the one, who interferes with my rest!] It had already prepared itself for battle.Ten Chimera Skeleton was staring at him.In a flash, Hyrkan held a gem in his hand.He closed his fist as if he was trying to squeeze the gem. Drip drip! Bright light came out of the gem as it dripped to the floor. Koo koo koo! The gem was absorbed into the floor, and the ground started to shake.Dirt shot up, and a golem that was as big as the Catacomb Guardian appeared. The Golem looked like an ogre.On top of that fact, the ogre possessed two heads. It was the Twin Head Ogre. It was a level 110 Boss Monster, and amongst the Users, it was known to be the most difficult Ogre to deal with.It was considered to be one of the strongest Ogres in this this game. This was obvious, but the ingredient gem of this monster was incredibly expensive.The price of a gem differed by 500 gold depending on its scarcity. ¡®My one month food money was blown in one shot.¡¯ Hyrkan had saved this one for emergency.He really didn¡¯t want to use this one.He prayed that he¡¯ll never encounter a situation where he would have to use it.He kept it close to his bosom as if it was a golden ingot. ¡®All right. Let¡¯s just do this.¡¯ However, at that moment, Hyrkan erased all thoughts about money from his mind. He painted a picture in his mind. After he summoned the Twin Head Ogre, he immediately scattered 10 Skeleton Fragments on the floor. He summoned 10 Skeleton with a picture in mind. The Catacomb Guardian had also summoned 10 Chimera Skeletons. With each ogre as the commanders, the Undead units faced each other. This was like the scene where actors were getting ready for a full scale battle. Then Hyrkan flicked his finger twice to give the cue. This was the sequel hit after the Waltz video.It was the start of the ¡®Battle of the Bones.¡¯ The first clash was a landslide victory for Hyrkan.The Skeleton Warriors received the Skeleton Knight¡¯s buff and the Skeleton Science¡¯s effect.Moreover, the Skeleton Warriors were fully equipped, so they were like nightmares for the Chimera Skeletons. Moreover, the Catacomb Guardian merely stood in the back as it directed the battle.On the other hand, the Twin Head Ogre golem used both of its hands to swing its enormous club.It ruthlessly pummeled the Chimera Skeletons.The Chimera Skeleton¡¯s heads flew into the distance like a baseball. [How laughable!] When the first charge ended, the Catacomb Guardian swung his Gem Lantern once again.Another twenty Chimera Skeletons appeared. Hyrkan once again matched their numbers.He summoned additional Skeleton underlings.There were three Skeleton Magicians mixed in with the group. They wore luxurious robes, which was embroidered with numerous symbols.They held an expensive staff with a gem embedded on the top.The addition of the Skeleton Magicians allowed Hyrkan to win in a bigger landslide. Three Skeleton Magician threw massive fireballs, and it ruthlessly crushed the Chimera Skeletons, who were lined up for battle.Their battle line was broken, and the Skeleton Warriors waded in as they went berserk. If this game was an AOS game instead of a RPG, a firework would have exploded atop the Skeleton Knight with the word pentakill. [Stupid bastards!] The Catacomb Guardian swung its Gem Lantern once again.Its third unit was summoned.It summoned 30 Chimera Skeletons this time. Now the Catacomb Guardian held the numerical advantage. [I¡¯ll do this myself!] The Catacomb Guardian had been hanging back until now, but the Catacomb Guardian moved forward as it easily shook its enormous mace. When he saw this, Hyrkan raised the Ivan¡¯s Sword. The third clash would be different from the other two. It was the beginning where the ogres would clash. The Catacomb Guardian and the Ogre Golem unhesitatingly swung their fearsome weapons at each other. Kwahng! The mace swung by the Catacomb Guardian crushed a head of the Ogre Golem with a single swing. Ggah-ahng! The weapon swung by the Ogre Golem impacted on the side of the Catacomb Guardian¡¯s armor.It made an ugly dent. Kahng, kahng! The Skeletons started to fight when the clash between the ogres started. Their weapons were impacting on each other¡¯s armors, so the surrounding was filled with the sound of steel impacting on steel.The sound itself increased the confusion one felt. However, Hyrkan was moving covertly and swiftly through this racket.He approached the rear of the Catacomb Guardian. Within the melee, Hyrkan accurately found the right path.He moved through the melee almost like he was threading a needle. He was able to reach the rear of the Catacomb Guardian too easily. However¡­ [How laughable!] The Ogre Golem was exchanging blows with the Catacomb Guardian, and neither combatants were retreating.However, the Catacomb Guardian must have felt Hyrkan¡¯s approach, and its voice stabbed into Hyrkan¡¯s ears like a knife. [The Catacomb Gem Lantern is letting out a bleak Energy.] [The Catacomb Gem Lantern¡¯s curse has seized you.] The Announcement was heard immediately. It was an automatic curse that activated based on proximity of the User.Moreover, it wasn¡¯t a curse targeted at a specific user.The Catacomb Guardian activated its special ability, which was an AOE. ¡®How laughable.¡¯ However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t surprised or taken aback.Instead, he put on a bloody smile. As he put on the bloody smile, he chewed on one of the three candies in his mouth. [¡®White Imoogi¡¯s Eye Candy¡¯ has blocked the curses effect.] He had put a consumable Item in his mouth, and it would help him block any debuff skills like the curse. This was the most basic strategy used by a Striker. Of course, Hyrkan knew about the basics.The Catacomb Guardian¡¯s curse didn¡¯t take hold on Hyrkan.Hyrkan used his quick movements to attach himself on the back of the Catacomb Guardian. Thanks to Twin Head Ogre Golem¡¯s strike denting the armor, Hyrkan was able to climb it easily.As the unofficial V Gear climbing world record holder, this was like traveling in a subway.There were numerous places to grip. After grabbing a hand hold, Hyrkan immediately stabbed the Ivan¡¯s Sword into one of the dents. Kah-ahng! The armor was unexpectedly sturdy.He needed to break through this armor for his Curses to take hold.It was an annoying development. However, Hyrkan immediately stabbed the Ivan¡¯s Sword to the same location he had stabbed before. Chee-jeek! No, he didn¡¯t stab it. He had scratched out an X on the surface of the Catacomb Guardian¡¯s armor. [Catacomb Guardian was afflicted with the Demon Curse.] [Catacomb Guardian was afflicted with Slow Curse.] [Catacomb Guardian was afflicted with Corrosive Ghost.] [Catacomb Guardian was afflicted with Darkness.] [Catacomb Guardian was afflicted with Lethargy.] The Curses swirled around the Catacomb Guardian¡¯s entire body. ¡®Voodoo Pictograph is great. It¡¯s a great skill.¡¯ He didn¡¯t have to wound his opponent¡¯s body.He just had to draw a predetermined shape, and it would grant Curses to the opponent.It was thanks to the effect of a Skill called ¡®Voodoo Pictograph¡¯. It was a Skill he earned as a Quest Reward, and it was a Rare Rank Skill. [I don¡¯t believe it!] After being Cursed, the Catacomb Guardian¡¯s body rapidly weakened. Its decline was inevitable. Hyrkan¡¯s Demon Curse and Slow Curse was Rank A.The Corrosive Ghost was Rank B, and Lethargy was Rank C. Moreover, his Curse Science skill had reached Rank C, so the effect and duration of the Curses increased by 12 percent. Lastly, Hyrkan held the Ivan¡¯s Sword, which ignored the opponent¡¯s defense by 15%. Kwah-jeek! The third strike finally opened a hole on the Catacomb Guardian¡¯s armor. [How dare you!] The Catacomb Guardian raged.It roughly shook its body as it tried to dislodge Hyrkan. However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t some trash, who would be thrown off with such a weak shake. Moreover, its opponent wasn¡¯t Hyrkan.It was the Twin Head Ogre Golem.One of the golem¡¯s head had been crushed, but it still had one head left.The loss of one head had revealed the Twin Head Ogre¡¯s increasingly tyrannical nature.It pushed hard against the Catacomb Guardian. Kah-ahng, kah-ahng! It swung the club with both hands.It pounded away at the Catacomb Guardian¡¯s body like a drum.This actually caused more turbulence for Hyrkan. Ggah-ahng, ggah-ahng! In the midst of the turbulence, Hyrkan enlarged the hole. His vision was shaking so much that it wouldn¡¯t have surprised anyone if Hyrkan fell sick from the motion sickness. However, Hyrkan was like a master craftsman.His hand movements were precise. He finally made a hole of his liking.It was big enough to put in as many Bone Explosives as Hyrkan wanted. ¡®This is a battle tactic I saved for a day like this.¡¯ Hyrkan put the Bone Explosives into the hole. ¨C Kwah-ahng! The Tablet PC was connected to bluetooth speakers, and the sound rang out in all direction. At the center of the sound of the explosion, Che-sulyun was watching raptly.She had a strange expression on her face as if she was a action movie fan watching Die Hard¡¯s explosion scene. ¡®The Bone Explosives can be used that way?¡¯ It was a scene where the Hahoe Mask had put a hole in the Catacomb Guardian¡¯s armor.The hole was filled with Bone Explosives, and they were detonated. In all of Warlord, the Hahoe Mask was the only one capable of showing this scene.Che-sulyun couldn¡¯t pull her eyes away from the scene. Of course, a single blow couldn¡¯t kill the Catacomb Guardian.Its armor was ruined from the Bone Explosives, but the Catacomb Guardian continued to hang on to its life. When its HP was suddenly reduced, the Catacomb Guardian went into its next phase. ¨C I will not let you leave alive! Wake up! Everyone get up! When the Catacomb Guardian went into the new Phase, it summoned 50 Chimera Skeletons.Moreover, it started letting out a purple energy, which shaved away HP went it touched the enemy. ¡°You are watching that scene again, master?¡± ¡°This is the best part.¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s a great scene, but how many times do you have to watch it??¡± ¡°It is called a great scene, because it stays cool even after you watch it again and again.Moreover, the real stuff starts after the explosion.¡± Matador Chev. He couldn¡¯t tear his eyes away from the battle footage between the Hahoe Mask and the Catacomb Guardian.He was one of countless people, who couldn¡¯t tear their eyes away from the footage. ¡®If we immediately sell Raid Live tickets with the Hahoe Mask as the main draw, we could probably sell million tickets depending on the match up.In a year, it wouldn¡¯t be farfetched for the Hahoe Mask will allow us to sell 10 million tickets.¡¯ At that moment, someone who considered himself to be the cream of the crop was also watching the same vid. ¡°What are you looking at, Mr. Sinclair?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡± Sinclair. Currently, he had on a V&V emblem on his chest. When the V&V guild officer asked him a question, he gave a vague answer. The V&V guild officer didn¡¯t want to get on Sinclair¡¯s nerves, so he didn¡¯t repeat his question.He carefully passed on the information. ¡°We¡¯ll start the raid in 30 minutes. We look forward to working with you again.¡± ¡°Yes, understood.Also, you don¡¯t have to come look for me every time.You can just send me a message.Currently, I¡¯m a normal member of the V&V guild.¡± ¡°Ha ha. I¡¯m just treating you like a future guild officer.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After exchanging a slight nod with the him, the V&V guild officer left.When he saw the back of the V&V guild officer, Sinclair turned his head to focus on the footage once again. While he watched the footage, he admitted something. ¡®That damn Hahoe Mask.I¡¯ll admit it. He is a remarkable bastard.¡¯ He admitted the Hahoe Mask wasn¡¯t a normal guy.Furthermore, he admitted the Hahoe Mask wasn¡¯t a normal User. ¡®He has the ability to command others.Now he has that special quality that makes people pay attention to him.¡¯ He accepted it, but he also became worried and guarded. ¡®Maybe this guy might be a bigger threat than the 30 great guilds. If it is as expected, he possesses a massive amount of funds.The only thing he is lacking is level. If he reaches the level of the Rankers, less than 10 people in the entire Warlord could face him 1on1.¡¯ At that moment, there was a fourth person watching the video. ¡°Ooh-ha-ha! It¡¯s a jackpot!Jackpot! I knew my intuition wasn¡¯t dead yet. Look at the view counts rise! Kyahh! I need to treat myself to some luxury on a day like this. I¡¯ll eat until my stomach bursts!¡± He put canned tuna and tofu into the Kimchi Jjigae. He brought out the tender white rice, and toasted seaweed that was glistening with oil. He sat in front of a 50 inch monitor, which didn¡¯t suit the one room.As he enjoyed the feast, he watched a video.The main character of the footage was Ahn-jaehyun. Chapter 109 : How much? (1) Chapter 109 ¨CHow much? (1) ¨C Warlord Subscribers broke through 4 million users! ¨C Tobot Soft is making a smooth run towards number 1 in market value! ¨C Warlord has become more than a game one personally enjoys playing.It is the start of a new era of gaming where playing and watching the game is integrated! ¨C There is a rush to invest speculative capital into Warlord. Is this company worth the investment or is it a bubble? It had been two years since Warlord had started. Warlord was closing in on its 3rd year of service, and it was worthy of having the title of being the best virtual reality game.Tobot Soft became the most profitable company amongst the game developers.The amount of money made by Tobot Soft was beyond one¡¯s imagination.The monthly fee to use the game was close to a thousand dollars, and the Users numbered in the millions. Just from the amount of money generated from the subscription fee would make anyone gasp. On top of that, Tobot Soft¡¯s success with the V Gear series made their market value almost rival the Peach corp.Of course, Warlord¡¯s success had coincided with the increased sale of the V Gears. The two companies had a synergistic effect on each other. Moreover, Warlord¡¯s effect on the world wasn¡¯t limited to just that. The people who enjoyed watching Warlord was several dozen to several hundred times larger than the Warlord¡¯s user base. This created a commerce market with regards to the contents related to the game.This market might hold a much larger potential than the market for Warlord. This was the start of a new era. The world was surprised and taken aback at the appearance of this new era.However, they all had great expectations for it. Of course, there was someone who was indifferent to the start of a new era. ¡®The amount of money left after subtracting the V Gear¡¯s monthly installment, Warlord¡¯s monthly subscription fee, and the maintenance cost of the apartment¡­¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun. He was calm about the recent changes.To be precise, he was indifferent to it. In truth, he didn¡¯t care about how the Warlord was changing the world. The only things that was important to him was how his presence and importance in Warlord was changing.That was it. Even now Ahn-jaehyun was thinking of ways to increase his presence and importance in Warlord. ¡®I¡¯ve gathered a lot of money¡­¡­ However, it isn¡¯t even a drop in the bucket if I want to buy a level 150 Unique Item set.¡¯ The problem that always got in the way of Ahn-jaehyun was money! It wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t have money.The problem was the market for Items in regards to the highest level Users of Warlord was absurd. There were a lot of investors that were sniffing around Warlord and the virtual reality game market. This resulted in the the 30 great guilds and the Users ranking from 1 to a 100 on the front pagereceiving an obscene amount of money.It was an excessive amount of money compared to the skill and ability of some of the Rankers. A bubble had formed. Of course, if all the Users was swimming in money, the bubble wouldn¡¯t have been a problem.The inflation only happened at the top.The market for the Users outside this select group was minimally impacted by the bubble. There was a saying in Warlord that said the Users above Ranking 100 drove German cars, and the Users below 101 drove Chinese cars. This was why the Users in the top 100 and the experts in the 30 great guilds were able to reinvest their money back into the game.This was also the reason why the highest level Items were traded at a ridiculous price.At the same time, it created a wall for any Users outside of these groups. ¡®I have to climb over it no matter what.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun had gone through great tribulation, so he could eventually leap over this wall.When he was given the chance, he had to jump over it. He had to do it in a single attempt.He had to accelerate than jump over it! He couldn¡¯t incrementally close the distance, then climb over the wall gradually in secret.If he took that approach, he would basically be shitting out a bloody stool. ¡®Let¡¯s get to level 140 first.¡¯ ¡°In truth, I still don¡¯t understand it.¡± Hydra guild. It was a unique guild where nine heads represented the guild. Amongst the Warlord Users, they were viewed as an elite think tank. They used a variety of routes to gather information, and it was something a normal User couldn¡¯t even attempt.When they gathered all the substantive datas, they used it to predict information that hadn¡¯t been released to the public, and they acted on these predictions. It was safe to say they were an elite think tank within Warlord. If one found out about the real identity of the nine heads, one¡¯s mouth would fall open.Most graduated from named universities, and one member had already achieved great success in Silicon Valley.These individuals would never have to worry about money in their lifetime. They were all very sharp, but not everyone here had a great academic background. It was the second head Sohank. He was someone that was very far from being described as an elite mind. ¡°Why do we have to work with those two? Didn¡¯t they steal from us?Instead of working with them, shouldn¡¯t we be finding ways to punish them?¡± He was the body. Sohank wasn¡¯t there to use his head.His role was to be the body that they could use. In the end, Warlord was a game where everything was settled with the fist.This was why they needed a powerful fist, and Sohank was that powerful fist.This was the reason why he had become the second head.In regards to Raids and battles, he had the authority to order the 9 heads into action. This was obvious, but an organization would be a mess if all the upper management were strong, but dumb. Natal was the eighth head.His role was to stick close Sohand.He had to explain and convince Sohank to go along with the plan. ¡°We can¡¯t repeat the mistake made with the Corrupt Count.¡± ¡°No. Those bastards stole the Corrupt Count we were going to catch!¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t steal fromus.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°Our enemy is the secret information dealer that gave them the information.¡± Sohank had a stubborn expression on his face at Natal¡¯s explanation.It seemed he didn¡¯t buy the explanation. ¡°Still, why do we have to team up with the crazy cow and the crazy bitch, who¡¯s like lightning? This is this and that is that.¡± Natal continued to speak. ¡°Our goal in this Main Scenario quest is to minimize the risk.¡± ¡°How are we decreasing the risk when he work with them?In the end, wouldn¡¯t that secret information dealer interfere with us regardless?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.This Main Scenario Quest is large in scale.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°If it is as we predicted, Prince Dean tried to use the Power of Corruption to steal the throne. At the last chapter of this Main Scenario Quest, there will be a massive war.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Prince Dean is the loser from the north.¡± ¡°When the massive war occurs, it¡¯ll barely require any prerequisites to join.There is a high possibility that it¡¯ll allow most of the Users to participate in the Quest.¡± ¡°What? Those who didn¡¯t finish all the prior Quests will be allowed to participate?¡± ¡°This is how Warlord will make all the Users feel like they belong to the same community.Well, when that happens, the competition will become very fierce. If it is stated that the capture of Prince Dean is first come first serve, wouldn¡¯t every dog and cow show up?¡± ¡°Before they could proceed, the dogs would fight with the cows.Both sides would eliminate each other.¡± ¡°Yes.This is why there will probably be a condition attached to fighting Prince Dean.It is more accurate to say we will be given tickets instead of a condition. The ticket will determine the order of the fight.¡± As he spoke, Natal took off his glove.A gold ring appeared.Sohank discreetly twitch his finger.His finger was equipped with the same ring as Natal. ¡°There is a high probability that our rings are the tickets.¡± Secret Society¡¯s Ring. These rings were so surprising good that the Users, who missed out on the rings, complained to the Tobot Soft.They asked the company to delete the cheat item that broke the balance of the game.This was how much magic this ring possessed. According to the information gathered by the Hydra guild, the Red Bulls guild and the Stormhunters possessed these rings. ¡°I¡¯m sure there will probably be other items that¡¯ll be counted as tickets.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°In the end, let¡¯s say there are 100 people with the ticket.If our side has 60 people with the ticket, we won¡¯t be at a disadvantage no matter what happens.There¡¯s no chance we¡¯ll be caught off guard.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Sohank was finally able to accept the reasoning. At that point, Natal decided to give an additional explanation. ¡°Moreover, if we make an alliance now, our relationship will continue into the future.¡± ¡°We have to continue our alliance with those bastards?¡± ¡°There are 30 teams in the major leagues.Everyone is making a lot of money, but the teams are divided into first, second and third class.No, it¡¯s more like the Premier League than the major leagues. Even in the same league, the broadcasting fee for Real Madrid and Barcelona can¡¯t be compared to the other clubs. This dividing line will come to exist between the 30 guild.If we could get into a friendly relationship with the two guilds¡­.¡± At that moment¡­ ¡°Hey, wait a moment. I don¡¯t know anything about baseball or soccer. Talk to me in terms of the NFL.¡± Sohank stopped Natal from speaking further, and he made his request. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Natal¡¯s expression slightly hardened at Sohank¡¯s words. He shouldn¡¯t have brought it up.As expected, Natal had to explain it for 30 minutes before Sohank got what he was trying to explain. [Hyrkan] ¨C Level : 140 ¨C Title : 85 ¨C Stats : Strength(1544)/Stamina(778)/Intelligence(915)/Magic Power(1161) [Skill List] ¨C Summon [Skeleton Fragment(A)], [Madness Helm(A)], [Bone Armor(A)], [Skeleton Magician(A)], [Skeleton Science(A)], [Golem Summon(A)], [Hardening(B)], [Bone Explosive(A)], [Armament(A)], [Clay Play(C)], [Skeleton Knight(B)] ¨C Curse [Demon Curse(A)], [Slow Curse(A)], [Corrosive Ghost(A)], [Blind(B)], [Curse Science(A)], [Lethargy(A)], [Voodoo Pictograph(C)] ¨C Body Strengthening [Skin Sewing(A)], [Leg Strength Modification(A)], [Fake Heart(A)], [Boiling Blood(B)], [Ocular Transplant (C)], Steel Bone(D) After checking his level and Skill Tree, Hyrkan immediately opened a hologram window.He checked the content of his most recently acquired Quest. [Find the Snake¡¯s Tail] ¨C Quest Rank : Unique ¨C Quest Level Range : 140 ¨C Quest Content : Maeung is asking for more information.While hiding your identity, find evidence in the location indicated on the map given by Maeung. ¨C Quest Reward : Dungeon Map. Maeung. He had taken the trigon emblem he found in the cemetery beneath the Cursed Castle.He was given a warning when he brought Prince Dean¡¯s trigon emblem from the Catacombs. ¨C Tell no one about what you saw! Hyrkan asked a question when he heard those words. He asked for the identity of the being behind this plot. When asked the question, Maeung still didn¡¯t reveal Prince Dean¡¯s identity.Hyrkan was given a new Quest instead. However, Hyrkan knew it when he received the Quest. ¡®It¡¯s just around the corner now.¡¯ When Hyrkan completed ¡®Find the Snake¡¯s Tail¡¯ Quest, the identity of Prince Dean will be revealed. Afterwards, the Quest will progress at a breakneck speed.In truth, the only thing left was the great war against the Corrupted army led by Prince Dean. Even if one wasn¡¯t carrying out the Main Scenario Quest, most of the high level Users could guess that the Immoral Prince episode was about to head into the Epilogue. The Warlord didn¡¯t make the highest level Users from rank 1 to 100 visible to motivate the low level Users into leveling up.It was a barometer one could look at to see how far the game had progressed. The Main Scenario Quest was divided by a difference of 100 levels.The Corrupt Count was from level 1 to 100.The Corrupted Count was from level 101 to 200.Of course, this was a rough estimate. Currently, the number one Ranker was the Perfect One Sulwoo.He was level 188. Of course, the Perfect One¡¯s level wasn¡¯t the norm.It was an anomaly.It was better to check the level of the Rank 100 User.He was around level 175. If the situation was boiled down into simplistic terms,the Quest had progressed to around the 75% mark. If one considered the level up pace of the Warlord Users, about 8 to 10 levels was increased per month¡­ ¡®So it¡¯ll all come to a head in about 3 months?¡¯ The Immoral Prince episode would end within 3 months. ¡®That isn¡¯t the end game.I have to aim for the important stuff.¡¯ He had to gather strong momentum in the remaining time he had left, so he could get past the others. ¡®There¡¯s the Corrupt Judge, Hero of the Great War, and the Hiban Kingdom¡¯s Hero.¡¯ He was aiming for the three titles. These titles were seen as the flowers of this Main Scenario Quest. The title of Corrupt Judge was given by the final boss. In the great war against the Corrupted Army, 333 people with the highest merit was given the title of ¡®Hero of the Great War. Lastly, the Hiban Kingdom¡¯s Hero was a title that can exclusive to this battle. Each of the title gave 5% increase to one¡¯s Stat.These were the pinnacle of titles. ¡®Then there¡¯s the Corrupted Judge¡¯s Accessory, Great War Hero¡¯s Weapon¡­.¡¯ Then there were the Items. Chronicle Items! One had to participate and succeed in the Prince Dean Raid to be able to obtain the Items. Amongst the ones given the Corrupted Judge title, the Corrupted Judge¡¯s Ring or Necklace was given out at random.These Items were Chronicle Unique Rank. The Great War Hero¡¯s Weapon was a reward given to the Hero of the Great War.An ingredient would be given to the User, and the ingredient could be used to make any weapon one wanted.This was also a Chronicle Unique Rank Item.Moreover, the created Item was bound, but the ingredients were tradeable. ¡®Then there¡¯s the Immoral Prince series.¡¯ The Immoral Prince Items were given to the 10 people, who had the most merit in catching Prince Dean. The metal was earned by melting Prince Dean¡¯s armor and sword.If taken to the Blacksmith Olf, Olf personally crafts it into new Items called the Immoral Prince series. One could make a weapon or a defensive gear. The only caveat is that one can possess only one part of the series. Moreover, the Rank of these Items was Chronicle Epic! It was a level 200 Item, but it could be used until level 300 if one wanted to.It was that amazing. ¡®I have to aim for those Items.¡¯ Hyrkan had to aim for those Items. He was well-qualified. He had earned the Secret Society¡¯s Ring and the Destroyer of Corruption title. He had the qualification to participate in the Prince Dean Raid. However, the problem remained regarding Hyrkan¡¯s level.He would only be able to participate in a support role. If he had a support role, there was no way he¡¯ll be able to gain the Immoral Prince series. He had to become one of the leading actors. Instead of progressing in his Quests, he had to focus on improving his Spec. ¡®I¡¯ll be confident in doing the Prince Dean Raid if I reach level 170¡­.¡¯ The level up was possible.If he gave up entirely on the progress of the Quests, he could focus solely on leveling up. If he did this, his level up pace would be on par with the Perfect One. The problem was the fact that the level up wouldn¡¯t be enough. ¡®The problem is my skills.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s weakness was his lack of skills. The Curse Skill Tree of the Curse Monk was popular, so the information was widely known. The skill books were expensive, but it could be purchased. In the case of the Summon Skill Tree, he had learned the knowledge he gained from watching Rich Lich. He knew that the Death Knight would be summoned at level 200, and he had fragmentary knowledge regarding other skills. However, this was Hyrkan¡¯s main skills, so his Skill rank and diversity of skills wasn¡¯t lacking. The problem was the Body Modification Skill Tree. Hyrkan¡¯s knowledge about Body Modification Skill Tree ended at the Life Vessel Skill. Hyrkan had no idea which low rank Skills he needed or what was the minimum Rank he needed to raise the Skills to reach the Life Vessel Skill. There was also no way he would know what skill came up next. If he really wanted a true Spec Up, he had to fill in the parts that was lacking.This would allow him to be a leading actor in the Prince Dean Raid. ¡®At my current level, Ahimbree is my only choice.¡¯ In the end, Hyrkan had one place he could lean on.It was his teacher, who was the disciple of the Grand Magus. There was only Ahimbree! Hyrkan started moving, so he could suck the marrow out of his teacher. Chapter 110 : How Much? (2) Chapter 110 ¨C How Much? (2) When a User achieves great success in Warlord, everyone starts to comment on the reasons behind the User¡¯s success. One of the reasons behind the success was attributed to the excellent AI making up Warlord. This was why the Users paid much more attention to the NPCs in Warlord compared to the NPCs of other games.Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if all the NPCs were popular.If an NPC wanted to be popular, one had two fulfill one of the two requirements. The NPC had to be either a beautiful woman or a handsome man.If not, the NPC had tohave a habit of giving out good Items. From that perspective, Ahimbree¡¯s massive popularity was inevitable.Ahimbree was an NPC that gave Items that was beyond good.It was downright amazing. Moreover, a User named Cocomo had obtained Ahimbree¡¯s Disciple title, and it seemed he had been short on money.He sold information regarding Ahimbree, which had never been disseminated before. This drove Ahimbree¡¯s popularity into a pitched fever.Numerous Users attempted to become Ahimbree¡¯s Disciple. At that point, the much praised AI system of Warlord did something very wise.There were too many Users visiting Ahimbree, so Ahimbree¡¯s residence was moved. This was to Hyrkan¡¯s benefit as there weren¡¯t many obstacles when he tried to meet Ahimbree. ¡®Shit.If he was going to move, he should have moved up north.Why the hell did he move to the south?¡¯ Of course, Hyrkan had been working in the North, so he had to spend a good amount of time traveling towards the south.However, this was a very minor problem. The usual office that had always greeted Hyrkan was gone. ¡°Welcome.¡± ¡°¡­¡­your room is very clean.¡± The books that had been strewn about¡­ Unlike his previous office where the expensive Skill books had coated the floor, his current office was very clean.It was hard to find any books or even a whiff of paper inside the room. One wouldnever expect to feel a sense of unease when confronted with a clean room. However, Hyrkan felt uneasy. ¡®The mood is strangely cool.¡¯ He had come here expecting to receive a delicious treat.Instead of a treat, he was worried he might have wasted his time coming here. ¡®Eh-ee.At the very least, he¡¯ll still probably give me a Skill.It isn¡¯t as if he would only give a Skill book only if the Skill books were strewn across the floor.¡¯ He tried very hard to push down his anxiety, and Hyrkan greeted Ahimbree. ¡°How¡¯s your health and peace of mind, teacher?¡± He used respectful words that he had utter to his parents before. Hyrkan looked very respectful. However, Ahimbree didn¡¯t answer immediately.The NPC kept staring at Hyrkan. It looked like Ahimbree was affected by a system freeze, but the manual explicitly stated that such a scenario wasn¡¯t possible.This meant it was really having a hard time answering Hyrkan¡¯s question. It meant Hyrkan¡¯s action had stumped the outstanding AI. The AI was at a loss for words at Hyrkan¡¯s absurd action. Ahimbree opened his mouth after more time had passed. ¡°I¡¯ve been well.How have you been?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot on my plate, so I¡¯ve been busy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure your hands were full.Did you perhaps learn of any important information?¡± Hyrkan was a bit worried at the question. ¡®Is he fishing for something or is this just a straightforward question?Is he testing the water with me?¡¯ Ahimbree knew Hyrkan was carrying out activities as a member of the Secret Society.This question was probablyintended to ask about his activities related to the Secret Society.Moreover, Hyrkan had gained an important information recently.He had sufficient information where he could cast suspicion on Prince Dean. If he continued this conversation with Ahimbree by telling him about the Trigon Emblem, it might be a key to opening a hidden quest. On the other hand, he remembered the Maeung¡¯s warning.Maeung told him to tell this information to no one. After coming to a surprisingly difficult decision, he decided to keep his mouth shut. ¡°I¡¯m still investigating.Unfortunately, I¡¯m lacking in ability, so it is unfortunate that I can¡¯t be of bigger help.¡± ¡°I heard about your accomplishments from Bagel. I also hear a lot of praise about you.If we have 100 men like you, we could clear the lands across the Terube Castle walls.We¡¯ll be able to immediately occupy the lands.He wants to introduce you to Prince Dean as soon as possible.¡± Bagel. As the administrator of the Terube Castle wall, it seemed the NPC had taken a liking to Hyrkan. As someone who serves under Prince Dean as his lord, this was the highest compliment that could be given to Hyrkan. Of course, he knew Prince Dean¡¯s real identity, so Hyrkan could only put on an awkward smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± Hyrkan calmly ended this particular thread of conversation with a single phrase. ¡°So why did you come looking for me?¡± Ahimbree started the conversation in earnest.Hyrkan didn¡¯t hide anything.He spoke immediately. ¡°I¡¯m unable to carry out the Secret Society¡¯s missions with my current level of ability. As you have done for me before, please provide me an opportunity and a stage.¡± Ahimbree stared at Hyrkan when it heard his words. It was an NPC, but the light in its eyes was really strange.It really felt as if an incredible sage was seeing into Hyrkan¡¯s heart.It almost made him believe that it wasn¡¯t an NPC. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t turn away from the gaze. The saving of one¡¯s face and sense of shame¡­Those words weren¡¯t in Hyrkan¡¯s dictionary. Its gaze gave him goosebumps. Ahimbree stared into Hyrkan¡¯s eyes as it spoke. ¡°You are already plenty strong.I cannot do anything for you. Moreover, don¡¯t you already know about the methods to become stronger?¡± Its words were dressed up adequately, but in the end, it meant it couldn¡¯t provide a stage like the Battlefield from before.It basically meant Hyrkan couldn¡¯t suck out any honey here from Ahimbree. ¡°I want to learn a new magic.¡± Hyrkan immediately gave a straightforward comment. Even if Ahimbree had sent him to a stage like the Battlefield, Hyrkan wouldn¡¯t have gone. ¡°Magic isn¡¯t something that is easily earned.¡± ¡°If I wanted to take the easy road, I wouldn¡¯t have come here. Please you can give me any trials and tribulations!¡± Hyrkan spoke in a sincere tone. Of course, his inner thoughts differed from his tone. ¡®Please give me an easy one.I want the really easy task.Please.¡¯ Warlord¡¯s difficulty was almost limitless.In Warlord, an NPC of Ahimbree¡¯s stature could give really difficult Quests.Those were the ones that Users didn¡¯t even bother completing. ¡°You should search out the Magician¡¯s Tower. It would be better for you to ask them for help instead of me.¡± Ahimbree once again expressed words that rejected Hyrkan.Maybe this was to be expected. It would be absurd to expect a free Skill at this point in the game. ¡®Yes, this is the right answer.¡¯ In the end, Hyrkan had to accept it. ¡®Everything was going so well for so long that I lost myself for a moment. It was stupid of me to come here.¡¯ The problem lay with him.He was the one who had come searching for the easiest and most obvious answer in Ahimbree. At that moment, Ahimbree continued to speak. ¡°If you give a big contribution to the Magician¡¯s Tower, the Magician¡¯s Tower will surely give you arecompense.¡± ¡®Huh?¡¯ For a brief moment, Hyrkan combed through his memory. It felt as if he had heard about something similiar to this before. However, Ahimbree gave a clearer explanation before Hyrkan could search through his memories. ¡°The Magician¡¯s Tower always needs a lot of help.They need testing ingredients and other various needs.¡± ¡®Will you look at this?¡¯ Hyrkan let out a yell of delight inside his heart.Ahimbree couldn¡¯t directly give him a skill, but it seemed he¡¯ll be able to earn a Skill book from the Magician¡¯s Tower.From Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, he didn¡¯t care where he got the Skill book. ¡°Of course, their biggest need is operational funds.¡± ¡°What?¡± At that moment, Hyrkan¡¯s expression did a 180. ¡®Funds? What fund? I¡­it can¡¯t be true.¡¯ ¡°Donation. That is the sure fire thing they want.¡± ¡°Huhk.¡± From Hyrkan¡¯s mouth, the sound of him gasping was automatically let out. Ahimbree didn¡¯t even register Hyrkan¡¯s change of countenance as he continued to speak. ¡°I think around 100 thousand gold should be enough.You¡¯ll be able to learn a magic befitting your level.¡± ¡°Sship? Sship? Did you just say Sship?¡± 1 His words had come out reflexively yet Ahimbree decided to react to Hyrkan¡¯s words. ¡°Is that a problem?¡± It seemed sship had sounded like a curse word to Ahimbree.In truth, it was a form of curse word if one considered how he was feeling. Hyrkan quickly changed his words. ¡°Sship¡­¡­ So you were saying Sship-mahn gold would be enough?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. A donation of that size would be plenty enough to get what you want.¡± It happened at that moment. [The Quest ¡®Meaningful Donation¡¯ has started.] The critical blow was struck when the announcement rang in his ears. Ahn-jaehyun had a cup of water in front of him, and he had his eyes closed. Ahn-jaehyun had an outdated Tablet PC in his hand. Someone else¡¯s SNS page was open on the LCD. If one looked at the number of subscribers, it seemed the owner of the SNS page was very popular.The owner was a handsome white man with blonde hair and blue eyes. ¡®Somehow,things always find a way to go sideways.¡¯ Donation Quest. He felt a chill run up his spine from just hearing that name. At first, Ahn-jaehyun hadn¡¯t been too worried about the quest. In truth, he didn¡¯t even need to think on it.It would be crazy to spend 100 thousand gold for a level 140 Skill book.Currently, the level 160 and 170 Skill Books had been released into the market.These Skill books were popular yet it was traded for a similar price.So why should he spend 100 thousand gold in buying one of the skills regarding the unpopular Black Magician Body Modification Skill Tree? Still, he researched about the skill reward as a precaution. There might be someone, who might have finished this Quest.He decided to research into it first. In truth, he was sure he wouldn¡¯t find a crazy bastard, who had gone through with this Quest. Couple million people were spending quite a lot of money to play this game, and it seemed there was a User crazy enough to torch a large sum of money on such a Quest. ¡®I think I regret searching for this in the first place.¡¯ Woody. He was a world famous singer and actor named Neal Whittaker.Woody was his name in Warlord.Amongst the worldwide celebrities, he was known to be an incredible fan of Warlord.He had played the game since the game service started, and he had poured an incredible amount of money into the game.However, his level was a bit low considering how much time and money he had spent in this game.He was level 141. However, if one ranked Users on the money spent on the game, he would easily be within the top 50.His love for Warlord was that large. At the same time, it was a twisted form of love. Woody had so much money that it pained him to not be able to surround himself with luxury items. He acted like a rich person showing off his sports car.He was someone who loved to boast about his unbridled spending on the SNS. That guy had done the 100 thousand gold Donation Quest.As a reward, he had been able to choose a level 140 Unique Skill. At that point, Ahn-jaehyun would have just ignored this all together. Instead of buying a Skill book with a price tag of 100 thousand, it would be more advisable and healthier for him to go a hotel buffet, and leave after eating salad. The problem was that this Donation Quest¡¯s reward didn¡¯t have a fixed reward. One could choose the reward. Once one chose a Skill Tree, one will have an unrestricted view of the Skill Tree from level 1 to level 190.Then it¡¯ll allow one to choose a Skill below one¡¯s level.Since this was a level 140 Quest, the best he could choose was a level 140 Skill. ¡®If I donate 100 thousand gold, I could see the little known Body Modification Skill Tree¡­. ¡¯ The key point was the fact that he¡¯ll be able to see the entire array of his choices. This wasn¡¯t just about gaining a skill.He would be able to find out about the entire Skill tree of his choice, and this information was a very precious information one couldn¡¯t even buy with money. The numerous Users of this game gather fragmentary information to puzzle out the Skill Trees.It was a hard task.He¡¯ll be able to see such a Skill Tree for the price of 100 thousand gold, and it was well worth the price. ¡®Shit.¡¯ This was the reason why he was agonizing over the decision. Of course, Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s best case scenario was for another person to confirm and reveal the Body Modification Skill Tree. That was a pipe dream. In the first place, Warlord¡¯s magician population was highly skewed towards white magicians. Recently, the ratio had shifted towards Black Magicians by a little bit, because of the Hahoe Mask¡¯s exploit. He had been lucky with the Curse Skill Tree, since the Curse Monks were popular.He was able to gain enough information regarding the Curse Skill Tree.However, this wasn¡¯t the case for the Summon Skill Tree and the Body Modification Skill Tree. In regard to the Summon Skill Tree, even the veteran Necromancers didn¡¯t recognized the Skills used by Hyrkan. ¡®Our Class has that kind of Skill?¡¯ ¡®What¡¯s that horn growing out of the Skeleton¡¯s head, Hahoe Mask-nim?¡¯ The Body Modification Skill Tree was something one had to be over level 100 to obtain.This was why there weren¡¯t any information regarding this particular Skill Tree out in the open. It was possible that there were Users, who might be aiming for a Magic Swordsman type character.In that particular situation, the Black Magician would have to advance the Body Modification Skill Tree. Hyrkan had just found a User, who had spent 100 thousand gold to progress an unknown Quest, so it wasn¡¯t too far-fetched to think that a Magic Swordsman was out there. Still, there was no way that a User, who had spent 100 thousand gold to learn the Body Modification Skill Tree, would reveal this information to the public. ¡®However, there is a possibility that this bastard might be selling snake oil.Isn¡¯t he an attention whore?If I finish the Quest and¡­.¡¯ Woody hadn¡¯t revealed the Skill Tree he gained in its entirety. He wrote he would reveal additional information as his number of subscribers grew.Currently, he had revealed Skills that most Users had already figured out.This was why there was a chance that this might be a stunt being pulled by Woody to gain more attention. If Woody was lying, Hyrkan might just receive a single Skill Book for 100 thousand gold. ¡°Hoo-ooh.¡± Ahn-jaehyun finally drank the cup of water in front of him.He downed it in one shot. ¡®If this is some plot to inflate the number of subscribers, I¡¯ll kill you 100 thousand times with my bare hands, Woody.¡¯ He had drunk the cold water, but it was having a hard time cooling his boiling insides. _______________ Ship-mahn = 100 thousandSship-pahl = curse word.They sound phonetically the same in the beginning.NPC thought Hyrkan was trying to curse. Chapter 111 : Black Tree (1) Chapter 111 ¨C Black Tree (1) 1. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the news. I heard you have granted a big boon to the Magician¡¯s Tower. I heard you are helping us out in a major way.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just go.¡± It was a very dark hallway. There weren¡¯t any light source around, so one had to rely on the candle in one¡¯s hand to traverse the hallway. If the stairway heading towards the lower floor wasn¡¯t distinct, it would have been strange to see someone roll several dozen times down the stairs. Not too far ahead, one could see a spiral staircase, and the path downwards gave off an eerie atmosphere. Two men were heading downwards. ¡°You are really amazing.In truth, countless people benefit from the Tower, but not even half of half of those people return the favor. You have made decision that is counter to what innumerable people chose to do.I respect you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­let¡¯s just go in silence.¡± One person was speaking in an excited manner.The other person was very severe in his countenance. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you are donating 100 thousand gold.It is an amount of money that I wouldn¡¯t even be able to gain even if I saved up for my entire lifetime.I just can¡¯t help, but admire your ability to donate.The sight of you giving the donation so willingly is admirable.¡± This was obvious, but there was no upside in walking with this character.Moreover, the small hallway made it stressful to even walk here, so the NPC¡¯s excited voice grated on his nerves. ¡°It¡¯s 100 thousand gold.I can¡¯t believe¡­¡± In the end, he exploded. ¡°Dude.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just hurry up and go.¡± He growled out his words like a wild animal.It was hard to even call it words. NPC Peun of the Magician¡¯s Tower tilted his head in confusion instead of being surprised. This User had voluntarily given up an enormous amount of gold to the Magician¡¯s Tower, so Peun didn¡¯t know why Hyrkan was angry at him. It was a reaction that stoked Hyrkan anger.Eventually, Hyrkan spoke one more time. ¡°I¡¯m in a very foul mood, so shut the hell up.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡­.¡± Peun finally comprehended Hyrkan¡¯s feelings, so it shut its mouth. After the NPC shut its mouth, its expression worsened considerably. Peun¡¯s affinity toward Hyrkan had been very high, but this conversation had pretty much bottomed out that affinity. Hyrkan was well aware of this fact. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t care about Peun¡¯s affinity towards him. ¡®Why did a bastard like this have to stick to me¡­ I¡¯m already going nuts from the stomach ache caused by this.¡¯ It hadn¡¯t been easy to gather 100 thousand gold for the donation. Of course, if Hyrkan sold all the Items he had on, he could easily get over 100 thousand gold.Even now the Skeleton were equipped with gears that was each worth an expensive bike. In the real world, it was hard to find a rich person sitting on a huge amount of cash.Similarly, it was hard for Hyrkan to immediately gather 100 thousand gold.The selling of his Items would be a last resort.However, even if he did decide to sell his Items, it wasn¡¯t as if he would be able to get fair market price on all of them. It was also difficult to purchase the gold through cash.He couldn¡¯t purchase 100 thousand gold in one sitting.When he saw the additional fees that was deducted at each transaction, Hyrkan truly felt frustrated. Anyways, he cleaned out everything he could give up to reach the 100 thousand gold.He even emptied the money he had set aside for his payment and maintenance fee for the V Gear.He also emptied next month¡¯s subscription fee.Of course, he emptied his food money too.He stocked up on a lot of delicious ramen, cheap coffee and grape candies. There was no way Hyrkan would be in a good mood. Hyrkan wouldn¡¯t have reached this point if such things didn¡¯t bother him. He followed after the quiet Peun.Hyrkan sharpened the knife before his inside could rot away. ¡®If he really was lying, I¡¯ll hit him an amount equal to his likes on his video.Every time he gets an additional like, I¡¯ll beat him to death again.¡¯ Bbah-dook, bbah-dook. The sound of Hyrkan grinding his teeth filled the silent hallway. 2. ¡°Which Tree Map do you want?¡± After descending the numerous steps, they reached a space where not a single iota of light reached.It was an underground cell.It felt as if he was being sent to an underground prison for donating 100 thousand gold. Moreover, unlike before Peun spoke with a very cold voice. ¡®Patience.Be patient.¡¯ His temper was worsening considerably.He pushed down his anger as he replied with his choice. ¡°Body Modification.¡± ¡°Black Magic Body Modification.Please wait a moment.¡± After several minutes, Peun opened the door once again, and it gave Hyrkan a scroll.The scroll was large enough that the sides of the scrolls were protruding even as Preun carried it with both hands. ¡°I¡¯ll return in 30 minutes.Please come to a decision before then.¡± Peun handed over the scroll then it immediately left the room. Then¡­. Ddoo-roo-roo, kwahng, kwahng! The sound of several locks turning roughly assaulted Hyrkan¡¯s ears. Hyrkan smirked. ¡®It feels like I¡¯m paying them to treat me like an inmate.¡¯ ¡°Hoo-ooh!¡± He wiped the smirk off his face, and a long sigh immediately escaped his mouth.Several emotions were mixed in with the sigh. He was sighing because he had paid 100 thousand gold to see this old scroll.He was also sighing in relief, since it seemed Woody hadn¡¯t lied. Then there was the final feeling¡­ ¡®Shit.If I see something I like, I bet I¡¯ll once again empty out my account to buy it.¡¯ Seeing is wanting. There might be some amazing skill he hadn¡¯t known about in the Body Modification Skill Tree.Eventually, he knew he¡¯ll be tempted to buy it, and he would inevitably have to fork over a massive amount of money. He was worried about the future, so he let out a sigh of worry. As the sound of his sigh made up the background noise, Hyrkan opened the scroll.He kept unfurling the scroll, but it abruptly came to an end.It was like unfurling a toilet roll, and the scroll ended at the level 190 Skills.It looked like the one half of a scroll. Level 200. It basically meant it won¡¯t be able to show him the Skills one receives after the 2nd Advancement. ¡®I paid 100 thousand gold.Couldn¡¯t they have shown me the 2nd Advancement skills too?Are they perhaps going to ask me for another 100 thousand golds later to see it?¡¯ Hyrkan spoke in a brusque manner. Of course, the light in Hyrkan¡¯s eyes was more serious than ever.He quickly looked through the Skill Tree. He had been given 30 minutes.He had to identify all the Skills he didn¡¯t know about in the Body Modification Skill Tree.On top of that, he had to choose a skill he needed. First, Hyrkan checked the level 190 Skills. ¡®There are two level 190 Skills.¡¯ There was a level 190 Normal Rank Skill and a Unique Rank Skill.There were a total of two Skills. These two Skills were the pinnacle of the Skill Map he could see.These two fruits had numerous roots branching out towards the bottom. There was the normal Rank Skill [Golden Tattoo]. It was the skill above Skin Sewing.The location where the Golden Tattoo was placed increased the defense of that region.One had to use a gold type Item coin, and the ingredient would be destroyed once the new tattoo was placed.It was a consumption type skill. ¡®Why do all these skills require spending of money?¡¯ There was a Unique Rank Skill called the [Piercing Pocket].One could create holes in one¡¯s body, and consumable items like Skeleton Fragment and Bone Explosives could be stored inside these holes.Basically, it would make one¡¯s body into something akin to a drawer. ¡®That¡¯s not too bad.¡¯ The Skill was unexpectedly decent.If he could store it inside his body, there was a very low chance he could lose his Items.This was a problem for Hyrkan, who had to carry so many things into battle. Moreover, it was a Skill that reeked of being specifically made for a Necromancer.He could use his body as a chest of drawers?This wasn¡¯t something that couldn¡¯t be done in reality, but Warlord allowed for such customizability. ¡®Won¡¯t it be cool to open up my forearm, and take out a lot of Bone Explosives?¡¯ For a brief time, he forgot about the fact that he had to give a payment of 100 thousand gold for this opportunity. The desire to purchase these Skills overrode his previous emotions.Currently, the Body Modification Skill Tree Map was like a home-shopping commercial for him. ¡®This is?¡¯ A Rare Rank level 160 Skill called the [Black Heart] drew Hyrkan¡¯s attention the most. ¡®¡­¡­it exists.¡¯ Hyrkan touched his Skill Window to read a detailed description of the Skill.The hologram window floated on top of the old scroll.Hyrkan¡¯s gaze planted itself squarely on the Skill¡¯s effect. ¨C Magical Energy is consumed to increase Strength. ¡®Even the Black Magician Class has a Magic Swordsman type skill.¡¯ The Skill allowed one to consume magical energy to strengthen the User¡¯s physical ability.It wasn¡¯t a unique skill.In the White Magician¡¯s Body Research Skill Tree, there existed a level 100 Skill called the [Body Revolution].It allowed for a very similar effect. The [Body Revolution] Skill allowed one to swap Intelligence Stat with Strength Stat and vice versa. This skill was the reason why White Magician¡¯s were the best at surviving, and as a magician, they had developed a unique style of Magic Swordsman. The Magic Swordsman Style used Body Research and Transcendence Magic. It was a style that utilized these two Skill Trees as their main power. The Body Research was akin to the Body Modification.The Transcendence Magic were Buff type magic. The Magic Swordsman style was unexpectedly very popular.Most of Warlord¡¯s monsters targeted the magician when hit with magic. This style used this fact against the monster.A talented Magic Swordsman was very good at Aggro Control. There was no Class that could rival the Magic Swordsman at the job of luring monsters.They weren¡¯t great at one thing, but they were able to carry out various roles. In a Raid where there were multiple opponents, a skilled Magic Swordsman was valuable. This didn¡¯t hold true for the Black Magicians as they didn¡¯t have a Sword Magician type. Black magic had a debuff magic of Curse rather than the Buff Magic of Transcendence. ¡®It is less effective, but¡­¡­.¡¯ Of course, the [Black Heart] allowed one to burn magical energy to increase one¡¯s Stat, so the effect wasn¡¯t that great.Moreover, wasn¡¯t magical energy the lifeline of the Necromancer class? It wouldn¡¯t be much help to Hyrkan. However, the important part for him was the fact that there was a branch heading upwards. There was a higher level Skill that was better than the [Black Heart] skill. He didn¡¯t know what it was, but he was well aware of the implications.At the very least, he thought about the possibility. ¡®I hope I¡¯m not going to have to spend all my money on buying the skill books in the future. Shit. It isn¡¯t as if I can resell Skills like Items¡­.¡¯ Of course, there were other implications too. 3. [Life Vessel] ¨C Proficiency : Rank F ¨C Skill Effect : When the skill is activated, Stamina is increased by 500 points.However, when the Life Vessel is activated, any type of Stamina recovery skill will not work on the User. After reading the description for the Life Vessel skill, Hyrkan had an expression as if he had just eaten a rotten egg. ¡®It was a skill I had been pining for, but I never expected to gain it by giving away 100 thousand gold.¡¯ Life Vessel Skill recovered a portion of one¡¯s Stamina in a flash.It was one of the best skill for him.He had wanted it no matter the cost.However, he never expected that price to be 100 thousand gold. If Rich Lich was given the choice of purchasing Life Vessel for 100 thousand gold, even he would have probably balked at the price. Hyrkan shook his head from side to side as he closed the Skill Window. ¡®Yes. I¡¯ll just think of it as an investment for the future.Isn¡¯t this is better than investing in some weird company?¡¯ He tried hard to derail his thoughts away from the cost.Hyrkan once again went through his immediate goals. His Level Up was important.At the very least, he had to be level 160 to participate in earnest at the Immoral Prince Raid.If he wanted to be on the safe side, he had to reach level 170. If he wanted to achieve this, he had to choose the right hunting ground.Hyrkan knew many hunting grounds that was good for leveling up. However, he had to worry about how many people used the hunting ground, and how much money he would be able to gain from filming in that location. ¡®Where would be a good spot?¡¯ There weren¡¯t that many likely spots that fulfilled those requirements. However, a past relation solved Hyrkan¡¯s problem for him. 4. [Your Level has increased.] After he finished leveling up, Hyrkan immediately checked the caller ID. ¡®Who the hell just called me?¡¯ There was nothing worse than getting a call during a hunt. Hyrkan had a thunderous expression on his face as he checked his caller ID.If this was about something trivial, he planned on blocking this number from ever calling him. However, Hyrkan¡¯s expression quickly changed when he saw the owner of the number.Hyrkan immediately dialed the number. ¨C Were you in the middle of a hunt?If you had been in a hunt, I¡¯m sorry for the distraction. ¡°What is it? I never expected you to contact me again.¡± It had be awhile since he had heard the voice of the Whistling Pitbull. ¡®What is really going on?¡¯ Hyrkan had been surprised when he suddenly received a call from Whistling.He had given his number to the Whistling Pitbull, but the Pitbull had never contacted him until now.Of course, there hadn¡¯t been any reason to contact each other.Whistling and Hyrkan walked roads that was too different from each other.Both of them understood this truth. This was why Hyrkan contacted him immediately even if he had just leveled up.A User usually checked one¡¯s Stats first when one leveled up. If the caller had been someone unimportant, he wouldn¡¯t have even called back to spite the User for interfering with his hunt.Hyrkan was someone who would absolutely do such a thing. ¨C May you help me? Whistling words were something he would have never expected. Hyrkan struggled with his thoughts for a brief moment. ¡®He is asking for my help?¡¯ Whistling was part of the Fighters guild.Since he was asking for Hyrkan¡¯s help, this meant he was asking for a personal favor. ¡°Is it related to the Elves?¡± Since this was Whistling¡¯s personal matter, there was a high possibility that this was related to the Elves. ¨C You picked up on it immediately. It was as Hyrkan predicted. Hyrkan¡¯s continued to hypothesize as he spoke. ¡°If you require my help, then this must be something really hard.I¡¯ll hear you out first. I¡¯ll determine if this is worth me helping you.¡± In truth, Hyrkan planned on turning down Whistling.Whistling¡¯s words wouldn¡¯t change his mind. ¡®I don¡¯t have time to help out on an Elf related Quest.¡¯ He felt apologetic towards Whistling, but he had suspended even the Main Scenario Quest for his Level Up.He couldn¡¯t waste his time on someone else¡¯s Quest. At that moment, Whistling asked Hyrkan a Question. ¨C Do you perhaps know about the Black Tree? ¡°Uh?¡± Hyrkan¡¯s reaction was weird. ¡°Could you repeat what you just said? It¡¯s loud where I¡¯m at. What did you say again?¡± ¨C Do you know about the Black Tree?? ¡°Black Tree? Is it a monster¡¯s name?Or is it a landmark?¡± Hyrkan answered as if this was the the first time he had heard the word.However, Hyrkan¡¯s expression indicated otherwise.He was excited, surprised and taken aback.Hyrkan was trying hard to hide his reaction. ¡®The level 160 Rare Boss Monster Black Tree¡¯s name had just come out of Whistling¡¯s mouth.He is really like the namesake of Pitbull.He had bitten into something really big.Maybe I should have named my nickname after a dog too.¡¯ Hyrkan had the opportunity to capitalize on a reward for his past good deeds. Chapter 112 : Black Tree (2) Chapter 112 ¨C Black Tree (2) 5. Whistling. His story started right after he parted ways with Hyrkan. ¨C I did what I said I would do. I stayed behind the Baheim tribe¡¯s town, and I did every Quest available to me. The Baheim tribe had a significant number of Elven NPCs, so Whistling had been very busy doing the Quests. At first, Whistling had done much lower level Quests compared to his current level. It didn¡¯t move the needle in increasing his level or profit. However, he reached a point where he was receiving Quests that was great help to his Level Up. At the same time, he was able to gain numerous Titles. This was the reward for digging a deep well. He had received a good amount of rewards. ¨C I was somehow able to earn the Title ¡®Baheim Tribe¡¯s Tree¡¯. When I earned the Title, the other Elven tribes also asked for my help. Whistling had obtained one of the ultimate Titles that increases All Stats by 3%.. When he received the Baheim Tribe¡¯s Tree Title, Whistling started being treated like a very competent problem solver. He provided solutions to the Elven Tribe¡¯s problems. This resulted in other Elven Tribes asking Whistling for help. This was the fantasy adventure he had pined for, so he didn¡¯t turn down any requests sent his way. ¨C That is when I received a request from the Tehkee Tribe. I earned the Curse of the Black Tree Quest. Currently, the Tehkee Tribe had come to Whistling, they wanted him to take care of the Black Tree¡¯s Curse. However, he was unable to carry it out. The Quest itself wasn¡¯t some insanely hard puzzle. It didn¡¯t require endless grind either. ¨C I¡¯ve already found out what the Black Tree¡¯s Curse is, and I¡¯ve also found out the location of the Black Tree. It hadn¡¯t been too hard to find it. On the other hand, the Quest had come to a full stop at carrying out the last part of the Quest. ¨C The problem is I can¡¯t catch the Black Tree by myself. I tried it just in case, but I couldn¡¯t come up with an answer. If he wanted to put a period to the Quest, he needed help. Moreover, he needed someone who could carry out a Boss Monster Raid. ¨C Currently, I¡¯m at Puree Forest where the Tehkee Tribe is located at. When he heard those words, Hyrkan was able to accurately assess the situation in his mind. ¡°The Puree Forest is in the Big Smile guild¡¯s territory. So that¡¯s why you contacted me.¡± The Puree Forest was a level 130 hunting ground, and it had been discovered first by the Big Smiles guild. Moreover, the Big Smiles guild built a village at the entrance of the Puree Forest. Naturally, everyone came to accept that the Puree Forest was under the territory of the Big Smiles guild. Of course, it was Big Smiles¡¯ territory, but it wasn¡¯t as if they acted like tyrants. The Puree Forest wasn¡¯t worth that much to act that way there. Whistling had been soloing inside the Puree Forest, but no one from the Big Smiles bothered him. Soloing was ok, but it would be a problem if a different guild operated within the forest. In addition, the only place Whistling could ask for immediate help was the Fighters guild. However, they were an Underfoot guild, and they were rumored to be gunning for Big Smile¡¯s position in the 30 great guilds. Big Smiles wouldn¡¯t welcome it if the Fighters Guild appeared in their territory. On the other hand, the Fighters guild had no reason why they should take that the risk to help Whistling. Whistling was a regular guild member only in name. Moreover, his fame had diminished recently, so they didn¡¯t show much interest or love towards Whistling. ¨C My personal connections doesn¡¯t reach that far, so you are the only one I could request for help. This was the reason why Whistling had contacted Hyrkan. ¡®It couldn¡¯t have been easy for him.¡¯ After hearing the whole story, Hyrkan started thinking hard on it. There were two reasons that put him in a bad mood. The first reason was the Big Smiles guild. ¡®I don¡¯t know what those bastards are thinking.¡¯ He definitely had to resolve his unknown issue with the Big Smiles. He wasn¡¯t too happy about boldly going into their territory by himself. ¡®Moreover, Black Tree isn¡¯t easy to catch.¡¯ The second reason was the difficulty level of the Black Tree. Black Tree was a really valuable monster. It was very difficult to catch it. ¡®The Black Sap is too troublesome.¡¯ Black Tree looked like a normal tree on the outside. It wasn¡¯t black at all in its appearance. However, it was named the Black Tree, because it let out a Black Sap when it was injured. When one touched the Black Sap, it ate away at one¡¯s HP. However, the Black Sap was neither a poison nor a magic. He would have preferred it if it had been a poison. In that case, he could have used an antidote magic or he could have easily taken care of the situation by wearing an Item Setting that was highly resistant against poison. However, the Black Sap ignored any physical barrier and magic as it gave damage. It wasn¡¯t as if the damage was weak. One had to have Stamina akin to a Tanker or one¡¯s HP would drop in an instant like a bad stock. On top of all of that, the Black Tree¡¯s Bark boasted a very high defense against physical and magical attacks. The raid method was to attack the knotholes. The knothole had a very low defense, so one had to focus on taking off the Bark covering the knothole. Then all of one¡¯s attack had to be directed towards that single location. This was obvious, but the Black Sap appeared the moment one stabbed the knothole. One had to widen the hole while the sap was expelled. It was a very tricky job. If a Tanker wasn¡¯t familiar with Armor Breaking than a Striker had to take a big risk in attempting the Armor Break. It was a very troublesome job. Of course, Warlord was a game, and there were multiple ways to Raid a Boss monster. ¡®If I had the Circlet of Purification, this won¡¯t even be considered work.¡¯ Circlet of Purification! The Item was the master key to the Black Tree raid. The Circlet of Purification had the Option of ¡®Immunity from all Negative Effect¡¯. The Black Sap would be acknowledged as something that would cause a negative effect. Of course, the Circlet of Purification wasn¡¯t easily obtainable. It was almost impossible. ¡®Shit. I went through so much hardship that time. Shouldn¡¯t it have at least given the Item to me as a courtesy?¡¯ After Hyrkan had finished the Corrupted Elf Quest, it was required of him to return the Circlet of Purification. He had held out hope for the Item, but the Chieftain of the Baheim Tribe didn¡¯t give the Circlet of Purification nor a useful Skill Book to him. On a side note, the Ingredient Coins and Gems from the Black Tree could be used to make Rare Rank Items. When one wore the 5 parts Black Tree set, the Option of ¡®Black Sap¡¯ was activated. When the defensive gear was damaged, the armor would let out the Black Sap. It would eat away at the opponent¡¯s HP if the Black Sap makes direct contact. . It wasn¡¯t as good as the Greestone Imoogi set, but it was still a great Option. On top of that, the Black Tree was a large monster. A lot of Ingredient coins was given when the Black Tree was caught, and there was a large probability of receiving the Ingredient gems. A single Black Tree allowed one to be able to form 3 to 4 parts to the whole set. If one hits the jackpot, one would be able to create more than that. ¡°Let me ask you one thing¡± ¨C You can ask as many as you like. ¡°What if I do catch the monster called the Black Tree? What¡¯s my cut?¡± ¨C If you can catch it, you can have everything. I won¡¯t be able to catch it anyways without your help, Hahoe Mask. ¡®His words is making this decision much harder.¡¯ The risk was large, but the return was large too. Of course, he was conflicted. It was as if Whistling had read Hyrkan¡¯s heart. ¨C If you want it, I can give you this Quest¡¯s reward. Whistling landed a solid blow on Hyrkan¡¯s shaking heart. Hyrkan fired back with a question. ¡°What¡¯s the reward?¡± ¨C It says it¡¯ll give me a pouch. ¡°Pouch? What kind of pouch?¡± ¨C I have no idea. However, Chieftain Drah did say that it will help me dispel the Black Tree¡¯s Curse. If you can dispel the Black Tree¡¯s Curse, you can have this pouch. Hyrkan¡¯s brain brain started to spin quickly. ¡°Drah? Do you mean the Chieftain of the Baheim tribe?¡± ¨C That¡¯s correct. ¡°Do you perhaps know what the pouch looks like?¡± ¨C It is a very plain pouch. There isn¡¯t anything special characteristics I can describe to you. ¡°What¡¯s in it?¡± ¨C There¡¯s some unknown silver liquid in there. I don¡¯t know how to use it, so I¡¯m just keeping it in there. As Hyrkan¡¯s brain spun quickly, he gave a very quick answer. ¡°You stay right there! I¡¯ll immediately ride my Golem over there, and I¡¯ll blast the Black Tree¡¯s head away!¡± 6. A small village had been built at the entrance of the Puree Forest. There weren¡¯t even buildings built within the wooden barricade. Users were the only ones within the enclosement. It was so shabby that it was hard to call it a village. Amongst the run down place, the Big Smiles¡¯ guild members were present. They were basically guards dispatched to look out for potential trouble. They were the lookouts. Since they were actual Users being chosen to be a look out in a game, they felt crappy. They were basically wasting their time here. Time was EXP and EXP was Level. There was nothing that felt worse in Warlord than wasting one¡¯s time. ¡°Did you see the newest video? It¡¯s the Red Bulls Raid video.¡± ¡°I saw it. It was awesome.¡± ¡°What is up with our guild in comparison to that guild? I should have gone for Red Bulls instead of Big Smiles.¡± Of course, these were the words that came out of the dissatisfied guard. ¡°Hey. Watch your mouth.¡± ¡°Who cares? No one here will tattle on us, and it isn¡¯t as if I¡¯m saying anything wrong.¡± ¡°Still, you should be careful.¡± ¡°You worry too much. Anyways, do you really think the Hahoe Mask is Red Bulls¡¯ hidden ace?¡± Even a king¡¯s pumpkin seed was peeled when no one was looking. However, at his comrade¡¯s warning, he discreetly changed the subject. His partner immediately took up the thread of the conversation. ¡°If it¡¯s true, it¡¯s big news. If the Hahoe Mask was added to the Red Bulls¡¯ 1st Raid team, they¡¯ll be able to take down all the monsters that¡¯s been discovered. That¡¯s the truth.¡± ¡°The Hahoe Mask is really awesome. He¡¯s doing everything by himself. He doesn¡¯t even need to enter into a guild.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible for him to do that, because he has money. I heard a rumor that said his family is incredibly rich. He is hiding his face, because he is the son of a mega millionaire. People will probably recognize his appearance.¡± ¡°As expected, money is everything. If I was the son of a wealthy person, I would put pressure on the Big Smiles with money to gain an officer¡¯s seat in the guild. Then I would be able to do whatever I want to do inside the game.¡± ¡°I¡¯m jealous. The Hahoe Mask could buy anything he wants to eat, and he purchases whatever he wants inside the game.¡± It happened at that moment¡­ ¡°Excuse me.¡± The User spoke to notify the two of his presence. The two guards, who had been carrying on their conversation, tensed up a little bit. They looked at the approaching User in a guarded manner. It wouldn¡¯t be good for them if someone heard the content of their conversation. It was a justified response. However, their wariness was squashed when they saw the other User¡¯s face. ¡®What the hell? He looks like a pushover.¡¯ ¡®He has a really soft face.¡¯ The User that appeared possessed a face that was very relaxed and soft. ¡°What is it?¡± The Big Smiles¡¯ guild members immediately relaxed, and they spoke as if they were talking to someone inferior to them. There was no indication of suspicion in their manners. ¡°I¡¯m planning on hunting inside the Puree Forest. Do I have to make a reservation or wait for my turn?¡± There was nothing suspicious to his questions. Even a large hunting ground had prime spots, and these prime spots were popular. ¡°The normal hunting region has a designated hunting time. It isn¡¯t crowded enough where you would have to wait in line.¡± The guard gave an immediate answer. ¡°Are the Big Smiles guild perhaps getting ready for a large scale hunt?¡± This question was a bit more sensitive in nature. ¡°Why do you want to know that?¡± In truth, the Big Smiles guild weren¡¯t occupying the Puree Forest for the profit it generated. This place was kept for leveling up. The guild members of the Big Smiles would come here for a smooth hunt. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m trying to avoid getting in the way of the Big Smiles guild¡¯s business.¡± From a normal User¡¯s perspective, it would be best if one¡¯s activities didn¡¯t intersect with the Big Smiles guild. This was why one had to plan with the traffic in mind. However, guild members of the Big Smiles wasn¡¯t obligated to tell everyone of their schedule. ¡°We are having a group hunt in 3 hours. You should plan accordingly to get out of our way.¡± If the User didn¡¯t have such a disarming face, the guard would have never answered that question. ¡°In three hours¡­¡­ Thank you.¡± The User gave his farewell, and he disappeared. The two guards continued their conversation immediately. ¡°Why¡¯d you tell him about what we are going to do?¡± ¡°Does it matter in the end? At a glance, he looks like someone afraid of unwittingly offending our guild. We have to help the less fortunate.¡± ¡°He looked and acted like a pushover. I¡¯ll be really frustrated if a party member like him is in my group.¡± ¡°He looks like a burden.¡± They laughed as they spoke. It didn¡¯t take long for them to forget about the User. 7. ¡°It¡¯s been awhile.¡± Whistling Pitbull greeted Hyrkan, who appeared with his Hahoe Mask on. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t return the greeting. ¡°Let¡¯s cut the long chatter. We are moving immediately. The members of the Big Smiles are doing a large scale hunt in three hours.¡± Hyrkan wanted an all-out attack at once. Whistling asked in surprise at Hyrkan¡¯s words. ¡°Three hours? How did you find out about it?¡± ¡°I asked the question to the Big Smiles¡¯ guild members residing in the village. They told me pretty readily.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fascinating. I tried to ask them a question, but they became guarded at just my greeting. They looked as if they were going to fight me.¡± Whistling tilted his head in puzzlement, since he didn¡¯t know why they had responded that way to him. Hyrkan didn¡¯t know whether he should laugh or cry. Hyrkan knew better than anyone else why the members of the Big Smiles guild had told them about their planned activities. This was why he decided to bury that particular topic. ¡°That¡¯s enough talking. Three hours isn¡¯t a lot of time. Is the Black Tree located far from here?¡± ¡°With our speed, it should take us a little bit over an hour.¡± If possible, Hyrkan wanted to wrap up the hunt in 3 hours then leave the Puree Forest. Nothing positive would come from meeting the Big Smiles guild. ¡°It¡¯ll be very close.¡± Whistling¡¯s eyes narrowed when he heard Hyrkan mumbling to himself. ¡°Do you have some enmity with the Big Smiles guild?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hyrkan showed a slightly surprised reaction. ¡°No. Not really.¡± Then he immediately changed his expression as he spoke his denial. ¡°What made you think that?¡± Whistling shook his head slightly at Hyrkan¡¯s response. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It seems I spoke something unnecessary. Anyways, is the Item within this pouch really that amazing?¡± Whistling wanted to change the mood, so he took out the pouch he received from Chieftain Drah. As intended, Hyrkan¡¯s expression changed immediately when Whistling pulled out the pouch. When Whistling handed him the pouch, Hyrkan¡¯s expression turned covetous for a brief moment to an absurd degree. Fortunately, the Hahoe Mask hid his expression. However, his covetous expression turned into anger. ¡®I¡¯m not part of the Baheim tribe, but I toiled to bring peace to this continent. However, they didn¡¯t give the reward to me. Instead, they gave the Circlet of Purification to someone, who just carried out some Quests for the Tribe? That damn Baheim Tribe.¡¯ His stomach ached from just thinking about it. He had worked as much as anyone else, yet someone else got the golden prize for reward. He was just given more work to do. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t feel great for him. This was why Hykran confirmed it once again with Whistling. ¡°You said all the Coins and Quest reward from the Black Tree hunt is all mine? Are you sure?¡± At those words, Whistling vigorously nodded his head. Whistling treated this as a given, and this made Hyrkan frown. He asked another question. ¡°It is a bit awkward for me to say this, but are you sure this is fine? You won¡¯t get anything.¡± Was he worried about someone else? These kinds of words was the hardest for Hyrkan to push past his mouth. However, Whistling spoke in a very composed manner at Hyrkan¡¯s words. ¡°The Black Tree¡¯s Curse Quest has a time limit. If I don¡¯t catch the Black Tree within the time limit, the Tehkee tribe will be wiped out from this world. I want to stop that from happening. I don¡¯t care about the reward.¡± Hyrkan didn¡¯t say anything when he heard those words. He didn¡¯t laugh bitterly or awkwardly. He didn¡¯t even furrow his eyebrows. He tried hard to suppress any expression from forming on his face. If he didn¡¯t, Hyrkan would somehow feel as if he himself was very lame. Chapter 113 : Black Tree (3) Chapter 113 ¨C Black Tree (3) 8. Unique and Rare was not a vocabulary that the Users disliked. The word, Unique, drove people into a fervor. This was the same for Rare Boss monsters. Either the odds were very low or one had to fulfill a particular set of requirements to be able to meet a Rare Boss monster. The reward given out was proportional to how difficult it was to encounter the monster. It gave ingredients Items with good Options, very good EXP, and rare titles. On top of that¡­ ¡°Are you thinking about uploading the hunting video again?¡± Raid videos was an opportunity to bring in a lot of money. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s my meal ticket.¡± When he decided to commit to the Black Tree Raid, all the risk regarding the Raid was erased from his head. Return! Instead, Hyrkan¡¯s head was filled with thoughts about the costs in regards to the Black Tree. Hyrkan had carried out numerous Raids before, but the most profit he could make until now was riding on this Black Tree Raid. This was why Hyrkan asked an indirect question. ¡°Is it a problem? Do you want me to edit you out? Do you want a mosaic? Or do you want a share?¡± Of course, he wasn¡¯t asking those questions, because he wanted to cede those things. Still, he asked the question to confirm where he stood with Whistling. However, Whistling shook his head from side to side at Hyrkan¡¯s questions. It was the reaction Hyrkan had wanted to see. However, instead of a smile, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help, but feel amazed by Whistling. ¡®He really is an incredible person. He is giving up everything to save the Elven tribe¡­.¡¯ Whistling was giving up Items and rights that was rightfully his. Of course, if one wasn¡¯t competent, it was moot point in the first place. If Hyrkan was in Whistling¡¯s shoes, he would have acted differently. If he couldn¡¯t have it, then no one could. If some else saw Whistling¡¯s action, he would be labeled a stupid loser. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t even think those thought. Instead, Hyrkan felt truly amazed by Whistling¡¯s action. Even if Hyrkan died and woke up again, he would never be able to live his life like Whistling. Whistling¡¯s action made Hyrkan¡¯s heart shake. ¡°If this business ends well, let¡¯s have some melon beer together.¡± The words that came out of Hyrkan¡¯s mouth was very rare. It was hard to hear such words from him. Whistling answered Hyrkan with his words. ¡°I¡¯ll show you my battle footage.¡± Whistling¡¯s voice and expression was very serious. His expression was especially overwhelming. His face looked like that of a pitbull, and his face came off as menacing when his face turned serious. Hyrkan had seen all kinds of monsters¡­ These monsters were beyond odd. The monsters had outer appearances that was hair-raising, yet Hyrkan smiled as he killed the monster. He had thought about the Items they would give. However, Pitbull¡¯s face even made Hyrkan flinch. Of course, Hyrkan immediately changed his mindset. He locked away such nonsensical thoughts deep within his stomach. ¡°All right.¡± They had to make preparations for the battle. Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t need to see the footage. He already knew how to take down the Black Tree. However, he couldn¡¯t explain that to Whistling. Whistling immediately showed the footage of his battles with the Black Tree. The Black Tree was quite big. It was around 30 meters tall. If ten broad shouldered men linked hands, they would barely be able to surround the circumference of the tree. The special characteristic of this tree was the long and thick strand-like branches. It was closer to whips than tree branches. Its attack method was quite simple. It took root into the ground, and it swung its whip-like branches towards its enemies. It was very simple, but the power behind the strikes were enormous. The tree branch headed towards its target as it divided the wind. The sound of the strike would make anyone¡¯s neck stiffen. Whitling had tried attack the Black Tree twice. In the first attempt, Whistling barely dodged the rampaging tree branches. When he approached the main body of the Black Tree, he used his Charge skill to immediately close the distance. Then he used a high level Booster skill, and the Flash Skill. These skills increased the power and speed of the sword strike. Then he used a level 150 Rare Fighter skill called Cut-Cut. He had maximized the cutting force of the sword to the extreme. However, when the three skill combo impacted on the Black Tree¡¯s Bark, it left behind a cut that was only an inch deep. It might be a critical wound on a human, but an attack of that caliber wasn¡¯t even considered to be a scratch. On this second attempt, Whistling aimed for the knothole. He once again evaded the tree branches as he closed the distance with the Black Tree. Then he aimed for one of the knotholes. The wound was deep, but Black Sap exploded forth from the wound, and it coated Whistling¡¯s body. At the same time, the Black Tree tried to shake off Whistling, who was stuck to the tree like a bug. It used its branch to send Whistling flying. After being flung far into the distance, Whistling immediately got out of there. When he saw the Black Sap eat away at his HP, he immediately realized he couldn¡¯t catch this monster by himself. From that point, it took him three hours before he had contacted Hyrkan. ¡°Its characteristic are¡­¡­.¡± The video had ended, and Whistling started to give a more in-depth explanation. ¡°I can see it for myself.¡± However, Hyrkan immediately cut off Whistling with his words. ¡°The Tree Bark has a very high defense. Instead, we have to attack its weakness, which is the knotholes. However, if the knothole is attacked, it¡¯ll let out the Black Sap. It is probably a poison. No, you would have just used an antidote item if it was just a simple poison. You were prepared for this possibility. This means antidote item and skill won¡¯t work on this attack.¡± Whistling was impressed at Hyrkan¡¯s explanation. ¡°You are amazing. You just saw the footage once, yet you were able to come up with those answers.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t anything amazing.¡± Hyrkan displayed an ambiguous reaction, and he immediately changed the topic towards the Raid. ¡°The Circlet of Purification will block any negative effect caused by the Black Sap. This is why Chieftain Drah gave you that Item.¡± The solution to the biggest obstacle had already been provided. ¡°However, you are the only one able to equip the Circlet of Purification right now. You will have to do the Armor Breaking.¡± However, the Circlet of Purification couldn¡¯t be transferred. To be precise, it returned to its liquid form when held by someone other than Whistling. This was why the Armor Breaking or the expansion of the knothole was Whistling¡¯s job. Hyrkan¡¯s role was to occupy the several dozen tree branches, so Whistling could focus on his job. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy. This is especially true for you, Hahoe Mask. If the task becomes too arduous, you can just leave me behind.¡± If one looked at the difficulty of their tasks, Hyrkan¡¯s role was overwhelmingly more difficult. Since Whistling had the Circlet of Purification, he had to just climb the tree to attack the knotholes. He had a body that could easily climb a cliff of 90 degree to 150 degrees. The act of climbing a tree was nothing to Whistling. Moreover, the Black Tree¡¯s Bark was so rough that one could easily find the handholds. On the other hand, Hyrkan had to face several dozen wild tree branches. It was almost impossible to imagine how a single person could pull it off. It was such a difficult task that Whistling had told Hyrkan to run away if things got bad. ¡°Huh.¡± However, Hyrkan¡¯s reaction to Whistling¡¯s reaction was unexpected. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t really that hard¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Whistling was surprised. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t give an explanation. ¡°You are the one doing the hard work. My role is just to put a bow on at the end.¡± Whistling soon found out the meaning of Hyrkan¡¯s words. 9. The process of finding the Black tree had been complicated and difficult. Just hearing about how Whistling did it made Hyrkan dizzy. The first requirement was to receive the Black Tree¡¯s Curse Quest from the Tehkee tribe. However, to find the Black Tree hiding within the lush forest, one needed to find the ¡®Compass Twig¡¯. However, one could receive this twig only if one had high affinity to the Mooah tribe. At the same time, one needed the ¡®Tree Alarm Clock¡¯ from the Soorey Tribe to be able to wake up the Black Tree. Of course, the order of obtaining these Items happened in reverse order. One had to increase affinity with the Soorey tribe by doing Quests related to them. This will allow one to establish a connection with the Mooah tribe. Then one wouldl be able to receive the request from the Tehkee tribe. If one was crazy enough to do all the Quests related to the Elven tribe, one would be able to do the Black Tree hunt. Currently, Whistling was the only User that had reached this point. However, at that moment, Whistling was thankful that he had developed a good relationship with Hyrkan. ¡®How surprising.¡¯ At the same time, he was in awe. Whistling had climbed up the body of the Black tree, and he was widening the knotwholes. When he looked at Hyrkan from the side of his eyes, he saw 15 Skeleton Warriors nimbly dodging the Black Tree¡¯s branches. Hoo-oohng! The tree branches were letting out a heavy sound as they flew towards the 15 Skeleton Warriors. It was like watching a circus show. It didn¡¯t feel like a battle at all. This had been the cause of Hyrkan¡¯s confidence. Hyrkan confirmed it the moment he saw Whistling¡¯s video. The branches of the Black Tree moved slower than he had originally expected. He realized the Skeletons he had poured much effort and care into developing would be able to dodge the Black Tree¡¯s attacks. Moreover, he had three more cards he could play aside the Skeleton Warriors to catch the Black Tree. ¨C The magic spells are coming. You should dodge it. His first card was the Skeleton Magicians, who could control the aggro. His second card was his Golem. Of course, it wasn¡¯t an ordinary Golem. When he decided to do the Black Tree Raid, he immediately bought the Ingredient Gem of a level 140 Boss monster called the Elephant Colossus. The Elephant Colossus was a large sculpture with the head of an elephant. It had a human body with four arms. Hyrkan had used it as ingredient to the Clay Play, because this particular monster was very good at using its arms. As Hyrkan had expected, the Elephant Colossus was able to grab the tree branches, and a tug of war ensued. There were times when all four hands had grasped a tree branch each. It was very effective. The third card was Hyrkan himself. Hyrkan took an active role as one of the cards. It had been about 50 minutes when the Black Tree entered into its Third Phase. 10. ¡®As expected of Pitbull, he is very skilled.¡¯ Hyrkan admired Whistling¡¯s skill at Armor Breaking. He was giving help, but there was no reason for him to disparage Whistling¡¯s skill. Of course, Hyrkan knew about Whistling¡¯s capability, but he never expected him to be so good in a Raid. Hyrkan had thought Whistling was more specialized towards PVP than Raids. ¡®If his level and Items could be upgraded¡­ No, he could get into any primary Raid teams of the 30 great guilds right now.¡¯ Whistling¡¯s ability shined even in a Raid. The fact that he could enter into the first team of the 30 great guilds meant that he was one of the top players in Warlord. However, this person had faded away from people¡¯s memories. Hyrkan was able to have an uncanny appreciation of this User. At the same time, a thought crossed Hyrkan¡¯s mind. ¡®If I had met someone like Whistling instead of the Hahoe Mask guild before I returned to the past¡­¡­.¡¯ Maybe Hyrkan would have been like Whistling. Instead of using the game as a tool to gain resources and achieve a goal, he might have lived life as he enjoyed the game itself. What kind of life would he have lead? Hyrkan couldn¡¯t even imagine such a scenario. ¡®Stop fucking with yourself, Ahn-jaehyun.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t imagine it, but he had been trying to imagine it. He made a sarcastic remark disparaging himself. These thoughts were unbecoming of Hyrkan. ¡®The timing is almost right.¡¯ Hyrkan wasn¡¯t suited for some quiet fantasy game. He was intense, which lead to his flashy style. The flashiness allowed him to make money. He could become the best only if he could make money. This was what the game meant to Hyrkan. There was no room for romanticism in this game for him. It was a matter of life and death. This was the only two choice. The same was true of today. He wasn¡¯t here to simply succeed in the raid. He had come here prepared to sell the Raid footage. ¡°Get down, Whistling. I¡¯ll end this.¡± It was time for him to unveil ¡®that¡¯. 11. Kwahng! The first explosive detonated. Kwahng, kwahng! Black Sap continuously dripped down from all over the body. The sound of explosives going off was heard, and flames erupted. When the flames erupted, the Black Tree looked like a decorated Christmas tree. The string of explosions were so numerous that it couldn¡¯t be contained. It started to spread. It was like looking at night sky in a rural area where the stars dotted the sky. ¡®The explosives are going off quite well.¡¯ As he watched the sight, Hyrkan was struck with a feeling of admiration inside, but he had a sad expression on his face. Bone Explosives. It was the main cause of the explosions going off right now. Hyrkan had prepared several hundred Bone Explosives to kill the Black Tree. The total cost of this was unknown. Hyrkan had bought ingredients for the Bone Explosives whenever he saw cheap Bone Ingredient Coins come up on the market. He made the Bone Ingredients into Bone Explosives, then he had put it into the Item Storage. He had brought out most of the Bone Explosives he had save this time around. It was possible for him to calculate the total cost, but he intentionally didn¡¯t calculate it. His insides would burst if he did. One thing was for certain. Several thousand gold was going off right now. ¡®The picture will look fantastic.¡¯ He didn¡¯t really need to catch the Black Tree like this. The large group of bombs were set off for show, and it was a waste of resource. This was evidence that Hyrkan was playing this game for materialistic reasons. Whistling¡¯s expression became a bit heavier when he witnessed the sight. Whistling quickly realized the reason for the spectacle in front of his eyes. ¡®He¡¯s desperate.¡¯ As someone who was born into a wealthy family, he could play this game for pleasure. Unlike him, Hyrkan had to think about the spectacle, and the way he could sell this footage. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t playing this game for himself. He was playing for others, and Whistling felt sympathy towards Hyrkan. Of course, Whistling didn¡¯t pity Hyrkan. He didn¡¯t have a reason or the qualification to be able to pity him. ¡°Thank you.¡± He just expressed his thanks. Whistling had set up the table, yet he wouldn¡¯t have been able to eat the meal if not for Hyrkan. ¡°If you need any help, please don¡¯t hesitate to call on me. If it is a request from you, I¡¯ll help you once with no questions asked.¡± Hyrkan expressed his thanks. At the same time, Hyrkan put himself under Whistling¡¯s debt. He had done something that left him grasping the short end of the stick. Maybe it was a way for him to leave a point of contact with Whistling. At that moment, both Users¡­. [You¡¯ve gained the Title ¡® Black Tree Logger¡¯.] The Announcement that signaled the end of the hunt rang out. Chapter 114 : The Foe that Gives Generously (1) Chapter 114 ¨C The Foe that Gives Generously (1) 1. ¡°Do you want to go with me to the Tehkee tribe?¡± Hyrkan had stripped the Barks off the Black Tree, and he severed the tree branches. Hyrkan was taking apart the Black Tree to gain the Ingredient Coins. As he was doing this, Whistling just dropped an offer to Hyrkan. Whistling¡¯s suggestion was unexpected. It was unexpected for him and Hyrkan. Moreover, it was a big deal to be able to go to an Eleven tribe¡¯s village. Under normal circumstances, one had to have the qualification to be able to go there. One needed a Quest or a Title. However, Hyrkan would be able to visit the Tehkee tribe through Whistling. It was an incredible opportunity. ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± However, Hyrkan turned down the offer. Whistling didn¡¯t ask the reason behind the refusal. ¡°I guess it is time for us to part.¡± ¡°As promised, we won¡¯t balance the account for the Coins. If you have something you have to do soon, you can go. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°When I receive the Circlet of Purification from Chieftain Drah, I¡¯ll send it to you.¡± ¡°Since you are already sending it my way, it would be ok if you send another Item with it by mistake.¡± They ended the conversation on a very light note. A smile was seen on both their lips, and that was how the conversation had ended. The two didn¡¯t make any promises to meet again as they parted from each other. 2. ¡®Wow.¡¯ Hyrkan looked at the Ingredient Coins that was filling the bag used for storing his Ingredient Coins. It looked as if it was about to burst. He put on a big grin. His Ingredient Gem bag was also getting close to bursting. ¡®Everything¡¯s better when all the benefit goes to one person.¡¯ After organizing his Ingredient Coins, he scouted out a location where he could immediately log out. He had one more hour of play time left, but Hyrkan decided to logout a bit early. ¡®I¡¯ll log out first, then I have to sent the original footage and money to the Romani Films.¡¯ He had a lot of things to do. When one finishes a great task, a lot of loose ends had to be tied up. The first thing he had to do was to commission the Romani Films to produce his video. He had decided to go all out for the purpose of creating a footage he could sell. Of course, he would leave the production of the footage to the Romani Films. He had also done a calculation. It was impossible to do an in depth calculation, but at the very least, he could get a rough estimate on how much surplus fund he will gain from this. He also had to make changes to something that was the very important to him. He had to change some aspects of his long term plan. Hyrkan had gained a lot from this Black Tree hunt. He also had to worry about what he should do with the Circlet of Purification. ¡®Should I sell the Circlet of Purification or not? That is the real question.¡¯ When the Circlet of Purification was put on the market, it wouldn¡¯t just be single Users trying to purchase the Item. The Item was valuable enough for the 30 greats guilds to get involved in the bid. What was it worth? ¡®How much can I get¡­¡­ It¡¯ll be hard to trade it for gold.¡¯ There was no way he could trade it for gold. The amount was too large to trade. In a situation like this, one usually traded an Item for an Item. If it was the Circlet of Purification, he would easily be able to get a level 150 Unique Set. ¡®Should I aim for the Greenstone Imoogi set?¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t be hard to pry away the coveted Greenstone Imoogi set. However, if Hyrkan asked for a trade with the guild, V&V might think Hyrkan was trying to cheat them. That might be a reason why the request might be ignored. ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be too bad for me to use it. I could sell this anytime I want¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a bad idea for Hyrkan to use the Item for himself. He would be immune from every negative effect. The beast called Hyrkan might become a much more scarier beast. First, there would be no better Item to have when fighting a Boss Monsters. The Boss Monsters were tough to face in the first place, because Fear and other debuff skills reduced the User¡¯s Stats. This Item would also be quite useful when fighting other Users. This was especially true for him, since Hyrkan was able to use powerful Curse skills. However, what if Curses and debuff skills didn¡¯t work on him? Hyrkan¡¯s opponents would automatically swear if their skills wouldn¡¯t take hold. The cherry on top was the fact that he could sell it after using it. He could get a reasonable price for it no matter when he sold it. Of course, one¡¯s watch could be stolen after a PK, and there was a chance that he could lose it. Hyrkan would lose his everloving mind. For the time being it was important for him to gain the Black Tree set. He wasn¡¯t sure about this, but he currently had enough Gem ingredients to make 30 parts to the Rare Item set. The 30 parts meant he could make 6 sets. The Black Tree set was good enough for him to use, and it could also be sold. If he sold it after using it for a while, he wouldn¡¯t lose too much money. Of course, the Ingredient Coins and Gems could be sold at a higher price compared to pre-made Items. However, the difference wasn¡¯t that big. Anyways, Hyrkan¡¯s personal strength had increased by a significant margin. This meant he had to significantly alter his plans. However, one thing was for sure. This was bad news for the groups, who would have to fight against Hyrkan. What happened this day was an unfavorable development for them. 3. Whistling discreetly touched his forehead. Whistling had a very bizarre expression on his face. He felt happy, yet even his happy face looked rugged and ill-tempered. It was terrifying. As an outside observer, he had a face that was hard to read¡­ It was a form of a poker face. ¡®This isn¡¯t bad.¡¯ Whistling had this expression on his face, because he had just finished the Quest related to the Tehkee tribe. The tribe had been saved from the Black Tree¡¯s Curse, so everyone had expressed their thanks to him. First, he got three substantial Titles. One of the Titles gave a percentage increase to his Stats. On top of that, he had gained two Items that were considered to be the treasures of the Tehkee tribe. He earned a level 150 Unique Rank sword, and gloves. The Options on these Items were very good. Amongst the Level 150 Unique Items, these were in the top bracket. Also, these were Bound Items, so it was impossible to trade them. However, Whistling didn¡¯t care about that. Something else had put Whistling in a good mood. A young elven girl had given a flower she picked from a tree she had grown to Whistling. She also planted an adorable kiss on his forehead. ¡®This isn¡¯t bad at all.¡¯ He replayed that moment again. He had a happy expression from the memory, and Whistling walked towards the Puree Village. He didn¡¯t have a significant reason behind his visit to the Puree village. It was a place where one could hear information regarding the Pure forest. One was also able to check the market rates, and the consumable items he needed could be purchased there. The consumable items that could be traded for at the Puree Forest was more expensive than the market value, but it didn¡¯t matter to Whistling. He had a lot of money. Moreover, he had visited the Puree Village several times, and he never run across trouble before. However, it was different this time around. When he crossed the gate into the Puree Village, the Big Smiles guild member looked at him with a different expression on his face than usual. His changed expression and his continuously moving lips meant that he was having an emergency call with some unknown person. At the very least, it was very unlikely that this User was mumbling to himself. ¡®Something is going on.¡¯ Whistling recognized the change in the atmosphere. He guessed something out of the ordinary was about to happen. As if to answer his prediction, ten Users appeared. They didn¡¯t just appear. They were situated in positions that made it look like they were surrounding him. ¡°Whistling Pitbull.¡± There were 10 of them. The 10 Users were wearing mismatched armors, so one couldn¡¯t see a unified theme between them. However, the Big Smiles emblem on their chests identified them clearly. The Users from the Big Smiles guild surrounded Whistling. Whistling didn¡¯t check the faces of the Users surrounding him. A fighting dog didn¡¯t care about his surrounding. His attention was focused on one person. ¡®Who is that?¡¯ He only glared at his prey and victim. Whistling glared at the person, who had called out his nickname. This User looked completely different from Whistling. He had a corpulent body that made one feel sorry for the armors he was wearing. Whistling was reticent to think this, but the User in front of him was uglier than him. However, this fat User had a presence about him that one wouldn¡¯t be able to forget after seeing him once. ¡°What does Big Smiles guild want with me?¡± Whistling took up the banter. ¡°Want? That¡¯s what I want to ask you. How dare a guild member of the Fighters guild operate out of our territory so boldly? I want to ask you the same question. What business brings you here?¡± The thoughts within Whistling¡¯s head became complicated. He had been visiting this place without any trouble until now, so why were they suddenly behaving like this? Instead of worrying over it, he immediately replied with a question. ¡°What is your name?¡± He was a regular guild member, but Whistling was still a member of a big guild called the Fighters guild. The User trying to pick a fight with him was a member of the Big Smiles guild. Moreover, there was a high probability that he was an officer. Of course, if the two of them fought, this wouldn¡¯t be a personal matter any more. It would be an incident between two guilds. One had to check each other¡¯s rank to avoid unnecessary trouble. It would be best to prevent accidents from happening. Of course, if one was purposefully causing an incident, it was a whole different story. ¡°Apollo.¡± As if his opponent understood this, he revealed his name. ¡°I am an officer of the Big Smiles guild.¡± He revealed his rank. At that point, Whistling became a bit suspicious. ¡®Apollo? There was someone like him amongst the officers in Big Smile?¡¯ He had been disinterested in guild politics, so of course, Whistling hadn¡¯t memorized the names of all the officers in the 30 great guilds. Still, he had never even heard a single rumor about an officer with such a corpulent body. Moreover, Apollo¡¯s appearance was memorable. If he had a brief encounter with Apollo, he would have remembered it. ¡®No one would dare to impersonate an officer of the Big Smiles guild here. That¡¯s the truth.¡¯ He determined it wasn¡¯t possible for someone to impersonate oneself as an officer of the Big Smiles guild inside the Puree village. This village was under their jurisdiction, and this User was wearing the Big Smiles guild emblem. Then¡­. ¡°I¡¯m moving by myself through the Puree Forest. Why would that be a problem? I¡¯m not even in a party.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been a problem if you had asked for permission.¡± ¡°Permission?¡± ¡°You should have asked with sincerity. I would have believed in your sincerity if you had come bowing your head.¡± His opponent was openly provoking Whistling. That was obvious. ¡®Hoohng.¡¯ At that point, Whistling didn¡¯t have any complicated thoughts. In the first place, he wasn¡¯t the type to use his head in such a situation. ¡°Come at me.¡± Choo-roong! Whistling immediately unsheathed the sword hanging from his waist. 4. After a break, Hyrkan connected to the game. When Hyrkan gained access to the game, he quickly moved with his full bags containing the Ingredient Coins. His foot speed was much lighter than it had ever been. ¡®Did he already send it?¡¯ Hyrkan was running, and the thought of the Circlet of Purification made his feet feel much lighter. ¡®Ah. I hope the Circlet of Purification is there when I arrive at the Item Storage facility.¡¯ The Circlet of Purification was working better than a Haste skill in increasing Hyrkan¡¯s speed. However, Hyrkan came to a stop when he realized a group was quickly coming towards him. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Hyrkan stopped as a matter of course, and he hid himself. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ He had stopped as a matter of course, but in truth, this wasn¡¯t a normal procedure for regular Users. Normally, when one comes across other Users, one either ignored or greeted them. Only the shady Users hid themselves. However, Hyrkan was unique. He had already gone through unspeakable hardships and suffering. The entire world of Warlord had been his enemy once. He had a habit of hiding himself when a large group approached his direction. It was a very sad habit. After Hyrkan hid himself, three Users quickly rushed by Hyrkan¡¯s location. They were checking every direction, but they didn¡¯t catch sight of Hyrkan. The three Users shared a brief conversation. ¡°Shit. Where did that guy run to?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t catch him. How are we suppose to catch a single User in such a vast land? When we lost him at the village that was the end.¡± After the brief conversation, they immediately moved into the distance. However, Woojin kept himself hidden even after they disappeared. He closed his eyes, and he thought about what he had just witnessed. ¡®There were three of them with the Big Smiles guild emblem¡­.¡¯ The three Users that just passed by were affiliated with the Big Smiles guild. ¡®If I consider their running speed and Item Setting, they are Striker Type Users.¡¯ On top of that, they were Swordsman Class Users, who had increased their Strength Stat. They all seemed to be chasing after someone. Something was afoot. ¡®Who are they chasing after that they felt the need to form a pursuit party?¡¯ A normal hunting party never consisted of three Strikers unless they were running away. Even then it was more common to see Strikers disperse when running away. In the end, it meant the three members of the Big Smiles guild was a part of a pursuit party. A pursuit party had been formed to hunt down a normal User. It meant they were hellbent at hunting down this User. At that moment, Hyrkan thought for a brief moment. ¡®Hmmm.¡¯ He didn¡¯t have any good feelings towards the Big Smiles guild. Moreover, he didn¡¯t know what their intentions were. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t feel the need to dip his toe into something annoying. He had been planning on bypassing the Puree village in the off chance that a problem might occur. In truth, he didn¡¯t even need to think about it. It didn¡¯t matter, who the Big Smiles guild was chasing down. It had nothing to do with Hyrkan. He would ignore it. That was the wisest course. It happened when he was about to choose the wise course of action. ¡°He¡¯s over there. There!¡± The three Users had doubled back towards Hyrkan¡¯s location. ¡®Are they perhaps aiming for me?¡¯ Hyrkan discreetly put his hand into his pocket to grasp the Skeleton Fragments. However, they just rushed past Hyrkan. Hyrkan extracted the hand that had been touching his Skeleton Fragments. As the group was getting farther away, one User let out a shout. ¡°Let¡¯s hunt down that fighting dog!¡± Hyrkan had a reason to move now. Chapter 115 : The Foe that Gives Generously (2) Chapter 115 ¨CThe Foe that Gives Generously (2) 5. ¡°Are you stupid?How can you lose him?¡± ¡°I have nothing to say regarding that part.¡± The two Users sped along the Puree Forest. This wasn¡¯t an unusual sight.In Warlord, there were numerous Users that were able to run faster than a cheetah.It was something anyone could do if one invested in the Strength Stat. However, there was one person here where the swift movement was incongruous with his physique. A User with an egregiously obese body was moving at lightning speed¡­It was analogous to seeing a pig that should be too fat to move running faster than a cheetah. It was something one didn¡¯t see everyday. ¡°This is my first mission! If you guys ruin this for me, all of you will suffer the consequences!¡± When Apollo had become an officer of the Big Smiles guild, the guild had attached skilled Users to him.It was to help Apollo out. Apollo was berating one of these skilled Users named Chiroro. Of course, this was possible since this was a game.It was almost impossible to shout at someone when one was running at full speed.If this wasn¡¯t a game, Apollo wouldn¡¯t be able to run this fast.He would probably pant and sweat profusely just from act of walking out of his house. He probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to speak. This was why Chiroro was nodding his head outwardly, and he was ridiculing Apollo on the inside. ¡®This pig is too greedy.He¡¯ll make me suffer the consequence?How laughable.If you had just been a little bit more competent at blocking the Pitbull, we wouldn¡¯t be in this situation.¡¯ Whistling Pitbull. They had messed with a member of the Fighters guild.However, this wasn¡¯t a decision made solely by Apollo.It was a decision made by the Big Smiles Guild. So why were they messing with Pitbull?The underlying cause in most fights were similar. It was an action taken to settle a wrong. The Big Smiles guild had taken heavy damage with the war against the Triple Wings, but their situation had stabilized now.Even though they found stability within, the situation around them were a different story.Before they knew it, the Big Smiles guild had come out at the bottom of the 30 great guilds ranking. When they fell to the floor, there was a host of guilds beneath their feet.The Underfoot guilds now looked at the Big Smiles guild in a different light.They weren¡¯t viewed as a wall they had to climb over.The Big Smiles guild was now perceived to be a prey they had to eat. They needed to punish someone as a warning to others.They had to show others that this was a dog eat dog world out there, and they were the dog that ate the other dog. They were very confident that they could accomplish this.The Big Smiles guild was on the lowest seat, but the resources of a 30 great guild was vastly different from the Underfoot guilds. The problem had been clearly defined. They had come up with several plans to solve this problem, and one of them was to capture the Whistling Pitbull. Whistling was a member of the Fighters guild, and his level was very high. He was also very skilled, but on the face of it, he was a regular guild member.Even if some problem arises, the backlash would be mild. Moreover, he usually played by himself.His personality was aggressive, so he didn¡¯t back down from fights that came this way.This was true even if it was a fight against numerous opponents.He would never back down. If one put a positive spin to it, he had a very fiery and cool personality.On the other hand, these characteristics made him easy to catch. In truth, Whistling had easily fallen for their provocation. When they had surrounded him, he didn¡¯t avoid the fight.Whistling actually went on the offensive. However, the problem started from there. The target of Whistling¡¯s sudden attack was Apollo, and Apollo was defeated before he could do anything. ¡®Well, maybe it was because Pitbull is amazing.¡¯ Chiroro clicked his tongue when he thought about what had happened. It had been a terrifying sight. Whistling used the Charge skill to close the distance with Apollo in an instant, and he used Body Slam on his opponent. Apollo¡¯s corpulent flew away like a balloon, and Whistling followed after him.Before Apollo could hit the ground, Whistling¡¯s skill-infused sword strikes struck Apollo¡¯s body. Kah-ahng, kahn-ahng! The consecutive sword strikes dented Apollo¡¯s armor.In the end, Whistling was able to sever Apollo¡¯s left arm and right knee. The sudden attack and the Body Slam had made the contest into a one on one battle. He used that brief moment after connecting his skill and sword strikes to use the Body Maiming method. ¡®Also, I never expected him to run away at that point.¡¯ After showing his almost godlike techniques, Whistling ran away the moment he saw an opportunity.This was the most unexpected part of all of this. Whistling. Whistling¡¯s personality didn¡¯t allow him run away. He usually just accepted his death as he fought on in a hopeless situation.He was called Pitbull not just because of his appearance. Anyways, if Apollo had been able to hold out, they wouldn¡¯t have lost Whistling. ¡®I can¡¯t believe he was sent flying from a single blow.¡¯ Chiroro couldn¡¯t hold back his mocking laugh when he once again thought about what had happened to Apollo. ¡®The Items are wasted on that bastard.¡¯ Apollo¡¯s Items were the best one could get at level 140.He had a Unique set.It was an Item setting that even Chiroro wouldn¡¯t be able to acquire. He was wearing such Items yet he was defeated with a single blow. ¡®Money is everything.Yes, money is everything.¡¯ The halo of his father was over Apollo.He had bought off the other officers, and he had been lucky in being able to hold a weakness over a particular officer.Apollo would have never become an officer of the Big Smiles guild if he didn¡¯t have all these factors going for him. Moreover, the officers of the Big Smiles guild and the guild members that had similar rank as him welcomed Apollo¡¯s appearance. They wanted to receive the crumbs that would fall off Apollo¡¯s table. This was true for Chiroro too. ¡®Well, I¡¯ll wipe his butt, and I¡¯ll receive ample amount of money for my troubles.¡¯ This was why Chiroro was sticking so close to Apollo¡¯s side. He wanted to get the crumbs by being the closest to Apollo. Apollo was letting out steam as he kept expressing his anger.Chiroro was ridiculing him inside as he tried to hold back his sneer.At that moment, a message from the Voice Talk program arrived . ¨C We found Pitbull! 6. ¡®Shit.¡¯ Whistling gritted his teeth as he saw the five Users surround him. Whistling¡¯s vision was very blurry when he looked at the 5 Users. His vision was akin to one¡¯s vision when walking in a downpour without an umbrella.It was as if the wind was blowing against one¡¯s eyes. Moreover, his arms and legs felt as if it was being weighed down by very heavy sandbags.He was moving very slow compared to his usual self. It was the result of the Debuff magic. He had been hit with Haze and Slow. ¡®I was unlucky.¡¯ Whistling had been quite successful in his escape.In truth, the Puree forest was so large that it was more advantageous for the fugitive than the pursuit group. Moreover, Whistling had travelled inside the Puree forest as if it was his home prior to this, so there was zero chance that he would get lost here. If he wanted to, he could hide inside the Tehkee tribe¡¯s village where only allowed Users could enter. Unfortunately, he had come across the Big Smiles¡¯ guild member conducting a regular hunt instead of the the pursuit group. In truth, Whistling didn¡¯t realize they were members of the Big Smiles guild.He had been about to pass them by. His luck worsened when the members of the Big Smiles guild party was infused with several skilled Users. ¡°Don¡¯t attack him! Contain! Just contain him!¡± ¡°We just need to buy some time. Just stop him from moving.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hoard your consumable Items.Put three candies into your mouth!¡± ¡°The effect of the Skill won¡¯t last long now.I¡¯ve started Casting, so you guys have tobuy me some time before I can use my magic.¡± ¡°Shit. If I reroll a character, I¡¯ll never choose Tanker again.¡± These Users were well aware of the situation, and they had arrived at the most optimal course of action. Whistling felt that it wouldn¡¯t be easy for him to get out of this situation. The critical blow had been the Debuff magic. In a PK, being stabbed was preferable to being hit by Debuff magic spells. ¡®I should have used the Circlet of Purification.¡¯ If he boiled everything down into simple terms, this was all happening because of Hyrkan. Whistling had put away the Circlet of Purification inside the pouch.He considered the Item as being owned by the Hahoe Mask. He was also running away, because of the Hahoe Mask.He wasn¡¯t afraid of dying, but he had to send the Circlet of Purification to the Hahoe Mask.He would feel troubled if that was delayed. He had connected to the game early, and he had moved as he was being chased by time.This was all being done, so he could quickly give the Circlet of Purification to the Hahoe Mask. Of course, Whistling didn¡¯t blame the Hahoe Mask. ¡®I have to survive somehow.¡¯ He tried to conceive a plan where he¡¯ll come out alive. However, five additional Users appeared, and Whistling couldn¡¯t help but feel hopeless at his prospects. 7. Chiroro and Apollo arrived.Whistling was in a bad spot. There wouldn¡¯t be any close contest here. Whistling was by himself, and he had 10 opponents.Moreover, there were two magicians included in the group of 10 Users. The difference in fighting power was so big that it wouldn¡¯t be a close fight.The ten Users had a numerical advantage, and they were aggressively using the support of the Magicians.The Strikers surrounded Whistling, and the Magicians threw their magic. ¡°Good job!¡± Whistling was becoming a mess as the one-sided magical bombardment was sent towards him.The happiest person from seeing Whistling like this was Apollo. Moreover, Apollo had ordered for this ugly spectacle to happen.As he was coming here, Apollo made sure no one would kill Pitbull until he got there. On the other hand, Chiroro¡¯s face hardened when he saw what was transpiring. ¡®Shit.It would be best if he would just end this.¡¯ This business wasn¡¯t about punishing or taking revenge on Whistling. This was supposed to be an opening act to a war. The opening act had to be clean. However, the current situation was lame. No matter who saw it their actions was lame and cheap.There was no way this incident would help Big Smiles in any way. Chiroro took a peek at Apollo. ¡®He was in charge of running a guild with his namesake, yet why is he so dumb?¡¯ Chiroro couldn¡¯t alter the order already given by Apollo.The two of them weren¡¯t on equal standings.At this moment, they were in a relationship akin to a subordinate and a superior. Moreover, Chiroro was well aware of Apollo¡¯s personality.He was crude and selfish¡­.He was shamefully dirty.If a loyal subject spoke out in a negative manner, Apollo was the type to eliminate that subordinate as a first order of business. Apollo had no idea what Chiroro was thinking, so he had a triumphant expression on his face. ¡°How dare you mess with me.¡± He wanted to show his expression to Whistling, so he had taken off his helmet.He spoke in such a manner, yet he stayed far away from Whistling.Whistling was surrounded by a ring of Users, and Apollo was about 4 to 5 meters away from the encirclement. This was why his words hadn¡¯t been heard by Whistling.Whistling didn¡¯t even glance at Apollo.He didn¡¯t even realize Apollo had appeared. If seen from a different perspective, it looked as if Whistling was ignoring Apollo. Apollo¡¯s expression hardened as he yelled again. ¡°How dare you mess with me!¡± Apollo yelled out in anger, and the Big Smiles guild members had an expression of derision for a brief moment when Apollo had to repeat his words. The angry shout reached Whistling this time.Whistling turned to at Apollo. Whistling was able to quickly find the source of the voice, since Apollo had a corpulent body. At that moment, Whistling¡¯s expression hardened, and he narrowed his eyes.Whistling¡¯s expression was deadly. Both the Users close to him and afar became alarmed at his expression. Apollo unconsciously avoided looking into Whistling¡¯s eyes. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Something flew towards Apollo¡¯s eyes. Poohk! At the same time, Apollo¡¯s world had turned pitch black. ¡°Uh?¡± A nonsensical sound escaped Apollo¡¯s mouth. ¡°Ooh-uh-uh!¡± At the same time, Apollo¡¯s corpulent body was being dragged away by someone. ¡°What? What the hell!¡± Apollo couldn¡¯t comprehend what had just happened.Chiroro was the first one to notice what had happened. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Apollo, who had been next to him, let out a weird sound.When Chiroro turned his head, Apollo had already been dragged away. Moreover, the User dragging away Apollo was none other than the¡­ ¡°Hahoe Mask?¡± It was the User with the most recognizable symbol in Warlord.It was the Hahoe Mask. ¡®W¡­what the hell is going on?¡¯ Chiroro was still unable to comprehend what was going on. Why did the Hahoe Mask suddenly show up here? The Hahoe Mask had stabbed Apollo¡¯s eyes, and he had dragged away Apollo.Then he started to tirelessly hack and stab Apollo¡¯s face and neck.Why was he doing this? ¡°H¡­help me¡­¡­.¡± Chiroro¡¯s introspection ended when Apollo suffered a Game Over from the Hahoe Mask¡¯s continuous attack.No, it was more apt to say a chill had run up his spine, and Chiroro had come to his senses. ¡°Hahoe Mask!¡± Chiroro let out a shout.In a flash, the Hahoe Mask had killed Apollo.Hyrkan took off Apollo¡¯s glove, and he was getting ready to sever Apollo¡¯s wrist to get at his watch. He was clearly ignoring Chiroro. At that moment, Chiroro¡¯s sound assaulted his ears. ¨C Isn¡¯t that the Hahoe Mask?Why did the Hahoe Mask show up here? ¨C What should we do?Should we catch the Hahoe Mask too? ¨C What should we do with Pitbull? ¨C Was Apollo-nim killed? The Voice Talk program vomited out a host of voices, and it cluttered Chiroro¡¯s mind. Chiroro yelled out in annoyance. ¡°Shut the hell up!¡± His words had come out overly harsh. This was a direct reflection of Chiroro¡¯s unsettled mind.On top of that, his shout had been heard by Hyrkan.Only after taking the watch, Hyrkan looked at Chiroro. ¡°Hoo-ooh!¡± A lot of emotions were mixed in with that sigh.Chiroro organized his thoughts before he spoke. ¡°Are you really the Hahoe Mask?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you tell by seeing this?¡± Tap tap. Hyrkan rapped against the Hahoe Mask with his finger. ¡°What did you attack us?Are you perhap in league with the Fighters guild?¡± ¡°Fighters?¡± The Hahoe Mask tilted his head in confusion. His gesture indicated that he had no idea what Chiroro was talking about.It was quite believable. However, no matter how one looked at it this looked like the Hahoe Mask jumping in to save the Pitbull. However, the Hahoe Mask¡¯s response complicated the thoughts inside Chiroro¡¯s head. There was only one way to defuse this situation. ¡°Did you attack the Big Smiles guild to rescue the Whistling Pitbull?¡± Chiroro had to do it through dialogue. ¡°Whistling Pitbull? Do you mean that guy over there?¡± At Chiroro¡¯s words, Hyrkan pointed at Pitbull, who was surrounded by Users. At the same time, Hyrkan yelled out his words. ¡°Hey, the dog-looking dude over there.Do you know me?¡± Whistling sniffed instead of answering him.It basically mean Whistling didn¡¯t know Hyrkan. ¡°Then why are you attacking us?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t attack you.I just carried out a personal revenge against the Apollo guild.¡± Chiroro¡¯s head was about to explode at those words.This hadn¡¯t been some normal accident. ¡°Apollo is now an officer of the Big Smiles guild! Shall I consider this as a hostile act against the Big Smiles?¡± In the end, Chiroro made a reckless gambit for the win. Instead of replying, Hyrkan pointed to his surrounding with his chin.Chiroro looked out of the corner of his eyes to see where Hyrkan¡¯s chin was pointing towards to. ¡®Tsk.¡¯ There were a host of Skeleton Warriors waiting in Defense mode. When Hyrkan flicked his finger, they would unhesitatingly run towards Chiroro and the Big Smiles guild members. Chiroro swallowed his saliva. ¡®That¡¯s the Hahoe Mask¡¯s famous Skeletons.¡¯ The Hahoe Mask¡¯s battle capability was as advertised.Of course, Chiroro side had enough number on their side, so there was a chance that they could win. However, the damage they would take was unavoidable.Moreover, the Hahoe Mask was great at escaping.If he wanted to, he could use the Skeletons as bait, then he could run away. That would make this situation more troublesome. As if he could see through Chiroro¡¯s thoughts, Hyrkan spoke. ¡°I¡¯ll consider your words as a threat towards me. I¡¯ll consider those words as a declaration of war towards me by the Big Smiles guild.From this point in time, I¡¯ll fight against the Big Smiles guild.¡± Chiroro unconsciously swallowed his saliva at the declaration. ¡®Ah.¡¯ His rash gambit had caused a self-mate. ¡®I can¡¯t let this happen!¡¯ The worth of the Hahoe Mask was at an all time high right now.If he showed interest in joining a guild, any 30 great guilds would treat him like an officer. If the Big Smiles guild made an enemy out of him, the Hahoe Mask could join any guild if he was at a disadvantage.This meant they would have an adversarial relationship with the guild he joined. Those in the 30 great guilds wouldn¡¯t relish fighting against Big Smiles, but they would do it if it allowed them a chance at gaining Hyrkan. In the end, there would be a full-scale war.If such a situation came to be, there was high probability that the Big Smiles guild will apologize to the Hahoe Mask.The Big Smiles guild had already gotten in big trouble from fighting with the Triple Wings, so another war with a 30 great guild was a suicidal move. Moreover, if this situation came to pass, someone would have to take the blame.He couldn¡¯t predict the future, but it was clear as to who will be charged for precipitating this situation. ¡°W¡­wait a moment!¡± Chiroro was the most likely person to be blamed in the future, so he desperately yelled out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.I apologize. I made a mistake. I had no intention of threatening you.I¡¯m sorry if your feelings was hurt.¡± He looked like he was begging.He had displayed such a bold front a moment ago.It almost made one feel sorry for Chiroro. Hahoe Mask spoke earnestly as he looked at Chiroro. ¡°In our country, if a Warlord User wrongs another, the User in the wrong has to cut off his own wrist as an apology.Then the User has to give his wrist watch to the wronged party. It is called the Watchman style.If you want to apologize, you have to show that level of sincerity.¡± Chiroro had been listening in earnest to the story, and his expression crumpled. ¡®Watchman? What the hell is that?¡¯ Of course, Chiroro didn¡¯t know about the Watchman style. However, it wasn¡¯t too hard to decipher Hyrkan¡¯s explanation. The problem was the fact that he couldn¡¯t give away his watch.Most of the Big Smiles guild members gathered here didn¡¯t own most of their Items.These were Items loaned out by the guild. Yet they would have to give away their watches? On top of that, they had to cut off their own wrists to give their watches?This wasn¡¯t a case where their watches would be stolen through PK. ¡°¡­¡­is there no other way?¡± ¡°You are the one apologizing yet you are being picky on how to do it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m unwilling to part with the Items.I¡¯ll compensate you in some other way.¡± When he heard Chiroro¡¯s words, Hyrkan turned his head slightly to the side, and he snorted.Chiroro kept his mouth shut, and everyone gathered at the location unconsciously listened and looked closely at Hyrkan. Everyonewas waiting for Hyrkan to open his mouth.As if he wanted to make them sweat, Hyrkan let more time pass.When silence blanketed the surrounding, Hyrkan very slowly opened his mouth. ¡°One level¡­¡­ One gold.¡± It happened when everyone was was focused on the conversation between Hyrkan and Chiroro. ¡°Ooh-ahk!¡± Whistling moved. After his abnormal status magic effect disappeared, Whistling used Body Slam on one of the Strikers surrounding him.The Striker flew away, and he quickly ran away through the hole that had been formed. ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°He bounced?¡± Everyone had been focused on Hyrkan that they weren¡¯t able to properly deal with the situation.The more quick thinking individuals amongst the group started to chase after Whistling. However, they weren¡¯t able to move in the end. ¡°If you try to deceive me about your levels, your wrist will be severed!¡± Hyrkan¡¯s shout was like a shackle on everyone¡¯s ankles. Chapter 116 – The Foe that Gives Generously (3) Chapter 116 ¨C The Foe that Gives Generously (3) ¡°How much is it in total?¡± ¡°It is around 2 thousand gold¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me such a vague figure. Give me the exact figure.¡± ¡°It is 2,355 gold.¡± ¡°It is about 100 golds more than what I expected.Are you sure you calculated it right?¡± ¡°You insisted on us paying for Apollo-nim too¡­¡± Chiroro was using all his strength to hold back the swear words from coming out of his mouth as he listened to the conversation.As a result, his face was trembling.The Big Smiles guild members were turning their gazes or eyes away as they tried to avoid meeting Chiroro¡¯s eyes. ¡®Shit.¡¯ If he berated his guild members, it wouldn¡¯t solve anything.Chiroro continued to rage inside. ¡®I¡¯m ruined.¡¯ He didn¡¯t know what the Watchman style was, but in the end, Chiroro had to compensate Hyrkan. Everyone had to empty the golds they possessed, and in the end, 2,355 gold was snatched away from them.It was way cheaper than losing their wristwatches, but still it was a pretty large sum of money. In truth, they never carried around that much gold. Unfortunately, one of the guild members doing a party hunt had two gold coins worth 1,000 gold each. He had withdrawn the gold to trade for an Item later. ¡®We gave him the gold, yet he is being nasty¡­¡¯ There was difference between asking them to send the money later, and shaking down as much money from them on the spot.In the end, the amount of money lost was the same, but the latter method seemed much dirtier. It was on a different level. ¡®Maybe we should have just fought him?¡¯ Chiroro felt regret as if he hadn¡¯t made the right decision.The situation had come upon him too suddenly. Of course, the regret didn¡¯t last too long. ¡°What should we do?Should we track Pitbull again¡­¡± ¡°Never mind.We won¡¯t be able to catch up to him even if we start pursuing him now.¡± The fact that they had lost Pitbull made him much more vexed.When the Pitbull ran away, all their efforts up until now had been all for naught. They had gone through all the hardship, yet they had lost all their money. ¡®It might have been better if we had let Whistling kill Apollo.¡¯ If Apollo had suffered a Game Over by Whistling, their guild would have been justified in their retaliation.Instead, Apollo had been killed by the Hahoe Mask. They couldn¡¯t justify starting a war with the Fighters guild any more. Of course, the Fighters guild could try to avenge Pitbull, but the Fighters guild wasn¡¯t dumb.Their overall fighting power was weaker than the Big Smiles.Anyways, they hadn¡¯t been able to kill the Pitbull, so there was no reason why the Fighters guild would start a fight with them. The status of the Game Over was important. If the Pitbull had suffered a Game Over, the Fighters guild would have no choice.They would have to retaliate.If they didn¡¯t, the faith of the normal Users in the guild would have been shaken.If a guild did nothing when a guild member was killed, why would the guild members put their trust and loyalty into the guild? Moreover, Whistling held a unique position within the Fighters guild.He was a normal guild member, but he was worth more than an officer.If they didn¡¯t get revenge for a User of that stature, normal guild members would have to stay silent even if they got killed by the members of the 30 great guilds. This business had been an utter disaster in many ways. Moreover, Chiroro¡¯s mood worsened signficantly when a phone call arrived not too long afterwards. ¨C What the hell happened?What;¡¯s going on? When he heard Apollo¡¯s voice, Chiroro took deep breaths for a brief moment.If he didn¡¯t, he probably would have said some harsh words.After he took several breaths, Chiroro explained the situation.After finishing his explanation, Chiroro immediately asked Apollo a question. ¡°What is your relationship with the Hahoe Mask?¡± When the Hahoe Mask took down Apollo, he said it was a personal grudge.Chiroro had to confirm this fact first.If the Hahoe Mask lied, maybe he could used this situation to his advantage. ¨C Shit.That isn¡¯t important right now. I was taken down by that bastard!The Hahoe Mask smeared the reputation of the Big Smiles guild! When Chiroro heard Apollo¡¯s rage-filled voice, he intuited what had occurred. ¡®It really had been about a personal grudge.¡¯ Even if one put aside the personal grudge, one just had to look at Apollo¡¯s personality. He probably acted in a corrupted manner. If he had run his guild in such a way, it meant he had run afoul of the Hahoe Mask in some way. This exacerbated the problem.If Apollo had told everyone the truth, they could talk to each other on the same page.However, Apollo was showing no signs of admitting his wrong doings.He was just trying to gloss over the facts. This was why Chiroro was sure of one thing. ¡®This guy will keep digging himself into trouble.He will never untangle himself from the problem he causes.¡¯ This meant this business was going to get much much worse. ¡°Hey!¡± Hyrkan waved towards a dense group of trees.Whistling appeared from behind a thick tree. In short course, the distance between the two closed. ¡°I look like a dog?¡± Instead of a greeting, Whistling repeated the words he heard not too long ago. Hyrkan shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Do you know anyone who think you are handsome?Do you want me to lie about it?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that too much of a bald face lie? The Big Smiles guild members would never believe my words.¡± ¡°That means you really think I look like a dog.¡± ¡°Uh.¡± Hyrkan nodded his head. ¡°Are you perhaps expecting me to back down, and tell you that you look like Leonardo DiCaprio?¡± At those words, Whistling relaxed his face, and he let out a light laugh.Of course, he still gave off a fierce energy, but Hyrkan was used to his face now.Hyrkan put on a smile too. Of course, Whistling hadn¡¯t mentioned the incident, because he had been offended by Hyrkan¡¯s words. ¡°Thankyou.¡± He had to set up a suitable atmosphere before he could speak those embarrassing words.That was all there was to it. ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. Anyways, you should have contacted me.If you had contacted me, you wouldn¡¯t have gotten into this mess.¡± ¡°I wanted to contact you only when I have good news.¡± Hyrkan smirked. ¡°So why did the Big Smiles suddenly attack you?Are they planning on starting a war with the Fighters guild?¡± Hyrkan immediately changed the topic. This matter hadn¡¯t been something normal. Whistling had been able to operate in the Puree forest up until now.However, the Big Smiles guild had been hellbent at catching Whistling today. If Whistling had died, the Fighters guild and the Big Smiles guild would have been put on a collision course. ¡°They were basically trying to pick a fight with my guild.¡± Whistling had an understanding of the situation. ¡°Will it really be ok for you to help me like this?¡± This was why Whistling was worried about Hyrkan.Whistling didn¡¯t know about Hyrkan¡¯s bad relationship with Apollo.Whistling was under the impression that Hyrkan had antagonized the Big Smiles in the course of helping him. ¡°Your relationship with the Big Smiles guild might suffer, because of me.¡± Hyrkan snorted at those words. ¡°I already have a bad relationship with Big Smiles.¡± ¡°If you continue to act this way, the Big Smiles guild won¡¯t stay put¡­¡± At that moment¡­ ¡°You should join a guild, Hahoe Mask.¡± Before Hyrkan could respond, Whistling immediately continued to put forward a suggestion.Hyrkan had a glum look on his face. ¡°You want me to join the Fighters guild?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not talking about my guild.You should join one of the top guilds in Warlord.For example, you should join one like the Red Bulls or the Stormhunters.¡± This sudden suggest made Hyrkan¡¯s expression stiffen.Of course, Whistling didn¡¯t know about Hyrkan¡¯s personal sentiment towards a particular guild.The suggestion of Hyrkan joining the Stormhunters guild was like suggesting¡­.. ¡®This isn¡¯t even funny.¡¯ This conversation wasn¡¯t funny at all. ¡°Why are you giving me such suggestions?¡± ¡°Hahoe Mask.Is it correct of me to presume that your goal is to become the best in Warlord?¡± Hyrkan didn¡¯t give an answer.He just swallowed his spit a little bit.Hyrkan didn¡¯t plan on actively hiding his own intentions, but it felt as if Whistling had read his mind. ¡°If you want to be the best, then the answer is to join the best guild.¡± Whistling¡¯s words were an advice rather than a request. Of course, he was overstepping his bounds. ¡°I know I¡¯m not qualified to say this, and I know this is very rude¡­.¡± He was well aware of this fact, but he still decided to say it. ¡°You can become the best, Hahoe Mask. However, you are doing everything by yourself right now. You can¡¯t even take a breather.¡± He had no doubts that Hyrkan would someday represent Warlord as the strongest and best User. The Black Tree Raid had reaffirmed Whistling¡¯s opinion of Hyrkan.He could guarantee it.There was no uncertainty to his eventual rise.The only thing that could derail it was a truck hitting Hyrkan. Hyrkan would become the best. However, Hyrkan was doing everything by himself. It was clear that he was working himself into the ground. A person, who had the potential to become the greatest in this game, might become broken before he had the chance to become the best. Whistling had suspected this truth from awhile back.Nevertheless, he was speaking out now, because Whistling was more worried about Hyrkan¡¯s well-being than before. Hyrkan gave a curt reply to Whistling¡¯s advice. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to the Circlet of Purification.¡± ¡®It is quieter than I thought it would be.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun busily swiped at his Tablet PC as he drank his coffee.In the end, he turned off his Tablet PC. It had been four days since the Big Smiles guild had attacked Whistling. Ahn-jaehyun thought a conflict was inevitable, but unexpectedly, there had been no conflict. ¡®Did they agree on some basic agreement?¡¯ There was a high chance that an under-the-table negotiation had gone on.Of course, Ahn-jaehyun wasn¡¯t privy to the content of under-the-table deal. ¡®So this basically means the Big Smiles still have a lot of power to spare?¡¯ He could only guess at what was going on.It seemed the Big Smiles guild had amassed their resources to fight the Fighters guild.When power was gathered, it made one feel antsy to move. ¡®That bastard Apollo became an officer of the Big Smiles guild, so there is no way they¡¯ll leave me alone.¡¯ There was a possibility that he might be Big Smiles¡¯ next target, so he kept that possibility in mind. Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t welcome his current situation. ¡®If I fight with the Big Smiles guild right now, it¡¯ll be¡­.¡¯ However, the probability of the Big Smiles guild using their full resources to catch Ahn-jaehyun was almost non-existent.It was an act they could do only if the Big Smiles had fallen into the gutters. To put it in simple terms, if a guild used their entire resources to catch the Hahoe Mask, the world would condemn them. However, they¡¯ll most definitely try to keep Ahn-jaehyun in check.They¡¯ll just do it out of the public¡¯s eyes. The problem was Ahn-jaehyun wasn¡¯t going to allow them to keep him in check.Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t plan on backing down.He planned on meeting fire with fire.This will inevitably lead to a proper fight between him and the Big Smiles guild. This was why the film he commissioned with the Romani film was important. ¡®If I have a lot of bullets, there¡¯s no reason why I wouldn¡¯t be able to fight them.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun was thinking about charging admission to watch his Black Tree Raid.There was a limit on how much he could earn by letting people view it for free. Of course, he would still be making an enormous profit even if he allowed people to view it for free. However, even such high profits was a drop in the bucket on the stage he was about to enter. ¡®If I charge admissions for my video, I¡¯ll be on track. The war will start from that point on.¡¯ If paid video sales was as successful as he expected it to be, Ahn-jaehyun planned to be more aggressive in the future. He¡¯ll actively advance to the front.He¡¯ll overtake the Underfoot guild, then he¡¯ll chip away at the 30 great guilds from the bottom to the top.His ultimate goal was to topple the head members of the 30 great guilds. There was a smile filled with happiness on Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s lips when he thought about that day. ¡®Wait for me.I¡¯ll sever all of your wrists.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s musing continued.He imagined himself standing atop the crushed 30 great guilds.He would be equipped with the strongest Items, and he would be at the head of a powerful Undead army.It wasn¡¯t too hard for him to imagine himself that way. At that moment, the smile on his lips started to fade. ¡®If I become the best¡­¡­.¡¯ It was easy to imagine himself becoming the best. However¡­ ¡®What will I do afterwards?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t imagine past the moment when he became the best. Ahn-jaehyun,who had been immersed in his imagination, lost the smile that had been on his face. Storm Queen, Matador, First Head. These were the three Users that represented Warlord. They were so busy that it was almost impossible for them to have a meeting at the same time.Moreover, it was impossible for them to meet at a single location. This was why it had to be this way. (Che-sulyun-nim has entered.) Che-sulyun-nim : Hurry up and tell me the main point of this meeting. (Strongest Red Bulls-nimhas entered.) Strongest Red Bulls : Hello? Che-sulyun-nim : Are you picking a fight with me? Strongest Red Bulls : All I did was say hello? Che-sulyun-nim : Change your nickname. (Strongest Red Bulls-nim¡¯s nickname has been changed to Invincible Red Bulls.) Invincible Red Bulls : ^0^ Che-sulyun-nim : You want to die? There was a reason why the three of them had connected to this outdated chatting program. After setting up the chatting room, the First Head of the Hyrdra guild had been waiting for the other two to show up.The first order of business for the First Head was to fight the keyboard battle going on between the Storm Queen and the Matador. First Head : Let¡¯s stop playing around. (The room manager has changed Che-sulyun-nim¡¯s nickname to Storm Queen.) (The room manager has changed Invincible Red Bulls-nim¡¯s nickname to Matador.) In a flash, the First Head cleaned up the situation, and he continued with his words. First Head : First, I want to thank you both for connecting onto this program. Storm Queen : Main point. First Head : We¡¯ve gained information that verifies the identity of the Corrupt Prince as Prince Dean. Matador : As expected of the Hyrdra guild, you are much further ahead in the Main Quest. Amazing. First Head : Thank you for the praise. However, it¡¯ll take 10 to 15 days for us to be able to finish the Quest we started.Moreover, when the Quest is finished, Prince Dean¡¯s identity will be revealed.It¡¯ll immediately start a great battle with Prince Dean. Storm Queen : D-15? First Head : No. The countdown will be 30 days.The Quest will finish in its entirety in one month. Matador : So you want us to get ready for war. Storm Queen : Is that it? First Head : If something changes, I¡¯ll notify you. (Storm Queen-nim has left the room.) Matador : Amazing.The two of us might conspire against her, yet she just left. First Head : That is quite a meaningful statement.Do you perhaps have some kind of proposal? Matador : I have no proposal to give. I just want to ask you a Question.How are you able to progress through the Quest so quickly? First Head : It is a trade secret. Matador : Then let me ask you the next question. First Head : You have another question for me? Matador : Have you ever received help from the Helpers? First Head : They help out sometimes during Raids.However, in regards to the progress of the Main Scenario Quest, we don¡¯t receive any help from them. Matador : Thank you for the answers. (Matador-nim has left the room.) Chapter 117 – Prelude to the Great Battle (1) Chapter 117 ¨CPrelude to the Great Battle (1) 1. ¡°Hello. My name is Ahmong, and I am the lead broadcaster for this week¡¯s Ranking show.¡± ¡°My name is Ken.I am the broadcast assistant.¡± There was a uniquely shaped desk placed in the middle.Itwas something one would see on a news program.Three men were sitting behind the table.The first man had a silver armor on.The second one had a red robe on, and lastly, the last figure wore a white priest robe. It was the Ahmong and Ken show. It was a weekly program where they rated the contents related to Warlord. It was a popular show where it easily garnered 3-4 million views each episode. ¡°Today¡¯s guest is from the Triple Wings guild, and he is one of the top priests in this game.We have Kipi-nim here today.¡± ¡°My name is Kipi.I¡¯m in charge of healing the Triple Wing guild¡¯s main Raid team from the backline. It is a pleasure to meet the viewers of the Ranking show.¡± The secret to the success of the show was the fact that they used their extensive personal connections to bring on guests.Every week a User affiliated with the 30 great guilds appearedas the main guest.There was no reason to doubt their ability to book guests. On the other hand, the content of show was quite unoriginal aside from the guests they were able to book. ¡°We¡¯ll immediately start the Ranking show with Kipi-nim.What is our first ranking?¡± ¡°This week we are ranking the pay per view earnings ranking.¡± The ranking show was based on provocative topics, but it was information anyone could gather on their own.The draw of the show was the conversation shared by the personalities.It was akin to gossiping behind other¡¯s back. Of course, this was the main reason why this show was popular. ¡°It is a very hot topic.This is great.Since this is a hot topic, shall we reveal the ranking from the top?¡± ¡°First place is the Red Bulls guild¡¯s Thorn Turtle raid video.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this quite atypical?¡± ¡°It is atypical. The 30 great guilds has the regular live channel broadcasting rights, and it is possible to purchase live tickets to view the raid in real time.Usually, this would lead to relatively low sales regarding paid videos. However, this one bucks that trend.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. Usually, there is an inverse relationship between the number of live ticket sold and the number of paid videos sold.¡± ¡°The Red Bull¡¯s Thorn Turtle Raid sold 1.5 million live tickets, yet over 930 thousand people purchased the paid video.¡± ¡°If we just consider this week, 200 thousand people purchased the paid video. It is incredible. As a veteran of the 30 great guilds, I would like Kipi-nim to give a more detailed explanation on why this is occurring. Please give us your opinion on this subject.¡± At Ahmong¡¯s question, Kipi immediately went into his explanation. ¡°Usually, 25 users are allowed to participate in the Thorn Turtle raid. As you all probably know, the video we just saw was completed using only 12 Users. They were extreme in cutting down the number of people participating in the Raid.This is why the Red Bull¡¯s Thorn Turtle raid footage is worth analyzing.¡± ¡°It is worth analyzing?¡± ¡°If one want to analyze a footage, one has to watch it multiple times.This inevitably means one has to pay multiple times to view the footage. Moreover, the Thorn Turtle gives pretty good Items compared to its difficulty. It also helps that we have located 3 locations where the Thorn Turtle appears. The wait time for the hunt is pretty short.¡± ¡°Does this mean the Red Bulls capitalized on this information?Did they aim for this new trend where Users are starting to analyze footage?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it was done deliberately. I have no idea about the Red Bulls, but usually, these are the priorities for a guild. The first priority is to get the first kill.The second is survival.When one decreases the headcount of the Raid team, these two priorities are completely abandoned.¡± ¡°Oh-ho.As expected of an active User, your explanation is very persuasive.¡± ¡°There is a high probability that this is a training session.¡± ¡°Training session? Do you guys really do such activities?¡± ¡°Of course, we do it. It is rare to do a training session by decreasing the number of Users participating in a Raid.However, one has to do these training session purposefully to develop the ability to cope with various situations.¡± ¡°I never knew the guilds operated in such a manner. You are worth the large amount of money we spent to get you here.¡± Kipi lightly let out a fake cough at the mention of the large sum of money. ¡°Well, it was such a thorough explanation that it seems we won¡¯t need additional commentary on the subject.Shall we move onto the video ranked 2nd?¡± ¡°Ahmong.We already released the top honor.Wouldn¡¯t it be boring to go on down the list starting from the second place?How about we check the top honors on the other rankings?¡± ¡°All right.We¡¯ll check the individual pay per view video ranking.Please announce it for us, Kipi-nim.¡± After a fake cough, Kipi looked at the Hologram window only he could see, and he calmly read off the prompt. ¡°This week¡¯s individual pay per view video ranking¡¯s top honor goes to¡­.First One Sulwoo¡¯s Warlord Diaries.In one week, he has an amazing record of 101,000 people buying his video.¡± ¡°In reality, the Perfect One is an exception to the rule.There is a stark difference in terms of figure between him and the person ranked second.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he is the only person, who could contend with the 30 great guilds by himself.Of course, the 30 great guilds focus on the live tickets, and the Perfect One focuses on pay per view videos. It is comparing apples and oranges.¡± ¡°Do you agree with this assessment, Kipi-nim?¡± ¡°The First One¡¯s fans are so passionate about him that I have no choice, but to agree with you guys.¡± ¡°Does that mean you don¡¯t agree inside? Are you saying the Perfect One isn¡¯t unique?¡± ¡°That is quite a statement.¡± Kipi laughed awkwardly at Amohng and Ken¡¯s words.He waved his hand. As he was doing this, Kipi¡¯s eyes was still reading the script.Everything they were saying and doing was scripted. ¡°I agree with you.He is an amazing person.I have a strange feeling that this will be edited in a weird way.Please be kind to me.¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, isn¡¯t there one other person, who might contend with the 30 great guilds by himself?¡± ¡°He is in our Ranking.This is Hahoe Mask¡¯s debut video, and it is ranked at 11.It is called the Christmas Tree¡¯s Nightmare, and 40 thousand people purchased it this week.In total, it has been purchased 250,000 times.¡± ¡°It is quite hard to achieve this amount of success on one¡¯s debut video.However, we are talking about the Hahoe Mask, so it just makes me nod my head as if I had expected this result.¡± ¡°What do you think about the Hahoe Mask, Kipi-nim?¡± ¡°What is there to think about? If I could play the game like him, I have nothing else I want in this world.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about such commentaries.Do you have any rumors for us?Everyone knows the 30 great guilds have their eyes on the Hahoe Mask.You are part of the 30 great guilds, so do you know of any secrets regarding the Hahoe Mask?¡± ¡°The big question on everyone¡¯s mind is what the Hahoe Mask actually looks like.Some say he is an incredibly handsome man, and others think he is actually a she.There are rumors that also say he is the scion of a global magnate.¡± ¡°If you know something, please throw us a bone. The editing of your earlier comments on the Perfect One hinges on the answer you give us right now.¡± Ahmong and Ken was skilled in volleying questions.It reminded one of soccer players executing a perfect dribble and pass. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard a lot of information regarding the Hahoe Mask¡­ Ah.I heard he has a bad relationship with the Big Smiles guild.¡± ¡°Ah.Is this an attempt at revenge for the previous transgression committed by the Big Smiles on your guild?Is this an attempt to create a schism between the Hahoe Mask and the Big Smiles guild?¡± ¡°As I said before, it is merely a rumor.¡± ¡°Then let us stop talking about rumors. Let us have a serious talk about the reason behind the Hahoe Mask¡¯s popularity.Why is the Hahoe Mask so popular right now?¡± Kipi thought for a brief moment when he was asked the question. The question was written on his script, but Kipi came up with his own answer. ¡°Mmmm¡­¡­ Sulwoo is named the Perfect One, because there can only be one person, who can be the best.Hahoe Mask is the Only One.Hahoe Mask is the only one that can show us the Hahoe Mask¡¯s style of battle.¡± 2. ¡°Stick to it! Just stick to it!¡± As if they were responding to Hyrkan¡¯s shouts, the Skeleton Warriors unhesitatingly ran towards the enemy. The opponent was a 30 meter long Dragon with auburn scales. In Warlord, a Dragon type monster that was 30 meters long was usually considered to be a mid sized monster. However, this particular one wasn¡¯t classified as a mid sized monster.This bastard didn¡¯t have wings or a tail.The 30 meter in length was measured from its head to the end of its body. It was the No Tail Dragon. It was a level 150 Boss Monster, and the difficulty level wasn¡¯t that high compared to the other Dragon Type monsters. At the same time, the Items that could be crafted out of the Ingredient Coins dropped by this monster wasn¡¯t that attractive.This was why it was an unpopular raid amongst the big guilds. Of course, he considered the difficulty to be low, but it took a pretty good raid team with full preparation to be able to take this boss monster down.The No Tail Dragon¡¯s arms were very fast.Above all else, its arms were able to track its target very accurately. This was the case right now. The No Tail Dragon slammed a Skeleton Warrior to the floor with its paw. It was a sight reminiscent of a hammer driving in a nail with a single blow.Hyrkan¡¯s Skeletons were great at dodging yet it wasn¡¯t able to dodge the No Tail Dragon.This was evidence of the swiftness of the No Tail Dragon. Of course, the Skeleton Warrior didn¡¯t just die. Kwah-jeek! As the Skeleton Warrior was destroyed, it vomited out the Black Sap, and it splashed onto the Dragon¡¯s right paw. Koo-roo-roo! A mighty cry leaked out of the No Tail Dragon¡¯s mouth. There were three Skeleton Warriors left, and they jumped on the back of the No Tail Dragon. The No Tail Dragon¡¯s armor-like auburn leather was a mess.It was covered in wounds.It almost looked as if there were more wounded locations than intact leather.The Skeleton Warriors planted their swords into open wounds.The hard scales had already been stripped, and the No Tail Dragon¡¯s body was all flesh now.It didn¡¯t stand a chance against the swords of the Skeleton Warriors. Poo-oohk! The swords embedded deep into the body. Koo-oh-oh! At that moment, the No Tail Dragon let out a horrible shriek as it suddenly stood on its hind legs.Then it immediately fell on its back.It was trying to squash the enemies stuck to its back. Ddul-goo-ruhk, ddul-goo-ruhk! At that moment, the Skeleton Warriors didn¡¯t run away.They lowered their stance with their swords embedded inside the No Tail Dragon¡¯s body. They stopped moving.The destruction of the Skeleton Warriors was inevitable. Koo-ooh-oohng! The powerful impact created a shockwave as the ground shook. Koo-oh-oh-oh! After the impact, the No Tail Dragon let out a scream as the leather on its back was dyed black.Even its wounds were dyed black. The Black Sap pushed past the No Tail Dragon¡¯s rage, and it pushed it towards its throes of death. ¡®Is it the third phase now?¡¯ [The No Tail Dragon¡¯s Rage has reached its climax.] [The No Tail Dragon¡¯s Death Throes is sweeping across the surrounding!] This was the No Tail Dragon¡¯s last ditch effort.It had activated a wide area debuff skill.The wide area debuff skill was a nightmare in a raid, but it was the signal Hyrkan had been waiting for. [The Circlet of Purification has protected the User from the No Tail Dragon¡¯s Death Throes.] ¡®This is the last phase.¡¯ Hyrkan unsheathed the Ivan¡¯s Sword. ¡®I¡¯ll become level 160 when I catch this bastard.I¡¯ll graduate from using the Ivan¡¯s Sword today.¡¯ He thanked the Ivan¡¯s Sword.It was a sword that had supported him from level 120 to his current level.Hyrkan ran towards the No Tail Dragon.The Skeleton Knight and the Skeleton Warriors followed behind Hyrkan. This type of battle was something that could only be shown by Hyrkan. 3. ¡®250,000 people.¡¯ While the No Tail Dragon¡¯s corpse was melting, Hyrkan once again checked the figure of how many people purchased his video.Hyrkan licked his lips when he saw the number of 250,000 buyers. ¡®I never expected such a high figure.¡¯ After confirming the number of buyers, Hyrkan was in a state of disbelief. ¡®I expected it to be around 100,000¡­¡­.¡¯ When he was running the Hahoe Mask guild, his pay per view video debuted to the number of 30,000 buyers.Everyone cheered when he received the figure.He even met Kim-dongsoo on the side to celebrate by drinking alcohol. This time around his debut video had graded out to be 250,000 viewers.Moreover, the purchase count was increasing by the hour. The reviews from the buyers were favorable. ¡®It is doing so well that it almost makes me feel uncomfortable.¡¯ The corner of Hyrkan¡¯s mouth twitched.He should be smiling right now, yet he was having a hard time mustering up a smile. This situation was clearly a boon for him. However, Hyrkan felt a sense of responsibility instead of happiness in front of this boon.There was a difference from getting donations from uploading a public video, and the money one earned through the pay per view video. ¡®If my paid video doesn¡¯t measure up to expectation, everyone will try to tear me down.¡¯ He felt the difference in expectation deep in his bones when Hyrkan ran the Hahoe Mask guild.He had experienced the result of becoming complacent.This was why he didn¡¯t let this result swell his head as he prepared to climb to higher places. The No Tail Dragon Raid was part of the preparation process.He planned on uploading the No Tail Dragon raid as a public video. ¡®I¡¯ll keep putting up free videos to maintain the views on my page. I¡¯ll produce the paid videos on the side.Which monster should I catch for my next pay per view video¡­. If I upload a public video right after a pay per view video, wouldn¡¯t my intentions be too transparent? Should I upload one that I shouldn¡¯t expect a huge profit? Or maybe I should make a weekly diary like the First One?¡¯ ¡°Ah.This is annoying.¡± After worrying over his options, Hyrkan let out a voice of frustration. In truth, he had been worried for several days as he worried about how his paid video would do.It was like worrying about a grade when the grade hadn¡¯t come out yet.When a good grade had come out, it put more burden on him to do better next time.He felt a sense of pressure. This sentiment had manifested in the No Tail Dragon raid.If it was before, he would have only thought about how to kill it.Now he had to catch it in a way that it would look good on film.He had to worry about that now. In the midst of a raid, he couldn¡¯t just pause the raid at a scary part just to re-shoot somethinghe didn¡¯t like. ¡®This is what I hate the most.¡¯ Before he returned to the past, he had suffered quite a bit from stress.He would go through much hardship to catch a monster, but accidents were bound to happen. He would pay a high price to produce the video, yet the video would under perform on the market. It would cause his insides to hurt for several days. ¡®Damned if you do, damned if you don¡¯t.¡¯ Hyrkan shook his head from side to side.In truth, Hyrkan had inflicted all of this on himself.He could bellyache all he want, but he couldn¡¯t blame it on others. Moreover, the solution to his problem was simple.If his stress piled up, he had to unwind from it. ¡®I¡¯ll just check my mail.¡¯ Hyrkan immediately connected to his e-mail.There were over several hundred emails in his inbox. These were emails requesting him for a trade. ¡®Black Cobalt King¡¯s Sword? Is this bastard trying to play me?He is gunning for the Circlet of Purification with that Item?¡¯ Hyrkan had expressed an interest in selling the Circlet of Purification. Hyrkan had revealed the Option of the Circlet of Purification two weeks ago.At the same time, he expressed his intention of wanting to sell it. This immediately stirred up a storm. Of course, the large guilds knew the value behind the Circlet of Purification¡¯s Option. They immediately requested for a trade.They all listed Items that would make anyone¡¯s mouth drop open. He felt some joy as he viewed these lists. Moreover, he hadn¡¯t revealed his identity when he put up the Item up for sale.If it was known that Hyrkan had the Circlet of Purification, the parasites would gather around him.It would mess him up from conducting his business.Of course, he had to edit out the part where he had used the Circlet of Purification in the No Tail Dragon Raid video. ¡®Still, isn¡¯t this a bit too popular?Why are the Hydra guild, Red Bulls guild, and the Stormhunters pushing so hard for this Item?¡¯ The Circlet of Purification was up to the task in healing his sour insides.The deals being proposed was much larger than he had expected. This was true for the guilds Hyrkan considered to be the 3 great guilds.Their offers couldn¡¯t even be compared to the rest of the 30 great guilds. When everyone was yelling out a bid of a thousand dollar, the 30 great guilds would yell out 5,000 dollars, and the 3 great guilds would yell out 10,000 dollars. ¡®Moreover¡­¡­.¡¯ ¡®Who the hell is this guild? Why are they offering such nonsensical deals?¡¯ It was a guild he had never heard of before.They were outbidding the 30 great guilds by a wide margin. ¡®Hand guild? Are they swindlers? Are they putting up a bullshit bids?¡¯ Hand guild. The biggest offer had been provided by them. Their offer far outstripped the Stormhunters¡¯ offer. ¡®The big fishes are bidding big from the beginning.No matter which way I look at it, they are bidding too much.¡¯ In truth, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have any intention of selling the Circlet of Purification. Hyrkan could use the Circlet of Purification until he squeezed out all the use he had for it.Even then he would be able to sell it for the price he wanted. This was an Item that had no level restriction.Moreover, it was very hard to acquire this Item in Warlord, and it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that everyone in Warlord wanted this Item. He had revealed this Item in spite of those factors.He had done this, because he couldn¡¯t hide the existence of the Circlet of Purification forever.Hyrkan revealed himself regularly to the world through his videos.It wasn¡¯t feasible to edit out the Circlet of Purification from every video. In the end, he had to reveal his ownership of the Item. However, he could manipulate the market, so he could maximize his profit! ¡®I wasn¡¯t planning on selling it immediately, but if I can get this much for it¡­ No. I have to patient.Be patient.¡¯ Normally, the value of the extremely rare items that appeared within the game was usually set on the first sale. He could use this fact to his advantage.Hyrkan decided to set the market at a ridiculous price point. The method was quite simple. Currently, an unknown User had revealed the Option for the Circlet of Purification.What would happen if Hyrkan showed up after some time with the Circlet of Purification equipped? Everyone would ask Hyrkan the question. How much did you buy it for, Hyrkan-nim? The price he spoke at that moment would basically set the market for the Circlet of Purification. Of course, this method couldn¡¯t be used for every rare Item. He could use this method on the Circlet of Purification, because this rare Item was very versatile in its use. Before Hyrkan had returned to the past, the initial market for the Circlet of Purification had been incredibly high. ¡®Yes. All of you guys should keep bidding higher.Keep moving the price higher.¡¯ As Hyrkan had expected, a big bubble had formed regarding the current market for the Circlet of Purification. Hyrkan was finally able to form a smile.It was a feeling akin to paying off a house, and the market price of the house starting to soar.This was how he felt. ¡®Yes.¡¯ Hyrkan remembered something at that moment, and he quickly accessed a site related to Warlord. He immediately took a screenshot of the Circlet of Purification¡¯s Option, and he uploaded it. ¡®This is a service from me.¡¯ He was pouring salt into the wound. Chapter 118 – Prelude to the Great Battle (2) Chapter 118 ¨C Prelude to the Great Battle (2) 4. The cheap coffee was letting out a burnt smell.Ahn-jaehyun zealously put grape flavored candies into his cheap coffee, and he spoke towards the Tablet PC propped up on its stand. ¡°Please don¡¯t speak such nonsense. Even if there is an insufficient supply of Black Cobalt King¡¯s Sword, it is not worth as much as you are claiming.¡± The voice recognition app picked up Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s voice, and his words were put up as text in the chatting window.After a slight delay, the Tablet PC replied in a clear and beautiful voice. ¨C Since we are talking about making a deal with gold, the price has to be adjusted. ¡°Bullshit.¡± Ahn-jaehyun was speaking to himself as he drank his coffee, and he immediately realized his mistake. ¡®Shit!¡¯ His words were immediately picked up by the app, and it transcribed his word into the chatting window.For a moment, he forgot he was chatting through a voice recognition software, and he forgot to be careful with his words. ¡®Ah. Whatever. I won¡¯t go through with it anyways.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun decided to end the negotiation instead of giving an apology. ¡®This negotiation is pointless.This bastard wants 200,000 gold for the Black Cobalt King¡¯s Sword.¡¯ Black Cobalt King¡¯s Sword. It was a level 160 Unique Rank Item.It was considered to be in the upper tier in terms of Options compared to Items of similar Rank.It was being traded at a very high price, because it had an Option that was very advantageous in a Boss Monster hunt.Moreover, the supply wasn¡¯t abundant. The seller was asking for 200,000 gold for the Item. Hyrkan could guarantee that this Item wasn¡¯t worth 200,000 gold. Recently, a Black Cobalt King¡¯s Sword was sold in public through auction, and it had been sold for 150,000 gold.However, this had been an anomalous transaction.No, it wasn¡¯t anomalous.It had been a ploy to raise the market price for the sword. This happened from time to time.There were people, who manipulated the market for an Item in short supply as they tried to increase theirprofit. ¡®Is this bastard perhaps the one that wanted to trade the Circlet of Purification with the sword?¡¯ There were also those who increased the market price, so they could trade it for a different Item. This practice was also known as Bubble Laundry. The Items on Warlord was sold for very high prices, so these kinds of practices happened quite frequently.Warlord was full of swindlers. Of course, from that perspective, Ahn-jaehyun was the biggest swindler of them all.He was trying to manipulate the price of the Circlet of Purification. For example, if it was a story of someone else doing it, it sounds like an adulterous story. If one is part of that story, it sounds like a love story that can¡¯t be heard without crying. ¡®You son of a bitch.If I see you in the game, you¡¯ll suffer the Watchman style.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun was about to grind his teeth when it happened. ¨C You have offended me.Let¡¯s cancel this negotiation. In the end, the other person broke off the deal.Ahn-jaehyun immediately yelled out a warning. ¡°If you get caught messing with the market price of an Item, you¡¯ll see blood! Quit your tricks.¡± The words popped up immediately on the chatting window, but the other person had already left the chatting room.Ahn-jaehyun brought the coffee cup up to his annoyed face. The steam coming up from coffee fogged up Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s glasses, but he wordlessly looked through the fog. ¡®This won¡¯t do.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s character was level 160 now, and he needed a new weapon.It wasn¡¯t as if he couldn¡¯t continue to use the Ivan¡¯s Sword, but he wanted something better.Ivan¡¯s Sword couldn¡¯t be compared to a level 160 Unique Rank Item. ¡®I also need a defensive set.¡¯ He also needed another defensive set. The defensive set he was wearing was quite good.He wouldn¡¯t have a problem wearing it until level 170. The problem was the Circlet of Purification. ¡®I need one that could work in combination with the Circlet of Purification.¡¯ The Circlet of Purification¡¯s Option was unspeakably good. However, there were clear demerits to the Item. The biggest downside was its defense.One couldn¡¯t rely on its defense unlike the normal helms.It wasn¡¯t as if those in Warlord wore helmets that covered the entirety of one¡¯s face, but it was dangerous to leave one¡¯s head bare.Of course, this was the case for the normal Users.Ahn-jaehyun had Bone Armor, so he was in a slightly better position. The second demerit was the fact that it was counted as a helm when wearing a normal set.Basically, when one wore the Circlet of Purification, the Set Option that activated when one wore 5 parts disappeared.In truth, this was what troubled Ahn-jaehyun the most. This was why he needed a new defensive set that worked well with the Circlet of Purification. ¡®The Skeleton Panda set seems ok¡­.¡¯ He actually had an Item in mind that met his requirement. Skeleton Panda set. The attack Option was a bit lacking, but it was an set with great defense and mobility Options.This set was mainly used as a switching set for both the Tankers and Strikers.Of course, the caliber of Users who used this Item were those in the 30 great guild¡¯s first string Raid teams. For normal Users, they couldn¡¯t even dream about using it as a switching set. They could only dream about one day wearing the Item. Fortunately, there was a good number of the set released into the market.The Skeleton Panda set was a Rare Rank Item, and the Skeleton Panda was considered to be a large size monster.This meant a good amount of Ingredients were dropped when a Skeleton Panda was taken down. The problem was¡­¡­. ¡®There is no one in their right mind, who would make a Skeleton Panda Set, with its Helm missing.¡¯ However, what Ahn-jaehyun wanted wasn¡¯t on the market. A set consisted of the Armor, Greaves, Gloves, Shoulder, Boots, Helm, and Shield. The defensive set was divided into 7 Items. First, the shield was treated like a separate Item from the set. The shield was very useful, but at the same time, it had a high chance of being destroyed in battle. Amongst the 6 parts left, 5 parts were combined to make a set Item.The Helm, Armor and Greaves were always included in making a set.The remaining two parts depended on a User¡¯s preference.There were some, who left out the boots.Others chose to exclude the gloves. Of course, all the Set items on the market had the Helm as a matter of course.Since Ahn-jaehyun had to wear the Circlet of Purification, he needed a set with no helm.In the end, he would have to custom order a set or he had to acquire the Ingredients. The problem was the fact that the Ingredients were much more expensive than the already made Items. ¡®Should I look up the price? Yes. I should look up the price.It doesn¡¯t cost me any money to do that.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun wordlessly drank his coffee as he used the auction search function to find out the exact price of the Ingredients. The hand lifting his coffee cup was shaking. Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t have Parkinson¡¯s disease.The fact that his hands were shaking meant that the price was very high. ¡°Fucking crazy game.¡± Ahn-jaehyun spoke words that was as bitter as his coffee. ¡®Shit. Do I really have to give up real money to buy it? How come the Ingredients cost 20,000 gold more than the complete product? How does that make any sense?¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun spat out his anger. Ahn-jaehyun started tapping on the Tablet PC¡¯s calculator before his anger could subside. He was stronger than anyone in front of monsters, but he was the weakest at impulse purchases. That was Ahn-jaehyun. 5. ¡°Ready!¡± At Chev¡¯s shout, the ten Strikers on standby gritted their teeth.Their mouth was tightly shut, but they were all talking to themselves. ¡®This is driving me nuts.¡¯ ¡®Uh-whew.This is worse than the time I received Basic Combat Training from the army.¡¯ Eventually the Thorn Turtle stomped its right front leg against the ground. Koohng! The ground shook.As the Thorn Turtle let out a roar, long and sharp needles grew all over its body, and it was shottowards the Users like arrows. ¡°Bang!¡± When the gun noise came out of Chev¡¯s mouth, the ten Strikers rushed towards the Thorn Baptism. One would be too late if one dodged after seeing the needles, and it wasn¡¯t possible to accidentally dodge the barrage.They had to dodge the thorns using their instincts. Koohng! As soon as they dodged the attack, the Thorn Turtle moved its left foot.It once again fired a volley of thorns, and the ten Strikers had all their senses on high alert as they got ready to dodge again.However, they had closed the distance with the Thorn Turtle, and the time they had to get ready for the attack had been reduced significantly. In the end, one gave up on the second volley as the User pulled out to the back.Three more Strikers gave up on the third volley of the Thorn Baptism.Four people gave up on the fourth volley of the Thorn Baptism.When the Thorn Baptisms came to an end, only two Strikers had reached the Thorn Turtle. Chev closed his mouth tightly when he saw the sight. ¡®We¡¯ve been practicing for a month, yet only two people can do it. If I include myself, that is only 3 Users. I thought I would have at least five.How unfortunate.¡¯ They were training right now. The great battle with the Immoral Prince was approaching, and they were training with that event in mind. Instead of leveling or incrementally increasing their Specs, it was more important for them to be able to respond to various situations. No one knew how the battle would be conducted. Moreover, Red Bulls and most of the skilled Users of the 30 great guilds were specialized at Raid Style battles.They were unparallelled in terms of hunting large sized monsters. However, their skills in small scale warfare and overcoming numerical disadvantage was lacking compared to their Raid skills. This was a weakness possessed by all the 30 great guilds.Moreover, overcoming this weakness would determine if they¡¯ll cry or smile at the end of the battle. ¡°We¡¯ll do it five more times. Don¡¯t disturb the monsters.The Tankers have to last until the cool time of the Thorn Baptism ends.¡± Of course, the guild members were training instead of hunting. This was hell for them. ¡®I can¡¯t believe we are doing this by purposefully letting the monster live.¡¯ ¡®Our guild master is too fierce.¡¯ However, the Red Bulls guild members had it better than the Stormhunters guild members.In the case of the the Stormhunters guild, they had to face someone else on top of fighting the monsters. ¡°Dodge! Open both your eyes as you dodge! Hatch! Why aren¡¯t you moving faster?¡± ¡°I¡¯m moving!¡± ¡°Hahui!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Queen! I¡¯ll stay focused!¡± ¡°We are in a game.If you want to say you are tired, just quit! ¡°Yes.¡± Shir yelled at them, and the 1st string Raid team of the Stormhunters guild moved busily through the rampaging monsters.The magicians threw their magic and the Tankers were using every method they could devise to protect the mages as the monsters targeted them.When the Tankers stood up the monsters, the Strikers immediately moved in.The priests ran back and forth in the chaos as they revived dead Users. They also recast new Buffs as the old ones expired. ¡°We are in the last 5 minutes.¡± Unlike their movements from before, the Users moved more frantically when Shir informed them of the time. ¡®If we don¡¯t get the timing right this time, I¡¯m ending this.¡¯ ¡®The guild master is scarier than the monsters..¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m leaving this guild when my contract ends.If only my contract was at an end¡­ Shit.¡¯ The guild members felt it through their bodies that Shir became much scarier when her voice calmed down. In Shir¡¯s case, she thought differently from Chev.If Chev was trying to increase their ability to respond to any situation, Shir was the opposite.She wanted to hunt down as many monsters as quickly as possible. ¡®If we want to catch a lot of them, we have to catch them fast.¡¯ At that moment, another guild was using a different method from these two guilds to get ready for the war. 6. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡± The very serious tone was coming out of a being with a youthful appearance. Bagel, the protector of the Terube castle walls, shook its head from side to side. Hydra¡¯s eighth head Natal was standing in front of Bagel.Natal spoke once again towards Bagel. ¡°You have to believe me.¡± ¡°Prince Dean has worked the hardest in winning the war against the monsters.¡± ¡°However, all the information I have brought you is pointing towards Prince Dean.¡± ¡°That is¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t Bagel-nim the one who gave me all these Missions?¡± Bagel. He was the guardian of the Terube castle walls, and he managed the battlefields.He was also the right hand man of Prince Dean, and the Hydra guild had decided to go through the Quest route that passed through Bagel. Bagel was a member of the Secret Society. However, he had served Prince Dean his whole life, so he was beyond shocked when he found out that Prince Dean was the one using the power of Corruption.Of course, Bagel tried to deny this fact. However, Natal had brought a flag, and it was an irrefutable evidence that pointed out Prince Dean as the hidden power behind the Corrupted Army. Bagel shut his eyes. Natal closely observed Bagel. The Hydra guild was able to progress much faster in Quests compared to others, because they were very serious about the Quests. This was only a game to others, so they only half-listened to the Quest conversation.However, this wasn¡¯t true for the Hydra guild. They didn¡¯t think of the game as reality.However, they were fully immersed into the game. In the end, the game was made with a purpose in mind.There was a reason behind the existence of every content in the game.If one could find the meaning behind their existence, that information could become a clue.This was what the Hydra guild believed, and this belief brought incredible results. There was no way Bagel knew what Natal was thinking.Bagel laboriously opened its mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll go meet with Prince Dean myself.¡± At that moment¡­ [The Quest ¡®Bagel¡¯s Loyalty¡¯ has started.] Natal heard the Quest Announcement in his ears. Natal quickly calculated in his mind. ¡®I¡¯ll have to go with Plan B. So the option left to me is¡­¡­.¡¯ When Bagel met Prince Dean, Bagel will immediately ask about the Corrupted Army.This will unmask Prince Dean.Prince Dean had been appointed the Guardian of the North by the King, yet it¡¯ll become known that he had been aiming to steal the king¡¯s seat as the Immoral Prince. This will lead to the start of a war. ¡°It¡¯ll be dangerous.¡± ¡°If Prince Dean is really behind everything¡­ My life will be forfeit. There will be no clearer evidence than him killing me.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be a pointless death.The evidence is already irrefutable.I won¡¯t let Bagel-nim die in vain.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve served Prince Dean my entire life, yet I hadn¡¯t been able to stop him from being Corrupted. It is a sin that is worthy of death.¡± At that moment, two choices presented itself in front of Natal. Should he follow Bagel to meet Prince Dean?Or should he let Bagel go by himself, and watch him die? Normal Users would choose the option that was within the User¡¯s ability.It was the same for Natal. ¡®There is a Block Field beyond the Terube castle walls. If I consider all the conversations I had with Bagel regarding the Battlefield stage, there is something beyond beyond the Terube castle walls.There is an important region beyond the northern Block Field.It¡¯s probably something much bigger in scale compared to the recently discovered Cursed Castle.Moreover, there is a high probability that Bagel will be the main NPC if an event does occur¡­¡¯ However, Natal and the Hydra guild¡¯s ability couldn¡¯t be compared to the normal Users. ¡®There is a high probability that Bagel won¡¯t die.Maybe if I follow him, I might earn some merit afterwards.¡¯ ¡°I will go with you.¡± Bagel shook its head at Natal¡¯s words. ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to put yourself in danger.¡± ¡°No matter what I do from now on I¡¯ll have to put my life on the line.That won¡¯t change even now¡± At those words, Bagel opened his tightly shut eyes. ¡°Thank you, Natal.If it wasn¡¯t for your help¡­When everything ends and if I¡¯m still alive, I will serve you for the rest of your life.¡± Serve. Natal smiled at the word. Chapter 119 – Prelude the Great Battle (3) Chapter 119 ¨C Prelude the Great Battle (3) 7. ¡°Go!¡± At Sohank¡¯s shout, Natal started running away with Bagel on his back. Natal didn¡¯t hesitate at all as he moved his feet. The Corrupted Centaurs wore full armor that made them look more knightly than most knights.Sohank didn¡¯t show any hesitations as he faced 10 Corrupted Centaurs. ¡®Even if I die, it¡¯ll only be for 48hrs.Let¡¯s do this!¡¯ Instead of running away, Sohank used his Charge skill to run towards the approaching group of Centaurs.Sohank was charging like a mad bull, and he used Body Slam to send the leading Centaur flying.The Centaur was 4 meters long, and it was 3 meters in height. The massive body of the Centaur was thrown backwards just like that. At the same time, the Centaur closest to Sohank thrust its spear accurately towards Sohank¡¯s head. Shweeek! The sound of destruction coming towards him was frightening. Ggahhng! Sohank¡¯s response to the sound of destruction was to use the Heading skill.Instead of avoiding the spear coming towards his head, he used Heading to deflect the attack. It was inelegant, but the result was indisputable.The spear bounced off his head, and the Centaur showed an opening.Sohank didn¡¯t miss capitalizing on the opening that was created. Several skills were stacked on the sword, and Sohank swung it towards the Centaur¡¯s forelegs. Kwah-jeek! Sohank¡¯s sword strike broke both its forelegs. When the Centaur lost its use of its forelegs, it fell over.Sohank punched the fallen Centaur¡¯s head. Ggwahhng! It was a single punch, but the Centaur¡¯s body shook uncontrollably as it lay on the floor. It was a level 170 Unique Skill exclusive to the Fighter class.It was called Concussion Punch. The skill had the powerful effect of causing a Stun status, and the skill was worth its price.It was such an expensive skill that one had a hard time acquiring it even if one had money. Of course, Sohank possessed a skill that was more expensive than the Concussion Punch. ¡°Awooooo!¡± A wolf¡¯s cry exploded forth from Sohank¡¯s mouth. Howling! It was a level 190 Unique Skill exclusive to the Fighter class. It was the last skill one could get as a Fighter Class, who had gone through only the 1st Advancement. It had the effect of adding an additional 10% damage to the monsters in the surrounding for a limited amount of time! It also reduced the damage the User took by 10%! At the same time, it gave the Fear effect to the surrounding monsters.It also had secondary Option of pulling the aggro. Currently, there were only two Fighter class Users in Warlord who possessed this skill.The skill was possessed by the First One Sulwoo, and the Second Head Sohank. Several Corrupted Centaurs had ignored Sohank as they were about to chase after Natal, who was running away with Bagel on his back.The Howling had the effect of focusing all the attention of the Corrupted Centaur on him. In a flash, Sohank was surrounded. Sohank laughed at his own situation. ¡®Mission complete.¡¯ Sohank¡¯s role was to make sure there were no pursuers following after Natal.Natal understood this fact, so he immediately stopped running.He checked up on Bagel¡¯s condition. ¡°Are you ok, Bagel-nim?¡± When meeting with Prince Dean, Bagel had observed decorum as he took off the heavy armor he always wore.Instead,Bagel had worn luxurious clothes one might see on an entertainer.However, Prince Dean wasn¡¯t there to greet Bagel. ¡°I¡¯m all right. I avoided the critical blow.¡± ¡°Still, you are bleeding heavily.¡± ¡°If such a flesh wound could kill me, someone else would have already taken my place as the caretaker of the Terube castle walls by now.Moreover, I refuse to die by Agardo¡¯s hands.¡± Sir Agardo. He was a blonde haired knight, who was known as the left hand of Prince Dean.He had disguised himself as Prince Dean, and he had been waiting for Bagel.Bagel tried to observe etiquette by kneeling on one knee with his head lowered.As soon as Bagel was raising his lowered head, a sword stabbed towards Bagel¡¯s heart. In that brief moment, Bagel avoided the attack.As a result, Sir Agardo¡¯s sword pierced through Bagel¡¯s shoulder instead of his heart. Afterwards, Bagel let out a counterattack, and he was able to escape the room.Natal and Sohank had been on standby, and they attempted to escape with Bagel.Natal let out a sigh when he exited the castle. ¡®I was fortunate.¡¯ [You¡¯ve earned the Title ¡®Those who Helped Bagel Escape¡¯.] [You¡¯ve earned the Title ¡®Bagel¡¯s Savior¡¯.] [You¡¯ve earned the Title ¡®Observer of History¡¯.] At that moment, the consecutive Announcement rang out in his ears to announce the three titles he had earned. Sohank used the Voice Talk to speak to Natal.Sohank was far away from Natal now. ¨C Natal! Did you also get the Titles? Sohank¡¯s voice was still overflowing with energy. ¡°How are you faring?¡± ¨C I did well in taking down five of them, but it seems I¡¯ll be taken down soon! Even though he was about to die, Sohank¡¯s voice was upbeat.Sohank was that type of a person.If he died, he died. He¡¯ll just catch up on dramas he missed for the next 48 hours!This was how he played the game. Of course, from the Hyrdra guild¡¯s perspective, this trait worried them the most about him. ¡°If you hold out a little bit longer, the support team will be there!¡± ¨C I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to hold out any longer. Sohank was Hydra guild¡¯s best fighting power.The very best Items and Skill Books they gained was given to Sohank first. For the Hyrda guild, he was like a walking treasure box, yet he treated himself without much care.This frustrated the other officers of the Hydra guild to no end. ¡®Shit.I still need more time until the support team arrives.¡¯ Sohank and Natal were the only two allowed to participate in the meeting with Bagel and Prince Dean. Still, they had prepared a contingency plan.There was a support team on standby, but they were a long distance away. As with any business,it wasn¡¯t easy for the support team to arrive on time.They only moved if something went wrong.The support team stayed in place until that actually happened. If Natal¡¯s calculations were correct, the support team needed 5 minutes until they would be able to arrive near Sohank. ¨C The support team is here! ¡°What?¡± Unlike Natal¡¯s prediction, the support team arrived immediately. ¨C Uh? Why are you guys here so early? Sohank was surprised. ¨C We received an order from the First Head.When Prince Dean insisted on a private meeting with Bagel, we were told to go to the agreed escape route. ¡°You should have told me about it earlier!¡± Natal yelled out as if he was angry, but there was no signs of anger on his face. ¡®As expected of our guild, everyone is quick thinking.¡¯ He had just escaped danger, so there was no reason to feel bad. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Natal looked as if he was talking to himself.Of course, Bagel didn¡¯t understand what was going on, so Bagel asked Natal a question. Natal shut his mouth. ¡°It is nothing.I was just talking to myself.¡± ¡°This situation is urgent.These facts¡­. We have to notify the Secret Society.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll inform them.¡± When he said those words, Bagel immediately handed over its Secret Society Ring, and a letter soaked in blood. ¡°Please deliver this to Ahimbree.¡± [The Quest ¡®Prelude to the Great Battle¡¯ has started.] ¡°Yes.Of course, I will deliver it to him.¡± That moment was the start of a new age. 8. [This is an announcement.] ¡®Huh?¡¯ When Hyrkan connected to the game, an announcement immediately arrived. ¡®What kind of announcement?¡¯ There were usually two types of announcement.The first type was from the creator of Warlord, Tobot Soft, sending out an important announcement.The other instance was when there was a change to a currently progressing Quest. If it was an issue regarding an electronic gear, Hyrkan would have known about it before he accessed the game.He was one of the numerous Users, who gathered and organized new informations before he connected to the game. This type of information gathering was a basic of basics for those who earn their keep through playing this game. This meant this was an announcement related to a Quest. ¡®Can it be?¡¯ Before Hyrkan could check the exact content of the announcement, he already had a hunch on what this was about. Moreover, Hyrkan¡¯s hunch was right on the money. [NPC Maeung and every quest related to him will be restricted from progressing.] Progress Restricted! This wasn¡¯t just any NPC.His progress in the Maeung¡¯s Quests was restricted! ¡®Someone stepped on the Prince Dean¡¯s tail.¡¯ It was the start to the great battle. ¡®Who was it? It couldn¡¯t be the Storm Hunters, since they were on the same Quest Route as me.Was it the Red Bulls?Or was it some guild outside of the 3 great guilds?¡¯ Hyrkan had his suspicions, but he decided not to act based on his suspicions. He didn¡¯t have much time.Hyrkan wasn¡¯t the only one, who noticed the change.A great number of Warlord Users probably realized what was happening, and they¡¯ll immediately mobilize. If everyone suddenly moved at the same time, the person who got up first would beat the traffic jam.He had to go meet Maeung before the traffic congestion occurred, and he had to receive the new Quest. This was why Hyrkan was running full tilt towards the Bulkas mountain range. He had been waiting for this.There would be confusion caused by Maeung¡¯s disappearance, and he had the secret note given to him by the Bulkas¡¯ Ranger. 9. It was a forest. This forest was like the Elven villages.Only select Users could enter it. However, Users had come to the circle around the forest like a pack of hyenas. ¡°Shit! I lost it again!¡± ¡°It seems they are planning on taking everything.Isn¡¯t this a bit too much?¡± They had come here to eat the scraps, yet they were left to sucking on their thumbs.Of course, they vented their frustrations. Moreover, the people online were also in an uproar. ¨C Isn¡¯t the Maeung¡¯s side incredible?Someone caught sight of Ballista and the Storm Princess moving together. ¨C I think all of Red Bulls is moving on towards here. ¨C Hahoe Mask! The Hahoe Mask has appeared! The Main Scenario Quest had been progressing on the down low, and this moment was when the front-runners were revealed. This information caused a ruckus, and it was impossible for the user base to stay composed. Those who carried out the Main Scenario Quests faithfully gathered in one place to fight the Immoral Prince. The atmosphere between them was frigid. Even though some of them saw each other on a regular basis, they didn¡¯t even give each other a smile. It was the same when Hyrkan appeared. Usually, the reaction to Hyrkan¡¯s appearance was quite predictable.Usually, the Users became surprised as they conversed with each other or they glared at him with an annoyed expression. However, everyone was silent as they focused their attention on Hyrkan. They merely registered the Hahoe Mask as a new rival in their minds. Even the Storm Princess, who had been going crazy wanting to beat Hyrkan with her own two hands, was standing still. What other explanation was needed? Hyrkan was also acting in a similar fashion. He looked at the noteworthy Users.Even though the Stormhunters guild members were present, Hyrkan didn¡¯t get angry. ¡®It¡¯s the Storm Princess and Ballista. Have they started dating? Or did they start dating at a later date?¡¯ Everyone just too note of who was present here. They kept their mouth shut as they waited.Several more people were joined the pool of rivals. After a brief amount of time, Maeung finally appeared. ¡°Prince Dean has finally revealed his evil influence!¡± After he appeared, Maeung went into a one-sided speech. ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to get into the details.¡± First, Maeung made sure no one would ask him questions. ¡°Prince Dean¡­ No, the Immoral Prince used the power of Corruption to form the Corrupted army.Moreover, this army is filled with powerful and scary beings. This horde will move to swallow this world.¡± The Users gathered here had invested a great amount of time, effort and money into the Main Scenario Quests over a several month span. In the end, they were being gathered under the same coat of arms. One would expect them to feel despondent, but no one present here fidgeted from being let down.The anxiousness of waiting for a new mission blew away any let down they would have felt. ¡°Ours first task is to save the continent from this war!¡± The Users were listening to the speech with serious expressions.This was evidence that the Users present weren¡¯t feeling letdown. ¡°Furthermore, our second task is to defeat the Immoral Prince!¡± Most of the Users had a smile as excitement overtook their expressions. ¡°Our third task is is to save the world from the fear caused by the power of Corruption!¡± [The Quest ¡®Great Battle¡¯ will start.] He couldn¡¯t help, but also be excited. ¡®Oh oh oh!¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll be the protagonist this time.¡¯ This was a scary venture, but at the same time, they were the selected few.They¡¯ll be given a chance to open a treasure chests with incredible value. Who wouldn¡¯t feel excited by such news? There was exactly one person who wasn¡¯t. ¡®Ah.I remember now.¡¯ Hyrkan was the only one who didn¡¯t have an excited smile on his face.His lips turned down as it settle into a frown. ¡®At the time, the Users ignorantly launched attacks, and it had been quite the spectacle to see them wiped out.¡¯ Hyrkan knew what would happen.The great battle that¡¯ll start from this point was much more difficult than any battles everyone in this game had experience before. This was the reason why Hyrkan was confident in himself. ¡®I have good enough odds in this great battle.¡¯ 10. [This will be the start of Warlord¡¯s second Main Scenario Quest.It is the last chapter of the ¡®Immoral Prince¡¯ chapter!] [It is the Great Battle!] [Those with the bracelet can participate in the Immoral Prince Raid.Let us find out who possesses the bracelets!] [The Hyrdra guild revealed the identity of the Immoral Prince. Exclusive interview!] The start of the great battle created a bigger ripple effect than expected. Of course, the portion of the media that focused their topics around Warlord talked about it.However, even the media that had been disinterested in the game quickly moved to push out articles related to Warlord. In Japan, the news programs reported on contents relating to the great battle. Even those who had been disinterested in Warlord were paying more interest now. Of course, the Warlord Users and the fans, who enjoy watching the game, wouldn¡¯t stay calm for this.They all gathered online, and their interest was intense like a molten lava. ¨C Yes.This is it! ¨C This Main Scenario Quest is a jackpot. Aren¡¯t normal Users able to participate? ¨C We can¡¯t participate in the Immoral Prince Raid, so how is this a jackpot for us?It was the same with the Corrupt Count.In the end, didn¡¯t the Users, who already have a lot, benefit the most?This is a really dirty game.I don¡¯t know why I play this game. ? This bastard will be cut down by the Immoral Prince in 3 seconds. ? I predict 2 seconds. ? I bet my V gear that we wouldn¡¯t be able to last 1 second. ¨C I¡¯ve never fought a Corrupted monster before.Just being able to fight them will be a reward in itself. ¨C I feel the same way.Always, will we be able to gain the Pursuer of Corruption title from fighting these Corrupted monsters? ¨C There is a rumor that says the Corrupted Items will start dropping again! ¨C Really? It¡¯ll be a jackpot if Corrupted Items appears. The Warlord Users were a hopeful bunch.No¡­They were filled with romanticism more so than hopefulness.The Main Scenario Quest was like a story from a different world, but they became filled with romanticism when they realized they would be able to enjoy a part of the Main Scenario Quest. ¨C The Corrupt Arrmy has appeared at the Bulkas mountain range!They are level 100 monsters! ¨C Wow! Let¡¯s go immediately and kill them! ¨C I¡¯m gathering a team to fight the Corrupt army.Anyone above level 100 may join. The Users were full of romanticism, and there wasn¡¯t a single inkling of fear as they charged into battle. However, when the romanticism inside the battlefield¡­. ¨C What the hell?Why are they so strong? ¨C The difficulty level is fucked up! ¨C Warlord is really a dirty game. ¡­immediately turned into lamentation. Chapter 120 – Bad Ending? (1) Chapter 120 ¨C Bad Ending? (1) 1. ¡°Get ready, Magicians! Be ready!¡± King Marciba of the Hiban Kingdom was located at the center of the continent.The Azman castle was located at the southeast edge of the kingdom.There was a tower that was much taller than the Class tower located there. It was named the Azman¡¯s Tower, and occasionally, Users gained the qualification to be able to climb to the top of the tower through Quests. If one gained the rare opportunity to climb to the top of the tower, one won¡¯t find anything special there.Instead, one will be able to see through the numerous windows that lay open on top of the tower.One would be able to see the great plains surrounding the Azman castle. This sight alongside the Clapper Jungle was part of the 10 great sceneries one could view in Warlord. ¡°The monsters are a stone¡¯s throw away.How long do you want us to be on standby?¡± ¡°The battle line of Tankers is being pushed back! If we are going to attack, we have to attack now!¡± ¡°These Tanker bastards keep making me want to swear. Hold the line a little bit better, you retards!¡± Currently, there was a never before seen chaos occurring on the great plains of Daewoo. The Corrupted army consisting of all sorts of monsters. They were of varying levels, but they all possessed weapons and black pupils.They were heading towards the Azman castle. An army consisting of several thousand monsters were attacking. It looked as if a tide was coming in. The Tankers were wearing bulky armors that doubled their body size.The Tankers held out shields that would easily cover their entire body.Their role was to to block the tide from coming in. It was a collision of one battle line against another! It was reminiscent of that particular blockbuster movie that based its subject matter on a great battle. The reality of being in such a battle was different from watching it through a movie screen. The battle line was gone. ¡°The line is broken over here!¡± ¡°The line on our side broke too!Help us a little bit!¡± ¡°We are trapped! Help! Help!¡± The line was looking like a zigzag, and even that was being pushed out of existence.The battle line created by the Tankers was already gone. There had been Users that had been steamrolled, and it caused the battle line to be cut to pieces.Moreover, there were Users, who had charged forward through their own volition, and now they were stranded away from the battle line. This was why a war was difficult.A kid could line up troops in a straight line. However, it was a whole different task to fortify, maintain and adapt the line.Even famed generals in history had a hard time doing this task. Moreover, this army was using a voice talk program to talk to each other.The line of communication was complicated like a spider web, and this issue had pushed the situation towards a worse outcome. At first, it hadn¡¯t been a problem.Of course, problems crop up as time passes, and various issues start to pile up on each.When the pile get sufficiently large, it creates an explosive situation. This was the point when the pile of issues was about to explode. ¡°Uh. Someone threw a magical spell?¡± ¡°What? Are we suppose to throw it now? Didn¡¯t they tell us to be on stand-by?¡± ¡°Look over there!Someone just threw one!¡± ¡°Whatever.Let¡¯s throw it first and worry about it later!¡± No one knew the timing of the magical bombardment.The magicians had been on standby with their Casting completed.They started throwing their magical spells. None of the magic spells being sent forward was crappy.Each magicians had prepared a magical spell they considered to be their best magic. When these magical spells reached the battlefield, the sight was incredible. The ground turned into a sea of fire as it boiled, and the clear sky was filled with consecutive thunder strikes.Between the thunder strikes, fire arrows and ice arrows rained down.One could also hear a knife-like wind sweeping across the battlefield. The monsters cried out when they were confronted with magic.One couldn¡¯t find a single commonality amongst their appearance, but they all were susceptible to the damage of magic. ¡°Ah. Really!Those sons of a bitches magicians!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill all the mages!¡± ¡°Help! Help! Don¡¯t runaway priests!¡± However, the Tankers mixed in with the monsters shared the same weakness. If one was able to yell out, one was fortunate. There were Tankers, whose HP had been in a bad place from the continuous battle.Then there were the Tankers with bad Item settings where their magic defense and resistance to elements was low.These Tankers alongside the low level Users suffered Game Over before they could even yell out. In such a situation, the priests were the stopgap measure placed to right the ship, but they weren¡¯t rushing into the battle. The Tankers were asking for help, but the priests were wondering if they should charge in.They would have to accept the risk, yet they would be helping out Users they had never met before until today.They agonized over the decision. Most of the Users gathered at the great plains of Daewoo agonized over similar questions they were confronted with. Several Users quick arrived at an answer. ¡°Hey.Let¡¯s run away.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°No one has the answer here.Even if we fight on, wouldn¡¯t we just die in the end?¡± The answer was to run away. When running a war, the most important detail one had to pay attention to was desertion. There were cases where one killed deserters on the spot to curb desertion. Desertion was a reality of war. However, this wasn¡¯t really a real war where their life and the fate of their country was hanging on a balance.Wasn¡¯t this just a game? The Users, who chose to run away, didn¡¯t hesitate.They quickly carried out the practical option presented to t hem. The Users started to run away. Funnily enough, the deserters acted in almost a synchronized fashion.It was as if everyone had decided to run away at the same moment.They were finally able to form a proper battle line.The retreat was impeccable. On the other side, the Corrupt army had taken a lot of damage, yet they calmly marched on.They stepped over the corpses of their comrade, and there weren¡¯t any Users left to impede them.They charged towards the Azman castle wall. Koong koong koong! The charging monsters reformed their broken battle line. The sound of the ground shaking was incredible as the battle line approached the castle walls. ¡®What a mess.¡¯ Hyrkan had been watching the battle from start to finish from atop the castle wall.Hyrkan kept snorting in derision.The sight he had witnessed up until now was that absurd. ¡®The Azman castle will fall today.¡¯ Hyrkan would bet his entire net worth on the fact that the Azman castle will be in the hands of the Corrupted army. However, this was the situation he had been waiting for. ¡®Shall I start getting ready for battle?¡¯ 2. [Your level has increased.] His HP and Magic Power was replenished through the Level Up Bonus. Hyrkan grabbed a fistful of Bone Explosives, and he threw them into the air. The Bone Explosives were small, but they expanded as if they were sponges soaked in water.Then it descended on top of the monster. Kwah-gwah-gwahng! The Bone Explosives detonated with a loud boom, and its effect was considerable. The explosion caused by the Bone Explosives ruthlessly crushed and destroyed the armors worn by the monster.The skill¡¯s Proficiency had reached Rank A, so he had to use pretty expensive Bone Ingredients to craft it. ¡®Ah, my money!¡¯ The Bone Explosives were so powerful that it even made Hyrkan queasy in the stomach. The Skeleton Warriors charged towards the Corrupted Twin Head Troll, who had lost its defensive gears.While the Skeleton Warriors took care of business, Hyrkan climbed a still intact roof to survey his surrounding. ¡®Aigo¡­¡­.¡¯ The sight of the Azman castle came into view, and it was a terrible sight.A good number of buildings had fallen.However, as if this didn¡¯t satisfy the monsters, numerous monsters were charging towards the Asman¡¯s Tower. There were pocket of resistance in various locations inside the city, which had kept the castle from falling until now.However, it seemed unlikely the street battles would stop the advance of the Corrupted Army. Hyrkan pursed his lips as he watched the sight. ¡®Isn¡¯t this the 55th fallen castle within this week? I¡¯m pretty sure all the battles at other sites went poorly.Then¡­. Ah.I don¡¯t know.¡¯ It had been a week since the great battle had started. Hyrkan had gained three levels within the week.The level up pace was incredibly fast. The secret to his success was the street battles! When the monsters entered into the city, Hyrkan used the buildings to his advantage. He would block the traffic of monsters, and he would attack from all sides. Basically, he was hunting at the edge of the Corrupted army.The merit one would gain in fighting the Corrupted army out in the wide open plains wasn¡¯t that high compared to the risk one took.Hyrkan was well aware of this fact. On the other hand, Hyrkan¡¯s incredible level up pace meant that he had conducted countless street battles, and this meant the castle was constantly on the verge of falling. ¡®My pace is faster by several times compared to the pace I experienced before I came to the past.¡¯ This was why Hyrkan welcomed the current situation. The great battle was like playing a conquest game. Currently, there were a total of 519 castles that had been released to the Users. The Corrupted army lead by the Immoral Prince and the Users were in a war that was akin to capturing and controlling territories. In truth, Hyrkan didn¡¯t worry himself about this part of the war.Before he returned to the past, over 30 castles had fallen in a week when the undisciplined battles with the Users were carried out.However, the 30 great guilds eventually stepped forward, and they changed the tide of the war.The advance of the Corrupted army slowed.Before the Immoral Prince was killed, about 40 castles were constantly being changed hands by the Users and the Corrupted army. ¡®The 30 great guild has to move soon¡­¡­.¡¯ However, double the number of castles had been taken right now compared to before.The main cause was the disorganized nature of the Users, but it was also the fault of the 30 great guilds.They weren¡¯t participating in the great battle as if they had all come to an agreement not to participate in it.It wasn¡¯t as if individuals from the 30 great guilds didn¡¯t participate in the great battle.However, they moved at an individual level instead of a guild level. ¡®This is a bit fishy.¡¯ If the 30 great guilds didn¡¯t participate in earnest, the great battle would proceed into an unfavorable outcome. ¡®Will they close down the game service if the Immoral Prince gains the throne?No way.¡¯ Hyrkan thought about the worst case scenario as he stuck out his tongue from between his lips. ¡®There is no way they¡¯ll do that.¡¯ Even he thought that was a ridiculous notion. ¡®The 30 great guilds aren¡¯t idiots.They¡¯ll have to start moving soon.¡¯ Kwahng! While Hyrkan was deep in thoughts, a big portion of the castle wall fell. Koo-goo-goo-goo! As the loud sound of the castle wall falling down rang out, the ground shook.The ground shook as if there was an earthquake, and it shook his vision.From across the fallen castle wall, Hyrkan could see the Corrupted army pour in.It was as if a dam had just broke. Hyrkan checked his Skeleton Warriors from the side of his eyes.The Skeleton Warriors had already killed the monster, and they were waiting for their next order.Instead of giving the Skeleton Warriors an order, he changed them back into Skeleton Fragments. It was time for him to run away. 3. ¡°The officer¡¯s meeting came to an end not too long ago.The V&V guild decided not to participate in the great battle.¡± ¡°They made a wise decision.¡± ¡°We took Sinclair-nim¡¯s advice.We decided there were too much downside in stepping forward so early.¡± ¡°No. It wasn¡¯t an advice¡­It feels like I might have said something unnecessary.¡± ¡°No way. Your counsel was a big help for us.¡± Sinclair finished exchanging information with the officer of the V&V guild.After he gave a slight bow, he turned his back.After several steps, Sincliar mumbled to himself in a very low voice. ¡°The V&V guild won¡¯t participate in the great battle.¡± ¨C You did well. An answer arrived immediately through the voice talk program. ¡°What about the others?¡± ¨C Including the V&V guild, 7 guilds have expressed their intent for non-participation. Non-participation. At those words, Sinclair had a strangely unsatisfied expression on his face.His expression indicated he wasn¡¯t upset, but his lips jutted out a little bit. ¡°Seven guilds¡­¡­ If couple more guilds join them, the flow of public opinion might be swayed to a different direction.¡± ¨C Maybe. We¡¯ll have to wait and see. When one heard the voice of the other person, it seemed he also fount current result to be unsatisfactory. Sinclair once again judged the distance between the officers of the V&V guild.When he gained some more distance, Sinclair¡¯s voice got louder in volume. ¡°What about those three guilds?¡± 4. ¡°Why aren¡¯t we running the great battle?¡± It had been awhile since Hatch had free time within the game.He had been watching a new movie when Hahui asked him a question.He gave his answer. ¡°I have no idea.¡± Chul-kuhk! Hahui partially unsheathed the sword on her waist, and she sheathed it.When he heard the distinct sound of steel, Hatch paused the movie. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask your question to the Queen you like so much?Why do you keep bothering me?¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Huh huh. You are the one asking me for a favor, yet the words coming out of your mouth make me wonder if that is the case.¡± ¡°You want me to beat you?¡± Hatch gritted his teeth at Hahui¡¯s words. He had on an expression akin to an animal growling.However, Hatch managed to pull his lower lip over his upper lip as he shut his mouth.If Hatch had his way, he would teach Hahui a lesson.However, when it came down to a life or death battle, it was unclear as to who will be chastised.This was why he held himself back. ¡°This.We can¡¯t run it because of this.¡± Hatch shook the bracelet on his wrist. The bracelet was giving off a soft light. It was an Item given out by the Secret Society.It qualified them to be able to fight the Immoral Prince.. It¡¯s official name was the Battle Token. It didn¡¯t possess any Options that would increase one¡¯s Stats.However, when the time for the Immoral Prince Raid arrives, the bracelet would indicate the location of the Immoral Prince.This was why it was called the Battle Token. Moreover, this bracelet was given only to the members of the Secret Society or those who gained the Destroyer of Corruption title. On top of it all, there was also a special exemption given to those who participated in the Corrupt Count raid.Basically, anyone from the Red Bulls and Stormhunters, who participated in the Corrupt Count Raid, possessed the qualification to be able to participate in the Immoral Prince raid. These two guilds had spend so much effort in trying to to complete the Immoral Prince episode, and they felt their effort had been a little bit of a waste. This information had been spread to the media.This was the result of someone spilling the beans to the media when the person gained the bracelet. ¡°What about the bracelet?¡± This was the reason why nothing was happening. This was the reason why the Stormhunters guild, Red bulls guild and the Hyra guild couldn¡¯t move in an aggressive manner with the great battle on the horizon. ¡°If someone wearing the bracelet guides the outcome of the great battle, wouldn¡¯t that look like that person is trying to take all the benefit to himself?¡± This was the problem. It was already decided who could participate in the Immoral Prince raid. Of course, those who earned the qualification felt as if they put in the work and effort into gaining it.However, from the perspective of the Users that hadn¡¯t even been given a chance to participate, they felt as if the situation was unfair. At the very least, the Corrupt Count Raid had a queue.If the guild in front of the line failed, the next in line could take a crack at it.However, the Immoral Prince Raid didn¡¯t have such a system.If a challenger failed, the same pool of challengers will be allowed to re-attempt it.It wouldn¡¯t allow new Users to join. At the very least, this was the extent of the information revealed to them regarding the Raid. Not all Users could participate on the stage of the great battle.What would happen if the Red Bulls, Stormhunters or the Hydra guild proceeded to carry out the Raid as a monopoly? Of course, there was no rules preventing them from doing so.However, this wouldn¡¯t be looked at fondly by the court of public opinions. The three guilds, who gained the bracelets, were incredibly popular in the court ofpublic opinions.If one ordered the 30 great guilds in terms of popularity, these three guilds would be within the top 5. If their popularity was ass like the Big Smiles guild, they would try something, but this wasn¡¯t the case for the three guilds. On top of those facts, Red Bulls guild and the Stormhunters guild gained a great number of Secret Society¡¯s Tokens. This made it look as if these guilds had stolen the chance of participating in the Immoral Prince Raid from the normal Users. Of course, Hahui couldn¡¯t immediately understand the implication of Hatch¡¯s explanation. ¡°What is wrong with monopolizing the great battle?They should have killed the Corrupt Count or finish the Main Scenario Quest if they wanted to participate.¡± ¡°This is the nature of humans.If one is at a drinking party and someone one barely knew boasted about his success, one would get a belly ache from jealousy.This is human nature.Have I answered the question to your satisfaction?¡± Hahui looked at Hatch with an unsatisfied expression.In truth, she still didn¡¯t have a clear understanding of the current state of affair.Hatch ignored her as he started his movie again. At that moment¡­ ¨C There is an emergency. This time someone who was much scarier than the Princess had interrupted Hatch from watching his movie. It was the fearsome Queen. ¡®Uh-whew. I just fought off a wildcat, and now a tiger is going to attack me.¡¯ Hatch gave up on watching his movie as he licked his lips. Chapter 121 – Bad Ending? (2) Chapter 121 ¨C Bad Ending? (2) 5. ¨C Another castle fell.What number is that one? ¨C I don¡¯t care.It is already in ruins.No matter what we do there isn¡¯t an answer.This great battle is a bug! ¨C I feel the same way. The great battle is a completely trash of a quest.The difficulty is too high! It was the 10 days after the great battle had started. Everyone thought the great battle would be a festival, but it had been a complete disaster from the start. This situation was akin to a drunk host showing up at a much anticipated party.Moreover, as the host was carrying out his duties, he threw up.This was that level of a disaster. Every one of the battles fought by the Users had resulted in a defeat.The results were so sorry that it was hard to call it a war between the Users and the Corrupted army.The Users were losing in a very overwhelming fashion. Of course, a stumble may prevent a fall.In a war, victories and defeats were inevitable.However, if one saw the the progress of the battles live, one wouldn¡¯t dare utter such a proverb. ¨C This isn¡¯t about the high difficulty.The Users are just dumb.Shouldn¡¯t the blame for the losses be more on the Users? ¨C I feel the same way.I can overlook the fact that they aren¡¯t in sync.However, they are fighting with allies when the enemies are right in front of them.Their actions doesn¡¯t make any sense. This is quite a mess. This was how underwhelming the sight of the Users fighting against the Corrupted army was.It was well below expectation. No, this was beyond being below expectation.It almost defied common sense. ¨C Mess? Maybe you should try fighting them yourself! Do you really think you¡¯ll do any better? ¨C You bastards don¡¯t even know how to play this game.Why don¡¯t you guys come over and participate? ¨C It is a mess! The heavyweight like the Hahoe Mask is putting up a proper fight! ¨C Aren¡¯t the Fighters guild doing well too? Whistling Pitbull is doing especially well. He still had the skills he displayed in his earlier fame.No, he looks to be much scarier than before. ¨C There is a team made by Users, and aren¡¯t they doing well?Their name is Kiyo or whatever.In truth, we are in this predicament, because of the regular Users.Those who were good at this game are continuing to excel in this game. Of course, not everyone was failing in the great battle. Heroes always appeared in the times of turbulence.After the initial confusion, the turbulence allowed Users to distinguish themselves. Some Users were shining brighter than ever. ¨C Anyways, Hahoe Mask is the best. ¨C I¡¯ll accept that. Amongst the bright stars, the star called the Hahoe Mask shone the brightest. ¨C Even as the castle was falling, he was able to taken down several hundred monsters before he escaped.At the very least, everyone should show that level of spirit. ¨C If there were 10 Hahoe Masks, there¡¯s no way a castle would fall. Hahoe Mask¡¯s performance was so bright that it was hard to put it into words. Moreover, his actions were always a bit more dramatic.He wasn¡¯t like the undisciplined mob fighting outside of the castle.He started fighting the moment when the monsters entered the castle. If one fought to the end, it makes one look noble.There was an element of nobleness in the Hahoe Mask¡¯s battles. ¨C Why does the Hahoe Mask never fight outside?Is he scheming something? Of course, a portion of the viewers was suspicious as to why the Hahoe Mask hadn¡¯t fought a single battle outside of the castle. ¨C If it were you, do you really want to fight with such a retarded group of Users? ¨C If the Hahoe Mask fights outside of the castle, the Users would probably think his Skeletons are monsters.They¡¯ll probably attack his Skeletons. ¨C Don¡¯t even mention the Hahoe Mask¡¯s name with those retarded group. However, the suspicion failed to develop into a conspiracy. In the process of all this, Hahoe Mask¡¯s worth was increasing steeply.Hahoe Mask¡¯s youtube page had reached a plateau not too long ago.However, the subscribers and the views on previously uploaded videos started to rise again. The great battle was a bigger issue than most had thought it would be, and the media was in a frenzy. ¡°We have to get an interview with the Hahoe Mask no matter what! Get him even if we have to plaster the request all over the newspapers!¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t contact him, go into Warlord to get an interview! Hurry up!¡± ¡°We are the Warlord¡¯s top webzine. We¡¯ve been chasing after an interview with the Hahoe Mask when the media wasn¡¯t even interested in him.I won¡¯t let them steal the interview from me. I won¡¯t stand for it. Use all of your personal connections.Get me that interview.If you can¡¯t get an interview, you guys are going to get it from me. It happened around that time. Hahoe Mask¡¯s popularity was reaching an all-time high.The media was getting ready to duke it out with each other to get ahold of the Hahoe Mask. ¨C Uh? What the hell is this? ¡°Uh? It seems the Hahoe Mask Interview isn¡¯t the important news right now.¡± The interest in the Hahoe Mask disappeared as if it was a mirage.There was another news that pushed the Hahoe Mask into the backburner. 6. [Hyrkan] ¨C Level : 165 ¨C Title : 132 ¨C Stats : Strength(1885)/Stamina(929)/Intelligence(1121)/Magic Power(1355) ¡®The bonus EXP from the great battle is awesome.I¡¯m leveling up quickly.¡¯ As soon as he leveled up, he applied his points to his Stats.Hyrkan quickly closed his Stat Window, and he turned his head. When he turned his head, Hyrkan¡¯s eyes took in the miserable sight of the fallen Misandra¡¯s castle ¡®Tsk.¡¯ Hyrkan had a lot of memories regarding the Misandra¡¯s castle.This sight made him feel saddened and frustrated.This sight discomforted him more so than any sight he had seen recently. ¡®I¡¯m finally at this point¡­¡­.¡¯ However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have the luxury to sentimentalize over his memories. ¡®This next part will be dangerous for the Users, who didn¡¯t participate in the great battle.¡¯ The advance of the Corrupted army was much faster than he had expected. This was the reason why the User would make the rational choice. The Users won¡¯t be enticed by the chance to gain Items and a quick level up.The Users will start to realize this great battle was unlike anything they encountered in terms of difficulty.The Users would become hesitant in participating in the great war. The Users, who wanted to fight in earnest, will try to find battlefields where their victories were assured.This would lead the Users to flock towards the Underfoot guilds like the Fighters guild. On the other hand, those who didn¡¯t want to fight would go to locations where defeat had already happened or they¡¯ll avoid locations being organized by groups like the Underfoot guilds. This would lead to the gap between the rich and the poor getting bigger in terms of fighting power.The Corrupted army would attack the locations where the fighting power was poor. ¡®If the castles where the low level Users get taken down¡­ Shit.I have no idea how everything will turn out.¡¯ The Corrupted army will start heading towards locations with Users under level 100.These locations were now in the sight of the Corrupted army.They had already attacked the Misandra¡¯s Castle, which was a location meant for level 80 to level 100.Misandra¡¯s castle was the Maginot Line, and the Maginot Line had been broken. ¡®This is getting dangerous.¡¯ Hyrkan had never thought such a situation would come to pass, and it was impossible to come up with a good plan on the spot. ¡®What the hell are the 30 great guilds doing? They profited from everything they could get their hands on, yet they are acting like this!They should spit back out everything they pocketed!¡¯ The only way to manage this situation was for the 30 great guilds to step in.This was the only solution in Hyrkan¡¯s opinion. The 30 great guilds had massive amount of forces, and they could use their live channels to mobilize the Users.Their standing and brand amongst the Users allowed them to be able to unite the User base. This was the reason why the 30 great guilds were scary. They had a reserve of power they could tap.The 30 great guilds were able to mobilize the Users. Before he came to the past, Hyrkan had experienced it in his bones when those bastards tapped into the reserve. ¡®They probably expressed their stance they¡¯ll take in this situation.Since the situation is devolving like this, they can¡¯t choose to be silent.These bastards are all greedy, so there is no way they¡¯llbypass this bait.I¡¯m sure¡­¡¯ Hyrkan looked around his surrounding once again.The Misandra¡¯s castle was a mess, but there weren¡¯t any monsters near him that would cause him trouble.Hyrkan quickly searched the internet. ¡®Huh? What the hell is this?¡¯ Fortunately, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have to search long to find what he wanted to know. 7. Che-sulyun was soaking inside her bathtub. The bathtub was filled with bubbles, yet her collarbone was visible. Her appearance was very bewitching. There was a saying that said one¡¯s daily life was like picture in a magazine.This saying was apt. Her hand was poking out of the bubbles, and her hand was holding onto her slim and half-translucent smart phone.The steam and bubble from bath didn¡¯t allow the phone to show a clear picture, but it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal.Che-sulyun was able to check what she wanted to know. She was reading an article. [The V&V guild, Rangers guild, and 8 other guilds put out a joint statement stating they won¡¯t participate in the great battle!] [This is from the V&V and Rangers guild¡¯s statement. ¡®The great battle was a stage provided for all Users to be able to participate.If the 30 great guilds joined the festival, we¡¯ll be ruining the festival for the Users.¡¯] [Will the great battle be a festival for the underdogs?] Che-sulyun had an annoyed expression as she read the article.She let go of the smart phone, and it dropped to the bottom of the tub. As if Che-sulyun¡¯s body had slipped, she sank deeper into the tub.Her collarbones had been visible before, but only her head was visible now. ¡®Fucking hell.¡¯ Her figure was that of a goddess, yet her thoughts was very far from matching her appearance.All kinds of cuss words werefloating around inside her head. ¡®Are those bastards scheming to fuck us over?¡¯ A total of 9 guilds from the 30 great guilds announced that they won¡¯t be participating in the great battle.This included the V&V guild. The reception to the statement was very good. ¨C Wow! They came to a really big decision. ¨C Yes.They are the 30 great guilds. They should act magnanimous like this.The Main Scenario Quest can be carried out by everyone.If the 30 great guilds monopolize it, wouldn¡¯t that be too unreasonable.I¡¯m being honest here. ¨C However, look at what is happening.Shouldn¡¯t the 30 great guilds step forward?I don¡¯t think the Users can pull this off. ¨C If we fail, we fail.It isn¡¯t as if they¡¯ll shut down the game. The important part is that the 30 great guilds won¡¯t decide our fate.The result will created by the Users.. There was a flow of opinions at the bottom of the article.Even though public opinions shouldn¡¯t be gauged by the comments below an article, positive responses were much more numerous than the negative responses. ¡®Crazy bastards. I can¡¯t believe there are people who believe in their bullshit.¡¯ However, Che-sulyun knew the statement put out by the 9 guilds weren¡¯t words that rose out from the bottom of their hearts.If they really cared about the enjoyment the normal Users feel, they wouldn¡¯t have put out a join statement. They were people who were incapable of doing such acts. They were doing this for the benefit of the Users? The 30 great guilds were a gathering of people, who would do anything for their own profits.As one of the Guild masters of the 30 great guilds, Che-sulyun knew her thoughts weren¡¯t wrong.She was sure of it. This meant the 9 guilds had put out this joint statement, because they judged this course of action would lead to a profit for them. ¡®I¡¯m sure of it. If they are destined to become the maid of honor, they would rather spoil the whole thing.¡¯ Profit didn¡¯t always have to involve gaining a material good.If they could block someone else from gaining a profit, at times that could be a profit in itself. This was the case right now.The purpose behind the actions of 9 guilds were simple.They hadn¡¯t been able to receive the qualification to participate in the Immoral Prince Raid.There were 3 guilds, who had gained this qualification, and they had maneuvered it so that the 3 guilds wouldn¡¯t be able to also monopolize the great battle. ¡®In the end, it happened as the Helper said it would.¡¯ Che-sulyun had known what the 9 guilds would do at a slightly earlier time.. Several guilds were getting ready to send out an announcement of non-participation¡­. The Helpers were called when the 30 great guilds needed assistance.These Helpers were from the Hands guild, and they were the one who had informed her of this news. ¡®¡­¡­Helper. Those bastards are dangerous.¡¯ She had found out about this news a little bit sooner than everyone.Of course, this didn¡¯t mean she had a solution to her problem. At that moment, Che-sulyun looked at the Hands guild in an unfavorable manner even though they had given her an important piece of news. ¡®There is no way they gave me the information with good intent.Are they planning on pitting us against each other?¡¯ Everything about this made her suspicious.It got on her nerves, and she became annoyed.The good will gesture by the Hands guild just raised Che-sulyun¡¯s suspicion. In the end, Che-sulyun massaged her temples with her hands.Everything about this business was going to cause her a headache. It was inevitable. ¡®I can¡¯t let go of the great battle like this¡­ However, we can¡¯t move right now.¡¯ There was a crisis, yet the Stormhunters didn¡¯t have the right to fix the problem.Someone else would have to solve the problem for them.A scenario that Che-sulyun detested the most was unfolding in front of her. ¡®I need a justification.I need a justification that¡¯ll allow for one of the 30 great guilds to be able to step forward.¡­¡­.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun was busily sorting through the articles on the internet.He was busily gathering information, and the LCD display of the Tablet PC was smudged with his fingerprints.Ahn-jaehyun raised the coffee cup that was placed next to him.The coffee cup was lukewarm, but Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s hands was shaking.It shook as if his hand was weak. ¡®This is driving me nuts.¡¯ 8. Ahn-jaehyun was nervous. Ahn-jaehyun was human.Of course, he got nervous.He had done many task in Warlord where he had felt nervous.The nervousness he felt was indescribable when he fought against the Boss monsters.When he logged off after finishing the raid,there were times when he had goose bumps all over his body when he took off his V-Gear. However, the nervousness he was feeling right now was a different type of nervousness. ¡®If things head down this path¡­¡­ I¡¯m fucked.¡¯ Nine guilds announced that their guilds wouldn¡¯t participate in the great battle! Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t recall this happening before.Before Ahn-jaehyun returned to the past, the 30 great guild had all joined the great battle, and they fought alongside each other in a competitive manner. Of course, Ahn-jaehyun had created big commotion.The future before he had returned to the past would be different from the future he was forging right now. A tornado on the other side of earth could be influenced by the flapping of the wings of a butterfly.Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s activities wasn¡¯t akin to a butterfly flapping its wings.His level of activity was like poking a beehive with a stick. Change was inevitable. However, the current change was very dangerous for Ahn-jaehyun. ¡®If things head down this way, the Quest Routes will change.¡¯ Everything in Warlord was controlled by the AI.This was the case for the Main Scenario Quests. For example, when the Users progressed in the game, the AI used the User¡¯s level to calculate the difficulty of the Main Scenario Quest. Unlike his worries from before, he didn¡¯t think the AI would allow the Corrupted Army to be able to conquer all the castles.Or else it would result in the Immoral Prince rising to the throne.He didn¡¯t think the game would send out a message saying, ¡®Thank you for using Warlord until now.¡¯ However, this might change the third Main Scenario Quest that starts after the Immoral Prince episode.The Quest Contents and Quest Routes for the Ruined Kingdom Episode would be completely changed from what Ahn-jaehyun remembered. ¡®I can¡¯t let that happen.¡¯ If that happened, Ahn-jaheyun wouldn¡¯t be able to have an active role in the Ruined Kingdom episode. Whether he had an active role or not wasn¡¯t the problem.If the Immoral Prince episode was where Ahn-jaehyun caught up with the frontrunners, the Ruined Kingdom episode was the stage where he planned on leapfrogging the frontrunners.If he had to give up that stage, it would basically mean he would be giving up on the reason why he was playing Warlord. In the end, Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t have a choice. ¡®I have to use whatever means necessary to bring victory to the Users in the great battle.¡¯ Ultimately, the great battle couldn¡¯t end with the Users losing. ¡®If things play out this way, the game would be fine.However, my life would meet a bad ending.¡¯ He had to use whatever means possible to drag the Users to victory.However, it was absurd to expect victory in the great battle just by relying on the Users. In the end, there was only one method he could use. ¡®¡­¡­this reminds of the time when I had to hard carry the kids at the bottom in Warlord.¡¯ Hard Carry. This was the only path that¡¯ll allow him to maintain his livelihood. Chapter 122 – Bad Ending? (3) Chapter 122 ¨C Bad Ending? (3) 9. When the V&V guild and the 8 other guilds announced their intention of sitting out the great battle, it didn¡¯t really cause much change to the overall flow of the great battle. Of course, nothing was felt.The normal Users didn¡¯t feel much difference, because the announcement that the 9 guilds wouldn¡¯t participate was meaningless.This was like a politician earnestly spouting nonsense towards another politician. The ones affected the most was the 30 great guilds. ¡®What nonsense are these crazy bastards suddenly spouting?¡¯ ¡®If they can¡¯t have it, then we can¡¯t have it either?Is that it?¡¯ The rest of the 30 great guilds had planned on entering into the great battle at the right moment. Aside from the 9 guilds, the rest of the 30 guilds had to temporarily pause all the plans they had made. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean the 9 guilds, who announced their non-participation, had a lot of influence or authority over the other guilds. ¡®The one to step forward first will be hit the hardest.¡¯ ¡®There is no need to be the first one to get bludgeoned.¡¯ ¡®This might be better for us.The great battle is more difficult than expected.We should use this time to put our forces in order.¡¯ In the end, everyone¡¯s choice came down to calculating the cost. ¡®If we look at what¡¯s happening right now, the Corrupted army is dominating the battlefield. Eventually, they¡¯ll need us.¡¯ ¡®We can still work at the individual level.We just have to keep our guild¡¯s name out of the spotlight.¡¯ The ones, who were most affected aside from the 30 great guilds, was the Underfoot guilds. While the 30 great guilds were punching figures into their calculators, the Underfoot guilds were aggressively participating in the great battle. However, their participation couldn¡¯t change the tide of the battle.Still, there had only been consecutive losses before, but now there were increasing number of victories. This was especially true for the Fighters guild. Whistling Pitbull¡¯s stellar performance wasdazzling. ¨C Did the Fighters guild win again? ¨C He did it!He did it!Pitbull did it! ¨C Pitbull made a breach as he put his life on the line. The Users were sheeps without a shepherd, but now they have someone to flock towards. Someone really has to take the lead. In truth, the Fighters guild more than likely would have lost their first foray into the great battle. They were using methods that had failed before. Their line of Tankers hadn¡¯t performed up to par, and the command structure had not been solidified.The mages rained down magic indiscriminately as they damaged allies and enemies equally. In the end, everyone thought this was a wasted effort¡­The Users were getting ready to bail out quickly. This was when Whistling Pitbull marshaled his comrades, and they charged forward. ¡°Break through! Burrow in as deep as you can! The side that can break through the other¡¯s battle line wins!¡± Whistling Pitbull was going to be surrounded by monsters, but he didn¡¯t show a single ounce of fear.Whistling Pitbull unhesitatingly charged forward, and this sight changed the heart of some Users. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s try at least once. It isn¡¯t as if we can runaway forever.¡± ¡°If I wanted to run away all the time in a paid game, I would be playing Pacman.¡± ¡°Follow Whistling Pitbull in! We¡¯ll live if we stick together!¡± The Users that had been about to run away changed their minds.They ran back into the battlefield, and they fought with Whistling Pitbull as they formed a wedge. Everything was resolved rapidly afterwards.The Corrupted army was broken in half, and the Corrupted army broke up further to form smaller groups.The Users defeated them one by one.Most of the Users weren¡¯t talented at fighting a large group like the Corrupted army, but they had a lot of experience in taking down small number of monsters. The Fighters guild had broken the streak of losses, and they were somewhat able to direct the Users. However, this method couldn¡¯t be replicated by others, and it wasn¡¯t an answer that would change the tide of the battle. They needed a strategy instead of directions.They needed a tactic where anyone could copy it, and the result had to be certain.They needed a method where the effect could be seen immediately! A User appeared to propose such a method. 10. ¡°One of the special characteristics of the Corrupted army is the Siege mode where their vision narrows. If put in simpler terms, they won¡¯t stop marching even if the comrade next to them is killed. This is why it is very easy to hunt the monsters on the periphery while they are moving. This is what knowledgeable people call Gnawing.¡± In the footage, there was a man wearing a red Hahoe Mask standing in front of a castle.He was pointing at the Corrupted Army, while he earnestly gave an explanation. On another video, the Corrupted army had broken through the Castle gate.As if this wasn¡¯t enough, the Corrupted army broke down the castle wall, and they marched past the rubble. ¡°The fact that the castle gate and castle wall had fallen doesn¡¯t have to signal the end of a battle.¡± In this video, the man wearing a red Hahoe Mask was giving an explanation again. ¡°Actually, this is the time to attack.When a castle gate is breached or a castle wall falls, there is something that will always happen! This congestion of traffic always happens!A small number of Tankers can buy time.At the same time, AOE magic can be used on the monsters stuck in the bottleneck.The effect would be beyond description. If you can maintain this line, the defense of the castle is possible.¡± The footage switched to the sight of numerous buildings within the castle being destroyed. ¡°The buildings are incredible obstacles for the monsters.There is no reason why you shouldn¡¯t use the obstacles to your advantage. The street fights are the last battle before the castle is lost, but it is also the battle where the advantage is overwhelmingly in the User¡¯s favor.Don¡¯t panic, because it is a street fight.Enjoy it. This will be the chance to participate in the most easiest hunts, so don¡¯t run away.¡± It was a video regarding tactics. The Hahoe Mask unhesitatingly put out videos where he showed tactics on how to defeat the Corrupted army. The Users were brooding from the fact that they kept losing in the great battle.The video was like sweet water to the Users, who had suffered. ¨C I acknowledge this is a very good tip! ¨C It is as the Hahoe Mask said. You have to approach the Corrupted army laterally instead of a head-to-head contest. The battle becomes very easy. The Gnawing method is really sweet! ¨C He uploaded a jar of honey instead of videos. Thank you for the treat. Of course, not everyone looked favourably on the Hahoe Mask¡¯s actions. ¨C Why did you reveal this?Take down the vids. ¨C Ah.Every time I¡¯m trying to harvest some honey, bastards like you who are crazy about views mess everything up. Take down the vids! ¨C Hahoe Mask.Unless you want to cry from being PKed, pull the videos. There were Users, who had been making a killing using the know-how dropped by Hyrkan.From their perspective, it was as if Hyrkan had broken the jar of honey they had been consuming. Of course, they didn¡¯t look favourably at Hyrkan¡¯s release of information. However, it was the same for Hyrkan. ¡®Shit.Do you think I¡¯m doing this, because I like it?¡¯ Hyrkan had been the one drinking the most from the honey pot he had revealed.Hyrkan had planned on using the methods he had revealed to earn the Great Battle¡¯s Hero title and other rewards. In truth, he had been taking full advantage of it until now. However, the situation had changed. The Users had to win the great battle. The result of the great battle was incredibly important to him.From Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, he had no choice. ¡®I have to spread a lot of bait like this to reignite the interest of the regular Users.¡¯ The string of defeats had caused a lot of disappointments, and a lot of Users had turned away from participating in the great battle.He needed to provide candies to turn them around. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t the end. There was a limit on how many he can lure back with sweets.While the gaze of the Users were back on the stage of the great battle, he had to make their bodies burn with fighting spirit.He had to make their body itch from the need to participate in the great battle. This meant his most difficult task was yet to be accomplished. ¡®I¡¯m working like a dog, yet what if the Ruined Kingdom Quest Route is different from what I know from before¡­If so, I¡¯ll find a way to blow up Tobosoft¡¯s server.¡¯ 11. Shezga castle. It was an adequate distance away from Misandra¡¯s castle.Like the Misandra¡¯s Castle, the Shezga castle was where level 80 to level 100 Users stayed. However, the Shezga castle¡¯s Subjugation Association was surrounded by a lot of users, who had already went through their 1st Advancement. There were almost 1000 Users of varying classes present. Normally, two to three thousand Users participated in great battles at castles, so this was a relatively low turn out.Of course, the expectation for victory at the Shezga castle was inevitably low. This was when Hyrkan appeared in front of them.Unlike yesterday, he was wearing his red Hahoe Mask, and his appearance created a sensation. ¡°Uh? It¡¯s the Hahoe mask!¡± ¡°Thank you for the videos!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take advantage of the tips you us.¡± Accompanying Hyrkan¡¯s appearance, a great number of Users sent their goodwill towards him.Hyrkan left behind the crowd, and he entered the Subjugation Association.Unlike outside of the Subjugation Association building, there weren¡¯t that many people inside the building. There were 12 Users. These Users had been nominated, and they were given command of the forces that would be fighting in the great battle. They were given the title of Centurions. When the Users kept losing, they realized they needed a command structure at the very least.They decided to gather in a group of 100 Users, and each group decided to nominate a group leader.Of course, this wasn¡¯t a prestigious seat.They were given command, but they were something akin to a leader of a college group project. They weren¡¯t happy with the appearance of Hyrkan. ¡®Why is the Hahoe Mask here?¡¯ ¡®He always soloed everything up until now.There is no reason why he should show up here.¡¯ They all were in agreement that the appearance of Hyrkan would help their beleaguered force, but Hyrkan had never operated with a group before.He was strictly an outsider. This meant he had a purpose in coming here. When Hyrkan entered the room, he immediately walked towards the Centurions. There was a distance of about 15 meters between them and the door.About a dozen steps were taken by Hyrkan, and the sound of his steps pressed down hard on the slightly disordered atmosphere within the Subjugation Association.When he came to a stop, there was silence, and everyone stared at Hyrkan¡¯s mouth. He opened his mouth. ¡°I want to command this great battle. Do you mind handing the operational authority to me?¡± 12. ¡°We greatly admire the Hahoe Mask¡¯s exploits.If you ask for the operational authority, of course, we will give it to you.¡± They gave their answer. ¡°Did you expect to hear some bullshit answer along that line?I hope not¡± It was an unequivocal rejection. At the same time, there was a vehement response to Hyrkan¡¯s request. ¡°You suddenly appeared here, and you are asking for the operational authority?Why should we give that to you?¡± ¡°If an outsiders saw this, they¡¯ll think we are your underlings by the way you treat us. However, we are utter strangers.¡± This was to be expected. The Hahoe Mask¡¯s fame was incredible.Of course, one¡¯s eyes would be blinded when staring at his fame, which was brilliant. Even though they were drunk on his fame, this didn¡¯t mean Hyrkan had a right to treat them as his servants. The Centurions gathered here were all pretty high level, and they had a plethora of battle experience under them.They couldn¡¯t play the game as well as Hyrkan, but their passion and interest for this game weren¡¯t any less than Hyrkan. ¡°You can¡¯t give it to me?¡± ¡°If you immediately go outside and you are able to get 66% of the participating Users to sign a written consent, then we¡¯ll give you the operational authority to you.¡± Hyrkan snorted at his words.They were asking for a written consent.It was possible in real life, but it was something impossible to do in Warlord. ¡°Let¡¯s make this simple.How about we decide this through PVP?¡± Hyrkan gave a counter proposal.It was more of a provocation than a proposal. ¡°Why would we agree to such a crazy proposal?There are plenty of reasons on Youtube that says we shouldn¡¯t fight the Hahoe Mask.¡± However, no one fell for his provocation. It wasn¡¯t about falling for it or not.This was normal in Warlord. Most of the Users in Warlord solved disagreements through words. It was rare to see a disagreement be solved through PVP or PK. ¡°If you insist on fighting your way, this will turn out like the battle at Misandra¡¯s castle.I have a decent plan in mind.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what we want.We are going to kill a decent amount of monsters then we¡¯ll escape.We didn¡¯t come here to win.¡± Someone stood up from his seat, and he slowly walked to stand in front of Hyrkan.At his appearance, everyone shut their mouths. It seemed this person had a strong voice within the group of Centurions. Hyrkan also recognized him when he checked his face.He unconsciously pursed his lips as if he was about to whistle. ¡®Big K? The Submariner is here?¡¯ Big K. Currently, he was level 175, and he was a magician that had gone through his 1st Advancement to become a Magus Magnus. His nickname was the Submariner.He used to be a baseball player, and he used his underhand pitching form to throw his magic. His method of delivery was unexpectedly quite effective.A great number of monsters had a high amount of defense against attacks coming from the front or the top. However, they were relatively vulnerable to an attack that exploded from the bottom. Since he was a former baseball player, the accuracy of his magic couldn¡¯t even be compared to the normal Users. Moreover, he was affiliated with the Red Bulls. He had a pretty good gaming career, and there were no Underfoot guild present here. Of course, he was qualified to become a leader of such an undisciplined group of Users. ¡°We don¡¯t have to speak in length about this.I¡¯ll just lay out the main points.¡± Big K confidently stood in front of Hyrkan, and he spoke in a sharp manner towards Hyrkan. ¡°We don¡¯t care about winning this fight.We don¡¯t have the ability to bring this about. We want to catch a decent amount of monsters before we slip away.We don¡¯t care if the Shezga castle falls or not.That is none of our business.¡± Big K¡¯s words spelled out the group¡¯s intentions in no uncertain terms. Those who wanted to win the great battle and successfully defend the castles were with Underfoot guilds already, since they had proven they could win.Moreover, the locations with the Underfoot guilds had Users ranging in number from 3 to 5 thousand.They were overflowing with fighting power, and their chances of defending the castles were quite high. At the same time, the monster hunts were very competitive in those locations.There was a sense of achievement in winning, but one couldn¡¯t get a sufficient amount of EXP from those battles. On the other hand, the Users that had gathered in number at the Shezga castle was at a location where the downfall of the castle was almost a certainty. However, there was no way there will be a shortage of monsters here. Hyrkan knew this truth better than anyone.This was the reason why Hyrkan always went to stages where the odds were stacked. If seen that way, Hyrkan was like an icon for defeat.Hyrkan had never moved the needle towards victory in the battles he participated in. ¡°So you guys are paying a lot of money to play like hyenas, who clamor over rotten meat?¡± At that moment, Hyrkan tried another provocation. Big K furrowed his eyebrows. In truth, Big K and the Centurions had been considerate to Hyrkan.In the first place, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have the authority to come in here and be so overbearing.If it was any other User, they would have chased him out.They were giving an explanation, because he was the Hahoe Mask. However, there was a limit to anything. ¡°Hahoe Mask. Aren¡¯t you in the same boat as¡­¡± ¡°The plan is simple. You guys just fight like you had planned before.While you guys are engaged, I¡¯ll attack the Corrupted army from the rear.¡± ¡°From the rear?¡± ¡°What the hell is he talking about?¡± Some of the Centurions reflexively protested to Hyrkan¡¯s plan.However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t give a reply to their questions. ¡°I planned on enlisting your help¡­.However, I don¡¯t need it anymore.By the look of you guys, you guys won¡¯t be of much help to me.¡± Hyrkan just continued with what he had to say. ¡°Just don¡¯t interfere with my work. Since you saw the strategy videoes, I hope you can last long enough.¡± He turned his back to them. A desolate feeling descended, and a person standing at the very edge of this desolate atmosphere yelled out his words. ¡°Are you sure the Hahoe Mask isn¡¯t an 8th grader?¡± ¡°The Hahoe Mask said that?¡± ¨C Yes. ¡°What happened?¡± ¨C The Centurions came to an agreement.We decided to take on a wait and see approach.Anyways, it isn¡¯t as if we can do anything about it.Instead, I had to chase him down to give him the address to the voice talk channel being used by the Centurions. Chev had an incredulous expression on his face when he heard Big K¡¯s report.Of course, this was a sound-only communication, so it was impossible for Chev to express what he was feeling through his facial expression. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m dumbfounded.¡± Chev used his words to describe what he was feeling. ¨C Yes. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the first time the Hahoe Mask has stepped forward for a fight?Doesn¡¯t that mean there is a chance for victory there?¡± He was dumbfounded, but at the same time, he had questions.If one considered what the Hahoe Mask achieved up until now, this was worth paying attention to. ¨C He called it Eating the Tail. ¡°Eating the Tail?¡± ¨C He said he¡¯ll carry out the Gnawing strategy from the rear of the Corrupted army. The instant he heard those words Chev could picture what Hyrkan was talking about.He drew out the strategy, Eating the Tail, inside his mind. When he did, Chev¡¯s face once again hardened. ¡®So that kind of maneuver can be used here.¡¯ When the Corrupted army went into Siege mode, their vision narrowed.The knowledgeable Users were already aware of this fact, and most of the Users in the great battle found out about it when Hyrkan revealed it on his youtube video. One could use this fact to laterally attack the Corrupted army.The Gnawing strategy was popular right now. Once the Corrupted army moved past the Siege mode, the limited vision would move from the sides to the rear. This new strategy would be effective. Moreover, the Corrupted army never retreated.The risk of attacking from the rear might actually be less than the risk of attacking from the sides. Of course, this strategy hadn¡¯t been verified yet.The result of Hahoe Mask¡¯s battle would bear out if his strategy worked or not. ¡®Why?¡¯ Chev once again went over the Hahoe Mask¡¯s recent activities. The Hahoe Mask worked hard by himself to reap all the benefits by himself.However, Hahoe Mask¡¯s recent pattern of activity had gone through a significant change.He was revealing all the know hows he had been using in the great battle.Moreover, he had come up with a new strategy, and he was about to test it out by himself. ¡®Is he planning on becoming a hero?¡¯ Chev immediately imagined what would happen if he willed the Shezga castle battle to a victory. If one won a battle that was expected to be won, one couldn¡¯t become a hero. A hero was someone, who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. If the Hahoe Mask could become a hero, the rights he would command would become very high. ¡°Good job, Big K.¡± ¨C It was nothing. ¡°Then let¡¯s end the call.I have to make an urgent call right now.¡± ¨C Understood. After the call ended, Chev immediately attempted to call someone.After a brief ringtone, a voice was heard from the other side. ¨C Speak. ¡°We¡¯ll have to bribe the Hahoe Mask.¡± Chapter 123 – Power of Wealth (1) Chapter 123 ¨C Power of Wealth (1) 1. There used to be a saying in the great battle that said the tail had the best flavor. If the best tasting part of a fish was its head, the best tasting part of the great battle was the tail. When the Corrupted army went into Siege mode, the Corrupted army became very reckless.They charged forward no matter what.Even if outside interference arrived, the monsters that were directly affected would be the only ones to react.The rest of the monsters didn¡¯t stop their charge. Even the monsters that had reacted returned to their charge as soon as their aggro was reset in a short order. If a Tanker succeeded in drawing aggro, the monster would start attacking, then suddenly it would just run past the Tanker to charge the castle. This special characteristic was put in, so that the Users couldn¡¯t break up the Corrupted army using the Aggro system.However, every advantage also had its disadvantage.The Gnawing method was a strategy that turned the advantage of the Corrupted army into a disadvantage.One was able to approach the Corrupted army from the side, and the monsters were picked off one by one. This was where the expression the tail has the best flavor originated.After the know how to the Gnawing method was revealed, all the Users started to pound the Corrupted army from the side.In many cases, there were more Users dispatched to the side than the front. Naturally, the competition in Gnawing the Corrupted army became fierce. At that moment, several Users had an idea. ¡®Hey.Instead of the side, how about eating them from the rear?¡¯ ¡®All right.¡¯ There were no spots open from the sides. If one took position in the front, there was the danger of being run over by the Corrupt army. Let¡¯s attack the tail! The result was a jackpot. The biggest advantage of Eating the Tail was the fact that there was a very low probability of the Corrupted army coming to a stop and surrounding the Users.If one faced the Corrupted army head on, it didn¡¯t matter if one could be surrounded.A simple lapse in concentration would result in one being trampled. The Gnawing from the side had a lower chance of being surrounded compared to the front, but it wasn¡¯t as if it didn¡¯t happen. However, it was impossible to be surrounded using the Eat the Tail method.It couldn¡¯t happen unless one throws one¡¯s body into the midst of the Corrupted army. ¡®I¡¯ve laid out all my cards now.¡¯ In other words, Hyrkan had no more tips to give after the Eat the Tail method.He had given away the Congestion method, Street Battle strategy, Gnawing method and now the Eat the Tail method.There might be some very mysterious and marvelous method to attack the Corrupted army, but Hyrkan¡¯s brain couldn¡¯t come up with any. Since he already revealed the Eat the Tail method, Hyrkan had to do something monumental. ¡®I¡¯ll finish this great battle using any means possible by myself.¡¯ There would be nothing more monumental than winning this battle. ¡®After I end this, I have to encourage the 30 great guilds to participate¡­.¡¯ When Hyrkan ruminated over his plan, Hyrkan suddenly started kicking at the ground like a crazy person. ¡°Ooh-ah-ah-ah!¡± Even a bizarre sound escaped from Hyrkan¡¯s mouth.No matter who saw this they would think he had lost his mind. ¡®Why do I have to spend so much money because of those 30 great guilds? Why do I have to do such bullshit¡­¡¯ Of course, it was an understandable reaction to the situation. If Hyrkan¡¯s plan ended in success, the ones who¡¯ll benefit would be the 30 great guilds.The goal of his plan was to push the 30 great guilds into participating in the great battle. There was no other way to do this.The activities of the Underfoot guilds, and the know how revealed by Hyrkan made the situation a little bit better.However, they couldn¡¯t completely turn the tide of the war.Moreover, the defending of the castles wasn¡¯t the only task they had to accomplish.They had to take back the castles they had lost. If Hyrkan had 30 bodies then it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.However, there was a limit on what he could do himself. ¡°Shit!¡± Still, he couldn¡¯t help, but get mad. Hyrkan had been busy abusing the ground, and an unlucky rock got caught in one of his kicks. The large rock was as big as a fist of a grown man, and it flew high into the air.It flew in a large arc, and it impacted hard against the helmet worn by a monster in the rear of the Corrupted army. The sudden impact of the rock made the monster look around its surrounding before it kept on charging with its comrades. When Hyrkan saw this, he couldn¡¯t help laughing.Hyrkan turned his gaze on the Skeleton Warriors holding big sacks. 2. [There¡¯s 1 hour 59 minutes 59 seconds before the Corrupted army arrives at the Shezga castle.] When the announcement alerting the appearance of the Corrupted army was put up, the 1000 Users in the Shezga castle started to move busily. ¡°Let¡¯s move to our assigned districts!¡± ¡°Take all your Items and don¡¯t get confused on which district you are supposed to be in!¡± The Centurions and the groups that were assigned to them moved towards the assigned districts.This was a tactic that had been popularized recently in the great battle.The Users realized it was useless to create a battle line with all the Tankers standing side by side. It was better to create a group of 100, and these groups could defend an assigned region. This made more sense since the Users here wasn¡¯t planning on defending the castle. ¡°Let¡¯s catch a lot of them today!¡± ¡°Dont¡¯ over do it.We just need to gain some EXP. We just have to catch the monsters that come into the the castle.¡± All the Users here had gathered to take advantage of the hunting ground that would give a good amount of EXP.That was no other reasons for being here. While the groups were busily moving to their assigned sectors, Big K stood on top of the the castle wall.He was watching something far away instead of going to his sector. A fellow Red Bulls guild member named Yangchio saw Big K standing on top of the castle wall.He approached Big K as Yangchio asked him a question. ¡°What are you looking at?We have to move.¡± ¡°Hahoe Mask.¡± Yangchio was surprised by Big K¡¯s sudden answer, so he followed Big K¡¯s gaze. ¡°Where is the Hahoe Mask?¡± However, he couldn¡¯t see anything at the location where Big K was staring at. No, there was something there. It was pretty far away, but a cloud of dust and birds were rising above the treetops. The trees were being overturned by the advance of the Corrupted Army.The wild animals that had used the trees as their home were running away, and they were causing a chaotic scene. Of course, the Hahoe Mask still couldn¡¯t be seen. Moreover, the distance was too far to see the Hahoe Mask with the naked eye. ¡°Where are you looking at?Where¡¯s the Hahoe Mask?¡± Yangchio spoke in a sullen manner.He thought Big K had duped him. However, Big K wasn¡¯t trying to deceive Yangchio at all. Big K couldn¡¯t see him, but he couldn¡¯t deduce where the Hahoe Mask was located at. ¡°Look at the rear.¡± ¡°Rear?¡± ¡°He is behind the advancing Corrupted army. The Hahoe Mask does not go back on his words. He¡¯ll be where he said he¡¯ll be.¡± Yangchio clicked his tongue at Big K¡¯s answer.He couldn¡¯t understand Big K¡¯s behavior. They didn¡¯t have any reason to worry about the Hahoe Mask now.Wasn¡¯t it more important to pay attention to the task at hand? Big K understood the Yangchio¡¯s reaction, but he didn¡¯t refused to change the topic.He continued on speaking. ¡°What if the Hahoe Mask does what he said he would do?What would happen if he engineered a victory in this great battle?¡± ¡°Poo-hah-ha!¡± Instead of an answer, Yangchio let out an explosive laugh.His laughter was a more sure answer than his words. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about such a thing happening, Big K.The Hahoe Mask is a nutjob.The nutjob has nothing to do with us.Moreover, even if Hahoe Mask is amazing, what can he do by himself?Victory? That isn¡¯t even funny.There is no way the Users gathered here could defend the castle.¡± Yangchio patted Big K¡¯s shoulder.It was a nonverbal signal asking Big K to stop speaking of such nonsense. Big K closed his mouth after receiving the signal.However, he continued to look towards a location beyond the Corrupted army. ¡®Hahoe Mask¡¯s plan was simple.¡¯ The plan spoken by the Hahoe Mask wasn¡¯t difficult to comprehend.While the Hahoe Mask focused on the tail of the Corrupted army, the rest of the Users gathered here would fight with the castle wall in front of them. Then a portion of their forces would attempt the Gnawing method.This was the entirety of the plan revealed by the Hahoe Mask. The Corrupted army would become congested as it tried to squeeze through a small door.While this phenomenon was happening, the Users would surround the Corrupted army, and they would chip away at the horde. ¡®The plan proposed by the Hahoe Mask can be done.¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t be too difficult. He didn¡¯t know if it would result in victory, buthe could carry out the plan.However, there was no good reason to follow the Hahoe Mask¡¯s word right now. No Users would follow the plan just because the Hahoe Mask came up with it. Most of the Users would resent Hyrkan for ordering them around. If the Hahoe Mask really wanted to do things his way, he need to develop an aura that drew people in through his deeds. This aura was what allowed Fighters guild¡¯s Whistling Pitbull to be able to lead others into victory. This part was what worried Big K about the Hahoe Mask. There were many things said about the Hahoe Mask, but no one denied the Hahoe Mask had a great aura. Was he willing to bet that the Hahoe Mask would be able to reveal such an aura here? ¡®Should I really just ignore the Hahoe Mask?Is that the right answer?What if we can really defend the castle?Was following the Hahoe Mask the right answer?¡¯ It happened when Big K was deep within his thoughts. Kwahng! The battle started as a sound of an explosion was heard from the rear of the Corrupted army. 3. The Corrupted army had entered into its Siege mode.Hyrkan was tailing them, and Hyrkan saw a pretty awesome sight in front of him. Various monsters were in full armor, and they were marching in line as they advanced.They looked dignified, and every time they took a step the ground shook.They unhesitatingly trampled any vegetation in their way as they left behind traces of their passage. This was something that couldn¡¯t be seen anywhere else. It was a magnificent sight that could only be seen in the great battle. He was going to do something to this magnificent sight.It almost felt like he was throwing muddy water at a famous painting. However, he didn¡¯t hesitate as he threw the muddy water at the magnificent sight.He threw something that was akin to throwing a huge amount of muddy water. Kwahng! A Bone Explosive was thrown by Hyrkan, and a big explosion occurred when it impacted on the helm of a Corrupted Armor Troll. The power of the blast was considerable.It was strong enough to dent the Corrupted Armor Troll¡¯s helmet.On top of that, the fragments from the Bone Explosive splattered onto the surrounding monsters. However, the only one displaying hostility towards Hyrkan was the one that had received the direct attack. Koo-uh-uh! It jumped out from the horde as it started charging after Hyrkan. Hyrkan didn¡¯t try to dodge its charge. Instead, he threw more Bone Explosives.He hadn¡¯t just thrown one. Kwah-ahng, kwah-gwah, kwahng! He threw a handful. To be precise, he had thrown four Bone Explosives at once.The simultaneous explosion of the four explosives generated considerable amount of force.The Corrupted Armor Troll stopped in its track for a moment, and one could see several places on the armor where it had take significant damage.If this were normal times, he would have tried Armor Breaking first, then he would have used the Bone Explosives to do the damage dealing. He could still use that method right now.It was still an efficient way to defeat a monster. However, he had a method where he could destroy the armor much faster. The problem was money! If he used his Bone Explosives this way, he would never gain any profits.He wouldn¡¯t even have to worry about profits.Every monster he caught would put him in the negative. ¡®Ooh ooh.My money¡­¡­.¡¯ Of course, this style of attack had a bigger impact on Hyrkan more so than than the monster being attacked. He had already thrown five Bone Explosives, and it made Hyrkan shudder. However, Hyrkan gritted his teeth as his body shuddered, and he threw another Bone Explosive. ¡®I can¡¯t take more than 2 minutes to catch one monster.¡¯ He had to decrease the time it took to kill the monsters. If Hyrkan did an Armor Breaking against the Corrupted Monster and he battled the Corrupted Monster with the Skeleton Warriors and Knights, it would take him about 3 to 5 minutes to take one down.It was an incredible feat.He was taking it down faster than what a 5 man party could do. The problem arose when he did the math.At the very least, it would take him 300 minutes to catch 100 Corrupted Monsters.It¡¯ll take over 5 hours. He couldn¡¯t fight like that.He didn¡¯t have the time.Moreover, it was impossible for him to maintain his concentration for so long. In Hyrkan¡¯s case, he would have to perform the Eat the Tail method to start off the war then he would have to fight in battle in earnest.Afterwards, he might also have to fight in the street battles too. This was why Hyrkan was trying to lessen the time he spent here using money.He had brought a large amount of Bone Explosives.The two Skeletons had been carrying the bags, and it was filled with Bone Explosives. He hadn¡¯t calculated the cost yet. If he knew the figure, Hyrkan felt like his heart would have crumbled. However, this wasn¡¯t the end. ¡°Ughh.¡± Hyrkan let out a moan as he flicked his finger.As if the Skeleton Warriors hadbeen on standby, they ran in towards the Troll.Every one of the Skeleton Warriors held a hammer. He¡¯ll damage the armor with the Bone Explosives, and the hammers would be used to destroy the armor! Hyrkan had purchased these new Items to pull off this tactic.The amount he had spent wasn¡¯t small. Ggah-ahng, ggah-ahng! This method did the job in no uncertain terms. As soon as the combat started, the Skeleton Warriors tirelessly bashed their hammers against the Troll¡¯s armor. Unlike the Skeleton Warriors, the club swung by the Troll didn¡¯t hit anything. The Troll¡¯s armors were crushed in a horrible fashion, and at some point, the armor parts started falling to the ground one after another. However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t watching this sight anymore.Hyrkan was already chasing after the Corrupted army, which had traveled a fair distance away from him.When he closed in on them, he threw a Bone Explosive at a new target. If he wanted to catch them quickly, he had to kill several at a time.However, he had to attack each individual monsters to draw their aggro.If put in terms Hyrkan could understand, it meant he had to spend more money. Hyrkan bit his lip hard. At the same time, Hyrkan squeezed his fist.Sparkling liquid started dripping from his clenched fist to the ground. When the liquid started to pool, the ground started to shift, and an enormous wolf appeared.It was a striking looking wolf with four knife-like canines.It was a Blade Wolf. It was a level 140 mid-sized monster.It was rated as being one of the strongestamongst the Boss Monsters with similar size and level.At the same time, it was a very expensive monster.He had used the gem from a monster of that caliber as a sacrifice for the Clay Play. However, the Wolf Golem that had appeared was worth its price.It didn¡¯t even bother with Armor Breaking.It immediately pounced on the Corrupted Armor Orc, and it bit off flesh and armor in a flash.The Corrupted Armor Orc counter-attacked, and it was able to wound the Wolf Golem.However, the Golem¡¯s wound was immediately patched up using Hyrkan¡¯s Magic Power. Hyrkan didn¡¯t pay attention to the battle.Hyrkan once again threw a Bone Explosive towards the third target. This time the Skeleton Knight stepped forward.At a glance, one could tell the Skeleton Knight was equipped with expensive defensive gears. When the Bone Armor was summoned, its body became several times larger. The Madness Helm was the finishing touch. After receiving all the Buffs, the Skeleton Knight started to move in a frenzy. It almost made one feel sorry for the Corrupted Lizardman, who was facing off against the Skeleton Knight. Once again Hyrkan couldn¡¯t stay to see the battle. Hyrkan reached to the big bag by his side, and he took out a Bone Explosive.He threw it towards the 4th target. During all of this, the Skeleton Warriors had finished their battle, and they had arrived near the vicinity of Hyrkan.They waited for Hyrkan¡¯s attack order, and the appearance of a new prey. Blitzkrieg! Hyrkan was quickly reducing the number of monsters in the Corrupted Army with surprising speed. At the same time¡­ ¡°Ooh haha! Eat these money bombs!¡± The threads holding together his sanity was slowly being eaten away. Chapter 124 – Power of Wealth (2) Chapter 124 ¨C Power of Wealth (2) 4. The high and mighty walls of the Shezga castle came into the view of the Corrupted army.They maintained a singular focus on their task. It had been 100 minutes since the Corrupted army had entered into its Siege mode.If this pace was kept up, there would only be 20 minutes left until they arrived.The monsters of Corrupted army would use their weapons to knock roughly against the castle gate and walls. On one hand, there was still a long distance between the Corrupted army and the castle walls.They were moving fast, but they weren¡¯t running. They were walking, so the distance they could cover in 20 minutes wasn¡¯t that large. This was why the Corrupted army urged their feet to move faster.Their foot speed was slowly increasing.If they had been taking 10 steps, they had increased their pace to take 12 to 13 steps. Koong,koong,koong,koong! There was no obstacles that could stop them, and there was increased power behind their charge. The sound of the ground shaking was getting louder, and the force they were pushing forward with got stronger. They were like a living bulldozer. They were shoving everything out of their way. After they plowed up everything in front of them, they trampled everything to finish the deed. If this scene was seen from the front, it would be a terrifying sight. For example, this was like a person standing in the middle of a train track built to connect two cliffs. The train was coming towards the person standing on the track, and it was making a lot of noise. Dizziness! Moreover, this wasn¡¯t a normal dizziness.It was a dizziness that threatened to swallow the kaleidoscope of thoughts that was in one¡¯s head.This dizziness completely filled one¡¯s mind. There were times when a tragedy close at hand might seem comedic from afar. The Corrupted army was a symbol representing tragedy. A person looking from afar would liken the army to this description right now. It was like a wild animal running crazily as if its tail was on fire! As the figure of speech implied, the Corrupted army¡¯s tail was on fire, and it wasn¡¯t a pretty sight. The most eye catching part was the grisly sight of monster corpses strewn about behind the Corrupted army.The corpses hadn¡¯t been disassembled, and they hadn¡¯t melted yet. The irrefutable evidence of the grisly process of the killing was on full display. The next eye-catching part was a group of monsters dressed in similar gears. They were devastating the members of the Corrupted army.These monsters all wore similar armors, and they looked as if they had some kind of a dress code.The difference in terms of power was apparent between the two groups. The difference in power made the horde that symbolized tragedy to look almost comedic. ¡®Six Bone Explosives and 3 Skeleton Warriors are needed for the Corrupted Armor Orc.¡¯ The one directing this comedy was Hyrkan. The size of the bag containing his Bone Explosives had noticeably decreased in size.After he took out three Bone Explosive, he threw it towards a Corrupted Armor Orc.The Bone Explosives crumpled the Orc¡¯s armor.The dishevelled Orc put on a rage-filled expression as it turned to charge towards Hyrkan. Hyrkan gave the signal to three Skeleton Warriors, who had just arrived after finishing their battle.The Skeleton Warriors had just recovered from a broken knee, ribs and shoulders.They followed their owner¡¯s orders as they ran in towards Orc. Hyrkan didn¡¯t watch the battle. This was the reason why he couldn¡¯t recall any memorable battle scenes from this protracted battle. The only scene he remembered was himself throwing the Bone Explosives.Basically, he remembered a variation of the same scene as if a camera was taking multiple shots at once. Instead, Hyrkan remembered a number. ¡®118.¡¯ It had been 10 minutes since the battle had started, and he had caught 118 Corrupted Monsters. There were over a thousand of them, and the the number was closer to being two thousand.The number of monsters he had killed was like a thorn in the Corrupted Army¡¯s side. Hyrkan broke down the battle into numerical figures. He felt this approach left much to be desired. ¡®Corrupted Werewolf.Use 6 Bone Explosives, and dispatch the Skeleton Knight.¡¯ He was like a finely tuned machine. He honed in on a target, and he used just the right number of Bone Explosives to crush the armor.After he finished acquiring aggro and armor breaking, he dispatched the right amount of force needed to take down the monster. This type of battle gave off a little bit of a different feeling than the any of the battles from before. Intelligent. ¡®The cool time of the Curses has been reset. I should get ready.¡¯ He calculated the cool time of all his skills, and he put the right number of underlings in the right locations. The way he was conducting the battle was possible not because of his experience or intuition. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t as if Hyrkan stood back as he commanded. He stepped in when there was an emergency. If he determined his underling was about to be killed, he didn¡¯t hesitate to step forward. This was the exact situation he was in.A Kobold has swung its hammer, and it had destroyed the knee of a Skeleton Warrior.The Skeleton Warrior fell in place, and the Kobold¡¯s hammer was about to fall like thunder on top its head.Hyrkan was already next to the Kobold as he used Body Slam with his sword placed right in front of him.He sent the Kobold flying. Kwah-jeek! He had a powerful weapon called the Black Kobold King¡¯s Sword. For this battle, he looked the other way as he purchased the weapon for a slightly higher price than its usual market price.The weapon, which he had paid a hefty sum, pierced through the Kobold¡¯s armor and skin. He carried the Skeleton Warrior on his back, since it hadn¡¯t recovered for its injury yet. The magical energy consumed in repairing the Skeleton Warriors wasn¡¯t a problem.However, if a Skeleton Warrior was destroyed, there was a cool time before it could be re-summoned.This was why Hyrkan had stepped forward. It was very hard to participate in a battle, and think at the same time. Furthermore, the situation on the battlefield changed a lot when Hyrkan participated in the battle field.Every move he made required a new calculation, and Hyrkan was able to quickly carry out the calculation.Hyrkan would survey the battlefield, and he was able to finish his calculation based on this information. It was an incredible feat. Moreover, it was something very unusual. So what made Hyrkan different from the normal Users?Moreover, why did this difference allow him give an effort of 120%? ¡®I have to get my money¡¯s worth.No matter what¡­¡¯ Of course, the answer was very simple. 5. In life, a person¡¯s voice was an incredibly important tool.On a brutal stage like a war, if one¡¯s voice couldn¡¯t reach other¡¯s ears easily, it would lose its worth. This was why people used other tools in battle. They used tools like horns or drums that mimicked the rising heart rate of men to communicate. However, there was a tool that was worth more than one¡¯s voice in Warlord. ¡°What¡¯s the current status of Team 8 and Team 9?¡± ¨C Team 9 is on standby. ¨C Team 8 is on standby. Voice Talk. Warlord allowed the use of this endlessly useful program. It was able to transmit one¡¯s voice in the midst of the very loud and bone chilling sounds of battle.Its worth as a tool was highlighted in battle. ¡°It is up to the discretion of Team 9 and Team 8 to join the battle.Aside from Team 1 to 5, the rest of the teams will move after Team 8 and Team 9 moves.¡± Big K spoke as he looked forward. ¡®They are finally here.¡¯ It would be false to say the Corrupted army was far away.One could now see the advancing corrupted army. Big Kay was part of the team that¡¯ll defend the region in the front. of course, this sector was the hardest to defend. It was a stage where everyone didn¡¯t want to be, and at the same time, it was the region that required the most skilled Users.Since this stage held such significance, Big K was put in charge of this stage.He¡¯ll also have the final say in what happened. ¡°Hoo-ooh.¡± In truth, Big K didn¡¯t want to be in charge of this stage.If it wasn¡¯t for the orders from Red Bulls, he would have used the tips disseminated to everyone by the Hahoe Mask to hunt.He would have been out there doing the Gnawing method. This was one of the reasons why Big K let out a sigh with the battle in sight. ¡®Jeez.What kind of a game¡­¡¯ Red Bulls didn¡¯t allow guild members to join the great battle as representatives of the guild.They were allowed to join as individuals. The guilds were looking at the big picture.Several big factor were preventing them from participating in the great battle in earnest.However, none of the 30 great guilds had given up on the great battle.Naturally, they expected a time to come when they would have to enter into the fray in earnest. This was why the 30 great guilds were doing advanced work. There were two tasks they were trying to accomplish. Goodwill. The guild members had to unhesitatingly do the dirty work as individuals.This will naturally build the trust of the Users. Experience.While they were doing the hard work, they would gain more experience compared to the Users, who only did the easy work.This was a given. On top of it all, the two tasks were also a measuring stick for the guilds.Everycompany had to choose people, who had the potential to move up in the corporate structure.One had to separate out the elite amongst the workers that had just entered.After separating outthe elites, these Users had to mature and be tested on a special stage.This was such a task for Big K.There was no reason why he should feel bad about it.If his results were good, he would move into the 1.5 Raid team at the end of the great battle. This was where the flower of the Red Bulls guild was placed.He would be placed in a rank that would give him a lot of face. Of course, he felt pressure.A test was a test.Currently, several dozen Users like Big K was spread across Warlord.Seeds were spread far and wide.The ones that grew the best would be place where there would be most light. If he couldn¡¯t take root in the stage called the great battle, he¡¯ll be returned to the dirt.Even if he was able to germinate and sprout, he wouldn¡¯t be picked if his stem thin, his roots weren¡¯t deep, and his leaves were dry.He wouldn¡¯t be pick, and he would have to wait for the next opportunity. He had to do well. No, he had to do better than everyone else. ¡®Hahoe Mask.¡¯ This was why Big K was having a hard time forgetting about the Hahoe Mask.No matter how he thought about it, he felt as if the existence of the Hahoe Mask would give him a chance. Of course, while Big K was thinking this through inside his head, the battle started.The battle couldn¡¯t be delayed. 6. ¡°Hold out!¡± The Tankers linked shields to make a concave battle line, and the priests stood behind that line.The magicians were lined up behind the priests.The group leader, who directed the battle, was behind the line of magician.This was the Centurion. They had created a crescent-shaped line, and the armored monsters with pitch black eyes swarmed against it. Kwah-ahng, kwah-ahng, kwahng! The monsters tirelessly banged against the shields, and the power of the monsters¡¯ weapons were incredible. The blunt weapons crushed the shields, and the sharp weapons ripped through the shields.The Tankers had placed their shield in front of them, and the shields were losing their luster as it turned unsightly. Of course, there were few shields that still held its dignified appearance as it shone against the fierce attacks. The Tankers next to the owners of the shields made comments towards them. ¡°The Albino Beetle Shield is amazing.¡± ¡°Unique Items are quite something.¡± The owner of the shield spoke with a proud smile on his face. ¡°This is why people use all their money to gain this type of Items. Instead of buying three mediocre shields, it is better to just buy one good shield.¡± ¡°You whined when you bought that shield.You said you regretted buying that¡­.¡± These three Users proved they could joke around even in a tight battle. ¨C Casting complete! While this was going on, the magicians started whispering into the Centurion¡¯s ears that their casting was complete. One, two, three¡­¡­ When he counted to ten, the Centurion raised his voice. ¡°Ready the magic bombardment!¡± The sound increased the nervousness felt by everyone. The ones who were the most nervous were the Tankers.Explosions will be going off in front of their shield. The powerful magical spells would start to destroy the monsters, and the after effects would spread to the surrounding.This was worse than taking a fragments from a grenade.The monsters, who were attacking would trip, fall or be pushed back. The strength that emerged from this process would be enormous.Any living organism displayed its strongest power in its struggle to live. ¡®There is no way I¡¯ll make a Tanker ever again.¡¯ ¡®I have to do all hard work. Itis the best to be a healer.¡¯ When the Tanker¡¯s nervousness passed, the priests prepared themselves. ¡°Fire the magic!¡± Ten magicians threw various magical spells as they synchronized with the Centurion¡¯s signal. They threw it over the line as the magical spells fell on the head of the monsters. The first spells to take effect was the electricity magic.Two lightning marbles fell on the head of the monsters, and the electricity was discharged. Pah-ji-jeek, pah-ji-jeek! Armor was useless against electric discharge. Some parts of the armors acted like lightning rods as it took in the electricity. Koo-uh-uh! The monsters let out a roar as they took in the electrical discharge. As this attack was taking effect, two fire marbles fell on the floor. Hwah-roo-roo! Each fire marble created a sea of fire about 330 meters in size.Its immediate damage wasn¡¯t that high, but it damaged the monsters over time.It was the strongest Persistent spell available.It was the most useful magic when maintaining a face to face confrontation. Ice was synonymous with magic in Warlord, and it wasn¡¯t missing from the party.One Ice marble fell to the floor. Pah-jeek! It broke against the floor. After it broke open, the Ice Fog that was filling the marble started to spread to a wide area.The fog disappeared as fast as it had appeared.However, when the fog disappeared,it left behind completely frozen monsters.There were only ice statues left. The ones to break the ice statues were the nearby monsters.The monsters didn¡¯t hesitate to trample over their comrades.The frozen monsters were broken completely like glass or they were broken in piecemeal.However, there were almost no traces left when the heavy footsteps of the monsters trampled over the broken pieces. A mayhem ensued, and this mayhem was pounding against the Tankers.The Tankers yelled out with their shields in front of them. ¡°Endure!¡± ¡°Ooh-raht-cha-cha!¡± ¡°Someone sing me a song!¡± Even now they were cracking jokes. However, there was a place where jokes weren¡¯t forthcoming. 7. ¨C Team 10 has fallen! It was a one-sided communication given to Big K as a report. They weren¡¯t asking for help. They were just telling others that their work was done, and they¡¯ll be high tailing it out of there. It was a missive that expressed support to the rest of the teams left. Big K didn¡¯t get angry at those words. It would be great if they could all enjoy the battle as they laughed.However, even if all the troops of the 30 great guilds were sent in, Users would still suffer Game Overs.This will make the Users drink alcohol for 48 hrs. Tragedy happened no matter what work you did in this world. Moreover, one couldn¡¯t feel anger or relief at such news. ¡°Good job.¡± ¨C You did well Team 10. ¨C Please get ready for the next battle. He decided they should stay to defend their region.It was the right answer to leave alone the location of the breach.If they split apart their forces to patch up the breach, a lot of Users will suffer Game Overs. They¡¯ll receive a long reflection period of 48 hours.This had been proven time and time again in other battles.The report card on this strategy was dismal.It would be stupid to follow the same failing formula again. At that moment, Big K assessed their chance of winning. ¡®It¡¯s been 10 minutes since the battle started yet the Corrupted Army broke through one place.¡¯ The pace wasn¡¯t that great. The fact that they hadn¡¯t been able to hold out for 10 minutes wasn¡¯t the important part. The fact that they couldn¡¯t last 10 minutes meant that they weren¡¯t able to kill many monsters. There were only 1000 Users gathered at the Shezga castle, and the defeat was already preordained before the battle even started. It was clear that they¡¯ll have to do the street battles soon. Basically, this was a long-drawn-out battle.There was the outside of the castle, castle gate and inside the castle. These were the three stages where battles would be fought.Of course, every monster one kills in the earlier stage meant it would be a boon in this protracted battle. ¡®As expected, we can¡¯t do this.¡¯ They had taken down far less than expected.This was why the probability of victory was lowered in Big K¡¯s head. It happened at that moment¡­ ¨C This is Team 11. Team 11 contacted him. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Team 11 and Team 12 held slightly different roles than the other teams. These were the Users with styles that was was least useful in the great battle.It was a group made out of Strikers.Instead of exchanging blows, these teams were made out of Users adept at doing hit and run attacks. ¡°What is it Team 11? These teams had been in charge of carrying out the Gnawing method. If they weren¡¯t careful, these were the teams that would suffer catastrophic accidents like Team 10.Since they were doing a hit and run, there was no way they would be annihilated.Of course, they were also the teams that spoke the least on Voice Talk.When someone who rarely speaks says something, there was more weight to their words. Moreover, the content of the words also added to the weight of the words being spoken. ¨C The Hahoe Mask is active in the rear of the the Corrupted Army. What should we do? At the Team 11 Centurion¡¯s words, it was as if a well full of frogs were croaking at the same time. ¨C Wow!The Hahoe Mask is really at the rear? ¨C I thought he left after throwing couple Bone Explosives. Was he perhaps been at the rear this whole time? ¨C Wow.The Hahoe Mask is really a crazy dude. Was he just on the tail? Or was he fighting the whole time? Croak croak. Voices were coming from every avenue, and it almost made Big K lose his mind.It didn¡¯t matter for others if people kept speaking.However, it was Big K¡¯s job to hear everyone out.He had to parse through even the meaningless words.There was nothing more annoying than to have a job where one has to listen to garbage. ¡°Quiet.¡± In the end, Big K spoke a word. ¨C How many monsters did the Hahoe Mask¡­.Ah.I¡¯m sorry. When one person stepped up to act as an inquisitor, it extinguished the fired that had roiled the atmosphere. Big K spoke again when the atmosphere had settled down. ¡°So how many did the Hahoe Mask take down?¡± He had spoken in a manner that was akin to how an inquisitor spoke. ¨C Pffft. A laughter leaked out of the Voice Talk.Since Big K didn¡¯t know the reason behind the laughter, he wasn¡¯t in a good mood.It was quite fortunate that the others couldn¡¯t see his expression.A small relief bloomed in his chest from the fact that this wasn¡¯t a video chat. Fortunately, the Centurion of Team 11 was a man of few words, and he hadn¡¯t been carried along by the atmosphere of others.He answered in a calm fashion. ¨C The number I witnessed is 11. He is catching one per minute.It¡¯s been 110 minute since the Corrupted Army went into its Siege mode.If he had maintained this pace, at the very least, he would have caught over a hundred of them. At those words, the frogs could no longer croak. Chapter 125 – Power of Wealth (3) Chapter 125 ¨C Power of Wealth (3) 8. ¨C Breaking News! The Hahoe Mask is participating in the great battle at the Shezga castle! Of course, the reaction to start of any rumor was weak. ¨C What about it? ¨C Even that weird bastard is lurking there. So what do you want us to do about it? ¨C What does the Hahoe Mask participating in the great battle at the Shezga castle have to with us? Most weak rumors went away before it could gain steam. However, there were times when the weak rumor evolved into something bigger. ¨C The Hahoe Mask is doing a Hard Carry in the great battle! This was the latter case. ¨C Hahoe Mask? ¨C Great battle? ¨C Hard Carry! The combination of these three words captivated the fans of Warlord.Their attention was kidnapped towards the Shezga castle. In that moment, the fertilizer needed for the news to prosper was laid. 9, [Your Level has Increased.] He had heard the Level Up announcement more than 160 times, so it failed to make his heart flutter. Hyrkan focused his gaze on the pandemonium in front of him. Currently, groups were dispatched to various sectors to block the Corrupted army.A fierce battle was going on, but the defenders of Shezga castle was being pushed back. Overall, the Corrupted army held the upper hand in the battle.It was like two fighters from different weight classes fighting against each other.Still, the defenders of the Shezga castle didn¡¯t fall immediately.They were still holding out.Naturally, the advance of the Corrupted army came to a crawl. Hyrkan licked his lips at the sight. The licking of the lips was a representation of how he felt after he finished his Eat the Tail method. The pieces were already in place, so everything happened as he expected. He was able to do the Eat the Tail method only until the Corrupted army¡¯s advance came to a halt.If one tried the Eat the Tail method when the Corrupted army was stalled, the risk would be smaller than fighting from the front.Still, the Eat the Tail method would become riskier than the Gnawing method. ¡®Bite it.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan once again chewed on his lips. His lips were already wet, but we once again worried over his lips.The meaning behind this action was clear. Anxiety. Currently, Hyrkan was anxious. ¡®I¡¯ve already showed you this much.Just bite the bait.¡¯ His goal wasn¡¯t to gain EXP.He had another goal. ¡®You bastards call yourself gamers.Do you really want to run away like a dog with its tail between its legs?¡¯ Why did people play games?It wasn¡¯t a complicated question.There wasn¡¯t some philosophical meaning behind why these people chose to play this game.They played it, because they wanted to. They played this game to be better than others, and they wanted to play it in style. Hyrkan targeted this mentality. Look at me! If you are with me, you¡¯ll get likes, follows or whatever admiration you want!You¡¯ll be able to be cool for a day as you play this game today! In truth, it wasn¡¯t hard for Hyrkan to win over the Centurions.It wasn¡¯t as if the Centurions were given salaries for taking the position.These Users insisted on doing the dirty work, since they would be able gain some profit through their position as Centurion.The Centurions would willingly work with Hyrkan if their interests were aligned. On the other hand, the Centurions didn¡¯t have as much control over the groups as they would like to think.The Users gathered under them weren¡¯t their underlings.If the Users were unwilling to do something, they left the stage.If the Users left, the Centurions were useless. This was why Hyrkan had tried to win over the normal User to his side from the beginning. All his actions up until now was to put hot air into the hearts of the normal Users. ¡®The rumors should be spreading right now.¡¯ Of course, the normal Users were in the midst of a battle, so they couldn¡¯t check up on Hyrkan¡¯s exploit with their own two eyes.They didn¡¯t have the time to spare, and even if they had the time, they wouldn¡¯t have done it.Still, this didn¡¯t mean all the Users in battle were solely focused on the battle at hand. Even if an important tests was around the corner, most students in school didn¡¯t stay focused throughout the whole class.Most students got sidetracked at any given moment. Just because this was a battle it didn¡¯t mean the Users didn¡¯t get sidetracked.Tankers were in a different position where they had to stay focused at all time.However, it was easy for the priests and magicians to become sidetracked. This inevitably led to one of them witnessing the Hahoe Mask¡¯s exploite from somewhere. What happens after someone witnesses Hahoe Mask¡¯s exploits?It was like passing notes in class.The information would spread to the surrounding Users.Since they had the Voice Talk program, they didn¡¯t need to pass around a note.They just had to move their mouth couple of times. After a certain amount of time passed, they reached a point where the atmosphere became disarrayed. When that moment came¡­¡­. ¡°Hahoe Mask!¡± In the end, the ones in charge would have to straighten out the distraction.To do this, they would have to come find the source of the distraction. ¡®Ok.¡¯ A light smile appeared on the lips he had tortured. 10. ¨C Team 5, 6, 11 and 12 will move out of the battle region.Team 1 and Team 2 is on standby.The remaining team¡¯s Tanker line and Priest line will remain.All magicians will climb the castle wall! Big K started to command his troops. If it was normal times, this kinds of commands wouldn¡¯t take root.If a User, who had come to a hunting ground to catch monsters were given an order completely unrelated to the task at hand, most of the Users would leave the party and logout. It wasn¡¯t as if this wasn¡¯t happening amongst the Users here. ¡°Why is he suddenly acting this way?We were in the midst of a good hunt.¡± ¡°Crazy.Is he really going to attempt it?How come they are making such a unilateral decision!¡± ¡°This is driving me nuts.Why am I obligated to do this?Those bastards aren¡¯t my responsibility.Ah. Whatever. I¡¯m out.¡± However, this was a relatively few number of Users. A significant number of complaints were cut down from the value placed on the name of the Hahoe Mask. ¡°I heard the Hahoe Mask isn¡¯t playing around in the rear.¡± ¡°I think he caught several hundred by himself.¡± ¡°Several hundred? No way. Even if he could catch one monster every minute, it would take him 5 hours to catch 300 monsters.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Hahoe Mask.If he summoned 100 Skeletons, he could easily take down 300.¡± ¡°Stop speaking such nonsense.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s at least try it out once.It isn¡¯t as if an opportunity to hunt with the Hahoe Mask will present itself again.Moreover, the Hahoe Mask must have some kind of a plan in mind.Truthfully, if we stop the Corrupted Army here, wouldn¡¯t it be a big deal?¡± ¡°The Hahoe Mask said he¡¯ll allow us to take screenshots with him afterwards no matter what.It doesn¡¯t matter if we win or lose. Let¡¯s do this.¡± ¡°Ah, wait a moment.Let me update what is happening on Facebook.¡± The rumor related to the Hahoe Mask had already gotten out of control.The truths became stretched, and it was spread amongst the defenders of the Shezga castle. Some of the rumors said the Hahoe Mask had summoned 100 Skeletons, a Death Knight had appeared, a Fire Golem had appeared to turn the battle field in a sea of flame, the Hahoe Mask was able to contract space using magic¡­ Any rational person that heard the rumors knew it was absurd, but the truth wasn¡¯t that important to the Users gathered in the Shezga castle. First, this sounded fun.If they were really able to succeed in defending the castle, it would look incredibly cool! These reasons allowed the users to be able to work in perfect order. As Big K had commanded, the Tanker line alongside the Priests bought time as the Magicians quickly climbed to the top of the castle wall. When the magicians started to arrive at the top of the castle wall, a new order was given. ¨C The Tanker line should narrow itself as you perform a slow retreat. You don¡¯t have to block every monster! If you don¡¯t think you can do it, just let them pass! We are going to let the monsters bang against the castle wall! Give up the castle wall! There was another debate going on in regards to this order, but from the perspective of the Tankers, this would give them time to recuperate.In truth, they were happy with the order, so they followed order without any complaint.The Tankers started to retreat from the battlefield as the priests took care of the Tankers.Of course, the Tankers and Priests that had retreated was put on standby. ¨C Ready your magic, magicians! It was time for the magicians to shine.The magicians immediately rained down their magic against the monsters. ¨C Don¡¯t use your strong AOE magic. Use the single shot target magic! Unlike before, they were going to use the meat and potato spells. ¨C Don¡¯t think of it as killing them with magic.You should think of it as destroying the defensive gears worn by the Corrupted army with magic! The magicians became skeptical when they heard their orders. ¡®Destroy their armors?¡¯ ¡®Wouldn¡¯t that mean we won¡¯t be damaging them?¡¯ Usually, the magic spells of the magicians were mainly used to deal damage. It wasn¡¯t used to destroy the armor.However, it wasn¡¯t as if it wasn¡¯t possible to do so.They could throw the low-grade magic at the monsters, but it would be an inefficient use of their magic considering their level. Of course, they needed an explanation. ¨C After we destroy their gears, we¡¯ll have the deciding match inside the castle! This explanation wasn¡¯t enough. ¨C This is the Hahoe Mask-style hunting method! However, his following words erased the need for the magicians to get a full explanation. ¡®If the Hahoe Mask want us to peel it, we¡¯ll peel them like cloves of garlic.¡¯ The magicians readied their magic. They weren¡¯t using the powerful magic they learned after their 1st Advancement.They were using magic spells they used a long time ago. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve used the Fireball.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve use any ball type magic.¡± ¡°I never used ball or bolt type magic before, so my proficiency is very low.Will that be ok?¡± ¡°How should I know?Ask an intellectual about it.¡± Not everyone followed the orders given.There were magicians, who decided to ready their big spells. In this world, there were always those who did the opposite of a given order. However, there weren¡¯t many Users like this, so it wouldn¡¯t greatly change the balance of battle.They didn¡¯t need everyone to follow orders.They just needed most of them to follow directions. ¡°Start the bombardment!¡± Magicians started to throw magic. Moreover, the magical spells were thrown without any rest. The ball and bolt type magic neither had a long cool time nor a long casting time. One person couldn¡¯t throw it endlessly, but several hundred magicians could endlessly cover the battlefield with magic if they matched their pace. The magic was starting to create cracks in the armors worn by the monsters. This was the moment when the battle entered into a new phase. 11. ¡°The magicians on top of the castle wall will break the armors worn by the monsters.Then congestion would start to occur at locations where the gate or the walls fall.The elite Tanker line will block as the big magic spells will be deployed.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°The Users dispatched outside will Gnaw at the monsters that are too busy entering the castle gate.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the Gnawing method take too long?In the end, wouldn¡¯t there be a large number of monsters entering into the castle?¡± ¡°It will be a piece of cake to kill unarmored Corrupted monster in the street battle.¡± ¡°What should the command structure be like during the street battles? We won¡¯t be able to control every small battle that breaks out.¡± ¡°Command structure doesn¡¯t matter in this. It¡¯ll be the same as hunting in the field.Each party will decide on a structure, and they can catch whatever monster they want.¡± ¡°If we do this through the street battles, the damage to the castle¡­.¡± ¡°Do you have some kind of real estate investment in the Shezga castle?¡± Big K didn¡¯t have a retort to Hyrkan¡¯s words.Big K just closed his mouth, and he smiled. ¡°Incredible.¡± Hyrkan¡¯s strategy wasn¡¯t overly complicated.Actually, it was very simple. Since it was simple, he was able to quickly run the scenario inside his mind. For such a simple tactic, the result that was being drawn in his mind was surprising.Hyrkan¡¯s strategy wouldn¡¯t guarantee them a 100% win, but it put them in a shouting distance of actually being able to win this battle. If the defenders in the Shezga castle numbered over 2,000, Hyrkan¡¯s method would guarantee a win.Of course, this was assuming a very competent commander like Hyrkan was present to direct the progress of the battle. ¡®If the 30 great guilds use this strategy¡­ We¡¯ll win every time.¡¯ This was why Big K was truly surprised, so he asked Hyrkan the question. ¡°How did you come up with this plan?¡± Hyrkan wasn¡¯t able immediately give an answer to this question.Big K thought the snort was directed at him.It was as if he was saying, ¡®Do I really have to explain single detail?¡¯Big K thought that was what Hyrkan¡¯s snort meant.In a way, it could be seen as an arrogant gesture.However, Big K thought it wasn¡¯t arrogant.He saw it as Hyrkan¡¯s self-confidence. ¡®He isn¡¯t just good at fighting.Does this mean he is also good at coming up with tactics?Is that how it is?He really has everything.¡¯ At that moment, Big K understood why Chev thought so highly of Hyrkan. Of course, there was a reason why Hyrkan hadn¡¯t answered the question.No, he couldn¡¯t answer it.The reason was simple. ¡®Your guild created this tactic.¡¯ The tactic that he proposed was something taken out of the Red Bull¡¯s manual. When the Corrupted army went into Siege mode, one used Eat the Tail and Gnawing method to chip away at the Corrupted army.Then the magicians used a large amount of magic to disarm the Corrupted Monsters, and the number of monsters were significantly reduced when the congestion occured.Afterwards, the street battles were used to finish off the Corrupted army.If they took this a step further, the remaining monsters in the castle could be herded outside of the castle, and they could be taken out with a bombardment of AOE magic.This last method was called the ¡®Hangover¡¯ method. If one wanted to defend the castle, one had to minimize the damage to the castle.However, this was only true in real life.Warlord Users didn¡¯t have to care a whit about damaging the castle.This was also the impetus that led to the creation of this method. This method was put out by the Red Bulls, and this method became the standard tactic in the great battle.The entirety of the 30 great guilds followed the Red Bull¡¯s method, and the great battle quickly came to an end with the Users coming out on top.In the process of all of this, the Red Bull¡¯s stock rose considerably. Now that stock increase would happen to Hyrkan.Hyrkan was slightly sorry about doing this, but his heart quickly swallowed up that feeling. ¡®Well, who cares. I¡¯m doing this to fatten up the 30 great guilds.¡¯ In the end, wasn¡¯t he doing something that would benefit the 30 great guilds? This thought made Hyrkan¡¯s stomach ache. ¡®No. If I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯m doing so much for the 30 great guilds right now.It wouldn¡¯t be enough even if they paid me money.¡¯ It happened at that moment. Big K listened to his Voice Talk program, and he suddenly asked Hyrkan a question. ¡°Hahoe Mask.There is an interview request¡­¡± Big K was about to speak, but he closed his mouth.He remembered that Hahoe Mask rarely gave an interview to the media.He realized he had made a big faux pas by asking for an interview. This was evidence that Big K¡¯s thoughts were all jumbled.He had let those words slip, since this was an urgent situation. Of course, Big K was ready for Hyrkan to refuse the offer. ¡°Interview? With the Red Bulls?¡± Instead of turning him down, Hyrkan replied with a question.One of Big K¡¯s eyebrows lifted slightly. ¡°No.It¡¯s the Fruit Post.¡± Fruit Post. ¡°How are you acquainted with the reporter?¡± ¡°I have personal connections¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You have quite a strong network of contacts.You are able to get in touch with a reporter from the Fruit Post.¡± When the Peach Saga V-Gear Series was released, the first order of business was creating a media company that dealt with the improving virtual reality contents. It was called the Peach company, and at the time, the company purchased a struggling traditional media company that was unable to adapt to the age of smartphones.This was how a new media company called Fruit Post came to be. Currently, they covered a wide variety of contents regarding the virtual reality.Moreover, they were most popular for their work regarding Warlord. In terms of dealing with the weekly Warlord contents, their influence and impact was in the top 3 in regards to media companies. Big K was close with several reporters from the Fruit Post, who dealt exclusively with Warlord. One of them had caught wind of the situation, and the reporter was trying to get an interview through Big K. From the perspective of the reporter, it was akin to poking at a persimmons that was out of reach. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll do the interview.¡± However, Hyrkan agreed to do it. The persimmons had just fallen into the open mouth of a reporter. ¡°Really?¡± Big K was surprised, but he immediately reigned in his surprise. He swallowed his spit couple times before he asked a question. ¡°When do you want to schedule it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it now.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I have time until the street battle starts.I have nothing to do until then.I¡¯ll do the interview here.Just connect them to me.¡± 12. ¨C The Hahoe Mask¡¯s interview is up! ¨C Is it a live interview?Give me the Fruit¡¯s coordinate! ¨C ? 37¡ã 22¡ä 12¡å N, 122¡ã 2¡ä 24¡å W ¨C ? Crazy son of a bitch. You gave me the coordinate to the Silicon Valley. ¨C ? Fruit Post¡¯s head office is in Silicon Valley. Fruit Post did a live interview with Hyrkan, and this became a hot issue.The Warlord fans, who were captivated by the Hahoe Mask, naturally turned their gaze towards this interview. While everyone¡¯s attention was focused on him, Hahoe Mask revealed a strategy that would bring certain victory in the great battle.Moreover, he revealed every helpful strategy in the interview. Of course, Warlord fans weren¡¯t the only ones paying attention.The Warlord Users were watching the content of Hahoe Mask¡¯s interview in real time.. ¡®He¡¯s still wearing the armor I gave him. As expected, I did good in making that. It looks good on him.¡¯ The guild master of Stormhunters was watching. ¡®I should have bribed him earlier.I never expected him to move so fast.How unfortunate.¡¯ The guild master of the Red Bulls was also watching. Also¡­¡­. ¡°Thank you for agreeing with our request for an interview. The street battles are about to start.Do you have any last words for our viewers? For reference, over 20 million people are watching this live interview.¡± ¡°I can say anything?Even though this is a live broadcast?¡± ¡°Well, if there¡¯s a problem, we just have to write up a report. Please keep the swearing to a minimum.¡± ¡°Truthfully, there is no reason why I should have to step up in this great battle.I¡¯ll be a little bit more truthful with my words.I don¡¯t gain anything from this venture, yet I am carrying out this work.The reason is quite simple.¡± The Hands guild wasn¡¯t really known in the world. This guild¡¯s guild master was also watching the interview. ¡°Currently, the Users that aren¡¯t participating in the great battle are suffering.The high level Users that aren¡¯t participating in the great battle are camping out at the Subjugation Associations frequented by the low level Users. This gets in the way of low level Users completing their Quests, since the restless high level Users are exterminating all the nearby monsters.On the other hand, the low level users are having a hard time finding a hunting ground, because of the great battle.¡± ¡°Yes.The complaints are steadily getting louder.¡± ¡°No matter how I see it, the Users aren¡¯t enjoying the great battle.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say anything further.I just think that the situation needs a change.I¡¯ll end the interview there.¡± That was how the interview came to an end. ¡°Hahoe Mask. Put his name on the same rank as the First Head, the Storm Queen and the Matador.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll contact you once I put the classification on him.¡± A lot of things changed at that moment. Chapter 126 – Argardo Raid (1) Chapter 126 ¨C Argardo Raid (1) 1. There was an appetizing pink sausage with egg wrapped around it in front of him.There was also fresh vegetable, tuna and a kelp soup with plenty of beef and seasoning in it.He piled on the side dishes on the bowl of white rice.Ahn-jaehyun was busy chewing, but his expression wasn¡¯t that great. Surprisingly, Ahn-jaehyun was very dissatisfied with the menu. ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for this event, I would have already replenished my strength by eating stamina-increasing food. I would be playing the game by now.¡¯ In truth, Ahn-jaehyun had planned on stuffing himself with stamina-increasing food the whole time he was running the great battle. He was going to need a strong body more so than any other time, yet he recently felt his physical fitness get worse. This was why he had saved up his money.Basically, he set aside a saving that was specifically for buying stamina-increasing food. ¡®Shit.I never expected to spend so much here.¡¯ The Shezga castle defense was over and his calculations was done.This was why he wasn¡¯t comfortable eating an expensive meal.He had spent way more than expected.Moreover, the bigger problem was the fact that he had used most of the consumable Items he had in storage. Warlord Users, especially the Rankers, had plenty of Storage space.With the important hunts, battles and raids in one¡¯s immediate future, one didn¡¯t have the time to be scrambling all over the place to purchase the consumables. Currently, Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t just have one big mountain to climb.He had two big mountains left.Of course, Ahn-jaehyun was like an ant conserving food in the summer, so it could have a store in winter.He had to tighten his belt once again. In that context, the food he was eating right now was definite proof that displayed Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s elevated position.His food and his position within Warlord had gone through a big change.This was seen on Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s youtube page.The number of subscribers, the number of people viewing his videos, and the purchase of his pay-per-view video was on an upward trajectory again. This was especially true about the videos he released during the defense of the Shezga castle.He had revealed the know-hows of the great battle for the first time.His Eat the Tail video had already racked up close to 30 million views.This thought relaxed his rigid expression. ¡®Well, I won¡¯t be able to recover it immediately, but I¡¯ll slowly gain back what I invested this time around.¡¯ When he thought about the recent corporate sponsorship proposal he received, thepink sausage tasted like a Wagyu steak.His food tasted better. Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s spoon and chopsticks started to move vigorously. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Before he knew it, Ahn-jaehyun had let go of his spoon. ¡®It¡¯s finally happened!¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun had moved past the 80% mark of climbing a mountain, and the 90% mark was in sight right in front of him. 2. After the Hahoe Mask¡¯s interview ended, all the 30 great guilds fought each other to be the first one to announce that they were going to participate in the great battle.It was as if they had been waiting for this opportunity. ¡°We will only participate in the great battle in stages where the normal Users are suffering.Aside from those instances, we will leave the rest to the Users. Please think of our actions as maintaining the order.¡± Their excuse was that they were going to maintain order. Of course, the normal Users were split on the decision. If one set aside whether the defense of the castles was successful or not, there were a portion of Users that were benefitting greatly from participating in the great battle.They opposed the decision made by the 30 great guilds.It was a fact. If the 30 great guilds participated, the pie had to be shared with more people.Moreover, the Hahoe Mask had revealed how to clear the Corrupted army.If the Underfoot guilds, and the Users massed in numbers, they were confident that they could succeed in defending the castles by themselves. On the other hand, the Users below level 100, who hadn¡¯t participated in the great battle, rejoiced at the 30 great guild¡¯s participation. It was true that the high level Users caused a lot of disturbance in hunting grounds occupied by the low level Users.The 30 great guilds were going to fix that problem, so there was no reason for them to disagree with the 30 great guild¡¯s announcement. The opinions were split, but the important part was that there was a portion of the Users that agreed with the involvement of the 30 great guilds. During all of this, the V&V guild and the 8 guilds, who had announced their non-participation, was put in an awkward spot. There were a lot of chatter online about them. ¨C What about those guilds that put out a joint statement saying they won¡¯t participate in this event? ¨C If those guys have any honor or pride, they¡¯ll stay out of this. For these 9 guilds, the breakthrough happened when they decided to retake the castles instead of defending them.The 9 guilds aggressively stepped forward to take back the fallen castles. Some Users saw it as a hollow gesture, but they weren¡¯t too upset by it.The retaking of the castles was couple degrees harder than defending it.This was confirmed when the retaking efforts failed multiple times in a row. This resulted in the 30 great guilds not competing against each other as everyone contributed in different roles. Some participated in the retaking the castles and the rest defended the castles.The Users had been pushed back endlessly, but the situation was quickly changing. The Corrupted army was starting to be pushed back.The Corrupted army had to turn the tide of the battle, so a new card was played by them. It appeared at that moment. [An incredible Boss Monster has appeared at the Havanz castle!] 3. Havanz castle. In the past, it had been called the Cursed castle, and it was at this location where the Corrupted army¡¯s hidden ace card made an appearance. Havanz castle. The dreary atmosphere from the past was gone. It was a place where high level Users wearing elegant and expensive Items frequented before.The castle was in an appalling state compared to the past.The castle walls looked like ruins that had been destroyed several thousand years ago. Moreover, it was hard to find an intact buildings beyond the castle wall. ¡°Start the magical bombardment!¡± On this wretched stage, a heartless assessment started once again. Before the man¡¯s shout could come to an end, several hundred magicians used their pre-casted magic. At the very least, one had to be over level 130. At the very least, one had to have a Rank of Rare. These were the magicians that had invested all their Stats into Intelligence.They were popularly known as the ¡®Extreme Mages¡¯. The use of their magic was harmonious.The earth type magic was the first to be used.Uniform earthen walls erupted from the ground.It was over 20 meters tall.However, these weren¡¯t just simple earthen walls. It was called the Shield Wall, and it was able to stop physical and magical attacks. The Shield Walls gathered to form a triangle. The powerful magic spells were thrown into the triangle.The enormous fireballs burned the forest, and the thunder strikes were falling like a shower.Enormous ice spears were descending like lightning. Koo koo koo! The powerful magic made the ground cry. Hell. This was the only expression that could describe the scene. The one watching this sight was Sweeper guild¡¯s primary Raid team leader.Spearman Ichni gulped. ¡®Please work.¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter in regards to other aspects, but the Sweepers guild was known for being the best in fighting with magic amongst the 30 great guilds.The large scale magic bombardment shown right now by the Sweepers guild was something they were proud of. This was why Ichni always smiled with confidence when he saw the powerful collaboration of magic. However, he felt a mixture of fear, nervousness and anxiousness as he swallowed his spit. This was the first time for him. ¡®I¡¯m not expecting it to die, but at the very least, I want it to take some damage.Just a little bit.If that doesn¡¯t happen, at least damage its armor! Please!¡¯ He even prayed. However, Ichni gulped once again as the prayer fell to the pit of his stomach. Kwah-ahng! A thundering noise rang out as one Shield Wall broke.All the racket created by various magic leaked out of the hole. Smoke, fire, sparks¡­ On top of all the noise, one could hear the sound of footsteps. The owner of footsteps was a knight wearing armor. The armor he wore wasn¡¯t normal. It was a silver colored armor with a black pattern on it.There was an eagle¡¯s head decorated on the right shoulder, and the left shoulder was decorated with the head of a lion. On his chest, there was the circular crest of the three snakes biting each other. On top of it all, the black pattern was perpetually moving like a living fish across the silver amor. The knight didn¡¯t have a shield. Instead, he held a sword that that constantly rang out as if it was weeping. In some ways, the sword looked shabby and worthless. Large boss monsters were big enough to intimidate the Users on sight.However, this knight was of a size where it was hard to locate him in the mayhem. When Ichni caught sight of the knight, he desperately yelled out. It was the first time he yelled out like this, since he started playing Warlord. ¡°Retreat!¡± ¡°What?¡± At Ichni¡¯s command, his subordinate next to him reflexively asked the question.In truth, it was hard for him to comprehend why they had to retreat.It had been less than 10 minutes, since they had started the battle with the knight. After several sporadic exchange, this was the first time they had used the magic bombardment in earnest, yet they were going to retreat? However, Ichni was decisive. ¡°How can we fight something that can¡¯t be damage by physical, magical or holy attacks?Everyone retreat!¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± The leader¡¯s orders were absolute. His subordinate didn¡¯t dispute Ichni¡¯s orders.He instructed everyone to retreat. Since there were a lot of Users gathered here, the retreat didn¡¯t just occur from speaking just one or two words.They wasted some time telling everyone of the retreat order. In reality, it wasn¡¯t a lot of time. It took them around 10 seconds, but¡­ ¡®Huhk!¡¯ Ichni¡¯s subordinate was passing down the order when the knight that had been far away came into view. It didn¡¯t feel as if the knight had approached him.It was as if the knight had disappeared, and it just appeared right in front of his eyes. Moreover, the knight had his sword raised up high, and the sword was already descending when the Ichni¡¯s subordinate realized the knight was there. Kahng! Fortunately, Ichni raised his spear to block the sword strike.His subordinate stumbled backward in fright. ¡°Just ignore me!Evacuate!¡± Ichni encouraged his subordinate to run away.His subordinate wordlessly got out of there quickly. The knight was right in front of his eyes, so Ichni was finally able to get a good look at the knight in front of him.While they were in closeproximity to each other, Ichni could see the milky white eyes flash from within its helmet. ¡®Isn¡¯t he the left hand of Prince Dean?It¡¯s sir Argardo.¡¯ After a brief moment, he sized up the situation. Ggee-eek, ggee-eek! The shaft of Ichni¡¯s spear was starting to be cut incrementally as it blocked Argardo¡¯s sword.It wasn¡¯t as if the sword was making a sawing motion.This was occurring just from having the sword pressing firmly against the shaft. ¡°Coating!¡± Ichni reflexively used his Skill. The Skill he used was called Coating. For a limited amount of time, the skill made it impossible for one¡¯s weapon and armor to be destroyed.It was a Unique Skill, and it wasn¡¯t easy to acquire. Since it wasn¡¯t easy to acquire, this meant the effectiveness of the skill was certain. However, Ichni had took his eyes off his opponent to use the skill.At that moment, Argardo kicked Ichni in the stomach. Ggwah-roong! The impact caused a sound that was akin to a thunder clap. Ichni¡¯s body flew away like stone skipping across the surface of a lake.He was sent roughly skipping across the ground. ¡®Ffffuuuuuuuhhhhck!¡¯ His world was spinning at that moment. In the extremely chaotic situation, Ichni came to a stop, and he looked in front of him. ¡®Where is he?¡¯ Argardo wasn¡¯t in his field of vision. Ichni had a small hunch.He raised his head slightly to look up.Ichni was finally able to see Argardo. Poohk! Argardo¡¯s sword skewered Ichni¡¯s head. ¨C Ooh-ahk. He became a roadkill. ¨C Spearman Ichni couldn¡¯t even last a minute. ¨C Isn¡¯t that the Sweeper guild¡¯s Raid Team? In truth, the result was to be expected. ¨C Sweepers guild mainly deal with clearing monsters.Their Raid team can¡¯t even crack the Top 10 in terms of power.Still, this was way too one-sided. The White-eyed knight sir Argardo. He was called the left hand of Prince Dean.After the Sweepers guild acquired the rights to the Raid, they immediately broadcasted the raid live. A significant number of people purchased the live ticket, and the ripple caused by what had happened on live broadcast was seen in the comments section. Shir read the responses, and she turned her head.Hatch was watching the same broadcast, and he spoke when he felt her gaze on him. ¡°Do you have a question for me?¡± ¡°What are your thoughts on what just happened?¡± ¡°Do you want my opinion on Argardo or the Sweepers guild?¡± ¡°Both.¡± The answer came from a different source. ¡°If the Queen and I fight him, that NPC will be beaten to a pulp within 10 minutes!In the first place, the Sweepers guild was out of their minds if they thought they could deal with¡­¡± ¡°Hey! Filter your words!Chose your words more carefully!¡± Storm Princess Hahui was about to say the Sweepers guild was trying eat something that was out of their reach.However, Hatch cut her off. ¡°Does that mouth say anything it wants?¡± ¡°What did you just say?¡± Hahui glared at Hatch.However, Hatch justly ignored Hahui.He spoke to Shir. ¡°We checked up on it, and Skills won¡¯t work on it.It isn¡¯t affected by physical attacks and magical attacks.It might be the armor, but on the other hand, it could be some unknown skill granted to it by the Corrupted power. ¡± The White-eyed knight sir Argardo. The information about this NPC was pretty widespread.Amongst the NPC knights in Warlord, it was considered to be in the top 10.Of course, when the Immoral Prince was revealed to be Prince Dean, the battle with Argardo was inevitable. It was a matter of when, where and how.It was going to happen eventually. Now everyone was aware of this fact. ¡°How is it compared to the Corrupted Count?¡± ¡°In an RPG game, the goblin that appears later in the game is much stronger then the dragon from the early portions of the game.They aren¡¯t even comparable.¡± ¡°Give me a more detailed explanation.¡± ¡°The knight¡¯s close combat ability is on a whole different level compared to the monsters we¡¯ve faced until now.Do you mind if I speak a little bit more bluntly?¡± ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°In my opinion, the knight is better than the Queen.¡± ¡°You want to die?¡± Hahui once again interrupted the conversation. Hatch let out a sigh. He had on an expression that said, ¡®What do I have to do to make this bitch shut up?¡¯ ¡°What evidence do you have?¡± Shir glanced at Hahui.Hahui clamped her mouth shut, and at the same time, she pouted. After seeing this, Hatch immediately opened his mouth. ¡°When facing this enemy, experience in PVP is much more important than Raid experience.This is the Queen¡¯s weakness.¡± Shir nodded her head It was true.Shir was also strong at PVP. There weren¡¯t that many people, who she considered to be her peer.In a one on one fight, the number of Users that could confidently beat her could be counted on the fingers of her hand.This was the case even if she searched through the entire User base of Warlord. However, this didn¡¯t mean she had a lot of experience of fighting one on one battles. In the first place, how many Users would try to PK her?Even if one wanted to PK her, one would be cut down before one could even reach her. Of course, this wasn¡¯t a weakness that was only present in Shir. ¡°The problem is this weakness is present in most of the Strikers representing the 30 great guilds.¡± The 30 great guild¡¯s primary raid teams were mainly made out of Strikers.They were called the stars of Warlord, and it was almost impossible for the normal Users to even meet them.In other words, these particular Users had never had any harrowing experiences. There was a lack of PVP experience, yet the battle with Argardo required competence in PVP. Even if one put aside the disparity in number, the outcome of this battle was hard to predict.The Sweepers guild had deployedtheir massive bombardment of magic skills, yet it hadn¡¯t worked at all. ¡°If we can catch this bastard, the game will be set.¡± Argardo was the perfect trophy.The guild that kills it would be called the best for a good amount of time. Hatch nodded his head.There was a very slim chance for success, but they couldn¡¯t avoid the battle with Argardo.If one did avoid it, it would damage one¡¯s reputation more so than losing to Argardo. ¡°I¡¯ll go apply for the raid. We¡¯ll be in the back of the queue, but we won¡¯t have to worry about the order of queue.¡± When Argardo was taken down, there would only be one thing left afterwards. ¡°Then we¡¯ll get ready for the Immoral Prince raid.¡± When one era comes to an end, one had to get ready for the new era. Chapter 127 – Argardo Raid (2) Chapter 127 ¨C Argardo Raid (2) 5. Through the sacrifice of an unknown magician, the Cursed castle had been sealed in its appalling state. The castle regained its light through the actions of four heroes.Afterwards, those equipped with fancy Items filled up the castle.A flower had bloomed, and it was named Havanz castle. However, the elegant castle was now stained alongside the White-eyed Knight.The Havanz castle¡¯s appearance turned more horrifying in appearance than the time it was called the Cursed Castle. A worse sense of despair filled the castle. To fight against this despair, stars instead of fancy flowers started to gather. Users that numbered easily over a thousand was positioned at a location where they could see the Havanz castle.This wasn¡¯t a village.There was no barricades formed here. If one insisted on making a comparison, this was like a massive camping ground or something similar to one.In the normal logic of Warlord, this was a dangerous thing to be doing.They were basically defenseless against the attacks of monsters. However, none of the Users here were worried.The monsters that appeared near Havanz castle was like pocket change or an ice cream dessert that cleansed their palate. Currently, beings that would freak out even these Users had just appeared. ¡°It¡¯s been awhile.¡± A star amongst stars had appeared.In fact, there was more than one.Two stars had appeared. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. Isn¡¯t it normal for a person to at least nod their head? Why do you have to behave so coldly towards me?¡± ¡°What business do you have with me?¡± It was Shir and Chev. Users of great skill and renown had appeared in front of the Havanz castle for the Argardo Raid.However, they paled in comparison to these two. These Users were no longer qualified to play a leading role or a supporting role. They had been turned into spectators in front of these two. The Users focused their attention on the meeting happening between these two. These two were stars amongst stars.Shir and Chev wasn¡¯t bother by all the gazes focused on them as they revealed their true colors. Shir was treating Chev in a very cold manner.There was no need to act as if they were on good terms.Moreover, there was a good reason why they weren¡¯t on good terms. ¡°I¡¯m not here for anything too important.I checked your number, and you guys are going after us.So I decided to greet you.¡± Shir¡¯s expression crumpled at Chev¡¯s words. This was the reason why their already bad relationship had worsened. ¡°You are here to provoke me.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Anyone could see that the Argardo Raid was like an exclamation point to the great battle.This was why everyone competed with each other to participate in the Argardo Raid.The order had been determined through lottery. The Stormhunters were going right after the Red Bulls. Of course, it soured Shir¡¯s mood. ¡®If it was any other guild than the Red Bulls¡­.¡¯ The Stormhunters guild was pretty far down the queue.Including the Red Bulls, there were a total of four guilds from the 30 great guilds in front of her. However, only the Red Bulls was a thorn in her eyes. If other guilds succeed in the Argardo Raid, it would be considered a miracle.However, this could be an easy win for the Red Bulls.This was how highly she thought of the Red Bulls. On top of it all, Chev had come to check up on the situation himself even though their turn wasn¡¯t up yet. This wasn¡¯t an attempt by the Red Bulls to use a hot topic to sell more live tickets.His actions was meant to say he was going to attempt this as if everything was on the line. Shir was here for similar reasons as Chev. Chev had come close to provoking Shir on purpose for similar reasons too. They weren¡¯t competitors that were fighting head to head against each other.The two of them had their arrows aimed at the same target. There was no way a cordial atmosphere could blossom in this situation. Instead, sparks were flying between them. Everyone gossiped as they saw this sight. ¡°I guess one of those two guilds will succeed.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think Red Bulls have the higher probability to kill it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the opposite.If the Red Bulls reveal most of their strategy in the Raid, Storm Hunter¡¯s success rate would rise significantly.¡± ¡°It is a matter of if one will eat first or eat off the floor.¡± There was someone, who was viewing these two Users, with very sharp eyes. ¡®In the end, the Hahoe Mask made it possible for those two to take flight.He did something very troublesome.¡¯ Sinclair was with the V&V guild.He was here as a the member of the Raid party.They were going to attempt the Argardo raid in several hours.He let out a bitter when he saw the Storm Queen and the Matador appear. However, there was someone observing Sinclair with sharp eyes. ¡®What is that bastard here?¡¯ This User was wearing a blandly designed steel armor. His helmet covered his whole face, and he wore a cape. He looked like a typical Swordsman Class type User that one could see everywhere in Warlord. When Hyrkan discovered Sinclair, his heart sank. ¡®This is going sideways again. Why the hell is that bastard here with the V&V logo on his chest?¡¯ Hyrkan wasn¡¯t here to participate in the Argardo Raid by himself. Argardo dropped incredible Items. The Argardo Armor set was a level 180 Chronicle Unique Rank Item. The Crying Sword was a level 180 Chronicle Epic Item. The two Items could be used until mid level 200s. The weapon was a very good one. However, it would be difficult for Hyrkan to gain this weapon. ¡®Shit. It won¡¯t be easy to join as the third wheel.¡¯ The Argardo Raid couldn¡¯t be soloed. If he only had to fight Argardo, Hyrkan would have attempted the Raid already. Of course, his chances wouldn¡¯t be great. The problem with the Argardo Raid was the fact that this wasn¡¯t a simple Boss Raid.This was a Raid happening in the framework of the great battle. First, one had to defeat the Corrupted army defending the Havanz castle.Then one had to climb the castle wall.One had to win the siege of the Havanz castle to be able to acquire a ticket to fight Argardo.However, this was impossible for Hyrkan to do by himself. This was why Hyrkan had planned on making a deal. He had planned on joining a decent Underfoot guild that was an ace card short of winning this Raid.From their perspective, there was no reason why they would refuse the deal. At the very least, it wouldn¡¯t prevent others especially the 30 great guilds from killing Argardo.The deal would be much better than sucking their thumbs as others killed Argardo. However, Sinclair had appeared as the member of V&V guild.Sinclair was a User that already tried to kill Hyrkan. There had been no discernable reason behind it.He thoughtlessly attempted a PK on Hyrkan. ¡®If I talk about the Watchman style once again in front of him, I bet he¡¯ll try to find my house and beat me up.¡¯ If Hyrkan was in Sinclair¡¯s shoes, his eyes would roll back in anger once he spotted him. ¡®Shit.It seems I¡¯ll have to change my plan.¡¯ Hyrkan once again swallowed the bitter words.At that moment, Sinclair turned his head slightly to look at Hyrkan.Sinclair had felt Hyrkan looking at him. At that moment, Hyrkan was freaking out, buthe didn¡¯t show any outward signs.If he looked away or turned his gaze away, it would make Sinclair suspicious. Sinclair tilted his head in confusion when he saw Hyrkan. ¡®Who is that?Is he looking at me?Am I tripping?¡¯ That was the extent of this thoughts. ¡°Ah.They are moving.¡± ¡°What were they talking about?¡± Shir and Chev had finished their conversation.They turned their backs, and they walked away from each other.The gazes that had been on the two split as they went in different directions.When they disappeared from the stage, the Users were filled withcuriosity.They started talking to each other privately. In such a restless atmosphere, Sinclair and Hyrkan was nowhere to be seen. 6. ¡°Give up! Give up on it!¡± When that shout was heard, the Argardo Raid¡¯s message board became noisy. ¨C They admitted defeat!They couldn¡¯t even get over the castle wall! ¨C Mediocre Users were gathered to increase the headcount.This was to be expected. ¨C I got a 1.05 times return.Thank you for the meal. ¨C ? I flagged you for illegal betting before I leave. The Users gathered to make the Kill the Knight Team to run the Argardo Raid. However, this team had just gave up on the Raid. The Kill the Knight was a team created by 1,200 Users. This team couldn¡¯t even climb the castle wall that had been crushed by the Raid Teams before them.Of course, the Cement Worms were working on repairing the fallen castle wall, so it was only somewhat patched up.The Kill the Knight team wanted to take advantage of this fact, yet their battle was conducted in a very sloppy manner. The critical blow came when the castle wall fell.The Users rushed in to enter the castle when the entrance became congested.This congestion allowed the enemies to use AOE attacks to cause Game Over to a lot of Users. This was why retaking the castles were scary.It was as it was revealed in the Hahoe Mask¡¯s know-how video.The attack on the congestion assured a certain victory in the defense of the castles.However, the congestion was now morphed into an obstacle for the Users.This method of attack assured certain victory, and it wasn¡¯t easy to come up with a method to counter it. In truth, no one had expected the Kill the Knight team to succeed.One needed incredible amount of magical firepower to clear away the monsters like the Sweepers guild, or one needed a peerless heavyweight that could make split-second decisions within a battle.It was meaningless to have only a high number of Users. ¨C Too bad about the V&V guild.They were able to reach the battle with Argardo, but they had to retreat eventually. ¨C Since we are talking about the V&V guild, there was a User that was incredibly skilled User that was killing the monsters.Why didn¡¯t that User step up to fight Argardo? ¨C ? I¡¯m also curious.He fought better than the Users that actually fought Argard.However, he was missing. The Warlord fans were excited about the 3 teams that would be attempting the Raid after the Kill the Knight team. ¨C Anyways, this 3 consecutive battles will settle it. ¨C That¡¯s true. It was set up in such a way that three guilds in the 30 great guilds were attempting the Argardo Raid one after another. ¨C So the order is Big Smiles, Red Bulls and Stormhunter? In terms of conducting Raids, these two guilds were opined to being the best in Warlord.This fact was why everyone had high expectations.They were overflowing with anticipation. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that if these two guilds failed, no one could think of any other guilds that would be able to succeed in the Raid. Of course, there was also the guild that became the butt of the joke. ¨C Even if Big Smiles will be the card that will be discarded, Red Bulls and the Stormhunter will end this. ¨C ? Why is the Big Smiles the card that is being thrown away?They are the strongest guild in China. If we compare the Big Smiles to the other two guilds, there is no reason why Big Smiles should be put on a lower standing. ¨C ? Strongest in China = Weakest in the world. ¨C ? They only know how to move in big numbers.What else are they good at? ¨C ? They move in swarms, and they get beat a lot.They are very good at that. ¨C ? I¡¯ll give you a 1 thumbs up. The Big Smiles were put in the a conversation alongside the other two guilds, and they were being roasted mercilessly. The result of these opinions appeared in the amount of live tickets that was sold.The Big Smile¡¯s Argardo Raid only sold 290,000 live tickets.Even if one took into account of having only one day to sell the ticket, Big Smiles had the largest pool of fans from China.From Big Smiles¡¯ perspective, this hurt their pride. ¡°Shit. They want me to stay as rear support doing the useless tasks. They are completely treating me like trash.How dare they!¡± He didn¡¯t really care about this Raid, but he was put in rear support even though he was an officer.If he wanted to describe the situation with a Korean expression, he had joined in this Raid as a side dish.It was a big hit to Apollo¡¯s pride. Chiroro was once again put next to Apollo to appease him.His pride was hurt in a big way too, and it was twisting everything he felt. ¡®You are trash.¡¯ Apollo wasn¡¯t qualified to participate in a Raid of this level. He wasn¡¯t short on Items and levels, but his personal skills were very lacking. If this Raid had a cap on how many people could participate in it, Apollo¡¯s name wouldn¡¯t even have made it onto the reserve list. This was the opposite situation where there were no constraints on how many Users the guild could bring.This was the reason why Apollo was able to participate in the Argardo Raid. Of course, that wasn¡¯t the only reason. ¡®If you hadn¡¯t paid off Brooks, no one would choose a trash like you.¡¯ Brooks was an officer of the Big Smiles, and he had helped Apollo get in on the Raid.In simple terms, Brooks had been bribed. ¡®I wonder how much he is getting?¡¯ This was obvious, but everything Apollo did was possible, because he had given Brooks a lot of money. From Chiroro¡¯s perspective, he didn¡¯t like the current situation at all.He didn¡¯t like attending Apollo.On top of it all, he had no expectation regarding the Argardo Raid. ¡®Our guild is hanging by a thread.Why are we doing this Raid?It isn¡¯t as if we brought our main force.¡¯ The Big Smiles was attempting the Argardo Raid since it was a hot topic right now.It seemed they were just thinking about selling some live tickets. Of course, there was a reason behind this.Big Smiles guild had been one of the nine guilds that announced their nonparticipation.They probably wouldn¡¯t have done this if they hadn¡¯t announced their nonparticipation. It was a fact.They had no chance of winning. The details of the plan hasn¡¯t come out yet, but Chiroro could tell what would happen.They¡¯ll get past the castle wall, and they¡¯ll get to see Argardo¡¯s face.After tangling with Argardo, they¡¯ll leave after the requisite time was filled.Since they¡¯ve sold the live tickets, they would have to maintain the battle for an hour.That was how long a normal Raid took. When his thoughts reached that point, Chiroro¡¯s face unconsciously twisted to reveal his true feelings.He was about to lose control over his expression. It happened at that moment¡­ ¡°Aren¡¯t you Chiroro-nim?¡± Someone was calling out Chiroro¡¯s name as he was approaching him. Chiroro¡¯s expression immediately changed when he saw the him. ¡°Sinclair-nim?¡± The identity of this Users was Sinclair, who had participated the Argardo raid as a member of the V&V guild.He had finished participating in the Argardo Raid, yet he was back once again after only a short amount of time had passed. Of course, he wasn¡¯t here to meet Chiroro.He wanted to check on the progress of the Stormhunters and Red Bulls. Still, it was a bit awkward for him to stand there by himself, since the V&V guild had already left. Sinclair decided to greet Chiroro, who was close to being an officer in the Big Smiles guild. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I was about to pass by after I assess the situation, and I caught sight of Chiroro-nim.I came here to greet you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not at a level where I should be greeted by you. I¡¯m honored.¡± The two of them weren¡¯t that close.Sinclair had helped out the Big Smiles guild several times, and Chiroro had been present during such an event. On the other hand, Apollo didn¡¯t have any connections to Sinclair.From Apollo¡¯s perspective, he suddenly felt listless. Apollo was impatient as he opened his mouth. ¡°Who is this?¡± Chiroro¡¯s expression crumpled slightly at the question. However, Apollo was an officer, so he couldn¡¯t just brush him off. Chiroro introduced Sinclar to Apollo.After introductions, the two Users shook hands. At that moment, two Users located not too far away were also shaking hand.They were standing in avery secluded location where no one could see them. 7. A Raid was like a game of Go. An opponent always moved in a pattern. One had to analyze this pattern, and one had to come up with a way to deal with this pattern. One had to try to read the opponent¡¯s move, and the opponent would react accordingly. Raid was only a several degree different from Go. It wasn¡¯t easy to come up with a plan for a Raid assault. With regards to coming up with a plan, there was a strategist that was known to be very good working for the Red Bulls, and he had come up with a plan for the Argardo raid. However, the plan that was made by the strategist Nunum was scrapped. ¡°Are we really going to do this?¡± It was an order from Chev. He suddenly requested a sudden change in the plan. ¡°Is it possible?¡± ¡°I can do it, but do you really want to do this?¡± The reason behind this move was too surprising. This was why Nunum was asking the question again. However, Chev answered the question with a smile.However, the smile didn¡¯t explain anything, so he still had a silly expression on his face. Finally, Chev explained his decision. ¡°In any case, our chance for victory isn¡¯t that high. If that is the case, I would rather make this more fun. We have to take our viewers into account.At the very least, our viewers won¡¯t be disappointed if we use this method.¡± At those words, Nunum put on an awkward smile as he thought about it. ¡®They won¡¯t be a disappointed.It¡¯ll be a jackpot no matter the result.¡¯ Chapter 128 – Argardo Raid (3) Chapter 128 ¨C Argardo Raid (3) 8. ¨C Retreat! The order for retreat came from the front line, and Chiroro had heard it through the Voice Talk. Chiroro frowned as he looked to his side. Apollo was standing next to him.When the Raid started, it sounded as if he was constantly eating something.This was a first time since the start of the Raid where he wasn¡¯t eating anything.In fact, Apollo threw his food aside as he yelled out. ¡°I knew this would happen.This is what you get for putting shitty people in the front.This is the end result! Hoong!¡± Chiroro couldn¡¯t help, but let out a bitter laugh as he looked at Apollo.He had the same feeling as Apollo except it was in regards to Apollo.On top of it all, Chiroro was thinking about something else. ¡®Why was Sinclair-nim interested in a bastard like Apollo?¡¯ The thought of the Big Smiles guild participating in the Argardo Raid was already gone from his mind. This wasn¡¯t happening only with Chiroro. Most Warlord fans wouldn¡¯t even remember the Big Smiles guild¡¯s defeat.There was no space inside their heart and mind to care about the Big Smiles guild. 9. After Agardo appeared, there were always a thousand to two thousand Users around the Havanz castle.Half of them were spectators.This was obvious, but it was hard to see the action from outside. What one was able to see from outside the Havanz castle was much inferior to what onecould see from purchasing the live ticket. Despite this fact, people gathered around the Havanz castle.This was like watching a baseball game from the far bleachers where one could barely see anything.The Users just wanted to be there. In truth, they wanted to be part of history. If one wanted to speak more bluntly about this, it was possible to see a live broadcast inside Warlord.The Users were watching it live after positioning themselves near the Havanz castle. In others words, the number of people gathered around the Havanz castle was a measure of the interest level, popularity, anticipation and ability of the teams attempting the Raid. Currently, there were almost 6 thousand Users around Havanz castle, and about 5 thousand of them were spectators.There were a good number of Users, who hadn¡¯t even reached level 100, present here. They had risked their lives to come to the castle.This Raid had the power to draw them there. ¡°Did you get familiar with the plan?¡± The group was wearing helmets with horns that reminded one of a bull¡¯s horns.The group had a lot of power. One million seventy nine thousand live tickets were sold. Seven hundred twelve members were participating in the Raid. The average level for the Users participating in the Raid was 161. The Red Bulls were ready for the Argardo Raid, and there were numerous ways they could have decorated themselves. ¡°I am well-acquainted with it.¡± His subordinate didn¡¯t speak any further.When he heard his leader¡¯s words, he didn¡¯t give any excuses.He didn¡¯t ask for more time to conduct an inspection. Their confidence was top notch. Chev¡¯s mouth looked like a crescent moon when he heard the other¡¯s answer. ¡°Battle.¡± The crescent moon revealed white chiclets attached to it, and he spoke in a low voice. ¡°Start!¡± 10. It was a massive battle where a large force was going up against a large force.The most important group in the fighting force was the magicians.The winner or loser in a large scale battle swung on whether a group had an effective magical power system. So what did it mean to have an effective magical power system? First, one had to apply the magic at the right location.The powerful magical spells exacted an equal price.It consumed an incredible amount of magical power, and the cool time was long.It would be a big waste to use a big magic on a small target. However, the more important aspect was accuracy.Magic didn¡¯t differentiate between allies and enemies.If one used a magic with low accuracy near a comrade, it was the most effective form of betrayal. Of course, one needed practice to increase the accuracy of magic. Ballista Hatch from the Stormhunters was able to accurately throw long range magic on the move, yet this wasn¡¯t a common skill. Most people couldn¡¯t do what Hatch could do. As the distance increased, the target movement increases and the magician¡¯s movement increases, the accuracy of the magic decreased. The method devised to solve this problem was target designation. ¡°Monsters are entering the F11 region! Fire!¡± ¡°Fire!¡± On the stage of a battlefield, target areas were drawn. The magicians practiced throwing magic to target designation beforehand.After several hours of practice, one could achieve very high accuracy at throwing magic to the target designations. The only thing left was for the Tankers to lure the monsters to the target designation. At the same time, the magicians had to control the attribute of the attack magic.The wrong attribute could damage the Tankers significantly. F meant Fire.The Tankers luring the monsters to this target designation had fire resistance setting. ¡°The Monsters in F11 region is in a critical state!Strikers!¡± On top of it all, the Strikers were tirelessly running around the stage, and they prevented the waste of magic. The monsters with low HP was called low blood. One needed to do a little more damage to kill it, so magic wouldn¡¯t have to be used again.These low bloods were the responsibility of the Strikers. This was not an insignificant role. Moreover, Red Bulls¡¯ Strikers were faster and better than any other group of Strikers. They were like ghosts at finding weaknesses of the weakened monsters.They used a suitable combo skill to kill it in one blow.They symbolized the Red Bulls.The Strikers were the horns of a bull. They moved with indescribably sophisticated movements. Red Bull¡¯s sophisticated non-stop movements gave them a disparate sense of beauty. This was the reason why there were so many Red Bulls fans. If one looked under the hood of the Red Bulls guild, one wouldn¡¯t be able to find a more finely tuned machine.The result that came out of this sophistication was unbelievably rough and harsh. ¡°The castle wall has fallen!¡± It had been 18 minutes since the battle had started, and the Red Bulls had taken down the castle wall that had been barely repaired by the Cement Worms. When the castle wall fell, elite troops appeared. It was the Primary Raid team, which consisted of Chev and the best Users of Red Bulls.They stepped over the fallen wall. This elite troop was the most important amongst their forces.They should have felt some burden on their shoulder as they were inserted into face Argardo.However, none of them felt a sense of burden, since they didn¡¯t have a reason to feel such pressure. ¡°This is only the warm up. Don¡¯t over do it.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± This was the warm up.No one in this world would feel overwhelmed from doing a warm up. 11. Hatch was on standby near the Havanz castle. If the Red Bulls guild lost, it would be time for the Stormhunters guild to step forward.Hatch and the other officers was nearby as they surveyed the current situation. On the other hand, it would be understandable if Hatch felt offended at doing the grunt work.However, Hatch loved this assignment.He was finally alone. Hahui was always tormenting him, so Hatch was thankful of any assignment that guaranteed his separation from her. ¡®It does feel a little bit lonely without that endlessly chattering girl.¡¯ Hatch felt an unknown sadness.However, that sadness disappeared when the Red Bulls¡¯ battle started. A sound could be heard as Hatch watched the battle occurring in front of him.The sound was background noise coming from the Hologram monitor.He had purchased the live broadcast. Endless reaction was being written in the chat window below the live footage. ¨C As expected of the Red Bulls! They are incredibly fast! ¡®If they can¡¯t do something of this level, they should just fold.¡¯ ¨C Big Smiles can¡¯t even hold a candle to them. ¡®They deserve to be shut down. How are they still holding out? I think Fighters guilds is better than them.¡¯ ¨C Is it really ok to bring out the primary raid team so fast?What if they receive damage? ¡®They can¡¯t be afraid of their elite troop taking damage. Then there¡¯s no point in having an elite troop. In the Corrupted Count Raid, do you guys realize the Hydra guild had held back Sohank, and their raid turned to shit?¡¯ ¨C Do you think they¡¯ll be able to catch Agardo?Truthfully, all the other guilds reached this point. ¡®This guy knows how to watch this game.Argardo is a troublesome opponent. Its small stature is the most troublesome part. Only four Users can attack it at once. However, only two can can attack it during a close battle. One has to attempt an Armor Break, while the other attacks. This is the best method, and there is no way one could get magical support.¡¯ ¨C I think they¡¯ll be able to do the Armor Break.However, will their attack work after the Armor Break?It has yet to take any damage.Maybe we aren¡¯t suppose to catch it.Maybe there is some other method to clear it. ¡®Yes.An invincible monster sometimes means there is something else going on.It is a storyline seen often in games.This guy also knows a little bit about games.¡¯ ¨C Big Smiles guild was able to reach here.In truth, I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so special about the Red Bulls.In my opinion, they aren¡¯t that different from the Big Smiles guild. ¡®This bitch has no knowledge about this game.¡¯ Hatch was busily critiquing the live reactions.In a flash, he was having fun watching the Raid. ¡®Big K is better than I thought.He is someone worth paying attention to.¡¯ At some point, Hatch started to eat a snack. However, when the fight with Agardo was about to start, Hatch¡¯s expression changed immediately. ¡°Huhk!¡± Hatch stood up from his seat.Surprisingly, there were a lot of Users showing a similar reaction. 12. After the Primary Raid Team was inserted into the castle, the Tankers created space as they lined up as if they were imitating a castle wall.When this space was made, the other teams entered.If one looked down at Havanz castle from the sky, one would see something akin to a red inkblot spreading out on a black piece of paper. Finally, the Red Bulls¡¯ full force started to overwhelm the forces of the Corrupted army. [Argardo has appeared.] The White-eyed Knight had appeared. The black spot was constantly moving on its silver armor, and the Crying Sword was letting out an endless cry.Argardo¡¯s appearance was intense.It had a small body, but it was letting out a more frightening energy than a dragon. Everyone watching this live on the broadcast gulped.The chatting window was scrolling up endlessly as words were being typed. Everyone had their mouths closed, and their hands had stopped moving. In this silence, Chev opened his mouth. ¡°To the viewers watching this live broadcast, I want to apologize first.¡± Everyone tilted their head in confusion.Question marks started to fill the chatting window. ¡°The Red Bulls guild took an easy way out in the Argardo Raid.¡± There were a lot of questions being asked. ¡°The Red Bulls guild will give up the battle opportunity to someone else.¡± The number of questions being typed were reaching a climax when the question marks started changing into exclamation marks. ¡°The Hahoe Mask is going to fight 1on1 with Agardo.¡± When he saw Sinclair, Hyrkan became conflicted. Was there really a way where he would be able to participate in the Argardo Raid without any interference from Sinclair? In truth, he didn¡¯t really have to rack his brain to come up with a method.There was one solution available to him.There were guilds that Sinclair couldn¡¯t interfere with.These guilds had too much power behind it.Sinclair wouldn¡¯t even be able to breathe on them.At the same time, these guilds would treat this Argardo Raid like it was a life and death issue.He had a choice of working with one of them, and he only had two guilds he could choose from.He didn¡¯t even need to think about it.Hyrkan went looking for Chev.They met in secret as no one else in the world was aware of this meeting. Hyrkan gave a proposal. ¡°I want to participate in the Agardo Raid on a condition.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the price?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t ask for any rights to the profit gained from the live ticket and the pay per view videos.¡± He just wanted to fight Agardo. Normally, if a normal User had suggested this, Chev wouldn¡¯t even acknowledge that User. However, the one giving this request was the Hahoe Mask. ¡°I¡¯ll make a decision after I hear these conditions.¡± There was no reason to give an immediate rejection. ¡°You have to provide a 1on1 stage for me in the Argardo Raid.¡± ¡°So you want us to take care of the Corrupted army for you?¡± ¡°Instead, I¡¯ll tell you of a way to kill Agardo.It won¡¯t be a sure-fire method, but I¡¯ll let you borrow a tool that¡¯ll allow you to pull off this method.¡± Hyrkan¡¯s proposal was an attractive proposal.In truth, Chev had alrady made a decision to accept Hyrkan¡¯s proposal. ¡®It¡¯s a choice between gaining more profit or gaining less profit.¡¯ This was somewhat of a happy dilemma for Chev. If Hyrkan failed at the Argardo Raid, the next one to fight it was the Red Bulls.If Hyrkan was able to take down Argardo¡¯s HP into the reds, Argardo would be a fish in troubled waters. Even if that wasn¡¯t the case, Hyrkan¡¯s failure could be a teaching moment. It was a scenario where the Red Bulls would be able to get the most profit. Even if Hyrkan was able to succeed in the Argardo Raid, it wasn¡¯t as if they would lose anything.The benefit of defeating Argardo would go to Hyrkan, but the title gained from completing the Raid would be shared by everyone in Red Bulls.Moreover, all the profit gained from the footage of the Argardo Raid would all go to the Red Bulls.Hyrkan would be in the footage¡­It was going to be a massive amount of profit. Above all, the Red Bulls guild had a debt accrued against Hyrkan.In truth, the Red Bulls, Stormhunters and the Hydra guild had come together to prepare a very big present.They had wanted to bribe him.However, it seemed that present was unnecessary now. If this was a proposal given by Chev, Chev would have agreed to everything. However, this was a request made by Hyrkan to the Red Bulls. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be enough.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your counter proposal?I¡¯ll hear it out.¡± ¡°I want full rights to the live broadcast.I want you to give me the rights to be able to show your battle on our live channel.Then I¡¯ll provide the best stage for a 1on1 battle.¡± Instead of an answer, Hyrkan put forth his hand.Chev grasped Hyrkan¡¯s hand. Chapter 129 – Agardo Raid (4) Chapter 129 ¨C Agardo Raid (4) 13. Hyrkan looked forward through the small slits on the Hahoe Mask. Argardo. Before he returned to the past, he had only been able to see Argardo through videoes. The White-eyed Knight looked awe-inspiring as it looked at Hyrkan.Hyrkan also looked awe-inspiring as he looked at the White-eyed knight. He had always wanted to create this scene. Hyrkan wanted to be the only one fighting against Argardo. He had dreamed about getting all the glory and benefits from this fight. However¡­ ¡®Shit.¡¯ He had achieved what he had always wanted, yet Hyrkan wasn¡¯t feeling that great. Was he feelingthe pressure of meeting an indescribably powerful enemy?Of course not. If he was someone that wilted under pressure, he wouldn¡¯t have sought out the Red Bulls guild to set up a 1on1 stage. He liked this stage.It didn¡¯t matter if he won or lost.This was the stage he had always pined for. What he didn¡¯t like was the path he had to take to get to this stage. Chev had given Hyrkan a proposal as they shook hands.Instead of a 1on1 battle, he wanted Hyrkan to work together with them on the Argardo Raid.It was a very reasonable and logical proposal. However, when he received that proposal, his worthless pride that he had wanted to protect cracked. ¡®My pride really isn¡¯t worth anything, but I can¡¯t bring myself to do that.¡¯ One could call it a moral victory. Maybe it was a form of self-pity.He couldn¡¯t dispute it if someone said his reasonings were fallacious. However, Hyrkan wanted to fight Argardo by himself.He didn¡¯t want any help from one of the 30 great guilds during the battle. ¡®If I get beat, then it was meant to be.It was fated.¡¯ The death would be his comeuppance, yet at the same time, it would feel lame if he died. Since he had reached this point, he had to win. He had to make a pathetic deal to be able to get on this stage, yet if he couldn¡¯t do anything here, the embarrassment he would feel wouldn¡¯t allow him to put on his Hahoe Mask again. ¡°Hoo-ooh!¡± In an instant, Hyrkan swallowed all the emotions he felt. It was time to focus on the battle. The opponent in front of his eyes was the second strongest NPC one could fight right now.The first was the Blacksmith Olf. With such an enemy in front of him, he wouldn¡¯t let the idle thoughts and remorse shackle his ankles. Hyrkan pulled out his sword.If one pulled out one¡¯s sword in front of a knight, it disclosed one¡¯s hostility towards the knight. Argardo didn¡¯t have to unsheathe its sword, so it immediately closed the distance between it and Hyrkan. Kah-ahng! The sound of a harsh clanging of metal rang out.It was the first greeting between the two. Then the greeting continued. The sound of steel and bodies hitting each other was heard.At time, there was the sound of the air being split, but it was mostly a sound induced by Argardo on purpose.For the most part, Hyrkan didn¡¯t dodge the attacks.He met them head on. There was a great amount of force felt by Hyrkan every time they clashed.However, it wasn¡¯t as if there wasn¡¯t an underlying reason why he was doing this. ¡®There is a big difference in Stats between us.¡¯ He was getting a measure of his enemy. When fighting a large monster, there¡¯s no User that is boorish enough to get into a battle of strength with it. However, it was a different story when fighting an NPC. Even if one wasn¡¯t engaging in a battle of strength, one had to get a rough measure of one¡¯s opponent. What level of speed, power and reflex did the NPC have?Moreover, what level of AI did it possess? If you know your enemy and yourself, you can win every battle. It wasn¡¯t some profound truth, but one couldn¡¯t ignore it. Moreover, a skilled User like Hyrkan could measure his opponent in about one minute. It was strong. It was almost at a level where he was almost unable to fight against it in terms of strength. This was why Hyrkan was satisfied with his choice of weapon. ¡®As expected, Ivan was a better choice than the Black Cobra King.¡¯ Currently, Hyrkan was using the Ivan¡¯s Sword as his weapon. Ivan had been a member of the Secret Society.However, he had been caught by the Immoral Prince¡¯s madness.He had died in the midst of indescribable pain, and now Hyrkan was using a sword given to him before Ivan¡¯s death .He was fighting Ivan¡¯s enemy with it.It was incredibly dramatic. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the only reason why he had picked the Ivan¡¯s Sword. Of course, Ivan¡¯s Sword was inferior in terms of damage and offensive ability compared to the Cobalt King Sword.However, it had a No Destruction Option. It couldn¡¯t be destroyed. ¡®If I had the Black Cobalt King, it would have been totally smashed during the testing-out phase. As expected, the Crying Sword is annoying.¡¯ When facing Argardo, it was mandatory to have an Item with a No Destruction Option. The Special Option on Argardo¡¯s Crying Sword was Break. It accelerated the destruction of weapons and armors. At the same time, Ivan¡¯s Sword had another useful Option. ¡°Haste!¡± The Item had a C Rank Haste Skill available as an Option. Hyrkan decided to use that Option at that moment. Naturally, the speed of the battle caught fire. The gap between each sound of steel ringing out decreased.Of course, as the gap decreased, the margin of error decreased.Hyrkan and Argardo didn¡¯t have the luxury to pay attention to their surrounding. ¡®Let¡¯s do this properly.¡¯ Hyrkan was afforded a moment where he was able to summon the Skeleton Knight.It appeared fully equipped with its Bone Armor and Madness Helm on. 14. While the guild members of Red Bulls were cleaning up the remnants of the Corrupted army, Chev was watching the battle between Argardo and Hyrkan. He had to direct the battle, but he was neglecting his duties. However, there were no looks of condemnation directed towards him. ¡®As expected of the Hahoe mask.¡¯ It was worth watching the battle between the Hahoe Mask and Argardo. The pincer attack between the Skeleton Knight and the Hahoe Mask was surprising.The Skeleton Knight¡¯s AI was astounding in itself, but Hahoe Mask was in perfect sync with the Skeleton¡¯s Battle AI.Hahoe Mask¡¯s battle sense was astonishing. ¡®The method on how Hahoe Mask grew his Skeleton underlings had been mostly figured out, but¡­¡¯ The secret behind the outstanding Battle AI of the Skeleton Warriors possessed by the Hahoe Mask had already been mostly revealed. The Hahoe Mask¡¯s Skeletons didn¡¯t follow the conventional method of Defend First and Attack After.The Skeletons had learned the method of Evade First, and Attack After.It had learned how to evade.If one looked at Hahoe Mask¡¯s Character Growth Style, one could pretty much deduce some of the answers. ¡®However, no one can fight like the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ Even if one was able to train the Skeleton underlings like the Hahoe Mask, it was impossible to fight like him. This battle was the proof. On the other hand, this tag team approach from the Hahoe Mask and Skeleton Knight wasn¡¯t producing any result. This was the reason why Chev¡¯s eyes narrowed as he watched the battle. ¡®It¡¯ll be useless to summon additional Skeletons.¡¯ Currently, the Hahoe Mask had only summoned his Skeleton Knight. If one considered the over 20 Skeleton Warriors and Golem he could summon, the Hahoe Mask had a very powerful force at his disposable. However, even if he did summon the rest, it would be meaningless in this battle.This wasn¡¯t only true for the Hahoe Mask.Even if other Users attacked Argardo together, only two or maybe three would be able to attack it at once.It was impossible to send more into the fight even if one wanted to. Even if Users clung to Argardo, it was hard to achieve any result. Argardo didn¡¯t take any damage from physical or magical attacks.In front of Argardo, Hyrkan and the Skeleton Knight could make sounds of attack, but there was no traces left behind on Argardo. On the other hand, Argardo¡¯s Crying Sword was slowly leaving its mark on the body of the Hahoe Mask and the Skeleton Knight. If time passed as is, the result was obvious to see. ¡®Hahoe Mask will use his winning move now.¡¯ If the Hahoe Mask had something planned, he would have to do it now.This was why Chev narrowed his eyes as he watched the battle. At that moment, Argardo¡¯s Sword pierced through the Hahoe Mask¡¯s stomach, and it exited through his back. When everyone saw this sight, they let out a sigh. On the other hand, Chev¡¯s eyes narrowed further. 15. The first one to kneel in this ceaseless battle was the Skeleton Knight.Argardo¡¯s sword severed the Skeleton Knight¡¯s two knees at the same time.No matter how great the Skeleton Knight is, it couldn¡¯t continue to battle without its legs. The Skeleton Knight had fallen. Argardo and Hyrkan once again looked at each other. At that moment, Hyrkan suddenly shifted his left arm in mid-air. It was a clear crack in his defense. Swheeek! Argardo didn¡¯t miss the opportunity.It narrowed the distance as it aimed its sword towards Hyrkan¡¯s stomach. Hyrkan was using Bone Armor, Items and Passive skills like Skin Sewing.His defense was incredible, but the combination of the Crying Sword¡¯s attack stats and its Special Option ruthlessly ignored everything in its path. Pah-jeek! His armor was pierced. Pooh-oohk! The flesh of Hyrkan¡¯s belly was pierced. Pah-jeek! The Crying Sword exited the stomach, and it once again pierced through the armor and Bone Armor on the other side. The hand holding the sword was so close to Hyrkan¡¯s stomach that there was barely any distance between them.It was that deep of an attack. At that moment, Hyrkan had a smile on his face.As he smiled, Hyrkan hugged Argardo. At the same time, Hyrkan used that brief moment to change the scattered Skeleton Fragments into Skeleton Warriors. After they formed, it could be seen that they weren¡¯t holding any weapons. They were barehanded. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t attack. While Hyrkan was impaled on Argardo¡¯s sword, he continued to hug Argardo as he flicked his finger.At that moment, the Skeleton Warriors ran in towards Argardo empty handed. During all of this, Argardo wasn¡¯t struggling to escape from Hyrkan¡¯s grasp.Instead it kept moving the sword that was piercing Hyrkan¡¯s stomach. Invincible. Argardo couldn¡¯t be damaged by anything, so it didn¡¯t have to pay attention to the new beings that was showing hostility towards him.In the end, Hyrkan was controlling the Skeletons, so it just needed to kill Hyrkan. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t easily show signs of weakness. There was a reason why. ¡®I finally benefit from the Life Vessel.¡¯ Life Vessel was a Body Modification skill that drastically increased one¡¯s health. Of course, Life Vessel wasn¡¯t a heal-all remedy.If the situation remained the same, Hyrkan would eventually die. It was almost time to end this exchange. In a flash, four Skeleton Warriors got close to Argardo.Their hands held nothing except the bones that composed their hands, and they started pounding on Argardo¡¯s armor.Then they grabbed his armor as if they were about to pull it apart. Poohk! Argardo still ignored the Skeleton Warriors, and it put more strength into the sword piercing Hyrkan¡¯s belly. Choo-roong, choo-roohng! The Crying Sword let out a cry as if it was happy. At that moment¡­ Kwah-ah-ahng! A thunderous roar engulfed Hyrkan and everything near him.It engulfed Hyrkan, Agardo and even the Skeleton Warriors! Accompanying the explosion, a black liquid spread out as it covered Hyrkan and Agardo. [Argardo was effected by the Black Sap.] [It was exposed to the Black Sap. Your opponent¡¯s HP will decrease.] The two Announcement tickled Hyrkan¡¯s eardrums. On top of it all, it seemed Argardo must have realized something was wrong. Argardo kicked him as it distanced itself from Hyrkan. Pooh-hwaht! In the process, the sword was roughly pulled out of Hyrkan, and the sword grated itself against the wound. If this was reality, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for Hyrkan to let out a scream. However, Hyrkan spoke in a low voice as he smiled instead of letting out a scream. ¡°Slot on.¡± 16. He had only one aim. Black Sap! It didn¡¯t matter how impressive one¡¯s physical and magical defense was.It was useless against the Black Sap¡¯s fixed damage done over time. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t the only one, who had come up with this method. The members of the Red Bulls and the Storm Hunters were all wearing Items that would ignore the opponent¡¯s defense.They were wearing Items that had the Option of causing damage over time.They had determined this was the way they¡¯ll clear the Argardo raid.However, these Items worked only when the Armor came off.The Black Sap was different from those Items.The Armor Break was unnecessary.Argardo¡¯s armor was invincible, but it couldn¡¯t keep liquid out. This was why Hyrkan had placed the Skeleton Warriors equipped with the Black Tree set nearby. Then the Skeleton Warriors were detonated using a Bone Explosive. This battle scenario was all put together to achieve this. Of course, if this scenario was carried out, Hyrkan would also be drenched in the Black Sap. ¡°Slot on.¡± This was why he had prepared the Circlet of Purification and the Skeleton Panda set. [The Circlet of Purification is protecting you from the Black Sap.] The Black Sap that was covering Hyrkan let out a foul smell before it evaporated into smoke. On the other hand, no smoke emanated from Argardo¡¯s body.It basically meant that the Black Sap was still there.Since the Black Sap was still present, it would continuously drain Argardo¡¯s HP. ¡®The Black Sap damages at a fixed rate, and if I consider the estimated HP Argardo has¡­. At the very least, I need 20 minutes.¡¯ Agardo had an enormous amount of HP.One couldn¡¯t expect the Black Sap to produce result in only couple minutes. If his estimates were right, he needed at least 20 minutes. He¡¯ll see the HP bottom out only after that amount of time had passed. On top of it all, Argardo and any monster in Warlord had a characteristic they had all in common.While not in battle, their health regenerated rapidly, and the Abnormal Statuses reset after a certain amount of time. Basically, Hyrkan had to battle Argardo for several dozen minutes. Moreover, every time the HP is reduced, Argardo would enter into a new phase where its ability and Skills would be used in a terrifying manner.Hyrkan had to solo such an opponent. There was a really long way to go. Even if he asked for help, no one would have blamed or disparaged him. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t ask for anyone¡¯s help.He didn¡¯t even intend to buy time by going on defense. Attack is the best form of defense! Moreover, Hyrkan had a battle strategy that was well suited to this stage. While engaged with Argardo, Hyrkan scattered the Skeleton Fragments.He had scattered the Skeleton Fragments for neither the Skeleton Warriors nor the Skeleton Knight. It was the Skeleton Magicians. ¡®I¡¯ll finish it with the Waltz.¡¯ Corrupted Comrade Ivan. It was time for Hyrkan to dance for him. 17. Waltz. It sprung Hahoe Mask into super-stardom.He once again did the Waltz except the stage was located at the Havanz Castle. The Hahoe Mask displayed his masterful skills as Argardo continued to attack him.He was luring Argardo into locations where the Skeleton Magicians were throwing their magic. Of course, the magic didn¡¯t cause any damage, but it was sufficient enough to distract Argardo.This was a fight against time, and anything that occupied Argardo was worth its weight in gold.No, it was more valuable. Everything was going well up until that point.The viewers watching this footage live was in a fevered pitch.They were going nuts.Moreover, the live tickets were being continuously sold as the battle continued, and the number of people, who purchased the live tickets, broke through the 2 million mark. It was very rare for people to purchase live tickets during a live broadcast. Moreover, this was the first time anyone had sold hundreds of thousands of live tickets during a broadcast. This was a historic event that would last forever in the lore of Warlord. However, as the Waltz progressed, the more astute viewer started to furrow their eyebrows. The viewers that didn¡¯t like the Hahoe Mask started to smile, and the viewers that liked the Hahoe Mask started to frown. ¡®The Hahoe Mask is being pushed back.¡¯ In Shir¡¯s case, she had no expression on her face.She had two feelings¡­ Hyrkan had refused her love call, yet he kept answering consecutive love calls from the Red Bulls.She felt hatred towards him.On the other hand, he was like an expensive jewel that she couldn¡¯t have, so she felt an affection for him.Shir didn¡¯t have the ability to display these two emotions at the same time. Anyways, it had been 7 minutes, since he started the dance. In Shir¡¯s opinion, he was starting to waver. There was a reason why this was happening. Argardo had entered its 2nd Phase, and its attacks had changed.Its attack speed hadn¡¯t changed.Instead of speed, its attack style had changed. Up until now, Argardo¡¯s attack had been very controlled in its attack, and now the attacks were getting rougher. Hyrkan was trying to dance the Waltz, yet the opponent danced the Tango. Of course, a decent dance wouldn¡¯t arise from it. Hyrkan finally reached the 18 minutes mark, since he started to dance the Waltz.It was at this point when Argardo went into its 3rd Phase. It started letting out Sword Energy, and Hyrkan¡¯s arm was severed.He didn¡¯t have time to reattach it. He needed a brief respite, so he summoned the Skeleton Warriors to form a defensive wall.However, this defensive wall didn¡¯t even last 10 seconds in front of Argardo¡¯s sword. ¡®The Red Bulls isn¡¯t stepping forward?¡¯ This was a critical moment. If the Red Bulls stepped forward, this crisis could be resolved into nothing. ¡°Hatch.¡± ¨C Yes. ¡°What about the Red Bulls?¡± ¨C They aren¡¯t moving.Everyone is just watching. However, the Red Bulls weren¡¯t moving. Shir didn¡¯t think this wasn¡¯t the will of the Red Bulls. This was the Hahoe Mask¡¯s will. He had set up the carpet with the help of the Red Bulls, but it seemed he wanted to fight alone on the main stage.He was expressing his will to die on the battlefield if it came to it, but he was determine to fight solo. Shir thought the Hahoe Mask¡¯s will was splendid. He still fought on his own, so he wasn¡¯t owned by anyone.She was satisfied. ¡®Still, he is in danger.¡¯ This was why Shir wordlessly watched Hahoe Mask¡¯s crisis. Moreover, Chev also watched the sight without saying anything. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we help him?If we help him, Argardo will be¡­.¡± Chev spoke to his subordinate as he kept his eyes glued to the battlefield. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want it, so wouldn¡¯t it be absurd if we did step forward?Moreover, isn¡¯t it best for us to wait for the Hahoe Mask to die?¡± It was avery cold answer. The subordinate, who asked the question, harbored a suspicion.The Hahoe Mask was held in the highest regar by Chev. At the same time, he knew Chev was a very fiery guy.He was someone that had to work on putting the guild¡¯s profit first.A man like that wouldn¡¯t give such a cold-hearted answer. ¡®Does he not like something about the Hahoe Mask?¡¯ It meant Chev¡¯s feelings had changed. The change was centered around the Hahoe Mask. ¡®I really want him, but now that I see him fight¡­ I feel jealous.¡¯ Chev wanted the Hahoe Mask.The Hahoe Mask was like the famed sword stuck in a stone. If one could pull out and own the sword, it basically meant victory and glory would be given to the owner. However, Chev was filled with jealousy right now as he looked at the Hahoe Mask. Chev wanted to fight like him.No, he had fought like Hyrkan in the past.It was when the Red Bulls guild was still small, and profit gained by others wasn¡¯t dependent on Chev¡¯s shoulders and hands.Chev had fought like Hyrkan. He had often carried out reckless and foolhardy fights like him. However, he couldn¡¯t do that any more. This was why he felt jealous. While Chev was brooding on his jealousy, timed had passed, and the battle was drawing to a close. 18. ¡®It¡¯s one thing after another.¡¯ After he entered into the 3rd Phase, Argardo started to mix in his Sword Energy skill within his attacks. The concept of distance was meaningless now. Hyrkan had to evade even when the sword was swung from a distance. At the same time, Argardo¡¯s Stats increased by a significant margin after it entered into the 3rd Phase. The Stats it possessed didn¡¯t allow for a direct confrontation. ¡®Shit.¡¯ In the end, the Hahoe Mask discarded the Ivan¡¯s Sword. He just focused on dodging all of Argrado¡¯s attack. One could no longer see the Waltz in Hyrkan¡¯s movements.He was just struggling to stay alive. ¡®My reaction is slowing.¡¯ There was another element that was tormenting Hyrkan during all of this.It was none other than the drop in his concentration. He was fighting in the battle as he maintained extreme concentration for 20 minutes.It was inevitable, but he was reaching his limit.He hadn¡¯t been in tiptop condition even before the battle had started. If his physical condition deteriorated, it affected his game play.Hyrkan noticeably felt his body become dull. ¡®Had I been too optimistic about this situation?¡¯ The letters of death and defeat was starting to crystallize within Hyrkan¡¯s head. At the same time, Hyrkan could imagine all the members of the Red Bulls surrounding him. If they helped Hyrkan right now, everything could end in a happily ever after.At the very least, he wouldn¡¯t have to waste his time as he stared at the ceiling of his one room apartment for the next 48 hours. Bbah-doohk! The thought made Hyrkan grind his teeth again. At that moment, he didn¡¯t like the fact that he was thinking that way. ¡®All right.¡¯ The anger sharpened Hyrkan¡¯s resolve. ¡®I¡¯ve died numerous times before, because of my lowly pride.There is no reason why I should start becoming afraid now.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan took out his last bastion. Golem Summon! He didn¡¯t use Clay Play.He simply summoned his Golem.He didn¡¯t have time to even use Clay Play. At the same time, Hyrkan hid behind the Golem. Instead of chasing after Hyrkan, Argardo took care of the Golem.Argardo raised its hand, and Hyrkan used a Skill. ¡°Hardening!¡± The Golem¡¯s body turned into stone. At the same time, the white eyes within Argardo¡¯s helm flashed as it aimed its sword towards the Golem. Hyrkan stood still behind the Golem. As he had said before, the Golem was his final bastion. If the Golem fell, he had nothing to hide behind. Moreover, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have enough energy to fight Argardo again. Argardo somehow had to die or else Hyrkan was fated to die. If that was the case, he¡¯d rather have the choice in how he would die. ¡°Come at me!¡± Hyrkan used all the energy and feeling he had left inside the pit of his stomach to let out a yell. The shout made the hearts of the viewers twitch.The words were scrolling up so fast that it was almost impossible to read the chatting window.However, at that moment, a brief silence fell over the messy chatting window. At the same time, his yell was like a starting pistol that made Argardo move. Shweeeek! Argardo took a big swing towards the Golem, and the enormous Sword Energy cut the Golem diagonally in a flash. Kwah-kwah-kwah! The Sword Energy cut through the Golem, and it even brushed by Hyrkan¡¯s side.If Hyrkan was a couple feet to the side, Hyrkan¡¯s body would have been cut open like the Golem. This was how the Golem bought Hyrkan several seconds. Koo-goo-goohng! When the Golem fell, the large noise and the smoke that was created bought him several more seconds. However, that was it. The final bastion wasn¡¯t really a bastion.However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t disappointed.Even as the Golem fell, Hyrkan stood still. As the visibility improved, he looked at Argardo. ¡®Come at me.¡¯ Hyrkan tightly held his final Bone Explosive in his right hand. He wasn¡¯t going to die in a lame way, and he wasn¡¯t going to give up.If Argardo used its Sword Energy, he was going to evade it then throw the Bone Explosive.The Bone Explosive wouldn¡¯t cause any damage.However, the explosion and smoke would buy him a little bit of time. ¡®Attack is the best form of defense.¡¯ It would give Hyrkan time to close the distance, and he was going to kick Argardo¡¯s body. From the beginning, Hyrkan had followed this adage, and there was no reason why he should veer away from it.If he wanted to win here, he had to become more aggressive in his attack. Of course, if a mistake happened in the process, Hyrkan would be killed in an instant. ¡®Come at me.¡¯ Hyrkan squeezed out all this strength, and he regrouped his concentration as he pushed it to the extreme. At that moment¡­ [You¡¯ve gained the Title ¡®Defeater of Argardo¡¯.] [You¡¯ve gained the Title ¡®Hero of the Great Battle¡¯.] When he heard the Announcement of the two Titles, it turned everything inside Hyrkan¡¯s head white. Chapter 130 – On the Eve (1) Chapter 130 ¨C On the Eve (1) 1. This happened sometimes. One saw something amazing, and one wanted to say something about this amazing sight. However, one couldn¡¯t come up with the words on the spot. This was how several thousand watching the Havanz castle¡­ No, millions of people were faced with such a situation. They couldn¡¯t immediately express the feeling they felt as they watched the sight in front of them. They could only let out a simple exclamation of admiration and acclamation. Hyrkan was also part of this group. ¡®Uh. I caught it?¡¯ He had been prepared for death. No, in truth, he had thought he was cooked. He had thought he was a loser that hadn¡¯t been able to last until the Black Sap¡¯s effect had entirely ate away at Argardo¡¯s HP. He had thought his death was well-deserved. He even felt regret. Maybe he should have just shut both his eyes, and asked for Red Bulls¡¯ help. Who was going to look after his watch? Maybe, the Red Bulls guild would quickly eat it, then deny taking it?What will he do for the next 48 hours? Maybe he should play game X¡­ Regrets would have started to fill his head. If Hyrkan was someone that couldn¡¯t differentiate between game and reality, he would have probably kept thinking about it. Currently, Argardo was dead, but it hadn¡¯t fallen. He had heard the Announcement in his ears. It was sufficient proof that the battle had ended. However, Argardo was standing straight as it pointed its sword at Hyrkan. It made Hyrkan wonder if he had misheard the announcement. He didn¡¯t know why, but it felt as if he was going to cut down by Argardo¡¯s sword if he moved.The suspense didn¡¯t even allow Hyrkan to swallow his spit. The one who should be celebrating the most in this victory was immersed in this suspense. Even the spectators watching this scene couldn¡¯t help it. The suspense created a sense of desolation, and they were having a hard time shaking off this feeling. The sense of desolation was like a fog that had descended in the morning. The very first one to shake off this sense of desolation was Chev. ¡®He really did it.¡¯ Chev was filled with complicated thoughts. It had been clear that Hyrkan was inferior to Argardo. On the other hand, the thought of facing Argardo¡¯s attack made one¡¯s body shudder. It was frightening. From afar, it seemed Argardo was still standing there looking unharmed. However, he was sure this was over. The only thing left was the curtain call. ¡®The Hahoe Mask defeated the White-eyed knight by himself.¡¯ In other words, someone else had to give the curtain call. Chev used the Voice Talk to talk to the producer directing the live broadcast. ¡°Mic mode.¡± ¨C What? Ah, yes! It seemed the producer had been in a daze too. However, he quickly came to his senses. This was still a live broadcast. If a PD lost control over his thoughts during a live broadcast, the consequences wouldn¡¯t end after sending in a report. ¨C Mic mode, 3, 2, 1. Start! The producer immediately sent a signal to the sound team. The sound team made adjustments to the system so that Chev¡¯s words would immediately be heard through the broadcast. When the countdown ended, Chev opened his mouth. ¡°The Argardo hunt was a success. This was a production made possible by the Red Bulls. The Red Bulls guild and the Hahoe Mask was the participants.Thank you for watching our broadcast.We¡¯ll see you soon through the credit cookie.¡± The curtain descended on the stage. Now the viewers wouldn¡¯t be able to see the story that was about to occur on the other side of the curtain. 2. Hyrkan accepted Argardo¡¯s death when he received the Titles. He immediately check on the Titles after he acquired it. [Hero of the Great Battle] ¨C Title Effect : All Stats increase by 5%. [Defeater of Argardo] ¨C Title Effect : All Stats increase by 5%. These two Titles were an explicit proof. ¡®I really caught it.¡¯ Hyrkan had caught Argardo. The Titles were a clear proof. The death of Argardo put a period on the great battle. Hyrkan was finally able to wipe the dazed look off of his face. Hyrkan started to walk. Hyrkan lost his balance for a brief moment.He forgot he had temporarily lost the weight of an arm. Hyrkan took a peek at his left arm. No, it was impossible to see his left arm. His left arm was missing. It had probably rolled away nearby, or maybe it had been crushed. Of course, he didn¡¯t need to worry about it. He just had to receive a regeneration magic from a priest nearby. It would grow back in 3 minutes. ¡®Ah. Life Vessel.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan realized he couldn¡¯t receive the Regeneration magic. Once he activated the Life Vessel, a priest couldn¡¯t use any recovery type magic on him.It was a form of penalty. The Regeneration was a recovery type magic. Hyrkan took a peek at his HP status. Then he wordlessly put a Recovery Candy in his mouth.Once his Live Vessel skill was deactivated, he¡¯ll be at the brink of death. He might lose the life he had barely hung on to. That was how bad of a state he was in. ¡®I almost died for real.¡¯ Hyrkan rolled the candy around in his mouth, and a sweet smell emanated from his smile. He approached Argardo. Argardo was still standing still in the same location. Hyrkan felt several types of emotions mingle inside his head and heart as he looked at Argardo. First, he wanted to smack the back of Argardo¡¯s head with his hand. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t feel favorable towards someone that had tried to kill him. Above all else, he hadn¡¯t been able to land a single satisfying blow against Argardo. He had gained victory using the Black Sap. There wasn¡¯t much gratification from winning this way. On one hand, he was proud of his victory against Argardo.On the other hand, he felt as if he should show his respect to the powerful knight he had fought. Of course, it was merely an NPC within the game.Moreover, this NPC had not been kind to him.It was actually an NPC that had committed horrifying misdeeds in its past. It would be absurd to pay respects to it. On top of it all, Hyrkan was very unlike the Users that insisted on romanticizing the game. ¡®I wonder what Coyote or Whistling would have done if they were in my place.¡¯ This was why Hyrkan did nothing. He just looked at Argardo with complicated emotions inside his heart. However, the dead Argardo couldn¡¯t feel his gaze. Choo-roong, choo-roong! It was as if Argardo¡¯s sword had felt his gaze instead. It started letting out a cry towards Hyrkan. His shoulders had unconsciously given a big flinch when the sword let out a cry. ¡®That gave me a fright.¡¯ At the same time, Argardo¡¯s body flinched. As the sword let out its cry, it started shaking the stiff body of Argardo. The vibration was small, but it started to spread like a ripple. In the end, it toppled over Argardo¡¯s body. Koohng! Argardo finally got on his knee, then he fell forward. Hyrkan watched this sight. The fallen Argardo had let go of his of his prized sword. Hyrkan used his remaining arm to pick up Argardo¡¯s prized possession. He picked up the Crying Sword. [You cannot use this sword yet.] The Announcement tickled his ears. It informed him he couldn¡¯t use it yet. Hyrkan ignored the Announcement. ¡°Item Option Check.¡± He did something only he could do with this Item. A hologram window immediately appeared in front of Hyrkan¡¯s eyes. [Crying Sword] *Main Properties ¨C Epic Rank Item ¨C All Stats +222 ¨C Required Level : 180 *Sub-properties ¨C The weapons and armors that receives an attack from the sword will rapidly lose its durability. The loss will be increased dramatically. ¨C When equipped, it will ignore 20% defense of all monsters ¨C When equipped, it will allow one to ignore 20% damage received ¨C When equipped, all damage is increased by 20% ¨C This Item is bound to the one that acquired it. *Miscellaneous ¨C Blacksmith Olf had reconstructed an ancient sword to make this sword. It will let out a cry if a hostile enemy is near the master. It protects the master of the sword. It was more than a smile. The Option made him shudder from the thrill. This was better than the last weapon he used before he came to the past. In some ways, it was proof that he had already exceeded his past self. Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t pay attention to those thought. The important part was the spoils of war. The privilege of enjoying the spoils of war was only given to the winners. At last, the vague word within his head was able to be crystallized in a recognizable word. ¡®I¡¯ll use this Item well.¡¯ The word was victory. 3. An explosion sometimes meant a release of pent up emotions. The viewers hadn¡¯t been able to say anything after the Hahoe Mask and Argardo finished their battle. In the process, their emotions had been building and coalescing. Now it started to explode. ¨C The Hahoe Mask really won? How? ¨C When will the Red Bulls release their strategy? What the hell did they do? Wasn¡¯t the only direct damages done by the Bone Explosives? ¨C Black Sap. I guess it does DoT damage. ¨C ? The Black Sap does DoT Damage? It feel like I¡¯ve seen that somewhere before. ¨C ? Isn¡¯t it from the Black Tree? ¨C ? Black Tree? What is that? ¨C ? It is Hahoe Mask debut pay-per-view video. It is really fun. ¨C Hahoe Mask is the best. Sulwoo may be the First One in the Rankings, but the Hahoe Mask is the First One in terms of fighting ability. They weren¡¯t the only ones reacting in an intense manner. ¡°Request an interview from the Red Bulls! We have to get an interview before the others! Hurry! Get me that interview immediately!¡± ¡°If you are able to get an interview with the Hahoe Mask, you¡¯ll get one month paid vacation. Get it at any cost!We can¡¯t lose to the bastards from Fruit!¡± The unexpected appearance of the Hahoe Mask allowed an unprecedented history to be written. This wasn¡¯t the only historical event that had happened that day. ¡°What?¡± ¨C We sold 2,710,000 tickets. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you got the number wrong. The number of ticket sold before the Raid started¡­¡± ¨C The number of tickets we sold increased precipitously when the Hahoe Mask joined the Argardo raid. We just got the official number. Truthfully, I¡¯m also having a hard time believing it. Anyways, we achieved a new record. It is unfortunate that we weren¡¯t able to reach the 3 million mark. They had sold 2.71 million tickets. They had broken the all-time record for the amount of live tickets sold in Warlord. Chev was the owner of the new record, and he let out a forced laugh. ¡®There¡¯s my jealousy towards the Hahoe Mask, and there are the several factors that make me regret my decision a little bit¡­.¡¯ He had been jealous of the Hahoe Mask in this battle, and he felt regret at losing out on the incredible rewards that would be given to the winner of the battle. Chev would be lying if he said these two emotions weren¡¯t at the back of his mind. However, at that moment, he forgot about the regret he had felt. ¡®The sale of the paid videos will be quite significant.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t the end of it. The Hahoe Mask had given up the rights to his cut as part of the deal. Moreover¡­ ¡®If we combine the live tickets that will be sold in the Immoral Prince Raid¡­¡­.¡¯ When he thought about the guaranteed profit in the future, Chev didn¡¯t smile any more. Instead, he put on a serious expression as he thought about it. ¡®As expected, I have to recruit the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ At that moment, there was someone, who was having the same worry as Chev. ¨C Excuse me. What shall we do? Should we just pull back or should we send a message of congratulation to the Red Bulls? Ah. What about the Hahoe Mask¡­. Shir was thinking so hard that Hatch¡¯s report wasn¡¯t registering in her head. ¡®In the end, he didn¡¯t ask for help from the Red Bulls.¡¯ Of course, the Hahoe Mask was the source of her troubled thoughts. Her stomach had been beyond the point of aching when the Hahoe Mask worked with the Red Bulls. She wanted to destroy both of them as her insides churned. However, in the end, the Hahoe Mask hadn¡¯t received help from the Red Bulls even when he was in a desperate situation. This was why Shir hadn¡¯t exploded. This was why she was still deep within her thoughts. ¡®Why?¡¯ At the very least, one thing was for sure now. It wasn¡¯t as if the Red Bulls hadn¡¯t wanted to help the Hahoe Mask. It didn¡¯t matter if the Red Bulls guild would be giving out a favor or go under debt. There was no downside in helping out the Hahoe Mask. However, in end, the Hahoe Mask wanted to fight by himself even in a desperate situation. The decision was of his own will. He did receive help from the Red Bulls, but his will was to fight Argardo by himself. ¡®Why is he so insistent on soloing?¡¯ She had a hard time understanding his will to solo. Normally, it was better to cooperate to get the sure result. This was the logical and common sense approach. The Hahoe Mask was a very unique existence, but he wasn¡¯t someone who was absurdly illogical and unreasonable. The insistence on soloing everything was illogical and irrational. Of course, there was a reason behind his actions. In other words, she had to find out and resolve this reason. It was the only way she¡¯ll be able to possess the Hahoe Mask. ¡®I¡¯ll die before I let him be possessed by someone else.¡¯ Shir kept brooding over her troubles. ¨C Excuse me, Queen? Are you listening to me, Queen? Hatch once again tried to speak to Shir. Shir¡¯s expression crumpled. ¡°You are being noisy.¡± There was nothing more annoying than someone yapping through the Voice Talk, while she was thinking. Moreover, disturbing Shir was a much scarier proposition than disturbing a lion. ¨C No, that¡¯s not¡­. Of course, Hatch was aware of this fact. However, Hatch once again disturbed Shir. The expression on Shir¡¯s face disappeared. She was expressionless. This was the expression she put on when her annoyance had reached its peak. Of course, Hatch couldn¡¯t see her expression, but he caught wind of it. He couldn¡¯t even hear her breathe. Even so, Hatch spoke to her again. ¨C Bracelet.Bracelet! Look at the Bracelet! Shir looked at her own Bracelet instead of getting angry. Chapter 131 – On the Eve (2) Chapter 131 ¨C On the Eve (2) 4. He filled the plain plastic bowl with the cloudy congee. Steam rose from the top. It really was apt to call it cloudy, since it was hard to find any bits of meat in it. Ahn-jaehyun used his spoon to stir his thick congee. Every time he stirred it steam escaped from the congee. The steam fogged up Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s glasses. Ahn-jaehyun had a sullen expression as he left the spoon in his congee, and he turned his head. When he turned his head, Ahn-jaehyun could see the slim tablet PC across his fogged up glasses.Ahn-jaehyun grabbed the tablet PC, and he tapped twice on the LCD screen as if he was knocking. The LCD screen glowed brightly. [Great Battle. Eventually, it turned into their festival.] [The new Users can¡¯t participate in the Main Scenario Quest.Is this really ok?] [Is an event being planned for the new Users or is it not possible to make it happen?] The headline of the articles dropped down like a shower. It was opinion pieces from game experts regarding the great battle event.One didn¡¯t even need to check the content of the articles.One could easily tell from the headlines that the opinions were very current.Ahn-jaehyun swiped the screen. [Red Bulls. They are opening the new era of live broadcasts.] [Red Bulls. Thirty Thousand people purchased the Argardo Raid footage in just one day!] [Red Bulls. Will they collaborate with the Hahoe Mask in the Immoral Prince Raid?!] [Red bulls.The commercial spots for the Immoral Prince Raid¡¯s live broadcast is sold out!] When he changed the screen, the headlines once again appeared. ¡°Ooh ooh¡­¡­.¡± At that moment, a moan escaped Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s mouth. It was a sound hear when you hear about your cousin buying land. Ahn-jaehyun had gained an enormous amount of profit in the great battle. First, he gained the Crying Sword. It was a level 180 Chronicle Epic Rank Item. Currently, it was the best weapon one could find in Warlord. When talking about his gains, one couldn¡¯t forget about the Black Spot set that Argardo had worn. He had gained two Titles that increases All Stats by 5%. Soon, he¡¯ll receive the main ingredients to the Great Battle Hero Weapon. Moreover, the Great Battle Hero Weapon became bound when manufactured, but the required main ingredients could traded. The Option of the Items weren¡¯t revealed yet, but the ingredients was already priced at hundred thousand gold. An incredible market price was set. There were a lot of stuff he¡¯ll gain in the future. He¡¯ll be able to get the Arbiter of Corruption Title and Arbiter of Corrupt accessories from just participating in the Immoral Prince Raid. If he was able to gain the Immoral Prince set, he would have earned everything he could in regards to the second Main Scenario Quest. ¡®I did the work, yet the money was made by the cows.¡¯ However, Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s profit couldn¡¯t even be compared to the profit gained by the Red Bulls from the great battle. At that moment, he thought about the conversation he had with Chev.Chev had approached him with his severed left arm, and it wasn¡¯t too hard to recall that conversation.As Chev handed over the left arm to the Hahoe Mask, he spoke just two sentences. ¡°Thankyou.¡± That was the first words he spoke. ¡°I work forward to working with you next time.¡± Those words¡­. Chev only said those two sentences. At first, Hyrkan didn¡¯t understand why Chev had said those words to him. From the perspective of the Red Bulls guild, it would have been best if the Hahoe Mask barely failed the Argardo Raid at the end. Moreover, the Items that can be earned in the Argardo Raid wasn¡¯t just any Item. It wasarguably the best Item one could possess compared to all the Items that had released up until now. When he finally found out about how many live tickets were sold by the Red Bulls, Ahn-jaehyun felt an indescribable pain inside. ¡®Ten percent¡­¡­ No, I should have at asked for 5%.¡¯ The live ticket for the Red Bulls¡¯ Argardo Raid was priced at 5 dollars. They had sold close to 3 million tickets. There was a consensus in opinion that the Hahoe Mask was responsible for the sale of 1 million tickets. Moreover, the Red Bulls were bringing in remarkable numbers in terms of people purchasing the paid video of the Argardo Raid. If he was able to received 10% of the profit generated by the live tickets and the paid video¡­No, even if it was the 5% Ahn-jaehyun wanted, he would have¡­. ¡°I must have lost my mind.¡± Ahn-jaehyun blamed himself for not being able to estimate the money that would have been generated by the Argardo Raid. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t the end of it.Ahn-jaehyun had also handed over all the rights to his profit from the live broadcast of the Immoral Prince Raid to the Red Bulls. This was the reason why he was eating this cloudy congee instead of a delicious meal. He wasn¡¯t eating congee, because he was out of money. His insides were hurting, so he decided to heat up the congee he bought a long time ago. His insides couldn¡¯t take anything other than the congee right now. Of course, Red Bulls¡¯ profit wasn¡¯t the only problem that was making his insides hurt. The Argardo Raid¡¯s affected him much more.He had spent an enormous amount of capital on the battle. Various stress started to pile on each other, and at the same time, he had pushed himself to the edge for the great battle. After it was done, he unconsciously let go of the tension he had been feeling. He was quite fortunate that his internal pain could be lesseneed by eating the congee. Since he could eat the the congee, it meant there wasn¡¯t a hole in is Gastrointestinal walls. ¡®Shit.¡¯ Of course, this fact didn¡¯t give too much solace to Ahn-jaehyun. Ahn-jaehyun was finally able to eat the congee after it cooled to a sufficient temperature. There wasn¡¯t much flavor to the congee. There was no taste, and there was no texture to it.He had bought it in the past when the mart sold it for cheap. He had bought it as an emergency provision, so it would be strange to expect any flavor from it. Moreover, he didn¡¯t have the luxury to enjoy the taste of the congee. The back of his mind was full. ¡®It isn¡¯t as if I can renege on the contract.¡¯ When he made the contract with the Red Bulls, he hadn¡¯t made a verbal contract. He had to put an electronic signature on an actual contract. It was impossible for him to renege on the contract.Even if he did renege on the contract, Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t have many choices. Let¡¯s assume he did stop cooperating with the Red Bulls. The only other guilds Ahn-jaehyun could work with was the Hydra guild and the Stormhunters guild. In the end, he would have to make similar agreements to the one he made with the Red Bulls guild. Eventually, he would have to make a sorry decision again. ¡®This damn pride of mine.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t reminiscence over his past.He was already bitter inside, and there was no reason why he should add something more bitter on top of it. Ahn-jaehyun forced himself to think about a different subject. ¡®Since it turned out this way, I¡¯ll have to eat all the benefits that could be gained from the Immoral Prince.¡¯ Since he had arrived up to this point, he had to gain everything that could be gained through the Immoral Prince. The key point in the Immoral Prince Raid was that the Immoral Prince set was given to the 10 most accomplished Users. If he could gain that Item, it would basically mean he earned all the important Items he could earn. Moreover, if he looked at his current situation, there was a very high probability that Ahn-jaehyun would gain the Immoral Prince set. Ahn-jaehyun had displayed his battle ability in the Argardo Raid. He wouldn¡¯t be found lacking even if he was compare to the top Strikers representing Warlord. Moreover, the Red Bulls will put Ahn-jaehyun in the forefront from now on. The Red Bulls hadn¡¯t officially revealed the agreement reached with Ahn-jaehyun, but they had already spread the rumors. This was evidenced by the commercial spots for the Red Bulls¡¯ live broadcast of the Immoral Prince Raid was sold out. In other words, Red Bulls had to give Ahn-jaehyun the opportunity to stand in the forefront. They had no choice, but to prepare stages where Ahn-jaehyun would be able to showcase his skills. The problem was the Immoral Prince in itself. ¡®The First Kill will be impossible.¡¯ Five times. Before he returned to the past, the Immoral Prince Raid failed 5 times. The reason behind the failure was complex. The first problem was the participants of the Immoral Raid.Ninety percent of the Users possessing the Battle Tokens were part of the 30 great guilds.Of course, the 30 great guilds didn¡¯t collaborate with each other.Even if they did collaborate, it was a collaboration between two guilds at most. Also, at the time, the 30 great guilds swept through the stage of the great battle with great impunity. They had been full of confidence, and at the time, luck was very much on their side when they finished the Argardo raid without much difficulty. This was why the 30 great guilds didn¡¯t treat the Immoral Prince as the summit of an mountain.They looked at it as if it was a cherry placed on top of an ice cream. The 30 great guilds couldn¡¯t help, but underestimate the Immoral Prince.Moreover, the eyes of the guilds had turned red from coveting the cherry.In the end, their confidence turned into conceit, and everything turned into a mess. ¡®A failed Raid means annihilation.¡¯ On top of it all, when one failed at the Immoral Raid, the entire group that had participated was annihilated. The stage of the Immoral Prince was fought like an Instance Dungeon, so it didn¡¯t allow for any retreat. So what would happen this time around? ¡®The current situation is better, but¡­¡­.¡¯ The situation before he returned to the past and the current events were very different. No one was underestimating the Immoral prince right now. However, this didn¡¯t guarantee that the 3 guilds with the most Battle Tokens would cooperate with each other. Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t know the inner workings of the 3 guilds. In fact, even if everyone decided to cooperate, Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s current battle ability was also important. If Ahn-jaehyun hadn¡¯t been successful at soloing Argardo, he would have fought as is. There wouldn¡¯t have been any basis for his worries. ¡®In the end, I have to look out for my own life.¡¯ However, he had succeeded in soloing Argardo, so his situation had changed a little bit. Ahn-jaehyun had acquired a new card. ¡®My level is 173 right now.¡¯ Once he reached level 180, he would equip the Crying Sword and the Dark Spot set. Moreover, it wouldn¡¯t be of much help in the Immoral Prince Raid, but he would gain the Fire Golem Skill when he reached level 180. Basically, if he was able to raise 7 levels, his survivability and success rate in the Immoral Prince Raid would be much improved. It would drastically increase his chance of getting the Immoral Prince set. Of course, the rest of the members with the Battle Tokens wouldn¡¯t wait for Ahn-jaehyun to better himself for his own profit. ¡®Hmmm.¡¯ At that moment, Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s expression changed. The congee hadn¡¯t helped, but another thought allowed him to put a relaxed expression on his face. ¡®If the Red Bulls pull out, the probability of the other two guilds cooperating will decrease. The Red Bulls guild is currently advertising their live broadcast through my fame. It is unlikely they¡¯ll do the Raid until I step forward. Uh?¡¯ At that moment, he recalled something. Ahn-jaehyun quickly used his tablet PC to bring up his contract with the Red bulls. The content of the contract wasn¡¯t overly complicated. It only spelled out the important points. ¡®Would you look at this?¡¯ This was why it didn¡¯t specify when he had to participate in the Immoral Prince Raid. There was no provision included in there. At that moment, a smile formed on Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s lips. ¡®Shall I get on an express bus?¡¯ At the same time, Ahn-jaehyun furrowed his brows. ¡®Why is this congee so tasteless? It¡¯s suppose to be beef congee, yet why don¡¯t I see the beef?¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun finally could taste the congee. 5. The pub was very popular in Warlord. First, one could enjoy the unique taste of very cheap food and alcohol. One could drink as many alcoholic beverage, yet one will never get a hangover.Of course, one couldn¡¯t get drunk too. This was the reason why two Users were having a conversation with Melon Beer in front of them. ¡°What do you think will happen from here on out?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± No one was paying any interest to the conversation between the two. They weren¡¯t anything special. Their faces weren¡¯t that of famous Users. Moreover, the scene they were creating wasn¡¯t that special of a sight. Of course, if their levels were shown above their heads, they wouldn¡¯t be able have a conversation in the pub, since an avalanche of gazes and interests would be focused on them. They wouldn¡¯t have even been able to enter the pub. Sinclair and Horus was part of the Hands guilds. If you combined their levels, they were easily above level 400. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean high level Users didn¡¯t have any worries. ¡°I think we were wrong to buy more time. Our plans went sideways.¡± Sinclair frowned. It wasn¡¯t a frivolous worry. He was speaking a genuine worry. This was why Horus seriously listened to Sinclair¡¯s worries. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it went sideways. It just revealed our limit.¡± ¡°Limit?¡± Horus avoided giving a prompt answer, so he took a deep pull from the Melon Beer. He downed the entire cup. ¡°It¡¯s the limit to our method.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit of an overreaction to talk about our limit? In truth, if the Hahoe Mask hadn¡¯t appeared¡­¡± ¡°Even if the Hahoe Mask hadn¡¯t appeared, the result wouldn¡¯t be too different from now. The Argardo Raid would have been resolved between the Red Bulls and the Storm Hunters.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t it because of the Hahoe Mask that the 30 great guilds participated in the great battle?¡± ¡°That is a separate issue from the Argardo Raid. Argardo Raid wasn¡¯t a defensive siege. It was a siege to take over a castle.¡± Sinclair shut his mouth as he heard the other¡¯s words. It seemed Sinclair decided to keep his mouth shut regarding the issue, so he started downing his Melon Beer. Horus didn¡¯t look at Sinclair. He looked around his surrounding. No one should know their identities, but there was no downside in being careful. Koohng! Eventually Sinclair lightly tapped his beer glass on the table. Horus took this as a signal, and he opened his mouth. ¡°In the end, we lost to the Hydra guild in terms of information gathering again. Our plan had already failed from that aspect. Moreover, aren¡¯t we pretty sure the Hydra guild won over the Red Bulls and Stormhunters to their side?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t confirmed yet.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s not confirmed. It just shows the limit to our activities. Lets just say for conversation sake that the Hydra, Red Bulls and Stormhunters are working together. Then will they have a need for the Hands?¡± Sinclair shook his head from side to side. ¡°Then from now on¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Hey, Sinclair.¡± Horus cut off Sinclair¡¯s words in an instant. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare tell anyone that I said this. I consider you a friend first, and a fellow employee second.¡± Sinclair immediately nodded his head. The two of them discreetly leaned closer to each other towards the center of the table. The distance between them decreased by a little bit. ¡°Soon, there will be a reorganization in our guild.¡± ¡°Reorganization?¡± ¡°Our method of operation isn¡¯t working any more. Is there a reason why we should continue as is?¡± ¡°How will it be reorganized?¡± ¡°We have to come out as a rival horse. We have to be a rival that could pull at the tail of the front-runners.¡± ¡°A rival horse?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying the time where we pulled the strings from background is coming to an end. I¡¯m sure several of us are going to debut soon. No, I can already tell it will be so. If you look at our recent scope of activity, we are working more in the sunlight than the shade.¡± Koong! At that moment, Horus¡¯ fist lightly tapped the table. Sinclair slightly shrugged his shoulder. Horus spoke in a lower voice towards the slightly surprised Sinclair. ¡°Our chance has finally come. In truth, the Users who are lower in level and skills are being treated like celebrities. It isn¡¯t as if we can¡¯t continue on like this until the game ends. Regardless of what happens, I¡¯m heading out into the sun. That is why¡­¡­ There are several of us, who share similar thoughts.¡± At those words, Sinclair started to touch his lips. ¡°Could you tell me who they are?¡± It was an attempt to keep the smile off his face. Chapter 132 – On the Eve (3) Chapter 132 ¨C On the Eve (3) 6. [You level has increased.] When he succeeded in leveling up, Hyrkan reached into the small pouch hanging from his waist.He took out 5 Skeleton Fragments, and he threw it over his back.The Skeleton Fragments rolled across the floor like acorns, and they immediately changed into Skeleton Magicians wearing gray robes. After the Skeleton Magicians formed, they gathered their hands.An emaciated flame started to form between their hands.The Skeleton Magicians moved their hands as if they were caressing it. As if to reward their attention, the fireballs started to expand.The fireballs, which had been the size of a child¡¯s fist, was suddenly the size of a man¡¯s head.At that moment, the Skeleton Magicians immediately threw their fireballs. Hwah-roo-rooh! The five fireballs flew in an arc.At the end of the arc, there was a battle going on. Ggah-ahng, kah-ahng! The sound of steel striking was endless.It was very easy to differentiate between the two groups that was fighting.The contrast was stark. One side was composed of Skeleton Warriors with horns on their head.They were wearing an armor that was made out of black colored barks.On the other side, one could see adequately armored humanoid lizards that had black feathers coming off their hides.They were the Black Grooming Lizard Warriors The battle between the Skeleton Warriors and the Grooming Lizards were fierce and closely contested.The two groups were so close to each other that a mumble could be heard by the other side. Five enormous fireball fell into the battlefield.Of course, the fireballs didn¡¯t differentiate between enemies and allies. Puh-uhng, puh-uhng. The five consecutive sound of explosions swept across the battlefield.The black feathers of the Grooming Lizards started to burn, and the Skeleton Warriors started to let out black colored blood. [Black Grooming Lizard Warriors were affected by the Black Sap.] The Black Tree set¡¯s effect had been activated. At the same time, the Skeleton Warriors immediately regained their original form. They regained their original imposing form, and one couldn¡¯t see any trace of magical damage on them. On the other hand, the Grooming Lizard Warriors looked unseemly from the effects of the magical attack.Their feathers were burning, and the Black Sap clinging to them were quickly diminishing their HP. Sha-ah! Shah-ah! The bloody cry came out out of the Grooming Lizards¡¯ mouth.It wasn¡¯t a threatening cry.It was most definitely a cry filled with pain.Even this didn¡¯t last long.A Skeleton Knight appeared with the Black Cobalt King¡¯s sword in front of it, and its presence shut the mouths of the Grooming Lizards.The Grooming Lizards were so tense that they didn¡¯t even attempt to quench the flame sticking to their hide. The Skeleton Knight didn¡¯t let out any sound.It just opened its mouth wide, and it pointed its sword towards the Grooming Lizard Warriors once.It let out a silent roar as it charged. The explosions caused by the magic had created a state of lull on the battlefield, but the Skeleton Knight once again turned the stage into a pandemonium. At that moment, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t looking at this sight.Hyrkan¡¯s gaze was to the left.In the distance, there was a User observing at Hyrkan. ¡°Where¡¯s the next location?¡± The User immediately answered Hyrkan¡¯s question. ¡°We¡¯ve already prepared it!¡± This was the Black Grooming Lizard¡¯s nest.This was the exclusive hunting ground of the Red Bulls guild. Warlord had level up support teams. It was a very absurd concept.However, the 30 great guilds, the Underfoot guilds and any large guilds possessed level up support teams.Even some individuals possessed a personal level up team.The First One Sulwoo, who was ranked number 1 in Warlord¡¯s Level Ranking, was a prime example. Of course, the role of a level up support team was to help a User increase their level. The basic procedure was for the team to give material support.In truth, most decent sized guilds participated in doing this.They designated a fixed region as their main hunting ground, and the guild provided Items to guild members as needed as they hunted.By extension, there were also Buff teams that casted only Buff and Healing magic.Then there were the Gathering teams that rounded up the monsters. ¡°I knew he was a monster, but I never knew what kind of a monster he was.¡± Bower was the team leader of the Red Bulls guild¡¯s level up support team. He was basically the hidden trainer of the Red Bulls guild, and he was very experienced.At the same time, he was very close to Chev in real life. He was a User affiliated with the Red Bulls, but he had realized he had no talent for this game early on.This was why he had helped out the Red Bulls with extrinsic matters, and this was how he was able to rise to his current position. Currently, he was assistingthe Hahoe Mask in leveling up. ¨C His hunting speed is amazing.It would take 5 minutes for a 3 man party to clear it, yet he is doing it in 3 minutes by himself.If we just talk in terms of efficiency, his hunting speed is about 5 times faster. Of course, Bower wasn¡¯t the only one helping the Hahoe Mask. The owner of the voice that had responded to Bower was named Ricky.He was a young 20 year old, who liked Warlord.It had only been two month, since they started to work together, so he was a beginner to all of this. ¡°He isn¡¯t really 5 times faster, but his speed seems to on par with the First One.¡± Ricky was a younger cousin of one of the Red Bulls guild¡¯s officers. His work on the Support team was a temporary job he was doing to make some money on the side.He was also a big fan of the First One. ¨C Is he really comparable to the First One? ¡°In my opinion, he is faster than the First One.¡± ¨C What?No way. This happened from time to time.Ricky had parachuted into the level up support team through his background, so he didn¡¯t hesitate to disagree with his superior. ¨C The First One powered through level 220 yesterday.He now has a 15 level difference between the top 100!In truth, if you compare him to the Hahoe Mask, it is an insult to the First One. Bower couldn¡¯t help, but let out a bitter laugh at Ricky¡¯s response. ¡®If someone saw this, one would think he is my superior.¡¯ Of course, he didn¡¯t like Ricky¡¯s reaction. On the other hand, he understood Ricky¡¯s reaction. If one looked at Ricky¡¯s word from a normal User¡¯s perspective, he wasn¡¯t wrong. First One was a speed demon at leveling up.No, he was something more than that.The proof was in his ranking. Every Ranker within the top 100 tried to level up as if it was a life and death task.A single level difference was like a difference of 1 second in a 100 meter sprint. It was a very big difference. Yet the First One was steadily creating a distance between the level 100 Ranked User and him. Of course, Bower knew about this. Bower had led the Red Bulls¡¯ level up support team from an early point in time.One of his duties was to find faster ways to level up, so he had researched the know hows of the Rankers.This was why Bower was much more knowledgeable about the First One than Ricky. ¡°All right.I spoke in error.¡± Of course, he wasn¡¯t going to argue with Ricky right now.He¡¯ll just secretly talk to Chev.He¡¯ll just tell Chev that Ricky is an asshole.Then Chev will handle the situation. ¨C The First One is the best. Ricky had no idea about his fate, so he stubbornly restated his opinion.However, his tantrum didn¡¯t enter Bower¡¯s ears.Bower once again looked at the Hahoe Mask¡¯s battle footage. In truth, he didn¡¯t need to assist the Hahoe Mask in leveling up.Bower wasn¡¯t just some simple trainer.He was like the the Daddy Long Legs of the primary raid team members in the Red Bulls guild.He had been supporting them since they were around level 20~30.Bower was like a big brother to all the experienced Users of the Red Bulls. Even with such a status, he was given this task, because he was assigned to steal all of the Hahoe Mask¡¯s know how.He was tasked in stealing the Hahoe Mask¡¯s ridiculous hunting method, battle method and any other information that made him special. ¡®He¡¯s faster than the First One.¡¯ This was why he was confident in his answer.The Hahoe Mask¡¯s hunting speed was faster than the First One when the First One was at the same level as the Hahoe Mask. ¡®However, the fights are too tight.He doesn¡¯t let up.¡¯ At the same time, he could see the weakness of the Hahoe Mask. The Hahoe Mask fought urgently once he entered into a battle.He had to stay focused throughout in order to finish the battle as fast as possible.This was a clear difference from the First One. The First One varied the pace of a battle even during a battle.If he wanted to work fast, he could catch it in 5 minutes.However, he didn¡¯t overwork himself to catch it in 5 minutes.Instead, he hunted slowly to catch it in 10 minutes. It was a method used to delay the fatigue and loss of concentration that developed in battles.The First One used this method to notch an unprecedented amount of play time.He held the record. His philosophy was the one who runs the longest beats the sprinter.He was the proof of this philosophy. Basically, the Hahoe Mask was a mutation. ¡®He¡¯s dangerous.¡¯ This was why it was dangerous.The Hahoe Mask had gone against the traditional method. He was using his method to narrow the distance between the First One and the high level Rankers. It didn¡¯t matter if it was a small change or a big change.If the Hahoe Mask was able to rise into the level ranking, there will be a change in how things work. The Red Bulls was currently on the top of this existing order, so this change might work against them. Bower was deep in his thought, and his face continued to harden. ¨C The Hahoe Mask requested for the Last Spot.He wants to know the region with the most monsters. When Bower heard the voice of a manager helping out next to the Hahoe Mask, he relaxed his hardened expression. 7. [Hyrkan] ¨C Level : 179 ¨C Class : Necromancer ¨C Title : 144 ¨C Stats : Strength(2192)/Stamina(1132)/Intelligence(1327)/Magic Power(1601) Ahn-jaehyun was checking the Hahoe Mask¡¯s Character.There was a half empty pouch of a jelly drink hanging from his mouth.It was a drink with a difficult name.It was called the Smart Pouch. Slurp! Ahn-jaehyun quickly sucked the jelly out again, and the pouch shriveled up.He sucked on it until not a single drop of liquid was coming out.Ahn-jaehyun furrowed his brows. ¡®I only sucked on it couple times, yet it¡¯s all gone?¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun took the pouch out of his mouth, and he haphazardly tossed it on top of the table. There were three emaciated packs on the table.If one looked a little to the side, there was a black bag with countless emaciated pouches placed in it. It was a meal replacement jelly made for patients, who were having a hard time digesting food.This was Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s main meal. ¡®It is really expensive, tasteless and small in quantity¡­. Shit.What the hell am I doing?¡¯ After the Argardo Raid, Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s insides hadn¡¯t calmed down, and he was still in a bad state. He had went to the hospital, and a gastroscopy was done. The doctor told him there wasn¡¯t any big problems with him, but he may be suffering from a digestive problem.As a precaution, he was told to refrain from foods that may act as triggers.He was told to lessen his stress, and he wasordered to do physical activities on a regular schedule. Of course, the only advice Ahn-jaehyun followed was to avoid eating food that triggered his condition.That was the only one. Instead, Ahn-jaehyun played on a more tighter schedule than usual.He had no choice. ¡®I just need to jump one more level to reach level 180.¡¯ He had negotiated with the Red Bulls.To be precise, he blackmailed them. He sent a one-sided message saying he won¡¯t participate in the Immoral Prince Raid until he reached level 180.The Red Bulls had used the Hahoe Mask¡¯s name to sell commercial spots in the live broadcast, so they couldn¡¯t just overlook his message. In the end, Red Bulls had to reveal a spot that wasn¡¯t even revealed to the masses yet.They allowed Ahn-jaehyun to use the Black Grooming Lizard¡¯s nest as his hunting ground.They even attached a level up support team to him.This was why everything else other than the actual act of hunting was all provided for by the Red Bulls.They didn¡¯t hesitate to provide him with consumable Items. This was a chance that might never come again.His insides were hurting, but he couldn¡¯t pass by this opportunity. ¡®After I finish my level up, I¡¯ll be going into the Immoral Prince Raid immediately.I have to raise my conditioning as much as possible before that occurs.¡¯ Since he was given this opportunity, Ahn-jaehyun had to be at the top of his game in the Immoral Prince Raid after he reaches level 180.It was probably too much to expect his insides to get better when he considered the various stress he was under. ¡®Still, the events are coming along quite well.¡¯ Fortunately, there hadn¡¯t been much chaos created by the Immoral Prince Raid yet.It wasn¡¯t as if no one had tried to defeat it.The normal users possessing the Battle Tokens allied with each other.They put together the hints given on the Battle Tokens to find the secret location where the Immoral Prince was hiding.Two attempts had been made on the Raid. The result of these two attempts were very bleak. [The Immoral Prince is unassailable!If the group doesn¡¯t achieve victory, the group is wiped out!] [The strongest boss monster in history has appeared.What can be done to clear it?] Wiped out! If one was able to earn a Battle Token, one was a pretty skilled User in Warlord.However, these Users weren¡¯t able to have an active role against the Immoral Prince.None of them were even able to have a decent fight with the Immoral Prince. This was how strong the Immoral Prince was.The footages of the battle with Immoral Prince was released.Even the Hydra, Stormhunters and Red Bulls guild didn¡¯t dare to attempt the Immoral Prince Raid rashly. What more explanation was needed? This was also the reason why the Red Bulls was helping the Hahoe Mask level up without any complaints.The participation of the Hahoe Mask in the Immoral Prince wasn¡¯t optional anymore.It was a necessity. This didn¡¯t mean Ahn-jaehyun was thrilled with the situation. ¡®This won¡¯t be easy.¡¯ Before he returned to the past, he never experienced fighting the Immoral Prince.He hadn¡¯t dared to fight it.This was the first time he was contemplating a potential fight with the Immoral Prince after seeing the video.The fact that this would be his first experience made a chill run up his spine. In truth, the clear method was very simple. The Immoral Prince was strong because of the Power of Corruption.It was an ancient power that had been left behind by the Fallen Kingdom.Moreover, relics emitting this ancient power were hidden around the Immoral Prince.Of course, the Immoral Prince would lose significant amount of power every time one of these relics were destroyed. In the end, the Immoral Prince Raid was about blocking the Immoral Prince, so it couldn¡¯t interfere with the Relic Destruction Team. The content was simple. However, it was hard to carry it out the plan. ¡®It is much faster than expected.¡¯ The biggest problem was its speed. Up until now in Warlord, speed had been a User¡¯s weapon.However, the speed showcased by the Immoral Prince was faster than any User. Moreover, the type of skills used by the Immoral Prince was troublesome.His trigonal symbol represented Wisdom, Might and Mission.As someone that represented a symbol with these 3 meanings behind it, the Immoral Prince was able to use skills that was similar to the main skills of the Swordsman class and the Magician class. In fact, the Immoral Prince¡¯s skills were significantly more powerful than the skills used by the Users. ¡®The Skills were strengthen using the Fallen Kingdom¡¯s power.Of course, normal skills can¡¯t hold a candle to it.¡¯ The Skills used by the Immoral Prince was part of the new contents the Users would face once they reached the third part of the Main Scenario Quest.It was the Fallen Kingdom episode. Anyways,, the Immoral Prince was a monster that possessed every advantage that a User had.This shouldn¡¯t be seen as facing a Raid opponent.One had to think of it as a PVP battle. This was why the Immoral Prince Raid needed multiple skilled Users.One needed experts that could last at least one minute with the Immoral Prince. ¡®In the end, we have to use our numeric superiority.¡¯ There was the Hydra guild¡¯s Sohank, Red Bull¡¯s Chev, Stormhunter¡¯s Shir and the Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. These 4 people would decide whether the Raid would be a success or a bust. ¡°Hoo-ooh.¡± An automatic sigh came out of Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s mouth when he thought about it.Including himself, there were four people who he knew were skilled enough.On the other hand, will the four Users, who were overflowing with personalities, be able to work together? ¡®I hope the crazy bitch doesn¡¯t fight the crazy bastards.¡¯ Even the thought of it made his insides hurt.Ahn-jaehyun picked up a jelly pouch to calm his stomach. He clamped his mouth over it. ¡®Huh?¡¯ At that moment, Ahn-jaehyun saw an icon indicating the arrival of an email on his Tablet PC.Ahn-jaehyun lightly touched it with his finger. It was sent by Chev. ¡®What can this be?¡¯ The content was¡­. ¡®In the end, that crazy bitch did something reckless!¡¯ The Stormhunters guild had gone rogue. 8. ¡®No matter how I see it, this is crazy. ¡¯ Hatch was putting the consumable items into the pockets that was present all over his body.He stopped his movements for a brief moment, and he shook his head from side to side. ¡®She wants to do the Immoral Prince Raid by ourselves¡­.¡¯ When the Immoral Prince Raid was failed twice, the Immoral Prince moved to a different location. Clues that notified one of the location of the Immoral Prince was given through the Battle Tokens.The Stormhunters guild used their information network, and they were able to find the location immediately.Everything up until that point was business as usual. However, when the location was discerned, a special order came down mobilizing the Raid teams on standby for the Immoral Prince Raid. She wanted to attempt the Immoral Prince Raid with only the Stormhunters! ¡®The Queen has completely lost her mind.¡¯ This decision couldn¡¯t have come from a rational and logical mind. If other words, this was evidence that Shir was idescribably angry. ¡®Well, she had been treated like a complete third wheel up until now.If one considered the Queen¡¯s personality, it is a miracle that she had lasted until now.¡¯ Shir had always received the best spotlights.She had always been in the top spot, yet no one was paying attention to her recently.This lack of interest was a humiliation that was hard for her to endure. Moreover, the Hahoe Mask¡¯s fame was piercing through the sky, and without her realizing it, the Red Bulls were being considered the best of the 30 great guilds.This was a definite problem, and she wouldn¡¯t stand for it. If one messed with Shir, it was basically pushing a button that made a bomb explode. ¡®This isn¡¯t the right move.¡¯ At that moment, Hatch mustered up his courage. The Stormhunters was Hatch¡¯s place of employment.Warlord was a part of his life now.The cost of a failed raid would be enormous. He was well aware of this fact.If this was inevitable, he had to blunt the damage.When a leader decides to do something reckless, the subordinate had to stop the bleeding. ¡®In the end, the Queen won¡¯t listen to me if I speak¡­I have no choice, but to inform the Hydra and Red Bulls.¡¯ Hatch was determined to see this through. ¡®Uh-whew.I have to quickly get out of this guild.If I stay here, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll live a full life.The hospital said they saw some bleeding from my GI tract.I was told not to avoid eating trigger foods, and to avoid stress¡­..¡¯ Chapter 133 – Immoral Prince (1) Chapter 133 ¨C Immoral Prince (1) 1. [The Blue Snake looks at the White Roof.Find the Red Mirror underneath the roof.Then you will see an angular landmark.This landmark will stretch out to the left.It will fork endlessly.] When the great battle was concluded, everyone¡¯s attention was turned towards the Immoral Prince.The Users without the Battle Tokens couldn¡¯t participate in the Immoral Prince Raid.Therefore, the only thing they could do was to decipher the words that appeared on the Battle Tokens.They tried to interpret the cryptic code, which gave away the location of the Immoral Prince. Unexpectedly, a lot of Users participated in this endeavor, and they had fun doing it. ¨C Where does a Blue Snake type monster appear? ¨C Is it talking about the Blue Dragon? ¨C Dragons aren¡¯t snakes.I¡¯m pretty sure it is talking about the Blue Giant Snake.I¡¯m clearly right! ¨C ? I don¡¯t think the Immoral Prince would hide at a hunting ground where a level 60 Boss monster comes out.It would make more sense to say a bear was hiding in a rabbit hole. It wasn¡¯t really that they enjoyed it, but in truth, this was the only way they could participate in the Main Scenario Quest.Also, there was an additional incentive to solve it.The 3 guilds, who were participating in the Immoral Raid, had put up a bounty on the correct interpretation of the cryptic words.One could earn around 5 thousand dollars from figuring it out.It was more than a pocket change. Anyways, there were a lot of hunting groundsin existence in Warlord.It was more annoying than difficult to find the location through such ambiguous hints.Moreover, a lot of the characteristics described was shared by many locations in Warlord.A mountain was a mountain, and a lake was a lake. When the Immoral Prince Raid was failed twice, the new hints appeared on the Battle Tokens.It took about 3 to 4 days to decipher the hints. Despite knowing all of this, the teams attempted the Raid.None of the teams were able to last even an hour in the Raid.When the Raid failed, the Immoral Prince immediately left the location. The losing groups took a terrible beating in many ways. ¡®They were very unlucky.¡¯ If seen in those terms, the Stormhunters was very lucky.After the second Immoral Prince Raid was a failure, the Stormhunters was able to decipher the cryptic hints on the same day they got it. ¡®I never expected the Immoral Prince to appear at a location we just found. It is said that the bread always fall on the buttered side down¡­.¡¯ The Blue Snake symbolized a Blue river, and the White Roof was a snow covered mountain.Everyone reached a consensus on this interpretation. However, there were about 50 locations with a blue river and a snow covered mountain. Therefore, the crucial part was the Red Mirror, and the angular landmark.Surprisingly, the Stormhunters had found a region that checked off the two remaining requirements. Patagonia mountain. It was a region found recently by the Stormhunters.Several days ago, this stage had a Block Field over it. The Patagonia mountain had a Red Lake, and a tree had been struck by lightning.The tree had been burnt to death, and it was the angular landmark.Of course, this location was very hard to find. If the Patagonia mountain hadn¡¯t been found and professionally investigated by the Storm Hunters, no one would have been able to find the Red Mirror and the angular landmark.Moreover, the Patagonia mountain was teeming with level 190 monsters, and it would take a long time to explore this mountain. This was why events had turned out like this. ¡®The fact that we found this place first was the reason behind our problem now.Why did it have to be this way?¡¯ This was the reason why the Storm Queen Shir had decided to monopolize the 3rd Immoral Prince Raid run. If it was a location everyone knew about, everyone would inevitably be watching their every move.The two other guilds would try to meddle in their business.However, the Stormhunters didn¡¯t have to worry about that.Unless there was a Judas within their guild, there was no way the other guilds would find out about their actions. On the other hand, Hatch was very pessimistic about this raid, so these were all signs of bad luck to him. When he saw the trees thick with leaves around the Red Lake and the presence of the burnt tree, he couldn¡¯t help, but feel very depressed. ¡°Hey.What¡¯s are you doing!¡± On top of it all, the Storm Princess Hahui was unnecessarily trying to pick a fight with him.She possessed an unfortunate name, and she had the eyes of a fire dragon. ¡°What do you think I¡¯m doing?I¡¯m sighing.¡± ¡° A sigh? Why?¡± When Hahui gave a retort, Hatch looked at her as if she was the most pitiful human being in this world. Shweek! Hahui¡¯s fist flew towards Hatch¡¯s face. ¡°Huhk!¡± Hatch dodged the fist in fright.The fist had come very close to striking him.The fist brushed by his left cheek. ¡°Hey!Why the hell are you punching me for!Fuck!¡± ¡°You were having some weird thoughts as you were looking at me, right?You wanna die?¡± ¡°Bring it on.Try killing me once!Try killing me!¡± The atmosphere between the two of them was turning nasty, and attention was being drawn towards them.However, nothing unfortunate happened. ¡°Stop.¡± At Shir¡¯s single word, Hatch and Hahui turned their glares to different directions. This was the charisma possessed by Shir.She had a worse temper than these two, so she was able to control them even through a short word. ¡°We¡¯ll start the Immoral Prince Raid in 6 hours.¡± There was no one, who could make a retort, when one heard anger mixed in with her words. Hatch gulped. ¡®Whether I die from a beating or from a stabbing, I¡¯ll be dead at the end.It seems I can¡¯t avoid this.¡¯ 2. ¡°Patagonia mountain?¡± ¨C It is a location recently discovered by the Stormhunters guild.This is all according to Ballista¡¯s words. ¡°A recently found region¡­¡­ In many ways, they were lucky.¡± At the First Head¡¯s explanation, Chev let out a sigh as he tapped his fist on his forehead. A ridiculous development had just occurred.This wasn¡¯t some low level administrator acting out in this way. The Stormhunters guild was one of the 30 great guilds, and they had broken an agreement they previously agreed with the Red Bulls and the Hydra guild.They had made an independent decision to do this Raid on their own.Moreover, it would have been better if the leader had done all of this for profit.However, this event had occurred, because of Shir¡¯s bullheadedness.Her actions defied common sense. Chev was very irritated by the situation, but at the same time, he quickly accepted the situation. ¡®As expected of a crazy bitch. ¡¯ If someone else had done this, he would have been suspicious instead of being surprised.However, the Storm Queen was quite capable of doing this. Anyways, the Stormhunters had made their decision, and they were going to carry out their mission.They would have to react accordingly. ¨C What do you plan on doing? ¡°What about your side?¡± ¨C Anyways, we only have two choices available to us. They could either become spectators or join up in the action. If one thought about it rationally, one could already surmise the probability of success was very low for the Stormhunters if they tried the Immoral Prince Raid on their own. The Stormhunters had sinned by offending them, so they could just watch the Stormhunters fail.They weren¡¯t required to join and help the Stormhunters. The problem was the fact that the decisions made by Stormhunters wasn¡¯t bound by logic. ¨C If the Stormhunters fail this Raid, they¡¯ll never participate in one afterwards. ¡°That¡¯ll cause a big headache.¡± If the Stormhunters guild failed this Raid, there was zero chance that they¡¯ll show any remorse for their actions.At the same time, the Stormhunters guild would immediately give up on the Immoral Prince Raid.The Storm Queen¡¯s pride wouldn¡¯t allow for a reattempt. She probably was well aware of the consequences, yet she chose to go through with her actions. ¨C If the Stormhunters drops out, the Immoral Prince Raid will become very hard. The absence of the Stormhunters couldn¡¯t be glossed over. The two of them were watching the footage of the Immoral Prince raid as they held their conversation.In the world of Warlord, these two men were basically cut from the same cloth, and they both had an appropriate fear about the Immoral Prince. On top of it all, only those with the Battle Tokens could participate in the Immoral Prince Raid.If the Stormhunters drops out, it would be very difficult to replace them. If so, would it be better to mobilize now and help the Stormhunters? However, both men were having a hard time seeing this as the right answer. ¡°Did you perhaps calculate the benefit cost analysis of joining the Stormhunters?¡± The Immoral Prince Raid was a business decision.Their decision would change based on the calculation of the profits and losses.If helping the Stormhunters was more profitable than watching from the sidelines, they¡¯ll take appropriate actions. ¨C How many live tickets were sold? ¡°We sold as much as possible through the pre-sales.How many commercials spots did you sell? ¨C We¡¯ve sold it all.However, we weren¡¯t able to sell it at a high rate as you guys. Even if the two guilds helped out the Stormhunters in this Raid, they weren¡¯t expected to losemuch money.They had already sold the live tickets through pre-sale, and the contracts for the commercials had been finalized. ¨C We won¡¯t lose anything from helping them. ¡°Of course, there will be some loss, but we can request compensation for our loss from the Stormhunters.¡± Even if they did suffer a loss, they could ask for compensation from the Stormhunters.Of course, they would have to succeed in the Immoral Prince Raid to do this. ¨C Are you ready for the Raid? The next problem was the preparation for the Raid. ¡°I can finish all preparation in 10 minutes.¡± The preparation had been finished a long time ago. Both sides had gathered a team of professionals that were qualified to participate in the Immoral Prince Raid.They had been passing time by training and leveling up at the hunting grounds. All the equipments and consumable Items that would be used in the Raid had been prepared.The two guilds even synced their hours of operation.Everyone logged in and logged out at the same time.Everyone slept for the same amount of time.All the participants had also received a checkup. If one worried about the preparedness of the Hydra guild and the Red Bulls guild, it was basically an insult to them. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to join the Immoral Prince Raid in secret with the Stormhunters. However, they couldn¡¯t be satisfied from just participating in the Raid.They had to find a way to maximize their profits. ¨C If I¡¯m to come up with a plan, I¡¯ll probably let the Stormhunters go first.We enter afterwards, and each team will find and destroy the relics.I think that¡¯ll be for the best. ¡°Should we use the Stormhunters as bait?¡± ¨C If we use the Stormhunters as bait, we will be able to destroy 2 relics¡­No.The Stormhunters would also have to form a team that¡¯ll destroy the relic, while they occupy the Immoral Prince.If we are lucky, we can use the Stormhunters as bait, and we¡¯ll be able to destroy at least 3 relics. They were going to use the Stormhunters as bait.Aside from whether the hunt is a success or not, the bait would suffer the most damage.This was why the bait was also called the sacrificial lamb. If the three guilds worked within the framework of the agreement, no one would have been used as bait.No one wanted to be the sacrificial lamb. However, the Storhunters guild was the first one to break their agreement.Even if the Stormhunters guild was used as bait, they couldn¡¯t officially expressed their dissatisfaction. Of course, they¡¯ll probably express their anger through the unofficial channels, but the Red Bulls guild and the Hydra guild was on equal standing with the Stormhunters.These two guilds had no reason to be scared of the Stormhunters. ¡°I would like to read a more detailed description of the plan.¡± ¨C I¡¯ll send it to you immediately.However, I want you to tell me about the Hahoe Mask first.I won¡¯t be able to make a complete plan if his information is absent. ¡°I¡¯ll contact you again in 10 minutes.¡± After exactly 10 minutes, Chev sent the First Head a message.It was a very short text message. [The Hahoe Mask will join up later.] Chev, who was sending the message, did not have a happy expression on his face. 3. Shir was leading from the front, and 25 members from the Stormhunters guild were following her in a straight line.The angular tree was to their left, and each member of the group put a distance of 2 meters between each other. It happened 10 minutes into their walk. Shir was the first one to disappear from sight.Everyone followed her example as they followed after her, and they all disappeared from sight. Hatch was at the end of the line, and at some point, he lost sight of all of his comrades.However, Hatch didn¡¯t feel any confusion. ¡®Good.¡¯ Instance Dungeon. The battle with the Immoral Prince was a content that can only be done by selected Users.Moreover,a defeat meant the annihilation of the whole Raid Party. The Users in front of him had entered the Instance Dungeon one by one.Moreover, the Users in the front was informing the others of what was happening through the Voice Talk. At that moment, Hatch knew this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.He turned his head to look backwards. Hatch sensed something. Hatch sent a signal towards the location where he sensed a presence. ¨C Hey!Hatch!Where are you?If you don¡¯t want a beating, hurry up and come in! At that moment, Hahui¡¯s sharp voice was heard in Hatch¡¯s ears.Hatch put on a sour expression as he walked to the other side of the barrier where everyone had disappeared to. [The barrier¡¯s power was rendered useless by the Battle Token.] Hatch heard the Announcement in his ears, and he immediately stepped forward.He disappeared like the others. Hatch had felt two presences.One was the Hydra guild¡¯s Eighth Head Natal.The other was an expert named Two Kims, who represented the Red Bulls.After they looked at each other once, they started to speak in a low whisper. ¡°The Stormhunters entered the location of the battle.¡± This was the final stage of the second Main Scenario Quest.The final battle with the Immoral Prince had just started. Chapter 134 – Immoral Prince (2) Chapter 134 ¨C Immoral Prince (2) 4. People learned from defeat. Of course, the two attempts at the Immoral Prince Raid ended in a crushing defeat, but at the same time, it was a chance to find out how to defeat the Immoral Prince. Two roles needed to be filled to defeat the Immoral Prince. There was the Relic Destroyer team, which eliminated the guardians defending the relics.Then there was the Prince Interference team.They had to constantly move to distract the Immoral Prince. It wasn¡¯t too hard to destroy the Relics. The Relic Guardians were the type of monsters that had high defense and a lot of HP.Its attack power, attack pattern and skills were above average.It wasn¡¯t an easy monster to face, but the difficulty was much lower than the unusually scary monster called the White-eye Knight Argardo. If one could buy time with the Immoral Prince, it was ok to have a small Relic Destroyer Team.It was possible to do the Immoral Prince Raid with a small group. Basically, if Shir could occupy the Immoral Prince by herself, it was possible for the Stormhuntersto accomplish their tasks even with a team of 25 Users. Shir was confident about the plan.She was confident that she was stronger than anyone in Warlord.The only one that affected her opinion about this fact was the Hahoe Mask.However, even he could only affect her opinion.Shir thought very highly of the Hahoe Mask, but she had never thought she was worse than him. Moreover, there was good reasons why she was able to have so much confidence in herself. Immoral Prince. The Blacksmith Olf had found a mysterious and marvelous metal that had been found by an ancient kingdom.Its existence hadn¡¯t even been recorded in history.Olf had created a very large ash-colored armor.Prince Dean was already a large man, but the armor made him look several times larger. Moreover, the helmet placed on top of this large armor looked different from normal helmets.It was shaped like a crown, and the helmet had a T-shaped opening where one should have been able to see the Immoral Prince¡¯s eyes.However, one could only see black light being emitted from where its eyes should be.Then there was the cape that was around his enormous armored body.It had the print of a trigonal symbol on it. There were three snakes biting each other¡¯s tail. It made one breathless when see the dignity flowing off of the Immoral Prince. The thought of facing it was daunting, yet the Storm Queen lived up to her reputation¡­No, she was performing beyond her earned reputation. ¡®My god.She lasted for 5 minutes.¡¯ ¡®In truth, I thought this was a suicidal mission. However, at this pace¡­ Maybe we might succeed in this Raid.¡¯ Five minutes. This was the amount of time Shir had been able to occupy the Immoral Prince. They weren¡¯t evenly matched, but the battle was a close call. If she was an average expert, her body would have been flung backwards from the powerful attack.However, she just swayed once after she blocked the attack.Another powerful attack that would have destroyed her defensive gear and body was sent towards her.She was able to dodge it even though she had lost her balance.There was a overwhelming difference in their battle capability, but she refused to stay on the defensive.She went on the offensive against the Immoral Prince.She made it so that the Immoral Prince couldn¡¯t swing its sword properly.She was like a shield trying to bait attacks to defend. It was a fierce fight. ¡°Hahui!¡± ¡°Yes!I¡¯ll endure!¡± This was a hard fight with an asterisk attached to it. At Shir¡¯s shout, Hahui threw herself towards the Immoral Prine. ¡®How dare you do that to the Queen! You are dead!¡¯ She had watched Shir¡¯s battle, and Hahui¡¯s body had been itching to carry out her mission.Hahui¡¯s charge was fierce. While Hahui was facing off against the Immoral Prince, Shir backed out.The three Priests on standby crowded her as they started chanting their prayers.They had started to cast their buffs. This was what allowed her to carry out this fierce battle.She had Full Buff.Five minutes was how long the Buffs were active. Of course, one couldn¡¯t disparage her skill for this reason.The Immoral Prince was strong. This became immediately apparent when it fought against Hahui.She had similar Specs as Shir, and she had also received the Full Buff.However, Hahui received a critical wound only after 1 minute had passed. She was unable to parry the sword swung by the Immoral Prince.Hahui¡¯s left arm flew backwards. Shweeek! In a flash, the Immoral Prince had sliced through her elbow. While Hahui was flustered, three Striker on standby charged towards the Immoral Prince.Two of them attempted an attack on the Immoral Prince, and the remaining Striker exited the battlefield carrying Hahui like a luggage. ¡°I can do this!I can hang on!¡± Hahui struggled, but her arm had been severed.Of course, her movements were weakened compared to her normal self. As they bought time, Shir had once again received a Full Buff.She let out a yell. ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± The Priests and Swordsmen engaged in the battle ebbed away, and Shir once again charged towards the Immoral Prince like an arrow. Then everyone wordlessly watched the battle that had started up once again. 5. The Iron Golem wasn¡¯t that small.It possessed a body that was 3 meters tall, and a diamond larger than a man¡¯s fist was placed on the crown of the Iron Golem¡¯s head.The diamond was embedded in so deep that it couldn¡¯t be extracted unless the Golem¡¯s iron head was split open. It was the Relic Guardian. There was two Tankers in front of the Relic Guardian, and they were constantly drawing its aggro. During all of this, a magician was circling around the golem at a high speed. ¡°Position!Get in position!Just stay as you are.I¡¯ll work around you!¡± Ballista Hatch. Normally, he was known for his unfunny sketches with Hahui.He was someone who always complained.Unlike his ridiculous and lame look, he was one of the top 5 Magicians in Warlord.He was incredibly skilled. His specialty was using the Moving Casting skill in battle.He was able to move constantly in battle, yet he was always accurate with his strike. Of course, he wasn¡¯t moving just for the sake of moving.His constant movements had a purpose.He was able to dodge the attack of enemies in real time, and it lessened the burden placed on the Tankers.He could move around the monsters engaged with the Tankers.This meant the Tankers didn¡¯t have to lure the monsters towards a specific location or a direction.Hatch would find the location and timing of his attack on his own. ¡°Don¡¯t over do it!I¡¯ll take the aggro, and while I buy some time, you guys brace up for battle!Give us another round of Buffs!¡± When the Tankers were about to falter, Ballista had drawn the aggro towards himself.While he was being chased, he kept using his magic.He was buying time, so his comrades could reform the battle line.Hatch was considered to be the number 1 magician every Tanker wanted to hunt with. He clearly had an in depth knowledge about the monsters, and he had the ability to adapt to various situation adroitly.He was able to comprehend battle situations in real time, and he was able to come up with solutions through his analysis.He was also capable of commanding others.This was why Hatch had been the obvious choice to lead the hunt against the Relic Guardians. Currently, the plan was progressing very smoothly and stably under the command of Hatch. ¡°Full Buff is complete.!¡± ¡°The next Tanker will take on the Aggro.¡± It had been 7 minutes since they started the battle with the Relic Guardian.There hadn¡¯t been any casualties or even injuries during that time.If 100 was the full score, his great command would be scored at over a 90. ¡®This isn¡¯t that hard, but¡­¡­.¡¯ However, Hatch wasn¡¯t satisfied with the battle. ¡®This might take longer than expected.¡¯ The battle was smooth, but there was no breaks.Moreover, the speed of the battle was changing constantly. ¡®We¡¯ve hit it numerous time, yet it is showing only a crack¡­.I never expected it to be like this.At the very least, we¡¯ll need 15 minutes to catch it.If we are to catch the other Guardians, it would take over 40 minutes¡­..¡¯ At that moment, Hatch thought about the update he heard a moment ago. Shir¡¯s first engagement had lasted 5 minutes.Hatch had be very surprised at the news.Shir had said she would buy enough time for them, but he had never expected her to keep her word. ¡®The Queen is a monster amongst monsters.¡¯ When he heard the news, his faith in his leader was renewed.She was an incredible woman.Her amazing ability allowed Shir to run the guild in a near dictatorship, and all the guild members followed her.Shir didn¡¯t hesitate or back down from any problems, and she was always in the frontlines to make the breakthrough However, the following update made Hatch¡¯s heart feel heavy. ¡®¡­¡­however, the rest of us are just merely good at gaming.¡¯ He had heard Hahui had barely lasted a minute, and her arm had been severed.He didn¡¯t look down on Hahui¡¯s skills.He was well aware of the skill difference between Shir and Hahui.There was no way there was such a large gap in skills.It wasn¡¯t large a enough of difference where one would have lasted a minute and the other lasted 5 minutes. This meant one of them was overworking herself. Shir had boldly declared that she would be able to last for an hour, but from Hatch¡¯s perspective, he estimated she would last about 15 minutes.He was willing to bet his 2 years of experience that the situation would deteriorate towards the end of the 3rd exchange with the Immoral Prince. ¡®Shit.Why aren¡¯t those bastards contacting me?¡¯ In the end, they needed outside help. It was as if they had read Hatch¡¯s mind. An urgent news arrived. ¨C This is bad! The Hydra Guild and the Red Bulls Guild just started their live Immoral Prince broadcast! The fact that the two guilds had started their broadcast meant the two guilds were already here. Hatch closed his mouth tight. ¡®Yes.Instead of losing everything, it is better to gain something.This is the right thing to do.¡¯ He knew he wouldn¡¯t receive praise for his actions.However, in Hatch¡¯s judgement, he was sure his plan would bring a better result than Shir¡¯s plan of doing this alone. ¨C The two guilds have announced their plan.They are going to destroy the Relic Guardians, while the Stormhunters act as bait¡­..Did we agree to this? However, Hatch¡¯s expression didn¡¯t last long.His firmly closed mouth unconsciously dropped open. ¡®Ah.¡¯ Hatch realized it at that moment. ¡®These assholes are trying to fuck us¡­.¡¯ The people he had called in were tigers, and he had briefly forgotten about this fact.However, he realized that truth at that moment. 6. When the Red Bulls guild and the Hydra guild entered the Immoral Prince raid, they didn¡¯t even bother speaking to the Stormhunters.They immediately started to hunt down the Relic Guardians. The two guilds moved in perfect sync to catch the Relic Guardians.It looked as if the three guilds had planned this.It looked as if the Raid had been planned like a surprise party. From the outside, the three guilds were perfectly in sync in their actions. ¡°Which son of a bitch was it!¡± Of course, from the Stormhunters¡¯ perspective, they couldn¡¯t help, but let out curse words.Actually, the current raid was being broadcasted on the Stormhunters¡¯ live channel, and Hahui was continuously spitting out swear words.She was about to drop everything and attack the Red Bulls or the Hydra guild. ¡°Which son of a bitch betrayed us!¡± Fortunately, Hahui had made several accidents in the past, so there had been measures taken.Her words didn¡¯t come out through the broadcast speakers. Anyway, she was rightfully angry.It was understandable.This mission wasn¡¯t known to outsiders, so there shouldn¡¯t have been any intervention or intrusion. In other words, there was most definitely a betrayer amongst them.Since she was channeling their anger for them, the guild members didn¡¯t commit any rash acts.In such an atmosphere of anger, if someone who represented their anger spoke, they would naturally listen to her words. Of course, there was only one person that could give an answer to her question. It was the betrayer. ¨C It was me.I passed along the information to the other two guilds. At that moment, Hatch confessed the fact that he was the betrayer.At that moment, everyone shut their eyes tight. ¡®Of all the¡­¡­.¡¯ Everyone expected Hahui to yell in an earsplitting rage.They were sure she was going to let out a thunderous roar towards Hatch. ¡°Uh?Why?Really?Why did you do it?¡± However, Hahui¡¯s response was unexpected.Instead of anger, she asked questions that was filled with genuine shock.Even the guild members that had known her for a long time had never seen this side of her before. This instead made everyone become more flustered. Hatch¡¯s betrayal¡­.They were having a hard time accepting it.Hatch always complained, but he was someone who worked harder than anyone for the Stormhunters. Moreover, what did he gain from betraying them? No matter what angle they looked at it, Hatch didn¡¯t have much to gain from this betrayal. On top it all, Hahui¡¯s reaction added to the confusion. The confused atmosphere created a state of disorder. ¡°Focus on the battle.¡± Shir was the one that organized the atmosphere. She had dropped out of battle to receive another Full Buff.After speaking that short sentence, she gritted her teeth like a boxer clamping down on her mouthguard. She was expressing her intent of only focusing on the battle. [The effect of the ¡®Candy from the Bloodsucker Tree¡¯s Sap¡¯ was activated.] She immediately started her fight again.Hatch¡¯s betrayal or the intrusion by the two guilds didn¡¯t register in her head. It was the same for the Immoral Prince. These events were happening within the barrier it had raised to hide its body, yet it didn¡¯t lose its calm. When Shir once again charged forward, the Immoral Prince didn¡¯t show any particular signs.It lightly opened its hand, and a stream of fire rose up into the air.The stream of fire transformed into a large bird, and it flew towards Shir. The attack was endlessly flashy and powerful, but it was merely a normal attack for the Immoral Prince. Ggee-ah-ah! The Fire Bird let out a cry as it swallowed up Shir.Armor was useless in front of the Fire Bird.The Fire Bird wormed its way into the gaps in Shir¡¯s armor, and her skin was being charred.Her HP was being ruthlessly chipped away. This was only a game, yet her body suddenly heated up as if she was in a sauna. It was evidence that she had taken a massive amount of damage. However, her HP started to recover immediately.It was thanks to the ¡®Candy from the Bloodsucker Tree¡¯s Sap¡¯. Of course, the Fire Bird didn¡¯t slow down Shir¡¯s charge in the least. In a flash, Shir had closed the distance with the Immoral Prince, and flame was still encircling her sword from the Fire Bird¡¯s attack. The Immoral Prince had no thoughts of dodging Shir¡¯s attack. The Immoral prince also lightly swung its sword. A red aura was being retained by the sword swung by the Immoral Prince. ¡®Shit!¡¯ Shir stopped everything in fright, and she forcefully twisted her body to the side.At the same time, the sword swung by the Immoral Prince split the air. Soo-ooht! The sound was very reedy.The sound was too light.It gave off the impression as if the sword hadn¡¯t been swung. However, accompanying this light sound, a large sword scar appeared on top of the ground and in between the vegetation. It was as if the world had been cut in half. Shir rolled on the ground after she forcefully avoided the attack.The Immoral Prince turned its back on Shir. It seemed the Immoral prince was going to destroy the new groups that was destroying its relic.It was about to move in to destroy them. When she was ignored, Shir gritted her teeth. ¡°You should focus on the battle with me.¡± She spoke through her gritted teeth.She didn¡¯t sound resolute.Her voice was more of a mixture of restlessness and a bit of gloominess.She worked hard to ignore her feelings, and she ran in towards the Immoral Prince.At that moment, she couldn¡¯t pay attention to what was going on in her surrounding. Of course, she had no idea. ¡®¡­¡­isn¡¯t this the stronger version of the Crescent Moon Cut named Red Moon Sword Qi?If I had been hit by that¡­¡­ I would have died in a really preposterous manner.¡¯ She had no idea that the person she wanted to possess the most was nearby in the battlefield.She had no idea Hyrkan was there. 7. Red Moon Sword Qi. This skill would probably make the Swordsman Class Users¡¯ blood boil in couple months time.This fearsome skill had made a deep scar on the ground next to him.Hyrkan was doing his best to shrink his body next to this scar.He carefully used the hologram monitor to check the live broadcasts of the 3 guilds. ¡®What a shit show.¡¯ A mocking smile rested on Hyrkan¡¯s lips.No one knew Hyrkan was here right now.The Red Bulls had a contract with Hyrkan, but they thought he was resting after he finished leveling up. ¡®I knew this would happen.¡¯ This was the reason why Hyrkan deceived the Red Bulls. There was two reasons behind his deceit. First, his contract didn¡¯t forbid him from doing this.Hyrkan didn¡¯t have to follow Red Bulls¡¯ Raid plan.It was actually the opposite.If the Red Bulls wanted to broadcast footage of Hyrkan, they would have to work around Hyrkan¡¯s schedule. The second reason was the fact that he had predicted this would happen. ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s the cow bastards or the snake bastards.They all act the same.¡¯ It was a cold situation where the two guilds were trying to take away the meaty part of the reward, while the Stormhunters was used as bait.It hadn¡¯t been too hard to predict what they were going to do.It was said like attracts like.These bastards thought alike, so it wasn¡¯t too hard to discern their intent. ¡®As expected, I don¡¯t like these kinds of people.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan turned his head once again to look at Shir, who was earnestly fighting the Immoral Prince.He looked at the guild members of the Stormhunters looking intently at Shir¡¯s battle.They were so focused on the battle that there was no chance they would notice Hyrkan¡¯s existence. The tail end of Hyrkan¡¯s lips rose as if it had been hooked by a fishing hook. It was a situation where the Stormhunters had become the bait.In some ways, this improved Hyrkan¡¯s mood.It felt as if his hurting inside improved in the span of a morning. On the other hand, he shouldn¡¯t be smiling.The current situation wasn¡¯t that great. Hyrkan returned the corner of his mouth to its original position. Then he tried to reason with himself. ¡®First, I have to put aside the feelings I have towards the Stormhunters.Let me think after I put away those feelings.¡¯ Their current situation wasn¡¯t that great. ¡®If the Storm Queen dies here, it doesn¡¯t matter how many Users are left in the Stormhunters guild.They¡¯ll be uncooperative no matter what.¡¯ The Stormhunters were the first to cause a problem, but the Red Bulls and Hydra guild responded with similar type of behaviors as the Stormhunters.During all of this, if Shir suffered a Game Over, the Stormhunters would never cooperate with the other two guilds. ¡®We¡¯ll be fortunate if they don¡¯t interfere with the Raid.¡¯ If the worst situation comes to pass, the remaining Stormhunters guild members might attack the other two guilds.They would interfere with the Immoral Prince Raid. Even if that doesn¡¯t come to pass, the Stormhunters might abstain from the battlefield.In the end, the Red Bulls, Hydra, and the Hahoe Mask would have to face the Immoral Prince. Of course, they could do it. ¡®However, if the Stormhunters drop out, I might be in the same position as Che-sulyun.¡¯ If the two guilds cooperate with each other, it was unknown as to whether Hyrkan would be able to hold the floor with them.That was the problem. ¡®If I don¡¯t want to die, I have to fight with my life on the line.¡¯ There was no way the two guilds knew about Hyrkan¡¯s situation. However, they could, at the very least, predict that Hyrkan would fight desperately against the Immoral Prince.It was a given that Hyrkan wouldn¡¯t just standby and do nothing in the Immoral Prince hunt.The price of failing to kill the Immoral Prince was annihilation.Moreover, from Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, Hyrkan needed to have the biggest role in the Immoral Prince series. ¡®Anyways, I never expected Che-sulyun to fight so well.If I work with the Stormhunters, the chance of victory is over 90%.¡¯ Moreover, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to kill the Immoral Prince if the Stormhunters pull themselves out of this Raid. While the Stormhunters stood back from the Immoral Prince Raid, there was a good chance that multiple groups might turn against him.There was a high probability of the two guilds wouldn¡¯t help out, while Hyrkan faced impossible odds. In the worst case scenario, the Hahoe Mask would buy them as much time as they needed against the Immoral Prince to complete their tasks.Afterwards, the Red Bulls and Hydra guild could join hands, and they would be the only ones that would get a happy ending. ¡®Anyways, I can¡¯t trust those two guildsno matter what.¡¯ If Hyrkan was asked to name the guild he hated the most in the 30 great guilds, he would say it was the Stormhunters.However, this didn¡¯t mean he had inexhaustible amount of faith in the other 29 guilds. This was also true for the Red Bulls.He had decided to work with them, but he didn¡¯t trust them.They were all doing this for profit.In other words, if Hyrkan aimed for their share in the profit and he caused a loss for the Red Bulls, their attitude and stance towards him would change. So what was the best case scenario? It would be for best if the 3 guilds were all wiped out, and Hyrkan was the last man standing.This wasn¡¯t a guarantee.It was only a guess, but if the Hahoe Mask could monopolize all the rewards given in the Immoral Prince series, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Items anymore. However, this scenario was unrealistic. As always, the best case scenario rarely came to fruition.This was why a person should act in a way where they could avoid the worst case scenario.One had to do this instead of working towards the best case scenario. In his current situation, the second best policy was to choose the path with the highest probability of killing the Immoral Prince. This was beyond considering the risks and returns.He must catch the Immoral Prince, and he had to choose the method where his survival was guaranteed. To accomplish this, Shir had to survive, and the performance of the Stormhunters was critical. ¡°Hoo-ooh.¡± Hyrkan regulated his breathing. ¡®My life is really fucked up.¡¯ A lot of thoughts passed through his mind.There were a lot of regrets in his past experiences, but at the same time, those experiences had nothing to do with his current situation.The memories of those times no longer existed now, and these thoughts flitted through his head. The thought of his past experiences made this choice very hard hard to swallow.In the end, Hyrkan had to convince his pride more so than anything else. He wasn¡¯t helping the Stormhunters and Che-sulyun.This was a necessary task he had to accomplish if he wanted to step over everyone¡­It wasn¡¯t a brief amount of time, but he was finally able to convince his pride with regards to his course of action. Hyrkan pulled himself together as he got up. ¡®This is for me.¡¯ 8. If one kept sprinting in consecutive races, one¡¯s record would get worse instead of getting better. Battle was similar in that aspect. Shir was able to last 5 minutes in her first battle with the Immoral Prince.However, she was only able to buy 4 minutes on her second try.On the third attempt, she had started the fight when she hadn¡¯t been able to pull her emotions back together. This was why she started to rapidly waver after 3 minutes into her 3rd battle.Eventually, an accident happened. The Immoral Prince¡¯s sword was dyed red, but Shir didn¡¯t stop her charge as the Immoral Prince used the Red Crescent Moon skill.She changed her steps to lean herself diagonally, and she was barely able to dodge the Red Crescent Moon. She used the Dash skill at the same time as she dodged the attack. In a flash, she closed a distance of about 15 meters.As she closed the distance, she used her Booster skill. She even used the Crescent Moon Cut skill.This meant there was no way she would be able to evade backwards. She didn¡¯t care about the damage.When her attack reached it, the Immoral Prince would start the battle with her again.This was what Shir was aiming for. ¡®If it dodges backward, I¡¯ll use Body Slam to initiate a close combat¡­.¡¯ Of course, inside Shir¡¯s head, the next move, the next move and the next next move was formulated.She was thinking three moves ahead.If she was incapable of thinking ahead, her head would be useless. The problem was her decrease in stamina.Her judgement was becoming dulled. Shir was trying to think about her next move, so she wasn¡¯t able to counterattack or even dodge the Immoral Prince¡¯s attack.She also missed the fact that the Immoral Prince had used a much faster version of the Dash skill she had used.She wasn¡¯t able to immediately recognize this fact. ¡®Ah!¡¯ When Shir became aware of this fact, the Immoral Prince¡¯s sword was already touching Shir¡¯s shoulder. Kwah-jeek! The sword sliced through her black armor and her left shoulder. Koohng! At the same time, the Immoral Prince followed up with a Body Slam.Shir had lost her arm, and her body was in a baad state as she rolled across the floor. The first one to move in this situation was Hahui. Usually, she would charge in while yelling ¡®My Queen!¡¯, but she silently charged forward. She wasn¡¯t in a Full Buff state, and she hadn¡¯t even used her own Buffs on herself.The speed at which Hahui was charging forward was the worst move one could pull against the Immoral Prince. Hwee-reek! The Immoral Prince stepped aside as if it was evading a charging bull.It easily evaded Hahui¡¯s Body Slam.As if it had been waiting for Hahui, the sword flew in parallel to the floor like rock skipping over water.It was swift. Soo-oohk! The sword cut through her left thigh. Hahui had lost a leg, so she fell over to the floor.The sword that had been swung by the Immoral Prince was reversed in an instant.It planned on pinning its sword through Hahui¡¯s head. ¡®Ah!¡¯ It had all happened in such a brief amount of time, so no one was able to react to the critical situation. Aside from reacting to it, no one had been able to process what was going on.That was the reality of the situation. In the end, the guild members hadn¡¯t moved.A third party had stepped in. Kwah-ahng! Accompanying a sudden sound of an explosion, a third party had appeared out of nowhere as he swung his sword towards the Immoral Prince. Kah-ahng! Instead of exchanging a greeting with the Immoral Prince, he shared the sound of steel with it. It was the Hahoe Mask. Chapter 135 – Immoral Prince (3) Chapter 135 ¨C Immoral Prince (3) 9. ¨C The Hahoe Mask is here! There hadn¡¯t been a shout that rang out from the innermost recess of the mountain.The Hahoe Mask had merely appeared in an online world, and his appearance was greeted by the sound of keyboards being typed.However, it was as if that sentence was reverberated everywhere, and the information was instantly spread to everyone on the battlefield. Of course, it also reached the Hydra guild.They had entered into the battlefield, and they had just started their battle with the Relic Guardian. Then they had their doubts¡­No, they harbored suspicion. ¡°Why did the Hahoe Mask appear at this point?Moreover, why is he helping the Stormhunters?¡± There had been no discussion about the Hahoe Mask¡¯s intrusion when the Red Bulls guild and the Hydra guild made their plan.If things proceeded as planned, the Stormhunters would have been critically wounded by the Immoral Prince.This meant someone would have to once again face the Immoral Prince to stall it.The Hahoe Mask was scheduled to enter at that moment.However, he had intruded into the fight right now. This was different from the plan.From Hydra guild¡¯s perspective, they couldn¡¯t help, but be suspicious of the Red Bulls. ¡°Matador! Was this part of the plan?¡± Even the members of the Red Bulls guild was puzzled over the situation.None of the members of the Red Bulls guild had been given a heads up about this. There was only one person that could give an answer about the this situation. Currently, Chev was fighting a Frost Knight wearing an armor of ice that was freezing its immediate surrounding.Chev was the only one, who could answer the question. ¡®Hahoe Mask. You¡­.¡¯ Even Chev couldn¡¯t immediately formulate his answer. ¡°Kims!¡± In the end, Chev needed time to think and formulate an answer.Therefore, he pushed his responsibilities onto a subordinate. Kims had been on standby.When Chev yelled out, Kims charged towards the Frost Knight, and his hammer was swung against the Frost Knight. Kwah-jeek! The hammer embedded itself in the ice armor. Jjuh-juh-juhk! The hammer was still stuck when ice started to freeze over the weapon.The ice was spreading like a living organism.It even covered Kims¡¯ hands, which was gripping the hammer. A cold creaking sound was emitted between Kims and the Relic Guardian. ¡°I got him!¡± This was the method used by Kims to occupy his opponent. Chev immediately exited the battlefield.Chev distanced himself from the Frost Knight, and another striker rushed into the space vacated by Chev.A Priest immediately approached Chev. The Priest¡¯s two palms were letting out a green light, and he started touching Chev¡¯s back.As the green light touched every part of Chev¡¯s body, the wounds on his body, and the skin that died from the extreme cold started to regenerate. As he received the Healing Skill, Chev started thinking for a brief moment. ¡®What is the Hahoe Mask¡¯s intent?¡¯ Red Bulls had to give an answer to the Hydra guild regarding the Hahoe Mask¡¯s action. His answer would determine if the two guilds walked together or not.The answer was incredibly important.This was why he couldn¡¯t give a rash, vague or an evasive answer. ¡®I don¡¯t understand what the Hahoe Mask was thinking.¡¯ The only thing certain right now was the fact that Chev didn¡¯t have much time to think about it.The Priest finished his Healing skill, and he immediately started on the Buff skills.When that finished, the time to think had come to an end. This was why Chev didn¡¯t think about Hahoe Mask¡¯s intentions.At that moment, he thought about what the Red Bulls and the Hydra guild had to do.He had to determine which course of action would bring him the most profit.This was what he thought about. Time passed as he thought about it some more. ¡°The Buff has been applied.¡± When the Priest opened his mouth, Chev also opened his mouth. ¡°Focus on the battle.While the Hahoe Mask and Stormhunters block the Immoral Prince, we¡¯ll take out all the Relic Guardians.¡± After giving his answer, Chev changed the setting on his mic.He immediately gave an order to his broadcast team. ¡°Just send anyone available towards the Hahoe Mask.I want you to start the live broadcast, and put up a notice telling everyone of the Hahoe Mask¡¯s appearance.Don¡¯t forget to put in the commercials.¡± ¨C Yes! This wasn¡¯t the end of it.Chev immediately spoke into the direct hotline to the Hydra guild. ¡°We¡¯ll focus on hunting down the Relic Guardians.¡± ¨C ¡­¡­understood. When Natal heard Chev¡¯s words, he didn¡¯t immediately give an answer.There was a brief pause, and Natal spoke as if there was a bad taste in his mouth. When the conversation ended, Chev gritted his teeth. ¡®I¡¯ve been had by the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ 10. It was much harder than expected to fight someone who had higher Stats, higher level and better Items.It was also difficult to gain experience against an opponent such as this.There was no reason to fight such opponents for most people.Instead of fighting, most people just avoided the fight all together. However, there were times when these kinds of battles had been the norm for Hyrkan.He had fought someone that was 50 levels higher than him, and there was the one who kept Unique Items in his Slots like paperhangings¡­.It had been the norm to fight those bastards. At that moment, those experiences were worth its weight in gold when facing against the Immoral Prince. Shweeeek! He evaded the sword swung by the Immoral Prince.When Hyrkan approached the Immoral Prince, he moved like a snake slithering across the floor.Then he used a technique that looked like a tackle in wrestling. Duhp-suhk! Hyrkan¡¯s low movements were clever as he quickly grabbed the Immoral Prince¡¯s leg.In that state, he lifted the Immoral Prince, and he threw it as far as he could.The Immoral Prince was in the air, but it didn¡¯t fly too far.It quickly adjusted in midair, and it landed on the ground. When the Immoral Prince landed on the ground, one couldn¡¯t see any cracks in its defense. Instead, one could see the dark eyes from between the helmet, and one could see a dark blue light that had the sharpness of a blade.However, the light from its eye didn¡¯t mingle with Hyrkan¡¯s gaze, which was behind the Hahoe Mask. Toohk toohk¡­¡­. Two Bone Explosives had been thrown without the Immoral Prince¡¯s knowledge.The Bone Explosives rolled up to its heel, and it promptly exploded. Kwah-gwahng! It was hard to believe such powerful explosion came from such small Bone Explosives, and the explosion caused dust to rise into the air. The field of vision had become obstructed. Ddahk! At that moment, Hyrkan flicked his finger.The four Skeleton Warriors on standby charged towards the Immoral Prince.The Immoral Prince quickly dispatched the Skeleton Warriors approaching it.Amongst the Skeleton Warriors, there was one that was able to dodge the sword swung by the Immoral Prince three times.However, none were able to block the Immoral Prince¡¯s attack. The four Skeleton Warriors could only buy a short amount of time.Hyrkan clenched his fist during that time. ¡°Spirit of Fire.¡± He spoke out in a low mumble.At the same time, fire started to leak out of his clenched fist. The fire in Hyrkan¡¯s hand started to spread to the floor. The fire scattered across the floor erupted, and a shape of a giant formed from within the flame. [The Fire Golem has been summoned.] It was a level 180 Summon Skill, and this was the first appearance of the Fire Golem.It was the first time a Fire Golem had appeared in the history of Warlord. It was large, but it couldn¡¯t be compared to the large Earth Golem he summoned before.It was around 3 meters tall.However, its body was burning up, and it was much more imposing than the Earth Golem.The two Golems were very different from each other. The Fire Golem approached the Immoral Prince.The sound of the Fire Golem running was a very bleak sound.The ground shook every time the Earth Golem stepped on the ground, and the effect was in stark contrast to the Fire Golem.The effect of the Fire Golem¡¯s footstep was much more focused. Hwah-roo-roo! Fire erupted at every step taken by the Fire Golem. During all of this, the Immoral Prince had defeated all the Skeleton Warriors.When the Immoral Prince caught sight of the Fire Golem, it immediately swung its sword horizontally in a wide arc. Ssooohk! Accompanying a light wind sound, the Red Moon Sword Qi was revealed once again.In a flash, it soundlessly cut the Fire Golem in half.The Fire Golem¡¯s body feebly fell forward, and it fell as if it was going to fall on top of Immoral Prince. The process in which the Fire Golem was killed was neat and elegant. However, the resulting death was intense. Puh-uhng! When the severed body of the Fire Golem hit the ground, it exploded.The explosion was quite powerful.An enormous firestorm was created as fireballs were scattered into the surrounding.In a flash, the surrounding had turned into a sea of fire. Hyrkan rushed into the sea of fire.It was clever move.The fire hid Hyrkan¡¯s presence. However, this ruse didn¡¯t last long. Koo-koo-koo! When the Immoral Prince opened its hand, a whirlwind appeared from its palm.In a flash, the fire that was engulfing its body was sucked in.It was gone in a flash. When the fire disappeared, it was clear as day as to where Hyrkan was located at.Instead of an ambush, he repeated the greeting he conducted when they first met. Kah-ahng! It was a rough greeting filled with the sound of steel clashing. Choo-roong, choo-roong! As if to answer the sound that was created, the Crying Sword started to weep.The cry held worry for its master.Hyrkan could resist against the Immoral Prince¡¯s strength, so Hyrkan¡¯s sword arm was flung away.Hyrkan¡¯s stance was broken, and the sword gave out a cry of worry. The Immoral Prince didn¡¯t miss the opportunity to attack Hyrkan when he was off balance.When his sword was flung backwards, Hyrkan¡¯s chest became exposed.The Immoral Prince stabbed towards his chest.At that moment, Hyrkan didn¡¯t struggle against his loss of balance.He fell backwards. Kooohng! He hadn¡¯t used any fall technique.He fell like a log toppling backwards, and the Immoral Prince¡¯s sword passed over him.When Hyrkan was on his back, he raised both his legs. He pushed his feet towards the nether region between its legs. When Hyrkan executed this move, the Immoral Prince¡¯s feet was lifted into the air.Hyrkan pushed at the Immoral Prince¡¯s body, and it shot away as if was a rocket being launched. This was it. When facing a User with overwhelmingly superior Spec, it was a certain loss if one fought by exchanging blows with each other. One had to push or pull to cause a loss of balance. It was also known as the Push and Pull method by the Users that were adept at PK and PVP.This couldn¡¯t be learned by Users, who had a bad habit of picking on weaker Users.This was a skill that could be gained by those, who are used fighting opponents stronger than them. This was one of the few rewards for fighting such a long bloody battle against the Stormhunters, and everyone else in Warlord. The Immoral Prince didn¡¯t take much damage from such a technique.However, the Immoral Prince was having a hard time escaping the grasp of Hyrkan. ¡°It¡¯s been over 5 minutes.¡± In the end, Hyrkan easily broke the 5 minute record set by the Storm Queen against the Immoral Prince. At this sight, the Stormhunters guild members, who had come here to catch the Immoral Prince, looked on in a spellbound manner. ¡°Incredible.¡± One of the people watching the Hahoe Mask was Hahui.She was the one, who always gritted her teeth, when the Hahoe Mask was mentioned.However, even she couldn¡¯t hold back her admiration.Everyone watching Hyrkan¡¯s battle couldn¡¯t help, but show admiration towards him.Of course, this was also true for Shir. However, Shir didn¡¯t stand there like Hahui, who had her mouth open in an absentminded manner.Shir didn¡¯t reveal her emotions. ¡°How long do I have left until the Regeneration is finished?¡± ¡°Ah? What?¡± They were using Regeneration Skill to reattach Shir¡¯s severed arm.The Priest had been eyeing the Hahoe Mask¡¯s battle.At Shir¡¯s words, he quickly answered her. ¡°Ah! It¡¯ll be done in 30 seconds.¡± ¡°How about my Buff status?¡± ¡°If we want to put another round of Full Buff¡­.Are you going to fight again?¡± Before the Priest¡¯s words could finish his words, the startled Priest asked Shir a question.However, Shir didn¡¯t answer him.There was no space in her head that would allow her to give him an answer. ¡®I can¡¯t show my weakened state to the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ She had been anticipating for the day she¡¯ll get to fight with the Hahoe Mask. That opportunity was right in front of her, and she wouldn¡¯t show her weakened state to the Hahoe Mask.Shir wanted to fight with the Hahoe Mask.She didn¡¯t want to be helped by him. Her ability to concentrate had already reached its limit, but she forcefully pulled herself together. At that moment, a breaking news could be heard. ¨C We destroyed it!We killed one Relic Guardian! [The Relic was destroyed.The power of the Immoral Prince¡¯s magic skill has been reduced significantly.] The content of the breaking news indicated that Hatch had completed his mission. 11. With Sohank at the center, the Hydra guild members was battling against the Relic Guardians.Natal was the only one not paying attention to the battle.He was having a conversation with someone else. ¡°What should we do?¡± ¨C Proceed. Natal was talking to the First Head. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we be diverging from the plan?If things proceed as is, we¡¯ll fail in using the Stormhunters as bait¡­.¡± ¨C Still, how can we mess everything up at this point in the plan?Currently, there are over four million viewer watching through our three live channels.We can¡¯t become the villains here. At the end of his words, the First Head said something as if he was talking to himself. ¨C It is better to be the bridesmaid than the villain. Anyone could hear the regret, scorn and sigh mixed in with his words.Natal gritted his teeth when he heard those words. ¡®There had been only two parameters we had agreed to.¡¯ They agreed to use the Stormhunters as bait.The resulting profit would be shared with the Red Bulls.To be precise, the Red Bulls and Hydra would have become the heroes.The Stormhunters was suppose to sacrifice themselves, and they would have become relegated to a supporting role.If everything had proceeded as planned, it was a realizable plan. However, another variable had appeared.If the two parameters had been kept, they would have held the main roles.However, the new variable had reduced the two guilds into supporting roles. Shir and the Hahoe Mask had made a mess of the scenario crafted by the two guilds.These two variables were going above and beyond in ruining their guild¡¯s preferred scenario.They were working synergistically at an incredible level.The two of them were showing themselves to be a frightening combination. Natal glanced at the hologram monitor.Natal grinded his teeth as he watched the battle conducted by Shir and the Hahoe Mask. ¡®Hahoe Mask and the Stormhunters. It is imperative that we stop the two of them from teaming up. No, the Hahoe Mask must not fall into the hands of any guild.¡¯ 12. There were several methods one could use when dealing with a User that was stronger than oneself in a PVP.There was a method that was widely used, and it was the most effective strategy. All things yield to number! When facing a single person, there was nothing more effective than two people stepping forward to fight the User.Moreover, what if these two were the two best Strikers in Warlord? One didn¡¯t have to imagine it.The result was being broadcasted live in front of their eyes. Kah-ahng! Hyrkan moved his sword horizontally to block the Immoral Prince¡¯s sword, which had fallen like thunder. Accompanying the sound of steel clashing, Hyrkan¡¯s feet were pounded into the ground as if they were nails. Ggee-eek, ggee-eek! The Immoral Prince continued to press down with its sword against Hyrkan. Choo-roong, choo-roong. The Crying Sword was weeping, and Hyrkan¡¯s body kept sinking in sync with the sword¡¯s cries. During all of this, Shir had approached the Immoral Prince from behind, and she hugged the Prince¡¯s leg.She lifted its leg.However, it seemed the Immoral Prince was used to this kind of attacks now.He put strength into his other leg to resist, but its body inevitably lost a little bit balance.It was inevitable.When the Prince lost its balance, the pressure that had been pushing down on Hyrkan disappeared. Instead of extracting his body, Hyrkan sunk lower to the ground to trip the Immoral Prince.The Immoral Prince once again lost his balance, and it fell forward.Shir didn¡¯t miss the opportunity.She lifted the Immoral Prince¡¯s leg, and she threw him into the distance. The Immoral Prince rolled several times across the floor before it righted itself. However, the Immoral Prince didn¡¯t have the luxury to focus its attention on the two.Hyrkan flicked his finger, and the three Skeleton Warriors on standby charged towards the Immoral Prince. At best, the Skeleton Warriors would last 10 seconds. It was a brief amount of time, but 10 seconds was the amount of time it took for the world record holder to finish a 100 meter dash.The two Strikers used the 10 seconds to digest all the available information, and they came up with a new plan.Then they threw their body into motion to carry out this plan.Ten seconds were plenty of time to do all of this. This time Shir ran forward.She was in a sorry state.Her concentration had reached its limit, but she still didn¡¯t hesitate at all.Her price of death was larger than anyone else considering her position and level.However, this was one of Shir¡¯s strong point.She didn¡¯t have any self-conceit in regards to what she possessed.She never thought about what she would lose. Hyrkan could read Shir¡¯s plan.She was heading towards the rear of the Immoral Prince.She was going to attempt an attack to bait a counter-attack from the Immoral Prince.She was trying to create an opportunity for Hyrkan. In this world and in the future, the one who was was able to understand Shir the most in battle was Hyrkan.This was the result of an indescribable irony. Anyways, Hyrkan was in sync with Shir¡¯s plan.He was moving opposite of her, and he lowered his speed compared to her.He allowed her to reach the Immoral Prince first, and he didn¡¯t interfere with her intended action. Hyrkan had given her an unseen consideration, and Shir didn¡¯t hesitate to stab her sword in between the crumbling Skeleton Warriors. The Immoral Prince was already cognizant of the attack.It turned its body to defend.Shir¡¯s stab was met with the swinging sword of the Immoral Prince. Kah-ahng! While the sound of steel rang out, Hyrkan appeared behind the Immoral Prince.When she sensed his presence, Shir put on a faint smile. ¡®Perfect.¡¯ This was the first time they were working together, but Shir and the Hahoe Mask was in perfect sync. ¡®I¡¯ll do anything to get you in my hands.¡¯ Shir was once again burning with possessiveness in regards to the Hahoe Mask. This was how the two of them bought time as they occupied the Immoral Prince. ¨C Red Bulls.Relic destruction complete! ¨C Hydra.Relic destruction complete! The remaining two guilds were judicious in how they used the time bought by the two of them. [The Relic was destroyed.The power of the Immoral Prince¡¯s magic skill has been reduced significantly.] [The Relic was destroyed.The power of the Immoral Prince¡¯s magic skill has been reduced significantly.] The three Relics were destroyed, and the three powers that had been filling the Immoral Prince started to shrink. ¡°This will be the price of interfering with my long-cherished desire.Your lives will not be enough.¡± This was the first time the Immoral Prince had spoken. This was the start to the last chapter of Immoral Prince episode in regards to the second Main Scenario Quest. Chapter 136 – Immoral Prince (4) Chapter 136 ¨C Immoral Prince (4) 13. Every time a Relic Guardian was killed, the Relic possessed by the Relic Guardian was destroyed. The Immoral Prince lost each of his power as he lost each of his Relics.In the end, the Immoral Prince lost the powerful magic that exceeded the powers of conventional magic.He even lost the use of Red Blood Sword Qi, which had displayed the power to cut anything in this world.In the end, the Darkness that had filled its eyes started to subside too. It was the start of the Immoral Prince escaping its ownlong nightmare.At the same time, it meant the Prince Dean would also have to face off against the nightmare of its own creation. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time left!Endure!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of a Game Over!Since we are in this, we are seeing this to the end!Don¡¯t be afraid for your life just because you can see the end!¡± Of course, the battle was a nightmare from the start to finish for the groups that faced off against the Immoral Prince. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t watching the battle.He didn¡¯t look at the numerous Users experiencing the nightmare together. He was pretty far away from the fight.It was a location where the trees had been cut or broken from the aftermath of the battle.He was sitting on the floor with his head down, and he had his back propped up against one of the intact trees.He had his eyes closed, and one couldn¡¯t even hear his breathing.Hyrkan looked like a corpse. Not too far away from Hyrkan, there was someone, who was in the same state as Hyrkan.She was about a dozen feet away from him. Even the Storm Queen Shir looked like a corpse. Of course, she wasn¡¯t a real corpse.Both of them had reached their limit, and they weren¡¯t able to move.They were in a trance, and they were forcefully hanging on to consciousness through sheer force of will.If they really fell asleep, they¡¯ll be automatically logged out. Of course, they had reached their limit, and they had no will to fight any more.Moreover, the two were having a hard time having any new or productive thoughts. Still, if they cleared their mind, it would cause them to fall asleep.So the two of them had no choice, but to think about the simplest thoughts that was within reach.They were thinking about something that took the least amount of energy to think about¡­. They were repeatedly replaying their earlier memories.They were recollecting the events that occurred not too long ago. The two of them were battling not to fall asleep.They were thinking about what just happened as a whole.It as something they¡¯ll never be ever to forget. Moreover, they weren¡¯t the only ones that were thinking about this ensemble.Two other figures were also thinking about the what had happened. ¡®These two lasted over 5 minutes against such a monster?They were also able to solo this?¡¯ After defeating the Relic Guardian, Sohank immediately participated in the battle with the Immoral Prince.When he approached the 3 minute mark of the battle, he thought about the battles conducted by Hyrkan and Shir. It was a superfluous thought that had nothing to do with the current battle.This meant he was having a hard time concentrating, and on top of that, it meant Sohank¡¯s exploit against the Immoral Prince was about to come to an end. ¡®I have no idea who the monster is now.¡¯ Chev had bought 3 minutes and 44 seconds against the Immoral Prince before he needed a break from the Battle. He thought about the battle conducted by Hyrkan and Shir. He was blown away as he thought about the previous events. In the end, these two men were simultaneously feeling the same emotions. ¡®Shit.this is a really fucked up situation.¡¯ ¡®I never expected to be in such a miserable state.¡¯ They thought about it. They felt regret, then they became depressed. They were justified in thinking that they would become heroes in this Raid.They had been so sure about how they¡¯ll perform on this stage, but now they were found lacking.It was a situation where they felt the worst kind of misery that they could have imagined for themselves. Moreover, the two men weren¡¯t the ones that brought the end to the Immoral Prince. ¡°Prince Dean!¡± Maeung had appeared to put an end to the Immoral Prince¡¯s mutiny. 14. Bulkas Ranger¡¯s Captain, Maeung He had formed the Secret Society, and he had fought against Corrupted beings, who misused the power of Corruption.In the end, the naked face of Prince Dean was revealed behind his mask.Maeung, who had worked tirelessly with his life on the line, suddenly appeared in front of Prince Dean.The Users were surprised by Maeung¡¯s appearance, but no one held misgivings about it. ¡°We¡¯ll just observe the situation.¡± ¡°Just continue the live broadcast.Don¡¯t put in any other audio.Just make it so that their conversation come through.Turn off the commentaries too.¡± Sohank and Chev also looked on as spectators. They had a sour stomach when they realized they couldn¡¯t become the main character of the climax.Still, they couldn¡¯t disrupt the event by speaking unnecessarily.They couldn¡¯t bring attention onto themselves during the climax.Several million people were watching this, and if they messed this up, the spectators would react more strongly than being upset in their stomach. ¡°In the end, you decided to drag me down by the ankles, Maeung.¡± ¡°There was good cause for me to grab onto your ankles!¡± While being viewed by everyone, Prince Dean and Maeung spoke their true feelings about each other. ¡°You were like this from beginning.You never trusted any words spoke by me.You always held everything about me in suspicion.¡± ¡°As I¡¯ve said, I had good reasons to distrust you.¡± They were NPCs. In the end, the lives they led were mere set-up to the game.Everyone was well aware of this fact. Still, all the spectators couldn¡¯t help, but have their emotions shaken by the story behind these two NPCs.Everyone focused their attention on them.In the back of everyone¡¯s head, they knew these two were NPCs, but none of them trivialized the conversation occurring in front of them. ¨C Yes.It seems Maeung was suspicious of Prince Dean from an early age. ¨C It seems Prince Dean was a useless scum since he was young. There were people that even empathized with the situation. ¡°You even let it slip to my father that I¡¯m not cut out for kingship.¡± ¡°I was sent to live my whole life in the Bulkas mountain range, because of it.That was the cost exacted of me for saying those words.I¡¯ve spent a large portion of my life at the Bulkas mountain range, and I¡¯ve regretted my actions for a long time.However, I don¡¯t regret it anymore.I was right.You aren¡¯t cut out to be the king.You will not succeed the throne of the Havanz kingdom.¡± Koohng! In the midst of the conversation, Prince Dean stomped his foot on the ground.The ground shook. It was as if an enormous golem had stepped forward.The ground let out a brief cry.Everyone, who had been focused on the conversation, became startled. ¡°The throne does not need a succession!I¡¯ll climb to the top of the throne using my strength!¡± Prince Dean yelled out, and the people, who were surprised, felt a chill go up their spine. This was how terrifying Prince Dean¡¯s shout was. However, Maeung didn¡¯t back down from his voice. ¡°Are you still dreaming, Prince Dean?The only dream you will have from this point on is a nightmare.Wake up.Please wake up from this dream.The Archmage Bokan gave you the name of Dean.I want you to realize the meaning behind your name!¡± Dean. The name signified a sense of duty on had to perform alongside the martyrs.It was to drive out the nightmares that had visited this world. Prince Dean possessed such a name, and Maeung¡¯s word delivered a critical blow to Prince Dean that was more potent than any weapon used against him. ¡°Do not look down upon me!¡± Prince Dean¡¯s eyes were burning with flame, and it made one¡¯s blood freeze.As everything drew to a close, Prince Dean¡¯s body started to burn. Hwah-roo-roo-roo! Prince Dean¡¯s skin started to melt.Then the enormous power that flowed underneath his skin was revealed.It was the power that had made Prince Dean into a transcendent being.This power erupted into flame. His power was on a rampage.Endless black flames exited from between Prince Dean¡¯s armor. In the end, his armor started to melt too. Finally, the last scene had begun. Prince Dean was disintegrating, and now time was his biggest enemy.Even in such a situation, Prince Dean aimed his sword towards Maeung.He planned on using his remaining time to kill Maeung. However, Maeung didn¡¯t back down from Prince Dean¡¯s action.Maeung also raised his sword, and he pointed his sword toward Prince Dean.Their stances were like a mirror image of each other. They held their swords up, and they eyed each other. Any further words would have no meaning. The battle between the two started. Kah-ahng, kah-ahng, kahng! The battle ended after the sound of steel clashing rang out thrice. Ddoohk, ddoohk! The arm holding his sword was entirely melted, and Prince Dean¡¯s arm in its entirety fell to the floor.Finally, Prince Dean¡¯s knee melted, and he was on his knees.Black liquid was oozing out from the openings in his armor. This was how Prince Dean was vanishing. Maeung looked at Prince Dean as he spoke. ¡°This isn¡¯t why I taught you the way of the sword.How did you get onto the path of Corruption?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t ask for forgiveness from anyone.If you are looking for me to regret my actions, don¡¯t expect it.¡± The words were spat out by Prince Dean, but his voice was different now.His voice was diminishing rapidly. It seemed Prince Dean would only be able to speak a handful of words.His voice continued to thin out.One wouldn¡¯t have been able to hear his word if one wasn¡¯t nearby and listening really closely. Moreover, Maeung also didn¡¯t have much to say to Prince Dean. ¡°People live behind only their names in death.Dean.Please leave behind something that befits your name.¡± However, Prince Dean didn¡¯t give an answer.A feeling of desolation flowed out of him.This feeling lasted for a long time.It lasted for so long that the people started thinking.The Immoral Prince was about to greet death without saying anything.It felt like Prince Dean wasn¡¯t going to say anything. With this thought in mind, everyone started to relax when it happened. ¡°Everything started from the Ruined Kingdom.Everything will end there too.¡± After leaving behind his last words, Prince Dean caved in on himself. [The Immoral Prince has met his death.] [The Corrupted Army is no more.] Another era had come to an end.However, all the people present were still tense. The Immoral Prince was dead.However, the ending to today¡¯s battle hadn¡¯t come to pass yet. The one that¡¯ll put the period at the end of this battle wasn¡¯t Maeung.The main characters of Warlord wasn¡¯t the NPCs.It was the Users.Maeung moved across the stage to find the User that¡¯ll bring this battle to a close. Maeung headed towards a User that was weakly leaning up against a tree.He stood in front of Hyrkan. Hyrkan had succeeded. He had contributed the most in stopping the Immoral Prince¡¯s Corruption.He deserved the right to bring this era to a close.Everyone in Warlord, and viewers around the world acknowledged this fact. ¡°You did well.When I saw you for the first time, I thought this task was too much for you.However, in the end, you were able to delay the fall of this world.¡± The only thing left was Hyrkan¡¯s answer. His answer would be a period at the end of this event.Everyone focused on Hyrkan¡¯s mouth.What would Hyrkan say in such a situation?Would he say lines that would stoke the romanticism of this current situation?Or will he leave behind a long-lasting message?Or maybe he would speak in a playful manner.Maybe his last words will make everyone smile a little bit at the end. While everyone was focused on him, Hyrkan opened his mouth. ¡°Huh?It ended?Did we catch them all?Huh?Maeung?What the hell?¡± In many ways, his words would remain forever in the history of Warlord.The period was put at the end of this episode. 15. It was a bright office.In most offices, half the lights would be turned off to save cost of electricity. However, this office wasn¡¯t like that at all.It was as if the occupant wanted to use 100% of his lights.The inside of the office was brightly lit. The owner of the office was talking busily into the phone. ¡°I asked for a Warlord exclusive V-Gear two weeks ago from the Peach Store.So why haven¡¯t I heard anything even though I contacted them two weeks ago?Report to me the name and position of the man, who turned me down. I¡¯ll negotiate directly with him.¡± The owner of the office was young.At the very most, he was in his mid thirties.He was a man with blonde hair, which had been shorn close to his scalp. He looked like a martial artist. The region above his eyes were protruding as if it had been rearranged by fighting over a long period of time. He was a memorable man.If one was being nice then he was memorable.If one was speaking bluntly, he looked menacing. This menacing man was named Tobi Gwynn. He was Tobo Soft¡¯s founder, and he had made Warlord.With the big success of Warlord, he had experienced a meteoric rise when Tobo Soft set its IPO.His name was now amongst the billionaires of the world. ¡°I¡¯ll say this again. Don¡¯t speak as if you are satisfied. I want you to be on the offensive!I don¡¯t want the other game companies and contents companies to catch their breath!I want you to make it so that anyone, who enjoys Warlord will go to the Peach Store.¡± Tobi Gwynn was nicknamed the Hungry Man.He had a cherished opinion that a man should always be hungry. Of course, he was very busy.If he had nothing to do, he made up work to do.That was his personality.This was why all his business was done at the office.He didn¡¯t even want to travel to different locations to meet others.He was very stingy with his time. This was why he could do everything he wanted inside his office. If needed, he could use the V-gear to speak to others in the virtual reality.If that was too annoying to do, he could create an augmented reality environment in his office for meetings. What was worse was the snacks he had piled up on the corner of his desk.It seemed his meal time was too precious to waste too.If someone who didn¡¯t know him saw his office, one might think this was an office for a snack export business. This was why most board members and major shareholders rarely had the opportunity to meet Tobi Gwynn. There was only one person he spoke face to face with on a regular basis. Ddok ddok! When he heard the knock, Tobi immediately ended the call even though the conversation hadn¡¯t ended. ¡°Enter.¡± The door was opened instead of a reply.A very tall, lanky and black-haired Asian man entered. ¡°The Immoral Prince Raid was completed not too long ago.¡± Tobo Soft¡¯s Steering Committee Team Leader Chen. This man held a post that was quite rare.When most businesses expanded, they kept their planning team, and this team was divided into the strategic planning committee and the management committee.It was very rare for a business to have a steering committee on top of those two. This man held a rare position, and he was also the only one that could get a direct audience with Tobi.In many ways, Chen was a unique man. ¡°How long did it take?¡± ¡°It took them 49 minutes and 35 seconds.¡± ¡°Amazing.Even in our fastest estimates, the report said it would take at least 70 minutes¡­Let¡¯s see¡­They finished it 30% faster than expected.Normally, a 30% error or is it a mistake¡­. No, it can¡¯t be a mistake.Maybe I should call the result to be bullshit. ¡± Instead of answering, Chen placed a thick report on Tobi¡¯s desk. In this day and age, he was still using paper reports.Tobo Soft was a cutting edge technology company, so it was very hard to come across a report such as this. ¡°I¡¯ve organized the data relating to this Immoral Prince Raid.¡± Tobi didn¡¯t look at the report. ¡°We didn¡¯t do our job right.The report probably spells that out, but that is all I need to know.To sum it all up, we were incompetent.Am I right?Do you have a problem with my assessment?¡± Instead of answering, Chen lightly bowed his head.He was so tall that when he bowed his head, it was more striking.It felt as if his apology was a bit more sincere. However, when Chen raised his head again, his face was unapologetic.There was no indication that Chen was troubled by anything that had happened. Instead, he immediately placed a new report on Tobi¡¯s desk.Tobi eyed the new report.The report was much thinner than the one before.If one counted it, it was only 15 pages.Tobi turned his eyes towards Chen. ¡°This is a proposal for a new project.¡± ¡°A new project?¡± ¡°Yes. The methods we have been using up until now isn¡¯t working.Our existing strategies will be discarded, and I believe we have to come up with new methods.¡± Tobi nodded his head lightly. ¡°A new project.I like that word.Isn¡¯t that a word used by motivated people?Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Tobi immediately read the content of the report.No, Tobi didn¡¯t read the report.He just looked over it, and in a flash, it was stored inside his head.After saving the 15 pages inside his head, he closed his eyes.He was now earnestly reading the content of the report. Tobi opened his mouth when he read the content of the report. ¡°We will lose 2 more months from our estimated time period.¡± ¡°To be precise, it¡¯ll be 61 days.I am aware of it.¡± ¡°Do it.¡± When the answer was given, Chen immediately took the reports handed to him by Tobi, and he left the office. When Chen disappeared, Tobi started tapping his forehead with his hand.The expression he had on his face as he tapped his forehead was ill-matched with the bright atmosphere of his office. Chapter 137 – If You Set It on Fire, Blessings Will Come Your Way (1) Chapter 137 ¨C If You Set It on Fire, Blessings Will Come Your Way (1) 1. ¨C Huh?It ended?Did we catch them all?Huh?Maeung?What the hell? The footage ended after 3 seconds.The footage faded out as if it was a mirage.Then two Users appeared afterwards. It was Amohng and Ken.These two characters were known to have the most popular Warlord-related Ranking show, and their lips were twitching.It was as if they were trying to suppress their laughter. ¡°¡­¡­if we have to pick the best scene of the year, I¡¯ll pick this scene without hesitation.¡± Pfffft! As Ahmong was speaking, Ken couldn¡¯t help, but let out a laugh.Ahmong followed his example.He started to laugh too. ¡°Don¡¯t be like this, Ken.I¡¯m barely holding it back.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.Ah.It really is funny.I¡¯m not saying the scene itself is funny.The situation itself was so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t help, but laugh.¡± ¡°It happens sometimes.An event is so absurd that it is funny.Did you watch it live, Ken?¡± ¡°Of course, I saw it live.I was frozen for a brief moment when I saw this scene.¡± They exchanged some words, and they were able to regain their cool.After they let out an appropriate amount of laughter, they continued their conversation. ¡°In many ways, it was a very memorable scene.There are some, who think the scene was staged as an attempt to put his name in the headlines.What do you think, Ken?¡± ¡°If this scene was really done on purpose, the Hahoe Mask should immediately take off his Hahoe Mask, and he should go straight to Hollywood.If so, maybe we¡¯ll see him in the Oscars next year.Even Al Pacino couldn¡¯t pull off this kind of acting.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯ll immediately start our Ranking Show. First, let us check who came in 1st in the Paid Video Sales category.The owner of the first place is¡­.¡± ¨C Huh?It ended?Did we catch them all?Huh?Maeung?What the hell? In a flash, the 3 second video was replayed again. Pffft! Ken once again let out a laugh.Ahmohng kept poking at Ken¡¯s side.Afterwards, Ken was barely able to read his lines. ¡°Yes. The hero who earned 1st place by recording a sales of 101 million is the Hahoe Mask in the Immoral Prince Raid.¡± At that moment, Ahn-jaehyun was watching Ahmong and Ken¡¯s Ranking show, and he was massaging his eyes with his two hands.He wasn¡¯t massaging his eyes from being tired. ¡®This is driving me nuts.¡¯ This shameful clip was something he wanted to forget, but it was being replayed in front of millions of people. The hands over his eyes were also a method to avoid looking at the replay.Of course, it was a preposterous way to avoid looking at it. ¡®Shit.Of all the things¡­.¡¯ At that moment, Ahn-jaehyun once again reminisced on what had happened. Maeung¡¯s appearance had been foretold.Although, it was a bit of a surprise that Maeung chose to end the Immoral Prince.It was a scenario where he had expected Maeung to show up when the Immoral Prince was close to death.He had expected Maeung to give a clue about the ruined kingdom. However, he never expected Maeung to search out the Hahoe Mask after it finished its business. No, he didn¡¯t have the mental capacity to worry about such a thing.The Immoral Prince Raid had been very hard, but Ahn-jaehyun had been close to his limit even before the Raid.To face the Immoral Prince, he had to reach level 180 as fast as possible. Moreover, he had wanted to work in secret behind the Red Bulls, so he had stopped receiving help from the Red Bulls¡¯ level up support team.Afterwards, he hadn¡¯t had time to rest.When he reached level 180, he had to recover the Items he had put in Item Storage.His personal attention was also needed for coming up with the Item Setting he would enter the Immoral Prince Raid with.He also had to check each of the Item Setting of his Skeleton subordinates. The Hahoe Mask¡¯s goofy response was an appropriate reaction.It was a great feat in itself that he hadn¡¯t logged out by falling asleep. However, no one was aware of his situation.The world thought the Hahoe Mask was talking in a half-asleep state at the most important moment in the Raid.Still, people focused on it, and they really enjoyed that scene. Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s gibberish from his lack of sleep had already hit the Warlord related fan sites, and it was being circulated as an animated gif.Moreover, the footage appeared in any article, interview or video related to the Immoral Prince raid. There were even some Users in Warlord that used the word ¡®Huh Maeung¡¯ instead of saying a greeting or thanks.If things turned out unfavorably, Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s shameful past had a chance of becoming a part of the lexicon of Warlord. ¡®The image I built up until now was destroyed, because of a short 3 seconds clip.¡¯ Hahoe Mask. He was stronger than anyone else.It didn¡¯t matter what trouble he was in, the Hahoe Mask solved the problem with his own strength.He was an extraordinary hero, yet he had become the butt of a joke in the span of a single day. ¡°Aigo¡­¡­.¡± Ahn-jaehyun let out a moan.He was letting out a moan, but at the same time, it indicated that Ahn-jaehyun was full right now. He had gained everything he wanted. Ahn-jaehyun had earned everything he was able to earn in the Immoral Prince episode. He had gained a level 200 Chronicle Epic Item.It was currently the strongest Item in existence.Moreover, there were merely 10 of these Items in circulation.It was the ultimate Item, and it wasn¡¯t something that could be bought with money. He had also gained numerous Titles.Ahn-jaehyun had gained the two Titles he had coveted forever.He gained the ¡®Havan Kindom¡¯s Hero¡¯ and ¡®Arbiter of Corruption¡¯ Titles.These were precious Titles that couldn¡¯t be earned any more.On top of it all, he had gained the ¡®Hero of the Great Battle¡¯ and ¡®Defeater of Argardo¡¯ Titles¡­. He had earned a lot. However, the biggest jackpot for him was the profit he received from the Paid Video Sales. The Immoral Prince Raid was seen live by over 5 million people.However, there were a large portion of the viewers that hadn¡¯t been satisfied with the live broadcasts. It was to be expected.Usually, a normal live Raid broadcast needed a lot of preparation and planning.When preparing for a raid, one had to be mindful of where to place the cameras, and one had to know which shots looked good.There was a separate group of people that had to get ready for the Raid. However, this Immoral Prince Raid had developed too suddenly, and everything had been rushed. The appearance of the Hahoe Mask was especially a surprise.In such a situation, they weren¡¯t able to properly broadcast the Hahoe Mask¡¯s exploits.This was why a lot of people were disappointed.However, the Hahoe Mask had his own footage, and a video was made using his contents. Their disappointment turned into anticipation as they waited for the Hahoe Mask¡¯s version of the Raid.Ahn-jaehyun hadn¡¯t move with that much forethought, but the anticipation felt by the people was immediately proven through the number of sales. In just a week, the sales of his video moved past a million! In terms of Personal Paid Video Sales, the only one who had been able to sell over a million in one week was the First One.The Hahoe Mask was the first to achieve this feat since the First One. His revenues were incredible.The price for his Paid Videos was $4.99.Of course, the Hahoe Mask¡¯s share of the money was in the hundred thousands of dollars. Ahn-jaehyun had just gained the crowning achievement one could reach in the game of Warlord.Currently, Ahn-jaehyun was in a far better place than the time before he returned to the past.He was shining brighter than the time before he had gone to war with the Stormhunters. This was why he couldn¡¯t complain about this embarrassing event. Ahn-jaehyun was cognizant of his situation. He peeled his two hands off of his face.Then he put on his glasses over his slightly more relaxed eyes. He looked at this Tablet PC. ¨C We will be announcing the guild ranking for the 30 great guilds.This topic always sparks a fierce debate, so we are qualifying it beforehand.Ahmong and Ken¡¯s Ranking show uses 15 criteria to determine the ranking of the 30 great guilds.This ranking isn¡¯t an official ranking, and we aren¡¯t a credible source for such information. He focused on Amohng and Ken¡¯s Ranking Show, but the light in Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s eyes was a little bit different from before. 2. The end to the second Main Scenario Quest affected a lot of people.The people, who were interested in Warlord, became new resident of the game.On the other hand, there were those that had lost interest, and they left the stage called Warlord.Then a vital change happened regarding the 30 great guilds. A crucial decision had been made. This truth was acknowledged by regular Users and Warlord fans, who weren¡¯t part of the 30 guilds. ¨C Let¡¯s be real about it.Even if they are all called the 30 great guilds, isn¡¯t there too much internal differences amongst the guilds? ¨C I feel the same way.I think they should make a large scale changes to the live channel rights.In truth, some of the 30 great guilds don¡¯t deserve the live channel rights.Some of them are even worse than the Fighters guild. ¨C If you look at Amohng and Ken¡¯s RanKing show, the Fighters guild moved past the bottom of the 30 great guilds.They moved past the Big Smiles guild in terms of quality in their Guild Ranking. ¨C ? For real.In truth, does the Big Smiles guild have anyone that can fight better than Pitbull? ¨C ? Don¡¯t look down on the Big Smiles.They are still one of the top guilds in the 30 great guilds in terms of views. ¨C ? Their view count is inflated since China has a lot of people.Is that really something to be proud about?How many people purchase their pay-per-view videos?Can they even sell 500,000 live tickets any more? During the Corrupt Count episode, a good number of guilds participated in the Main Scenario Quest.The evidence of this fact was shown when the Corrupt Count¡¯s identity was revealed in the Corrupt Count Raid.A large portion of the 30 great guilds was present in the Corrupt Count Raid.However, only three guilds had made an imprint on the Immoral Prince episode.Aside from these three guilds, the other 27 guilds pretty much took on the role of sidekicks. If so, what will happen in the 3rd Main Scenario Quest? The guilds had started to distinguish themselves from each other in the Immoral Prince episode. Currently, there was the three guilds that was considered to be the Big 3.What did the other remaining guilds have to do now? First, they couldn¡¯t avoid doing the Main Scenario Quest.In the Main Scenario Quest, one needed a good understanding of the game, a good information network, and monster hunting ability.It was the surest measuring sticking that allowed a guild to show their capability. If a guild avoided doing the Main Scenario quest, one needed a sure content that¡¯ll allow a guild to be self-sufficient in its survival.In reality, only the Sweepers guild and the Geicoff guild was able to do this. In such an environment, the V&V guild was the first one to attempt a change. 3. Before he connected to Warlord, Ahn-jaehyun always searched for articles related to Warlord.Of course, Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s attention was focused on the reorganization plan announced by the V&V guild. ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun knew there were going to be changes.He had expected it.If they didn¡¯t change, they would inevitably be culled.Ahn-jaehyun insisted on watching Amohng and Ken¡¯s Ranking Show to gather information about the public trends. In fact, this had also happened before Ahn-jaehyun returned to the past.When the Immoral Prince episode ended, all the guilds went through an overhaul.It didn¡¯t matter if it was a big guild or a small guild.The outstanding Users were scouted, and the trading of Users between guilds, which had been considered a taboo, started to occur. ¡®The team name is¡­¡­ Poker?Is it in reference to the card game?¡¯ With that in mind, the V&V guild had started to consolidate the disorderly organizations under their banner.The guild¡¯s core power were being gathered into one team. However, Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t doubt the reasons behind their actions. Instead, he was impressed by their bold initiative.Guilds were most definitely a for profit organization.If one joined and worked for a guild, one would expect personal gain in the process. If not, no one would stay in a guild. Each of the 30 great guilds easily had over a thousand guild members.If the guild wanted to guarantee some profit for everyone, the guild had no choice, but to diversify their activities. However, V&V had just gave up on that.They had decided to focus their efforts on a single purpose.This would surely mean that the profit gained by the regular guild members would decrease.It also meant that a good number of guild members would leave the V&V guild.They wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid internal strife.If this was a company, it would basically be a restructure. They were willing to go through a grinding pain, and it deserved respect.They were willing to go through the pain in pursuit of some unknown purpose. ¡®Their naming sense is shitty¡­However, the content of their plan isn¡¯t bad.No.I¡¯m surprised the V&V guild went through with this decision.I¡¯m pretty sure they weren¡¯t like this before.¡¯ From Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s perspective, the V&V guild was making the right decision. Red Bulls, Stormhunters, and Hydra. These three guilds had become the Big 3, and these three possessed the most powerful tools.If one didn¡¯t have a tools that was as strong as theirs, one couldn¡¯t covet what the Big 3 owned. Moreover, the Team Poker that was being formed by the V&V guild was structured different from the primary Raid teams of the other guilds. It was as the named indicated.The Poker would branch into 4 classification.It¡¯ll be the Spade, Heart, Clover and Diamond.The members will be labeled starting with Ace and it would end with King. There would be a total of 52 Users, and three Jokers would be added in.The final tally was a total of 55 people.A normal primary Raid team had between 20 to 30 members.The Poker were much numerous in number. On the other hand, they weren¡¯t only going to do Raids.They would be like a swiss army knife in terms of their use in the game. Ahn-jaehyun couldn¡¯t find any fault up to this point. ¡®Why is there so many bastards here that I don¡¯t know?¡¯ The problem was the new members that were added to the newly unveiled Poker Team of the V&V guild.There were faces that people from the outside didn¡¯t recognize.They didn¡¯t recognize the two Users that occupied the seat of the Aces. Of course, Ahn-jaehyun couldn¡¯t remember all the faces he had seen in this world.Moreover, his memory was on the poor side.If he was to spell it out more bluntly, he probably didn¡¯t know the faces of the Rankers more so than knowing them.However, this time not all the faces was unfamiliar to him. ¨C V&V guild made an incredibly resolute decision.Still there are a lot of faces I¡¯ve never seen before. ¨C I don¡¯t think they were with the guild before.I checked their career data, and it says they worked as normal users. Aside from Ahn-jaehyun, many people were interested in V&V Guild¡¯s reorganization.They became suspicious when they saw faces they didn¡¯t recognize. ¨C They are normal Users?What are their level? ¨C Huhk?Level 200?What the hell?Their levels areon par with the Rankers. The bigger problem was that the V&V guild had tried to minimize the backlash for their actions.This was why they posted the Specs of the new faces, and their Specs were much better than an average User.They were all over level 200, and the state of their main Item Setting and the Titles they possessed wasn¡¯t just above average.It was world class. The part that bothered Ahn-jaehyun the most was the number of Titles they possessed.It was an incredibly high number. The least of them had 150 Titles and the ones with the most had exceeded 200 Titles. When leveling up quickly, it was hard to earn the necessary Titles.On the other hand, if one focused only on gaining Titles, the time one needed to invest in leveling up decreased.If one wanted to gain both at the same time, one had to be like Ahn-jaehyun.One had to map out how one will get the Titles, and the most effective Level Up route had to be planned. Of course, this was possible for those in the 30 great guilds.They had the intelligence network, and there were those who helped to gather title for guild members. If this was the case, the explanation given by the V&V guild clashed with the conventional wisdom.They couldn¡¯t be normal Users. ¡®They have that many Titles yet they are normal Users?Bullshit.¡¯ There was no way they were just normal Users.The number of Titles they have are impossible to achieve unless they received help from an organization that was on par with the 30 great guilds. ¡®That bastard showed up last time.It seems these bastards appear every time there is a lull.Are they part of some professional guild that nurtures Users?¡¯ Anyways, it seemed an unknown organization had appeared, and they were Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s new enemy. Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s face hardened. Stormhunters, Hydra, Red Bulls and others¡­. He never thought any of them were easy enemies.However, they were enemies that he could see. However, at that moment, an enemy that he hadn¡¯t seen before had appeared in front of Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s eyes.This enemy wasn¡¯t in his memory. Of course, he felt anxious. The fact that he had accomplished a lot made his anxiety higher.Ahn-jaehyun had too much things to lose now. ¡®¡­¡­if I become lax, they¡¯ll take it all away from me.¡¯ On the other hand, this anxiety allowed Ahn-jaehyun to come to a decision. ¡®So my immediate path to a Spec Up¡­. The Skill Books are the only way.¡¯ Chapter 138 – If You Set It on Fire, Blessings Will Come Your Way (2) Chapter 138 ¨C If You Set It on Fire, Blessings Will Come Your Way (2) 4. [Great Battle Hero¡¯s Sword] *Main Properties ¨C Unique-rank Item ¨C All Stats increased proportionally to level ¨C All Stats +155 ¨C Required Level : level 180 *Sub-properties ¨C When equipped, 20% increase in damage afflicted to the monsters ¨C When equipped, beneficial Skills will last 30% longer ¨C When equipped, 10% increase in the effect of the beneficial Skills ¨C This item reverts to its owner. *Miscellaneous ¨C It is a weapon given to heroes, who distinguished themselves in the Great Battle.It contains the prayers for your active role in the battle against. [Arbiter of Corruption Ring] *Main Properties ¨C Epic-rank Item ¨C All Stats increased proportionally to level ¨C All Stats +100 ¨C All stats +33 ¨C Required Level : 200 ¨C Required Condition: Title ¡®Arbiter of Corruption¡¯ *Sub-properties ¨C When equipped, damage received is decreased by 10%. ¨C When equipped, all damage given is increased by 10%. ¨C This item reverts to its owner. *Miscellaneous ¨C You fought against the Power of Corruption.This is a ring made for the one that judged the Power of Corruption. [Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword] *Main Properties ¨C Epic-rank Item ¨C All Stats +300 ¨C Class related Stats +300 ¨C Required Level : level 200 *Sub-properties ¨C When equipped, 25% of opponent¡¯s defense will be ignored ¨C When equipped, all damage will increase by 25% ¨C When equipped,damage received is decreased by 25% ¨C When equipped,all Skill cool time is decreased by 25% ¨C When Skill is used, the consumption of Magical Power will decrease by 25% ¨C This Item cannot be destroyed. ¨C This item reverts to its owner. *Miscellaneous ¨C Bayan Dean Un Northland¡¯s Item was melted by Blacksmith Olf, and he made this new weapon.The mysterious power possessed by the relic of ancient times was imbued within it. After Hyrkan finished the Immoral Prince Raid, he received the three Items in succession. Then the Item Options of the Items he had received was immediately revealed online. ¨C Hul. ¨C Huhk. ¨C Fuck. The reaction regarding the three Items were honest.The reactions seemed a bit bland.However, everyone were too surprised at that moment.The Item Options were beyond what they could have imagined.It was incredible.It made one think the Option was copied from a different game.This was the reason behind their reaction. This was especially true for the ¡®Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword¡¯.The response was very hot, since there were only 10 of them in existence. ¨C Isn¡¯t the Options on the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword a cheat? ¨C This isn¡¯t some additional Stat Options.They slapped all the Percentage Options on it. ¨C Fortunately, these Items can¡¯t be traded.If it could be traded, I would have died from an ulcer in my stomach. ¨C ? Even if it was possible to trade it, I wouldn¡¯t have even been able to buy it even if I sold my house. ¨C ? I think one needs to sell a building instead of a house if one wants to buy it. ¨C What level Boss Monster would one have to catch to create a Unique Item with comparable Options? ¨C ? I think it would have to be at least level 250. There were only 10 of these Items in existence.People were also having a hard time accepting this fact. Hyrkan was the main beneficiary of receiving these incredible Items, so it was nearly impossible for him to Spec Up through purchasing Items now. This was also true in regards to his Skeleton underlings¡¯ equipments.He had already put on the best possible Items for his Skeleton underlings before he had faced the Immoral Prince.All their weapons were Unique Rank Items.On top of it all, the Skeleton Knight was equipped with the ¡®Black Cobalt King¡¯s Sword¡¯.It was an expensive Item that evenwealthy Users balked at the price. This was why there was only one avenue he could pursue to Spec Up using his money. ¡®The level 150 Curse Skill [Curse Infection] is worth 20 thousand gold.The market price for the Skill Book [Malignancy Curse]¡­.It is worth 50 thousand gold?¡¯ He was at the Item Depository.It was the location where one could receive one¡¯s purchased Skill from the auction in real time.This was why this location was filled with Users. The Hahoe Mask he normally wore was off.Hyrkan was in disguise as he came here with his original appearance.Hyrkan had a big frown on his face.It had been caused by the market price of the Necromancer-related Skills that were put up on auction. ¡®The market price for the Curse Monk Skill is insane. They want 50,000 gold for a skill book.Crazy Bastards.¡¯ Currently, the only way to visibly Spec Up through money was to purchase more Skills.Hyrkan was well aware of this fact. However, when he was faced with the prospect of purchasing these Skill Books at market price, he suddenly became parched. He had made the resolve to improve, but these Skills were too expensive. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡®At least, there are high level Curse Skills available for purchase.The other Skill Trees¡­.¡¯ The Curse Skill Books were expensive, but at least, the were on sale.There were no Skill Books up for purchase for the Summon Skill Tree and the Body Reinforcement Skill Tree. ¡®Do I have a choice, but to buy the No Name Skill Books?¡¯ In the end, he was left with one solution.He¡¯ll purchase the No Name Skill Books, and he¡¯ll activate them! ¡®The market price for a level 150 Skill Book is around 5,000 gold.The level 160 No Name Skill Books are worth 10,000.The level 170 No Name Skill Books¡­. There are none.¡¯ This was the method that had been used by Rich Lich. At the time, Rich Lich was the pioneer for the Necromancer Class, and he bought up all the No Name Skill Books until the market dried up.This was how Rich Lich gained his skills.Of course, he wasn¡¯t able to gain all the Skill he wanted. The No Name Skill Books were a lottery ticket. When the Skill Book is activated, one had no idea which Skill would pop up.If one was lucky, one could get a Rare or Unique Rank Skill.However, it mostly gave normal Rank Skills. Of course, it was more expensive than a normal Skill book.The ones above level 170 couldn¡¯t even be purchased, since there was no supply. ¡®Well, this is normal.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t anything out of ordinary.The No Name Skill books usually appeared as a Dungeon Reward.Currently, the Dungeon hunts were enjoyed by Users under level 170. On the other hand, the Users over level 200 only participated in hunts that were conducive to efficiency.They refrained from Dungeon hunts.If one was already over level 200, it meant your growth speed was abnormal.This basically meant one¡¯s process in leveling up so fast was also abnormal.The Users over level 200 right now didn¡¯t enjoy the process of playing this game. They were just going through the motion to reach the result they desired. ¡®I¡¯m the crazy onefor expecting to find a Skill Book over level 180.¡¯ The pinnacle of this abnormal process was represented by the First One Sulwoo and the Hahoe Mask Hyrkan.At the very least, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have the right to complain about the current situation. ¡°Hoo-ooh.¡± After he calmed his breathing, Hyrkan discreetly clicked on the No Name Skill book. Hyrkan¡¯s hand hesitated when a new window saying, ¡®Will you purchase this?¡¯, popped up. ¡®This is driving me nut.¡¯ He knew the price of Skill Books were expensive, and he also understood the reason behind the high price. However, he didn¡¯t jump the gun on his decision.A Skill Book purchase was different from purchasing Items.One couldn¡¯t resell it.When the Skill was gained, it was instantly consumed. It was already overpriced in the first place, and there was a chance one would be pouring money down the drain.If a person had a good head above their shoulders, one wouldn¡¯t participate in this waste. Of course, Hyrkan would hesitate.It meant he was of sound mind. On the other hand, those who operated at the highest stage of Warlord almost never paid the fair price as they proceeded to conduct wasteful purchases. Hyrkan was struggling with his decision.In the end, it meant he had reached a stage where he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive if he didn¡¯t spend recklessly. ¡®Bring it on.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan touched the Hologram Window. 5. Level 150 No Name Skill Book x 10. Level 160 No Name Skill Book x 5. He spent a total of 100,000 gold.He would have never fathomed in the past of using such an enormous amount of gold.Hyrkan lined up the purchased Skill Books at the corner of his Item Storage, and he activated the Skill Books one by one. [The Skill Book¡¯s identity is revealed.] [Will you learn the Bone Spear Skill?] Hyrkan unconsciously let out an exclamation when he saw the first result. ¡°Wow!¡± Everyone¡¯s gazes headed towards Hyrkan, who had let out an exclamation.However, their gazes didn¡¯t stay long on him.Hyrkan wasn¡¯t wearing his Hahoe Mask.If he had let out an exclamation with his Hahoe Mask on, the atmosphere of this place would have become markedly different.Some would approach Hyrkan to find out what had happened, and they would have been surprised when they saw what Hyrkan had gained. It was that good. ¡®Bone Spear.Isn¡¯t this a very good skill?¡¯ It was a level 150 Summon Skill named Bone Spear. It was the upgraded version of the Bone Explosives.It was similar to the Bone Explosives in the fact that bones were consumed as ingredients whe making it.The bones could be made into spears, and these spears could be thrown.It wasn¡¯t an AOE attack.It was a targeted attack.In terms of pure attack power, it was much higher compared to the Bone Explosives. Moreover, it was possible for the Skeleton Warriors to throw the Bone Spears.If several dozen Skeleton Warriors could throw the Bone Spears like javelins at the same time¡­. ¡®This is my day!¡¯ The thought of it gave him goosebumps. Of course, on the other hand, he would be expending much more money every time he used the Bone Spears compared to the Bone Explosives. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t worry about that part right now. He had gained a hard to acquire Skill on the first try! Hyrkan¡¯s expression had changed for the better. ¡®I have a good feeling about this.I¡¯ll just activate it all right now.¡¯ The price he had paid in purchasing the Skill Books were no longer inside Hyrkan¡¯s head.Hyrkan immediately activated the second Skill Book. [Will you learn the Curse Resin Skill?] Hyrkan¡¯s bright expression dimmed a little bit. ¡®¡­¡­I should have expected a dud.It could have been worse.¡¯ Hyrkan wasn¡¯t flustered.He calmly activated the third Skill Book. [Will you learn the Curse Resin Skill?] ¡°Fuck!¡± A curse word came out of Hyrkan¡¯s mouth.Everyone¡¯s gaze turned towards Hyrkan again.However, their gazes didn¡¯t last long.Instead, there were a little bit more sneers directed at Hyrkan.Games were all like this.Many people felt joy from other¡¯s misfortune. ¡®Why the hell is the Curse Resin coming out twice!¡¯ Curse Resin. It was a level 150 Normal Rank Curse Skill.It¡¯s effect was simple.It creates a Resin that¡¯ll apply a Curse if touched. In a vacuum, the combat effectivity wasn¡¯t too bad.Usually, Curse skills had a condition on had to fulfill to get it to work.Basically, one had to pierce through the other¡¯s defensive gear.The wounding of the flesh would have to occur if the Curse was to work.In the case of Voodoo Pictograph, he had to stick to the enemy, and he had to draw out a character.With this in mind, it was more easier to splash liquid onto one¡¯s enemy to activate the Curse. However, none of the Curse Monks used the Curse Resin Skill.They didn¡¯t use it even if they had learned the Skill.When the Skill Proficiency was at Rank F, the Curse effect was decreased by 40%.It basically meant the Skill shouldn¡¯t be used until the Skill Proficiency was increased.However, one couldn¡¯t raise the Skill Proficiency if one didn¡¯t use it. Moreover, there was a Skill that was better version of this one.There was a level 160 Rare Skill where a Cursed Puppet was summoned.This Cursed Puppet automatically sticks to it target, and it places a Curse on the target. This was why the current market price of the Curse Resin was only 500 gold! Hyrkan got fucked over two times in a row to the tune of 4,500 gold. ¡®It can¡¯t happen a third time.Can it?¡¯ Hyrkan activated his 4th Skill Book. [Will you learn the Curse Resin Skill?] Hyrkan got fucked over three times in a row to the tune of 4,500 gold. 6. ¡®I bought 170 thousand gold, and now I have about 30 thousand gold left¡­.¡¯ He kept the Skills he needed, then he put the other Skill Books on auction.Hyrkan¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t that great. Of course, it couldn¡¯t be great.He had invested over 100 thousand gold into purchasing 15 Skill Books, and there were merely 2 Skill that was useful to him.In the end, he had to use 70 thousand gold to purchase the [Curse Infection] and the [Malignancy Curse] Skills.This basically was a concession that meant he wasn¡¯t confident that he¡¯ll be able get those Skills through the No Name Skill Books. Fortunately, he was able to gain two Skills named [Bone Spear] and [Black Heart].In the case of [Black Heart], it was a Skill that Hyrkan really needed.However, it would be difficult to use it in battle immediately. The efficacy of the Skills weren¡¯t that great compared to the Magic that was consumed.It would be something he could use in a pinch, but it wouldn¡¯t be used as one of his main Skills. ¡®A good first draw always leads to a worse draw¡­¡­.¡¯ Hyrkan became silent for a brief moment. It was true that he had succeeded is his Spec Up.However, it didn¡¯t feel great.He felt crappier than the time he bought the Life Vessel skill for 100 thousand gold. This was to be expected.Even if a person was very wealthy, it didn¡¯t feel great to lose money at a casino. When a person is confronted with this situation, the person had two choices. He could frown then he could just chalk this up as a shitty day. Or¡­¡­. ¡®The gold I currently have¡­I have around 15 thousand gold.¡¯ Since he already started this, he should see it to the end. At that moment, Hyrkan didn¡¯t show an inkling of hesitation.He was like a trained assistant that quickly bought Items from auction.He purchased the level 160 No Name Skill Book for the price of 12 thousand gold.Since Hyrkan had already purchased all the No Name Skill Books worth 10 thousand gold, the only Skill Books left were the overpriced ones. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t see 2 thousand gold as money anymore.He had already spent close to 200 thousand gold right now, and the two thousand gold wasn¡¯t enough to break his streak of purchases he made in spite. Hyrkan immediately purchased the Skill Book from the Auction House.Hyrkan received the sent Item through the NPC at the Item Depository.He placed his palm on top of the Skill Book. Several Users had been watching Hyrkan activate his Skill Books.They snickered as they saw a process that had been dubbed the Skill Gamble. ¡®That User¡¯s eyes are about to flip backwards.¡¯ ¡®It seems another User will give up on this game.¡¯ ¡®If you gamble in this game, you¡¯ll bring ruin to yourself.¡¯ The Users started to feel joy from Hyrkan¡¯s misfortunes.However, their expression changed when they saw the expression on Hyrkan¡¯s face. ¡®Huh?¡¯ ¡®What the hell?¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s surprised expression started infecting the faces of the surrounding Users. At that moment, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help, but yell out. ¡°The [Chivalry] appeared!¡± 7. ¨C Clover team will move aside and the Spade team will move in. ¨C They are fast. ¨C Yes.If we maintain this speed, we¡¯ll finish the raid with 6 minutes¡­.Ah!When I started to speak, player Hoka rushed in! ¨C He is going for the winning move.It seems he will attach himself to the Blood Ogre¡¯s body to cause direct damage.It seems he wants to decrease the completion time. ¨C Isn¡¯t that dangerous?Isn¡¯t it safer to do Damage Dealing with magic? ¨C He is trying to decrease the time. ¨C What?Even if we keep the same pace, wouldn¡¯t we be able to achieve the new record? ¨C From my perspective, he isn¡¯t just aiming for a new record.He wants to achieve a new record time that no one dares to challenge again. He wants to show the pride of the newly formed Poker Team of the V&V guild.I think this is the meaning behind his actions. Blood Ogre. It was a level 190 Boss Monster.When its blood colored hide was drenched with the blood of a User, its ability increased.Currently, it was one of the top ten most difficult Boss Monsters to appear in Warlords.It was a monster amongst monsters. ¨C Ah! The Blood Ogre just fell!The Raid is over! ¨C It is a new record of 39 minutes and 44 seconds. ¨C The V&V guild¡¯s Poker Team shaved off almost 10 minutes from the record of 48 minutes and 21 seconds set by the Stormhunters. ¨C This proves it.The V&V guild¡¯s Poker team won¡¯t get pushed around by the Big 3¡¯s primary Raid teams. The monster kneeled in front of the newly arrived monster. Chapter 139 – If You Set It on Fire, Blessings Will Come Your Way (3) Chapter 139 ¨C If You Set It on Fire, Blessings Will Come Your Way (3) 8. Black Cobalt Zombie Warrior. It was a monster made from the corpse of a level 160 monster called the Black Cobalt Warrior.It was level 170, and it was much stronger than the Black Cobalt Warrior.The Black Cobalt Warriors liked to move in a small group of ten.However, the Black Cobalt Zombie Warriors liked to form a group of 30 at the very least, or a group close to a 100 at the most. This wasn¡¯t ideal for a small party hunt.One needed a large party or even a guild¡¯s hunt team.One needed that level of firepower to hunt these preys. Yet a single person had challenged such a group. However, this single User didn¡¯t face off against the Black Cobalt Warrior Zombies by himself. Ddul-goo-ruhk, ddul-goo-ruhk! The fearsome Zombie army would make anyone hesitate to attack it, but the group of Skeleton Warriors were beings that had forgotten about fear. They had formed up in three ranks. There were 3 lines, and each line held 10 Skeleton Warriors.Each line was differentiated by the equipments worn by the Skeleton Warriors. The first and foremost line were lined up with Skeleton Warriors wearing pretty thick steel armors.It was hard to even identify them as Skeleton Warriors.They were wearing full plate armors.They wore hefty armors, yet the weapons they were holding looked much heavier.It was a weapon called a morning star, which had a heavy ball at the end. It also had thick spikes, which was especially impressive. The second line wore red scaled armors, and it reminded one of Dragon Scales.There was a round wooden shield in their left hand, and they held a very wild-looking scimitar in their right hand. The third line of Skeleton Warriors wore leather armors.It looked to be very well tanned.The green colored leather was very slick.It was quite mysterious in that the green colored leather kept blending into the surrounding vegetations.It made their presence dim.The Skeleton Warriors wearing the green colored leather armor didn¡¯t have any shields equipped.Instead, both hands held various types of sword. As the finishing stroke to the group, two Skeleton Knights surrounded in Bone Armor stood in the front, and they looked like the eyes of a fire dragon. There were two instead of one. Each of the two Skeleton Knights raised swords that was overflowing with a sense of presence.The two swords looked the same, but they differed in color.One was pitch black, and the other was shining with light. This was the only difference between the two Skeleton Knights.There was no difference that could be seen in what they intended to do. The two Skeleton Knights opened their mouth, and they let out the world¡¯s most silent roar. Ddul-goo-ruhk, ddul-goo-ruhk! Accompanying the roar, the first, second and third line moved in order after the Skeleton Knights. Ooh-uh-uh! Ooh-uh-uh! However, the Zombies didn¡¯t retreat at the appearance of the Skeleton army.When one became a Zombie, one lost all fear and rational thought.They had no reasons to retreat. Ddul-goo-ruhk, ddul-goo-ruhk! The Skeletons also didn¡¯t know fear.The two groups were immune to fear, and they displayed their attack capabilities to their hearts content. They didn¡¯t know what retreat was, and even if they knew what it was, it wouldn¡¯t be allowed.The two groups clashed against each other. The line made contact with the other line.It was a clash between the two front lines.There was no defense here.The two lines rammed into each other as they attempted an all-out attack. The weapons swung by the Black Cobalt Zombies, and the morning stars swung by the Skeleton Warriors was aimed at each other. Their aim was the same, but the difference in result was stark. Hoo-oohng! The Black Cobalt Zombies swung their weapons in a wide arc, but their weapons only split empty air.The Skeleton Warriors wearing thick plated armor was lightly dodging their attacks. Bbi-uhk! After they dodged the attacks, the Skeleton Warriors in the front line swung their morning stars towards the head of the Cobalt Zombies. All ten Skeleton Warriors had been able to dodge the attacks aimed at them, and they struck out.At the same time, they burrowed into the group of zombies. They were basically the shock troops.They ruthlessly destroyed the nearby heads of the zombies with their morning stars. Then the second line of Skeleton Warriors followed in behind them.These Skeleton Warriors wore Dragon Scale armor, and they swung their scimitars.The headless body of the Cobalt Zombies were causing a problem, so they hacked at the body of the Cobalt Zombies.The Cobalt Zombies that were causing the disturbance was either swinging at empty air or they occasionally banged their sword against the shields. In front of the scimitar¡¯s crescent-shaped line, the headless Cobalt Zombies lost their limbs. When the Cobalt Zombies were mutilated, it was the third line¡¯s job to put them down for good.They held weapons in both hands, and they were much faster than a Skeleton with only one weapon.Before the Cobalt Zombies could regenerate, they were diced up.The Cobalt Zombies had lost their heads and limbs, so they didn¡¯t have any methods to resist against the Skeleton Warriors equipped with two weapons. It was a one sided battle! In the battle, there was a mutated monster that was sending forth the Black Cobalt Zombies. Ggoo-uh-uh! It was twice as big as a normal Black Cobalt, and it appeared in front of the Cobalt Zombies.It was over 3 meters tall.It almost reached 4 meters in height, and the sword in the Cobalt Zombie¡¯s hand looked like a toy.It was letting out a roar through its rotten vocal cords, but there was a gravitas and a powerful presence within its voice.A horrifying dread was expressed through it. It wasn¡¯t a being that the Skeleton Warriors could contend with. Chul-kuhng, chul-huhng! Of course, the Skeleton Knights stepped forward.They were 2 meters tall, and their body was very large thanks to the armors.Unlike the Skeleton Warriors, the Skeleton Knights appeared as they emitted a heavy sound. Of course, size and sound wasn¡¯t the only difference between the Skeleton Knights and the Skeleton Warriors.The way they fought battle was also different.The Skeleton Knights didn¡¯t back down from opponents that were much bigger than them. Hoo-oong! They dodged attacks¡­. Ka-ahng! They blocked attacks, but they never stepped backwards. Shweeek! The path of their sword swings were true.It wasn¡¯t just sharp enough to cause a superficial wound.It went beyond cutting flesh.The sword showed decisiveness that held the intent of obliterating the enemy¡¯s bones. Kwah-jeek! The number of swings were low, but the result of each swing was terrifying.The enormous mutated Cobalt Zombie¡¯s body was being cut away by the Skeleton Knight¡¯s sword.It was as if the Skeleton Knights were cutting a rotten daikon. Ggoo-uh-uh! In the end, the normal Cobalt Zombies lasted longer than the mutated Cobalt Zombie. The anticipated card didn¡¯t perform as expected.In terms of a battle, this battle was already lost. However, there was no retreat for the Black Cobalt Zombies.In fact, they charged towards their enemies.The Cobalt Zombies were being ruthlessly cut down in the front line, and the Cobalt Zombies in the rear was now charging towards the front. Naturally, the Black Cobalt Zombies started to get clumped up and tangled with each other. In the midst of this clusterfuck, an enormous flame that was burning ruthlessly coalesced to form a giant. It was the Fire Golem! The burning giant didn¡¯t have to think about how to attack this group.The Fire Golem belly flopped on top of the tangled Cobalt Zombie horde. Hwahl hwahl! The Fire Golem¡¯s body started to burn the Cobalt Zombies. Hwah-roo-roo! Even as they were burning up, the Cobalt Zombies started using their swords against the Fire Golem.Maybe this was the result of them being unable to feel pain.Their bodies were burning, but the Fire Golem couldn¡¯t stop the sword strikes against it by the Cobalt Zombies.The power behind the strikes remained the same as before. Shweek, shweeek! Parts of the Fire Golem¡¯s body was being cut away by the sword strikes.The severed parts of the Fire Golem fell to the floor. Kah-ahng! The severed parts of the Fire Golem¡¯s body started to explode, and the fire became larger. The Black Cobalt Zombies were trapped within the sea of flame, and the Skeleton Warriors continued with their slaughter. After a brief moment, the scene of the battle started to dim.When the whole world turned black, white letters was placed over this dark world. [To be continued] The footage ended there. ¡®Nice.¡¯ The video was on full screen, so it filled the entire screen of the Tablet PC.He exited the full screen.Then he checked various things¡­.He looked at the information regarding the video, and he looked at the reaction given by the viewers. ¨C Two Skeleton Knights?How? ¨C I thought it was only possible to summon one Skeleton Knight? ¨C Is it a bug? Ahn-jaehyuhn grinned as he read their assessment. ¡®It¡¯s a Skill instead of a bug.It¡¯s a Skill.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun released the new footage for free. The video was titled Double Knights. It was the first video showing the activities of the two Skeleton Knights. It was a mixture of the Hahoe Mask¡¯s fame, and the sensational description saying this was the first time this was being shown.It resulted in the views skyrocketing. In one day, he achieved 8 million views! However, the thing that made Ahn-jaehyun happier than the view counts was the reason behind the video.It was the [Chivalry] Skill that had allowed him to make this video. ¡®As expected, this game gets fun at the latter stages.¡¯ When he summoned the Skeleton Knight, two special abilities were activated. The Skeleton Knight¡¯s Stats increased proportionally to the number of Skeleton Warriors being summoned.When the Skeleton Knights were summoned, the Leader ability increased the Stats of the Skeleton Warriors.These were the two abilities. However, these two abilities had a fixed value. Even as the Skeleton Knight¡¯s Skill Proficiency increased, these two skill Options didn¡¯t change.If one wanted to change the fixed nature of these two abilities, one had two obtain two other Skills. The [Chivalry] Skill gained by Anh-jaehyun was basically like an upgrade software. The newly acquired [Chivalry] Skill had the following effects. [Chivalry] ¨C Proficiency : Rank F ¨C You can summon one more Skeleton Knight. ¨C With the summon of the Skeleton Knight, you will be able to summon additional (3) Skeleton underlings. ¨C Each additional summoned Skeleton Warrior will increase the Skeleton Knight¡¯s Stats by (6) percent.At most, it can be increased by 30%. It increased the number of Skeleton Knights he could summon.The Chivalry Skill increased the special abilities, and on top of it all, it allowed one to summon additional Skeleton underlings. ¡®I also have to gain the [Leader] Skill, but at this current time, [Chivalry] is better than the [Leader]¡¯ The [Leader] Skill was similar to the [Chivalry] Skill.It also increased the number of Skeleton Knights one could summon, and it also increased the number of Skeleton underlings too. ¡®If I combine it with the [Chivalry] Skill¡­¡¯ If he could purchase the Death Knight Skill in the future, then he¡¯ll also have to gain the [Chivalric Order] Skill, which also had the effect of increasing the number of Skeleton Knights. ¡®Rich Lich was able to summon four Skeleton Knights.¡¯ Rich Lich used this process to be able to summon four Skeleton Knights.He bought numerous No Name Skill boost to gain the [Chivalry] and [Leader] Skills.Then he obtained the Death Knight Skills.He had been able to summon a total of four Death Knights. However, it didn¡¯t end there. ¡®If I can use the Ancient Power to reinforce my Skills¡­.How many Skeleton Knights will I be able to summon? With the appearance of the Ruined kingdom, the new contents would be released.One will be able to use the Ancient Power to reinforce an A Rank Skill. Rich Lich hadn¡¯t reached this point.He would truly be in uncharted territory. ¡°Hoo-ooh.¡± At that part, Ahn-jaehyun let out a deep sigh. The Hahoe Mask could still get stronger.This was something that made him feel happy and excited.It was something he was looking forward to. ¡®Urugal mountain range¡­¡­ I have to get over it, yet I have idea how I¡¯ll do it.¡¯ However, if he wanted that content, he had to cross the Urugal mountain range, and he had to discover the Ruined Kingdom. The Ruined Kingdom had to appear for the third Main Scenario Quest to start.Then the second Advancement contents will be released, and the Skill Reinforcement would included.He had to reach level 300, not level 200 by that time.If not, he won¡¯t be able to go through his 2nd Advancement, and it would be impossible for him to do the Skill Reinforcement.Of course, he wouldn¡¯t be able to gain the Death Knight Skill either. However, Anh-jaehyun wasn¡¯t confident that he would be able to cross the Urugal mountain range right now. ¡®In the end, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll be able to do it even if I reach level 200.¡¯ Even if he reached level 200, he wasn¡¯t confident he¡¯ll be able to cross the Urugal mountain range even with the Arbiter of Corruption Ring and the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword equipped. Still, this didn¡¯t mean he was kosher with working with others.Ahn-jaehyun had already suckerpunched the Red Bulls guild, who had been amicable towards him.Hydra guild also didn¡¯t look too fondly on the Hahoe Mask. If he had to pick one, who might show goodwill towards him, it was the Stormhunters.However, they weren¡¯t even a viable choice for him. This was the reason why he could only sigh. At that moment¡­ ¡®Wait a sec.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s expression changed once again.While he was sighing, he suddenly remembered something that changed his expression. ¡®The Frozen Kingdom!¡¯ It was the event stage located across the Terube castle walls.It was called the Frozen Kingdom.It was an event stage made for level 200 Users. ¡®Why the hell did I forget about the Frozen Kingdom?¡¯ To be precise, there were several event stages like the Frozen Kingdom that¡¯ll give clues as to the existence of the Ruined Kingdom.One would be able to find out that the Ruined Kingdom was across the Urugual mountain range through these events. From Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s perspective, he already had this information, so he had tried to skip couple steps in the process.This was why he had forgotten about the Frozen Kingdom. He remembered what kind of place it was, and before he returned to the past, he remembered this stage had been set up for a certain person¡­.He had forgotten about it for a brief time. ¡®I forgot something that is very important.Of course, I can¡¯t leave out the Frozen Kingdom.I have to gain all the benefits from it.I must!¡¯ Then he thought about it again. Ahn-jaehyun immediately turned his gaze towards his Tablet PC.As a precaution, he planned on searching the web for the Frozen Kingdom.When Ahn-jaehyun swiped at his Tablet PC, the page returned to the previous page.The ranking of the videos appeared. At that moment, Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s expression turned sour.It was the Weekly Warlord Video Ranking, and his video was 2nd in terms of views.This was the cause of his dour mood. ¡®V&V guild¡­¡­ They ain¡¯t playing around.¡¯ The V&V guild¡¯s Blood Ogre Raid video had been uploaded around the same time as Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s video, and it had about twice as many views.Moreover, the footage was worth the interest and praise it was getting. ¡®It basically means the newly added Users aren¡¯t normal Users.¡¯ Even in Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s view, the Team Poker¡¯s strength was impressive.This was especially true for the newly added members.Their skills approached the skills of the Matador and the Storm Queen.Basically, they were almost on a similar level as the Warlord¡¯s best Strikers. Of course, this simple fact wouldn¡¯t have struck Anh-jaehyun¡¯s nerve.The part that struck his nerve was the fact that the face of a User he already knew wasn¡¯t part of the new faces. ¡®Why isn¡¯t the one that tried to kill me amongst them?Wasn¡¯t he a guild member of the V&V guild?Didn¡¯t he have the V&V guild mark on at that time?¡¯ This fact kept bothering Ahn-jaehyun. 9. The change that happened in the V&V guild was extreme, and the result of this change was also extraordinary.Until now, the V&V guild had been considered to be the middle of the pack within the 30 great guilds.However, the value of V&V guild¡¯s name shot up in an instant from the release of a single Blood Ogre Raid video.They were starting to be judged in the same breath as the Big 3. This fact had a big impact on the other 30 great guilds.They were already beyond the point where the 30 great guilds could choose to go through a change.They were starting to be forced to change. However, not many guilds tried to go for an aggressive transformation.If one tried to force a changed like the V&V guild, the guild would suffer bone grinding pain. However, even if one looked into an organization going through such a pain, there was inevitably a different degree of pain being felt by the Users.Moreover, no one wantedto be the one to suffer the worst of the pain. Big Smiles guild repeatedly held officer¡¯s meetings, but in the process, they weren¡¯t able to come up with a clear plan of action.This was the big reason why they couldn¡¯t come to a consensus. ¡°Shit!¡± ¡®They are really looking at me as if I¡¯m some pushover!¡¯ The one, who felt the most pressure, in such a situation, was Apollo.He was a newly minted officer.If one took away his background, he was useless. It had been implied that Apollo would be forced to make sacrifices. ¡®How dare they treat me like this?Someday I¡¯ll take over the Big Smiles guild¡­.¡¯ From Apollo¡¯s perspective, he couldn¡¯t help, but feel depressed at the recent developments.At the very least, he hadn¡¯t paid exorbitant amount of money to be treated like this as an officer of the Big Smiles. At that moment, someone called Apollo.When he checked who was calling, Apollo immediately answered the phone. ¡°Hyung-nim.¡± Apollo was someone, who only thought highly of himself, yet he called someone ¡®hyung-nim¡¯?A very rare greeting came out of Apollo¡¯s mouth. ¨C Apollo. ¡°Yes.Please speak.¡± The identity of the man being called hyung-nim by Apollo was none other than Brooks.He was an officer of the Big Smiles.He had been the biggest help in allowing Apollo reach the status of officer in the Big Smiles guild.Even after he was put in the officer role, Brooks continued to help out Apollo. ¨C You must be in a foul mood from the officer meeting, right? ¡°No way.¡± Moreover, he was the only other officer that understood Apollo¡¯s mood. These were enough reasons for Apollo to call Brooks as his hyung-nim. ¨C As you can probably see, the inner structure of this guild is rotten.None of them wants to load their guns. Of course, Brooks didn¡¯t help out Apollo out of genuine kindness. ¡°Yes.¡± ¨C This is why I¡¯m trying to use this opportunity to become the guild master. ¡°Yes?¡± Brooks finally revealed his ambition. ¨C There is one characteristic that is common amongst the Big 3.All three guild masters hold an incredible amount of power.Look at the state of our guild.We have over ten officers, and it has been a revolving door on who becomes the guild master amongst them.This is why the position of guild master has become marginalized in our guild.This is our guild¡¯s problem. This was also the reason why Brooks had brought Apollo to the Big Smiles guild as an officer.When one wanted to become a guild master with a strong grip over the guild, one needed a support base. Moreover, Apollo was well aware of this fact.Apollo wasn¡¯t stupid.He already understood that Brooks wasn¡¯t helping out through pure generosity. Apollo actually felt better when he was given a deal.He smiled. ¡°So what do you want me to do, hyung-nim?¡± ¨C We are going to induce a guild war.We¡¯ll pick a fight with the Hydra guild. ¡°What?¡± However, the smile he had from his good mood disappeared in an instant. ¡°The Hydra guild?¡± ¨C I¡¯ll tell you the detailed plan after I hear your decision.However, I can guarantee you one thing.If you help me become the guild master, I¡¯ll make you a guild master to one of the sub-guilds. A guild war with the Hydra guild?Apollo felt a chill run up his spine when he heard those words. On the other hand, he was being guaranteed a position as the sub-guild master.It was an attractive offer.It blinded Apollo. ¡®Brooks hyung-nim isn¡¯t an idiot.He wouldn¡¯t recklessly start a guild war without any preparations.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll follow hyung-nim.¡± ¨C All right.Before we get to that, I want to introduce you to someone.You probably know him, since you guys met before once. Chapter 140 – Across the Terube Castle Wall (1) Chapter 140 ¨C Across the Terube Castle Wall (1) 1. The NPC hadn¡¯t reach the status of being a young man.Its youthful appearance was stuck between that of a boy and a young man. ¡°Are you serious?¡± It spoke in a grave manner, which clashed with the delicate voice it possessed. ¡°Will you really do as you say?¡± Even the deep wrinkles that was forming at the top of its face gave off a child-like impression.It diluted the message it was giving. ¡°Are you really planning on traveling beyond the Terube castle wall?¡± It was the captain in charge of the Terube castle wall.It had been loyal subject to Prince Dean.However, it was also a hidden hero of this world, who had fought against the Corrupted monsters.Bagel rejoiced at the offer given by the man in front of it.It was beyond rejoicing.There seemed to be a different reason aside from happiness that made Bagel suddenly stand up from its seat. ¡°Ooh-oohk!¡± When it stood up, a moan immediately escaped Bagel¡¯s mouth. It was always prepared for battle.Bagel was in its office, yet it was in its armor.This was why one couldn¡¯t see the wound beneath the armor.It still possessed the evidence of betrayal perpetrated by Prince Dean and the White-eyed swordsman Argardo.It still had the sword wound. Bagel was lucky to be alive.The wound was so severe that it was shocking that Bagel was still carrying out his duties, while equipped in its armor.This was why Bagel didn¡¯t complain about its slow recovery. ¡°I¡¯m fine.I¡¯m all right.¡± When he heard the moan, the guest got up from his seat to approach Bagel.Bagel waved him away. ¡°I¡¯m just thankful that I am alive.I don¡¯t want to burden a hero like you, because of this.¡± The guest put on an awkward smile, and he sat back down. Bagel moved to the corner of its office where its books were organized.It immediately pulled out a book. ¡°This is something I acquired a long time ago.¡± From its outward appearance, the book was thick.However, the book wasn¡¯t filled with many pages.The reason being the thickness of each page.The book was filled with woodblocks.Bagel took out the book, and it carefully looked over the engravings on the pages. ¡°This was before I became the captain in charge of the Terube wall.This was even before I followed him when he became the Guardian of the Northern lands.¡± The woodblocks were filled with engravings of a map.Bagel took the book, and he sat atop of his desk. In the process, his heavy armor moved, and it seemed the wound had been disturbed again.Bagel¡¯s expression crumpled, but it didn¡¯t moan this time. When Bagel¡¯s pained face resolved itself, it took out the woodblocks contained in the book.It started piecing them together as if they were pieces of a puzzle. As Hyrkan had surmised, the woodblocks were a map. ¡°This is the map of the Northern land.This was before this era where the endless battle hadn¡¯t started yet.¡± His explanation was grandiose, but the content of the map was quite poor.Most of the map was drawn in an abstract manner.There was a long road, and there were monsters that were letting out flame next to the road.The mountain was drawn like a big lump of cotton. The trees inside the forest was drawn like doodles, and there were no markers naming everything.Moreover, the map was incomplete.The top part of the map was missing.It was as if the map¡¯s head had been cut away. ¡°It is a relic from a long time ago, so it isn¡¯t perfect.¡± Bagel tapped on top of of the table as he tapped at the empty portion of the map. ¡°In the end, I never found out what is here.Moreover, there is no one alive that knows this information either.¡± The guest, who had listened to it in silence, finally asked some questions. What do you think is over there?Do you perhaps know any other information regarding the place? However, Bagel had heard all the information available, so it let out a long sigh. ¡°I have my hand full from defending the Terube castle wall.At times, I tasked a subordinate to investigate what was on the other side of the castle wall.However, they just came back with warnings of overwhelming number of monsters, or they went missing.If I wanted a thorough investigation, I would have to lead forth a large army.I couldn¡¯t send a large army across the thick castle wall, and through the mysterious barrier to explore the Northern land. This is especially true, since I¡¯ll be doing it just to satisfy my curiosity.¡± The guest said couple more words to Bagel.Bagel gathered boths its hand, so it could prop its chin on top.It spoke in that position. ¡°Yes. It is as you said.The power of Corruption may be¡­That upright person might have a clue about the power of Corruption.This is why I was curious about what was there in the past.However, I felt I had a duty to find out what was there.However!¡± However¡­. That word was filled with heavy implication.The guest was about to ask a question, but he swallowed the question. ¡°No one was allowed to explore this place.¡± Bagel immediately put on a big frown.It wasn¡¯t caused by his wound. ¡°There are already movements set in motion.A large-scale change is coming.For now, no one will be able to assume the power of the Northern land.In such a situation, no rewards will be given.There will be a ban placed on the Northern land.The Hiban kingdom, and even the Subjugation Association won¡¯t lend a hand.This is a search conducted to find the unknown, and there will be no prize awarded.The only way you will be able to receive a reward is to bring backresult.¡± Bagel maintained its expression, and it immediately asked him a question. ¡°Do you still want to go to the other side of the castle wall?¡± Instead of answering, the guest nodded his head.Bagel immediately got up from its seat. Afterwards, Bagel worked with practiced ease.It painted ink over the woodblocks, and Bagel placed a white parchment over it.The very rough map was handed over to the guest. ¡°Be safe.¡± 2. ¡°Be safe.¡± [Quest ¡®Across the Terube Castle Wall¡¯ has started.] When Bagel said those words, Hrykan heard the Quest Announcement.Hyrkan¡¯s expression was twitching right now. ¡®Shit.¡¯ He was forcefully trying to hide his expression.It seemed he wasn¡¯t trying to hide a favorable expression.It was quite evident that he was trying to hide a negative emotion. He had a reason for it. ¡°This is the word I told those before you, who are willingly throw one¡¯s body forward into danger for the peace of the world.I will also say those same words to you.Be safe, and I hope you bring hope like before.¡± Someone had arrived before him. ¡®Some bastard came here before me?¡¯ If one wanted to go to the Frozen Kingdom, this place was the door everyone had to pass through.When Hyrkan arrived at the Terube castle, he was greeted fondly by Bagel.Hyrkan was the Hiban kingdom¡¯s hero, and he was the Arbiter of Corruption.Moreover, Hyrkan had defeated Argardo, who scored a deep wound on Bagel.Hyrkan was Bagel¡¯s savior and hero. It was to be expected.Bagel had been a bit prickly in the past, but it wasn¡¯t like that at all. On top of it all, Hyrkan felt uncomfortable when he saw what kind of expression Bagel had on when it looked at Hyrkan.It was as if a young junior was looking at a cool senior with longing and expectation mixed within its gaze.Moreover, the gaze was coming from a pretty boy, and Hyrkan had never received such a gaze from anyone before.From Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, it was beyond uncomfortable.It was close to unsettling. This was how the conversation had started, and Hyrkan¡¯s inside started to feel a wrenching sensation as the conversation continued along. When the conversation came to an end, Hyrkan¡¯s inside had moved on from feeling a wrenching feeling.His inside were in a knot. ¡®I don¡¯t know who, but that bastard cost me one Title.¡¯ Someone had already met Bagel, and this someone was already headed towards the Frozen Kingdom. This fact in itself didn¡¯t put him in a good mood.No one would welcome the appearance of a competitor. ¡®The Noble Walk Title¡­.It increases one¡¯s Stamina by 50 points, yet I lost it to someone else.Before I did my other tasks, I should have come here to get the Quest and Title beforehand.Shit!¡¯ From Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, the preceding visitor had stolen a Title that was rightfully his. ¡®In the end, I was only able to earn the Noble Explorer.¡¯ The Title ¡®Noble Explorer¡¯ was something one earned when one gained the incredibly important Exploration Quest.It increased one¡¯s Intelligence by 25 points. However, Hyrkan felt wistful at losing the Title ¡®Noble Steps.¡¯ It was a Title given to the first one to receive the Quest and the Noble Explorer Title.It increased one¡¯s Stamina by 50 Points. He had lost a Title that would have raised his Stamina by 50 Points. This wasn¡¯t something he could simply get over by feeling sorry for himself. ¡®Which organization was it?¡¯ His insides were hurting so much that it felt as if his insides were rotting. However, his pain shrivelled away when a thought that made a chill run up his spine popped up inside his head. ¡®Was it perhaps the Stormhunters?¡¯ One couldn¡¯t go across the Terube Castle just because one wanted to. First, one needed a prior relationship with Bagel.At the same time, one needed to have done a lot of jobs related to the Subjugation Association.If one did a lot of work related to the Subjugation Association, it meant one probably had to catch a hideous amount of monsters. At this point in the game, the only ones that had the qualifications to start the Frozen Kingdom Quest was the highest Ranked Users. Moreover, the Stormhunters sufficiently met this criteria.Before he returned to the past, the Frozen Kingdom had been monopolized by the Storm Hunters.This was why Hyrkan was well informed about the Titles.The Stormhunters monopolized the Frozen Kingdom, and they revealed the Titles, Skill Books and Items that were obtained there. Basically, he didn¡¯t discount the idea that maybe some Items were fated to be in the hands of certain individual.He couldn¡¯t discount the fact that this was meant to be.At this point in the game, it was quite possible that the Stormhunters were progressing in the Frozen Kingdom Quest. Moreover, this version of the Stormhunters guild was much stronger than the one that had attempted the Frozen Kingdom. ¡®This is driving me nuts.¡¯ ¡°Understood.¡± While he was deep within thoughts, Hyrkan was trying to wrap up the conversation, so he spoke the words that would basically put an end to their exchange. Since he put an end to the conversation, he was about to get up. ¡°Are you planning on heading there immediately?¡± ¡°What?¡± Bagel suddenly grabbed Hyrkan. ¡°It will be a dangerous road.I was thinking maybe you should make a little bit more preparation¡­.I readied something that¡¯ll help you in your exploration.¡± Hyrkan put on an awkward smile. ¡®Bagel hadn¡¯t been such a character before¡­Things are turning a bit weird now that our Affinity is high.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan had no choice, but to sit back down. ¡®Well, I did kill someone, who had tried to kill him. He wouldn¡¯t send me into a deadly situation without giving me anything.Absolutely.¡¯ Since it said it will give him something, he wasn¡¯t going to turn it down.Moreover, Hyrkan had spent much more than he had planned on his recent purchases. ¡®Give me a Skill Book.Please.¡¯ After he gained the [Chivalry] skill, he once again purchased No Name Skill Books to gain the [Leader] Skill. However, the result was a complete loss. When he thought about that, Hyrkan eventually frowned.He had tossed money into the air.Of course, he wouldn¡¯t feel good about it. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Of course, Bagel didn¡¯t know Hyrkan¡¯s true feelings.It vacated its seat to get the present for Hyrkan. When he was alone, Hyrkan once again agonized over his thoughts. ¡®For reals.Who was it?¡¯ He kept worrying over it¡­He was worried he had missed something important. 3. Natal had his Hologram Window in front of him, and he was looking at something.He was looking at portraits. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Sohank discreetly appeared behind him.He had shown enough of a presence as he approached Natal.He didn¡¯t want to surprise Natal. This was also why Natal was able to answer in a calm manner. ¡°This is the portraits of the Users that gained the Quest from Bagel after us.¡± Portrait. In Warlord, one could film from all kinds of angle unlike in reality.However, if the Users being filmed had turned off the facial recognition setting, there was no way one could film their faces. This was why this method was developed.A User that was adept at drawing would draw a portrait after seeing the target with his own eyes. In Warlord and any other virtual reality games, everything was made possible through cutting edge technology.In such a world, the people who were good with their hands were more valuable.It was ironic that they were more valuable in a virtual world. Of course, Sohank and Natal didn¡¯t care if it was ironic or not. ¡°So basically the one we are chasing may be in one of these portraits.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The appearance of the Users that had a face to face meeting with Bagel was saved.This was to gather information on their competitors beforehand. ¡°Fortunately, there aren¡¯t anyone famous here.¡± ¡°If you say we are fortunate, we are fortunate.¡± If there had been a famous face amongst them,there was no downside in being vigilant against the famous User.Still, even if they were unknown Users, there was a chance they might become a big competitor.There was no reason why they shouldn¡¯t gather information on everyone like this.It might not matter to any other guild, but it was very important to the Hydra guild. They knew the importance of data and information.Their guild used both as weapons. ¡°This one looks pretty hopeless.¡± Of course, not everyone was determined to be a competitor.Sometimes, one could discount a person just by looking at his face.One shouldn¡¯t be prejudiced when making a judgement in a game.On the other hand, these habits were hard to break. ¡°Ah.Doesn¡¯t this guy look like a real pushover?¡± However, Natal wasn¡¯t also free from judging a book by its cover. ¡°I am hesitant to make judgements based on a person¡¯s look, but even I think this guy isn¡¯t one of our competitors.¡± ¡°I feel the same way. Still, it could be possible, right?¡± ¡°That is what people who purchase lottery tickets think before they purchase it.¡± Natal smirked at Sohank¡¯s words. When he heard Natal¡¯s laughter, Sohank discreetly changed his expression.He spoke in a slightly calmer voice. ¡°This is going to be quite an annoying mission.I¡¯m just here as the muscle, but the rest of eight headshave to assess all possibilities.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that our role?¡± ¡°Sometime I wonder if I cause harm to our guild.¡± After he spoke those words, a bitter smile appeared on his lips.He was on break, but it seemed Sohand was unable to take a break.It seemed he felt apologetic towards his comrades, who had to constantly use their intellect. Natal immediately shot down that idea. ¡°That is the case at all.We can¡¯t do this through our heads only.We were able to get to this point thanks to Sohank-nim.¡± ¡°No. We are lacking with just me.In truth, I already know how I measure up to others. If our Stats are the same, I might be able to go up against the Matador, but I know I will lose to the Storm Queen.Then there is the Hahoe¡­¡± The two of them were about to have a more frank discussion, but¡­. ¨C The monsters have appeared!There are nine of them.I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be easy. An urgent voice was heard through the voice talk. Sohank didn¡¯t finish his words before he started speaking out new directions. ¡°I¡¯ll be there.Before I get there, put the Tankers at the center, and defend!Don¡¯t attempt any rash attacks until I get there!¡± ¨C Yes! Kwah-ahng! Before the conversation could end, a terrifying roar rang out.Sohank and Natal moved together.They didn¡¯t have to speak to coordinate with each other.There was no carelessness or leisure in their movements. This place was a location beyond the Terube castle walls.Even the Hydra guild¡¯s best troops couldn¡¯t be careless.This place was filled with level 200 monsters, and they were of a different quality from all the monsters they had faced before. Chapter 141 – Across the Terube Castle Wall (2) Chapter 141 ¨C Across the Terube Castle Wall (2) 4. ¨C How¡¯s the battle going? ¡°It¡¯s been very rough.¡± ¨C How¡¯s the Quest progress? ¡°We haven¡¯t had the luxury to assess the Quest progress.¡± ¨C I guess the difficulty is higher than expected? ¡°Yes.¡± ¨C Did you gain anything? Natal, who had been having a conversation with the First Head, turned his head.The corpses of the monsters came into view. They hadn¡¯t butchered it yet, so the corpses hadn¡¯t melted like ice cream.They still maintained their original form.There were a lot of variety of monster corpses.At a glance, he could see 7 types of monsters.It was hard to find any common characteristics between them.They were all distinct. The most eye-catching one was the giant that was almost 5 meters tall.It had a single eye, and its skull was shaped like the head of a hammer.It looked bizarre. The next monster that caught his eye was a 2 meter tall monkey that had a paper thin body.Its body looked so skinny that it was reminiscent of a wooden branch.Moreover, if one touched its skin, one wouldn¡¯t be able to tell the difference between the texture of its skin and a tree. Then there was a beautiful looking monster that was a stark contrast to previous bizarre looking monsters. It gave off a brilliant feeling like a crystal.Its claws were crescent-shaped, and it was 2 meters long with white fur.It didn¡¯t look like a monster.Instead, it looked like a animal that appeared in myths and legends. Natal looked over the corpses, and he opened his mouth. ¡°I did.¡± Of course, these different types of monsters hadn¡¯t attack them all at the same time.The monsters each attacked on their own, and they had just gathered the corpses to one side. The reason behind this was obvious.It was for research. ¨C Should I expect anything? It was the basic of basics to research about a new monster.A proper video showing how to defeat these monsters had immediately monetary value.It could be exploited.This was especially true for the Hydra guild, since they used information as a weapon.Their ability to gather data was peerless. This was why Natal was careful in answering the First Head¡¯s question. ¡°You should both anticipate and worry about the result.¡± ¨C That¡¯s an interesting answer. Interesting¡­¡­It basically meant he wanted an additional explanation. At that moment, Natal re-winded his memory a little further back.He thought about the time when he decided to investigate the Northland. It was the end of the Immoral Prince, and the interest of the Users naturally shifted to the third Main Scenario Quest. Where was the starting point of the third Main Scenario Quest? North, South, East and West. It¡¯ll be located in one of those directions. Hyrdra guild decided to focus on two directions. They went North and East. However, the North held more significance since the Northland was located there.It had been the territory ruled by Prince Dean.If Prince Dean gained power away from the eyes of others, there was a very high possibility that he gained it in Northland where he had been in charge. This was why the Hyrdra guild put more meaning and gravity to the North expedition.This was why the Hyrdra guild¡¯s best fighting asset was included within the expedition group.Aside from Sohank, there were 33 other Users included in the Northland expedition team.Their basic battle capability was high, and they were excellent in many other aspects too. Their Raiding ability was lacking in comparison to the primary Raid team, but in terms of exploring and regular battles, this force was better than the primary Raid team. However, after a single week into the expedition, they felt as if the stage they stepped onto was too much for them.The monsters here were strong. These were different types of monsters compared to the ones they had faced before.There were a lot of differences on many fronts. These corpses, which was about to be turned into ice cream, were a prime examples. This Hammerhead Giant used its hammerhead to use a Head-butt attack.It was a bizarre form of attack.The Deadwood Monkey¡¯s camouflage ability was so good that it was chilling.Moreover, it possessed a poisonous stinger.For an opponent, it was the worst possible combination of skills to face. New methods would have to be devised to defeat them..Still, in another light, this could might drive up the anticipation and fun they would have in fighting them. The problem was the white furred fox named Crystal Crescent Fox. ¡°We caught the white furred fox in the forest.¡± ¨C Did you kill only one? ¡°They don¡¯t travel in a pack, but we caught three of them. ¨C So it isn¡¯t a rare monster. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have found it in a forest.They shouldn¡¯t be living here.¡± Even in reality, beasts were tailored to the region they live in.However, the monsters in Warlord didn¡¯t always suit their environment perfectly. However, most of their characteristics were optimized for their habitat. The Deadwood Monkey exemplified this concept.It was dressed to function most optimally in forests.It wasn¡¯t a rare monster, and he had seen several of them nearby. The fox basically pointed to a single answer. ¨C Snowfield¡­¡­ It is worth being concerned about it. A monster that should be at a different stage was in this environment through some special circumstances. What kind of stage goes well with the white fur?A white environment goes well with it. ¡°Yes.I¡¯m pretty sure a snowfield will appear soon.¡± Snowfield. There wasn¡¯t some incredible meaning behind those words.It was a snowfield.It was a sight one could see easily in real life. However, up until now, no serious amount of monsters had appeared in a snowfield or a desert field. Tobo Soft hadn¡¯t officially explained why, but most Users had an idea on the reason behind it. ¨C You¡¯ll be working hard. ¡°If it¡¯s just working hard, I¡¯ll count it as a blessing.¡± The level of difficulty would be unprecedented. Let¡¯s say there was a person that could run a 100 meters in 9 seconds.If this person ran on a snowfield or a sand pit, how much time would be added to the overall time?It was the same concept for the battles.Unless one is able to fight from midair, the snow or sand would sharply increase the difficulty of a battle. Of course, the high difficulty wasn¡¯t a problem in itself.This would actually increase the fun one would have on this new content.However, if the initial barrier was too high from the beginning, the Users wouldn¡¯t even dare to attempt it.This was a problem since the difficulty of Warlord was already high. Such a content would arrive some day in the future. Moreover, there was a high probability that they had already reached that point in time. This was why Natal had said one would feel anticipation and worry at the same time.A new stage had appeared, and only the ones that could adapt the fastest would survive. ¨C Then that means you are going to have to work hard. The First Head was already aware of this truth, so he was brief with his words.He swallowed the words he had been about to say.He had been about to tell Natal about the immense difficulty being faced by the team climbing the Urugal mountain range.Natal already had a lot to worry about, so he didn¡¯t want to put extra burdens on him. ¡°Yes.¡± After the call ended, Natal once again looked at the corpses of the monsters.Then he scrolled down his Title list, and he looked at the ¡®Noble Walk¡¯ Title. ¡®The starting point is the same for everyone.However, I¡¯ve already left the starting line earlier than anyone else.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t checking it to see if he still had it.He was looking at it to assure himself. ¡®There is no reason why we¡¯ll come out behind.¡¯ They had started out before everyone else, so there was no way they could get overtaken.This was the message behind his self-assurance. ¡®I have nothing to worry about.I have nothing to worry¡­.¡¯ Natal used this self-assurance to calm his restless heart. 5. ¡°Javelin throw!¡± These were three meter long spears being raised from between the trees.There were 10 in total, and the bearers of these spears were in a formation.They were spread apart forming a parabola.At the opening of the parabola, there were goblins wearing bone armors.It was the Bone Armor Goblins. Kwah-jeek! Rough sounds were emitted when bone impacted on bone. Ggee-eek, ggee-eek! Afterward, the Bone Armor Goblins let out a cry of anger. The Bone Spears hadn¡¯t caused much damage. The Bone Armors was made using the bones from other dead goblins.The Bone Armors boasted a high defense. However, these were made from their treasured fellow goblins, so it was important to them.They didn¡¯t want their Bone Armors to get damaged.It was a special characteristic of the Bone Armor Goblins.Their attack power went up as the Bone Armors deteriorated. Hyrkan was very well-acquainted with this fact.In the past, he had studied all the videos released by the Stormhunters.The memory on how to defeat the Bone Armor Goblins were still present inside his mind. ¡®After you rile these bastards up, they¡¯ll go crazy if they see a sandbag.¡¯ At that moment, an enormous turtle charged towards the Bone Armor Goblins at a decent pace.The group of 25 Bone Armor Goblins were so incensed that they had a tunnel vision.They had set their hearts on the Turtle Golem, so they charged towards it. The result of their actions was revealed immediately. Poohk! The weapon in the Bone Armor Goblin¡¯s hand were made by sharpening the leg bones of their dead comrades.The Bone Knives were stabbed into the Turtle¡¯s shell as if it was slicing into a rotten daikon.In a flash, the Turtle Golem resembled a hedgehog.However, the Bone Armor Goblins weren¡¯t satisfied with stabbing it only once.They stuck to the Turtle¡¯s Shell, and they started swinging their Bone Knives as if they had gone mad. At such a devastating sight, Hyrkan didn¡¯t show any signs of loss.Instead, he yelled out with a little bit of an excitement in his voice. ¡°Hardening!¡± The Turtle Golem immediately turned into stone. Ggoohk! In the process of Hardening, several Bone Knives of the Bone Armor Goblins became stuck in the Turtle Golem¡¯s body. Ggeeeeeeeek! The ones with their Bone Knife stuck let out a keening cry as they tried to dislodge it. Ggee-eek!Ggeek! Even the ones that didn¡¯t have their Bone Knives stuck were letting out the cry, and they continued to swing their Bone Knives at the Turtle Golem. Kwah-jeek, kwah-jeek. One could hear the Bone Knives chipping away at the stone. ¡®They are in a frenzy.¡¯ Every one of them were interested only in the sandbag that had turned into stone.This was when Hyrkan, his Skeleton Knights and Skeleton Warriors moved in. Hyrkan and his Skeleton subordinates showed them the cost of being distracted. Shweek, kwah-jeeek, poohk¡­.. The weapons started causing wounds, and it sounded like a symphony played by an orchestra. The outcome had already been decided. All the Bone Armor Goblins received a critical strike.When they tried to change their targets, Hyrkan and his Skeleton underlings ramped up their attacks.He had gained an advantage, so he kept pushing to increase this advantage. Kah-ahng! The sound of weapons clashing with each other were heard.However, at some point, the weapons started to impact on living beings.It changed into sounds of flesh parting, and bones breaking. It took him about 10 minutes to take down 25 Bone Armor Goblins. [Your level has increased.] After he ended the short battle, the Level Up Announcement was heard. ¡®My level up pace is good.¡¯ This was the 183rd such announcement he had heard. With the sound of the Announcement as background, Hyrkan smiled as he looked at the corpses of the Bone Armored Goblins. ¡®My condition is better.¡¯ He had crossed the Terube castle wall and the nameless lake.He was immediately confronted with monsters over level 180. Whether it was a large or small monsters that appeared in the past, there had been some common characteristics amongst all of them.However, new monsters were starting to appear with more frequency now.The previous strategies wouldn¡¯t work with them, and new strategies would have to be developed. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t need to worry about that.Hyrkan didn¡¯t need an adjustment time period. Moreover, at that moment, Hyrkan was feeling something he had never felt before when playing a game. ¡®This feels exhilarating!¡¯ After the Immoral Prince episode had ended, Hyrkan hadn¡¯t participated in a full-scale battle.He only took down monsters he met as he moved from location to location. This was the first earnest battle he had participated in a while.When he crossed the nameless lake, he had to use his combat powers at full effort. Hyrkan was surprised at his own combat efficacy in this battle. ¡®I never believed this day would come for me.¡¯ Hyrkan had never thought he was weak.He was a monster if compared to the regular Users.However, every time Hyrkan went into battle he always had to worry about the risk of a Game Over.He always had to weigh the risk of a Game Over to any actions he took.He unconsciously avoided tasks that was risky enough to cause his death. ¡®I have no confidence as to whether I can actually die now.¡¯ Currently, he couldn¡¯t come up with a risk that would drive him towards a Game Over. He had the Earth Golem and Fire Golem.Then there was the 2 Skeleton Knights, and almost 40 Skeleton subordinates that could be summoned! He had the Magic Power Stat to maintain this ridiculous army, and he could just use expensive consumables to supplement any deficiencies! Lastly, he was equipped with the Chronicle Epic Items that he would have never dreamed of owning before!He just had to look at his own Specs! These factors minimized the risk he felt in the front line.The word ¡®Risk¡¯ had always been present in his mind, but now he could erase it from his mind. These were battles without any risk of death.Of course, he would be in a good condition in such battles. This was like an addicting drug for him. ¡®I can step on the accelerator, yet there is no way I¡¯ll crash.I don¡¯t have to drive safely anymore.¡¯ Hyrkan unhesitatingly put a magic recovery Item, which was worth 150 golds, into his mouth. Bbah-doo-doohk! He ate it in one bite instead of economizing it. He didn¡¯t need to be thrifty.At this moment, he just wanted to continue this feeling he was having.That was the only thing in his mind. After he finished his recovery of his magical energy, Hyrkan let out a yell. ¡°Follow me!¡± Hyrkan was the first unaccounted variable for the Hydra guild, who was still far ahead. 6. Thirty people. At a glance, one could tell they were equipped with expensive Items, and one could see a Smiling icon somewhere on their body, which identified them. Big Smiles guild. They were treated as the weakest in the 30 great guilds, but on the other hand, they still possessed the most guild members.They were still heads above the normal guilds, and they were beings that were high above in the sky for the normal Users. The guild members affiliated to such a guild had appeared in front of the Terube castle wall. Thirty Big Smiles guild members were gathered in front of the high castle wall, but none of them were intimidated by the sight. They had seen this castle wall countless times before.Moreover, there was the hidden rookie, Cho-oohroong, who had conducted countless battles across the castle wall. Including himself, Cho-oohroong was leading a group of 30. ¡°We¡¯ve received the Exploration Quest from Captain Bagel.We are allowed to go past the castle wall now.¡± Apollo nodded his head at Cho-oohroong¡¯s words.¡± ¡°Get ready everyone.¡± At Apollo¡¯s words, the 28 Users tilted their bodies to look at a certain User for a signal.The User receiving all their gazes nodded his head lightly.It seemed Apollo was oblivious to all of this.He continued to speak. ¡°As I¡¯ve said before, if you lack in skills and you lag behind, we will leave you behind.I want you guys to harden your heart.This is the biggest prey we¡¯ve hunted up to this point.It¡¯s the Hydra guild.¡± There was a bloody smile on Apollo¡¯s lips.By the look of him, it seemed he would have taken down Hyrdra guild if he could do it on his own.Everyone sneered at his attitude. Apollo¡¯s words made everyone mock him, and it wasn¡¯t a strange reaction. ¡®Our guild is in a bad state.Some weird bastard became an officer, and now we have to listen to his commands.¡¯ ¡®What a pig.I best he has a lot of money.How much did he spend to buy that officer¡¯s seat?¡¯ However, their mocking smiles disappeared every time they looked at a certain User. ¡®Yes.He can only put our trust in him.¡¯ This User¡¯s identity¡­. ¡®We just have to believe in Sinclair-nim.¡¯ ¡®We just have to set up the stage.Then Sinclair-nim will take down the Second Head.¡¯ It was Sinclair. The second unaccounted variable by the Hydra guild had shown up. Chapter 142 – The Frozen Land (1) Chapter 142 ¨C The Frozen Land (1) 1. The endless snow that was falling down was swept up by cold winds.It was as if the whole world was shivering. Hweeeeeng! The sound of the winds made one¡¯s ears numb.The world had turned white, which blinded one¡¯s vision.The only thing one could smell was the coldness. During all of this, a User dared to to step onto the snowfield. Pooh-poohk. The white snowfield became the white predator.Accompanying a terrifying sound, the intruder was swallowed up to his knees. ¡°Fire!¡± ¨C I have no visuals at all! In such a ridiculous stage, Sohank was blocking an Ice Bear with his single shield.It was a 10 meters long bear made out of ice, and it wasn¡¯t easy to block it. ¡®This is crazy.¡¯ Sohank repeated those words until he was sick of it.He was about to repeat it again, when the Ice Bear let out a roar. Koo-oh-oh. ¡®It¡¯s coming.¡¯ Sohank was nervous, but he readied himself. Unlike its prior attacks, the Ice Bear used all of its strength to use its Bodyslam. Ggwah-ahng! Sohank felt an incredible amount of force transferred from across his shield.Sohank¡¯s body was pushed backwards. He had barely avoided falling over.He had maintained his stance as he endured the Bodyslam.Sohank busily grinded his teeth inside. ¡®It this was a grassy plains, this bear bastard would¡­.¡¯ Ice Bear. This was his first time facing this monster.It was large, but it wasn¡¯t too difficult to face it in a vacuum.Basically, it didn¡¯t have any special skills.It also didn¡¯t possess incredible strength or incredible Battle AI compared to its size.Moreover, it was fairly easy to maintain the aggro. The problem was the environment.The snow was up to his knees, and the ground was covered in ice.It thoroughly vexed Sohank. Sohank could always rely on the ground being steady, but he never expected his lack of footing would making him feel so weak.He be skeptical of the ground he was standing on.He never expected such a thing to happen, and it made a chill run up his spine. ¡°Fire!¡± Sohank yelled out again.He wasn¡¯t shouting out an order as the commander of the group.His shout was almost close to a plea for help.In his life as a gamer, Sohank would be hard to find anexperience that was as humiliating as the one right now. ¨C We really can¡¯t see anything! If we use our magic, you might be swept up in it! However, it wasn¡¯t easy to help him either.Magician¡¯s had to be judicious with their magic.They had to avoid harming their allies.However, the magicians could barely see the tip of their noses.No matter how accurate these magicians were, it was an impossible situation where they couldn¡¯t fully use their abilities. ¡°Fire!¡± However, Sohank yelled out again. ¨C I¡¯m sending it! In the end, a magician gave an answer, and at the same time, he threw the ball of fire in his hand forward. The ball of fire thrown by the magician started to roll forward.As it rolled forward, it started to expand, and in moments, it took the form of an enormous bear. Koo-wah-ahng! Flame Bear. This scary magical spell was charging forward as it melted the snow away. However, Sohank was the one in the path of the charging Flame Bear. ¡®Aigo.¡¯ He was the one that had ordered the use of the magic, but he never expected the Flame Bear to charge at him from his rear. Sohank took short breaths.The important part will start now.If he did nothing, he would be sandwiched by the two bears. It was the moment of truth.Sohank moved when he saw an opportunity.The Ice Bear had been continuously ramming into his shield.Sohank lashed out at the Ice Bear with his shield. Ggwah-ahng! A loud sound exploded forth, and the Ice Bear¡¯s body was shifted slightly to the side. Koo-roo-roo¡­. The Ice Bear had been about to let out a roar, but now it was letting out a low growl.It was a sound made when a beast has reached the peak of its anger. However, when the Ice Bear reorientated its head to express its anger, Sohank had disappeared from its field of vision.When he hit the Ice Bear on the head, Sohank had immediately escaped from his current location. Sohank had leaped into the air, and he landed on the Ice Bear¡¯s nape. As he landed, Sohank took out the dagger equipped on his leg, and he stabbed it into the neck of the Ice Bear. Pah-kahk! The dagger was planted inside the Ice Bear¡¯s neck.It was in only up to the depth of the middle knuckle.It couldn¡¯t be considered to be a deep wound. Koo-ah-ah! However, it was enough to drive the Ice Bear into a rage. The Ice Bear suddenly stood up.At the same time, it turned to look towards its back.Sohank was hanging on by grabbing onto his dagger.Instead of shaking Sohank off, it planned on biting him. Koo-oh-oh! It was great timing.The Flame Bear threw itself at the Ice Bear, and it swung its paw. Puh-uhng! The Flame Bear¡¯s front paw let out a rough sound as it violently struck the Ice Bear¡¯s head. Hweeek! The Ice Bear¡¯s head snapped to the side, and a terrifying claw mark appeared on its face. At that moment, the Ice Bear¡¯s anger wasn¡¯t directed at Sohank at all.It was directed towards the Flame Bear.The two bears immediately started to fight each other.The two bears stood on their hind legs, and they used their front paws to strike at each other.Neither bear backed down, but it wasn¡¯t a good battle to watch. The Ice Bear was much more stronger than the Flame Bear.The Flame Bear could only leave scratches and wounds on the Ice Bear¡¯s body.The Ice Bear¡¯s attacks took chunks off of the Flame Bear¡¯s body. The two bears exchanged about 10 blows in total, and the Flame Bear became mangled.It started to disappear into the snowstorm. During all of this, Sohank created wounds on the Ice Bear¡¯s back and waist.Again, the wound wasn¡¯t deep, but the location from where he struck was exquisite.He was at a location where the Ice Bear¡¯s limbs and teeth couldn¡¯t reach him.He was basically in its blind spot. From such a location, Sohank yelled out again. ¡°Fire!¡± Instead of answering back, the magicians used more magical spells.Accompanying the incantation of the magicians, fireballs and thunder strikes headed towards the Ice Bear.Moreover, it was also coming towards Sohank, who was sticking close to the Ice Bear¡¯s body. Koo-oh-oh! The Ice Bear let out a roar as it struggled.As the Ice Bear flailed, Sohank started to accumulate a significant amount of damage.Sohank continued to attack it to keep the aggro on him. This really was a gambit where Sohank had put his life on the line. In such a battle, the rest of the party could do nothing.Natal, who was the leader of this party, didn¡¯t say anything.At this moment, he couldn¡¯t even come up with a word of encouragement for Sohank. ¡®Shit.¡¯ Natal couldn¡¯t do anything.He could only regret over his decision. His regret started 8 days ago.It was when they first arrived at this frozen land.As if by magic, the snowstorm had appeared, and Natal was conflicted as to how he should proceed.He wondered if he should allow the group an adjustment time period before they earnestly started their search.On the flip side, they could start searching first, then they could get used to everything¡­.. In truth, they planned on following the former plan.They were going to start their search after they got acclimated to this place. However, the problem was the urgent news he received. ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for the Big Smiles¡­.¡¯ The urgent news said a large contingent of Big Smiles guild members had crossed the Terube castle wall. In truth, this was within the realm of possibilities they had postulated.If one had a decent head on one¡¯s shoulder, it was easy to connect the dot between the Northland and the third Main Scenario Quest. ¡®No. If it wasn¡¯t for Sinclair¡­¡¯ Sinclair was within this group. He wasn¡¯t known to the world, but he was a User that was on par or better than the officers of the 30 great guilds.He was also a person that had received aggressive love calls from all the 30 great guilds, yet he was unwavering in switching his affiliation. Yet he was wearing a Big Smiles guild symbol now.Moreover, Natal received information that Sinclair was one of the figures leading the group.Natal couldn¡¯t help, but be thrown into a state of confusion. This put a lot of pressure on him.If it was just the Big Smile, he could just treat them as a big dog that moved into the neighborhood.However, this was the Big Smiles guild with Sinclair included in the party.A feral beast had just moved into the neighborhood. In the end, Natal decided to accelerate their timeline in finishing the Quest instead of facing off against the Big Smiles guild. However, the frozen ground was starting to cause significant delays. ¡®If things head along this way, they¡¯ll definitely catch up to us.¡¯ They were in a obstacle race, and they were having a hard time getting past the obstacles.They were pretty much stuck. Of course, they would be caught by the latecomers. ¨C We got it!Stop! At that moment, Sohank¡¯s voice was heard in Natal¡¯s ears.At the same time, the Priests ran towards Sohank.They used the Healing skills to quickly mend the wounds.Then they started putting the Buff skills on him as a precaution for the unforeseen circumstances that might occur. ¡°Natal!¡± As he was receiving the skills from the Priests, Sohank immediately called out to Natal. Natal approached Sohank, and he gave orders to his subordinates through Voice Talk. ¡°Listen!We don¡¯t have much time, so we¡¯ll be brief in taking footage for data.Once you guys finish filming, we¡¯ll immediately butcher the monster.Clean up after yourselves.Don¡¯t leave behind any Ingredient Coins.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say this again.We can¡¯t leave behind any trace.The Ingredient Coins won¡¯t disappear. ¡°Yes.¡± His warnings were almost approaching the level of nagging.Even though, he had given his warnings, Natal didn¡¯t look to be in a good mood.His expression was screwed up as he started a conversation with Sohank. 2. Poo-oohk! A wide and nimble sword was embedded deep within the Hammerhead¡¯s single sharp eyes.The Hammerhead¡¯s body started to shake.It was such a deep wound that the Hammerhead couldn¡¯t even let out a scream. Kooh-oohng! In the end, the Hammerhead weakly fell to the ground as if it was a large piece of log. A User descended using the fallen Hammerhead¡¯s body as a staircase.Sinclair immediately flipped over the Hammerhead¡¯s body. Swhoook! After flipping it over, he immediately extracted his sword from the Hammerhead¡¯s single eye.Sinclair sheathed his sword.It was the surest gesture that signified the end of a battle. Everyone, who had been watching the battle, let out exclamations. ¡°Amazing.You are really amazing.¡± ¡°Sinclair-nim! You are really incredible!¡± Then there were those, who swallowed their exclamations. ¡®How preposterous.He just climbed atop the Hammerhead¡¯s head?If it went awry, he would have been swept up in the Head-butt¡­.I¡¯ll never be able to do such a thing.¡± ¡®I know he has the Items, but it is also his incredible skills.Why haven¡¯t such a skilled User gained any notoriety yet?¡¯ ¡®Why did such a skilled User enter our guild?¡¯ Of course, not everyone was letting out or swallowing exclamations. ¡°You did well.¡± Instead of an exclamation, Apollo spoke as if he was a noble giving praise to his subordinate.He spoke in a disinterested tone.Sinclair also responded in a disinterested manner.He slightly nodded his head. Apollo¡¯s expression crumpled a little bit.His presence was being continuously marginalized, so it seemed Apollo didn¡¯t welcome the current situation. Sinclair also didn¡¯t like the situation he was in. ¡®I know this is a job, but I can¡¯t believe I have to lower my head to this guy.¡¯ He had operated without publicizing his face in the past, but Sinclair had been treated with utmost respect and care by everyone as a Helper from the Hands guild.Apollo was nothing if he didn¡¯t have his father¡¯s influence. Of course, he didn¡¯t look kindly to Apollo holding a role of being his superior. ¡®Be patient.This will come to an end soon.¡¯ He knew the importance of this job, so Sinclair firmly preached patience to himself. ¡®It won¡¯t be too long.¡¯ After they moved beyond the Terube castle wall, Sinclair led the Big Smiles guild member in a chase after the Hydra guild.They had only one purpose.They were going to start a guild battle against the Hyrdra guild. Of course, they didn¡¯t plan on fighting a full scale battle.From the Hydra guild¡¯s perspective, they weren¡¯t keen on a full scale battle either.They would work to avoid that outcome.Reinforcements weren¡¯t anywhere near them, and there were no castles or towns beyond the Terube wall.If they performed a fullscale war, it would be basically be akin to a suicide bombing. In the end, they¡¯ll decide do a 1on1 battle.A great match would ensue, and this was the result wanted by Sinclair. ¡®If I kill Sohank, everything will change.¡¯ Sohank was the strongest User in the Hydra guild.What was the worth of winning a 1on1 battle against him? He had no idea. It was incalculable, but just the thought of it was enough to make him smile. A smile formed on Sinclair¡¯s lips.One User saw his smile, so the User spoke up. ¡°It seems you are in a good mood.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Nothing.I just saw you smiling, so I¡­.¡± The one that asked the question was Cho-oohroong.He was the one that had built an affinity with Bagel by playing on the Battlefield stage. He was also the one that was able to receive the Northland Exploration Quest. Unlike Apollo, Sinclair had a high opinion of Cho-oohroong.Cho-oohroong had helped out Sinclair in various ways, so Sinclair treated him well. ¡°I¡¯ll be fighting a skilled User soon.The anticipation I have for the fight must have revealed itself through my expression.¡± This was why Sinclair revealed some of his true feelings in front of Cho-oohroong. ¡°As expected, you are incredible.¡± Cho-oohroong had an expression filled with admiration as he looked at Sinclair.Sinclair¡¯s smile deepened when he saw this particular expression. This is what he wanted.He didn¡¯t want everyone to look at him as just some nobody.He wanted them to look at him with respect.He didn¡¯t want to be the expert that only other experts knew about.We wanted to become world famous. ¡°Sinclair-nim is probably the only one in this game that feels happy about the prospect of fighting Sohank.¡± ¡°I¡¯m flattered.However, if I don¡¯t win, this would have all been an act of reckless bravado.¡± ¡°No.From what I just saw now, you will definitely win.Of course, this is assuming the other side doesn¡¯t do anything foul.¡± The dayy will come soon.Even people, who didn¡¯t know Sinclair, would look up to him! Sinclair¡¯s smile deepened further.It was so deep that his smile couldn¡¯t get any more broader. It happened at that moment¡­. ¡°Uh? There is a Coin here!¡± ¡°What?¡± The atmosphere suddenly changed.Everyone gathered in a single location when they heard the word Coin. ¡°Did you just say Coins?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Try picking it up.¡± ¡°Here it is.¡± Sinclair immediately held the Coin, and he checked the Coin¡¯s information on the Holographic Window. [Deadwood Monkey¡¯s Skin] [Deadwood Monkey¡¯s Skin] [Deadwood Monkey¡¯s Bone] It was the Ingredient Coins from the Deadwood Monkeys. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the 20th one we found?¡± ¡°We are finding fallen Coins every time we are about to forget about it.¡± ¡°It seems there is a hole in the Coin Pouch carried by the Hydra guild.It seems they are leaving behind a trail.¡± Ingredient Coins was a trace that could only be left behind by Users. ¡°All of a sudden, we are like Hansel and Gretel following after the breadcrumbs.¡± Obviously, this tracks was left behind by the Hydra guild.In other words, the Big Smiles guild was on the right path in chasing down the Hydra guild. However, Sinclair no longer had a smile on his face.He spoke in an earnest tone. ¡°Let us move faster.¡± Chapter 143 – The Frozen Land (2) Chapter 143 ¨C The Frozen Land (2) 3. The blizzard was sweeping across the frozen land, and the blizzard wasn¡¯t just satisfied with blinding the intruders. [A powerful coldness has swept over you. All Stats will be decreased by 10%.] [After 19 minutes, you will get frost bites.] [The powerful cold has swept over your armor, and the coldness will decrease its durability.] [The powerful coldness has swept over you, and your senses have been dulled.] This had never been experience anywhere on Warlord before.The intense cold was more terrifying than imagined.In this terrifying cold, two Users were facing each other.Sohank and Sinclair ignored the terrifying cold.They held swords that was almost impossible to determine the market prices.These expensive swords were pointed at each other. This was their second meeting. Of course, their first meeting hadn¡¯t been under such a dire situation.It had been a long time, since the two had met¡­They met during the time when the combined level of both Users were barely over level 100.It wasn¡¯t a long meeting.They just knew about each other¡¯s reputation.Since they were just curious about each other¡¯s reputation, they looked each other¡¯s face, and they parted after shaking hands.That was it. There hadn¡¯t been any subsequent meetings.Most of the 30 great guilds asked for help from the Hands guild, but the Hydra guild was firm in not negotiating with them.Hydra guild put the most importance on gaining and protecting secrets.Of course, this was the stance they would take. Even after such a long gap between their meetings, they didn¡¯t share any small talks.They were in a situation where they had to kill each other.They had no doubts in their hearts. Strikers. They always pierced through whatever that is in their way in the front lines.They was no reason why they should pay attention to their surrounding. They only had one task to do here. ¡®I¡¯ll kill him.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll end this.¡¯ They had to find a way to kill the other User.That was it. 4. There was why this frozen land was so harsh.There was no place to hide from the blizzard.If one stayed still, one would receive a penalty.Moreover, when one reached the point of getting frostbites, one¡¯s HP started to decrease.If one wanted a true rest in this frozen land, one had to make a shelter with one¡¯s hands. The method was unexpectedly easy. Igloo. One had to gather a lot of snow to make a mound, and one had to dig in like a rabbit.The igloo was surprisingly snug. Natal was within this snug space, and the felt disgusted at sharing the same space with the User next to him. ¡®The new officer of the Big Smiles, Apollo¡­.¡¯ Apollo was standing next to Natal. ¡®I remember seeing his portrait, but I never thought he had such a skill.¡¯ To state the obvious, Natal wasn¡¯t in the same Igloo as the other man, because he liked the other User. It had been about two week since the Hydra guild had crossed to the other side of the Terube castle. The Big Smiles guild was close on the Hydra guild¡¯s tail.The two groups were within a distance that could be travelled within 24 hours.It took 24 hours for the field to reset.Basically, the Big Smiles guild was able to see the track left atop the snowfield.The chase had basically ended there. ¡®At a glance, he just looks like a greedy big¡­.¡¯ The chase was pointless.The only thing left to do was to fight.This was why the two guilds agreed to a guild war. The losing side would give up on exploring the Northland.Each side would pick a champion, and everything would come down to a 1on1 battle. This wasn¡¯t anything special. An all-out guild war¡­. In the past, the Big Smiles and Triple Wing guild had put their existence on the line as they performed a guild war.However, that kind of guild war rarely occurred.However, the guild war that was occurring right now happened quite frequently between the 30 great guilds. It didn¡¯t make sense to fight an all-out battle for an owner-less mountain.It was better to determine the owner of the owner-less mountain through a single combat.This was the most profitable way to come to a decision.At the same time, if the 30 great guilds shed their bloods to claim ownership of this mountain, a third party would be reticent to object to the result. When the deal was made, everyone except the combatants moved far away from the battle site.If one watched the battle from up close, it would just increase the probability of something disgraceful happening. Above all else, this was a courtesy given to one¡¯s opponents.There would be no recordings allowed for this battle.This wasn¡¯t for personal glory.This was a fight for one¡¯s organization.There was no reason to clap for the winner, and there was no reason why they should console the loser.The only thing that needed to be recorded was the result of the fight. ¡®I never expected him to be a genius tracker.¡¯ At that moment, Natal wasn¡¯t thinking about the guild war, Sohank or Sinclair.He was thinking about Apollo. In truth, when Natal received the portrait, he hadn¡¯t even known that Apollo was an officer of Big Smiles.Moreover, he didn¡¯t want to waste space in remembering him.According to the information gathered by the Hydra guild, he wasn¡¯t anything special.He could be ignored. However, a pursuit team led by Apollo had caught up to the Hydra guild in just a week. Natal was shocked when he saw the Big Smiles¡¯ guild symbol on Sinclair¡¯s chest, but the more surprising part was the fact that they had been tracked down so quickly. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you are a new officer.¡± This was why Natal had created this space. ¡®I have to find out if Apollo is the genius tracker or maybe it¡¯s someone else¡­.I have to find this out.¡¯ Sohank was fighting for his guild with his life on the line, so of course, Natal had to use his own method to fight for his guild. There was no way Apollo knew what Natal was thinking.Instead of an answering, Apollo smirked as he slightly nodded his head. Apollo was overbearing as he sneered at Natal. ¡®Does he have something?¡¯ His smile made Natal nervous.Natal was Hydra guild¡¯s Eight Head.The User in front of him was a new face to the Big Smiles guild.His position and reputation was all relatively new.There was no reason why Apollo should be looking at him in such an overbearing manner. In other words, there was a high chance that something allowed Apollo to act in this overbearing manner. Natal didn¡¯t get mad.He just continued the conversation. ¡°Your skill is great.I can¡¯t believe you guys were able to track us down.There had been a great distance between us.¡± ¡°I just chased after someone that was very careless with his pouch.I wouldn¡¯t call that as having a great skill.It wasn¡¯t hard at all.¡± After saying those words, Apollo overtly sneered at Natal.There was no deep reason behind his smile. ¡®Hydra guild isn¡¯t that great.¡¯ Apollo was able to raise his nose high into the air with impunity against a Head of the Hydra guild.It felt awesome. ¡®Careless with one¡¯s pouch?¡¯ Natal had the opposite reaction when he heard Apollo¡¯s words.From Natal¡¯s disordered thoughts, a new suspicion was starting to build. ¡®Perhaps?¡¯ Kah-ahng! The ongoing blizzard was colorless. Kwahng! The ongoing blizzard looked drab. On top of the white snowfield, Sohank and Sinclair was fighting a fierce battle. The snowfield was being greatly disturbed.Sword Energies was sent forth every time the Cool Time ended.The Sword Energies had the power to demolish the ground.No matter how severe this land was, it was impossible to maintain its pristine condition when the sword strikes impacted on the ground. The harsh lands couldn¡¯t stand up against the sword strikes, and of course, the armors worn by the two Users couldn¡¯t be in a good state after facing such attacks. At the very least, the armors were maintaining its original shape.The continuous attacks had laid bare the two Users¡¯ arms and shoulders.It was hard to call those parts as being armored.The helmets were also dented and split open. However, the swords they held were fine. Both Users had the best weapons one could acquire.They didn¡¯t care if they fought with no armor!This was the resolve that befitted the two of the greatest Strikers in Warlord. However, the part that was tormenting them the most wasn¡¯t the damage inflicted by others. [You are frostbitten.Your health will quickly deteriorate.] [In 10 minutes, you will be in a critical condition from the frostbite.] [The coldness will start dominating your body.All Stats have decreased by 20%.Your movements have slowed.] These wounds could easily be resolved by a Priest¡¯s Buff and Heal Skill.However, without the administration of a Priest, the prior wounds were turning into critical wounds. Moreover, the two had promised beforehand.They agreed not to use any consumables. ¡®There are too many variables changing on this stage.Nothing good will come from taking my time.¡¯ ¡®I shouldn¡¯t wait for luck to shift towards me.I have to end this with my skill.¡¯ The two didn¡¯t want to lean on luck.They wanted to resolve this using their own skills.This was evidence that they were confident in their skills.At the same time, if luck was on the other¡¯s side, it would mean the other User had no chance of winning.This was the evidence of how much pressure was on them.One could never predict as to who the Lady Luck will smile on. The battle continued as no one could easily seize the victory, and they were close to reaching their limits.They unconsciously started wishing for luck to be on their side. ¡®I don¡¯t care what it is.I want you to make a mistake.¡¯ ¡®I can¡¯t lose here no matter what.¡¯ At that moment, luck favored one side. Kah-ahng! Lady Luck smiled on Sinclair. They were swinging their sword, and the sound of steel rang out as their swords collided with each other.Then a goosebump inducing sound like grinding teeth was heard. Ggee-dook ggeee-dook! Sohank was starting to be pushed backwards. Why was he being pushed back? Instead of questioning his fortune, Sinclair let out a mighty shout, and he started pressingharder against Sohank.Sohank¡¯s arms flew backwards without him willing it to do so, and Sohank¡¯s chest was revealed.Sinclair executed a Body Slam. Ggwah-gwahng! Accompanying the loud sound, Sohank fell over backwards.Sinclair stepped on the chest of the fallen Sohank.He didn¡¯t make any small talks.Sinclair reversed his sword, and he brought it down.The sword headed towards Sohank¡¯s chest region. Ggee-ee-ee! The armor let out a sharp sound.It was the sound of steel being cut. Poohk! One could here the flesh being pierced. When an expert reached their limits, one critical blow was enough to end the User. ¡®I won.¡¯ Sohank suffered a Game Over.The first one to realized this was Sinclair, and at that moment, he was satisfied. ¡®Finally, glory is in my hands.¡¯ The satisfaction he felt was appropriate. He had fought and won against a tough opponent.Moreover, it allowed him to achieve something he always wanted.He had suffered, and fought hard to feel this senses of satisfaction.Of course, he was content. This feeling of contentment stole the tension from Sinclair¡¯s body. ¡®It¡¯s cold.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t felt the cold before, but now he felt it.It was as if his skin was being cut¡­No, it wasn¡¯t that cold.Still, it was cold enough that it didn¡¯t feel good. Sinclair turned his head to look at the raging blizzard.When he pierced through this blizzard, he would return to where everyone had stayed behind.He thought about the glory that would unfold in front of him. There was a smile around Sinclair¡¯s lips. At that moment, the sight in front of Sinclair¡¯s eyes darkened. [You have died.] As Sinclair¡¯s world became dyed in black, he heard that short phrase. 6. Two piece of news was delivered to both Natal and Apollo. Natal received an apology from Sohank.Apollo received a message from Sinclair saying he¡¯s been ambushed by someone. When they received those messages, both of them smashed through the igloo at the same time.Natal gritted his teeth when he came out into the blizzard. ¡®We lost everything.¡¯ Sohank had lost.Now the Hydra guild will have to retreat from this frozen land.They¡¯ll have to return to the Terube castle wall. They would be returning without gaining anything! Natal thought about the time he had invested for this exploration quest.It wasn¡¯t a loss that he could just get over after being sick to the stomach. ¡°Everyone gather!¡± Apollo was swept up in his rage.At Apollo¡¯s shout, the Big Smiles guild members gathered around him.Apollo shouted as if he wanted Natal to hear it. ¡°How dare you screw me over!¡± Natal had become despondent, so he was having a hard time understanding Apollo¡¯s reaction. ¡°We won the match!So why did you take revenge on him?¡± Natal thought for a brief moment when he heard Apollo¡¯s question. In such a volatile situation, Natal didn¡¯t have much time to think.Moreover, the questions he could ask at this moment was limited.Natal worked his brain hard in that short amount of time to come up with the most forthright and effective question. ¡°Is Sinclair dead?¡± ¡°Do you plan on dodging the blame!¡± Apollo¡¯s rage allowed the disarticulated thoughts inside Natal¡¯s head to start piecing itself together like puzzle pieces.The thoughts inside his head started finding its old pattern. Ha ha. Natal couldn¡¯t help, but laugh. On the other side, Apollo was getting ready to immediately start a small guild war.It had been a one on one battle.They had won fair and square, yet a third combatant had interfered.Now Sinclair was dead.Apollo couldn¡¯t stand idly by. As the atmosphere was getting harsh, Natal swallowed the sneer he was about to direct toward Apollo, and he spoke. ¡°It wasn¡¯t us.¡± Instead of answering, Apollo glared at Natal.When they heard Apollo¡¯s words, the Big Smiles guild members took out their weapons, and they started their Magic Casting.As if they sensed something was about to go down, the Hydra guild started getting ready for battle too. ¡°Even if we had lost, we wouldn¡¯t have been such an underhanded losers like you.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the proof?¡± ¡°Proof?¡± Natal retorted with a question to Apollo¡¯s words. ¡°Do you have proof that we attacked Sinclair?¡± ¡°If you look at the circumstances¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You made a judgement after seeing only the circumstances.You only have circumstantial evidence yet you are willing to break the deal by attacking us?¡± At this point, Apollo closed his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll say it again.I accept our defeat.The Hydra guild will pull out of the Northland.¡± Apollo¡¯s thoughts became complicated as Natal continued to speak. The victor, Sinclair,had died from a sudden ambush.If one looked at the circumstances, the probability of the Hydra guild being behind the plot was high.Apollo determined the probability to be 99 percent. On the other hand, the Hydra guild had just admitted defeat, and they were going to pull out of here.It would be foolish to ignore the previous deal to attack the Hydra guild first.It would be a burdensome act. Moreover, their victory wouldn¡¯t be guaranteed by attacking first.It was a situation where the two guilds had lost their Ace Cards, and none of the other cards could guarantee a victory. In the end, Apollo had achieved the desired result. ¡®I gained what I came here to gain.¡¯ He had carried out a guild war against the Hydra guild, and he had won.Apollo¡¯s standing within Big Smiles guild would change after this. In such a situation, he didn¡¯t want to force the issue. ¡®Did they really not do this??¡¯ Of course, he still had questions.If the Hydra guild hadn¡¯t lashed out from their loss, then who killed Sinclair?Sinclair had been clear in his message.He said he had been ambushed. Was he attacked by a monster?Or was there really a third party? Natal was the one that resolved Apollo¡¯s worries. ¡°We¡¯ll find the answer when we get to the place where the two had fought.¡± Apollo yelled out instead of answering him. ¡°Stand down!¡± 7. When the fierce battle died down, the battlefield started to be covered by snow. This was why when the Hydra guild and Big Smiles guild arrived at their destination, they could barely see the traces left behind by the battle.Instead, they saw the two corpses lying next to each other, and someone was standing over them like a guardian. It was a single User¡­¡­ He was wearing leather clothes lined with white fur.In the blizzard, it was hard to make him out.However, Natal knew who this User was. ¡®It¡¯s the Hahoe Mask.Yes, if it was the Hahoe Mask¡­.¡¯ There was only one User that would conspire against the 30 great guilds by himself. ¡°Who are you!¡± One didn¡¯t need to ask the question asked by Apollo if one had a decent head above their shoulders.One would be able to assess the situation. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time we¡¯ve seen each other.It¡¯ll be more convenient for me if you are a little bit more quick on the uptake.¡± ¡°Hahoe Mask?¡± It was as Natal had surmised.The User in front of his eyes was the Hahoe Mask. The Hahoe Mask had set this up.When he saw Sinclair with the Big Smiles, Hyrkan wanted them to fight Sohank and the Hydra guild.It worked out better than expected.They readily fought each other, and they died easier than he had expected. At this point, Apollo and Natal diverged in their actions. ¡°How dare you, Hahoe Mask!Do you think you¡¯ll be fine after you meddled against the Big Smiles?¡± Apollo raged. On the other hand, Natal thought over the situation. ¡®He didn¡¯t really have to reveal his role in this.The fact that he revealed himself¡­.He plans on taking further action.¡¯ Instead of facing the conflicted Natal, Hyrkan dealt with the raging Apollo. ¡°I don¡¯t have a good relationship with Big Smiles.Moreover, didn¡¯t you try to fuck me over in the past?Now I see you were from the Big Smiles.¡± Hyrkan¡¯s finger was pointing at Cho-oohroong.It was impossible to see his face, since Cho-oohroong was wearing his helmet.However, Cho-oohroon unconsciously turned his gaze away when Hyrkan pointed at him.It was to be expected.There was something to feel guilty about. Hyrkan¡¯s finger slightly moved to point at Apollo. ¡°I also fought with you before.Your watch went to funding a good cause.Thank you.I always receive contributions from you.I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡­.¡± Apollo¡¯s body was shaking as he was about to lose his temper.Then Hyrkan¡¯s finger moved towards Sinclair¡¯s corpse, which was lying by his feet. ¡°Also, I have a personal grievance with this one.¡± This was the first time Natal opened his mouth. ¡°Are you talking about Sinclair?¡± Sinclair. This was the first time Hyrkan had heard Sinclair¡¯s character name.Hyrkan smiled as he nodded his head. ¡°This guy attacked me with the intent to kill before, but I got him with the Watchman Style.¡± Watchman Style? Everyone unconsciously dwelled upon that word.Several Users had puzzled expression on their faces.Hyrkan saw their expressions, so he answered after glancing at Sinclair. ¡°If you don¡¯t know what it is, you can ask Sinclair.No, he could be listening to this conversation in real life right now.The watch you gave me was contributed to a really good cause, Sinclair.Thank you.Ah.Also, I want to congratulate you for killing Sohank.You¡¯ll become so famous that it¡¯ll be hard for me to get your autograph.Aigo.I¡¯m jealous.¡± As Hyrkan spoke, the Users that were quick on the uptake realized that Hyrkan wasn¡¯t just giving a simple explanation. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get back to the main topic.Apollo. You said I¡¯ll regret messing with the Big Smiles.Didn¡¯t you say that?From my experience up to this point, I¡¯ve been pretty much unharmed after messing with the Big Smiles.¡± It was a provocation. ¡°In truth, even if I did say I won¡¯t mess with the Big Smiles, the Big Smiles guild will still pursue me.I¡¯m about to pass by you, while licking my fingers after a meal.Are you really going to let me just walk away, Apollo?What if I summon twenty Skeletons to dance Beyonce¡¯s Single Lady in front of you?Will you just watch?Huh?¡± ¡°Son of a bitch¡­¡­.¡± It was a clear provocation. ¡°It doesn¡¯t¡¯ matter if I mess with Big Smiles or not.There won¡¯t be any significant changes to our relationship.I guess this answers the question you asked me before.¡± Hyrkan was creating a situation where Apollo and the Big Smiles guild had to attack Hyrkan. ¡°I¡¯ll immediately¡­¡­.¡± It seemed Apollo was unable to hold back his anger.He was about to explode.However, the one to stop the explosion was Natal. ¡°Hahoe Mask.I¡¯m pretty sure our relationship with you isn¡¯t to bad.Am I deluding myself?¡± ¡°Hydra guild has never messed with me.¡± Natal narrowed his eyes. Hyrkan gave an additional explanation. ¡°First, Sohank¡¯s loss was legitimate.Sohank can confirm this truth.I didn¡¯t cause his death.¡± ¡®However, you bastard set it up so that our guild would clash with the Big Smiles guild!¡¯ ¡­¡­Natal didn¡¯t say those words.He didn¡¯t have proof.Circumstantial evidence wasn¡¯t proof in Warlord.Moreover, the Hydra guild was the one, who chose to battle the Big Smiles.They weren¡¯t pressured into making that decision. Of course, Natal didn¡¯t plan on backing off so easily. ¡°Is that all you have to say for yourself?¡± Natal once again tried to agitate Hyrkan.Natal gave off the impression that he didn¡¯t care about the lack of evidence.He appeared as if he was going to thoroughly punish Hyrkan. Up to this point, Hyrkan had a playful atmosphere around him.However, the atmosphere around him changed drastically at Natal¡¯s forceful words. ¡°If you don¡¯t like my answer, then I¡¯m fine with it.I request a guild war.¡± He had declared a guild war. Everyone had a blank expression on their faces.This proposal was too unexpected. ¡®Guild war?¡¯ ¡®Does this mean the Hahoe Mask has a guild?¡¯ However, everyone came to their own answer to those questions. ¡®Ah.¡¯ ¡®Oh my god¡­¡­.¡¯ What would a guild battle with the Hahoe Mask mean? ¡°The method of battle will be a group battle.The stage will be here.It will be on this frozen land.The losers will lose all claims to the Northland.The two guilds could attack me in order, or you guys can cooperate with each other.Either option is fine with me¡± The Hahoe Mask had just requested a guild war against the 30 great guilds by himself. This was why Hyrkan didn¡¯t need to explain himself any further. ¡°We¡¯ll fight until one side is entirely eradicated.¡± Ssooook¡­¡­. With those last words, the Skeleton Warriors that had been hiding in the snow started to reveal themselves one by one from behind Hyrkan. Chapter 144 – The Frozen Land (3) Chapter 144 ¨C The Frozen Land (3) 8. An accident can happen in an instant. ¡°I accept the guild war!¡± Natal was thinking hard to find out Hyrkan¡¯s hidden intent.The rest of the guild members felt nervous and threatened by Hyrkan¡¯s confidence, which bordered on being arrogant.Apollo didn¡¯t bother to think.He felt numb, and he immediately spat out the emotion he was feeling with his words. ¡°Attack!¡± He let out a shout of determination, but there was no substance behind it.Apollo¡¯s shout was met with a more colder reaction than the blizzard surrounding them.Apollo felt desolate, and this feeling of desolation lasted a quite a long time. Apollo felt taken aback after he spoke those words.Of course, Apollo wasn¡¯t taken aback, because he realized he had a mistake. ¡®Why aren¡¯t they moving?¡¯ He had given an order, yet no one was doing anything.This was why he was taken aback. ¡°I accept the guild war.¡± With those words, Hyrkan opened his arms wide. ¡®Yes, Apollo.I put my trust in you.¡¯ Hyrkan had opened his two arms wide, and he felt like giving a big hug to the the corpulent body of Apollo. From the perspective of the Big Smiles¡¯ guild members, they could see the armor beneath Hyrkan¡¯s white leather fur coat when he spread his arm wide. Gulp! Someone swallowed their spit. It was the armor worn by the White-eyed Knight Argardo, who had terrorized everyone in the great battle.There was no way they could mistake it for some other armor.There was a black colored blot that moved atop the silver armor like a living carp.There was only one such armor in all of Warlord. Of course, the sword sheath attached to the armor probably held Argardo¡¯s sword.It was probably the Crying Sword. These facts in itself gave them a feeling of intense pressure.The Big Smiles guild members felt overwhelmed, and it started causing them to feel fear. ¡®It brings up a bad memory.¡¯ ¡®Shit.That Item setting is a cheat.¡¯ The Big Smiles guild had also faced Argardo.Most of the members gathered here had participated in the battle with Argardo.None of them directly fought Argardo, but they had seen, felt and heard Argardo¡¯s imposing presence. The Hahoe Mask was wearing Argardo¡¯s armor¡­¡­. ¡®I don¡¯t want to fight him.¡¯ ¡®The first ones to attack him will all die.¡¯ Hyrkan was a monster that was much more scarier than most large sized Boss Monsters.How many Users in Warlord would be able to attack Hyrkan unhesitatingly?Moreover, a sacrificial lamb was need in any action they took.No one wanted to volunteer themselves to become the sacrificial lamb. If one wanted a sacrificial lamb to step forward, one needed leadership and charisma.The leader needed respect from his men.Apollo had none of these traits. ¡®They won¡¯t attack me?¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan looked at the frozen Big Smiles guild members, and he turned his back on them. ¡®Uh?¡¯ This was the moment right before the start of a battle. If this was a battlefield, where one used guns, someone would have already prematurely fired one¡¯s gun. It was a time when the Hahoe Mask and the Big Smiles would exchange killing intent. Yet Hyrkan chose to turn his back on them?Everyone blankly stared at Hyrkan¡¯s back.Hyrkan disappeared into the blizzard.They couldn¡¯t see the Skeleton Warriors either. ¡°What the hell are you guys doing!Get him!¡± Apollo once again let out a shout. ¡°It is an order!Go get the Hahoe Mask!I¡¯ll give a penalty to any bastard, who doesn¡¯t follow my order!¡± At this point, his shouts were more of a threat than an order.The Big Smiles guild members took their time as they moved towards the direction where the Hahoe Mask had disappeared. Natal let out a bitter laugh when he saw this. ¡®Did he plan this out too?¡¯ ¡°Go get his watch.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At his words, a single User approached Sohank¡¯s corpse.The wristwatches of Sohank and Sinclair was untouched. ¡®If he took the watches, we could have used it as a pretext¡­.However, there is no way he would show such a weak point¡­¡¯ Hahoe Mask hadn¡¯t left behind the watches, because he was kind. From one to ten, all of the Hahoe Mask¡¯s actions had a purpose and preparation behind it. ¡°Are we going to fight?¡± ¡°Fight whom?¡± ¡°That¡­¡­.¡± They were still not used to this blizzard raging in this world.In such a world, Hyrkan had prepared leather clothes lined with white fur on the outside.The Hahoe Mask had come out of nowhere, but he was prepared to camouflage himself by wearing that color. Who in their right mind would want to face such an opponent in a battle? ¡°We are giving up on the Northland exploration.¡± Natal was confident that he strategize a win in a battle against the Hahoe Mask.However, he wasn¡¯t confident he could win in this particular battlefield. ¡°We don¡¯t have to add stupidity to our incompetence.¡± As Natal said those words, he looked at Apollo, who was jumping up and down in anger near Sinclair¡¯s body. ¡®He wasn¡¯t a genius tracker.He was a patsy that was very easy to use.¡¯ 9. Hyrkan didn¡¯t particularly like the snowfields.In the past, he had suffered numerous troubles on the snowfield by the Storm hunters. However, it was a different story if there was a blizzard.The blizzard restricted one¡¯s vision, and it dulled one¡¯s senses.Moreover, there were various additional penalties when one stepped onto this harsh land¡­ How many Users in Warlord would able to differentiate Hyrkan¡¯s tracks from the tracks of the Skeletons in such conditions? Moreover, Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton underlings weren¡¯t normal Skeletons.They weren¡¯t just bones.They were Warriors equipped with expensive Items that most normal Users couldn¡¯t even procure. ¡°Shit!Those are Skeleton Warriors!¡± ¡°Be mindful of your surrounding!¡± The Strikers and Tankers was carefully following the tracks when they became frightened.It was the moment when their battle with the Skeleton Warriors had started. ¡°It is an ambush!¡± The Skeleton Warriors had been on standby behind them, and they ambushed the Priests and Magicians. This was the 7th battle that had been conducted abruptly.The score of this battle was 2 vs 10.Ten Skeleton Warriors were crushed, and two Big Smiles guild members suffered a Game Over. If one went by numbers, it would be a clear victory for them.However, the Big Smiles guild members¡¯ faces were frozen like the snow-chilled wind. ¡°The Priests¡­¡­ We have one left.¡± ¡°One Priest won¡¯t be able to cover for all the Users here.¡± ¡°We also have only 4 Magicians left.¡± Hahoe Mask wasn¡¯t amongst any of the enemies they had killed.This fact wouldn¡¯t be changed through Magic or even if their Cool Time had been reset.It basically meant they had to fight this battle until their eventual death. ¡°This is ridiculous.¡± A force of almost 30 people was facing off against a single User. This should be ridiculously easy. However, when they started fighting the Hahoe Mask, they found out that they were the ones that was ridiculously to kill.It felt as if they were the weaker foe that was being dominated. ¡°What did officer Apollo say?¡± ¡°He ranted about catching the Hahoe Mask at all cost.¡± ¡°If he wants to catch the Hahoe Mask so bad, he should do it himself.We even had to leave behind a Striker and a Priest to guard¡­.¡­¡­.¡± The weak could only complain when placed in a disadvantageous situation.However, this frozen land didn¡¯t even allow them the luxury to complain. ¡°I¡¯m in Cool Time.¡± ¡°Cool Time?I¡¯m about to receive the penalty for the Frostbite!¡± ¡°I¡¯m in Cool Time.It is out of my hands!¡± They were down to a single Priest.It basically meant the number of Users that could receive the Resistance skill had lessened. The group had avoided any critical penalties thanks to the Buff Skills laid on them by the Priests.However, now they would have face the true character of this frosty land. ¡°We¡¯ll just freeze to death here.¡± Despair. If they had a choice, they wanted to run away.However, they were scared of the guild penalties.They couldn¡¯t run away.In the end, the only thing they could do was to protect the Priest and Magicians.They moved the Priest and Magicians to the center, and they clustered around each other.That was all they did. This wasn¡¯t a pursuit.They were just slowly meandering from one place to another. However, the being that found them was far from being a blue bird.It was a Wyvern Fire Golem with flames surrounding it. ¡°This is crazy!¡± ¡°Shield! Use the Shield Magic!¡± This was their first time experiencing such an attack, so they didn¡¯t know how to react to it. Kwa-ahng! The Wyvern Fire Golem dived towards the ground, and it immediately exploded.There was only a single Shield Magic active, and it acted as an umbrella that blocked the explosion. However, the only ones that were able to benefit from the umbrella was 2 Magicians and a Priest. ¡°Shit!¡± Unexpectedly, there were no casualties.This was the Fire Golem¡¯s special skill.The Kamikaze Explosion skill was powerful, but everyone gathered here were over level 160.Moreover, they were a equipped with decent Item Settings. However, the problem was their formation.It had crumbled.They had created a formation that would have protected the Magicians and Priest, but now they were all scattered. ¡°Are you guys ok?¡± ¡°I¡¯m all right!¡± ¡°Did anyone die?Who¡¯s hurt?¡± In the midst of the broken formation, the guild members asked each other if they were ok. The Skeleton Warriors on standby used this moment to throw their Bone Spears with all their might. ¡°Those are Bone Spears!¡± The Big Smiles guild members had been taken aback by the Kamikaze attack.Now they were in a state of panic as Bone Spears flew towards them. An Ogre Golem, two Skeleton Knights and 15 Skeleton Warriors charged towards this scene of chaos. ¡°Hahoe Mask?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­.¡± This time the Hahoe Mask was in the middle of the group. In the previous seven ambushes, Hyrkan hadn¡¯t appeared.However, he was here now, and it was the surest sign that heralded his victory. 10. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t over twenty of them catch a single Users!¡± Wiped. He received the news of this ridiculous result through messages from his dead guild members.Apollo was was feeling all kinds of emotions.He was feeling rage, dejection, worry, irritation, etc.He was having a hard time maintaining a sane mind. He was at a higher level than the time he ran a guild named after himself.He was here with a party consisting of almost 30 outstanding Users.He couldn¡¯t believe they were being trampled in such a shameful manner. Moreover, it was done by the Hahoe Mask, who he hated the most.Apollo decided to avoid facing the reality. ¡°The 30 great guilds aren¡¯t that great.How can they get wiped out by one User?¡± As he spat out his complaints, Apollo started to back away.A Striker and a Priest had been left behind to protect him.Cho-oohroong yelled out towards Apollo, who had been about to disappear by himself. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°We failed, so why should I stay in this cold place!We are heading back!¡± Apollo accepted this battle as a loss.He planned on just leaving this freezing land. At that moment, Cho-oohroong was about to speak. ¡®Isn¡¯t this a battle where it¡¯ll continue until one side is completely eradicated?¡¯ Hahoe Mask was very clear in his words.This battle won¡¯t end until the other side was decimated. There was no white flags in this.The only way one could signal defeat was through a Game Over. Yet Apollo was trying to leave this stage right now? ¡®Crazy bastard!¡¯ He could try leaving this place.He wouldn¡¯t stop Apollo. However, will the Hahoe Mask really allow Apollo and his guards to retreat so easily? Cho-oohroong gritted his teeth.If this was the Hahoe Mask he knew, he wasn¡¯t merciful.He hadn¡¯t heard a single instance where the Hahoe Mask had shown mercy. Cho-oohroong¡¯s thoughts eventually became reality. 11. When a news was kept quiet, it usually stayed quiet.However, once a story starts to move, it spreads at an astonishing speed. The news regarding the fight in the Northland was the same. The first news to spread was about Hyrdra guild¡¯s Northland expedition. ¨C The Hydra guild is the first to send an expedition to Northland ¨C Northland?I thought no one could reach there? ¨C ? They got there by crossing the Terube castle wall. ¨C ? I guess everyone will be crossing the Terube castle wall now. Previously, everyone had a lot of interest in the Northland, but they didn¡¯t know how to get there. ¡®As expected of the Hydra guild!¡¯ This was the words spoke by others. ¨C The Big Smiles guild and the Hydra guild fought for the Northland, and the Big Smiles won. The next bit of news was immediately released afterwards.This shocking news engulfed all conversations regarding Warlord. The news of the Hydra and Big Smiles fighting for the rights for the Northland exploration was surprising in itself.However, the fact that the Big Smiles was the victor in the battle was more shocking. ¨C Sohank lost! ¨C My god.Who took down Sohank? ¨C The Big Smiles did it? Moreover, Sohank was one of the strongest Strikers in Warlord.He was the Second Head of the Hydra guild, and he had lost in a 1on1 battle. The Big Smiles was considered to be the doormat of the 30 great guilds.One of the critical weakness they had was the fact that they didn¡¯t have a powerful ace.The victory of the Big Smiles guild would surely bring big changes to the fate of the Big Smiles guild. ¨C Sinclair? Who the hell is that? ¨C It is another new face? The Big Smiles guild¡¯s stock was steeply rising.Most people had guessed that the Northland exploration would be the starting point to the Main Scenario Quest, and the Big Smiles guild had gained the rights to this location. Moreover, the User that had made this happen was Sinclair.His fame grew.Instead of praise, most Users were feeling nervous at the appearance of such a User. However, an incident occurred that wiped away this one User¡¯s existence off the map. ¨C The Hahoe Mask fought a guild war with the Big Smiles guild.The Hahoe Mask gained the rights! ¨C What the hell are you talking about?What do you mean by a guild war? ¨C Was it a 1on1 battle?Sinclair vs Hahoe Mask? ¨C ? No.It was 1 vs 30. ¨C ? One vs 30?Hahoe Mask and 30 Skeletons took down Sinclair? The Hahoe Mask had become the owner of the Northland. The Skeleton Warrior holding a bag full of wrist watches, Ingredient Coins and Gems stopped walking. It had come to a stop, because its owner had come to a stop. Its owner raised his head, and he looked into the great darkness that could be seen inbetween the blizzard. The darkness turned out to be a castle wall.It was as if the castle wall was cutting the world in half.It was hard to estimate how long it was.Even the fierce blizzard bowed its head against this castle wall.He raised his head to look up, and it was hard to see where the castle wall ended. Hyrkan smiled as he saw the castle wall that boasted an overwhelming dignity. In the end, Hyrkan started walking again. [You have entered the border of the Frozen Kingdom.] He heard the Announcements. [You¡¯ve earned the Title ¡®Visitor of the Frozen Kingdom¡¯.] [You¡¯ve earned the Title ¡®Great Explorer of the Northland¡¯.] [You¡¯ve earned the Title ¡®Pioneer of this Era.¡¯] It had been 20 days since he had left the Terube castle wall.The Announcements notified him that he had reached his destination. Chapter 145 – Frost Knight (1) Chapter 145 ¨C Frost Knight (1) 1. Hydra, Big Smiles and the Hahoe Mask. These three participants had created an incident that had never been seen before.Moreover, the reverberation caused by the struggle for the rights to the Northland was so strong that the topic refused to go away after a day had passed. ¨C So we have to ask for permission if we want to go to the Northland? ¨C The Hahoe Mask doesn¡¯t have a personal site.Do we have to go to his Youtube page, and ask for his permission in the comment section? ¨C I don¡¯t know.In the case of guilds, they keep a fixed schedule regarding the hunting grounds they own.I get the concept of a guild holding the ownership.However, isn¡¯t this case a little bit different?We¡¯ve never had a private User insist on the ownership of a region. ¨C ? The Hahoe Mask fought and won in a fair manner.So what¡¯s the problem? ¨C ? Didn¡¯t the Hahoe Mask ambush Sinclair after he fought Sohank?It wasn¡¯t fair and square. ¨C ? Of course, it is.He fought 30 Users.It was a 30 vs 1 fight, so it is as fair and square as it could be. ¨C ? In truth, I can¡¯t believe the Big Smiles tried a 30 vs 1 fight.I feel a bit bad about the Big Smiles. ¨C So when is the Hahoe Mask going to upload his video? Even amongst the common Users, the presence of the Hahoe Mask dominated everything. The presence of the Hahoe Mask lingered.The Red Bulls guild and 7 additional guilds of the 30 great guilds gave up on conquering the Urugal mountain range.After they abandoned the task, the only challenger left was the Stormhunters guild.However, it seemed they practically ran away from the Urugual mountain after suffering heavy damage.Then there were the stories of the skilled Users that represented the Underfoot guilds.They were receiving VIP treatments from the 30 great guilds.These Users were transferring to the 30 great guilds.Then there was the V&V guild that was continuously rewriting the time records for the Boss Monsters.However, all these news just brushed by the consciousness of the Users.These news wasn¡¯t retained in their memories. ¨C If looked at it in a certain way, the Hahoe Mask might be the warlord. ¨C Isn¡¯t the strongest User in Warlord called the warlord?Doesn¡¯t that mean the Hahoe Mask is the warlord? ¨C If a warlord appears, does this mean it is the end of Warlord? ¨C ? Then the Hahoe Mask will bring this game to an end.Do you this the Tobo Soft plans to erase the Hahoe Mask? ¨C ? Let¡¯s stop talking about the Hahoe Mask. Some were uncomfortable with the excessive interest that was paid to the Hahoe Mask. There was a scary tornado brewing outside the interest of the Hahoe Mask.However, only a few people realized this fact. ¡°This is driving me nuts.¡± He was so frustrated that a User mumbled out a complaint he shouldn¡¯t have voiced.His character name was Strauss, but he was known more by his nickname and rank.He was the First Head.The User was constantly rubbing at his face.He was one of the few people that saw the hidden storm that was brewing. ¡®The Hahoe Mask isn¡¯t the important story right now.¡¯ The First Head Strauss had heard the news about Sohank¡¯s failure and he had received Natal¡¯s report.When he heard it, he saw through to the most important issue at hand. ¡®Sohank lost to Sinclair.Sinclair now has the Big Smiles¡¯ emblem on his chest.That¡¯s the dangerous part.¡¯ Of course, the First Head was very well informed about Sinclair.Moreover, he knew a lot about the Hands guild.The Hands guild had earnestly started their activities through the V&V guild.The First Head wasn¡¯t surprised by it.He surmised it would happen one day. However, Sinclair wasn¡¯t the Hands guild expert that represented the V&V guild.The Hydra¡¯s strongest spear, Sohank, was broken by a member of the Big Smiles.When this had occurred, he had thought about the worst scenario that played out like a nightmare. ¡®Are they planning on eating the entire 30 great guilds?¡¯ The V&V guild was already in the hands of the Hands guild now. In a brief amount of time, the Big Smiles guild will also be owned by the Hands guild.Sinclair had defeated Sohank, and he would be treated like a hero in the Big Smiles guild.Of course, the Big Smiles guild will restructure themselves with Sinclair at its core. Similar events would start to occurring in the other guilds. What would happen next? ¡®Shit.¡¯ These Hands guild members will earn political power and they will start gaining a following.They would be able to crush anyone that didn¡¯t listen to them. Moreover, the attacks aimed at the Big 3 was very thinly veiled.The Hydra guild had already taken a body blow from the Big Smile guild. He couldn¡¯t guarantee it would end at this. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have used the Stormhunters as bait when we were trying to catch the Immoral Prince.Instead I should have deepened our relationship¡­.No.If we had allied ourselves with the Red Bulls or the Stormhunters, they would have just used us.¡¯ In the end, the Hydra guild didn¡¯t have many strong spears in their arsenal.Sohank was really strong.However, if Sohank was excluded, who else was there?If one excluded Chev from the Red Bulls guild, they were overflowing with skilled Users.Aside from the Storm Queen, the Stormhunters had the Storm Princess, Ballista Hatch, and other veteran heroes that had been tempered through numerous Raids.This was why he had tried to form a closer relationship with them.However, this plan became a mess when the Stormhunters guild suddenly attempted the Immortal Prince Raid.It further deteriorated with the appearance of the Hahoe Mask. As he was about to go mad as his thoughts reached this point, the First Head started to touch his face again.He ordered his thoughts. ¡®Anyways, there¡¯s no benefit in regretting past events.It isn¡¯t as if I can do anything to change it.¡¯ The hands that was touching his face stopped.The First Head thought about the best path he could take going forward. ¡®I might have to bet big in recruiting the Whistling Pit Bull.The resources we would have to use would bleed us a lot, but we need a spear that will deter the other guilds from taking our preys.Moreover¡­.Wasn¡¯t there a User called Challenger Kiyote?He¡¯s making quite a name for himself recently.I have to use this opportunity to rope them in by giving them a VIP treatment.¡¯ Recruiting. This was the best method that was available to the Hydra guild.However, the First Head let out a sigh when he thought about the cost that would have to be expended in recruiting these Users. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I miss my days working at Wall Street.¡¯ He had hated making such calculations, so he had given up his job to play this game.However, this game was forcing him to make similar decisions to his past job. At that moment, the First Head couldn¡¯t hold back his sudden laugh. ¡®At the very least, I have to thank the stars that the Hahoe Mask isn¡¯t part of the Hands guild.¡¯ In a funny way, this thought consoled the First Head¡¯s feeling.It was the fact the the Hahoe Mask wasn¡¯t part of the Hands Guild. Up until now, he had considered it quite likely that the Hahoe Mask was a member of the Hands guild.Since the Hahoe Mask and the Hands guild weren¡¯t in it together, it was a big relief for the First Head. If the Hahoe Mask had really been a member of the Hands guild, the Hydra guild¡¯s hostility towards the the Hands guild wouldn¡¯t have mattered. ¡®If we can rope in the Hahoe Mask, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about any of this¡­.¡¯ In other words, the Hahoe Mask was the biggest variable.He was a variable that could mess up the Hands guild¡¯s plan. ¡®¡­¡­just by looking at his recent actions, it is very unlikely that he¡¯ll enter one of the 30 great guilds.¡¯ Moreover, the Hahoe Mask had announced a guild war towards the Big Smiles on the frozen land.It wasn¡¯t just an announcement he gave to the 30 members that was present there.It was a warning and a challenge to all of the 30 great guilds. Maybe it was this fact? The First Head had been full of worry, but at that moment, he was filled with genuine curiosity about the Hahoe Mask. ¡®So what is the Hahoe Mask¡¯s ultimate goal?If he simply wanted money and fame, there would have been easier ways to get that.¡¯ What did the Hahoe Mask want to achieve through Warlord? ¡®The man doesn¡¯t make any sense to me.¡¯ Even the smart First Head could come up with the answer to that question. 2. This castle once boasted a splendor that couldn¡¯t be described in words.It wasn¡¯t a splendor given off by a regular castle.At one time, this place was the capital.It had been the most majestic castle of them all. However, this splendid stage was now in ruins.The castle walls were in horrible ruins, and the buildings across the castle wall was in a miserable state.If one looked past the buildings, one could see the traces of the inner castle walls still left over, but the buildings that was suppose to be protected by this inner wall was in a pathetic state.Moreover, there were footprints of some unknowing beings filling up the grounds of the inner castle, and this detail accentuated the appalling state of this place.It was the finishing touch. On top of it all, everything was coated in ice and there was a large layer of snow covering everything. This appalling sight gave off a feeling of extreme sadness, and there was an indescribable shabbiness that was pervasive. Two groups were using this stage as a battle ground. One group consisted of Orcs with leathers that had turned pale.Instead of weapons, these Orcs used their sharp frozen arms to attack.The Orcs didn¡¯t possess heat, eyes, vitality or vigor of living beings. The other group facing the Cursed Orc horde wasn¡¯t all that different from them.They were wearing very stylish armors, and they held excellent blades that was well-used.However, the most pervasive detail about the Skeleton Warriors was the sure proof of death they possessed. This was a battle between beings that couldn¡¯t die. None of them could let out any sound, so in a way, one would assume that the battle would have been silent. Kah-ahng, kah-ahng! However, the sounds of steels clashing was more powerful than any lame shout or roar. Moreover, the sound they produced varied immensely. Kwah-ahng, kwah-ahng! The swords swung by the Skeleton Warriors were breaking the frozen skin of the Orcs. The sound was cheerful and heavy at the same same time. Ggee-eee-eee-eee! The Cursed Orcs were frozen solid, and they were sturdier than most swords.Their sharp arms were swung to damage the armors of the Skeleton Warriors.The sound it made was goosebump inducing yet sharp. These two groups were tirelessly carrying out the battle, and the sound that was being emitted was so rhythmic that it sounded like a music ensemble. Moreover, these beings looked as if they would be able to carry out this diverse performance until the end of time. The broken body of the Orcs were surprisingly being healed by the blizzard.Even a deep wound was mended when snow covered it. It was the same for the Skeleton Warriors, but it was the responsibility of another being to mend their wounds.It was the responsibility of the owner. ¡®Busy.I¡¯m so busy.¡¯ Hyrkan was the owner of the Skeleton Warriors, and he never retreated on the battlefield.In a battle between the Undeads, he was doing something funny. When a Cursed Orc¡¯s body received a critical blow, it tried to repair its crumbled body.Hyrkan searched through the pile.He was like a cat searching through a trash bin.Instead of using his sword, he could be seen holding a bottle, and he was spraying holy water on the item he had found.This wasn¡¯t a look of a veteran hero that fought in front of the fearless Skeleton Warriors should be showing. [The Cursed Orc¡¯s Curse is dispelled.] However, at that moment, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t lamenting or smiling in self-deprecation.He was actually struck by admiration. ¡®I¡¯ve been feeling this for awhile now, but¡­ The Stormhunters must had shit blood when they first hunted here. Twenty days. It had been 20 days since Hyrkan had entered the Frozen Kingdom¡¯s territory after passing the frozen land. This wasn¡¯t a short amount of time.During this period, he faced monsters that were dead, but they were still moving in their frozen state. Of course, these monsters didn¡¯t possess only the simple abilities that came with a frozen monster. ¡®The difficulty of this game is really fucked up.¡¯ The basic setup was that the monsters had been cursed by the Frost Dragon. They couldn¡¯t die on their own, and even deep wounds would regenerate within a snowstorm.This terrifying curse wouldn¡¯t disappear since the weather wouldn¡¯t change here. These monsters were cursed as they suffered an endlessly pathetic fate. Of course, from the User¡¯s point of view, the frozen body significantly increased the monster¡¯s defense.Moreover, they held properties of an Undead, which was even harder to kill. Even if one made a critical wound, the endless snowstorm would heal the wound in short order¡­. This was a commonly spoken phrase among Users. ¡®The Users weren¡¯t meant to catch these monsters.Instead, these monsters made the Users hunt down the game planner that came up with this monster design.¡¯ Of course, this begs the question. What method allowed Hyrkan to use these ridiculous monsters as his hunting fodder as he leveled up?Moreover, he hadn¡¯t done this for just one or two days.He had spent 20 days fighting here, so how was he able to make these monsters his prey? ¡®I¡¯m really curious.How the hell did the Storhunters catch these guys without the holy water?¡¯ In the end, it was all thanks to the Stormhunters. He had learned from the Stormhunters on how to deal with the monsters cursed by the Frost Dragons.The monsters had an emblem that was the source of their curse.If one sprayed holy water on top of this emblem, the curse was dispelled.The Stormhunters guild had found this out by clashing against these monsters. [Your level has increased.] Hyrkan had heard this Announcement for his 198th and 199th level up.It was all thanks to the Stormhunters. ¡®Ok.¡¯ When he heard the Announcement he had been anticipating, Hyrkan clenched his fist. ¡®Oppa¡¯s magic is replenished!All of you get ready to die!¡¯ Hwah-roo-roo! From between Hyrkan¡¯s clenched fists, flame erupted outwards.When Hyrkan unclenched his fist, the flame shot up into the sky. The burst of flame opened its mouth wide, and it started to take shape. [The Orcs have been cursed by the Fire Golem¡¯s Heat.Their Defense will lessen.] Hwal hwal! This giant made from flame possessed powerful fire that made the snow into steam in an instant. The Fire Golem¡¯s presence was on a different level as it appeared.The Fire Golem was letting out heat, and the it was making the frozen body of the Orcs melt steadily. Of course, at the same time, Hyrkan¡¯s magical energy was also being consumed rapidly akin to the snow melting. ¡®I can¡¯t waste any more consumable Items from this point on. I have to pull out after taking them out all at once!¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan decided to end the battle as soon as possible. Ddahk ddahk! His will was conveyed into his finger as he flicked it twice.It basically ordered the Skeleton Warriors to become more aggressive in their attacks. Ddul-goo-ruhk, dul-goo-ruhk! The Skeleton Warriors reacted to their owner¡¯s order.They aggressively drove into the Cursed Orcs. Kwah-jeek! To be precise, the melting of the ice would lower the defense, but it would also decrease the physical abilities of the Cursed Orcs.The Skeleton Warriors were starting to overwhelm the Cursed Orcs. It looked very funny, but Hyrkan once again started his important task. Choo-roong choo-roong! Instead of carrying his weeping Crying Sword, he held a bottle of holy water.He search for the Orc¡¯s Curse Emblem, and he splashed it with holy water. One, two¡­.Hyrkan kept up with his ridiculous task, and when he reached 50, the Orcs numbered in the single digits. Of course, Hyrkan continued on with this ridiculous form of battle, but it seemed he wouldn¡¯t be able to end all the Cursed Orcs once and for all. ¡®Ah!¡¯ An abrupt end came to his ridiculous looking work.The bottle with the holy water was empty. However, there were still seven Cursed Orcs left! The apparent state of his holy water should have left him flustered. However, he had a determined expression instead of being flustered.He firmly closed his mouth. ¡®I¡¯ve reached that point.¡¯ He had run out of the holy water.It was a signal. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve made it this far.¡¯ This was a signal that signified the final showdown.He had to put everything he had done to this point behind him. It was as if it had read Hyrkan¡¯s mind. Suddenly, a powerful coldness swept across the ruins of the nameless castle. Zzuh-juh-juhng! When the coldness swept over him, frost grew on top of his armor like new buds. It was an unfathomable coldness. [The Frost Knight is raging.] [The Cursed Beings will awakened by the Frost Knight¡¯s rage.] ¡®Frost Knight.¡¯ In front of the coldness, Hyrkan started reminiscing for a brief moment. ¡®This bastard¡­¡­ This was that bitch¡¯s ultimate accomplishment.¡¯ For a brief time, Storm Queen Shir had been the strongest User in Warlord¡­ This was the video that had made her almost synonymous with Warlord. Hyrkan had hated her very much, but that particular video allowed him to acknowledge her skill, talent, competence and iron will. Hyrkan reminisced on that video. Chapter 146 – Frost Knight (2) Chapter 146 ¨C Frost Knight (2) 3. Before Hyrkan returned to the past, he spent the most important period of his life in Warlord.This was why he could clearly remember the past events so clearly right now. The first Main Scenario Quest was the Corrupt Count episode.There had been a lot of confusion during this period of time.Many people experienced something new, and these batch of Users brought a new age of Warlord.At this stage, they were getting interested in the game, and they started paying more attention to this game. Everything was still fresh, and everything was unfamiliar. The second Main Scenario Quest was something given to those, who finished adjusting to the game the fastest.The Immoral Prince episode was where everything started in earnest.It was an era where Users enjoyed what had unfolded in front of them.It was also the era where people didn¡¯t hold back their money in the pursuit of enjoying this game.It was also an era where it was proven that incredible amount of fame, reputation and money could be earned by simply being good at the game of Warlord. The third Main Scenario Quest wasn¡¯t about enjoying oneselves by playing the Ruined Kingdom episode.It was the start of an era where the Users were in search for something.They started anticipating and craving for something.Every masterpiece had a beginning and an end.The Users that started out from the launch of Warlord was starting to become interested in the end. The end was the essence of Warlord.The world had been turned into a battle field, and someone would rise above to end the war. Who was closest to being the ¡®warlord¡¯? This was a conversation that would be ongoing until the Warlord came to an end.The person to light this argument on fire was none other than the Storm Queen Shir.It was her. Frost Knight. The Frost Dragon had put a curse on this ancient kingdom, and there was a monster that was enforcing this curse.This monster was continuously summoning its Cursed underlings, and it used a powerful magic to freeze any enemies that dared to go against it.Even if anyone was able to pierce through all the obstacles laid out in front of it, the monster could summon the Ice Wall of Lament.It also let out a ferocious cold air in its death throes as revenge.The Storm Queen had shown everyone the possibility through all of this. It was possible to solo against a Boss Monster! Groups of experts of this game had flocked to monsters that had overwhelming strength and ability.It was how everyone used to prove their bravery.However, after her battle against the Frost Knight, soloing a monster with overwhelming strength and ability was the new method used by the Users to prove one¡¯s bravery and skill. It was also at this point when he had developed a crush for her. Ah!She had such a beautiful appearance. She had a flashy look, and her background was unfathomable.However, these were all outstripped by her skills. She had revealed a new possibility! Moreover, at the time, Hyrkan was able to hold out using the help that been extended to him by her.The Hahoe Mask guild was slowly settling in, but once one paid off the monthly fee to play Warlord, one didn¡¯t have much money to spend on food. He had to live an impoverished life.It wouldn¡¯t have been strange if the Hahoe Mask guild transitioned into a guild that no longer existed.His dream and driving force was the only thing that had kept that guild going. Of course, this version of the world no longer existed.Hyrkan was the only one in this world, who remembered this line of history.In a couple years, even he would start to forget about it. ¡®Just admit it.¡¯ However, he can say for certain that he could still remember all of it right now. ¡®In truth, this is a table set up by the Stormhunters.If I can¡¯t eat everything on this table, I¡¯m the retarded one.¡¯ This was why Hyrkan had to monopolize the Frozen Kingdom. This wasn¡¯t him simply expressing his resolve. The Stormhunters guild had revealed a comprehensive guide on hunting in the Frozen Kingdom.Even a mediocre guild could clear the Frozen Kingdom with the information they had released.Currently, Hyrkan was using a secret space found by the Stormhunters.It allowed him to avoid the absolute surveillance of the Frost Knight residing at the throne of the Frozen Kingdom. Everything had been provided by the Stormhunters guild.In such circumstances, if he failed in achieving what he wanted to do, he wouldn¡¯t just be regretful.He would be thoroughly embarrassed by the situation. ¡®If I can¡¯t monopolize this by myself, I deserve to quit this game.¡¯ He would be so ashamed that he wouldn¡¯t be able to play this game with a bare face.There was no way others would find out about this failure, but this was about Hyrkan¡¯s own pride.He wouldn¡¯t accept failure. This was why Hyrkan was more serious than ever about this venture.He was more serious about it then the time he fought the Immoral Prince.In truth, he hadn¡¯t fought the Immoral Prince after a thorough preparation.Hyrkan had been conflicted as he saw the battle between Storm Queen and the Immoral Prince.After a deliberating over his decision, he decided to act. Unlike what he did in the Immoral Prince battle, he had made exhaustive preparations before he crossed the Terube castle wall.This was the result of the meticulous calculation. ¡®The consumable Items I have left¡­.I have the exact amount left.I have just enough to catch the Frost Knight.¡¯ Of course, his recent hunt wasn¡¯t actually about leveling up.He was meticulous in his actions as he set up the battle with the Frost Kingdom¡¯s boss monster, the Frost Knight.He hunted until he had the requisite amount of consumable left. ¡®I hit level 199.That was unexpected.¡¯ At this point in time, he had predicted he would be around 197 or 198.His prediction was off¡­. ¡®Well, that¡¯s a good thing.¡¯ It was a pleasant miscalculation. ¡®As expected, the most important part is the Ifrit¡¯s Essence.¡¯ What consumable Items did Hyrkan prepare to take down the Frost Knight? There was the Essence made by gathering the Ifrit¡¯s tears. Then there was the holy water made from the Great Priest¡¯s sacred blood, the gum made from the innards of the Glutton Alligator, and the healing clay made from the heart of a Red Troll. These were all very expensive Items.Even the 30 great guilds used Items of such high value on the really important Raids. Amongst these Items, the most important one was the Ifrit¡¯s Essence! One had to catch a rare monster called Ifrit¡¯s Acolyte to obtain this Item.One had to gather Ifrit¡¯s tears then one had to pay a high production cost to create this Item.This item had two effects. Fire Attribute Resistance will increase.Any penalty received from Fire type attacks will decrease. Ice Attribute Resistance will increase.Any penalty received from Ice type attacks will decrease. Ifrit was the Spirit King of Fire.With the help of Ifrit¡¯s powerful strength, one can become a friend of the fire, and at the same time, one gained the power to resist against the cold. Originally, this consumable Item was used on Boss Monsters, who had powerful Fire type attacks.It was a one time use Item, and there was a time when it easily cost over 4 thousand gold to purchase it. In recent days, the regions where the Ifrit¡¯s Acolyte appeared had increased.As the monster wasn¡¯t as rare any more, the market price had significantly gone down.Still, it was expensive. Hyrkan had bought a whopping 20 Ifrit¡¯s Essence to use in the Frozen Kingdom.He had only one left in his supply. Basically, he¡¯ll have only one chance to challenge the Frost Knight. In truth, there would be no re-attempt at this. If Hyrkan failed at the Frost Knight Raid, he would suffer a Game Over.The place he¡¯ll be revived was the Terube castle wall.Currently, there were numerous Users massing up at the Terube castle wall for the Northland hunt.Moreover, there probably was a good number of Users, who had already met the requirement for the Northland Exploration quest.These users were already in the Northland.If they were skilled and fast, these Users probably had already entered into the territory of the Frozen Kingdom. In such a situation, Hykran would be spending his 48 hours in death.To fight the Frost Knight again, he would have to cover a significant amount of distance to get from the Terube castle wall to the Frozen Kingdom.When he got here again, he would have to take a number.He would have to wait in a queue. Moreover, the wait time would be significant.He could probably climb the Urugual mountain range once in the time he would have to wait in the queue. He shouldn¡¯t go into this expecting a second try. ¡®Cast Iron Rhinoceros Gem and¡­the Bone Explosives.All of these Items are worth over 100 golds each.¡¯ This was why he had prepared the most expensive Items. He had spent an incredible amount.If he failed this Raid, the entire time he had in the Frost Kingdom would register as a loss in his budget. After checking the number of Items he had, Hyrkan felt a resoluteness. He carefully started placing his organized Items into his pockets and pouches.He felt tense as he carried out this action. The Items couldn¡¯t just be stored anywhere.He had to know where these Items were located at, and he had put place it in locations where he could quickly reach it in a desperate situation.He had to be thorough in his calculations. The last Item he picked up was the most important consumable Item.it was the Ifrit¡¯s Essence. It was large enough that it was a little bit uncomfortable to put it in one¡¯s mouth.Hyrkan carefully picked it up, and he looked inside the Item. ¡®This is worth more than a month supply of food.It is expensive yet it tastes nasty.¡¯ At that moment¡­. ¡°Uh?¡± Hyrkan unintentionally lost his grip on the Ifrit¡¯s Essence. His fingers were slippery from the frost. Took took! The fallen Ifrit¡¯s Essence bounced several times before it quickly rolled towards a wall. ¡®Uh!¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan became frightened.He looked towards the wall where the Ifrit¡¯s Essence was rolling towards to.There was a big crack at the bottom of the wall.He didn¡¯t have the luxury to express his surprise.When Hyrkan approached the wall, the Ifrit¡¯s Essence fell into the crack.It was like a hole-in-one in golf.It had been that accurate. Hyrkan didn¡¯t ruminate over the surprise he was feeling.He didn¡¯t waste any time. Choo-oong! ¡®If I don¡¯t have this, I can¡¯t beat it.I¡¯ll have to just return to the Terube castle. Please!¡¯ He immediately took out the sword sheathed at his waist.He started to scratch at the crack with his sword. Choo-roong, choo-roong! The Crying Sword was a famed sword that had taken down numerous monsters and Users.Currently, it was considered to be one of the ultimate swords amongst the sword carrying Users.It was on par with the Dethroned King¡¯s sword.In a flash, the Crying Sword had been turned into a pickaxe. Maybe it was because of this fact.The Crying Sword could be heard making especially mournful wails. This sword could make scrap metals of high durability armors, and it could cut through monsters with very high defense.However, it couldn¡¯t make a scratch in this very plain stonework.It was a surprise to him. This was when Hyrkan¡¯s accident started to roll forward again. ¡®What the hell?¡¯ [This region cannot be destroyed.] The System Announcement answered Hyrkan¡¯s question. ¡®Uh?¡¯ Hrykan¡¯s mishap came to pause.Hyrkan stopped to look up at the plain looking wall.The harsh coldness had caused ice to form over the wall.He looked at the ice wall.Then he looked at the crack that had eaten his precious Item. Finally, Hyrkan felt that something was off. ¡®Why is the crack only here?¡¯ Hyrkan was at a location about ten square meters in size.This alcove reminded him of a cube.The path to enter this location was small.It was a location where the Cursed Monsters under the command of the Frost Knight couldn¡¯t come in. This was the space used by the Storm Hunters guild to safely rest before they had battled the Frost Knight.None other than the Storm Queen herself had explained the use of this location, and how important it was to rest here. Of course, every time Hyrkan had to take a break from the battle he had used this location. There had been such a crack here? If one considered the setting of this stage, even if a User had made a crack, the crack should have been mended over by ice.Moreover, the stage becomes reset when a day passes. This basically meant that his crack was clearly intentional.It meant that this crack had been placed here by design. Hyrkan got up from his seat. Choo-roong, choo-roong! The Crying Sword, which had been used by its owner as a pickaxe, started to grumble.This time Hyrkan used the Crying Sword as a tool to peel off the ice from the wall. Suh-guhk suh-guhk! The sound of the thick ice falling drowned out the Crying Sword¡¯s wailing. In the end, the wall revealed the Frozen Kingdom¡¯s emblem.A sun and moon was above a large tree. Hyrkan put on a smile. ¡®Yes.Luck is once again with me.¡¯ Hyrkan had found something the Stormhunters had never discovered. 4. There had been a kingdom in the Northland that had reached the era of prosperity a long time ago.They were closest to the sun and the moon, and various races lived as one in this kingdom. They were the keepers of peace in the world. On a fateful day, a Frost Dragon suddenly appeared, and it crushed the kingdom that was in its era of prosperity.Then it placed a curse on the kingdom. It was curse where one could never die, and the weather would never change.It was a curse where one had to forever fight the people that the kingdom had once helped! The Frost Dragon even bestowed authority to a knight, so it could keep an eye on the curse.The Frost Dragon appointed the knight as the owner of the capital, which was a mere shell of itself. This was the story behind the Frozen Kingdom, and it was also a clue about the Ruined Kingdom. ¡°Finally, I receive the reward for long resisting the evil curse of the Frost Dragon.¡± Hyrkan had found a hidden tunnel, and when he followed the tunnel, he reached a location where a being had chained himself a long time ago. This being was so weathered that its body was falling apart.The NPC Nero showed infinite sadness at not being able to die.However, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t feel any hatred or confusion from the NPC. ¡°My name is Nero.I am the last heir to the kingdom that exists only in a nightmare now.¡± Hyrkan decided to be bold.He introduced himself. ¡°My name is Hyrkan.I am nothing special.The world is overflowing with calamity, and I¡¯m an adventurer that is striving towards hope.¡± ¡®I hope the cameras are doing a good job.¡¯ Hyrkan had been smart in how he approached this.He started recording beforehand. Wasn¡¯t this a truth that even the Stormhunters weren¡¯t able to find out? ¡®Yes.I always felt a bit disappointed at the Stormhunter¡¯s videos.This is what they missed!¡¯ Hyrkan was happy.He had to force himself not to laugh.It was almost painful. Of course, he wasn¡¯t happy about the fact that he found a truth that the Stormhunters hadn¡¯t found.This footage would be part of a pay-per-view full length film, which was currently being made by him.This would be one more point in the story that would be added to the film about the Frozen Kingdom quest.He felt happy about the sweet reward he would receive from it. ¡°Is that so?That makes me happy.I¡¯m happy that a hero like you still exists in this world.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a hero.Anyways, I cannot fathom how you came to be in this state¡­.I will undo your chains.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t.These chains allows me to hold onto my intellect. If you unchain me, I¡¯ll be just like the poor souls wandering outside..¡± ¡°¡­¡­what happened here?¡± Nero started to tell his story after being questioned.Hyrkan didn¡¯t ask any more questions.He just calmly listened to the story. The story wasn¡¯t that much different from the one known by Hyrkan. The Frost Dragon had put a curse on the prosperous kingdom, and it caused the kingdom to freeze.After everything was frozen, things had pretty much stayed the same until now. When the story ended, Nero naturally gave Hyrkan a mission. ¡°You are the only one I can ask this of.I know better than anyone that the Ruined Kingdom cannot be brought back.I just want revenge.If revenge isn¡¯t possible, at the very least, free the tormented people from under the Frost Dragon¡¯s knight.¡± [The Quest ¡®Kingdom¡¯s Revenge¡¯ has started.] [The Quest ¡®Evidence to the Ruined Kingdom¡¯.] [You¡¯ve gained the Title Agent of Revenge¡¯.] [You¡¯ve gained the Title ¡®One who Earned the Evidence of the Ruined Kingdom¡¯.] Hyrkan was barely able to stop himself from laughing at the System Announcement.He fixed a serious expression on his face, and he nodded his head.He had his mask on, but Hyrkan wasn¡¯t even conscious of this fact.This was how happy he was. ¡°Yes.¡± At that moment¡­ [The curtain to the new era has risen.] [The one to open this new era is ¡®Hyrkan¡¯.] The System Announcement was heard in Hyrkan¡¯s ears, and it was heard by everyone currently enjoying the game of Warlord. ¡®Uh?¡¯ Once again Hyrkan¡¯s mishap came to a standstill. Chapter 147 – Frost Knight (3) Chapter 147 ¨C Frost Knight (3) 5. The Main Scenario Quest was the most important main content in Warlord.This was why there was a clear demarcation on when it starts and ends. This was why the updates regarding the Main Scenario quest had been put on the System-wide Announcement.It updated the Users of the start and end to the Main Scenario Quest. It had notified everyone of the start and end of the Corrupt Count episode. Then it notified everyone of the start and end to the Immoral Prince episode. At that moment, the 5th such Announcement had been sent out, and it shook the foundation of Warlord. Of course, any news regarding Warlord shook the online world. ¨C The third Main Scenario Quest has just started! ¨C Finally, it begins! ¨C Is the 2nd Advancement going to be released? ¨C Something seems a bit off this time. This Main Scenario Quest was different from the ones before.The game had been clear in spreading the name of the User that had opened up this new era. ¨C So who the hell is Hyrkan?Which 30 great guild is he in? His name was Hyrkan. ¨C ? You dolt!That¡¯s the Hahoe Mask¡¯s character name! ¨C ? Uh?The Hahoe Mask was named Hyrkan? ¨C ? The Hahoe Mask¡¯s name isn¡¯t the Hahoe Mask? ¨C ? Wasn¡¯t it Huh-Maeung? The User called the Hahoe Mask was known more by the nickname he had created than his actual character name. 6. It was a small tunnel that a person could barely pass through.He had left behind Nero as he headed towards the decisive battle.As he was passing through the tunnel, Hyrkan became flustered for a moment. ¡®My god.¡¯ He had become the main character that heralded the start of the Ruined Kingdom episode.Of course, it was something he had always wanted. However, this should have occurred at the peak of the Urugal mountain.It shouldn¡¯t have happened right now.It should have happened when he caught the fire breathing Slime Dragon. ¡®¡­¡­the Frozen Kingdom and the Urugal mountain range.The key was placed in two locations?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t understand the concept behind it. Originally, Warlord¡¯s Main Scenario Quest had many roads that led to a single destination.The event that triggered the Ruined Kingdom episode in the Urugal mountain range may have just been one of several methods one could have used.The probability that there were multiple trigger points rather than one was high. It just meant that the Stormhunters hadn¡¯t been able to find the clue located in the Frozen Kingdom.In the meanwhile, someone else had succeeded in climbing the Urugal mountain range. ¡®Shit.Did I perhaps change the content of the Main Scenario quest?It seems a lot of Quest independent of the Ruined Kingdom episode was released too.¡¯ This hadn¡¯t been a ploy hatched by someone else.Hyrkan¡¯s own hands had changed the events, and he couldn¡¯t blame anyone for what happened from now on. ¡®This is driving me nuts.¡¯ The Ruined Kingdom was Hyrkan¡¯s last chance.After the Ruined Kingdom episode, the Dragon¡¯s Army episode would start.He didn¡¯t have much knowledge about what would happen there.When the Dragon¡¯s Army episode was starting to get interesting, a grudge formed between the Hahoe Mask guild and the Stormhunters guild .No, it wasn¡¯t a grudge between the guilds.Only Hyrkan had been excised and thrown away.Then he was crushed without mercy. Hyrkan shut his mouth tight. ¡®I¡¯m guessing the larger framework won¡¯t change¡­¡­.¡¯ For the first time, he checked the exact content of the Quest given to him by Nero. The Quest Window formed inside the dark space. [Kingdom¡¯s Revenge] ¨C Quest Rank : Epic ¨C Quest level Range : Over 195 ¨C Quest Content : To save the the beings suffering under the Frost Dragon¡¯s curse, defeat the Frost Knight. ¨C Quest Reward : Ancient Power ¡®Frost¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan¡¯s mishap came to a pause.He stopped walking.Until now, this was the most forceful stop he had taken. Hyrkan stood there for over one minute. ¡°Frost?¡± As he stood still, a short word came out of Hyrkan¡¯s mouth. Eventually, he repeated the short word. ¡°Frost!¡± Since he started Warlord, Hyrkan uttered the strongest exclamation he had ever spoken. 7. Ancient Power. It was the core content that permeated the Ruined Kingdom episode.It was judged to be the greatest content in the Ruined Kingdom episode.It was the crux of the Skill Enhancement System. Through the Ruined Kingdom episode, the Users would be able to find relics of the Ruined Kingdom, which was crumbling away¡­One could find traces of castles, dungeons and the hidden mysteries.One would be able to gain the Ancient Power through various quests. Moreover, there were different ranks to the Ancient Power one could obtain. There was the Transcendent Rank that would allow one to strengthen the rank of a Skill. There was the Legend Rank, which added a special ability to the Skill. Then there was the Mythos Rank where a Class ability was added. Amongst these three, the Transcendent Rank was the least difficult to obtain.It was something the light Users would be able to gain. The Legend Rank would need a good amount of work to obtain for the light Users, but if one was dedicated, it could be earned. However, the Mytho Rank was impossible to get through will and determination.Basically, it wasn¡¯t a content for the light Users.This was a content for those that consumed the game too fast¡­From the game¡¯s perspective, it was for the Users that disgusted the game developers. It was a basically a content that said, ¡®Let¡¯s see if you bastards can beat this!¡¯ The problem wasn¡¯t that it was simply difficult.It was complex.One had to discover various Quests, and one had to complete it all.One had to travel to various location in this vast world of Warlord, and one had to gather Ingredients that could only be obtained by the User. Moreover, no one had attempted it yet, so Hyrkan would be a pioneer.As expected of someone, who had opened up this new era, he would be achieving these accomplishments first! This was the reason why he was doing all of this. Hyrkan didn¡¯t have to worry about coexisting with anyone else in the Ruined Kingdom Episode.He didn¡¯t even keep the idea of coexistence inside his mind.This was the reason why he had insisted on a monopoly. If he went through the standard procedure, he would have to give up leveling up for two to three months to earn the Mythos Rank power.He would have to focus solely on the quests.However, the Ruined Kingdom episode of the Main Scenario Quest gave the Mythos Rank Ancient Power through the Quest Reward.Of course, there was a caveat that it was only a reward if he was able to get the Quest Reward before all the other Users in Warlord. Moreover, Hyrkan knew of 5 types of Mythos Rank Ancient Power. Frost, Flame, Thunder, Darkness and Radiance. When Hyrkan developed a profound interest for the game, this was the extent of information that had been made available to him.At the time, there were only two hundred Users that possessed all 5 Mythos Ranked Ancient Power.It wasn¡¯t a lot of people.It was one year after the Ruined Kingdom and the Skill Enhancement system had been released, yet only two hundred Users had gained the power in a population of millions.Moreover, only two hundred people had it amongst the people, who had dedicated their lives to this game. Of course, Hyrkan hadn¡¯t been one of them.He couldn¡¯t even dream about obtaining it. However, Hyrkan had the chance to obtain one of this Ancient Power right now. ¡®This is weird.The Ancient Power reward for climbing to the top of the Urugal mountain was a Legendary Rank.¡¯ It was his chance to to obtain the Ancient Power of Frost. It was a surprising opportunity, but on the other hand, he felt a very deep apprehension towards it. ¡®So why would the Mythos Rank suddenly show up here¡­.¡¯ However, his apprehension didn¡¯t last long. ¡®Frost¡­¡­.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­wow.¡± He had thought about obtaining the Mytho Rank Ancient Power.However, he never would have expected to obtain it this way. This was why Hyrkan wasn¡¯t afraid of the change.This wasn¡¯t the time to be afraid of the change. ¡®I have to seize it.¡¯ Hyrkan estimated how much time had passed. He had expended more time than expected, because of Nero.However, he didn¡¯t need to take a break by logging out.On the contrary, this was the perfect time to do this. ¡®No matter what.¡¯ At that moment, it was like the time he had faced the Immoral Prince and Argardo¡­.No, he found a purpose that exceeded the one he had from before.He had found a purpose that was worth putting everything on the line on this battle. ¡®I have to catch it no matter what..¡¯ Hyrkan started running after he exited the secret tunnel leading to Nero. ¡°Ooh-ha-ha-ha!¡± He headed towards the Frozen Throne where the Frost Knight ruled from! 8. It was as if the throne had been carved out of an enormous ice.There was a knight wearing a massive armor that was made out of semi-transparent ice.It filled up the massive throne.Each decoration on its armor looked to have be sculpted by hand, and it was an extraordinary sight.It held the pattern of dragon scales, and it looked as if it was about to come alive.The helmet was reminiscent of a Dragon¡¯s horn, and one could see a pale and frozen face beneath the helmet.It was an ogre with frightening looking teeth. Frost Knight. It was in charge of maintaining the Frost Dragon¡¯s curse.Its enemy had arrived right in front of it, yet it didn¡¯t even bother getting up from the throne. ¡°This place had been judged by the being that is great yet harsh.¡± It sounded ancient and grave. ¡°How are you dirty this place.¡± It started to move slowly. ¡°This place had committed disrespect¡­¡­.¡± It spoke slowly as it clearly enunciated each word. ¡°It will repay the transgression through eternal servitude.¡± As if it had said all it had to say, the Frost Knight slowly got up from its seat.The process of it standing up wasn¡¯t easy, simple, or brief. Zzuh-juh-juhk! The Frost Knight¡¯s body had become one with the frozen throne.As it stood up, one could hear the sound of ice shattering.One could even see cracks form on the throne.How long had it sat there frozen to the throne?It made one wonder if the Frost Knight had never gotten up even once after taking seat. ¡®The bastard talks too much.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan faced the Frost Knight.At that moment he had to defeat it, so the small details didn¡¯t register in his eyes. In the first place, Hyrkan didn¡¯t hold the Frost Knight in any reverence.He had entered the newly liberated region ruled by the Frost Knight with a do or die attitude. ¡°I want those laughable cursed beings to wake up.¡± Hyrkan said those determined words inside his head.He was more coldly focused than any other battle he had conducted before. He was at a point where he desperately needed to change.However, he couldn¡¯t half-ass it through fear.It would only be to his detriment if he worried over it.Thanks to the Stormhunters guild he had learned that shaking from fear would only harm himself. Hyrkan¡¯s gaze looked around his surrounding, and at the same time, he bit down on the Ifrit¡¯s Essence inside his mouth. [Ifrit¡¯s power is seeping into your entire body.] At that moment, the snow from the blizzard that had touched Hyrkan¡¯s body fell to the floor as water droplets. At the same time, Hyrkan opened both his arms wide as he scattered what he had been holding in his hands.The Skeleton Fragments let out a dull sound as they hit the floor. Ooh ooh ooh¡­¡­. The Cursed Monsters were summoned by the Frost Knight.They let out a low and anguished sound as they got into formation. Ddul-goo-ruhk, ddul-goo-ruhk! The Skeleton Warriors summoned by Hyrkan took form, and they opened their mouths wide as they let out a silent scream towards their enemies. Ddahk ddahk! The declaration of war was done through Hyrkan¡¯s hand. The Skeleton Warriors wearing a variety of armors started charging towards the enemies. Hwah-roo-roo! During all of this, the Skeleton Magicians had already formed hefty fireballs, and they threw it towards the enemies. The fireballs were sent flying towards the group of Cursed Monsters. Zzuh-juhk! At that moment, an Ice Wall rose up from the ground to block the fireballs.Fire impacted on ice. Kwah-gwahng! Accompanying a loud sound, the fire and ice fell as it scattered across the ground. Rain of Fire.Hail of Ice. Kahng! The Skeleton Warriors and the Cursed Monsters fought within this shower. It was 30 against a hundred.If one was basing it just on numbers, the Skeleton Warriors were at a disadvantage. Shweek, shweek! However, the Skeleton Warriors swiftly evaded the attacks of the Cursed Monsters.The advantage from the fact that there were a 100 of Cursed Monsters became nullified. The Skeleton Warriors had fought the Cursed Monsters for 20 days under Hyrkan¡¯s command.There was no way the Skeleton Warriors would lose against the Cursed Monsters. He had trained them for this purpose. ¡®I invested 20 days for this day.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t been been lax in his actions.He hadn¡¯t just been hunting to level up.He had trained the Skeleton Warriors up to a point where they could easily defeat the Cursed Monsters.In his training, he purposefully made it so that his Skeleton Warriors would have to fight a Cursed Monster in a one-on-one matchup.He later increased it to a 3 vs one fight.He purposefully allowed the Skeleton Warriors fight at a numerical disadvantage. This was the solution to the first problem. ¡®I blocked the slaves it had cursed..¡¯ If he wanted to catch the Frost Knight, there were four obstacles he would have to overcome.This was the solution to the first problem. ¡®So the only thing left is¡­.I have to overcome the Frost Fog, Wall of Agony and the Frost Dragon¡¯s Curse.¡¯ Since he gave a solution to one of the problems, he had to come up with three more. He had the three solutions, and he was about to put those answers into motion. ¡°Pooh-haha!¡± He felt joy from just imagining it.It was absurd, but he spontaneously let out a laugh.He didn¡¯t have to enjoy it through his imagination any more.He couldenjoy it in reality. ¡°What shall we do?¡± Half way up the Urugal mountain range. Thirty Users were within a cave that had been placed midway up the mountain.Their expressions were stiff as they waited for something. ¡°What do you think we should do?We have to catch it!¡± ¡°You should it still for a moment.¡± ¡°What? What did you just say to me, you traitorous bastard?¡± ¡°How long are you¡­ Whatever.Yes.I¡¯m the traitor, so I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut.Of course.I¡¯m the traitor, and I did something very wrong.How dare I open my mouth?I¡¯ll keep my impertinent mouth shut.¡± They were the elite members of the Stormhunters. They had attempted to fight the owner of the Urugal mountain¡¯s peak, and they had failed.After experiencing failure, some in the guild mustered up their courage, and they had come up here for another attempt. However, at that moment, their leader Shir wasn¡¯t giving them an answer as to whether they would be attempting the Raid again. ¡°Are you trying to pick a fight with me?¡± ¡°Oop oop! Oop oop! Oop opp oop!¡± It was Hatch and Hahui.Shir kept her mouth shut as these two acted out noisily in front of her. In the end, Shir¡¯s silence bled into Hatch and Hahui.The heavy atmosphere descended on the group, and it started pressing down on their will to even attempt this Raid again.It seemed they wouldn¡¯t be able to look at the Urugal mountain range for a while.They felt the atmosphere press down on their shoulders and neck. It happened at that moment. [The curtain to the new era has risen.] [The one to open this new era is ¡®Hyrkan¡¯.] The surprising news overtook them. ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°A System-wide Announcement?¡± The silence ahd bee heavy, and it had been hard to break.However, the silence was smashed to pieces like a sheet of glass made of sugar. ¡°Who the hell is that?¡± ¡°Hyrkan?Who is that?¡± At that moment, another silence that couldn¡¯t be compared to the one from before started to spread. ¡°Hyrkan¡­¡­ My god.Isn¡¯t that the Hahoe Mask¡¯s character name?¡± Accompanying the silence, everyone looked towards a single User. Storm Queen Shir. Currently, she was one of the few that could be compared to the Hahoe Mask in terms of skill. On the other hand, Shir¡¯s gaze was focused on the one that had spoken. ¡°P¡­please speak.¡± ¡°Are you sure the Hahoe Mask¡¯s character name is Hyrkan?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ah, yes.It wasn¡¯t as if he tried to hide it.If you look at the Hahoe Mask¡¯s early videos, he named himself as Hyrkan.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hatch queried at the sudden answer given by Shir.As if the rest of the group agreed with Hatch¡¯s sentiment, they tilted their head in confusion.One could almost see a question mark form on top of their heads. ¡°I still want to recruit the Hahoe Mask, but I don¡¯t want to hear that we are inferior to the Hahoe Mask.¡± Shir spoke towards them in a low voice. ¡°I don¡¯t know about how I measure up to him, but I never thought that the Stormhunters guild was weaker than the Hahoe Mask.¡± The expression on everyone¡¯s face changed at her words.They swallowed the silence that had descended on them, and they started to manufacture courage within themselves. ¡°Let¡¯s try it one more time.¡± ¡°There is no reason why we can¡¯t kill it.¡± ¡°There is no reason why we should allow ourselves to left behind by the Hahoe Mask.¡± At their words, Shir made a beautiful smile that was beyond description. The Stormhunters once again decided to attempt climbing the summit of the Urugal mountain. Chapter 148 – Ancient Power (1) Chapter 148 ¨C Ancient Power (1) 1. Hyrkan was holding onto a bone that was the size of a pencil.It started to expand to fill his hand.He shook his wrist as he held onto the thickened bone, and the bone immediately enlarged into a large spear. ¡°Hoo-ooh!¡± After taking a short breath, Hyrkan got into his stance. Javelin Throw. He was aiming for an enemy that was very far away, so this was harder than it looked. ¡®Hoo-ooh!¡¯ The distance wasn¡¯t a problem.The problem was the fine control that was needed to do it.Moreover, there were external factors that interfered with his concentration. There was a fierce battle going on in front of Hyrkan¡¯s eyes.At times, the battle came right up to his nose. The Cursed slaves controlled by the Frost Knight was trying to break through the Skeleton Warriors to get to him.The Skeleton Warriors were trying to protect its master.The Skeleton Warriors got in the way as they fought the enemies that was trying to make a path towards Hyrkan. Kah-ahng! The rough sounds of steel clashing was an evidence of this fierce fight. Kwah-jeek. The sound of flesh, armor and bones being crushed didn¡¯t show any signs of dying down. Koohng! Whenever some large monster fell, a large sound was made, and it shook all the beings that had their feet on the battlefield. Moreover, at times, some monsters got through the Skeleton Warriors. This was what had happened right now.A monster eventually had gotten past the efforts of the Skeleton Warriors.A monster with frozen arms was attacking Hyrkan.It had its arm, which was as sharp as a sword, up in the air as it approached Hyrkan. As this was happening, Hyrkan had to aim and hit his target.It wasn¡¯t an easy task. It shouldn¡¯t have been easy¡­. Shoong! However, Hyrkan did it too easily.He did it effortlessly.The Cursed slave, which had bypassed the Skeleton Warriors, had almost reached him, yet Hyrkan had accomplished his task.He had true in his aim as he hurled the javelin. Shweeeek! The spear didn¡¯t fly in an arc.It traveled in a straight line. At the same time as he threw his spear, he took a step forward as if he had intended to do it. He shortened the distance with the Frozen Orc that was rushing him. The gap had closed much quicker by him, and the Frozen Orc didn¡¯t hesitate to swing its arm towards Hyrkan¡¯s head.Hyrkan easily dodged the attack by lowering his head. Puhk! Then he lightly stuck out his foot to trip the Frozen Orc. Koo-oohng! The Frozen Orc fell forward, and it didn¡¯t even have the chance to turn its body around to look up at the sky. Choo-roong! The Crying Sword had severed its head with a single strike.The severed head rolled away. Bbuh-uhng! Hyrkan kicked the head as if he was playing soccer.Then he looked at the Skeleton Warriors with cold eyes. Was this all the Skeleton Warriors could do? This was the message he conveyed in his gaze.Of course, the look shouldn¡¯t have worked on the Skeleton Warriors, but one could see the Skeleton Warriors start to shift towards being more aggressive in their attack.Hyrkan tried to hold back a laughter when he saw this. At that moment¡­ Koohng! Until now, the Frost Knight had looked over the battlefield in a detached manner.No, he had looked down at it with a haughty attitude.Without unsheathing the enormous sword, the Frost Knight hit the ground with its sheathe. Including the Bone Spear Hyrkan had just thrown, there were 7 total spears stuck in the Frost Knight¡¯s body. It was embedded in its armor.It seemed the Frost Knight hadn¡¯t felt the need to move.It didn¡¯t pay an ounce of attention to them as the Bone Spears stuck in its body.It was treating the Bone Spears as if they were decorations for its armor. The Frost Knight hit the ground ground again. Koohng! The sheathed sword hit the ground consecutively. Boo-doo-doohk! The Bone Spears stuck on its body froze, and it crumbled away. Koohng! The ground rang out for the third time.A crack formed on the sheath. A crack shaped like a lightning formed on the sword sheathe, and the crack started to thicken. Koohng! The ground rang out for the fourth time, and it was the last time it rang out. One could see through the crack of the sheath, and a thick fog started seeping out. The first to react to the fog was the Cursed slaves. Boo-roo-roo! They had been fighting, but they unconsciously started to shake.In such a tight battle, it was basically suicide to tremble like this! The Skeleton Warriors didn¡¯t miss the opening created by the shaking enemies.The Skeleton Warriors didn¡¯t even need to think about their actions. The only one that had to think was a single User. ¡®It¡¯s coming.¡¯ Hyrkan clenched his fist as if he had expected this.Clear droplets of liquid fell through his clench fist. Clay Play! However, it happened before Hyrkan could complete his summoning. Poo-hwaht! The Frost Knight¡¯s sheath broke into pieces, and the extreme cold that was sleeping within it for all these years exploded forth. [The Frost Fog is spreading quickly.] Hweeeeee! The Frost Fog was so powerful that a System Warning was given.The Frost Fog ate up the battlefield in an instant. Everything was frozen as all stood still.All kinds of sounds had been emitted from the fierce battle a moment ago, but the fierce scene of battle was frozen in place. The unfathomable silence replaced the fierceness of battle. It was as if one¡¯s goose bumps had frozen by this sight. The first one to disturb this scene was Hyrkan.Hyrkan had frozen in place with his fist clenched. Boo-doohk! He started thawing, and the ice started to crumble away. When his fist appeared, it was like a domino effect.The ice around Hyrkan¡¯s body started to break away. When the ice had all shattered away, Hyrkan opened his fist.A Phoenix appeared out of Hyrkan¡¯s hand. To be precise, it was a level 170 Boss Monster called the Big Bird. It had a massive body, yet the bird boasted even bigger wings.It had the power to send enemies flying with its terrifying wingbeats.It was the most difficult Boss Monster in the same rank category! The Big Bird appeared with a body that was burning. As soon as it appeared, it started flapping its wings.Accompanying its wingbeats, a wind of flame overtook the frozen battlefield.It melted the frozen time, and the battle started up again. Hyrkan, who hadn¡¯t done anything up until now, started to run. ¡®The 2nd Phase has started.¡¯ This was the second problem posed by the Frost Knight.He pierced through the Frost Fog. In the early runs in the past, numerous Users were unable to do anything against this attack.They suffered the attack with their eyes open.While the Users were frozen, they suffered blows from the Frost Knight¡¯s sword.He had just broken through the calamity faced by those Users. The solving of this problem was good news.However, at the same time, it meant he would be posed with a new problem from the Frost Knight. ¡®I have to do this immediately.¡¯ Finally, Hyrkan summoned the two Skeleton Knights for the first time in this battle.When the Skeleton Knights appeared, the tide of the battle changed 180 degrees. [The Special Ability ¡®Chivalry¡¯ has activated.] [The Special Ability ¡®Commander¡¯ has activated.] The tide of the battle turned overwhelmingly in favor of the Skeleton Warriors when the Skeleton Knights appeared. On top of it all, the appearance of Big Bird Fire Golem had decreased the defense of the Cursed slaves.Since the Skeleton Warriors had gotten stronger compared to a moment ago, the Cursed slaves were helpless. Moreover, the Skeleton Knights started to attack in a frenzied manner. One of the Skeleton Knights was equipped with the Great Battle Hero¡¯s Sword.This particular Skeleton Knight was the definition of being overpowered. Puh-uhk! When the sword came down on the hardened skin of the Cursed slave, it didn¡¯t let out a sharp sound.It let out out a dull sound as the Cursed slave was broken into pieces. Critical blow! This was a more frightening sight then the enemies being sliced open. The Skeleton Knights were making a path.When one Knight seemed to be slowing down, the Skeleton Knight with the Great Battle Hero¡¯s Sword took over to quickly clear the path.They were making a path towards the Frost Knight, and at the end of the road, the Frost Knight was standing there. The Frost Knight was almost 4 meters tall.The Skeleton Knights were almost 3 meters tall.They stood facing each other. At that moment, white bone started to encase the Skeleton Knight¡¯s body. Bone Armor! ¡®Just last 1 minute.¡¯ Hyrkan activated more power, so the Skeleton Knights could face off against the enemy. He summoned their horns.He didn¡¯t forget to activate the Madness Helm.The Skeleton Knights were encased in Bone Armor, and the tell-tale sign of the Madness Helm appeared as a horn on their skulls.The Skeleton Knights opened their mouths wide as they displayed their ferocious nature.They raised their swords at the same time to attack the Frost Knight. Of course, the Frost Knight swung its sword to block the attacks. It was a collision between swords. Ggoo-roong! It should have sounded like steel clashing, but it came out as loud thunderclaps. Each attack had a huge effect on the participants.It was as if there were springs attached to the swords.Every sword swung by either the Skeleton Knights or the Frost Knight was bounced backward after the impact. This was why the battle was slow. Ggwah-roong! After a single clash, one had to resist using one¡¯s strength.Then one had to attack after resetting one¡¯s stance. Ggwah-roong! They once again attacked each other in terms of strength.Each strike made one take a deep breath twice. This was how powerful these strikes were.They were exchanging blows that had all their strengths behind it.It was hair-raising to approach this melee! ¡®Ok!¡¯ It was a hair-raising display where one would be remiss to even stick one¡¯s hand in there.However, someone dared to push his body into the fray. Hyrkan! He had already moved behind the Frost Knight, and he sprung towards the Frost Knight¡¯s back. Kwah-jeek! Hyrkan¡¯s sword pierced the exact center of Frost Knight¡¯s back. Choo-roo-roo! At that moment, the Crying Sword let out a sad cry.It was as if it was lamenting that fact that it had met a crazy owner.It sounded as it was grumbling.However, Hyrkan ignored the grumbles as he worked against the Frost Knight¡¯s movements.He made a scar on the back plate of the Frost Knight¡¯s armor. Then he immediately put a Bone Spear through the scar. The Skeleton Knights and the Frost Knight had exchanged 7 strikes up to this point.The Frost Knight¡¯s sword had already crushed the Skeleton Knight¡¯s Bone Armor, and it had even dented the armor underneath it.After the 1 minute Hyrkan had wanted passed, the Frost Knight looked like a hedgehog. The surprising part was the fact that the Frost Knight didn¡¯t pay any attention to Hyrkan during his work. It was a loophole. The Frost Knight didn¡¯t register any attacks on its armor unless it exceeded a certain threshold of damage.This was the loophole. It had an innate arrogance and it was a near immortal.It died without knowing the pain of death, and this loophole was developed through these confluence of characteristics. It was a loophole found through the sacrifice of over 10 Stormhunters guild members. After finishing his attack using the loophole, he looked at his Skeleton Knights. The Bone Armor hadn¡¯t held up.Moreover, the damage to the Skeleton Knight¡¯s defensive gears were quite significant. However, the Skeleton Knights still showed the willingness to fight on.They showed Hyrkan that they could go on. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ The Skeleton Knights had performed well above expectation, so he thanked the bedraggled Skeleton Knights. He put his thanks into motion.Hyrkan used the Bone Spears as handholds, and he started performing a job only he could do. This was a job that couldn¡¯t be done by the Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Knights and the Golem.He started the Armor Breaking, which was a job that could only be done by Hyrkan. Choo-roong! This time the Crying Sword let out a cry of joy.The Crying Sword was the best at taking off enemy¡¯s tough scales, leather or carapace.It was something the sword enjoyed doing! The Crying Sword started to dismantle the Frost Knight¡¯s armor in a short amount of time. It was the result of giving a master calligrapher the best possible brush to use. As its owner did its job, the Skeleton Knights continued to fight hard until the end.At the two minute mark, a Skeleton Knight had lost its left arm.When the battle reached the 3 minute mark, they were in terrible shape.The demise of the Skeleton Knights looked inevitable.In the end, the Skeleton Knights had lasted three times longer than Hyrkan had expected. Of course, Hyrkan was also working well above expectation as if to reward the earlier efforts of the Skeleton Knights.The Frost Knight¡¯s anger started to flow out of the cracked armor. [The cold energy that can never be broken is flowing over you.] [All Stats will be decreased.] [You will suffer from terrifying frostbites.] This freezing air pretty much repelled anyone close to the Frost Knight.Even the Ifrit¡¯s Essence wouldn¡¯t let one resist against this cold air. Of course, one couldn¡¯t resist against the cold air using will power or stubbornness.If one unwisely choose to resist against it, the User would inevitably be frozen to death by the cold air! Hyrkan had experienced this for the first time, but he was fully aware of the effect of this attack.Therefore, he put distance with the cold air.However, the Skeleton Knights froze over as they could evade it. Hyrkan couldn¡¯t continue watching his noble Skeleton Knights. Koo-oohng! When Hyrkan distanced himself, the Frost Knight erected an enormous ice wall.This wall completely cut off the Frost Knight from the battlefield. This was different from the ice walls he had seen several times before.This wall looked to have been carved.There were shaped carved into the wall.It was as if various monsters, elves, dwarves and humans were trying to escape hell.This image was willing up the wall. [The Wall of Agony has appeared.] [The Frost Knight¡¯s power is recovering across the Wall of Agony.] ¡®Third Phase.¡¯ This was the third problem that was posed to him.It was the appearance of the Wall of Agony. This wall boasted an incredible amount of defense.On top of it all, the wall had a special property that it didn¡¯t accumulate damage. One had to break through it using a single blow. As he looked at this door, Hyrkan took out a card he had prepared. He took out a single gem, and he gripped it. Ddoohk ddoohk! The gem that had melted in Hyrkan¡¯s hand dripped to the frozen ground, and a Golem was awakened. The Earth Golem appeared in the shape of an enormous rhinoceros. It was 5 meters long!The frightening part was the incredibly large horn that was as big as its body.The enormous horn was a weapon that was used to crush castle gates. It reminded one of a battering ram. Cast Iron Rhinoceros! It was a level 180 Boss Monster.It possessed a variety of nicknames.It was called the Slaughterer of Tankers.The Tankers hated this monster the most. The second nickname¡­¡­ The most popular amongst the nickname was Tankerbell!It rang the Tankers like a bell. It was a Boss Monster that gave out expensive Items.In terms of worth, it was within the top 10.Of course, the ingredients that came out from this monster was used to make Rare and Epic Items.At the very least, these ingredients were sold for 5000 gold. However, it was well worth the money considering the attack it would perform. ¡°Go!¡± As soon as Hyrkan¡¯s yell ended, the Cast Iron Rhinoceros charged towards the Wall of Agony. Koong, kwahng, koong, kwahng! The ground shook as it ran. Koong koong koong! It accelerated in a flash. The Cast Iron Rhinoceros was running at incredible speeds.Its large body looked ungainly, but it was flying across the ground as swift as a swallow. In the end, the Cast Iron Rhinoceros¡¯ horn collided with the Wall of Agony. Ggwahhhhhhng! All the sound up until this point couldn¡¯t compare to this sound.It swept across the battlefield. For a brief moment, Hyrkan was tense. ¡®Break through.¡¯ He was most unsure of this part of the plan. The Stormhunters guild had shown the level of attack one needed against the Wall of Agony. That level¡­¡­ It had to be a level 190 or above Magician or Striker.One needed to be equipped with Epic Items, and one also needed a full set of Buffs.On top of it all, one had to use a level 180 or above skill with burst damage! If one considered these requirements, the Storm Queen Shir, Chev or Sinclair would be able to break the Wall of Agony. However, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t produce such a large amount of damage in such a short amount of time. This was the next best plan he could come up with.Since this was the next best plan, there was no guarantee that it would work. Since he couldn¡¯t guarantee it would work, he couldn¡¯t help, but feel restless.He kept feeling the restlessness after he heard the huge boom. [The Wall of Agony has fallen.] However, when he heard the System Announcement, Hyrkan put on the same smile he had on in the beginning of the battle. ¡®This is the finale.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan was holding a pouch. Each of this Bone Ingredients were worth 500 gold.These were made from the highest level Boss Monster available.The Bone Ingredients were from the Magma Giant, and it was the best Bone Explosive he could make. Hyrkan ran towards the fallen Wall of Agony, and he threw all the explosives towards the Frost Knight. Too-doo-doohk! There were around 20 Bone Explosive thrown, and it rolled across the ground before they came to a stop beneath the Frost Knight¡¯s feet. Kwah-gwah-gwah-gwahng! The sound of the explosions were heard, and the Frost Knight¡¯s armor started to crack within this explosion. In a flash, there weren¡¯t any Cursed slaves left.There was only the Frost Knight left, and there were no obstacles or barriers between them. He had one Skeleton Knight, 17 Skeleton Warriors, two Skeleton Magicians, the Big Bird Fire Golem and the Rhinoceros Golem left.They all stared at a single opponent. Hyrkan didn¡¯t even hesitate.He gave them consent. ¡°Kill it!¡± There was only one problem left to solve. 2. Once the armor came off, Hyrkan¡¯s damage dealing was overwhelming. Even if the numerous Skeleton Warriors got a single blow in, it was as if several dozen Strikers attacking it.Powerful attacks were executed by the Golems, and the Skeleton Knights displayed their frightening capabilities.The Frost Knight also couldn¡¯t ignore the attacks from the Skeleton Magicians.On top of that, the power of the Bone Spears and Bone Explosives gave one goosebumps. If one saw Hyrkan¡¯s battle, this person would describe it was as if a swarm of bullet ants in the Amazon jungle was attacking its prey.It was akin to the scary bullet ants that could take chunks out animal flesh that was several dozen times bigger than the ants. Amongst this swarm of ants, Hyrkan was like a scorpion striking. Since he had reached the last phase of the Frost Knight Raid, he decided to go all out. [The Black Heart¡¯s effect has activated.] Black Heart was the skill that he had acquired at a high cost! It was a skill one used if one had a surplus of magic.He used the skill at that moment. Hyrkan¡¯s physical ability was pushed well beyond the best Strikers in Warlord.His Strength stat was drastically increased, and this was the first time seeing Hyrkan with an overclocked Stat.Hyrkan started moving like a madman.The Frost Knight was fending off the small fries when Hyrkan saw an opening. He flew in on his target like a dart. ¡°Damn you!¡± A despaired filled voice escaped the arrogant Frost Knight. It happened as the despair-filled sound continued. ¡°This is the price for interfering with him.Your life isn¡¯t enough!¡± Its voice changed into a curse. It happened in an instant. There was no warning.After the curse was put out, the Frost Knight¡¯s body exploded. [The Frost Dragon¡¯s Curse has begun.] The terrifying curse that had created the Frozen Kingdom swept over the battlefield. This was the final act shown by the Frost Knight.There had been no signs that this last-ditch effort was coming. The powerful curse froze the Skeleton Warriors, Knights, Magicians and the Golems. It didn¡¯t end there. Everything that was frozen started to crumble away.The Undead army, which had been filling the battle field, crumbled away into crumbs of ice.They were turned into piles of ice like a sand dune atop the frozen ground. Of course, Hyrkan was also frozen in place.It was as if Hyrkan was an ice sculpture.If this Raid was being broadcasted live, the chatting window would be filled with groans. As if to make this worse, the underlings in front of Hyrkan was starting to crack. As they started to crack, they started being turned into a pile of ice shavings. However, as everything was crumbling away, Hyrkan appeared once again. [The Circlet of Purification protected you from the Frost Dragon¡¯s Curse.] He had already switched his Item beforehand.Hyrkan spoke with a smile on his face. ¡°That¡¯s a wrap.¡± Chapter 149 – Ancient Power (2) Chapter 149 ¨C Ancient Power (2) 3. Flash! In truth, the mattress he was lying on was unable to perform its original purpose, but Ahn-jaehyun was draped over it like a corpse.A blanket that was about to decay made the worn out mattress look shabbier.When both of his eyes opened, he kicked hard at the blanket. ¡°Ora ora ora!¡± He let out a energetic shout as he got up.It was hard to believe that Ahn-jaehyun had been lying on the mattress like a lifeless corpse a moment ago.He was showing a frightening level of energy as he walked towards the restroom. He immediately put a big dollop of toothpaste on his toothbrush, then he looked at himself through the small mirror inside his restroom.He was quite skinny.He was in a sorry state where eating meat for a month straight might not be able to fix him.However, he thought he looked better than ever as he looked at his own reflection in the mirror. If he was to exaggerate it a little bit, he looked like Leonardo DiCaprio in his prime when he failed to win his second Oscar.That was how great he thought he looked. ¡®It is done!¡¯ This was how much Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s mind was set on what he¡¯ll do. ¡®Wait for me.I¡¯ll kill any bastard that blocks my way.If anyone bothers the Hahoe Mask, I¡¯ll fuck them over.¡¯ Moreover, he was now qualified to think this way. ¡°Ooh-buh-buh-buh!¡± He couldn¡¯t help, but laugh even as he brushed his teeth.He was so happy that it was as if he was losing his mind. Of course, the reason for his happiness was the game. ¡®Frost! I got the Frost!Ooh-ha-ha-ha!¡¯ He had caught the Frost Knight 8 hours ago. He immediately logged out after finishing the Frost Knight Raid.When he came back to reality, he went straight to sleep. It wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t have work to do.Actually, he had too many things on his agenda to do.He had to organize the footages he recorded, then he had to check what was going on in Warlord.He also had to calculate his bottom line. However, he just went straight to sleep.It was true that he was tired from the Frost Knight Raid, but that wasn¡¯t the deciding factor.There was another reason. His head was too crowded with miscellaneous thoughts.The inside of his head was a jumbled mess, and he couldn¡¯t organize his thoughts in his tired state.This was the reason why he had slept. Then 8 hours had passed¡­. This was the longest sleep he had in the past year, so his head felt clearer than ever.Ahn-jaehyun could easily process the various types of joy he felt. This was why Ahn-jaehyun was able to savor his own overflowing happiness. ¡®Well, let¡¯s see the effect of the Frost¡­It can pretty much be used on anything.¡¯ The most joyous part was the fast that he had gained the Ancient Power of Frost. Basically, the Ancient Power could only be used on Rank A Skills.He couldn¡¯t use it on the Skills he had gained recently.On the other hand, it could be used on the Skills that he used as his main power. ¡®I guess the the Skeletons would change first.I wonder what kind of effect it would have on them?¡¯ He had no idea what effect would be applied to them.He just knew it¡¯ll be powerful.He was filled with happiness just from thinking about it. However, this wasn¡¯t the end to his good news. ¡®If I do well on this Frozen Kingdom episode, I can get over 3 million purchases on my paid video.¡¯ In truth, the part he was anticipating the most in the Frozen Kingdom episode was the profit from selling his paid video. Before Ahn-jaehyun returned to the past, the Stormhunters guild didn¡¯t broadcast the Frozen Kingdom episode live.The entire episode was filmed, and edited.Then they put the film on their live channel. At the time, live broadcasts were considered to be the best way to deliver a content.However, the Stormhunters decided to try a new method.Since it was new, it was risky.However, this attempt lead them to striking gold. Of course, they didn¡¯t succeed just because they attempted something new.The Frozen Kingdom episode was played over a 15 day period, yet they edited it down to 3 hours of footage.Moreover, the video wasn¡¯t just done as if it was footage from a game.They planned out the scenario and plot.They produced it like a real movie.In this process, the Stormhunters had hired a famous Hollywood director.They basically created a movie using the Warlord as stage. ¡®At the time, they had sold an incredible 3.9 million tickets to the paid broadcast.¡¯ It had been a huge success! The Frozen Kingdom episode film put out by the Stormhunters didn¡¯t get nominated in the Academy awards or Cannes film festival, but it did gain entrance in some famous film festivals. It received favorable review.This wasn¡¯t something one just forgot about after seeing it once.It was accepted as a piece of art. Of course, no one had attempted this yet.If one wanted to attempt this, one needed a Main Scenario Quest type story to pull it off.However, no guild had monopolized the Corrupt Count or the Immoral Prince episode.The Hydra guild had attempted to monopolize the Corrupt Count episode, but in the end, they weren¡¯t able to kill the most important figure, the Corrupt Count.This pretty much nullified their attempt at a monopoly of a content. It would be possible to make one with the Immoral Prince episode, but any deal needed the Hahoe Mask¡¯s approval. This was why Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s attempt at this would be awesome and fresh to the audiences. Of course, he was looking forward to this. ¡®I wonder if the Romani Films would be able to digest this.¡¯ On the other hand, this was a full-length film.This would require a lot more professional editing than a regular movie.It was possible that the Romani film might become overwhelmed by this task. Of course, the production cost would skyrocket.He had to expect the cost to be in the range of being able to buy one or two mid-sized sedans. ¡®Whatever.¡¯ However, Ahn-jaehyun had enough money to pay it off in a lump sum. ¡®It¡¯s been advertised properly.I¡¯ll have to do this even if I have to empty my bank account.¡¯ The Main Scenario Quest¡¯s content had suddenly changed, but on the other hand, Warlord had given out an incredible free advertisement for Hyrkan.Everyone would be anticipating the new footage from the Hahoe Mask.They¡¯ll be curious as to how the Hahoe Mask had opened a new era. If he got past this part, he wouldn¡¯t have to spend money on Items. ¡®There aren¡¯t that many level 200 Items available, and I wouldn¡¯t immediately have to spend money in purchasing those Items.¡¯ In the past, he had to change his Item setting every time he leveled up.Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just about upgrading the Hahoe Mask.He also had to take care of each of his Skeletons too, and he had to figuratively sell his spine to equip them. However, this wasn¡¯t the case any more. The Ruined Kingdom episode had just started, and the Items above level 200 would start to come out in earnest.These would be Items for the Users that went through the 2nd Advancement.In other words, Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t have to purchase any more new Items. If he needed to find a place where he needed to spend his money, it would be to equip the Death Knight he¡¯ll be able to summon soon.This would be after he went through the 2nd Advancement to become a Lich.However, it shouldn¡¯t cost too much. ¡®I¡¯ll have to give either the Crying Sword or the Dethrone King¡¯s Sword to the Death Knight.¡¯ The Death Knight was like a Lich¡¯s clone.Basically, any permanent Items that were bound to the summoner could be equipped by the Death Knight.If he wanted to, he could even put a Hahoe Mask on it.Of course, the Death Knight wouldn¡¯t complain about being handed down used Items. In the end, that was the most joyous part of all of this.The Hahoe Mask will show the fastest progress starting now from the Ruined Kingdom episode.The difference between the Hahoe Mask and the 30 great guilds would widen further. As he brushed his teeth, Ahn-jaehyun saw a rosy future in front of his eyes. ¡®Should I move to a new place?¡¯ Should he move to an incredible penthouse?It would look over the Han River.Maybe he¡¯ll get the high-rise apartment where he¡¯ll be able to play the game with his V-Gear in front of the view of the Han River. ¡®¡­¡­No.I have no problem playing this game here.The internet speed is quite fast here.Ah!Maybe I should buy a car?¡¯ He could fill the parking lot with expensive sports car, and he could take a different car out each day.He thought about diligently playing a game with cool cars in a house with a garage. ¡®¡­¡­however, there is no point in buying an expensive car right now.I don¡¯t have anywhere I want to go, and I don¡¯t have the time.Moreover, the insurance price would be high.On top of that, the value of a car halves the moment I buy it.So what should I do?There must be a luxury item that I can splurge on right now.What kind of luxury item do I want?¡¯ In truth, he wasn¡¯t easily able to imagine this incredibly rosy future. ¡®Yes.I¡¯ll use this opportunity to buy the level 6 V-Gear!I wonder what kind of expression the Peach Store employees will have when I buy the level 6 V-Gear with a single payment.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun could now properly imagine his rosy future.He spat out the liquid through his smile. After he washed his face, Ahn-jaehyun put his glasses back on. He was in a good mood as he turned on his Tablet PC. ¡®I bet it¡¯ll be plastered with stories about me.¡¯ It was at that moment he saw it. ¡°Huh?What?The Stormhunters?¡± He had missed an incredible development during the 8 hours he was asleep. 4. It was a monster with a half-translucent body, and it had a red light that was surrounding its body. The bastard could spit out endless amount of flame, and it was hot enough to melt anything in its path.When the monster was at a disadvantage, it ascended to the top of the Urugal mountain, which was barren.It was able to avoid any disadvantage by turning the summit into a lake of flame.It also had the unreasonable ability to completely recover from large wounds. It also had the most health of any monster that had appeared up until now.When it was angry, no one could take more than three attack from it.It was that strong. Blaze Slime Dragon! It protected the summit of the Urugal mountain range, and it was a monster amongst monsters with various unreasonable settings. The only logical part about this monster was the fact that the Tankers and Strikers could draw its Aggro.Then the Magicians could do the damage dealing¡­The only way to take it down was using this simple plan.This simple plan that was needed to clear it was the only part that gave comfort to the participants. Of course, a marathon was a race where one ran for 42.195km.In concept, it was a very simple sport, but the answer in how to finish it was tough to come up with. There was no easy answer to defeating this monster. This was why the strongest Users of Warlords, who had played Warlord for a number of years, gave up on this monster.These Users had defeated countless monsters that had been called the strongest, yet they openly abandoned this raid. However, this monster had fallen in front of her. [You¡¯ve gained the Title ¡®One who Conquered the Urugal Mountain Range.¡¯] [You¡¯ve gained the Title ¡®Dragon Slayer.¡¯] [You¡¯ve gained the Title ¡®Owner of the Urugal Mountain Range.¡¯] Stormhunter Queen Shir. Most of her silver armor had melted away from the effect of the Slime Dragon¡¯s Slime Breaths.Even the skin underneath her armor was darkened.Of course, her hair and face was burnt too.She looked unsightly, and one couldn¡¯t even tell, who she was.However, she was alive. She was alive as she looked at the Slime Dragon¡¯s end. ¡°Ooh-wah!Ooh-wah!¡± There were only two of them left.Hatch was with her. ¡°We really caught it!Ooh-wah!¡± In other words, they were the only two survivors. Thirty Users had participated in the Blaze Dragon Raid, but their number quickly diminished as time passed.There would be no reattempt after this.The Slime Dragon¡¯s Breath targeted the Priests before they could do anything.Even the Tankers couldn¡¯t survive against its attack. ¡°Queen!We did it!¡± Of course, the dead didn¡¯t just stay silent. ¨C Hey!Hatch!Hatch!What happened? ¨C Has it ended? ¨C Did we really catch it? The dead Users were still using the Voice Talk from outside the game to speak to those still in the game. Hatch answered them. ¡°We caught it!¡± At those words, cheer and silence started mixing with each other.The Voice Talk turned into a bedlam.Hatch had to hear all these sounds at once, and it was hellish to experience it. However, Hatch enjoyed the situation. ¡®This is crazy!We did it!¡¯ They had experienced failing this Raid once, and they also viewed the Raid footage from the other 30 great guilds.With these information, they had come up with a battle strategy, but still it hadn¡¯t been easy. No, this was the most difficult Boss Monster that the Stormhunters guild had come across. The worst part was the new phase that no other team had reached before.In an instant, the Blaze Slime Dragon had activated a self-destruct attack.It used the Slime Buster. As it self-destructed, its body had become a huge bomb, and the fragments flew everywhere. The unexpected attack had done an incredible amount of damage.This single attack had instantly killed 11 Users.When they all suffered Game Over, Hatch wondered what dramas we would watch in the next 48 hours.He thought nothing good would come out of this run. However, Shir didn¡¯t give up in such a situation.There would be no second chance for her.She immediately drew the aggro of the Slime Dragon, and Hatch became in tune with her movements as he used his magic. It felt as if they were throwing eggs at a boulder.They were fighting for the sake of fighting, since they hadn¡¯t died. However, the egg had eventually broken the boulder. ¡°Queen!¡± Her appearance was unsightly, but at that moment, Shir really looked like the Queen. Shir replied when she saw Hatch. ¡°Hatch!¡± When Shir called his name, Hatch had a deep smile on his face as he opened both his arms.In such a scene, didn¡¯t the surviving members suppose to hug each other? However, Shir¡¯s hug wasn¡¯t what came towards Hatch. ¡°Do you know what this Ancient Power is?¡± ¡°What? Ancient¡­¡­ What did you just say?¡± ¡°The Ancient Power of Flame¡­¡­ A weird reward was added on.Do you know anything about it?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you know about it or not?¡± At Shir¡¯s question, Hatch felt a need to come up with some answer. ¡°That is¡­¡­ The only Go-dae I know is the university near the Ahn-ahm station.¡± 1 At those words, Shir glared at Hatch for a brief moment.Then she started talking to the others through the Voice Talk. 5. [Stormhunters.They succeeded in conquering the summit of the Urugal mountain range!] [Storm Queen.She completely washed away her humiliation from the Immoral Prince Raid!] [Ancient Power! It is the emergence of Warlord¡¯s Skill Enhancement Content!] Around half a day ago, Warlord was filled with stories about the Hahoe Mask and the arrival of the 3rd Main Scenario Quest.Now it was filled with news about the Stormhunters. Of course, the inside of Hyrkan¡¯s head was filled with stories about the Stormhunters guild. ¡®She got the Flame.¡¯ Even after he entered the game, he was unable to do anything.He just looked at the Hologram window as he looked over the online articles.He was deep within his thoughts. ¡®This doesn¡¯t make any sense.The Blaze Slime Dragon was suppose to give an Ancient Rank.Yet she got the Flame?¡¯ The Stormhunters guild had succeeded in conquering the summit of the Urugal mountain range. This fact was surprising in itself.Hyrkan was well aware of how difficult it was to catch the Blaze Slime Dragon.It being difficult was an understatement.First, it was impossible to do anything near it.It didn¡¯t register any parts of its body being severed.It could just turn the surrounding into a lakeof fire to nullify any damage it took from attacks.It was an unreasonable Boss Monster to face. The cherry on top was the 3rd phase.If the Users didn¡¯t know about the Slime Buster, everyone in the party was pretty much killed. It was an AOE attack, and it was incredibly powerful.It was an AOE attack on the same tier as the Frost Fog he suffered at the end of his battle with the Frost Knight.It wasn¡¯t something one could avoid.It was an AOE attack where the only solution was to endure it. Fortunately, Hyrkan had prior knowledge about these types of attacks, so he was able to plan for it.However, the Stormhunters guild had gone in blind, and they had succeeded. Of course, this wasn¡¯t their first attempt.They had pretty much perfected the method to clear the early and mid portion of the Raid, but it was still an incredible accomplishment. ¡®What is going on?¡¯ However, the more surprising part about this was the fact the Storm Queen obtained a Mythos Rank Ancient Power.She had the biggest impact on the Blaze Slime Dragon Raid, so she had gained the Flame. ¡®What changed?¡¯ If events followed like Hyrkan¡¯s memories, the Ruined Kingdom episode started when one conquered the summit of the Urugal mountain.Afterwards, the Ancient Power content had appeared.However, the Mythos Rank Ancient Power appeared two months after the Blaze Slime Dragon was taken down. The Mythos Rank Ancient Power had appeared as a reward for clearing the Frost Knight and the Blaze Slime Dragon. Of course, this wasn¡¯t too strange of an occurrence. ¡®Did they change the difficulty of the Quests?¡¯ According to Tobot Soft, the AI selected the difficulty based on how fast the game was progressing.Moreover, this determination process was so complex that developers wouldn¡¯t be able to change the difficulty on their own.If they changed it, it would cause a System Error. Basically, this was the cumulative result of the recent events.This was the answer given by Warlord to match the swift progress shown by the Users. In other words, the information he knew wasn¡¯t the answer any more.It can only be used as reference material. Hyrkan closed both his eyes. Until a moment ago, he had been so happy in many ways that he couldn¡¯t get a handle on his thoughts.However, his head was surprisingly cool right now. ¡®I have about 43% left before I reach level 200.I don¡¯t have the Ifrit¡¯s Tears, but if I hunt as I travel towards the Terube castle wall¡­..I¡¯ll be able to reach level 200 in one or two days.¡¯ His cool head had to face up to the reality. He wasn¡¯t behind, but that didn¡¯t mean he was far ahead either. He wouldn¡¯t be running the race by himself. In the end, he had only one thing he could do. ¡®Yes, let¡¯s do this.Let¡¯s see who gets trampled.¡¯ He had to sprint with all his might to shake off his competitors.This was what Hyrkan had to do. Translator¡¯s Note Go-dae means ancient, but it is also a shorthand way to refer to Goryeo university in Seoul.Goryeo=>Go.University=>Dae-hahk-gyo=>Dae Chapter 150 – Ancient Power (3) Chapter 150 ¨C Ancient Power (3) 6. Across the Terube Castle Wall¡­ Originally, the Battlefield was a minor content that only the Users, who knew about it, enjoyed.Now it was a major stage where everyone, who enjoyed Warlord, knew about it. It was the stage where Killer Sinclair, who represented the Big Smiles guild, had earned his frightening yet memorable nickname.It was also where the Hydra guild had stumbled as they were pushing forward without a hitch.However, it was most known as the place where the Hahoe Mask had declared his war against the 30 great guilds. Several historic moments in Warlord had occurred consecutively on this stage. This stage held a sense of magic, adventure, and romance.It stoked one¡¯s desire to explore. Naturally, the Northland became a hot spot. The Users that met the requisite level and even the Users that hadn¡¯t reached the requisite level were crossing the Terube castle wall.They were all headed towards the Northland. However, the Northland was far from the paradise dreamt up by the Users. Their imagination had been tinted by romanticism. The world thought the Northland was now owned by the Hahoe Mask.This was why no guild could insist on management rights, ownership rights or autonomous rights.Moreover, the Hahoe Mask didn¡¯t plan on managing his territory. On top of it all, the Northland didn¡¯t have a castle or a town to use as a reset point.The Users gathered in places, but these were very laughable locations.It couldn¡¯t be considered to be waypoints.Everyone returned to the Terube castle wall when they died. This was why all kinds of behaviors that were considered to be bad manners were being carried out here.No one in the near vicinity would stop these acts from being carried out.No one was here to manage these lands.It was a type of location where PK could be carried out if there was a problem with another User.This was a legit method to buy significant amount of time against other Users. At some point, the Northland turned into a lawless paradise. Of course, those that were still surviving and playing in this lawless paradise of the Northland weren¡¯t normal Users. ¡°How many were we able to get?¡± ¡°If we count those we caught a moment ago, we have a total of 17.¡± ¡°We are earning a good income.All the people here have pretty good Items.If we stay here, we could probably gain enough money to play this game for a whole year.¡± These Users were like fighting dogs with their collars taken off.The Users that took up PK as a job promoted this lawlessness in this lawless lands. There were some that enjoyed this aspect of the game.Warlord¡¯s system didn¡¯t stop PKs.There were no penalties given.Warlord actually had contents that accounted for Users that enjoyed PK. Currently, three Users were counting the number of wristwatches obtained through PK.Moreover, they did something that added to the fun. ¡°It is as I predicted.This will end all our problems if we wear this!It¡¯ll end it!I told you guys we should have used it earlier!Even if I tell you good advice, you guys can¡¯t even comprehend it.¡± ¡°All right.Good for you.You are smart.Why didn¡¯t you use that smart head of yours in college?¡± ¡°Are you trying to pick a fight with me?¡± ¡°Hey!Stop it!It is very distracting to see people wearing the same masks fight each other.¡± The group consisted of a swordsman, a magician and a priest. They all held different Classes, but they were all borrowing the face of someone that was more famous than Ironman and Batman in Warlord. ¡°Still, I can¡¯t believe the Hahoe Mask is working so well.Everyone becomes afraid from just seeing this.¡± Hahoe Mask. This was the identity of the masks they were wearing. Of course, they didn¡¯thave any relations to the actual Hahoe Mask.They weren¡¯t even acquaintances.If one had to put a label on the relationship, it was something like a connection between a star and his fans.Currently, it was closer to victim and the identity thieves. In truth, they weren¡¯t the only ones doing this.It wasn¡¯t too hard to find Users wearing the Hahoe Mask in various towns and castles.Moreover, there were a fair number of them that were using it to take advantage of the Hahoe Mask¡¯s reputation. It was clear that the presence of the Hahoe Mask was the strongest across the Terube castle wall in the Northlands. ¡°This place is the Hahoe Mask¡¯s domain.Of course, it is a matter of course.¡± ¡°Still, I become occasionally startled when I catch sight of one of us.¡± The fact that the Hahoe Mask¡¯s reputationi was strong meant that this method was powerful and effective. Most Users, who caught sight of the Hahoe Mask, in a hunting ground would find their hearts were trembling.For the Hahoe Mask¡¯s fan, there was a possibility of coming across the real one.The anticipation made their hearts tremble.For those that crossed the Hahoe Mask before, it made their heart flutter from fear. If one used their trembling heart against these Users, one would be able to have a good time.These three Users were using it to their advantage. Ooh-uh-uh! The sound rang in their ears. ¡®It¡¯s a Hammer Head!¡¯ They recognized the owner of this distinctive roar.As if it had been rehearsed, the three Users stopped their conversation, and they turned their head towards where the sound had emanated.Afterwards, they smiled as they looked at each other. ¡°Shall we go gather up more wristwatches?¡± They aimed to attack the Users, who were in a desperate situation.It was a very cheap thing to do, but the three of them didn¡¯t feel any compunction at carrying out this act. ¡°Let¡¯s assess what he are working against, then let¡¯s get to work.¡± ¡°I hope we meet a juicy prey.¡± ¡°I might get addicted to this.¡± They quickly moved towards the ruckus to meet the new sacrificial lamb that was to their taste. 7. ¡°Shit!¡± The User, who was wearing a Hahoe Mask and a magician¡¯s robe, swore.He was in a rough shape.It was as if he was wearing a layer of ice over his clothes.Large chunks of ice were infused into the User¡¯s clothes. It wasn¡¯t a good feeling.The chunks of Ice were cumbersome weights that restricted movement. [The Frost¡¯s power has invaded into your bones.All Stats and movement speed will be decreased.] They were in a jungle filled with overgrown vegetation.It was muggy enough to be uncomfortable yet he was feeling a chill.He was in an unpleasant and disagreeable state, but there was something that was more baffling than the cold. What truly made the magician User be disconcerted was the Skeleton Warrior letting out a cold breath in front of his eyes. ¡°Shit!¡± The magician was like a parrot repeating his words.Resist was a vocabulary that wasn¡¯t even present in Cervid¡¯s mind right now.His actions were unbecoming of the mask he was wearing.In Warlord, the Hahoe Mask signified a hero that possessed an indomitable will, power and excellence. However, if his plight was explained to others, everyone would understand why he was acting this way. Cervid had come face-to-face with the Skeleton Warriors.Moreover, he saw a User that fit the Hahoe Mask the most standing behind these Skeletons. It was the real deal. It was Hyrkan, who had ushered in this Third Age! He was here. Moreover, there wasn¡¯t anything special that had lead Cervid to face the real Hahoe Mask as an enemy.When their group saw a single User face off against the large monster Hammer Head, they didn¡¯t hesitate.The three of them conducted a pre-emptive attack against this User. Afterwards, Cervid¡¯s two companions suffered the consequence of their pre-emptive attack. Once Cervid face the consequence of his actions, this would all be forgotten. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry.I¡¯ll give you all the watches.Just spare me.¡± At that moment, Cervid finally came up with a sincere apology.In reality, the apology was his only chance at getting out of this situation.The only way he would be able to walk around the Terube castle wall alive would be through the Hahoe Mask¡¯s mercy and generosity. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean his two wrists would come out of this unharmed in any case. Moreover, this Hahoe Mask wasn¡¯t the Hahoe Mask he had seen through countless videos. The expensive armors were infused with Frost, and unlike the fiery eyes one could see through the helmets, the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s eyes were like sculpted ice that shone like gems.There was a continuous white breath emitted from within the helmet, and the sound of its breathing was cold as ice. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just the outer appearance.They were emitting a cold that was frightening. ¡°Please!I¡¯ll never do this again!¡± In front of this cold air, Cervid once again asked for forgiveness in a desperate voice. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t answer Cervid¡¯s yell.He flicked his finger twice as an answer. The Skeleton Warriors on standby moved as if they had been waiting for this.They attack all at once. ¡°Shit!You son of a bitch!¡± In the end, Cervid revealed his true feelings towards Hyrkan.Before Cervid could curse any more with his words, the Skeleton Warriors chopped Cervid¡¯s body into pieces. Hyrkan approached Cervid once the Hammerhead was taken care by his two Skeleton Knights. When all the variables that could threaten him was dispatched, Hyrkan moved towards Cervid¡¯s corpse. He looked at the three that was wearing his symbol on their faces.He honestly felt good about it. ¡®Crazy bastards.¡¯ There was no reason why he should feel bad about it.In the first place, the Hahoe Mask hadn¡¯t been created by Hyrkan.It was something anyone could wear, and it wasn¡¯t hard to make. Moreover, Hyrkan didn¡¯t care if other people chose to wear it. ¡®I guess I¡¯ve been living too much on the straight and narrow these days.These bastards dare to put on the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t want to make the Hahoe Mask a symbol of justice.Hyrkan wanted the image of the Hahoe Mask to frighten even the skilled Users of the 30 great guilds, and this would in turn allow the skilled Users to vent their anger on those that tried to copy the Hahoe Mask. ¡®Well, I made some money thanks to them.¡¯ On top of it all, the Users that put on the Hahoe Mask were like monsters.There was no consequences in attacking them. After taking all the watches, Hyrkan turned to look at the Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Knights.A smile finally formed when he looked at them. This was a smile that came out when he felt satisfaction at the effect of the Ancient Power of Frost. ¡®It¡¯s beyond expectation.¡¯ After leaving the Frozen Kingdom, he continued to hunt and level up as he headed towards the Terube castle wall.At the same time, he started checking and analyzing the power of Frost. The result of this power was the best.The smile on his face was an understatement. After seeing the abilities displayed by his Skeleton Underlings, it wasn¡¯t enough to give them a perfect score. When the power of Frost was imbued into them, his Skeleton Underlings¡¯ All Stats and mobility was increased by 20%.Moreover, the Chill was very useful in effecting nearby enemies.As one became exposed to it longer, the Chill effect changed into the Frostbite effect. The Frost Golem was also the best.When it appeared, it immediately made all enemies feel the Chill.It couldn¡¯t be compared to the Earth Golem, which could only use the Hardening skill. Then there was the Frost Bone Armor.It froze anyone that came in contact with the Frost Bone Armor.It was useful in hunts and PK battles. The one that exceeded expectation the most was the Bone Explosives.When the Bone Explosives reinforced by the power of Frost was detonated, the explosion gave much more damage than before, and it froze anything in the radius of the explosion.It could quickly give the Frostbite effect to the enemies, and it was also great at interfering with the mobility of the target. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if there weren¡¯t any downsides. ¡®The magical energy is consumed much faster than I had expected¡­.¡¯ When the Ancient Power of Frost was activated, any Skills that benefited from the power of Frost consumed 2.2 times more magical energy.It also meant that it took him 2.2 times more magical energy to maintain his summons.In recent days, he hadn¡¯t thought his Magic Power stat was lacking, but now he wasn¡¯t unable to summon all his Skeletons with the power of Frost activated. The only thing he found lacking was the fact that the power of Frost was only applied to the Summon Skill Tree. However, he had already been aware of this fact. Still, the power of Frost was incredible.If everything had worked out as planned, he would have still been drunk on this power. ¡®That bitch Shir probably has something comparable.¡¯ However, at that moment, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t the only one that possessed this surprising power.This fact made him worry more. Hyrkan turned his gaze away from the Skeleton Warriors. ¡®How long will I have to fight that bitch?That¡¯s the question I¡¯m curious about now.¡¯ The rumors regarding famous people usually spread like wildfire. Hahoe Mask and the Storm Queen. Of course, the rumors regarding the two most famous Users in Warlord spread much faster than a wildfire. In the case of the Storm Queen, it wasn¡¯t really rumors. She had started advertising herself. She didn¡¯t show any hesitation in showing off the Ancient Power of Flame to the people that were interested in the Stormhunters guild through footage.The Storm Queen was using powerful yet diverse set of Skills that was infused with the power of the Flame.The presence of the Storm Queen surprised the Users, and her competitors felt at a loss. ¨C Isn¡¯t this too much of a cheat? ¨C The other Users can¡¯t measure up to them. ¨C Will all the Ancient Power be able to do that?Or is this unique to her Skills? ¨C Shit.If I was born with a gold spoon in my mouth, I would have been able gain that too! ¨C ? It isn¡¯t just about the golden spoon. Even if you had founded Tobo Soft, you wouldn¡¯t be able to gain that power. ¨C ? I agree. In the case of the Hahoe Mask, everything was a rumor.The Hahoe Mask hadn¡¯t revealed what he had earned in his ventures. Instead, the rare footages that were taken by Users was the origin of the rumors. These weren¡¯t the usual Skeleton unit used by the Hahoe Mask.This Skeleton army left behind traces of Frost.It was clear evidence that the Hahoe Mask had gained a new power. It was the emergence of the Frost Skeletons! It was as if these Skeletons were tailor made for the Hahoe Mask, so of course, the Users were interested in it. ¨C He¡¯s the Lich King. ¨C Yes, he¡¯s the Lich King. ¨C Lich King sounds a bit tacky.Since the Hahoe Mask is incredible wealthy, how about we call him Rich Lich? ¨C ? That¡¯s pretty good. ¨C ? I agree with Rich Lich!Let¡¯s make this happen! Of course, there were other issues that dominated the news. There was the release of the Second Advancement Skills, and the battle footages displayed by the upgraded Users were much more fancy.Moreover, more information about the Ancient Power content was slowly trickling out, and it was enough to put a firm grip on the interest of the Users.It was that appealing. The new contents were fun even for the lower ranking guilds that were below the 30 great guilds. Moreover, the market was now overflowing with contents from Warlord Users.There was the live broadcasts, youtube live stream, paid videoes, pay-per-view tickets and the marketing market.The market was reaching its peak.It was hard to fathom before, but people were able to gain fame and money through playing a game well. The Renaissance was in full swing! Accompanying the start of the Renaissance era, the Hahoe Mask¡¯s Frozen Kingdom footage was revealed to the world. 8. ¡°You did well!You did really well!¡± After Romani ended his conversation, he threw the headset on his head backwards towards his bed. He clenched his fist as he sat on the chair. ¡®We finally did it.¡¯ Recently, Romani hadn¡¯t had a proper night of sleep.He couldn¡¯t remember when he had a proper night of sleep.That was how hard the recent days were. However, at that moment, Romani felt pleased instead of being tired.It was almost enough to make him develop insomnia. ¡®I would have never expected to work on a same project with such great people.I never would have expected to produce such an amazing product!¡¯ Romani raised his clenched fist above his head. Everything had started with the Hahoe Mask.Hahoe Mask had sent a massive amount of footage.The footage of the Frozen Kingdom wasn¡¯t measure in minutes.It was a 20 days worth of footages. The Hahoe Mask didn¡¯t make an order.The Hahoe Mask asked a question that was closer to being a request. He wanted to make a long piece that lasted 2 to 3 hours.He wanted to know if Romani would be able to make it like a movie. When he received the question, he flat out refused to do it. There was a massive difference between editing footage to make a short film and making a movie. Romani¡¯s ultimate goal was to produce movies, but Romani knew better than anyone that he still had a long way to go.He wasn¡¯t confident in his current capabilities. ¡®I apologize.It is impossible to do this by myself¡­.¡¯ When he gave his answer, the Hahoe Mask asked another question. He didn¡¯t mind bringing in others to collaborate on the project.The Hahoe Mask was willing to foot the bill, and he wanted Romani to, at the very least, attempt it. At that point, Romani started to inquire through his contacts.He got a hold of people that worked around the movie industry. As if people had been waiting for this day, incredibly famous people in the industry started contacting him to work on the project.There were even skilled veterans within Hollywood that were pushing for this opportunity.Even one of the top line directors, who produced a movie with a budget of several hundred millions, were giving him enthusiastic advices. The people on the project received salaries that were pennies on the dollars compared to their reputation, yet they were all participating in this project with a fervor. ¡®Yes.Everyone had been thirsty.¡¯ Of course, the passion exhibited by these individuals weren¡¯t based on money. Currently, the world called Virtual Reality was changing this era.Moreover, they were able to acquire the best ingredients that could be acquired in the world right now.The Warlord¡¯s best player, the Hahoe Mask, had provided the ingredients, and they wanted to make a proper film! This was a product that had been created by like-minded individuals, and it was way above Romani¡¯s expectation. This was why Romani could guarantee it. ¡®This film about Warlord¡­.No, this might be a historical turning point in the VR movie industry.¡¯ In the future, when movies staged in a VR were discussed by the movie executives, Romani and his associates would always be included in the discussion.His work would be discussed with the previous greats he had grown up watching.His work would be mentioned with the works of Quentin Tarantino, Spielberg and James Cameron. ¡®It is unfortunate that the Academy Awards doesn¡¯t have a Virtual Reality category.If it did, I¡¯ll be able to attend the Oscars.¡¯ Romany felt a laugh come on when he thought about attending the Academy Awards in a suit. It was a happy thought, but at the same time, it was ridiculous. At that moment¡­ ¡®Huh?¡¯ Romani looked at his wrist.The smart watch vibrated, and it informed him, who was calling him. It had caller ID. When Romani saw who was calling him, he immediately waved the left hand that was equipped with the watch. A phone shaped hologram started circling around Romani like a satellite. ¡°Yes.Please speak.¡± ¨C Mr. Romani.Do you think I¡¯ll be able to have a private conversation with you? A grave voice was heard from the nearby speaker. ¡°Any time.¡± This was a call from a collaborator, who had worked on the Hahoe Mask¡¯s film from the start to finish.Until recently, he hadn¡¯t even known the name of this man, but he was a partner that was qualified to have a personal conversation with him. ¨C I want to meet the Hahoe Mask.Do you think you¡¯ll able to act as a bridge? On the other hand, Romani wasn¡¯t close enough to this man that he would agree to such a request. Romani had a sour expression on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask the Hahoe Mask through e-mail first.¡± Romani wasn¡¯t Hahoe Mask¡¯s manager.The Hahoe Mask didn¡¯t need to work him Romani.He was Romani¡¯s most important client, and the sudden request for an introduction was a complete non-starter. ¨C If you can give me his e-m¡­.. ¡°I¡¯ll ask him about that too.¡± After Romani cut him off with his curt words, he clenched his fist around the phone that was hovering around him.The call was ended, and Romani had a ill-humored expression on his face. Hahoe Mask always had felt like his exclusive actor, but now that was about to change.This was what put him in a disagreeable mood. However, the displeasure turned into bitterness. ¡®Once this film is released, all the major film companies will line up wanting to work with the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ Chapter 151 – Death Knight (1) Chapter 151 ¨C Death Knight (1) 1. Everyone was waiting for this movie.The release date hadn¡¯t been set, yet it was suddenly out on the market.It was analogous to a person receiving a present from one¡¯s significant other atone¡¯s surprise party. This was the kinds of feeling evoked when the Hahoe Mask¡¯s paid film called ¡®The Frozen Kingdom¡¯ was released. The film was unprecedented in many aspects. The fact that it had a running time of 153 minutes was shocking in itself. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just footages of several monster fights, and the Boss Monster Raid.There was a single overarching plotline from start to finish.It was edited like a movie, and it attempted things that had never been tried before in the market of Warlord. It was unprecedented. It was also priced at 9 dollars.Normal paid videos sold for an average of 1.6 dollar.It was an unprecedented price where it was almost 6 times the average price. The most unprecedented part was the fact that the video had sold a million copies on the day of its release. It was a string of unprecedented results, and eventually, it drew out a public response that was worthy of such unprecedented events. ¨C Wow! ¨C I can¡¯t believe footage from Warlord could be use to make such a video. ¨C This isn¡¯t a simple video.It¡¯s a movie!A movie! ¨C How much would a movie of this scale cost using CG in Hollywood? ¨C This movie could be shown at the theaters. ¨C It is better than most movies that are coming out right now. The praise from the audiences had started in earnest. [Frozen Kingdom.It is a making of an art piece instead of a product.] [Hahoe Mask.His competition next year isn¡¯t the 30 great guilds.Instead, it¡¯ll be against other Oscar nominees.] [For those who dream about being in a movie in the future, this film is like a bible to follow.] Of course, the press was also full of praise. The world was sending praise towards the Hahoe Mask, and the interest didn¡¯t end just there. A rush of love calls started. [Various media companies has sent love calls to the Hahoe Mask of ¡®The Frozen Kingdom¡¯!] [It is quickly being considered for an Oscar.Will this open the door to the era of Virtual Reality?] Hahoe Mask¡¯s movie was submitted into famous movie festivals, and a community within the movie industry argued for the formation of a new category.Some officials within the movie festivals argued for a VR movie award.Then there were the movie production companies and distributing agencies in Hollywood, who boasted a long and storied heritage, that wanted to distribute Hahoe Mask¡¯s movie.A variety of offers to sponsor and work with the Hahoe Mask was made. Hahoe Mask¡¯s unprecedented movie had simply moved past the world called Warlord, and it was influencing various field of business in the real world. Of course, the unprecedented move was a shock to some people.The Hahoe Mask¡¯s biggest rivals were the 30 great guilds, and they were so shocked that it made everything in front of their eyes turn white. ¡®This doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡¯ Chev watched the 153 minute movie in a subdued manner.He was agonizing over his thoughts instead of marveling at the movie. ¡®No matter how I think about it, this doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡¯ At first, he was in awe.He hadn¡¯t been mesmerized by the Hahoe Mask¡¯s excellent battle skill.There was a story here.It wasn¡¯t just a hunt.There was a reason behind why he caught the monsters, and the Hahoe Mask¡¯s actions all foreshadowed the battle with the Frost Knight.The storyline culminated like a flower blooming at the Frost Knight. ¡®How did he think of such¡­.No, this isn¡¯t just about coming up with an idea to do this.How was he able to attempt it in such a manner?How did he know his Quest would progress like that?¡¯ The Hahoe Mask was an adversary of the 30 great guilds.He hadn¡¯t hesitated in declaring a guild war on the Big Smile guild, but no one had taken it too seriously.The Hahoe Mask never backed down against the 30 great guilds. The Hahoe Mask boasted the ability to produce high quality paid videoes, and he was bringing in a significant amount of income.However, the 30 great guilds had the live channels.Basically, they were in a different market from what the Hahoe Mask did. The Hahoe Mask always showed surprising result, but it had always been within expected standards. However, this time the Hahoe Mask had exceeded the standard.Chev had thought the 30 great guilds were running next to the Hahoe Mask as competitors.Chev had thought the Hahoe Mask was just slightly in front of them in the race.However, it seemed the Hahoe Mask had been running to launch himself into the air for flight. ¡®Shit.¡¯ The Hahoe Mask was an irregularity, and he always messed up the status quo.Now the 30 great guilds would have to react to the new standard set by the Hahoe Mask. ¡®Do we have to follow after the Hahoe Mask¡¯s footsteps?Or should we battle him with some other exclusive contents?Will we have to go out and scout movie professionals?How much of our budget would we have to allocate in such a venture?How long will it take for the project to deliver results?In Warlord, it is critical to swiftly put out new contents.Will we be able to make a movie in such a short amount of time?¡¯ Chev was bombarded with worry upon worry. Moreover, at the same time, all the officers of the 30 great guilds were going through a similar thought process as Chev. Of course, the first one to come up with an answer was the Stormhunters guild. ¡°I don¡¯t care how much we spend.There is a subsidiary company that received investment from us.I want you to recruit movie professionals from that company.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°After gathering the individuals, I want them to immediately using the footages we have as the groundwork.I want them to start producing short movies that lasts around 30 minutes.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I want to you to make sure that we have a new movie ready to be broadcasted every Friday at 9 PM.We have to have our first airing next Friday no matter what.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If there is a problem in production, I don¡¯t want you to dick around.I want you to contact me directly.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Moreover, I want you to contact the Hahoe Mask through his Youtube page.Tell him our side wants to be in charge of distributing his movie.Tell him we will give him the full treatment.¡± ¡°What?Wouldn¡¯t he just ignore it?¡± ¡°Just do it.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­.¡± Che-sulyun couldn¡¯t even finish the Hahoe Mask¡¯s video. She moved immediately after 10 minutes into the movie. She spoke to the members of the Stormhunters guild. ¡°Every member that is above level 180 will cross the Urugal mountain range.¡± ¨C What?If it is above level 180, we have around 300 members.You want all of them to cross the Urugal great mountain range? The current power structure was crumbling right now, and if they wanted to survive, it was important for them to be aggressive.As a guild master of a 30 great guild, she knew this better than anyone. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¨C If I say there¡¯s a problem, what will happen to me? ¡°I¡¯ll can you.¡± ¨C After much thought, I have no problems with the plan. She had the power to cause change in the Stormhunters with a single word. Then there were those that didn¡¯t merely react to the unprecedented event.There were those that insisted on resisting against it. ¡®It is war now.¡¯ When Sinclair saw the Hahoe Mask¡¯s video, he knew they couldn¡¯t coexist in Warlord.This hunch became reality in an instant. [We have to eliminate the Hahoe Mask.He is our top priority.If you find his tracks, use every method and scheme to eliminate him.] A new era truly dawned on Warlord. 2. Black Hound. It was similar to the one that appeared at the entrance to the Urugual mountain range.It was one of the most difficult mid-sized monster amongst similar level monsters.It was especially problematic that it was programmed to attack the Priests first.This was why it had the nickname of Priest Hunter, and it caused a lot of headache for the Users. However, in an online game world, nothing was superior to level! Kuh-hung, kuh-hung! It was the same for the Black Hound.It could only let out a pitiful cry in front of the level difference.It was merely a pathetic dog. Kuh-hung! Its front right leg and left hind leg were severed.Its entire body was covered in wounds, and a large amount of ice was forming on the wound.The Black Hound was beyond looking pitiful.It looked to be in a brutal state. The more devastating fact was that the enemy that had put it in such a state was still in front of the Black Hound. It was a Knight instead of a Skeleton Warrior. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just a simple Skeleton Knight.It was equipped with the Great Battle Hero¡¯s Sword, which was one of the strongest weapons in Warlord.It also wore a level 190 Unique defensive set called Blood Ogre set.At its peak value, this set was sold for 20 thousand gold.The Skeleton Knight was equipped with such strong Items. Moreover, it was letting out a bluish cold energy thanks to the Ancient Power of Frost.Then there was the passive ability of the Blood Ogre set that decreased the enemy¡¯s Stats by 15%. The Skeleton Knight taking down the Black Hound was akin to killing a chicken with an electric saw. No human in this world would use an electric saw to slaughter a chicken. ¡®I made a very firm pledge that I¡¯ll hunt down every single of you bastards.¡¯ It was retribution. In the distant past, he had travelled the Urugal mountain range to visit the Blacksmith Olf.He had been humiliated by the Black Hound during this trip.At the time, his heart was filled with frustration and a desire for revenge.Hyrkan was burning away this desire at that moment. Of course, he wasn¡¯t at the Urugal mountain range just to fulfill his pledge. Hyrkan raised his head to look at the summit that was veiled by fog. ¡®I can¡¯t believe it took me over two weeks to get here.¡¯ A lot of things had happened as he was coming here.It wasn¡¯t just the volume.It was also the magnitude the events. The production process of the Frozen Kingdom he released yesterday hadn¡¯t been easy.He had to put it out as fast as possible.When he tried to accelerate the production process, naturally the cost skyrocketed.He invested almost twice the production cost he had initially estimated.The cost was being discussed in terms of hundred thousand dollars. Aside from his movie, Hyrkan had a lot of things to do.He had to sell the Items he had earned in the Frozen Kingdom, and he also had to sell the Items that weren¡¯t needed by his Skeleton underlings. Then he had to purchase new Items.All the Items he purchased weren¡¯t cheap, and a significant amount of money were exchanged in the deals.He had to focus on the details of deal. In the real world, he was busy meeting his lawyer, accountant and solicitors.He had to take numerous consultations and measures in regards to his taxes.He had been lax with his taxes, since he was busy with the game.However, the amount of money he was earning and spending was too large now. Then there was that one incident when he purchased the 6S Model V-Gear.He paid an enormous amount of money to buy it, but there was a problem during the test phase.There was a range of preexistent setting, but none of them was suitable for Hyrkan.He was non-standard, so they had to program a new setting for him. While this was all going on, he continued on the 2nd Advancement Quest.The 2nd Advancement Quest wasn¡¯t easy.It was annoying in the fact that he had to travel all over to meet the NPCs scattered all around the large continent.The ingredients from the monsters were scattered too.It was almost as if he was making pilgrimages to various locations in Warlord. Of course, he had to focus on leveling up as he was doing all of this.There were a lot of Users that picked a fight with him, and he had to deal with all of them.He also got into a small war with a guild with a significant number of members.He was targeted more than any other User in Warlord.He was worth as much as a Boss Monster, so everyone in Warlord was his enemy now. It was a mouthful to explain everything.He had to digest his busy schedule, and the fact that he was here was a miracle in itself. It had taken him a long time to come here. On the other hand, the fact that it took him a long time meant that he was finished with his preparation.He had organized everything around him, so he could focus on his game for awhile. The Frozen Kingdom movie wasn¡¯t just something that had made a lot of money.It was an iconic piece that had a huge effect on Warlord and the VR market.Hyrkan had taken the nickname of Rich Lich from Subrata Duta.Unlike the original Rich Lich, he didn¡¯t have 5 million dollars to wield as a weapon.However, he was now able to buy most Item sets he wanted in a lump sum payment. He had finished his 2nd Advancement.His Class as Necromancer had advanced to Lich, and he had gained the new Skills he had been waiting for. He also bought the expensive consumable Items.Instead of looking at the price, he bought the most effective consumables. Above all, he had finished solidifying his resolve. Hyrkan no longer stared at the summit of the Urugal mountain range.He looked beyond it. ¡®Let¡¯s do this.¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter what was across the Urugal mountain range.From now on, the obstacles won¡¯t be things he already knew about.New and surprising contents would unfold in front of him! Hyrkan didn¡¯t plan on being taken aback by it.He had no thoughts of hesitating or backing down from the new challenge. Even if he was broken into pieces from encountering a wall, he planned on running into it with full force. Currently, his opponent was the Urugal mountain range, and he was at the midway point.He met the gatekeeper that guarded the waist of the mountain.It was the Skull Collector. 3. If the Hahoe Mask had opened the era of the Northland exploration, the Stormhunters guild opened the era of climbing the Urugal mountain range. It was hard to open the door to both these locations.If one hadn¡¯t made thorough preparation for these two places, these locations were ruthless in separating the users.It quickly and ruthlessly sorted out the prepared and the unprepared. If one wanted to reach the Frozen Kingdom from the Northland, one had to cross the frozen land.This stretch of land judged the Users.In the Urugal mountain range, the foggy mid-slope of the mountain held a single tunnel that all Users had to pass.There was a judge dispatched at this location to sort out the Users.It was the Skull Collector ¡®Voodook¡¯. Voodook was an expression used by the Elven race of Warlord.The word signified a warrior that used the Vodoo arts.At the end of the Voodook¡¯s tunnel, there was a middle boss monster named the Skull Collector. It was level 200! There were various skull of monsters hung around its neck, and it used the skulls to summon guardians that would defend the path.Alongside the summons, it used Voodoo skill on its enemies.It was a snake-headed giant that boasted enormous power. Even if one gave this explanation, most Users wouldn¡¯t be able to understand the overwhelming presence of this monster. The monster was very strong, and it was very troublesome to face.Moreover, the guardians under the control of the Skull Collector was frightening.In terms of its offensive capability, it was currently one of the top monsters in Warlord.It was something that couldn¡¯t be described unless one had faced it. This was why a simple explanation was devised to describe the Skull Collector. ¡°Hahoe Mask-like bastard.¡± ¡°How will we catch that Hahoe Mask-like bastard?¡± ¡°Ah.That Hahoe Mask-like bastard is driving me nuts.¡± Hahoe Mask-like Bastard. Currently, this was the Skull Collector¡¯s nickname.It had strong offensive capability like the Hahoe Mask, and it commanded summoned familiars like the Hahoe Mask.Moreover, this monster was aggressive in participating in battle to show off its powerful offensive capability like the Hahoe Mask.This was why this nickname was attributed to this monster. On top of it all, there were other factors that made this monster troublesome. It was a monster that appeared in an Instant Dungeon, and an Instant Dungeon only allowed 7 members to enter.Moreover, once a party enters, one needed to wait 7 minutes before the next group can go in. It was a Dungeon that had a significant wait time. It was an instant Dungeon, and there weren¡¯t any towns or castles near the Urugal mountain range.When one suffered a Game Over, one had to start over at a faraway location.This was why many considered it to be annoying. It was called the alleyway to meet the Skull Collector, and there were a lot of challengers lining in front of the Voodook¡¯s tunnel. He appeared at this location. ¡°The Mercy guild failed?This isn¡¯t something to take lightly.I don¡¯t think any more clear methods will be released.¡± ¡°Hey,Hey.¡± ¡°How many days have we wasted here because of the Hahoe Mask-like bastard?This is driving me nuts.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Be quiet.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said shut up.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°The Hahoe Mask is here!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.The Hahoe Mask-like bastard is¡­. Huhk!¡± Hahoe Mask Hyrkan had appeared at the entrance of the Voodook¡¯s tunnel. Chapter 152 – Death Knight (2) Chapter 152 ¨C Death Knight (2) 4. [Hyrkan] ¨C Level : 203 ¨C Class : Lich ¨C Title : 199 ¨C Stats : Strength(2601)/Stamina(1617)/Intelligence(1662)/Magic Power(1989) ¨C In possession of the Ancient Power of ¡®Frost¡¯ [Skill List] ¨C Summon [Skeleton Fragment(A)], [Madness Helm(A)], [Bone Armor(A)], [Skeleton Magician(A)], [Skeleton Science(A)], [Golem Summon(A)], [Hardening(B)], [Bone Explosive(A)], [Armament(A)], [Clay Play(A)], [Skeleton Knight(A)], [Chivalry (D)], [Bone Spear (E)], [Fire Golem (D)], [Death Knight (F)] ¨C Curse [Demon Curse(A)], [Slow Curse(A)], [Corrosive Ghost(A)], [Blind(B)], [Curse Science(A)], [Lethargy(A)], [Voodoo Pictograph(C)], [Curse Resin (F)], [Curse Infection (D)], [Malignancy Curse (D)] ¨C Body Strengthening [Skin Sewing(A)], [Leg Strength Modification(A)], [Fake Heart(A)], [Boiling Blood(B)], [Ocular Transplant (B)], [Steel Bone(B)], [Life Vessel (B)], [Black Heart(E)], [Metal Tatoo(F)] ¡®I ran around for two weeks, yet I only rose 3 levels.I wasn¡¯t able to purchase any additional Skill Books.¡¯ Hyrkan was looking at his Stats Window, and his Skill List.He was very unsatisfied with what he was seeing.Of course, any other User would consider what Hyrkan achieved in two weeks to be a huge achievement, but Hyrkan wasn¡¯t playing by normal standards. Of course, this caused Hyrkan to not realize that people were giving him queer looks. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Hyrkan was a step slow in realizing the mood of his surrounding.He belatedly raised his head. When he raised his head, the first sight that greeted him was the pretty large tunnel entrance.It was large enough for a truck to drive easily through, and at the entrance, there were two frightening sculptures of monsters places on either side.In between the two sculptures, red strands that were woven in between were hanging limply. The area around the tunnel was veiled in thick fog.The surrounding fog was so dense that it was hard to see.The Users were currently holding their breath within the fog as all of them stared at a location. Hyrkan was standing where they were looking, and their gazes were a healthy mix of suspense, wariness and hostility. Of course, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t taken aback when he noticed their gazes a beat too late. ¡®What a panicky group.¡¯ He actually welcomed their gazes. The gazes from his peers around him was the clearest evidence that reaffirmed his existence and ranking amongst the Users. There was no reason why he should feel burdened by their gazes.Hyrkan boldly walked through the fog.He stopped in front of a well made wooden post.A skilled User had gathered the wood in the surrounding to make this handmade good. There was a single piece of paper stuck to the wooden post.It was filled with English, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Korean.Names were written in various languages, and there were lines drawn through the names on the list. This was the admission list for Voodook¡¯s tunnel. Hyrkan used the brush attached to the bulletin board to add his name at the end of the line. He wrote in Korean.Hyrkan wrote his name in block letters. ¡®I bet someone will upload this to the SNS..¡¯ As he was writing his name, he estimated the number of people in front of him. After getting a rough estimate, Hyrkan clicked his tongue inside. ¡®It¡¯ll take four hours for my number to be called.¡¯ There were a lot more Users in queue than expected. ¡®I guess no information has come out yet.¡¯ Currently, there weren¡¯t any credible sources of information coming from across the Urugal mountain range. No castle or town had been found there, so if one suffered a Game Over, one would have to climb the Urugal mountain range again. The fact that one quickly crossed the Urugal mountain range didn¡¯t mean a rosy future was in front of the User. Even after accounting for all these factors, numerous Users were climbing the Urugal mountain range. ¡®They are trying to cross over, because they don¡¯t know that hell is awaiting them.¡¯ The Ruined Kingdom across the Urugal mountain range was desolate and terrifying.If they knew what was awaiting them, they wouldn¡¯t be so eager. Of course, there was no reason for Hyrkan to reflect on their future difficulties.Hyrkan had to only worry about his own business. ¡®The hunting ground around here is subpar.Maybe I should take a break, and come back in peak condition.Still, it feels weird sleeping for four hours right now.¡¯ It happened as he was trying to digest his current problem. ¡°Are you the real Hahoe Mask?¡± While he was agonizing over his decision, a voice intruded on his thoughts from behind him.Hyrkan turned his head to look. It was a very unremarkable looking woman.She wouldn¡¯t leave a deep impression even if he saw her in the streets.Moreover, her armor wasn¡¯t something that was equipped with defense solely in mind.The armor looked like a slightly casual designer clothes. It was something the female Users wore, because it looked pretty.It was seen quite often in regions where low level Users played. However, the fact that she was wearing these kinds of clothes here told him a whole different story. This was midway up the Urugal mountain.Amongst the currently discovered normal hunting grounds, this was one of the top 5 in difficulty. This wasn¡¯t a stage where one could dress up and be pretentious.It meant she had the skills, guts, Items and level to dress in such a manner. This was why Hyrkan didn¡¯t ignore her.Instead of ignoring her, he gave a reply as he tapped at his Hahoe Mask with his finger. ¡°I don¡¯t know.Aren¡¯t there a lot of fakes going around right now?Isn¡¯t that true?¡± The female User immediately replied to Hyrkan¡¯s gesture. Instead of a verbal answer, Hyrkan once again brought up his left wrist¡­.He tapped his wrist, which was covered with armor and glove. Every skilled Users that had reached this point knew what that gesture meant. The reaction didn¡¯t come from the female User in front of Hyrkan.The Users in the surrounding reacted. ¡°I think that¡¯s the Watchman Style!¡± ¡°Watchman?Ah!Is that where both Users sever their wrists to exchange their wristwatches and fight?¡± ¡°Huh?I thought Watchman Style was a method where one has to sever one¡¯s wrist and give one¡¯s watch to the Hahoe Mask.Isn¡¯t this a method used to ask for forgiveness from him?¡± ¡°You are all wrong.The Watchman Style indicates the price of the wristwatch.It always means ten thousand gold. He tapped it once, so if one wants to live, ten thousand gold has to be given to him.¡± Of course, everyone gathered here had a different definition, but that wasn¡¯t a problem.The only fact that mattered was the fact that Users rarely got away with starting a quarrel with Hyrkan, and everyone was aware of this.That was all that was needed. Of course, everyone was tense, but at the same time, they were entertained with what was going on. ¡°Aren¡¯t they from the Mig guild?¡± ¡°The Mig guild¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± ¡°They are below the Underfoot guilds, but they have a good amount of experts.Moreover, this guild is pretty lax in their members transferring out, so a lot of Users use this guild as a stepping stone to move up.Many Users from this guild eventually moved on to become members of the 30 great guilds or the Underfoot guilds.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the Hahoe Mask¡¯s chance of winning?¡± ¡°Hahoe Mask will win.However, it won¡¯t be easy or boring.¡± ¡°If they don¡¯t die in a boring manner, the footage would haul in a lot.It isprofitable to be killed by the Hahoe Mask now.¡± Currently, the Users gathered in front of the Voodoook¡¯s tunnel wanted to cross the Urugal mountain range, and they all had the capability of earning a decent amount of money. These Users could monetize a User¡¯s death or loss by the Hahoe Mask. The Users that were hidden in the surrounding was adept at maneuvering through these various factors. ¡°No.Wait a moment¡­¡± As if she could feel the mood around her, the female User quickly waved her hand as she spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t have any plans to fight with you.I just want to make a deal with you.¡± Hyrkan lightly nodded his head as an answer.It basically meant she should speak the terms of her deal. ¡°I¡¯ll introduce myself first.I¡¯ve been a part of a lot of organizations, but I¡¯m currently with the Mig guild.My name is Queeng.¡± Queeng. It was unique name, but there was no reason why one couldn¡¯t use such a name in the game. The important part was the fact that he didn¡¯t remember that name.This User has a unique name, yet he didn¡¯t remember it.It meant this User was probably mediocre.At the very least, she was mediocre using Hyrkan¡¯s standards. She spoke about what she wanted to achieve. ¡°We are 3rd in line.Currently, there is an empty spot in my party.Would you perhap like to do this with us?¡± The Users had been watching with bated breath, but they all let out an exclamation when they heard her words. ¡®Ah!Holy crap!¡¯ ¡®Shit!I should have offered it first!¡¯ ¡®We could have been carried!¡¯ Naturally, the interest of the Users in the surrounding shifted towards what the Hahoe Mask would say next. Will he turn down or accept the offer? ¡°The rights to the battle footage will all be mine.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡°Also, you guys have to listen to my directions no matter what.¡± ¡°If it is rational, we will.¡± ¡°Lastly, if you plan on fucking me over, I can guarantee you¡¯ll have to pray to god that you won¡¯t come across me on the other side of the Urugal mountain range.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Hyrkan accepted the offer. 5. The average level of the group was 203. The 6 Users were all affiliated with the Mig guild, and they had all finished their 2nd Advancement. However, their party composition was very unbalanced.Queeng was the only Tanker.There were three Magicians and two Priests.This was the 6 members.Originally, this party had another Tanker, but he couldn¡¯t get on due to personal reasons. This was the reason why they offered this deal. They had been about to cancel the run.They had no choice, but to delay the battle until next time.That was when they discovered the Hahoe Mask, and there was no downside in offering a deal to him. Moreover, they hadn¡¯t just broken even in this deal.They had hit the jackpot. ¡°I told you a pretty face would work on him.¡± Of course, Queeng had the biggest role in making this deal happen, so she was proud as a peacock.Normally, the other party members would have laughed at her for referring to herself as a beauty, but they tried hard to suppress their laughter.They just nodded their heads. However, the atmosphere turned for the worse one minute after they entered the Voodook¡¯s tunnel.There was a heavy atmosphere pressing down on them.They had temporarily become party members with the Hahoe Mask, but he didn¡¯t talk to the other members. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a situation where a conversation was appropriate.They had entered the Voodook¡¯s tunnel, and they had work to do.This was an Instance Dungeon.They had no choice, but to keep going forward.The tunnel itself was getting smaller as time passed, and they had to eventually move in a single line. When they arrived at the entrance to the Instance Dungeon, a short conversation began. Hyrkan was the one that opened up a dialogue. ¡°It is up to me as to when I want to step forward.¡± His words shut down the dialogue in an instant. 6. When they exited the tunnel, they arrived at a large pit that reminded one of the Colosseum. At the center of the pit, there was a giant with a snake¡¯s head.It had the head of a snake, but its muscular body reminded one of an ogre.It wore a kilt made out of green leather, and there were various skulls hanging around its neck like a necklace. Skull Collector! Queeng was the first to get ready for the fight.She wore a bulky black armor, and she had an enormous shield that was as big as her body. The Priests behind her had already placed 11 Buff Skills on her, and the Priest spoke the final phrase to her. ¡°In the name of the Holy Order.¡± Queeng heard the System Announcement when the twelfth Buff was placed on her. [You¡¯ve received the blessing of the Holy Order.] [All Buffs will be effective to twice its original time..] [All Buffs will received 15% increase in effectiveness.] Holy Order. Buff Priests were a 2nd Advancement Class.When the one finished the Advancement, Priest received the blessing of the Holy Order.It was a dreamlike skill. ¡°Ok.You only live once.¡± After receiving this dream-like skill, Queeng didn¡¯t hesitate to charge the enemy in front of her. ¡°Charge!¡± Queeng closed the distance in an instant, and she impacted the Skull Collector with her shield. Kwahng! The Skull Collector rolled backwards, and it immediately righted itself.Now it was the Skull Collector¡¯s turn.It jumped into the air, and it brought down its knife on Queeng¡¯s shield. Kwah-ahng! A loud sound exploded forth, and Queeng tried to find an opening as she endured the impact. The Skeleton Collector used this opportunity to toss a skull in her general direction. The skull rolled twice before the ground around it started to stir. It started forming arms, body and legs. Ooh-uh-uh! It appeared as it let out a long cry.It was a combination of a skull and a body of a Troll golem.It was 2 meters tall. Puh-uhng! An enormous fireball flew in, and the dirt Troll exploded as soon as it was formed.The aftermath of the explosion was so fierce that the backlash swept by the feet of the magicians and priests, who were keeping distance with the monster. However, The magic only took out half its body.It started regaining its original shape. ¡°Shit.¡± The magician spoke a sullen curse as he started his next Magic Casting. During all of this, the Skull Collector picked out another Skull from his necklace, and it threw the skull. ¡°Quickly catch the summoned familiars!¡± Queeng let out a shout.The magicians and priest gritted their teeth, since Queeng had shouted in the game and the Voice Talk at the same time. There was only one clear method known to the public right now. While the Tanker face the Skull Collector, one had to defeat its summoned familiars one by one! At first, many Users tried to kill it before the Skull Collector could use his Voodoo Summon Skill.However, the only one who had been able to succeed using this method was the Storm Queen.If one wasn¡¯t as skilled as the Storm Queen, it was impossible to kill it in a short amount of time. This was why the next logical clear method was to get rid of all of its underlings.This method usually required two Tankers. However, Queeng was the only Tanker in this group.This meant the three Magicians had to use all their firepower to prevent the summoned familiars from stacking in number. Kwah-ahng! The powerful magic continued to bombard the battlefield, and it was effective.The first summoned familiar fell as it couldn¡¯t take a third hit from the magic.It reverted into being a Skull. However, a third summoned familiar had come into being already. This was all still within expectation. However, there was two things they hadn¡¯t expected. The first one was the fact that the Hahoe Mask hadn¡¯t moved.He was just looking at the battlefield. The other unexpected outcome was¡­.. ¡°Huhk!¡± Queeng had been doing well blocking the powerful sword blows from the Skull Collector, but she couldn¡¯t properly block its parallel sword strike.She was sent flying. Queeng flew like a bird as she was planted into the wall.At that moment, the three Magicians and two Priests were taken aback, but they moved at the same time. ¡°Ready the Range Magic!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll erect a Firewall!¡± The Magicians readied their magic to buy some time. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡± ¡°Please give me a Haste Buff.¡± One of the Priest put his life on the line as he ran through the battlefield.He was trying to reach Queeng. Hyrkan was trying to hold back a laugh. ¡®As expected, they aren¡¯t skilled enough for me to remember them.¡¯ Hyrkan took off his gloves as he thought this. Chapter 153 – Death Knight (3) Chapter 153 ¨C Death Knight (3) 7. When facing the Skull Collector, the Users focused on its Special Skill. In truth, that wasn¡¯t a bad thing to do.Still, if one is too focused on one thing, one¡¯s overall concentration regarding other factors would decrease.It was a matter of course. This was why the Users that entered to face the Skull Collector in the Instance Dungeon rarely focused on the fact that the Skull Collector was holding its sword with its left hand. For the Users that used a weapon, they mostly fought right-handed monsters.In the world of Warlord, the fight with a left-handed monsters wasn¡¯t too different from fighting a right-handed monsters, but there were some inevitable differences. Queeng had revealed an opening as she couldn¡¯t adjust to the difference, and the Skull Collector took advantage of it.It wasn¡¯t just bad luck that had sent Queeng flying by the Skull Collector¡¯s sword.It was the result of her deficiency. On the other hand, this realization made Hyrkan move. ¡®I guess these guys aren¡¯t trying to fuck me over.¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t see the Skull Collector as the enemy.In the end, he planned on killing it by himself.Even if the 6 party members were wiped out, it wouldn¡¯t trouble Hyrkan at all.The act of taking down this monster wouldn¡¯t be too much of a work.The important part for Hyrkan was how he took down the monster.It had to look domineering and flashy! That was more important to him. This was why he had been worried that these 6 members would get in his way with impure intentions.However, any impure intentions can only be carried out if they were skilled. From that point of view, Queeng¡¯s current status made Hyrkan relax. ¡®Thanks to them I¡¯ll be able to paint a prettier picture.¡¯ When his worries disappeared, Hyrkan became satisfied with the situation. Every audience loved a hero that saved others in dire straits with overwhelming power. From that point of view, the 6 party members would become good actors for this scenario. ¡®Let¡¯s do this!¡¯ After finishing his preparations, Hyrkan took off his glove.Then he held his breath as he started manipulating his watch.It was as if he was open the dial of a safe.He manipulated the dial of the watch. Ddal-gahk! Surprisingly, the watch came off. [Item Slot Change Mode has been deactivated.] The System Announcement immediately tickled his ears, and he grasped his wristwatch with his right hand. The hand and arm holding the wristwatch was shaking.Hyrkan grasped the wristwatch as if he was about to crush it, and a black smoke started emanating from between his hand holding the wristwatch. From the top to the bottom, the smoke started to elongate, and the black smoke became a thin line.Then the line started expanding as a space appeared in between the smoke.There was a dark world beyond the smoke, and a being was starting to reveal itself. In the end, a Knight wearing an armor that was made from bones of an unknown giant appeared from between this crack.Then a sturdy Skeleton Steed made out of thick bones started to appear slowly. The Death Knight had appeared. 8. The Skeleton Steed was enormous, and the Death Knight was riding atop it.The Death Knight¡¯s overpowering nature was ratched up from a 1 to a 10, and every factor that made up the Death Knight was overwhelming. The first factor was its height!One would have to look up to be able to see eye to eye with the Death Knight.It was about 4 meters tall, and it had a massive build. Moreover, the Skeleton Armor worn by it was splendid and imposing.It¡¯s appearance was so imposing that one had to question if the armor had any practical value.Then there was the black smoke continuously coming out from between the armor.It created a pool of smoke around the Death Knight, and it made any layman become wary.It created an overpowering and ominous atmosphere. The imposing Knight was on top of the Skeleton Steed, and it was as imposing as its master.It was made entirely out of bone, yet black smoke came out of its snout.It refused to hide its enraged spirit against the Skull Collector. The Skeleton Steed was made out of bones, but the bones were so thick thatit didn¡¯t look skinny.Moreover, the thick bones made it look as if the Steed¡¯s body was filled in.This was the impression it gave off. The Death Knight tapped against the Skeleton Horse¡¯s side to calm down the beast. Of course, the Death Knight wasn¡¯t planning on becoming a gentleman here. After calming down the Skeleton Steed, the Death Knight unsheathed the sword hanging on its left hip, and it raised the shield that had been hanging on its back.When the shield was removed, a red cape founds its freedom, and it billowed out behind it. The Death Knight pointed its sword towards the battlefield. [The Special Skill ¡®Leader¡¯ has been activated.] When it pointed its sword, Skeletons started exiting out of the pool of black smoke around the Death Knight. The Skeleton Knight showed itself first.Afterwards, 9 Skeleton Warriors and two Skeleton Magician charged out of the black pool. This was the effect of the Special Skill called Leader. When the Death Knight was summoned, it could automatically summon Skeletons including a knights, and it didn¡¯t consume any additional magical energy.At the same time, the Death Knight¡¯s Stats increased as the number of Skeleton Knight and Skeleton Warriors was summoned. The biggest advantage was the fact that the Skeletons summoned by the Death Knight didn¡¯t count against how many the Necromancer could summon.In a flash, he would be able to summon 12 additional Skeletons.Of course,a single Special Skill wasn¡¯t the end of of splendor displayed by the Death Knight. [The Special Skill ¡®Undying¡¯ has been activated.] The Special Skill, Undying, was the pool of black smoke that formed when the Death Knight was summoned.The Skeletons within this pool wasn¡¯t able to die.It could receive critical damage, yet it will recover.Moreover, it didn¡¯t consume any magical energy to repair the Skeletons. However, the Undying skill did consume the magical energy of the summoner to maintain itself. [The Special Skill ¡®Fear¡¯ has been activated.] The last Special Skill was Fear, and it was the Fear attack that was commonly used by Undead types or Spirit type monsters.It couldn¡¯t affect monsters that didn¡¯t feel fear, but all other monsters were struck with fear of death.It was a debuff skill that decreased the enemy¡¯s mobility speed by 20%.. Hyrkan had various Curse skills that stacked, and it could be used against Boss Monsters [The Special Skill ¡®Chivalry¡¯ has been activated.] [The Special Skill ¡®Commander¡¯ has been activated.] Of course, the appearance of the Skeleton Knight activated its two Special Skills. The result was overpowering in many aspects! Chal-kahk! Hyrkan once again put on his watch after seeing the result. ¡®Everything is great, but there¡¯s a problem.¡¯ In truth, this was the biggest problem concerning the summon of a Death Knight.Unlike the other summons, the summon of a Death Knight took several steps that consumed time.In a dire situation, he wouldn¡¯t be able to summon it. Still, Hyrkan didn¡¯t hurry his actions.He slowly put on his wristwatch, and glove. He looked full of bravado from afar, but Hyrkan¡¯s action looked dignified to those watching up close. As in evidence, Queeng¡¯s party members gulped when they saw his actions. Hyrkan looked elegant.It was if he was in a play as he put on his watch in a relaxed manner. While he was putting his watch back on, the had already started. TheDeath Knight pointed its sword towards the battlefield, and it kicked the Skeleton Steed hard on its belly.As if it had been waiting for it, the Skeleton Steed charged towards the battlefield. Pah-baht, pah-baht! It was running like the wind.The Skeleton Knight and Skeleton Warriors charged behind it. The summoned familiars of the Skull Collector gathered as if they were trying to create a wall to intercept the enemies. During that time, Hyrkan had thrown his Skeleton Fragment as if he was throwing chips at a casino.He lightly threw it in front of him. Chwa-ahk! The Skeleton Fragment was spread in a fan shape, and they started to take shape. He had scattered 8 Skeleton Fragments, and all 8 of them weren¡¯t holding sword.The Skeleton was wearing robes, and they were holding staffs.They were all Skeleton Magicians. After they formed, the Skeleton Magicians looked at the battlefield.They were waiting for an order, and Hyrkan gave that order. Ddahk ddahk! Hyrkan started the battle accompanying the short command. 9. When the Death Knight appeared, the Skull Collector had thrown the 4th skull around its neck to the floor. Koohng! While the skull rolled across the floor, the Death Knight swung its sword towards the second familiar summoned by the Skull Collector.It swung its sword towards the Lizard Warrior, which was made out of dirt. The Skull Collector¡¯s familiars were able to receive three powerful blows from magicians that had finished their 2nd Advancement.It wouldn¡¯t be easy to cut through a familiar with a single sword strike. Shweeeek! However, the Death Knight¡¯s single sword strike easily cut through the arm of the familiar. Chul-puh-duhk! When the familiar¡¯s severed arm fell to the floor, the Skeleton Steed trampled it.It was as if it was high stepping as the Skeleton Steed changed direction.It moved on its own as it was mindful of its owner¡¯s next strike.The Skeleton Steed repositioned itself, so the Death Knight could unleash its next blow. Poohk! As if to answer the Skeleton Steed¡¯s consideration, the Death Knight stabbed deep into the armless familiar of the Skull Collector. Of course, everyone that was watching was taken aback. ¡®How high is its attack?¡¯ ¡®How is such a thing possible?¡¯ Of course, everyone was shocked at the Death Knight¡¯s fearsome attack capabilities. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if all Death Knights could show such overwhelming firepower. ¡®It better earn its keep.I could buy an apartment with the amount of money I spent on its setting.¡¯ The Death Knight was holding the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword. One of the strongest sword in existence in Warlord was being used by a Death Knight.Moreover, it was summoned by the strongest Necromancer Hyrkan.This was the result of these two factors meshing together. Of course, it wasn¡¯t effective to cut the body parts of an Undead type monsters. It didn¡¯t cause much drop in its HP.The Undead monsters recovered pretty quickly from those wounds. This was why one needed magic to do sure damage! Magical spells were flying towards the battlefield. It was 10 spells instead of one! It was the result of Hyrkan summoning 8 Skeleton Magicians, and the Death Knight summoned 2 Skeleton Magicians. Hwah-roo-roo! The ten fireballs sizzled as it flew in an arc, and it didn¡¯t bother with differentiating between allies and enemies.The Skeleton Warriors lead by the Death Knight, and the Skull Collector¡¯s summoned familiars were swept up in the conflagration. Kwahng, kwahng, puh-uhng, puh-uhng! It was the sound created by the detonation of 10 magical spells.The accumulation of such sounds was very loud to the Users watching this sight.It made them furrow their eyebrows. Pandemonium! After the large explosion, the surrounding was roiling with flame.The group of Skeletons and the group controlled by the Skull Collector were all in a sorry state. However, as time passed, the flame died down, and the Skeleton Warriors and Knight regained their dignified appearance.The summoned familiars of the Skull Collector were barely able to keep themselves together.They were still in their sorry state. Undying! Unless the Death Knight was taken down, the Skill wouldn¡¯t allow the Skeleton Warriors and Knight to be destroyed. ¡°My god.¡± The Priest, who was Queeng¡¯s peer, let out those words. Of course, he wasn¡¯t a real priest.In reality, he was a software programmer, and he was an atheist.Whenever he had to use a Priest¡¯s Skill that had an incantation, he had to pray towards a deity.He always had an expression of repulsion every time he repeated the incantation. However, at that moment, it was as if he had found a god inside the game.The sight in front of him looked like a completely different from the game he had been playing up until now. Of course, he wasn¡¯t the only one that was gloomy. The three Magicians was watching from behind Hyrkan, and they were more depressed than surprised. ¡®What kind of magical fire power¡­¡¯ ¡®How much damage dealing can he do?¡¯ The continuous barrage of powerful magic from the 10 Skeleton Magicians was the root of their depression. Of course, it one went simply by power of one¡¯s magic, the Skeleton Magicians couldn¡¯t compare to a real Magician no matter how many there were.The three magicians gathered here could, at the very least, show twice the damage shown by the 10 Skeleton Magicians¡­.In reality, they could actually deal three times the damage. However, that was the problem. The fact that they could make a comparison was a problem. The Skeleton Magicians were only a portion of Hyrkan¡¯s power, yet they could be compared to a magician that had finished one¡¯s 2nd Advancement.This hurt the pride of the magicians! Moreover, this was something intentionally done by Hyrkan. ¡®Don¡¯t you dare attack me.I¡¯ll humiliate anyone that does in my video.¡¯ Hyrkan was using this battle as a warning to anyone that was planning on coming after him. 10. The Skeleton Collector¡¯s summoned familiars hadn¡¯t fared well against the continuous magic bombardment by the Skeleton Magicians.Naturally, the battle turned into a one on one battle between the Skull Collector and the Death Knight. This battle was different from any battle shown by Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton up until now. There was a horse involved. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t an ordinary horse.The Skeleton Steed used its incredible charging and leaping abilities to its advantage.It even showed off an incredible trick by jumping over the Skull Collector. These tricks weren¡¯t all for show. When the Skeleton Steed jumped over it, the Skull Collector had no choice, but to turn its body. Of course, the Death Knight used this to get through the Skull Collector¡¯s defense. Poohk! When the Skull Collector turned its body, the Death Knight stabbed at its shoulder.The Skeleton Steed let out a black smoke from its snout as it immediately charged towards a wall. Kwah-ahng! The Skull Collector¡¯s body hit the wall, and a large sound emanated from the blow.The Skull Collector was buried within the wall, and it was having a hard time moving. Shweek, poo-oohk! The Skull Collector tirelessly stabbed and slashed its sword towards the Death Knight. It looked as if the Skull Collector had been driven into a corner. Koohng!Koohng!Koohng! While the Death Knight swung its sword, the Skeleton Steed unleashed a short, but powerful headbutts against the Skull Collector¡¯s body. ¡®It was as I saw in the Rich Lich videoes.The Death Knight¡¯s AI capability is on a different level.¡¯ Hyrkan knew better than anyone how scary a Death Knight was in battle. Hyrkan was the beneficiary of the Death Knight¡¯s battle capability, but it was powerful enough to give him goosebumps. ¡®If I had to catch a monster of this caliber¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ Of course, this wasn¡¯t free by any means. ¡®It is very gluttonous in its consumption of magic.¡¯ Hyrkan bit down on the Magic Recovery Candy hidden inside his mouth, and he carefully swallowed it. The flow of the battle was overwhelmingly in Hyrkan¡¯s favor. On the other hand, Hyrkan¡¯s magical energy was being consumed as if there was no tomorrow. The fact that he had summoned 10 Skeleton Magicians signaled he wasn¡¯t planning on doing this battle through only his own magical energy. The Skeletons recovered thanks to the Undying Skill of the Death Knight, and each recovery didn¡¯t cost him any magical energy.On the other hand, the magical consumption for maintaining the Undying was high. Currently, if he released the power of Frost, he wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain his battle capability evenif he used his recovery Items. ¡®If I head across the Urugal mountain range¡­..I¡¯ll have to find Inoogas.¡¯ However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t try to conserve his magical energy.Instead, he spread 10 more Skeleton Fragments on the floor. After taking shape, the Skeleton Warriors were ready to charge into the battlefield.Queen and her party members were no longer surprised by this.They unconsciously let out a long sigh. These were the expression Hyrkan wanted to evoke. When the audiences saw his footage, their expressions would be identical to the ones on Queeng and her party. This was why Hyrkan ate another Magic Recovery Candy hidden in his mouth.Even the 30 great guild Raid teams hesitated to use such expensive consumables, yet he had just eaten another one. ¡®This really tastes nasty.¡¯ For reference, the candy tasted like Chinese herbal medicine. In many ways, this battle was bitter to his mouth. Chapter 154 – Find the Ruins (1) Chapter 154 ¨C Find the Ruins (1) 1. When one entered Voodook¡¯s tunnel, nervousness and fear was usually intermixed with the thick fog.However, when one exits the Voodook¡¯s tunnel, it felt as if all those feelings were let go.This was why when Users exited the Voodook¡¯s tunnel, they looked as if couple screws were loose in their heads. However, the six Users that had exited the Voodook¡¯s tunnel right now was different.There wasn¡¯t a single ounce of looseness in their expression or atmosphere. Instead, it was quite apparent that a feeling of tension had replaced the looseness.One could feel the tension emanating from them. Users were still hanging around the exit of the Voodook¡¯s tunnel for various reason, and they naturally they became curious when they saw the six Users. ¡®What is up with their expressions?¡¯ ¡®Six Users?Did a party member die?¡¯ ¡®They entered with seven.They did above average if six survived.At the very least, two or three people usually die in there.¡¯ ¡®Wait a moment?I don¡¯t see any traces of a fight.¡¯ If one wanted to survive in Warlord, one had to be quick on the uptake. All of the Users here that had caught the Skull Collector and exited Voodook¡¯s tunnel were experts at survival. This was why they were suspicious of this new group that had exited.The quick-thinking Users were moving closer to satiate their suspicion. However, their doubts were washed away when they saw the final figure that had appeared behind the tense group of 6 party members. ¡®It¡¯s the Hahoe Mask!¡¯ The rumors that said the Hahoe Mask was attempting the Urugal mountain range hadn¡¯t been spread throughout the world, but the news had spread to most of the Users present at the Urugal mountain range. Moreover, the information was precise.If one wanted to find out about it, one could easily dig up when the Hahoe Mask had entered the Voodook¡¯s tunnel. This was why the Users in front of the exit of the Voodook¡¯ tunnel could quickly make the calculations. ¡®It took them only 30 minutes to pass through the Voodook¡¯s Tunnel.¡¯ ¡®My god.It would take a skilled party one hour to clear it, yet he cut the time in half¡­..¡¯ ¡®He is monster amongst monsters.¡¯ Voodook¡¯s tunnel took about 1 hour to clear for a skilled party, yet he had come out in 30 minutes.He had cut the time in half.The Users were filled with admiration, jealousy and other emotions.These emotions were infused in their gazes as they headed towards the Hahoe Mask like arrows. Of course, the Hahoe Mask wasn¡¯t interested in the other 6 party members any more. After observing his surrounding, Hahoe Mask¡¯s gaze headed towards the top of the Urugal mountain range.The Hahoe Mask just stood there staring at the summit, so several Users followed his gaze to see what he was looking at. ¡®Does he plan on catching the owner of the Urugal mountain range?¡¯ ¡®Is he really going to do it by himself?¡¯ At that moment, a different type of tension emanated from the Users. The owner of the Urugal mountain range was the Blaze Slime Dragon. There were a lot of nicknames attributed to the Blaze Slime Dragon by the Users.Amongst the nicknames, the one that stuck in the head of everyone was the Strongest Boss Monster. Of course, this was a controversial topic. Was the Frost Knight, which was defeated by the Hahoe Mask, more difficult?Or was the Blaze Slime Dragon, which was defeated by the Stormhunters guild, more difficult to take down?The participants of the Raids were excluded from the discussion as the debate started, and it was surprisingly fierce.People started exchanging numbers that would make an engineer¡¯s eyes spin to support their arguments.At the end of the debate, Blaze Slime Dragon was crowned as being the current Strongest Boss Monster. Of course, the Blaze Slime Dragon was hunted down using the full might of the Stormhunters guild, so the Hahoe Mask was seen as the superior player.After the Hahoe Mask and the Stormhunters guild, no Raid team had been successful in taking down the Frost Knight or the Blaze Slime Dragon. In such a situation, what would happen if the Hahoe Mask took down the Blaze Slime Dragon?What would this implicate? It would be indisputable.The Hahoe Mask would become the strongest existence in Warlord at this current stage. He wouldn¡¯t just be equal to the 30 great guilds.He would be seen as being more powerful than the 30 great guilds. ¡®Is he really going to attempt it?¡¯ ¡®If it is the Hahoe Mask¡­.He¡¯ll be able to do it.¡¯ In the end, it was a very foolhardy thing to do, but there was one person that nonchalantly did the impossible in Warlord.It was the Hahoe Mask. Of course, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t going to fulfill their expectations. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t looking at the summit of the Urugal mountain for this reason. ¡®I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have to catch that bastard.¡¯ Relief. Currently, he was thankful for the fact that he could get past the Urugal mountain range without fighting the Blaze Slime Dragon. If he had to kill it, he would have done it.The killing of the Blaze Slime Dragon was a must if he wanted to get across the Urugal mountain.However, the Stormhunters guild had killed it, so they had already paved the way for him. At the same time, the Stormhunters guild got all the benefit from being the first one to kill the Blaze Slime Dragon.Of course, Hykran would be able to make a lot of money from killing the Blaze slime Dragon by selling various parts.However, the Titles that came with killing it first¡­. He wouldn¡¯t be able to gain the Titles like the Dragon Slayer title.On the other hand, he would be able to gain a lot of money from the Raid footage.Then there was the Ingredients that allowed one to make level 200 Unique Items.There were still a lot of potential for profit here. ¡®It isn¡¯t a bad idea to catch it, but there¡¯s no need to rush it.¡¯ On the other hand, he would have to take a risk that was as large as the benefits he would gain. This wasn¡¯t an ordinary risk.This was evident in the fact that 14 teams challenged the Blaze Slime Dragon when it respawned after 10 days.However, none had succeeded in killing the dragon. These weren¡¯t just mediocre players.These were expert players that had easily gotten past the Skull Collector.Even these types of Users were having a hard time. It would be the same for Hyrkan.No, in some ways, the Blaze Slime Dragon was a poor opponent for Hyrkan.Enemies like the Frost Knight was easier for Hyrkan. Hyrkan was well aware of this fact. ¡®There¡¯s no point in hanging around the entrance.¡¯ Urugal mountain range was a door. A door had meaning only if one got past it.The safe itself wasn¡¯t the price.It was meaningful only if one obtain what was across the other side of the safe¡¯s door. This was why Hyrkan started to walk. When the Users saw him move, they immediately typed posts online. [Hahoe Mask will challenge the Blaze Slime Dragon!] A new rumor regarding Hyrkan formed at that moment. 2. When the Stormhunter guild killed the Blaze Slime Dragon, any Users that passed the Voodook¡¯s tunnel could cross the Urugal mountain range. The Users were able to reach the land across the Urugal mountain range, and they called this place the Black Continent.They attempted this location wanting to be a trailblazer.The Users were able to earn Items above level 200 here, and they wanted to find new monsters.Then there was the clues regarding the third Main Scenario Quest.They wanted to find a hunting ground that was the land of milk and honey. These were the words spoke by these Users. ¡°Shit!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have to to complain.Run!¡± ¡°If this wasn¡¯t the Black Continent, I would have stood my ground and fight!¡± ¡°Just run!¡± The Black Continent was hell. The lowest level monsters here were level 200.This land was crawling with level 200 and up monsters, and it was a bit too much for Users that had just reached level 200 not too long ago. At the same time, the penalty given to Users from dying was greatly increased in the Black Continent. In Warlord, there were various penalties that were given to the Users, but the biggest penalty was being shut out from the game for 48 hours.This penalty was still present. However, the Black Continent didn¡¯t have a Restart Point.It was the locations where the Users would respawn. If one died here, one would immediately sent back to the other side of the Urugal mountain! This was the result of failing here. That wasn¡¯t the only problem.There weren¡¯t any place to rest here, and there were no markets where one could trade Items.Inevitably, one had to hunt monsters to get ingredients, and one had to make one¡¯s own consumable Items.Since no one knew which monsters gave ingredients to magical and health recovery consumables, it was impossible to produce the consumables. Basically, this place was hell! Of course, if one wanted to survive inhell, one had to become a devil. The first group of Users that attempted to become devils were the Stormhunters guild.They were the one that had opened the door to this place. ¡°Currently, we¡¯ve brought over a total of 157 members.We decided to rotate our playing time, so we divided everyone into 4 teams.I sent you the the roster for the 4 teams.I e-mailed it to you yesterday.¡± When Shir saw the Hahoe Mask¡¯s Frozen Kingdom movie, she made a bold decision.After finishing their 2nd Advancement, she brought 157 guild members to the Black Continent. It hadn¡¯t been an easy feat. There were a lot of tasks that needed to be finished for the Users over level 200.Moreover, the Stormhunters guild possessed a lot of programs on their live channel.If they wanted to broadcast a variety of contents, skilled Users had to be assigned to do a wide range of tasks. She had brought most of them here, so for a while, the guild wouldn¡¯t be able to produce meaningful contents.The Stormhunters would suffer huge loss in this process. She had made the decision in spite of this.If they wanted to survive in the Black Continent, they needed a force of this size. ¡°I think we¡¯ve located a Dungeon.¡± The only thing left was to find a place where they could permanently reside. In Warlord, one wasn¡¯t safe just from building a wall or a wooden fence.The most important part was to find a place where monsters didn¡¯t regenerate.This was why towns or castles were used as waypoints for Users. However, they hadn¡¯t been able to find such a location in the Black Continent.There weren¡¯t any castles or towns. This was why Hatch had come up with the idea of finding a Dungeon. Unexpectedly, the Instance Dungeons possessed similar qualities as towns and castles.A good number of Instance Dungeons prevented Regeneration. This was an unexpected consequence of a game mechanic they could take advantage of. If there were invisible walls that were caging in a pack of wild beasts, one wouldn¡¯t be safe standing in front of them.However, the surrounding region would be the safest place to be. ¡°Since we found one, I hope it¡¯s a real Dungeon.¡± Of course, the best thing for them was to find a real Dungeon instead of an Instance Dungeon.The real Dungeons were single use Dungeons. If they could find a single use Dungeon, it would be the end of their search. It was as the word implied.The single use Dungeon didn¡¯t regenerate monsters after it was cleared.It was the ultimate shelter. Moreover, single use Dungeons were located in hard to find places.Even the monsters would have a hard time finding the location.Basically, it was a fortress bless with natural barriers for defense. If the Stormhunters guild wanted to overtake the Black Continent, they needed such a place. Of course, there was someone else here that knew better than anyone as to the benefit of such a location. 3. ¡®Where is it?Where is it?¡¯ A User was busily moving his head from side to side as he looked at his surrounding.Hyrkan yelled out when he caught sight of a golden glint. ¡°There it is!Catch it!¡± As if reacting to his words, the Skeleton Warriors in the surrounding started to move.Hyrkan also started running towards this golden being. ¡®You son of a bitch!I¡¯ll catch you this time no matter what!¡¯ It had been two days since he had climbed over the peak of the Urugal mountain range. The world was waiting for Hyrkan to catch the Slime Dragon for the past two days, but Hyrkan was actually using his time to chase after the Golden Goblin. ¡®If I don¡¯t catch it this time, it¡¯ll become a big headache.¡¯ From Hyrkan¡¯s memories, the Lost World¡­. He didn¡¯t know who had named it the Black Continent, but he knew how he would be able to survive here. Of course, the Golden Goblin being chased by Hyrkan was one of this methods. Golden Goblin. It was a level 200 monster, but it wasn¡¯t worth anything.Its EXP was non-existent, and it wasn¡¯t as if it dropped any good Ingredient Items.It was also very weak.A level 100 User could kill it. Since it was weak, it hid in a shelter where monsters and Users couldn¡¯t find it. The Golden Goblin¡¯s shelter was a Dungeon. Moreover, a Dungeon at the Black Continent was a Ruin.He was sure of it. The vestige of the Ruined Kingdom! This was where the third Main Scenario would start. One had to go into the Ruins of the Ruined Kingdom to find the clues.After obtaining the quest, one had find more clues to advance. What kind of power did the Ruined Kingdom have?What had they fought, and what had caused its demise! When one finds out about this truth, the Ruined Kingdom episode comes to an end. This was why the Golden Goblin, which was being chased by Hyrkan, was important.The bastard was the starting point for the Ruined Kingdom episode. ¡®Shit.Why the hell is it so fast?¡¯ Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be caught easily.The Golden Goblin was unbelievably fast.Even the great Hyrkan would lose sight of it sometimes.If it was any other User, it would have already escaped. Moreover, there was no point in just catching it. One had to chase after it.He had to make it so that it ran towards its hideout.This was why it was driving Hyrkan nuts. ¡°Uh? Uh!¡± He had summoned Skeletons to herd it.However, the Skeletons possessed AI for fighting monsters, so they were sometimes more trouble than help. ¡°Sto¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± ¡®Don¡¯t kill it!¡¯ The Skeleton Warriors were able to chase it down and kill it.However, it didn¡¯t have much talent at herding it. ¡®Shit!¡¯ Before he could flick his finger to put it in defensive mode, one Skeleton Warrior got in the path of the Golden Goblin.It immediately cut the Golden Goblin into two. ¡°Ooh-ahhhhhhh!¡± This was how Hyrkan failed for the fourth time. 4. Sinclair raised his head.He saw the Urugal mountain range, which was surrounded by a thick fog. Sinclair turned his head.He saw the thousand Users, who were following his orders.They were the guild members of the Big Smiles guild. Sinclair smiled. ¡®This doesn¡¯t feel too bad.¡¯ The most recent events brushed by Sinclair¡¯s thoughts. The very first memory that came to mind was the fight with Sohank.When he caught Sohank in the Northland, he had become the Big Smiles¡¯ biggest asset.He received the VIP treatment.Of course, he lost to the Hahoe Mask, but no one considered it a loss for Sinclair.No one spoke disparaging remarks towards Sinclair. This was how the VIP treatment had started, and it was sweet.All the issues regarding the main Boss Monster Raids and the deployment of troops in the Big Smiles guild was now in his hands.If one compared this to how a country was run, he had basically received control of the army. Naturally, his reputation had increased.The Big Smiles guild had a massive fan following in China, and the guild had wanted someone like him to show up.The guild was busy portraying Sinclair as a hero.The shows that featured Sinclair always received a lot of views and interest. Sinclair¡¯s control and the influence of his words deepened further.Moreover, with the help of Sinclair, Brooks was able to become the very first guild master of the Big Smiles.As promised, Apollo became a master of a sub-guild. The product of his power could be seen behind Sinclair.Thousand Users would try to cross the Urugal mountain range.They would be fortunate if half of them were able to pass the Skull Collector.However, Sinclair was indifferent about it.He had risen to a position where he didn¡¯t need to worry about such things. Moreover, his guild wasn¡¯t the only one doing this. Big Smiles and V&V guild were allies now.A total of 5 guilds had decided to ally with each other, and they would attempt the crossing together. Their goal was 10,000 Users! They would send incredible amount of Users towards the Black Continent, and they¡¯ll for a kingdom over there with the 10,000 Users. ¡®Hahoe Mask.No matter how much you struggle over there you¡¯ll be by yourself.You won¡¯tbe able to face a kingdom without any help.¡¯ Warlord was in disorder, and they were going to unify Warlord under their rule. Sinclair put on a deep smile as he thought about the future. Chapter 155 – Find the Ruins (2) Chapter 155 ¨C Find the Ruins (2) 5. [You¡¯ve found a ruin.] [You¡¯ve acquired the Title ¡®Ruin Excavator¡¯.] [Please find the out-of-place Artifact within the Ruins.] ¡°Uh-whew.¡± This was the System Announcement he had been impatiently waiting for.Instead of a joyous shout, Hyrkan¡¯s shoulders sagged as he let out a heavy sigh. ¡®This bastard really¡­.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s gaze naturally turned towards the cause of his sigh.It immediately headed towards the corpse of the Golden Goblin., but his gaze didn¡¯t stop there.It continued to move to land on the Skeleton Warrior, which was standing over the corpse in an imposing manner. The Skeleton Warrior didn¡¯t avoid its owner¡¯s gaze.It¡¯s imposing figure was reminiscent of a hunting dog standing over its prey.It was as if it was waiting for a compliment from its master.This was why Hyrkan swallowed his anger. ¡®Yes.I¡¯m the one that taught them, so it is my fault.They are blameless in this.I¡¯m the one to blame for teaching them too well.¡¯ Hyrkan abruptly felt such a feeling.He really felt the truth that he had grown terrifying monsters. ¡®If monsters like my Skeletons came out as opponents¡­.. Uh-whew.Just the thought of it gives me nightmare.¡¯ He once again thanked the stars that his Skeletons weren¡¯t an enemy he would have to face. Of course, such sentiments didn¡¯t last long.This wasn¡¯t some significant milestone where he should get lost in sentimental feelings. Hyrkan once again shook his head from side to side, and he shook off the unimportant feelings.Then he immediately looked forward.The eyes within the Hahoe Mask glazed over. Some kind of a building was reflected in Hyrkan¡¯s eyes. He use the expression ¡®some kind¡¯, because it was hard to judge the shape of the building. First, the building was half-buried in the ground. The part that stuck out from the ground was reminiscent of an earthworm.It was hard to discern the shape of the building, since it was covered in tree roots.If one glanced at it, one might not even notice it was a building. On the other hand, one could feel a mystical energy coming off of it even if it was faint. The most eye-catching part of the building was the bricks that were giving off this mystical energy.Each brick was carved with various symbols. Instead of an engraving, it was embossed.The shapes stood out in relief, so the shapes were quite noticeable. ¡®Is it a temple?¡¯ His admiration ended there.The Skeleton Warrior, which had defeated the Golden Goblin, was returned to its Skeleton Fragment form.Then he entered the building.There was only one tunnel that lead inside.It was so small that he had mistaken it for a window, but he was able to squeeze his body into the space. His shoulders were hunched and his head was lowered.He walked slowly like a turtle with his back hunched.Hyrkan was able to stretch out his back after ten steps.A deep darkness greeted Hyrkan when he straightened his back. A bright light formed on top of Hyrkan¡¯s head. Underneath the bright light, he re-equipped the glove he had taken off to activate the light app on his wristwatch.Hyrkan quickly looked at his surrounding as he put on his glove. ¡®It is a temple.¡¯ The outer appearance of the building was too damaged to confirm his suspicion, but the basic components were present. He had seen the bricks before he entered the building, and each of them were embossed with letters. Moreover, there were pictures instead of wall papers within the building.Everything was carefully crafted to imbue symbolic significance, and this was why Hyrkan thought this place was a temple. ¡®I hope something decent comes out.¡¯ He was hopeful, but Hyrkan didn¡¯t think there were any treasures here in the temple that would make his eyes turn round. The only thing he¡¯ll be able to find here would be clues. Toohk toohk! Hyrkan scattered two Skeleton Fragments on the floor as he got ready to search for the clues. The Skeleton Warriors quickly gained their forms, and their outer appearance was strikingly different from the standard Skeleton Warriors.It was less than 1 meter tall and they weren¡¯t wearing armors made out of steel.They were wearing leather armor that made them look agile.Moreover, the weapons they held in their hand were suited for their size.The swords were small enough to be called daggers.If a normal User held this weapon, it would look like a knife. However, unlike their outer appearance, these Skeletons were terrifying. These particular Skeleton Warriors were made from a level 180 monsters called Mini Ogre.Hyrkan had never summoned these Skeletons in public.He also didn¡¯t put them in his videos. Weapon!This was a secret weapon that he had hidden away! Hyrkan stationed the Skeletons near the entrance, and he started his search. 6. ¡°In the end, this is a game.¡± Hatch spoke as he looked at the remnants¡­.He looked at the walls that was being propped up by pillars and something that couldn¡¯t be seen. ¡°Since it is a game, there is always a solution.If there isn¡¯t a solution, it is a bug instead of a game.¡± The Stormhunters guild had found a ruin. The Stormhunters guild had took the most important first step in the Ruined Kingdom episode. Of course, this was a momentous first step for the Stormhunters guild, but they didn¡¯t stop to appreciate the moment. ¡°We¡¯ve found the entrance!It is an entrance to the underground!¡± When the entrance to the underground was found, they once again moved at a desperate pace. Hatch immediately started giving orders.Hatch looked at Hahui, and he pointed his finger towards the newly discovered entrance. They had already formed an expedition group for such a situation.Hahui was chosen to be the leader of the expedition group. Hatch¡¯s gesture meant for Hahui to get ready.Hahui soon finished her preparations.When she moved near the newly discovered entrance, the members of the exploration team started to gather around her. There were a total of 12 Users.Hatch spoke to Hahui in front of the team. ¡°Hahui.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± There was a weird atmosphere that emanated from their short conversation.The other members of the expedition team tilted their heads in confusion. ¡®What the hell?¡¯ ¡®Could it be?¡¯ There were puzzled expressions on their faces. However, these expressions didn¡¯t last long. ¡°You stubbornly insisted on being the leader of the exploration team.I want you to do your work properly now that I made you the team leader.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If there is a problem, I want you to turn back.I don¡¯t want you to suddenly attack the enemy, because it annoys you.¡± ¡°Are you trying to lecture me right now?¡± ¡°Is isn¡¯t a lecture.I¡¯m giving you an advice.¡± ¡°What?¡± The weird atmosphere disappeared in an instant.Hahui and Hatch spoke like their normal selves. Everyone realized that they misread the strange atmosphere. ¡°You want to die?¡± It was a phrase everyone heard the most from Hahui.Hatch suddenly stopped speaking at this point. Usually, Hatch gave up on the conversation at this point, and he would gloss over the conversation. However, it was different right now.If these were normal circumstances, he wouldn¡¯t have even given her the advice.The problem was the worst case scenario of suffering the Game Over.The normal Game Over penalty was steep, but it could be overcome. However, it was different right now.If Hahui suffered a Game Over, it would take her 4 days to get back here assuming everything went smoothly. Currently, the mess at the Voodook¡¯s tunnel meant it might take her 10 days to get back here instead of 4 days. This was why Hatch gave another warning. ¡°Don¡¯t die.Just don¡¯t die. I don¡¯t care what you do, but don¡¯t die.Please don¡¯t die.All right?¡± Instead of answering Hatch¡¯s words, Hahui smirked as she turned her back to him. ¡°The exploration team is going in!¡± When Hahui¡¯s exploration teamed moved, Hatch didn¡¯t even have time for a break.He had to pick up another thread of conversation. ¡°Hatch.¡± ¡°Yes.Please speak.¡± Shir immediately spoke to him. ¡°What do you think about the newly formed alliance?¡± She immediately asked her question. It was a sudden and out of the blue question.If one had just heard the question, it would be hard to discern the purpose behind the question. However, Hatch immediately figured out the intent and purpose behind the question.He gave his opinion as if he had been waiting for this question. ¡°There is the V&V, Big Smiles and Wul-gahng.It is inevitable that they¡¯ll team up together.I¡¯m not sure about this, but there is a high probability that these three guilds formed an alliance with the Sweepers guild and the Blossoms guild.Of course, this is my personal hunch, and it is only an educated guess.¡± ¡°Are these five guilds the only ones that joined forces?¡± Hatch scratched his head. ¡°On the surface, there doesn¡¯t seem to be any other movement.In the past great battle event, there were the guilds that sat out the event with the V&V guild.We¡¯ll have to assume those guilds are sympathetic to the V&V guilds, and they¡¯ll move in their favor if needed.¡± ¡°What do you think they are trying to do right now?¡± ¡°Their plan is obvious.They basically want to trample over everyone with superior numbers.¡± Numerous conflicts and unrest occurred as the new stage called the Black Continentemerged. The biggest and most recent mess was happening around Voodook¡¯s tunnel. Several guilds of the 30 great guilds were sending a massive amount of members towards the Black Continent.Of course, there were so many people in queue that the wooden post was inadequate to post the list of the line. There was a restriction on how many Users could go in at a fixed interval, and congestion inevitably occurred when high number of people gathered at this location.As the congestion grew, the discontent also grew. ¡°I believe the ruckus created in front of the Voodook¡¯s tunnel was planned.¡± The mess was deliberately created to change the mind of the Users that planned on crossing the Urugal mountain range. If they planned that far ahead, Hatch was able to sufficiently discern their motive. ¡°I¡¯m sure of it.The five guilds have allied with each other, and they plan on monopolizing the Black Continent.This is obvious, but they¡¯ll start eliminating competitors once enough members cross over to the Black Continent.¡± Solo Stage. If they took advantage of the Voodook tunnel¡¯s special characteristic, it wasn¡¯t an impossible task. Shir asked another question after she heard Hatch¡¯s explanation. ¡°Did these 5 guilds offer an alliance with us?Did they contact any of us?¡± ¡°No offers were given.¡± ¡°Basically, we are one of their enemies.¡± ¡°Yes. We might have to play it safe.It might get too scary to play this game.¡± Play it safe¡­. Shir let out a sneer instead of a bitter smile.Hatch had the same expression on his face. They weren¡¯t really going to play it safe.The sneer on their faces indicated the opposite. Hyrkan¡¯s ruin exploration didn¡¯t take too long.In the first place, he couldn¡¯t really call it an exploration.The ruin he had found wasn¡¯t that large.Excluding the space he had entered in the beginning, he had searched exactly two more locations before his exploration came to an end. After concluding his exploration, Hyrkan discovered the out-of-place artifact. The out-of-place artifact he had found was a conch carved out of wood.It was pretty simple figuring out how to use the Item.Hyrkan put his ears against the opening of the Wooden Conch. ¨C We are requesting for help. The Wooden Conch immediately let out a sound. ¨C Heard Fortress.The Dragon¡¯s army is coming towards the Heard Fortress. The voice was filled with desperation. ¨C I¡¯ll say it again.The Heard Fortress is requesting for help.The Dragon¡¯s army is coming this way. The voice within the Wooden Conch ended there.The sound was too disjointed, and it was hard to decipher the content unless one heard it again.However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t need to hear it again. [Quest ¡®Remnant of the Heard Fortress¡¯ has started.] There was a notification system that would be more informative than listening to the conch again. When Hyrkan heard the System Announcement for the Quest, he immediately opened the Quest Window. [Remnant of the Heard Fortress] ¨C Quest Rank : Rare ¨C Quest Level Range : 190 ¨C Quest Content : Find the remnant of the Fortress mentioned by the out-of-place artifact. ¨C Quest Reward : None ¡®The Quest Rank is Rare¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ The Quest Content was light, but at the same time, it was familiar to Hyrkan. ¡®I¡¯m guessing the reward for this Quest will merely be a Transcendent Rank Ancient Power.¡¯ This was why Hyrkan wasn¡¯t too worried about the content of the Quest.It was within his expectation. ¡®Heard Fortress¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ The problem was the word Heard Fortress. ¡®They changed the terminology.¡¯ This was the first time Hyrkan had heard of the word. The terminology that appeared in Warlord was controlled by the AI system, and it was able to make small changes as needed.Still, this knowledge wasn¡¯t able to erase the bitter taste from Hyrkan¡¯s mouth. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t frown at the bitter taste.Instead, a small smile formed on his mouth. 7. The Big Smiles guild had started it.The 5 guilds within the 30 great guilds tirelessly crossed the Urugal mountain range. Of course, the process was very perilous.If twelve Users attempted it, around half would be forced back to the starting point. The Skull Collector was trivial to the User wearing the Hahoe Mask, but it was a enemy that couldn¡¯t be beaten without skill and luck for the others Users. The Users that were able to make the arduous climb over the Urugal mountain range were basically treasures to the guilds. Of course, the Big Smiles guild wanted to protect their treasures, so they started their activities with the safety of guild members in mind. The hunting of monsters were done in large groups.It was excessive even when one considered the monsters¡¯ level and quality.Moreover, one had get permission to use any of the consumables.These were Items that they had drank like water in the past. They basically gave up doing tasks Users normally had to do in the game.They gave up on exploration and leveling up. In such a situation, the Big Smiles guild was able to find a ruin.Luck was on their side. ¡°Heard fortress.Doesn¡¯t this seem like a really important Quest?¡± The Big Smiles guild was able to learn an important clue about the Heard Fortress. They were currently promoting safety over all else at that moment.It was inevitable, but a discussion arose regarding what they should do with this important clue. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?We have to do that Quest.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it too dangerous?What if we all die?Do you realize how long the queue line is right now?¡± ¡°Even if it is dangerous, he have to take a risk of this size.We can¡¯t always stay put as we suck on our thumbs.¡± ¡°The most important thing is safety.Our main directive is to survive.¡± ¡°Since we are insisting on safety above all else, the discontent amongst the guild members have reached the boiling point.They aren¡¯t able to level up, and they can¡¯t earn money through hunts.Basically, they are wasting time by connecting into the game right now.We have to appease them.We have to carry out this Quest.¡± ¡°I guess we have no choice.So who¡¯ll carry it out?If we want to minimize the risk, should we sent our best team?¡± ¡°Should we send out our best team with the Killer at the core?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be more dangerous?I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll never happen, but if Sinclair somehow suffers a Game Over¡­.We don¡¯t have any information regarding this place, and it is teeming with monsters over level 200.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s form an exploration group.Let¡¯s send an exploration group first.¡± They had basically found a treasure map that lead to a very valuable treasure. However, they had no idea what risks they would be taking on when they approached this valuable treasure.Currently, someone had to attach a gas tank on their body.Someone had to throw their body into the unknown to see if it was a fire pit or a water pit. The User, who had to hold the gas tank, needed to have symbolic rank, but he had to be someone they wouldn¡¯t miss at all. This was why they chose him. ¡°You are the commander in charge of the Heard Fortress Quest, Apollo.Do a good job.¡± This was why Apollo became the commander in charge of exploring the Heard Fortress. Chapter 156 – Heard Fortress (1) Chapter 156 ¨C Heard Fortress (1) 1. Treasure Hunt. If Hyrkan wanted to give the shortest summary of the Ruined Kingdom episode, Hyrkan wouldn¡¯t hesitate to call it a treasure hunt. All the tasks the Users had to do in the Ruined Kingdom episode fell into the purview of finding treasures. There were treasures hidden.The Users had to find the clues to find these treasure.When one found the clues, one had to go to where the treasures were located at.Moreover, as one heads towards the location, monsters crowded the roads to interfere with the treasure hunt. In this episode, Warlord used a method that a lot of games used.Warlord had added a setting that made this episode more like a traditional game. The Ruined Kingdom was located in the Black Continent, and the User would gain a Quest in this land.When the User starts heading towards the destination, the game was set to increase the number of monsters on the road!It increased the overall number, and it also increased the regen speed.This in turn increased the number of monsters regenerating. ¡®They didn¡¯t change this setting at all.¡¯ Hyrkan was able to confirm his suspicion when he saw the 3 Voodoo Lizardmen block his path.They had summoned thirty Zombie monsters. ¡®It is exactly 1.5 times more.¡¯ After he entered the Black Continent, he had faced numerous Voodoo Lizardmen in succession.During that period of time, most of the Voodoo Lizardmen operated on their own.At most, they worked as a duo.Moreover, each Voodoo Lizardmen were able to summon up to 7 Zombies. However, three Voodoo Lizardmen had appeared right now, and each of them had summoned 10 Zombies each. ¡®This game is so shitty sometimes.¡¯ The content of the Ruined Kingdom was entirely different from the past, but the setting of the game was identical to the past.He let out a bitter laugh, and the sound of him grinding his teeth could be heard between his laugh. However, he was able put aside his feelings for the battle.Hyrkan was able to unhesitatingly immerse himself in battle.He did it in a very natural, proficient, and calm manner. Ddahk ddahk! Hyrkan had already summoned two Skeleton Knights, and he gave the order for battle. The Skeleton Knights were facing overwhelming number of foes, but they didn¡¯t hesitate.They threw their bodies towards the 30 Zombies. Shweeeek! The Skeleton Knights swung their swords.A sharp sound emanated as each sword stroke severed various parts of the Zombies. Chul-puh-duhk! The severed parts sloughed off like mud.Moreover, the stumps were quickly regenerating the missing part. Ooh-uh-uh! The Zombies shuffled forward as they let out a cry.It was hard to discern if they were crying or screaming. The Voodoo Lizardmen kept shaking their staffs as they danced.It was as if they were cheering on the Zombies. Ggi-ee! Ggi-ee! Sometimes they even let out a weird cry as they looked at the sky. Hyrkan threw Skeleton Fragments towards them. Too-toohk! The Skeleton Fragment fell near the feet of the Voodoo Lizardmen, and it quickly gained its form.He hadn¡¯t planned this out, but the Skeleton Warrior ironically had the shape of a Lizardman. It was made from a level 180 Fanged Lizardman¡¯s bones as ingredients.These monsters were famous for their sharp canines. The Fanged Lizardman had a unique battle style where it bit its enemy with its sharp canines. When it took form, it immediately bit the Voodoo Lizardman in front of it. Kieehhhk! When the Voodoo Lizardman let out a scream in fright, the Zombies turned towards their owner. Naturally, the Skeleton Knights were shown the backs of the Zombies. ¡®Would you look at this?¡¯ The Zombies had ignored the Skeleton Knights, and the Skeleton Knights started chopping off their heads as penalty for their action. Puh-uhk! The Skeleton Knights and Hyrkan were like walking guillotines.They unhesitatingly unleashed violence. The most striking part was that Hyrkan¡¯s sword strike didn¡¯t make any sounds. Poo-hwaht! The Skeleton Knights let out a sound that could be easily discerned as a sound a sword makes. Soo-oohk! Hyrkan¡¯s sword sounded like a shaving blade cutting facial hair. There was no cry. This meant the sword wasn¡¯t the Crying Sword. So what was identity of the sword in his hands? It was the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword! Hyrkan was using the sword that he had previously equipped on the Death Knight. It¡¯s effectiveness was a given. Hyrkan moved forward as he severed the necks of the Zombies.When the Zombie¡¯s head fell to the ground, he crushed it as if he was stepping on rotten tomatoes. Of course, the Zombies didn¡¯t just die from such an attack. They were called Zombies, because they were Undead. Hyrkan was just buying time. He was buying time, so his Skeleton Warriors could take down the Voodoo Lizardmen without being harassed by the Zombies. Ggieh!Ggieehhh! While the owner of the Skeletons and the Skeleton Knights displayed their prowess, the Skeleton Warriors loyally performed their duty..The sudden cry and scream from the Voodoo Lizardmen was like a live update on how the Skeleton Warriors were faring against them. The Skeleton Warriors finished their battle around the 3 minute mark.They answered their owner¡¯s trust with a huge gift. [You level has increased.] Level Up! Hyrkan was now level 207.However, at that moment, he wasn¡¯t feeling happy about his Level Up.Regret was the first emotion he felt.He should have used up all his magical energy by summoning a Skeleton Warrior or the Golem before he leveled up. ¡®I¡¯m overflowing with money, but I¡¯m not able to spend it anywhere right now.Jeez.¡¯ Currently, his account was overflowing with money, but he still had a lot of consumable in his possession.If he went out and bought more, it would be a waste of money.He was a little bit irritated that he still lived on a fiscally conservative budget.He couldn¡¯t bring himself to waste his Items on luxury items. ¡®In the past, I saw Rich Lich¡¯s interview.He said even if he had a lot of money, there wasn¡¯t much he wanted to spend it on.I wanted to punch him in the face when he said it.However, now I am in his position.¡¯ Hyrkan was definitely feeling the pressure being felt by the numerous Users, who had stepped onto the Black Continent. Currently, the biggest problem tormenting the User on the Black Continent was the consumable Items.It was too hard to obtain them. ¡®The 30 great guilds are always the problem.This is especially true for Big Smiles and V&V¡­If I catch them, I¡¯ll¡­.¡¯ In the past, there had been several Users, who had taken advantage of the high market price.They acted as mules as they moved consumable Items through the Voodook¡¯s tunnel.This was why Users had been able to trade Items near the summit of the Urugal mountain.It had been expensive, but at the very least, they had the option to purchase these Items. However, five guilds were trying to push through the Voodook¡¯s Tunnel right now, and they were causing an enormous amount of traffic.The possibility of trading with these enterprising Users were gone now. He had been fully ready when he came here, but he never expected such a development.This was why hate was burning inside him towards the source of the traffic. His loss didn¡¯t just end there. Hyrkan let out a sigh as he dismantled the corpses of the Voodoo Lizardmen, which had been defeated by the Skeleton Warriors. He dismantled the scaled corpse, and he found a Gem Ingredient from one of the melting body.He carefully put the Item into the pouch where he stored the recovery Items. The Gem Ingredient that came out of the Voodoo Lizardman could be used to produce an Item.Basically, there were two types of Gem.One could be used to repair Items, and the other couldbe used to make recovery Items.If one chewed on an Ingredient that was used to make a recovery Item, one could still receive some recovery effect. Of course, no User would use it in such a manner.It was like finding truffles in the mountain.It was akin to eating these truffles, because one was hungry. ¡®I can¡¯t belive I have to eat this.¡¯ The Voodoo Lizardman¡¯s Gem Ingredients were used to make level 200 Rare Rank defesnive Items.Currently, a level 200 Rare Item with decent Option were trade for around 1000 gold. He had to feed on such Item Ingredients to recover his magical energy. ¡®¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤I have to quickly find the Heard Fortree.I have to progress in the Quest to make that region into a foothold.¡¯ This hurt him as much as losing to a monster. ¡®If not, I might die from an upset stomach.Eventhough I have a lot of money, I can¡¯t keep doing this with a sound mind. Of course, this hardship wasn¡¯t indefinite. He wasn¡¯t sure about it, but in his memories, he remembered the Fortress turned in a foothold when one finished the Quest.When the Heard Fortress becomes a foothold, the NPC would return.There would be cubicles where he¡¯ll be able to make Items. It was similar to what had happened at the Cursed Castle. This would also be the most important part of the Ruined Kingdom episode. The first one to forge the road would have a hard time, but the benefit given to the person, who paved the first road was significant.It would be equal to the amount of hardship one faced. In other words, he had to avoid being in 2nd place.The 2nd place User wouldn¡¯t get anything.The only thing waiting for the 2nd place User was a heartburn. Hyrkan raised his head, and he put the Wooden Conch, which he had found in the Ruin, to his ear. ¨C To the east.To the east¡­. Hyrkan turned his head towards the east when he heard the announcement from the Wooden Conch. Koo-uh-uh-uh! From beyond his eyesight, an unknown monster roared as it called out towards Hyrkan. ¡®If I get a windfall of Items, I¡¯ll spend my money in a crazy way.¡¯ 2. They didn¡¯t run into each other by luck.It was fate. ¡°It¡¯s the Hahoe Mask!¡± When the Big Smiles guild received the Heard Fortress Quest, they decided to proceed with the Quest in a safe manner.They created an exploration party, and Apollo was made the leader of this party. Of course, Apollo wanted to look out for his own safety.So he picked out an advance group from within the exploration group, and he sent them ahead. He picked 7 Users for the advance group.There were 4 Strikers, 2 Priest and a Magician in the party.They started investigating the direction pointed out by the Wooden Conch they found at a Ruin. When they heard the sound of battle between a User and a monster, they naturally headed towards the sound.Both the monsters and Users had to be investigated. Currently, there weren¡¯t that many groups heading towards the Heard Fortress.The fact that they met Hyrkan was intended by god. ¡°Run!¡± When the advance group discovered the Hahoe Mask, they immediately ran away.Hyrkan saw the group of people run away as soon as they saw him.When he felt their eyes on him, Hyrkan immediately gave up on the monster he had been fighting.He immediately became a pursuer. ¡®Where are they from?¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t immediately know the identity of these Users. However, they had run away as soon as they saw Hyrkan.He was sure they didn¡¯t hold any good intentions towards him. Moreover, if they were able to get here, they weren¡¯t mediocre Users.If he let them go, they might aim their swords at him next time they met.They were potential enemies. ¡®The only way I¡¯ll live is to kill all these bastards.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan came to a conclusion that he had to move in a desperate manner. Currently, the 5 guilds including the V&V guild and Big Smiles guild were making an enormous mess at the Voodook¡¯s Tunnel.He was well aware of the fact that they were sending a massive amount of Users to the other side of the Urugal mountain range.This was a main topic of discussion on websites that catered to contents from Warlord. He could guess what these 5 guilds were aiming for.They weren¡¯t sacrificing guild members, so the Users that came later would have an easier time. They planned on showing the tyranny that could be conducted by the large guilds.It was a level of tyranny that was unimaginable to a normal User! However, Hyrkan had faced the tyranny from the large guilds before.He received the punishment from facing up to such tyranny.He knew well the despair and dirty feeling that came with it. His preparations were all done for this day. ¡®I¡¯m glad I invested a lot of money in this.¡¯ This was something he had prepared for Users, who would run away from Hyrkan.It was his secret weapon.It was meant to be used to whittle away his enemies. Hyrkan took out Skeleton Fragments from the Skeleton Fragment Pouch hanging off of his waist. The four Skeleton Warriors that showed up were small in stature.It was the Mini Ogre Skeleton Warriors. These weren¡¯t the normal ones.These 4 were wearing level 170 Unique Rank defensive set.They wore the Forest Pursuer set. The set Item could only be made by catching the Chameleon Jackal, and this monster was only accessible through Quests related to the Elven tribes.Currently, there were only a few amount of these sets in circulation.The Movement Speed option was greater than any other Unique rank set Items. At one point, a single set was traded for 30 thousand gold.In recent days, if one wanted to obtain the set in a swift manner, one had to give up 10 thousand gold for it. On top of it all, Mini Ogres were geniuses at pursuing foes.Their small bodies contained an explosive power, and even a seasoned Striker couldn¡¯t shake off their pursuit. No Users attempted a pursuit battle against the Mini Ogres. The finishing touch was the Madness Helm. These expensive pursuers were created solely for chasing down targets.The horned Mini Ogre Skeleton Warriors were able to close the significant gap between its preys in an instant. In the end, it was inevitable that the slow footed Priest became the sacrificial lamb. The attack of Mini Ogre Skeleton Warrior wasn¡¯t aimed at the chest.It was inevitably aimed towards the knees and thighs.The Priest fell to the ground from a single blow. ¡°Ooh-ah-ah!¡± The Priest¡¯s world spun round and round.He reflexively let out a scream.The scream ended only after the priest fell face down on the ground.The priest raised his head from the ground. ¡®Aigo. My head¡­.¡¯ It seemed the Mini Ogre Skeleton Warriors had already moved past him.He couldn¡¯t see any of them in his surrounding. ¡®Huh?I don¡¯t see those shorties.Did they go somewhere else?¡¯ The Priest looked around his surrounding, and he tried to get off from the ground. Poo-oohk! However, when he was trying to get up, a sword pierced through his back to come out of the his chest.He didn¡¯t even need to turn around at look.He let out a shout of frustration when he saw the tip of the sword. ¡°Shit!¡± The Priest¡¯s shout didn¡¯t last long.Hyrkan, who was the owner of the sword, tripped the Pirest.The Priest face once again planted itself on the ground.Hyrkan put a foot into the back of the Pirest, and he pulled out his sword. Then he stabbed with his sword again. ¡°Huhk!¡± A surprised filled word came out of the Priest¡¯s mouth. Of course, this sound wasn¡¯t emitted, because he was in pain.There was no pain in this game.Basically, it felt as if someone was poking him in the back with a finger.The level of pain he was experiencing shouldn¡¯t have made him afraid.If he would have surprised from being stabbed, he would have been surprised long before this. So why was he surprised? The reason¡­. ¡°Isn¡¯t the damage it causes fantastic?¡± The words came out of Hyrkan¡¯s mouth, and instead of answering, the Priest¡¯s body shook. It had been a single light stab, yet the amount of HP he lost was beyond imagination.This was the reason why the Priest was terrified. Dethroned Prince¡¯s Sword. His reaction was befitting the strongest weapon in Warlord right now. Poohk poohk! Hyrkan asked a question as he kept stabbing the Priest with his weapon. ¡°Which guild are you affiliated with?¡± The Priest didn¡¯t answer him.Instead of answering his question, the Priest was mumbling to himself. ¡°We encountered the Hahoe Mask, and I was caugh¡­¡­.¡± Hyrkan stepped on the Priest¡¯s head.His mouth was pushed into the ground, so he couldn¡¯t speak. Hyrkan didn¡¯t have any more business with this User, so he kept stabbing at the Priest¡¯s body.One of the Mini Ogre Skeleton Warriors, who had wandered a bit away came back to help Hyrkan stab at the Priest¡¯s body. While he was taking care of the Priest, he felt the consumption of his magical energy. ¡®They are worth their expensive price.They¡¯ve already caught up.¡¯ It was proof that the Mini Ogre Skeleton Warriors had started their battle with other Users. After he made sure the Priest was dead, Hyrkan flipped over the body.The Priest was wearing a white priest robe, but it was soiled by the dirt now.When he looked at the left corner of the Priest¡¯s chest, Hyrkan saw a symbol. It was a circle, and there were two dots and a line within it. The fresh smile was the symbol of the Big Smiles guild! ¡®Big Smiles.¡¯ When Hyrkan confirmed the Priest¡¯s guild affiliation, he turned his head away.He didn¡¯t even bother taking his opponent¡¯s watch. Hyrkan only thought about how he¡¯ll get rid of his enemies. 3. ¨C We encountered the Hahoe Mask, and I was caugh¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. ¨C We are fighting with the Hahoe Mask right now, and it seems we are going to die¡­. ¨C I¡¯m sorry.We were taken down by the Hahoe Mask. When he received the report from this advance party, Apollo unconsciously let out a shout. ¡°It¡¯s the Hahoe Mask again?¡± Apollo unconsciously spat out those words, and the surprised Users around him turned to look at him at the same time.Apollo frowned when he felt their gazes.In many ways, he wasn¡¯t in a good mood. ¡®Why is this bastard keep blocking my way?¡¯ Apollo shut his mouth tight.He was irritated. That was it.Apollo only got irritated.Unlike that time at the Frozen Land¡­.He didn¡¯t become drunk on his anger. ¡®Shit.¡¯ He didn¡¯t go rogue this time.He didn¡¯t give any orders. His temperament hadn¡¯t changed, but he was intelligent enough not to repeat a mistake. ¡°That fucking bastard.¡± ¡°What should we do?If we want to catch the Hahoe Mask¡­¡± ¡°Catch him?Do you think we can catch him just because we want to?¡± Apollo shouted at his subordinate.He planned on immediately contacting Brooks.At this point, he needed the judgement and permission from the highest man in power.He couldn¡¯t do this on his own. At that moment¡­ ¡®No.¡¯ Apollo suddenly had a thought. He knew who held the highest authority and true power in the Big Smiles guild. Apollo changed the person he was going to contact when he had this thought. ¡®It¡¯ll be faster if I contact Sinclair.¡¯ Chapter 157 – Heard Fortress (2) Chapter 157 ¨C Heard Fortress (2) 5. ¨C What should we do? Apollo asked the question again, but the answer had already crystallized in Sinclair¡¯s head. ¡®This is the golden opportunity to catch the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ Hahoe Mask. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say the Hahoe Mask was the single most valuable being one could kill in Warlord. ¡®No.I have to catch him no matter what.¡¯ He had to catch the Hahoe Mask before he became a bigger variable.He had to kill the Hahoe Mask even if it was an unreasonable task. However, he was given a chance to catch the Hahoe Mask, so there was no reason why he should turn down this opportunity. There was only one problem. Would the Big Smiles guild really be able to kill the Hahoe Mask? ¡®Finally, luck is with me.¡¯ They wouldn¡¯t be able catch the Hahoe Mask. The situation was completely different from the time when Sinclair went out to face the Hahoe Mask at the Cursed Castle.At the time, the idea of the Hahoe Mask winning against Sinclair was laughable.His Skeleton Warriors weren¡¯t even an annoyance against Sinclair. What about the current Hahoe Mask? It was useless to compare levels. The difference in Item Setting was too large.This was beyond the Hahoe Mask slightly exceeding Sinclair in terms of Item Setting.Currently, no User could come close to the Item Setting possessed by the Hahoe Mask.He had the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword, Argardo¡¯s Armor, Secret Society¡¯s Token, Corrupted Arbiter¡¯s Ring, Corrupted Destroyer¡¯s Necklace¡­He was pretty much like an end-game boss. What about the Skeletons possessed by the Hahoe Mask? A Hahoe Mask fan broke down a battle footage released by the Hahoe Mask.The gear worn by a Skeleton Warrior on average was worth 23,300 gold. However, this was an estimate from the time when he faced the Frost Knight.The Hahoe Mask hadn¡¯t released the footage yet, but there was a rumor going around that he had summoned a Death Knight when facing the Skull Collector.The rumor was from a User that had passed through the Voodook¡¯s Tunnel.The Hahoe Mask was much stronger than the time he faced the Frost Knight. What would happen if the Big Smiles guild tried to hunt him down?If this was a regular hunting ground, they would have a chance of winning.However, this was the Black Continent.If one moved a large group of Users, it would just lead to a war of attrition with the Monsters. Even with all these factors against them, Sinclair thought they would be able to catch the Hahoe Mask if luck was with them. The reason being¡­ ¡®It is fortunate that the Clover Unit is nearby.¡¯ The Poker team had pulled V&V guild into the ranks of the top guilds.One of the Poker team called the Clover unit was heading toward the Heard Fortress. ¡®Apollo¡¯s exploration team and the Clover unit can merge.There would be a total of 40 Users.Apollo¡¯s team can be used as bait, then the Clover unit can step forward¡­¡¯ He trusted the Clover team.Sinclair¡¯s backers was the Hands guild, and they had put in a considerable effort in making the Clover unit. At that moment, Sinclair thought about the final worry he had. ¡®The Hahoe Mask and the Stormhunters guild must not meet.We have to prevent the two of them from teaming up at all cost.¡¯ He worried about the worst possible outcome.After he worried about the possibility, Sinclair finally opened his mouth. ¡°Apollo.¡± ¨C Yes. Sinclair¡¯s answer was late, since he had thought over his options.However, Apollo didn¡¯t act impatient with Sinclair. ¡°Let¡¯s kill him.Let¡¯s use this opportunity to kill him.¡± ¨C The Hahoe Mask? Apollo seemed slightly surprised, so Sinclair immediately forged ahead with his words. ¡°It¡¯ll be possible if you cooperate with one of the Poker team.The V&V guild¡¯s Poker team is nearby you.¡± ¨C I¡¯ll do as you say. His reaction couldn¡¯t be seen, but Apollo had a big smile on his face at Sinclair¡¯s answer.The flesh on his face bunched up together as he smiled. Hyrkan¡¯s secret weapons were beyond his expectation.They were great.The Mini Ogre Skeleton Warriors chased down the swift runaway Users, and they tormented the Users that were caught. When their ankles were caught by the Mini Ogre Skeleton Warriors, the Hahoe Mask appeared, and the User would give up on running away. ¡°Fight me!Fuck.Let¡¯s see who¡¯ll win!¡± These Users had played the game of Warlord for several years, and they had experienced the ups and downs of this game.The Users struggled fiercely against Hyrkan, and they showed a fiery spirit. Of course, their fiery spirit was useless against Hyrkan¡¯s summoned Skeleton Warriors and Knights.It was a pointless struggle. He was a frightening predator. This was the moment when a new mask appeared behind Hyrkan¡¯s current mask. ¡°Whoa.¡± ¡®As expected of the 30 great guilds, they use expensive Items.¡¯ Of course, it didn¡¯t take long for this frightening predator to morph into a hyena that roamed around to find rotten meat.Hyrkan searched the bodies of the dead Users. In Warlord, consumable Items had to be carried around on one¡¯s body.Of course, when a User suffered a Game Over, the consumable Items on one¡¯s body fell to the floor.Even when one revived 48 hours later, the consumable Items weren¡¯t restored to the User.Only the stored Items inside the wristwatch was retained. Normally, the consumable Items were treated as trash Items in PK.Everyone focused on the wristwatches.Hyrkan also followed this behavior. However, it was a different story on the Black Continent. ¡®These hunts feels different.¡¯ Instead of the wristwatches, Hyrkan was taking the consumable Items first.He smiled when he noticed this. Of course, Hyrkan also took the wristwatches. Puhk, puhk! The sword he held came down on the wrists of the Users, and he took their wristwatches. ¡®The Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword is awesome.It is great for dicing.¡¯ Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword¡­.It was a masterpiece forged by the Blacksmith Olf.It was given to heroes, who had defeated the Immoral Prince.It was meant to be used to save the world.If Blacksmith Olf saw his sword being praised for being a good butcher¡¯s knife, Hyrkan¡¯s stomach would be struck repeatedly by ¡®Olf¡¯s Hammer.¡¯ Of course, Blacksmith Olf wasn¡¯t here now, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about such a scenario. ¡®Ok.¡¯ Hyrkan had a smile as he looked at his full pouch.It was as if a hamster had stuffed its food into its cheek.This was one of the happiest smiles he had put on in the Black Continent. However, the smile didn¡¯t last long. Koo-uh-uh! When the Users disappeared, the monsters showed up to torment Hyrkan. The role of pursuer and the pursued flipped constantly in this hunting ground.However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t plan on bypassing these monsters. Of course, the riled up monsters drew aggro from the only User left alive! Hyrkan smiled as he saw the monsters run towards him without reserve. ¡®This really is a fucked up game.¡¯ 6. Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s eyes were open as he lay on his worn mattress.He kept staring at the old wallpaper on his ceiling. ¡®Ah, I want to move to a different place.¡¯ Recently, this phrase was never far from his mouth.After getting up, Ahn-jaehyun put on his cheap horn rimmed glasses.He reflexively turned on the Tablet PC that had been placed next to his glasses.However, it felt as if his Tablet PC was more sluggish than normal.He might be mistaken, but Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s expression turned sullen. In the end, a sigh came out from his mouth. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve reached this point.¡¯ Money. The thing he had wanted the most was now in plenty supply.It was beyond plenty.He was overflowing with money. However, he didn¡¯t have the free time to spend his money.His days were scheduled into blocks, and he had to be constantly inside the game.He didn¡¯t have the time to eat out or even order food. In recent days, he was nervous most of the time as he went through his busy schedule.He had built up his tower through hard work, yet he was afraid a momentary mistake would make it the Leaning Tower of Pisa.He had to keep his schedule. Maybe that was the reason? Ahn-jaehyun was getting new influx of money from his paid videos and other miscellaneous earnings, yet it didn¡¯t feel like his own money. Maybe, if he was able to recklessly spend his money on the Items within the game, he might have felt differently.However, he hadn¡¯t done that. This was why he unconsciously turned away from the numbers that had excited him to no end before.He started searching for Warlord-related articles instead of looking at his his bank account. The search words mainly focused on 5 guilds including V&V and Big Smiles guild. His search turned out a lot of information. The V&V, Big Smiles, Sweepers, Wul-gwahng and Blossoms guild were explicitly showing their desire to monopolize the Black Continent.The Black Continent was the stage of the Ruined Kingdom episode, so this became a hot issue.A hot issue always created a lot of content online. As he went through the related articles, Ahn-jaehyun clicked his tongue. ¡®Well, they obtained several ace cards they could use to attempt the monopoly. This could bring change to the final outcome.¡¯ The topic that brought the most bitterness to Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s mouth was the accomplishments of the Poker team.They were the V&V guild¡¯s strongest force. He read the articles related to the Poker team, and he watched the battle footage they had released in the Black Continent.He let out a bitter sneer. ¡®I thought these bastards planned on breaking all the record times for the Raids¡­..¡¯ Until the Stormhunters guild caught the Blaze Slime Dragon, the Poker team was still systematically attacking the record time for the Raids.They centered their core contents around this concepts. However, they were suddenly operating out of the Black Continent now. In truth, this should be taken lightly by Ahn-jaehyun. ¡®It is quite impressive.¡¯ The 30 great guilds were able to move massive amount of money through the live channels.This wasn¡¯t all their money.There were backers and investors.There were a lot of other people¡¯s money sunk into their venture.Since the money didn¡¯t belong to them, they couldn¡¯t easily change directions. However, the V&V guild had executed this change too easily.This was something he should be worried about. In the end, the V&V guild would be on the opposite side of Ahn-jaehyun.They would never help him. Recently, the Stormhunters guild was being quiet, but they had stepped onto the Black Continent first.They could suddenly become a variable that could torment Ahn-jaehyun in the future. Ahn-jaehyun took off his glasses, and he covered his face with his two hands. There was only one solution to this problem. ¡®If they catch my tail, it is the end of me.¡¯ He had to change this competition into a race. He had to change it into a game where the person in first place was the victor.It didn¡¯t matter if there were several hundred or several thousand Users behind him.He had to make it so that there would be only one User that could reach first place. After taking away his hands from his face, Ahn-jaehyun put on his glasses as he got up from his seat.Ahn-jaehyun went to a sink nearby.The kitchen sink was worn and rusted.However, there was a high quality coffee machine atop the sink.It gave off an elegant atmosphere. He had recently purchased this pod coffee machine. He had spent a good amount of money to purchase this one.This machine brought home the fact that he had made a lot of money recently. Moreover, this machine was worth its cost.He placed his stained coffee cup on the machine ashe put in the classy-looking pod.Unlike his old acidic coffee, the new coffee was fragrant. Still, Ahn-jaehyun dropped the oft used grape flavored candies into the coffee. Afterwards, he brought the coffee to his mouth, and he nodded his head. ¡°Mmm.It¡¯s good.¡± ¡®I feel like a New Yorker.I¡¯m glad I bought it.¡¯ 7. Ravine. There were enormous cliffs facing each other, and there was a forest in front of the ravine.Large stone pillars arose from between the forest, and there were remains of large buildings besides the pillars.Moreover, one could faintly see that a fortress had blocked the entry into the ravine in the past. Hyrkan had saw this from far away, and he let out a big sigh. As Hyrkan started breathing normally again, one could see 19 Skeleton Warriors and two Skeleton Knights lined up behind him.They were in their combat-ready stance.One could already see traces of battle on them, and it meant that a battle had been performed not too long ago.Moreover, it was a sign that more battles was in the near future. This was why Hyrkan treasured this time where he would be able to take a brief breather. ¡®As expected, things have change from what I know.¡¯ Hyrkan searched through his memories, and he thought about the first base that had been formed in the Black Continent. Before he came to the past, the first base hadn¡¯t been located at a ravine.It had centered around a lake with black water. The name wasn¡¯t the only thing that had changed.Basically, the stage itself had changed. He had held out hope that only the name had changed.Now he decisively quashed such sentiments. ¡®Still, it feels as if I have seen this before¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ At that moment, he was looking at a stage that was different from what he remembered, but he kept having a sense of deja vu.He tilted his head in confusion. ¡®An enormous ravine¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Which location had a ravine as its stage?¡¯ However, he wasn¡¯t given time to ruminate over his worries.His break didn¡¯t last long either. Hyrkan turned to look over his back. Koo-uh-uh! It was as if the monsters were letting out a roar for courtesy¡¯s sake.The sound coaxed Hyrkan to move forward. ¡®I have to avoid being in 2nd place.¡¯ He had to avoid being in 2nd place at all cost.Before he could fully catch his breath, Hyrkan headed towards the Ruin of the Heard Fortress. 8. [You¡¯ve entered the Ruins of the Heard Fortress.] [You¡¯ve gained the Title ¡®Heard Fortress Excavator.¡¯] [You¡¯ve gained the Title ¡®Explorer of the Ruined Kingdom.¡¯] [You¡¯ve gained the Title ¡®First Discoverer.¡¯] The Heard Fortress was in a terrible state.However, Hyrkan was given an awe-inspiring gift for being the first visitor. Hyrkan was finally able to smile when he received the Titles. ¡®I avoided being in 2nd place.¡¯ He had worried about the possibility of other Users coming here first.His worry melted away. Hyrkan immediately checked the fruits of his labor. [Heard Fortress Excavator] Title Effect : All Stats +15 [Explorer of the Ruined Kingdom] Title Effect : Magic Power +20 [First Discoverer] Title Effect : Stamina +40, Magic Power +40 The Title Options were fantastic. Hyrkan glanced at his Stats Window after the Titles Effects were applied. However, he didn¡¯t sentimentalize over it.After he checked the rough estimates of his Stats, he immediately put the Wooden Conch to his ears.This wasn¡¯t the end.He wanted the real treasure.This wasn¡¯t the true reward given to the 1st place winner. ¨C Find our flag.Our flag¡­.. The Wooden Conch once again pointed out the next path to Hyrkan.Hyrkan turned his head to look at his surrounding. He searched his surrounding with the eyes of a hawk. Suddenly, Hyrkan¡¯s eyes went out of focus for a little bit.He had been earnestly searching around his surrounding, but now his head was tilted in puzzlement. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve seen this somewhere.¡¯ Deja vu. Something was bothering Hyrkan once again. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve seen this place somewhere.I¡¯m sure I saw it in a footage regarding the Ruined Kingdom Episode.¡¯ However, Hyrkan¡¯s questions disappeared when he saw a mound made out of rocks.The mound was as big as a farmhouse.Moreover, there was flag sticking out at the top¡­.The flag itself was decayed, and only the pole remained.Hyrkan rejoiced when he saw it.There was no sense of deja vu when he saw it. When he was near the stone grave, Hyrkan once again placed the Wooden Conch to his ears.However, the Wooden Conch didn¡¯t emit any sound.It basically meant the Wooden Conch had served its purpose.He threw the Wooden Conch over his shoulder. Afterwards, Hyrkan unsheathed the sword on his waist to unearth the stone grave.His Strength Stat was so high that most rocks flew away like pebbles. Choo-roong, choo-roong! When he came across a large boulder, he used the Crying Sword to break it apart. It was a grave meant for someone or something.However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t hesitate in becoming a grave robber. Hyrkan continued to dig through the stone grave, and he finally found a black box that was hidden below the stone grave. ¡®It is the Black Treasure Box.As expected, it is a Transcendent Rank.¡¯ Hyrkan used his sword to open the Black Treasure Box.It was as if the Items within the box had escaped the ravages of time.He saw three intact scrolls. This was the ultimate reward given to the first person to arrive here. Hyrkan picked up one of the Scrolls, and he untied the red string. [Will you release the Ancient Power?] Hyrkan immediately made his choice when he heard the System Announcement.Hyrkan didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡®Of course, I¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ It happened at that moment. [The sleeping souls within the Heard Fortress is waking up.] The new System Announcement made Hyrkan pay sharp attention to his surrounding.He couldn¡¯t feel any big disturbance. If one watched the movie, Indiana Jones, didn¡¯t Harrison Ford face immediate danger when he found the treasure he had been searching for? This was to be expected. This was a natural order of events.He had to do this if he wanted to make the Heard Fortress into a base within the Black Continent.He had to face the Boss Monster that was protecting the Ruins of the Heard Fortress. ¡®Whoever it is, come at me!¡¯ The System was polite in giving the identity of Hyrkan¡¯s enemy. [Anugas is awakening.He is a giant that eats the sleeping souls within the Heard Fortress.] [The Quest ¡®Recapture the Heard Fortress!¡¯ has started.] ¡°Huh?¡± When he heard the announcement, Hyrkan¡¯s mind blanked out.From a short distance away, there was an earthquake, and the ground started to split open.A one-eyed giant with four arms appeared. ¡°Fuck!¡± Hyrkan finally knew where this place was. ¡®This is the Bizult¡¯s Ravine! This is Bizult¡¯s Ravine where the Anugas appears!¡¯ Hyrkan finally realized the reason behind the sense of deja vu he had felt. 9. ¡®Hahoe Mask.That asshole is really fast.¡¯ Apollo¡¯s mission was changed from exploration of the Heard Fortress to finding the Hahoe Mask.Every time he received a report Apollo shook his head. This stage was overflowing with monsters, yet the Hahoe Mask was showing incredible hunting speed.Moreover, his swift hunting speed allowed him to travel at a rapid pace.In truth, there was a small voice inside his heart that had acknowledged this premise.The premise being it was impossible to chase down the Hahoe Mask¡­. At that moment¡­. The fact that a small portion of his heart had already accepted this as fact made him feel rage and irritation.It was ripping his insides apart. At that moment, he received another report. ¨C We¡¯ve found the Hahoe Mask! The hunting party that was tracking the Hahoe Mask alerted Apollo.The Hahoe Mask had just appeared.Apollo asked in delight. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¨C The location¡­.Anyways, the Hahoe Mask just changed direction from his original path. ¡°So what?¡± ¨C It seems he is running away from something. ¡°Is he being chased by a monster?¡± ¨C I don¡¯t see any monsters chasing after him. When Apollo heard those words, he gave his orders. ¡°Do everything you can to block him!Even if you have to put your life on the line, don¡¯t let him run away!You have impede his progress no matter what!¡± ¨C Yes. His subordinate gave an immediate answer, yet Apollo hadn¡¯t heard his answer.He had changed the Voice Talk channel before he heard the answer. ¡°Clover unit.Clover unit.This is Big Smiles.We¡¯ve found the Hahoe Mask.We¡¯ll buy you some time.He is located at¡­.¡± ¨CThis is the Clover unit.We¡¯ll be moving towards the location you mentioned. The conversation was short.When it ended, Apollo had a triumphant smile on his face. ¡®This will be your funeral, Hahoe Mask.¡¯ Chapter 158 – Catch or Be Caught (1) Chapter 158 ¨C Catch or Be Caught (1) 1. The forest didn¡¯t even have a road.It was filled with beautiful trees and house-sized stone pillars randomly located within the forest.It was incredible to see Hyrkan run through such obstacles.At times, he dodged the tree trunks like a snake, and he used unexpected boulders as launching pads.He was like a squirrel. ¡®Shit!¡¯ He was awesome at running away.However, no one in this world like or wanted to run away. In such an uncertain situation, he held the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword with his right hand as he stayed ready for a battle that might occur at any time.He had tucked the box with the scrolls containing the Ancient Power on his left side.He basically looked like a thief running away.Of course, he didn¡¯t have any time to relax. Hyrkan was running full tilt as his expression expressed his restlessness, strain and urgency. Something appeared suddenly in front of him. Hwah-roo-roo-roo! An enormous wall of fire suddenly appeared in front of him.Hyrkan reflexively stopped in front of the fire. ¡®I¡¯m in a hurry.Which bastard did this?¡¯ Of course, Hyrkan knew that the wall of fire had been created by a magician.This was why he had stopped running. It was around 10 meter high, and it was 1 meter in width.It was too big to jump over it, but Hyrkan¡¯s superior Item Setting meant that the Fire Wall couldn¡¯t do much harm to him. If he wanted to, he could just charge through it.However, this meant the magician, who had used the magical spell, knew this fact too.Basically, this fire wasn¡¯t meant to damage Hyrkan. ¡®Fuck¡­.¡¯ It was a diversion. If he recklessly hurtled through the Fire Wall like an acrobat, a critical blow would come from the other side. Hyrkan had suffered this scenario before, so he was well aware of this tactic.Moreover, even if there was nothing across the Fire Wall, he had no choice, but to stop. Hyrkan turned to look behind him.Unlike the chaotic situation in front of him, it was very calm and quiet behind him.The only thing he could see was his own tracks. However, Hyrkan could guarantee it. ¡®If Anugas follows the attack pattern from before, it unerringly follows its opponent, and its pursuit can¡¯t be shaken unless it locks onto another opponent.It is classified as an illusion type monster, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange if it appeared suddenly.¡¯ He had a pursuer except one couldn¡¯t see this pursuer with one¡¯s eyes. This was why Hyrkan considered the current development to be somewhat favorable for him. Currently, a Wall of Fire had been placed in front of him, and this meant that there was at least one other User nearby. He had no reason to waste his energy by striking up a conversation.Hyrkan tossed the box he had been carrying nearby.It held the Ancient Power.At this point in the game, it was worth a lot, but he couldn¡¯t fight, while carrying it by his side.He wouldn¡¯t risk his life for the sake of protecting the Ancient Power. When Hyrkan¡¯s left hand was freed, he stole a handful of flame from the barrier in front of him. The spark of fire took hold on Hyrkan¡¯s glove, and the spark didn¡¯t fizzle out.Instead, it started burning larger, and the flames surged forward.In the end, a giant made out of fire took shape. The Fire Golem appeared! When the Fire Golem appeared, it immediately absorbed the flame blocking its master¡¯s path.Hyrkan looked at the road in front of him.As expected, there was a trap that was meant to catch Hyrkan. Ggoo-uh-uh! There were two enormous bears made out of fire like the Fire Golem on the road, and they started running toward Hyrkan. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t step forward.The Fire Golem had located its enemies first, and it moved to protect its master. The three Fire Creatures, which had been formed beforehand, started to fight each other.It was a messy fight between large monsters, and while the battle was commencing, Hyrkan scattered two Skeleton Warriors. The Mini Ogre Skeleton Warriors took shape! Hyrkan had already confirmed that these Skeletons were genius trackers, so he gave the order. Ddahk, ddahk! After he flicked his fingers, Hyrkan turned to look towards his back again. ¡®It feels as if I¡¯m fighting with a bomb strapped to my neck.¡¯ It was a desperately dangerous situation. He had fallen into a danger that he hadn¡¯t been able to predict. ¡®Yes.It¡¯s always like this for me.When things start to go my way, a bloody awful day is around the corner.¡¯ On the other hand, he now felt as if he was playing Warlord. 2. When facing the Hahoe Mask, one had to avoid close combat at all cost.Even though Hyrkan was a Necromancer, he had higher Strength Stat than most Strikers.He had put all his Level Up bonus into Strength, and he had managed to equip himself with the best Item setting in Warlord.On top of all of that, he had numerous titles that boosted his Stats further. Hyrkan¡¯s Items were too advantageous in a close combat. Crying Sword. Currently, there was no weapon in existence that could destroy weapons and defensive gears as well as the Crying Sword.In terms of destroying Items, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the Crying Sword was better than the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword. Depose Prince¡¯s Sword. It was unequivocally the strongest Item in existence in Warlord right now. The Dark Spot set was similarly a defensive gear that boasted the highest defense. This resulted in Hyrkan being a monster in terms of close combat ability. So what was Hyrkan¡¯s weakness? It was the powerful AOE magic. Of course, Hyrkan had incredible defense against magic, and he had high resistance to elemental magic.It wasn¡¯t easy to give critical damage by using a powerful AOE magic. However, magic was still considered to be Hyrkan¡¯s weakness even with a lot of things going against it.The reason being it was the surest way to keep his Skeletons underlings, which was Hyrkan¡¯s greatest power, in check.Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton underlings were also equipped with incredible Items, but they couldn¡¯t be compared to Hyrkan. Another deciding factor was the fact that Hyrkan¡¯s magical energy consumption increased as the number of Skeleton Warriors were increased. It was true. Magic was Hyrkan¡¯s achilles heel, and if one wanted to kill Hyrkan, one had to aim for this weakness. ¡°Keep using your magic!You have to put him on his heel!Use your magic, so he can¡¯t take out his Skeletons!¡± Apollo was using that strategy. Of course, he wasn¡¯t carrying out the plan.From the beginning, Apollo stood far away from the battlefield.He did as he wanted, and he continuously bombarded his subordinates with orders.His subordinates resented him.Apollo never contributed in a battle, yet he had the potential to be a detriment. ¡®That son of a bitch.He should do it himself!¡¯ ¡®Does he think using magic is easy?Everyone thinks Tankers are the only ones that suffer.¡¯ Of course, the recipients of Apollo¡¯s words didn¡¯t feel good hearing after hearing such words. They were navigating through the battlefield as they chased after the Hahoe Mask.It was hard to use magic in such conditions, yet Apollo kept giving orders that sounded like threats.It was unspeakably humiliating. However, their humiliation came to an end. ¨C We¡¯ve been had! Something terrible occurred not long after the battle had started. Hahoe Mask used the trajectory of the magical spells to track down and kill the magicians.A Striker and a Tanker was placed nearby a magician as protection.In truth, the only thing they could do was for the Strikers to runaway with the Magicians, while the Tankers stalled the Hahoe Mask.This was the only way. If they failed to do that, they would let out the sad message like ¡®We¡¯ve been had!¡¯ again. In the end, two magicians from the group of 5 was cut down. Apollo smiled when he received the report. ¡®He finally bit the bait!¡¯ 3. With a single strike, he cut through the robe and body of the third magician.The Striker, who had been guarding the magician, executed a sword strike.It was a top to bottom swing.The Striker¡¯s sword fell vertically like lightning, and it was as if the Striker wanted to destroy Hyrkan¡¯s sword. Kah-ahng! Of course, the sound of harsh steel exploded forth. Ggee-reek, ggee-reek! The two swords pushed against each other as a goosebump inducing screech was emitted. ¡®This bastard¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ Of course, Hyrkan immediately realized the User in front of him wasn¡¯t normal. It wasn¡¯t something he had to realize, since it was obvious.How many Users could fight on even ground with a sword with Hyrkan without using any Skills?Hyrkan immediately eyed his opponent¡¯s Item Setting. ¡®He has the Great Battle Hero¡¯s sword.Is that the Golden Centipede set?¡¯ The Great Battle Hero¡¯s sword wasn¡¯t as good as the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword, but it was good enough to be call a top tier weapon. Moreover, the Golden Centipede set was famous.One could get this Unique set Item when one caught a level 180 Boss Monster called the Golden Centipede.It had low defense, but amongst the level 180 Items, it was best for maximizing attack. This was why it was categorized as an Extreme Attack Set. Of course, it was expensive.Even if one had money, it was hard to acquire.The Golden Centipede was only found recently, and Users, who weren¡¯t interested in Items, didn¡¯t even know the existence of the Item. It was at that moment¡­. [Blood Ogre¡¯s Dignity has come over your body.] The System Announcement gave Hyrkan a warning. Blood Ogre¡¯s Dignity. It was an expression one would hear when one was exposed to the Option of the Blood Ogre set.Basically, it meant that someone wearing the Blood Ogre set was approaching Hyrkan! Moreover, Hyrkan knew better than anyone as to the price of the Blood Ogre set. ¡°Shall we introduce our names?¡± Ggee-rick, ggee-rick! The blade of the two swords were interlocked as if they were kissing each other.The User asked a question over the sound. Hyrkan ignored his opponent¡¯s question, and he gave an answer instead. ¡°Rootbeer.¡± RootBeer. It was a drink that was popular in North America.It was similar to the likes of cola and cider.Of course, one never forgot it once one heard it. ¡°Are you part of the Clover unit?¡± Even if RootBeer¡¯s name wasn¡¯t easy to remember, he would have remember this User. ¡°The Hahoe Mask remembered my name.It doesn¡¯t feel too bad.¡± Clover unit. Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t remember all of them, but he remembered the skilled Users.RootBeer was skilled enough to be able to pull off being the centerpiece of the Clover unit. ¡®This guy is no joke.¡¯ His core role was similar to Hyrkan. He was the Assault Captain.RootBeer stuck to a monster¡¯s body to deal damage and Armor Break.He was a Striker! In Hyrkan¡¯s estimation, it was a wonder that such a skilled User had managed to remain anonymous.A User of this skill would itch to be able to make a name for himself.He wonder how RootBeer had kept that desire in check for so long. ¡®He¡¯s the bait.¡¯ There was a reason why RootBeer was conversing with him.Of course, it was part of their plan. Hyrkan looked out of the corner of his eyes, and he could see other Users encircling him.They were slowly tightening the net.Moreover, the User wearing the Blood Ogre set jumped out in his sight. As if RootBeer didn¡¯t appreciate Hyrkan looking away from him, he continued to speak. ¡°Of course, my mood would get better if I¡¯m able to kill the Hahoe Mask.¡± Hyrkan¡¯s lips twitched. ¡®If only Anugas showed up here¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ In the end, he wasn¡¯t in a good situation.Even Hyrkan couldn¡¯t take on the Clover unit here.Even if he chose to face them, he would only have a chance at victory if he was the one that seized the initiative. ¡®Please come out, Anugas-nim¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ It made Hyrkan wish for the main culprit, who had been the cause of his worry, to show up. At that moment¡­. ¨C Uh? My magic? ¨C What¡¯s going?Uh?What happened to my magical energy? ¨C Huh?You too?My magical energy also suddenly disappeared.What is this?Is it a bug? ¨C Did the Hahoe Mask use a Skill? Suddenly, disorder started to spread in the Voice Talk. The big fish named the Hahoe Mask was in front of RootBeer.Until a moment ago, he had a confident smile on his face, but the smile disappeared from RootBeer¡¯s mouth. He planned on ignoring the chaos, but the disturbance was too large to ignore it.Their voices were so loud that it distracted him. Most fishermen, who was trying to reel in a big fish, became irritated when a strange sound was emitted from the surrounding. RootBeer yelled with Hyrkan in front of him. ¡°We are still in a battle!Focus on the battle!¡± He had yelled towards the Voice Talk, but the sound had reached Hyrkan too.Hyrkan smiled at his shout. ¡®Our magical energy was erased.It seems Anugas has opened his eyes.This will probably be the only time I¡¯ll be glad to see it.¡¯ ¡°Yes.You should focus hard on the battle.Be diligent.¡± At that moment, a marvel appeared from behind Hyrkan¡¯s back. Zzuh-juhk! The ground suddenly split open. Koohng! A massive four-armed Giant appeared from between the split ground. The split ground had turned into a chasm, and the giant four-armed cyclops crawled out.Its eye were opening slowly.It large blue eye shone brighter than a gem, and it was glaring at them. [Anugas opened its eyes. It has eaten every being¡¯s magical energy.] Anugas. The giant that ate souls had appeared. 4. Anugas. When Anugas opened its eyes, the Users within 500 meters lost all their magical energy.It was a special ability that was akin to being struck by lightning for the magicians and priests.However, the fact that the Strikers and Tankers had to fight Anugas was more chilling. Magical energy was also important to Tankers and Strikers.Their Skills couldn¡¯t be used for free. Moreover, the number and variety of Skills used in battle was unexpectedly large. All these Skills were forcefully sealed.The aspect of the game they took for granted was stolen away.It was akin to fighting in a location without any air to breathe. Did this mean Anugas¡¯ Battle Specs were weak to balance out this special ability?Of course not.Anugas¡¯ health and attack capability wasn¡¯t overwhelming, but it had enough Stats that was befitting its status as a mid-sized Boss Monster. Moreover, it had four arms, so the battle method was very difficult for the Users. In simplified terms, if Anugas¡¯ two arms could grab both arms of the Users,the other two arms could do anything to the body of the User.The User that was caught couldn¡¯t do anything about it. If the User could use a Skill, one could probably escape its grasp.However, it wasn¡¯t possible to use one¡¯s Skill. This was why if one didn¡¯t have any plans or preparations for meeting Anugas, and if Anugas suddenly grabbed the arms of the User¡­. ¡°Shit! Where did such a monster come from!¡± It would be the end for the User. The Clover Unit had been closing in on the Hahoe Mask, and now they were being killed by Anugas.The Users couldn¡¯t even resist, and they dimly realized the danger they were in. RootBeer watch the sight as he was still interlocked with Hyrkan.The inside of his head became complicated. ¡®Was the Hahoe Mask running away from this monster?¡¯ They could now understand why Hahoe Mask was running away so quickly.This monster didn¡¯t make an sound, and it didn¡¯t leave any trace. RootBeer would have also run away from such a monster. At that moment, the Hahoe Mask also didn¡¯t make any sudden moves as he assessed the situation. ¡®Did the Blood Ogre set¡¯s Option draw Anugas¡¯ aggro?Thank you for wearing that set.It was quite fortunate.¡¯ In truth, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t being magnanimous by not moving.Hyrkan didn¡¯t want to move unnecessarily, since he didn¡¯t want to become Anugas¡¯ target again. RootBeer couldn¡¯t read Hyrkan¡¯s mind, so he asked a question. ¡°Do you know anything about that monster?¡± ¡°I do now about it.¡± Hyrkan gave a careful answer.Currently, a chill was running up Hyrkan¡¯s spine.Anugas had appeared behind him, so of course, he wasn¡¯t feeling comfortable. In truth, it took massive effort to have this conversation.He was acting casual, but it felt as if he couldn¡¯t breathe.. ¡°You led the monster to us.¡± ¡°I led it to you guys?I was running away.You guys are the ones that got in my path.It isn¡¯t as if I attacked you guys first. So who is at more fault here?¡± ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤do you want to catch it with us?¡± At that moment, RootBeer suddenly suggested an alliance to Hyrkan. RootBeer was capable of judging the situation.It was really important to catch the Hahoe Mask, but an unknown monster capable of eating all magic had appeared.This was outside the scope of his mission. Of course, he didn¡¯t plan on really fighting the monster that had appeared in front of them.He had an ulterior motive. ¡®At the very least, we have to avoid fighting the Hahoe Mask in this situation.¡¯ RootBeer wanted to avoid facing the Hahoe Mask and Anugas at the same time. That would be the worst case scenario. ¡°I don¡¯t want to?¡± Of course, Hyrkan knew the reason behind RootBeer¡¯s proposal.Hyrkan poured oil on the fire within RootBeer¡¯s heart. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you saw the first video I uploaded.It was called the Golden Skeleton episode.When this concludes, you should watch it.You¡¯ll have a new appreciation for what just happened.Leave me a reply in the comment section.¡± For reference, RootBeer had seen Hahoe Mask¡¯s Golden Skeleton episode.He had used the Golden Skeleton to fuck over the Users that had antagonized him.RootBeer had realized how smart and cheap the Hahoe Mask was through that video. In a flash, RootBeer came to a decision. ¡®I¡¯ll take out the Hahoe Mask with me.¡¯ Since he couldn¡¯t choose the best case scenario, he chose the lesser evil instead of the worst case scenario! In a flash, RootBeer decided to take down the Hahoe Mask with him.He¡¯ll damage the Hahoe Mask, and they¡¯ll both die by the hands of Anugas. Kah-ahng! After coming to a resolution, RootBeer broke the stalemate.He pushed Hyrkan¡¯s sword away from its interlocked position.When he was given a brief moment to swing his sword freely, RootBeer immediately raised his sword high. It was a large movement, so naturally, there was a big hole in his defense. In exchanged for opening up his defense, RootBeer planned on striking Hyrkan with a powerful blow.He was aiming to damage Hyrkan. He planned on giving his bone to take the other¡¯s bone! He planned on dragging this down into a dogfight.He planned on wounding Hyrkan. ¡®Huh?¡¯ When he was about to bring down his sword, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t in RootBeer¡¯s field of vision. When RootBeer raised his sword, Hyrkan hadn¡¯t show any signs of defending or counter-attacking the attack.When RootBeer pushed off with his sword, Hyrkan had fallen over backwards.It looked as if he was injuring himself by purpose. Chul-puh-duhk! He fell backwards like a log. This was something one never saw in a battle.RootBeer had conducted countless battles in Warlord, yet he had never experienced this before. ¡®Shit!¡¯ Even if RootBeer was a skilled User, he wasn¡¯t able to react to something he had never experienced before. In the end, the sword that contained RootBeer¡¯s full strength sliced through empty air before it struck the ground. During all of this, Hyrkan had kept rolling away on his side. He looked so skilled at the maneuver that it didn¡¯t seem like he was wearing a bulky armor. It wasn¡¯t something he had done only once or twice. After Hyrkan moved his body out of harm¡¯s way, he quickly got up.He immediately yelled out towards the battlefield. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Catch that bastard!¡± RootBeer yelled out as he looked at Hyrkan. ¡°Kuhk!¡± At that moment, one of Anugas¡¯ arm grabbed RootBeer¡¯s arm.RootBeer turned to look at Anugas.Hyrkan shook his head as he watched the sight, and he got the hell out of there. Chapter 159 – Catch it or Be Caught (2) Chapter 159 ¨C Catch it or Be Caught (2) 4. ¡°Do you know the Watchman Style?¡± A User wearing the Hahoe Mask asked the question.He was standing with his sword resting on his shoulder.Instead of an answer, the magician unfurled his middle fingers to flip him off. The User wearing the Hahoe Mask snorted at the magician¡¯s response. Poohk! The magician sat on the floor with a mocking smile on his face.Hyrkan stabbed his sword through the magician¡¯s chest. After being stabbed by the sword, the magician fell backwards.When the back of the magician touched the ground, the sword embedded itself deep into the ground.The sword in the magician¡¯s chest took root. When the magician was pierced by the sword, he didn¡¯t react in any way.He wasn¡¯t dead, but he was basically like a corpse. Forced Logout. Hyrkan had the pleasure of watching the magician¡¯s death live, and the magician had given a token resistance.Hyrkan gave him what he deserved. Poohk, poohk! He gave the body just enough damage that it would kill the magician.He didn¡¯t abuse the corpse in anger. After finishing his hunt, Hyrkan immediately became a hyena.He searched the magician¡¯s body then he took the wristwatch. He put the Items into the Black Box, which he had strapped on like a backpack.A variety of consumable Items and four wristwatches was inside the box. ¡®This brings the total number up to five.¡¯ Hyrkan added the 5th wristwatch into the Black Box. Instead of moving on to his next target, he let out a long sigh.It was the first time he had let one out since the mess had started. The sigh was like a comma that allowed him to take a breather from the commotion. After Anugas made its appearance, everything had turned into a perfect shit storm.The Big smiles and the Clover unit decided to spread out in all direction to catch Hyrkan. They had realized that a battle with Anugas was impossible.A one-sided slaughter awaited them if they faced Anugas.They came to this realization when 2 Strikers, who represented the Clover unit was killed, and RootBeer lost his left arm in his escape. Afterwards, Hyrkan immediately recovered the Black Box he had left behind, and he flipped roles by becoming the hunter. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t gracious enough to let go of opponents, who had messed with him. This was something beyond being greedy for wristwatches and loots.They dared to push Hyrkan into the brink of suffering a Game Over.Hyrkan had to retaliate in such a way that they would never forget about crossing him. However, it was time for him to end his quest for retribution. ¡®If I do more than this, I¡¯ll get caught by Anugas.That¡¯ll be the end of me.¡¯ Hyrkan checked the status of his magic.Currently, his magical energy was recovering.It meant that the open-eyed Anugas wasn¡¯t nearby. However, this didn¡¯t mean Hyrkan could be at ease.There was always the possibility of Anugas tracking him with its eye closed.While its eye was closed, its Special Ability didn¡¯t activate.Anugas¡¯ ability only manifested when it was about to appear in front of the target it tracked down. Basically, it was too late when one¡¯s magic disappeared. Hyrkan clicked his tongue. ¡®This is why I hate illusion type monsters.¡¯ Illusion Type. It was a new type of monster, which appeared in the Black Continent, in the Ruined Kingdom Episode. Illusion. It is as the word said.The body of the monster that one could see wasn¡¯t the real body. If one delved deeper into the background story, one would find that these monsters were created artificially.A dragon used its power in the distant past to create an army as a means to defeat an ancient kingdom.Anugas was a member of the Dragon¡¯s army. The Frost Knight and the Blaze Slime Dragon were similar type monsters. One of the biggest characteristic for this Illusion type monsters was the fact that they could ignore the constraints of terrains. The most classic case of this feature being used was the Blaze Slime Dragon.When the Blaze Slime Dragon was at a disadvantage, it gave up on its territory. In the case of Anugas, it moved in a shape that others couldn¡¯t see, and it appeared only when a battle had started.Moreover, there were those that could swim through the ground as if it was in an ocean, and some monsters could even ride a shadow. This was obvious, but even if monsters had the same Spec, the difficulty level depended on the Illusion type monster¡¯s special characteristic.The difference in difficulty could be night and day. Basically, all the past experiences regarding hunting monsters were useless here.If one exaggerated the situation a little bit, one could say the Users were facing a situation akin to what they faced in the beginning of the game. On top of it all, Anugas was the most difficult Illusion type Boss Monster. ¡®Of all the monsters, why did Anugas have to show up?I¡¯m pretty sure it isn¡¯t suppose to come out at this point in the game.¡¯ ¡°Hoo-ooh!¡± Hyrkan once again let out a sigh. It wasn¡¯t a sigh of relief that came from his life having been spared. ¡®Ah.This is driving me nuts.¡¯ It was a sigh in regards to the horrible reality he would have to face. 5. ¡®How could things get fucked up so badly?¡¯ Sinclair had received live reports as the events occurred.When he once again summarized the situation, Sinclair was baffled. ¡®Were we unlucky?Or was this also a ploy that was pulled off by the Hahoe Mask?¡¯ The Hahoe Mask was the biggest fish amongst the big fishes, and the opportunity to catch him was right in front of their noses.He had thought it would be safe to say the fish had been caught.Basically, the hook had been dislodged from the fish¡¯s mouth, and the only thing left was to take a commemorative photo. He received a live report stating RootBeer and the Hahoe Mask was exchanging blows, and the team was in position to attack.Sinclair made a fist.He had jumped the gun, and he had already started his victory ceremony.He thought he had it in the bag. However, it was all ruined when the bastard called Anugas suddenly made an appearance. ¡®I know there are a lot of unreasonable monsters out there, but¡­.¡¯ Anugas had appeared alongside Hyrkan.Sinclair spent more time in the game of Warlord than reality, yet he was having a hard time judging the capabilities of this monster. It could hunt down its prey without showing any outward signs.When it appeared, itpretty much nullified the nearby Users¡¯ magic, magic recovery and the effects of the magic recovery Items. It had a terrifying Special Ability! They had been very fortunate in the fact that only 7 members from the Clover unit and Big Smiles guild members had died. Sinclair was now able to organize his thoughts after seeing Anugas¡¯ Special Ability, yet he couldn¡¯t come up with a plan to defeat the monster. ¡®So this is what they meant when they coined the term Over Balancing¡­¡­¡¯ Sinclair had immediately sent a short report in regards to the Special Ability of Anugas to his superiors.During their last exchange, he was ordered not to go after Anugas. In truth, even if he had been ordered not to do so, Sinclair wouldn¡¯t have wanted to fight this monster.Moreover, Sinclair didn¡¯t think there was any User in Warlord, who could kill this monster. Even the Hahoe Mask had run away from Anugas.Unfortunately, the Clover unit got caught up in this mess. At that moment, Sinclair¡¯s thoughts on what he would do changed. To be precise, his orders had changed. ¡®Still, this might be to my benefit.¡¯ He needed to research it further, but he had discerned that Anugas used the Heard Fortress as its base. This was only a conjecture, but there was a high probability that the Heard Fortress would become the first foothold within the Black Continent once Anugas was killed. Basically, the Black Continent will continue to be a harsh stage.It won¡¯t allow the Users to progress in the game comfortably unless Anugas was killed. At the same time, it seemed inevitable that the Users would become stalled in front of Anugas.It would be the start to a gridlock. In this process, the ones that would gain the most would be the 5 guilds, who were trying to monopolize the Black Continent. Currently, the influence of the 5 guilds were absolute in the Black Continent.In such a situation, Anugas would make this place a birdcage with no exit. Basically, the other Users in the Black Continent was like rats in a hole. Moreover, the rat he wanted to catch the most was within this hole. ¡®We¡¯ve located the location of the Stormhunters guild.For the near future, the Hahoe Mask will probably operate out of the newly opened region. If I want to catch him, I¡¯ll be able to.¡¯ He had failed in catching the Hahoe Mask this time, but while Anugas was still alive, he¡¯ll be able to attack the Hahoe Mask as many time as he wanted. Sinclair had work to do now. ¨C Do you know the Watchman style? Hahoe Mask¡¯s voice flowed out from the video at that moment.It was a footage sent by a fallen User affiliated with the Clover unit. Of course, this was all coincidences. Sinclair put on a big frown when faced with such coincidences. ¡®I¡¯ll kill you no matter what, Hahoe Mask.¡¯ 6. The coffee made by the capsule coffee machine was overflowing with flavor, yet he dropped grape candies into it.Ahn-jaehyun brought the coffee cup to his mouth as he looked at the 6S V-Gear he purchased recently.The machine was quite splendid. This item was many times more expensive than the security deposit of his one room apartment.This caused the installation engineers, who had come to install the 6S Model V-Gear, look at him with great suspicion. ¡°Fuck.¡± Even as he looked at the V-Gear, cuss words roughly came out of his mouth.Maybe it was thanks to the luxurious coffee, but his mouth was filled with the smell of coffee as he let out a torrent of swear words. Anh-jaehyun didn¡¯t have a deep understanding about the flavors of coffee, and he didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to pay attention to such things. ¡®How did everything get so tangled up?¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun sipped his coffee.His expression expressed more than anger.It looked as if he was about to cry. The reason being¡­ ¡®Catch it or be caught.¡¯ The position he found himself in right now was the cause of these emotions. Of course, the root of his worries was Anugas. His life was saved thanks to Anugas.However, he wasn¡¯t in a situation where he could celebrate this fact. Anugas had appeared as the boss of the Heard Fortress. He couldn¡¯t turn the Heard Fortress into a foothold until he killed Anugas. He had to kill the bastard, then he had to go to the ravine that was located beyond the Heard Fortress¡­ If he was successful, he would be able to walk past the Block Field . Anugas wasn¡¯t simply a stumbling block.It was an obstructor that prevented the Users from progressing along the road. If he wasn¡¯t able to catch Anugas, the group of Users on his tails would catch up to him.Ahn-jaehyun would be caught. He had to catch it or he¡¯ll be caught. ¡®Why the hell is Anugas showing up at this point in time?He shouldn¡¯t be out yet.¡¯ In truth, Ahn-jaehyun hadn¡¯t been able to predict this. To his knowledge, Anugas appeared about 2 months after the Blaze Slime Dragon was caught.At the time, the Users were near level 230 when they faced Anugas.The Users were able to somewhat acclimatize to the Black Continent as they went through a big Spec Up using the 2nd Advancement and the Ancient Power. Despite all of this, it hadn¡¯t been easy to take down Anugas. Ahn-jaehyun could clearly remember the result. ¡®Sweepers, Red Bulls and the Triple Wing¡­.The three of them had to team up to take it down.¡¯ The Sweepers guild boasted the strongest magical fire power amongst the 30 great guilds.The Red Bull possessed many Tankers.Then there was the Triple Wings, who possessed a massive number of guild members on par with the Big Smiles guild.The combined forces of these 3 guilds failed twice, and the prior failed experiences were the foundation in how they succeeded in their third Raid attempt. ¡®Is it a Balancing error?¡¯ The appearance of Anugas meant the Warlord¡¯s game system thought this was the right time for this Boss Monster to show up right now. From Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s perspective, it didn¡¯t make sense for it to show up right now. ¡®Then there¡¯s the appearance of Frost and Fire, which are Mythos rank powers¡­The events that should be happening couple months in the future are happening consecutively right now.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun shook his head from side to side, and his glasses went askew.Ahn-jaehyun repositioned his glasses. However, Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t have the luxury to worry and ponder about the Warlord¡¯s system. The core issue hadn¡¯t change. If he wasn¡¯t able to catch Anugas, Hyrkan would be caught. Who¡¯ll catch him? He¡¯ll be caught by the 5 guilds, which included V&V and the Big Smiles guild. The Hahoe Mask had already confirmed their intention with his body.Moreover, he had felt the might of the people gunning for him. The Clover unit was strong.If it hadn¡¯t been for Anugas, Ahn-jaehyun would be drinking alcohol instead of coffee right now. Still, it would be impossible to operate in the Black Continent with Anugas on the loose.The raw number of members brought over by the 5 guilds into the Black Continent was too much. ¡®If someone else can catch it¡­.¡¯ Of course, he could evade danger until someone else took down Anugas.This was one of the options he could choose. ¡®¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤but it is unlikely.¡¯ However, this wasn¡¯t the answer either. One needed the 30 great guilds to step forward if one wanted others to catch Anugas.However, there hadn¡¯t been many of 30 great guilds, who chose to enter the Black Continent right now.Most of the forces in the Black Continent was from the 5 guilds, who had allied with each other.The other 30 great guilds lost the motivation to cross when they saw the queue they¡¯ll have to wait out until they¡¯ll be able cross the Voodook¡¯s tunnel. ¡®The 5 guilds don¡¯t have the incentive to catch Anugas right now.¡¯ It was actually beneficial for the 5 guilds to leave Anugas in place.Their first mission would be to take out the Hahoe Mask and the Stormhunters guild, who will eventually become trouble in the future.Moreover, they would be easier to catch than Anugas. Then there was the last option. ¡®If it¡¯s the Stormhunters¡­..¡¯ The Stormhunters guild also had some staying power here.They had enough forces to attempt the Anugas raid, and they had enough power to have a chance of winning. ¡®If it¡¯s the crazy bitch, she would try it.¡¯ On top of everything, the one leading the guild was the Storm Queen Shir.Even Ahn-jaehyun considered her to be a crazy bitch.If she had a bone to pick, she would fight even if the battle looked impossible. However, Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t consider the probability of her succeeding the Anugas Raid to be high. Unless Ahn-jaehyun told them how to clear this Raid, the probability of them succeeding was in the single digits. ¡°Fuck.¡± At that moment, a cuss word came out again from Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s mouth. This wasn¡¯t a cuss word that came out because the series of worries he had. In truth, it was an attempt for him to avoid reality. Ahn-jaehyun had only one answer he could choose. Catch, or be Caught Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t plan on being caught.He¡¯d rather die at the hand of Anugas than be killed by the 5 guilds. There was only one answer left. ¡°This fucking game.¡± Ahn-jaehyun started a simulation of the Anugas raid inside his head. Chapter 160 – Catch it or Be Caught (3) Chapter 160 ¨C Catch it or Be Caught (3) 7. When Anugas appeared and it opened its eye, Hyrkan equipped the Circlet of Purification.However, it didn¡¯t work.Hyrkan, who had been looking at Anugas, shook his head from side to side. The simulation in Hyrkan¡¯s head came to an end. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure I remember the Red Bulls saying that the Circlet of Purification didn¡¯t work against Anugas.¡¯ Hyrkan started the simulation again. Hyrkan once again appeared in front of Anugas.When it opened its eye, it nullified all magic, magical recovery and the effect of magic recovery Items. Hyrkan faced Anugas equipped with the Dark Spot set and the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword.It was the best setting for a Striker in Warlord. Hweek hweek. Anugas¡¯ four arms came at Hyrkan like snakes, and he kept dodging them. He was swift in his dodges. He swung the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword, and it scraped Anugas¡¯ body. A deep wound was made each time. ¡®Its leather has considerable defensive capabilities.It might be better to use the Crying sword instead of the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s sword suddenly changed from the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword to the Crying Sword inside Hyrkan¡¯s simulation,. Choo-roong choo-roong! An additional sound was added in.The frozen battle started up once again. ¡®Hmmmm.¡¯ At a certain point, Hyrkan frowned.He had been earnestly fighting when Hyrkan¡¯s left arm was caught by Anugas¡¯ arm.He frowned as he watched Anugas lift him into the air. ¡®If I continue to do a close combat, I¡¯ll eventually be caught..¡¯ Hyrkan stopped the gruesome simulation.He didn¡¯t need to think along this thread anymore.He once again reminded the simulation back to the first scene. He started the same battle again.However, Hyrkan had changed his Item setting.He also changed his battle style.Instead of a straight close combat, he started a hit & run style battle. ¡®Mmmmm.¡¯ They looked like knights on horses with their spears raised.They ran at each other.It was like a jousting match.At the brief moment of contact, they glanced by each other as they gave each other small wounds.The battle continued for a long time without anything bad happening. ¡®Ughhh.¡¯ However, at a certain point, uninvited guests dropped in on the battle.A massive magical bombardment started falling towards Anugas and Hyrkan.The AOE magic covered the battle, and in the end, he lost. At the same time, someone¡¯s voice tickled Hyrkan¡¯s ears. Hyrkan.Do you know the watchman style? ¡®Shit.¡¯ Hyrkan once again ended the simulation. Hyrkan didn¡¯t attempt the simulation again.Instead, he looked at the ruins of the Heard Fortress.He moved his gaze to the side, and he looked towards the thick forest surrounding the Heard Fortress.The cries of monsters were exploding out from the forest. The actual sound that had tickled Hyrkan¡¯s ears was the sound of a battle between monsters and a group of Users. Hyrkan frowned. ¡®In the end, the problem is the Pasta bastards.¡¯ Pasta. Of course, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t talking about spaghetti. Hyrkan called them Pasta instead of Five Stars. Currently, it was a nickname given to the five guilds trying to monopolize the Black Continent. Of course, the nickname Pasta didn¡¯t have a good meaning behind it.Many Users were dissatisfied with the activities of these five guilds, and they were the subject of derision by the Users.When the awesome nickname of Five Stars was given to these five guilds, some wise-ass User decided to call them Pasta. However, this didn¡¯t mean the capability of the Five Stars was a joke. The Five Stars wanted to make the Black Continent their own stage.To carry out this monopoly, they showed that they were very thorough in their preparations and planning. One of this plan was to monitor the ruins of the Heard Fortress. The Five Stars experienced a bitter lesson from Anugas, who was the Boss Monster of the Heard Fortress.Unless the Five Stars were idiots, it would be natural for them to pay careful attention to Anguas. In other words, the Five Stars would know in short time when Hyrkan attempted the Anugas Raid.At the very least, the Five Stars were prepared to mobilize if such an event did occur. This was another obvious point, but no one would help Hyrkan in the Anugas Raid. ¡°Fuck.¡± Rough swear words came out of Hyrkan¡¯s mouth.In the end, the situation forced Hykan to make a choice. Basically, Hyrkan had to choose to share. ¡®A day like this has finally come.¡¯ Of course, Hyrkan would bear the full responsibility that came with his choice.This was why he was letting out the rough cuss words. 8. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°You look pretty.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if I look pretty.That doesn¡¯t mean anything.Just tell me what kind of vibe I¡¯mgiving off.¡± ¡°In truth, a man usually doesn¡¯t look too deeply. He¡¯ll just think you are pretty, and he won¡¯t care what vibe you give off.¡± ¡°How about you, Hahui?What do you think?¡± At that moment, a loud sound erupted from next to Hatch. ¡°Queen is the best!¡± Hatch furrowed his brows at the sound.Hahui had yelled out without any thought, and Hahui¡¯s voice had almost burst Hatch¡¯s eardrums.Hahui had yelled with all her might from right next to him.Of course, his expression wasn¡¯t good when he heard such a sound. Hatch continued to frown as he looked at the beautiful woman, who unfurled her hair.He looked at Shir. ¡®It isn¡¯t as if she is going out to meet a prospective marriage partner¡­ Jeez.¡¯ He reflexively tried to laugh out loud.However, Hatch immediately forced down the laughter.He knew he shouldn¡¯t laugh in this situation. ¡°Queen.¡± ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°I want to be clear about this.It is ok to show good intentions towards him, but please don¡¯t do anything that¡¯ll cause a loss to our guild. If you do act in such a way, I really am going to leave this guild.¡± This was the feeling he had as a loyal subject.He had spoken his advice towards the tyrant.His emotions was writ large on his face. ¡°How laughable. Your contract runs until 2050.¡± ¡°Shut the hell up, 2051.¡± Hahui¡¯s verbal tackle changed his serious expression into an annoyed expression.His terms of contract was Hatch¡¯s achilles heel. Shir spoke calmly as she looked at the two. ¡°I want everyone to be on standby.¡± She was calm and forthright.After ending her words, she turned her back on the Users that were looking at her.Thirty Stormhunters guild members were standing not too far away from Hatch and Hahui. They were nervous as they looked at the back of their leader. The source of their nervousness¡­. ¡®I never expected the Hahoe Mask to approach us first.¡¯ It was the Hahoe Mask. The contact had come so suddenly.This was the first time the Hahoe Mask had contacted the Stormhunters guild. From the Hahoe Mask¡¯s perspective, it should have been easy to contact them.The Stormhunters guild had sent so many love calls that the Hahoe Mask was probably tired and annoyed at receiving them.There had been many opportunities for him to return the love call. This was the first time the Hahoe Mask had answered their ardent love call. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean the Hahoe Mask was committed to joining the Stormhunters guild.The purpose of this meeting was to make a deal.Hahoe Mask didn¡¯t tell them the content of the deal.The only thing he promised was a meeting where they¡¯ll talk. Of course, he asked Shir to come by herself, and Shir had readily accepted the proposal. Basically, the Storm Queen would have a one on one talk with the Hahoe Mask. ¡®If this goes sideways, our dealing will get endlessly tangled up.If it works out, everything will keep getting untangled.¡¯ At that moment, Hatch was worried about two things. First, he worried the Hahoe Mask might attack the Storm Queen.He could guarantee it.The Storm Queen couldn¡¯t win against the Hahoe Mask in a 1on1 battle. The other worry was the fact that the Storm Queen had something akin to a crush on the Hahoe Mask.He worried she would agree to a bad proposal, because she was influenced by her emotions. He was actually worried more about the latter situation. ¡®She¡¯s weirdly weak in front of the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ The Storm Queen was interested in the Hahoe Mask, and her affections may be considered to be a crush.No, it might be something more.However, the Storm Queen¡¯s personality didn¡¯t allow her to send a love letter with her ardent feeling in it. She had a twisted personality that she destroyed whatever she couldn¡¯t have. Of course, her twisted affection wouldn¡¯t help in a rational deal. The problem with this situation was the stage .The Black Continent was a very harsh land that even the Stormhunters guild was struggling against. In such a harsh land, the Hahoe Mask had approached the Stormhunters guild.At the very least, he wouldn¡¯t be approaching them with peaceful intentions. ¡®Please let it not be about fighting Anugas together.We have to avoid doing a Raid against a monster that had suddenly appeared.¡¯ Hatch prayed once again. The conversation between the two started as the prayer ended. 9. Storm Queen and the Hahoe Mask. They were the most skilled Users representing Warlord.The worth of the Storm Queen¡¯s name by itself was less than the Hahoe Mask, but everyone agreed that these two were the top 2 skilled Users in Warlord.Everyone considered it to be fact. Their sex didn¡¯t have to do anything with their rankings.In many ways, these two were unprecedented in their accomplishments.Each of them were making their own unparalleled storyline in Warlord¡¯s history.The two of them were treated almost as equals.They were seen as being of equal rank. Unless the Storm Queen and the Hahoe Mask fought for supremacy, this perception wouldn¡¯t change. Moreover, there was the Immoral Prince raid footage.They had fought together for the first time, yet they were completely in sync.Of course, it held the distinction of being the most clicked video in regards to Warlord. The two Users were facing each other. This was a first for both of them. ¡°I want to thank you for that time.¡± The Storm Queen was the first to speak, and she had thanked someone else.This was a first in many ways. However, Hyrkan did show any reaction towards her gesture.The only thing that could be seen beneath the Hahoe Mask was his lips.He didn¡¯t smile or frown.His mouth just stayed the same. After looking at Hyrkan, Shir spoke once again. ¡°If you don¡¯t want a long talk, let¡¯s get down to business.¡± It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Shir had the shortest temper in Warlord.However, at that moment, Shir wasn¡¯t angry.Instead, she went out of her way to move the situation along. Hyrkan slowly opened his mouth as he looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m going to do the Anugas Raid.¡± He brought up the main subject of this meeting. Shir had expected those words, so her answer came out immediately. ¡°So what?Are you asking for our help?¡± ¡°Will you help me if I ask for help?¡± ¡°I have to think on it.¡± Anugas. The Stormhunters guild didn¡¯t have a lot of information regarding Anugas.The Five Stars held the most information, since they had fought Anugas.They had gained information through the not so insignificant sacrifices of their members. Still, the rumors had spread. The Stormhunters guild had received the information that this Boss Monster had a ridiculous ability that prevented the Users from using their Skills. This was why Hatch had spoken to her.If the Hahoe Mask suggested they do a Raid, he told her to turn down the Hahoe Mask no matter what. He told her to ignore all his requests unless the Hahoe Mask joins the Stormhunters guild. In other words, they would willingly fight with the Hahoe Mask if he joins the Stormhunters guild. ¡°Solo Play.¡± However, Hahoe Mask crushed Shir¡¯s expectation with a single word. ¡°I¡¯ll catch Anugas by myself.¡± Of course, Shir knew what Solo Play meant, yet the Hahoe Mask had spoken again.Moreover, Shir felt as if Hyrkan¡¯s words wasn¡¯t directed at her.It was directed toward some other unknown person. Shir¡¯s expression turned to ice. ¡°Then what do you want from us?¡± In truth, Shir had wanted such a picture.She wanted a situation where the Hahoe Mask shared fate with the Stormhunters guild.It was a radical idea, yet she had wished for it.However, Hyrkan had stepped on her wish in a single breath.Of course, her expression would cool. ¡°I want you to block the Five Stars from interfering with me.¡± ¡°Why should we do that?¡± ¡°If I fail, the baton will be passed on to you.¡± Shir held herself back from complaining. ¡°So you want us to be the bridesmaid.¡± It had been the same in the Argardo raid.They had to create a stage where Hyrkan would be able to focus on the Anugas raid.If he failed at the Anugas Raid, the Stormhunters guild would hold the rights to attempt the Raid next. Moreover, after fighting a battle with Hyrkan, Anugas would be in tatters. On the other hand, that was the only merit they¡¯ll gain from this.It would be hard to expect anything extra. Above all, the Stormhunters guild would suffer significant damage if they got in the way of the Five Stars. Hyrkan used a card he prepared to convince the Stormhunters guild. ¡°I would like you to do me this favor instead of the thanks you gave me.¡± The thanks he had received was in regards to the Immoral Prince Raid. When she hear those words, all traces of emotion was erased from Shir¡¯s lips. ¡°All right.I can¡¯t stand being indebted to anyone.¡± What kind of expression would Hatch make if he had heard this conversation? However, Hatch wasn¡¯t present in this meeting.Moreover, their conversation wasn¡¯t being transmitted using Voice Talk. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Shir gave a firm answer. ¡°Then there will be no debt between us.¡± ¡°Yes.There will be no debt.¡± In a flash, the debt that was between the two was gone. Shir was able to finally bring up the subject. ¡°Hahoe Mask.You should join the Stormhunters guild.We¡¯ll promise you the best treatment.¡± When he heard her words, Hyrkan looked hard at her. A thick silence had descended. At the end of the silence, Hyrkan opened his mouth. ¡°In this game, the Stormhunters guild¡¯s symbol¡­¡± Toohk toohk. Hyrkan tapped the left side of his chest with a finger. ¡°I will never step onto a battlefield with the symbol placed there.¡± His gesture reinforced his strong words.Shir¡¯s expression turned much colder at his extremely strong words. It was as if a snowstorm was about to form around Shir. ¡°What¡¯s the reason?¡± Hyrkan turned his back to her instead of telling her his reasons. While his back was turned to her, he spoke in a low voice.He spoke in such a small voice that the only one that was able to hear his words was Hyrkan. ¡°There is the accomplishments I¡¯ve achieved until now.I won¡¯t be able to do it, because I would be ashamed of myself.¡± Chapter 161 – Catch it or Be Caught (4) Chapter 161 ¨C Catch it or Be Caught (4) 10. A report came in. ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¨C There is an ongoing battle at the Heard Fortress.It seems someone disturbed Anugas. When he received the report, Sinclair didn¡¯t ask for the identity of the person or group fighting Anugas. There were only two types of Users that would willingly step into the ruins of the Heard Fortress to face the predator amongst predators.Either one was an idiot or it was a warrior trying to catch this predator. If the Users were idiots, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to reach this far in the game. This meant a warrior had shown up, and there were only two candidates. Stormhunter guild and the Hahoe Mask! He didn¡¯t ask for the identity of the combatants, since it didn¡¯t matter.It could be either one of them.He¡¯ll be satisfied either way. ¡®Since they went into the cage of the beast without our urging, we have to give them the treatment they deserve!¡¯ He had prepared for such a scenario.He had put a group on standby that¡¯ll allow him to send a powerful magical bombardment against his enemies. If he gave the signal, he would be able to mobilize the 500 magicians under the 5 guilds called the Five Stars.The 500 magicians and their guards would head towards the Heard Fortress. Then they would stay at a distance where Anugas¡¯ special ability couldn¡¯t reach.Each magician would only have to use their magic once.They would be able to neatly take care of the Users inside the Heard Fortress. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t be able to catch Anugas.However, they¡¯ll surely be able to kill the Users that went to fight Anugas. Sinclair immediately changed the channel on his Voice Talk. ¡°Hands guild.¡± ¨C This is the Hands guild.Speak. ¡°It seems someone is attempting the Anugas Raids.¡± ¨C They really decided to move first.Crazy bastards. ¨C No.The fact that they are crazy is the reason why they were able to get this far.If the Hahoe Mask and the Stormhunters were normal, it wouldn¡¯t have gotten this far out of hand. ¨C You have a point.If they were normal, they wouldn¡¯t dare to attempt this Raid.All right.Let¡¯s get ready. ¨C We¡¯ll get ready on our side. ¡°We¡¯ll get ready on our side too.¡± Sinclair immediately got up from his seat. 11. Chuh-buhk, chuh-buhk¡­¡­ Hyrkan walked with his armors equipped.However, he wasn¡¯t wearing his usual Dark Spot set. He was wearing his leather armor.It was like a superhero suit one could see in a movie.The leather armor fit quite snugly around his body.The leather armor changed color to fit the surrounding like a chameleon. It was the Forest Pursuer set. If one wanted to be the fastest User in Warlord, one had to have this defensive gear.Hyrkan appeared wearing this set, and the Crying Sword in his hand cried out. Hyrkan stopped moving his feet when he came upon a large stone grave that had clear signs of being disturbed.It had been awhile, since Hyrkan had disturbed the stone grave, yet it had stayed disturbed. This region had not been reset.This meant this place was a symbolic location. ¡®As expected, it is here.¡¯ This was why Hyrkan was able to reaffirm his answer. Koo-goong! As if to answer his confidence in his answer, the ground behind Hyrkan started to split open as it let out a loud sound. It was the same as before. A four armed giant popped out from between the split ground. Anugas! When the four armed giant appeared, it opened its eye. [Anugas opened its eyes. It has eaten every being¡¯s magical energy.] Anugas made its presence know by using its most powerful Skill. Instead of being surprised by Anugas¡¯ presence, Hyrkan raised his sword. Choo-roong choo-roong! The Crying Sword was closest to Anugas, and it let out a cry.Hyrkan leisurely spoke towards the Crying Sword. ¡°Stop whining.¡± He had spoken to the sword, but in reality, he was giving himself a mental note.He knew he was the one, who had to follow those words. ¡®Ahn-jaehyun.You are the one, who wanted it this way, so never whine about it.¡¯ The pursuer he could never shake had appeared in front of him.There was no turning back now. He could have taken the easy road by fighting with the Stormhunters guild, but he had turned down that option. In the end, the situation was the product of his own actions.Even if the result of this battle turned out to be disastrous, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have the qualification to whine about it. Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t plan on letting this turn into a nightmare. Hyrkan held his breath, and he charged towards Anugas.Anugas charged towards Hyrkan. Koong koong! Anugas¡¯ steps sounded heavy. Pah-bah-baht! Hyrkan¡¯s steps sounded swift. The two types of sound converged, and the two sounds intersected. Hoo-oohng! Anugas¡¯ arms tried to grab Hyrkan¡¯s head, but empty air greeted its hands. Sssook! Hyrkan sliced Anugas¡¯ thigh. Koong koong.Pah-bah-baht! After exchanging blows, the two of them basically backtracked the path each other took.Hyrkan stopped his footsteps as he turned his body.Anugas¡¯ enormous body also came to a stop, and it turned its head.Anugas and Hyrkan glared at each other.Hyrkan looked at the wound he made on Anugas¡¯ thigh. ¡®It is as I had predicted.¡¯ Hyrkan once again got into the same stance as before.He got ready to run towards Anugas. ¡®It has 3 Phases.The estimated Raid completion time is 44 minutes 33 seconds.I¡¯ll be doing the same thing over and over again.A thousand strikes should be enough.¡¯ After he finished his preparation, Hyrkan ran towards Anugas again. He started a battle that wouldn¡¯t allow a single mistake. 12. The Black Continent allowed the Users to enjoy a bountiful harvest of monsters.The number of Users crossing over into the Black Continent was steadily increasing.The Game System adjusted the amount of monsters spawned to match the number of Users.However, these Users weren¡¯t killing the monsters that were being produced.Now there was an excessive supply of monsters. While this was going on, the Heard Fortress Quest was activated, and it inevitably meant that the roads heading towards the Heard Fortress would have a higher number of monsters there.Moreover, the monster regen time would be significantly decreased. It didn¡¯t end there.The Five Stars had placed many Users near the Heard Fortress to keep a constant watch, but the Warlord¡¯s System thought they were there to hunt.The System acted accordingly. They were at the precipice of being flooded.The surface tension of the water was keeping the water from overflowing. Of course, it wasn¡¯t wise to put in 1,000 Users into such a stage. This was a totally different situation from the great battle.In the great battle, the monsters were in Siege mode, and they had exposed many of their weak spots.If the monsters hadn¡¯t opened themselves for attack, the difficulty of the great battle would have been unimaginably harder.Moreover, the monsters in the Black Continent wasn¡¯t weak like the ones in the great battle.The monsters here were all over level 200, and there were a new breed of monster amongst them.The Illusion type monsters were present. This was the reason why the Five Stars were moving their forces slowly as they planned on positioning themselves to be able to bombard the Heard Fortress. They methodically killed the monsters as they moved with their safety in mind.The Strikers went forward in advance to find and lure out the monsters.Then the Tankers controlled the aggro as the Magicians and Strikers took down the monsters. ¨C This is like trying to find mines. The Poker team¡¯s Diamond Unit was in charge of bombarding the ruins of the Heard Fortress.The commander of the Diamond Unit gave a short summary of what they were doing. ¨C Exactly right. ¨C There is no downside in being careful. At his words, people started to speak in the Voice Talk channel, which was labeled as the Hand¡¯s guild. ¨C The most dangerous situation will be when the Hahoe Mask runs away with Anugas in tow like before.At that point, we have to retreat no matter what. ¨C Right.Everyone has to take those words to heart.We have to avoid any losses. ¨C Still, we have to catch him this time.We can¡¯t always let the Hahoe Mask have it his way.Even the people above us are making a fuss about catching that bastard. ¨C Those kinds of thoughts are dangerous. ¨C Anyways, I feel more motivated to play the game recently.Everyone recognizes my face no matter where I go. ¨C We¡¯ll be on a program soon. ¨C Where? ¨C BBC. They warned each other, and they shared honest advices. Then there were the occasional snippets regarding their personal lives. However, it took only a moment for their conversation to turn into nervousness. ¨C The monsters are coming! 13. Hatch saw the Users, who easily dispatched several dozen monsters.The monsters were easily over level 200. Tsk tsk tsk tsk! Hatch clicked his tongue as if he was playing playing an instrument. ¡®In the end, we got the short end of the deal.¡¯ Shir had accepted the Hahoe Mask¡¯s proposal.For the price of accepting the proposal, the Stormhunters had to block the advance of the Five Stars, who were planning on interfering with Hyrkan from carrying out the Anugas Raid. From Hatch¡¯s perspective, this was a bad deal. ¡®Why can¡¯t she direct some of her affections towards me instead of the Hahoe Mask?Even a little affection would shave my contract period to 2045.If not, they should just date each other.They aren¡¯t even dating, yet why do we have to get the short end of the stick in regards to a deal with the Hahoe Mask?¡¯ However, Hatch didn¡¯t express his complaints in front of Shir. Moreover, he didn¡¯t plan on doing shoddy work, because he thought this was a loser of a deal. ¡®In the end, doesn¡¯t the people low on the totem pole have to make up for the difference?¡¯ Hatch raised his clenched fist into the air, and an enormous Ice Spear appeared above his fist. Hatch aimed his Ice Spear towards the chaotic battlefield. Ballista. He was known as the most accurate Magician in Warlord.He closed one eye as he became a sniper.He aimed his magic towards the cluster of Magicians.After he weighed the distance, Hatch stopped breathing, and he threw the magic as he exhaled. Shweeek! The Ice Spear flew in a big arc. Pha-bah-bahk! While it was flying through the air, it fragmented into several hundred ice shards.The ice shards were about the size of an arrow, and it fell on the clustered Magicians like hail. Blizzard Shooting Star! It was a level 190 Unique Rank magic, and it was currently the strongest Ice type magical spell in Warlord.It was terrifying and awesome.The magicians, who admired this magic, were pierced ruthlessly by it.Their body was frozen in an instant. Hatch clicked his tongue as he watched his handiwork. ¡®If only my contract period would end, I could¡­..¡¯ 14. The monsters were attacking the Heard Fortress¡¯ Bombardment team.The ace team moved forward to quell the disturbance.There were only 10 Users in the ace team, and it was hard for them to face the monsters on the move.The monsters were powerful and difficult to face. ¡°The rest of you retreat!¡± ¡°Leave this to the Diamond unit!¡± The Diamond unit was in charge of carrying out the most difficult task. Their involvement was an inevitability. Before Anugas made its appearance on the Black Continent, the hardest monster one had to kill was the Black Blood Troll.Of course, the Diamond unit was needed to take take down these monsters. ¨C It¡¯s a magical attack! ¨C The Magician unit suffered a magical attack! ¡°Shit.It is as I suspected.Someone is herding the monsters toward us!¡± ¨C Be careful.We don¡¯t have the luxury to¡­. While they were battling the Black Blood Troll, the Stormhunters guild showed up to flip the script by becoming the hunters.Of course, the appearance of the special unit of the Stormhunters guild was inevitable. ¡°Storm Queen?¡± Moreover, it was inevitable for this special unit to include the Storm Queen Shir, who could use the Ancient Power of Flame.She faced the Diamond unit. ¡°Poker team.Recently, your fame has soared into the sky.I want to find out if your reputation is deserved or not.¡± ¡°We are affiliated with the V&V guild!A guild war right now¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The member of the Diamond unit brought up the subject of guild war to stall the Storm Queen. Of course, it was a inevitable when Storm Princess Hahui¡¯s morning star was planted on the head of the speaker. ¡°Queen!Let¡¯s just crush them!¡± This was how the battle that would change the future of Warlord started. 15. If one considered the Users in the upper tier of fighting capability, they could maintain their full concentration for about 15 minutes.Afterwards, it didn¡¯t matter how, but one¡¯s power of concentration flagged. This was why it was important for one¡¯s concentration to drop in a gradual manner.This allowed the User to be able to adjust to the speed of the decreasing power of concentration.It was a matter of how well the User was able to fight as this adjustment continued. With that in mind, Hyrkan¡¯s effort was worthy of an applause.He had been in this battle for 39 minutes, which required his full concentration, and he hadn¡¯t allowed Anugas to get in a direct hit against him. ¡°Hoo-ooh, hoo-ooh.¡± It felt as if his head was about to burst open.His breathing was rough.If this was a World Title matchup in Las Vegas, the crowd would be on their feet clapping even though the match hadn¡¯t ended yet. Unfortunately, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have an audience that would clap and cheer him on.Hyrkan¡¯s eyes could only see the one-eyed, four-armed giant with wounds all over its body. ¡®As expected of the Stormhunters, they are very skilled.¡¯ Hyrkan was very satisfied by this fact. Not a single person had bothered him.This meant the Stormhunters did a really awesome job at blocking the disrupters. Of course, at that moment, Hyrkan didn¡¯t feel thankful towards the Stormhunters guild. Instead, he was filled with hatred for the Stormhunters guild, which had allowed him to reach this point.His hatred allowed him to maintain his sharp concentration. ¡®There is no way I¡¯ll give this to them.¡¯ If Hyrkan died by Anugas¡¯ hands, Anugas would be gobbled up by the Stormhunters guild. Hyrkan was on the verge of catching this fish.Hyrkan wouldn¡¯t allow himself to give away this fish to the Stormhunters guild.It was unacceptable. He didn¡¯t care if he was being selfish, stupid and petty. Hyrkan hadn¡¯t reached this point in this game by being rational and reasonable. ¡®I¡¯ll never give this up.¡¯ His hatred and his aversion to giving this monster away to the Stormhunters guild allowed Hyrkan to move. Hyrkan had made his resolve, and he didn¡¯t shy away from looking into Anugas¡¯ eye, which had turned red. Koo-uh-uh! Anugas didn¡¯t spare his wrath as it directed it towards Hyrkan. Its enormous muscular body was filled with wounds.It was as if it wore clothes made out of wounds. The wounds weren¡¯t shallow.They were very deep.If the wounds were slightly deeper, it might be possible to sever parts of its body. It was like the process of making a stalactite as the attacks accumulated one by one.Hyrkan was like Don Quixote of La Mancha charging against a windmill.He kept running at the monster at full force.It was an act that others would consider to be crazy.He repeated it several hundred times to create these wounds. At the same time, the wounds were a count of how many time Hyrkan had knocked on a indomitable steel door. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t it be time for it to change?It should be about the time when the 3rd Phase should start.¡¯ Anugas had a total of 3 Phases.The Phases could be identified by the color of its gem-like eye. In the beginning, it glowed blue.After receiving significant damage, the eye turned red.In the last phase, all color drained out, and the eye looked like a diamond. One had to go through these 3 Phases, and when all three signs appeared, Anugas¡¯ real body was revealed. It¡¯ll be in a state where it could be killed. This setting was put in place so Anugas couldn¡¯t be killed by Users through magical bombardment from afar.This meant the magical bombardment could cause damage that exceeded the HP needed to get past the 2nd Phase, yet the setting wouldn¡¯t allow it to move onto the next Phase.It was a very troublesome setting. For a User like Hyrkan, who used unconventional methods that the Warlord System couldn¡¯t predict, the change of color in Anugas¡¯ eye was merely akin to a traffic light. [Anugas is taking form.] [Anugas¡¯ eye is shining.] [Anugas¡¯ influence has expanded.] ¡®It¡¯s here!¡¯ When the traffic light called Anugas¡¯ eye changed color, Hyrkan flicked his fingers as if he had been waiting for this exact moment. After couple seconds, 50 Skeleton Warriors and 3 Skeleton Knights came charging towards the horrible battlefield as they were led by the Death Knight.Hyrkan caught sight of them. Hyrkan gritted his teeth. ¡®I have to go all in.¡¯ This was the last gambit prepared by Hyrkan. He had summoned the Skeleton army before the battle started.Of course, he had emptied his magical energy, and he had used expensive magical recovery Items to activate the Power of Frost.He had summoned Bone Armor on all of them, and he even put several curses on each of their weapons. It took him 30 minutes to accomplish all of this.When he finished his work, he had switched the Skeleton army into defensive mode. They were prepared for this moment! ¡®If I can¡¯t end it here, I¡¯m dead.¡¯ The Skeleton Army appeared as they let out white misty breaths.They charged towards Anugas. Koo-uh!Kooh-uh! Anugas used its four arms to stave off the Skeleton army.One arm was used to fling Skeletons away, and the second arm was used to punch.The remaining two arms grabbed a Skeleton by each hand, and the Skeletons were rammed against each other. Kwahng! The sound of steel deforming was heard as the armors rammed against each other.In a flash, the bones of Skeleton Warriors were crushed.The battlefield turned into a pandemonium in short order. Moreover, the Skeleton Warriors weren¡¯t able to recover for their injuries.Hyrkan didn¡¯t have any magical energy.He had a Death Knight, but the Undying skill couldn¡¯t be activated without Hyrkan¡¯s magical energy. This was why the Skeleton Warriors were fighting with injuries.If a shoulder was blown off, the Skeleton fought with one arm.If its legs were damaged, the Skeleton crawled across the ground to harass Anugas. There had been a dignity that came with the Skeleton army from the fact that one couldn¡¯t kill them even if one tried.However, that was missing now. On the other hand, the battle being fought at that moment by the Skeleton army was intense and brilliant compared to any other battles they had participated in.The Skeleton army was showing desperation in this fight. Kill or be killed. This was a sight that could only be seen if there were only two choices the Skeletons could make. Above all else, the most desperate combatant on the battlefield was Hyrkan. ¡®I have to finish this within 5 minutes.¡¯ He was going all in. The Skeleton Warriors couldn¡¯t be healed, so they were basically one-off combatants. Moreover, he couldn¡¯t use his Bone Explosive in a pinch.He couldn¡¯t stylishly turn the tide of battle with it. Everything Hyrkan could put forward was out right now. If everything here fell, Hyrkan would fall alongside them. This was why he was desperate, and his desperation made him look bold. It was always like this. Hyrkan didn¡¯t back away in despair when faced with danger.Instead, he rammed forward straight into the danger and despair. The Skeleton Warriors were occupying Anugas.The four arms were all engaged in fighting the Skeleton Warriors, so Hyrkan was able to climb Anugas¡¯ back. As if to respond to their master, the Skeleton Knights and Death Knight moved urgently towards Anugas. Of course, the Death Knight was able to accomplish the most in this battle.Even without its master¡¯s magical energy, the Death Knight didn¡¯t budge an inch against Anugas. It was wearing the Dark Spot set, and it attacked with the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword.At times, it actually made Anguas take steps backwards. The Skeleton Knights also performed remarkably.While the Death Knight pushed Anugas, they came in from both sides.They stabbed into the wounds that had been made by Hyrkan¡¯s constant attack.The three Skeleton Knights moved like a saw-toothed wheel against Anugas. The Skeleton Warriors basically threw their bodies against Anugas.Their role was to make sure no one else would be caught by Anugas¡¯ hands.Then there were the Skeleton Warriors, who had crawled towards Anugas.They stabbed at Anugas¡¯ ankle, and it slowly ate away at Anugas¡¯ health.In certain instances, the Skeleton Warriors shone more than the Death Knight, since they didn¡¯t spare themselves in their attack. However, the most important part was the fact that white Frost was forming on Anugas from their constant attack. Power of Frost! Then there was the fact that all the weapons of the Skeleton army was cursed. Lethargy, Corrosion, Slow¡­Hyrkan¡¯s Curse Skills were very high in rank.It couldn¡¯t affect Anugas for a long period of time, but that didn¡¯t matter.If one ended, the second Curse took hold.If the second Curse ended, a third was applied.The Curses bedeviled Anugas. Koo-uh-uh! Anugas was letting out a continuous bellow now.It was a sound that was only filled with rage. This was when Hyrkan started climbing Anugas¡¯ back. Its body was like a cliff.Hyrkan used the open wounds as handholds to climb to its shoulder. ¡®Let¡¯s end this.¡¯ This action would be considered to be crazy by all.If Anugas used one of its arm to peel off Hyrkan, he was dead. Even with this risk present, Hyrkan chose to get closer to Anugas.He was basically clinging onto Anugas. However, before the Skeleton army¡¯s sacrifices could come to an end, he had to produce a clear result.He couldn¡¯t just stand back.He wasn¡¯t dumb enough to think that his Skeleton army could finish this on their own. In short order, Hyrkan had climbed near the shoulder of Anugas. At that moment¡­ Hweeeek! Anugas, who was in a heated fight with the Death Knight, turned to looked at its shoulder where Hyrkan was perched. Koo-uh! Anugas let out a roar of anger, and for the first time, Hyrkan let out a bright smile. Accompanying the smile, Hyrkan stabbed his sword towards the clear diamond-like eye. Keeeeng! This brief sound adorned this single scene! This was the scene Hyrkan had always wished for. Chapter 162 – Anugas’ Necklace (1) Chapter 162 ¨C Anugas¡¯ Necklace (1) 1. [Anugas¡¯ Power is fading away.] [Your soul has regained its original strength.] The Crying Sword thrust forward by Hyrkan pierced Anugas¡¯ gem-like eye.It even pierced through its enormous head. At that moment, the Announcement was heard within his ears.It informed him that he had won this perilous battle. It was basically the news of his victory.Afterwards, Hyrkan heard the praise given only to the victor. [The souls taken by Anugas was saved.] [You¡¯ve gained the Title ¡®Rescuer of Heard Fortress¡¯ Souls.¡¯] [You¡¯ve gained the Title ¡®Reclaimer of the Heard Fortress.¡¯] [You¡¯ve gained the Title ¡®Destroyer of Anugas.¡¯] [The Quest ¡®Visit the Blacksmith Olf¡¯ has started] The consecutive praise was heard through Hyrkan¡¯s ears, and it hammered away inside his head. While this was going on, Anugas¡¯ body started to smoke, and it started to melt into a sticky liquid.Hyrkan detached himself from Anugas¡¯ body. Hyrkan¡¯s expression hadn¡¯t changed.It hadn¡¯t changed as he heard the consecutive Announcements in his ears. [Your Level has increased.] The Level Up Announcement was what caused Hyrkan¡¯s expression to change. When he heard the announcement, Hyrkan raised his head. On the right edge of his vision, he could see a mirage-like blue gauge.He checked the magic status window. ¡®Magic recovery¡­Ok.¡¯ Until a moment ago, there hadn¡¯t been a single iota of blue light present on the magic status window, but now it was full.It was shining like a blue bulb. Of course, the timing of his Level Up was planned out by Hyrkan too.He estimated how much EXP he would gain when he caught Anugas, and he hunted until he would immediately level up when he killed Anugas. This wasn¡¯t a strategy often used by Users, but it was a well known method.It was a method used to recover health and magic during a hunt¡­Anyways, the Level Up Bonus was more effective than any magic recovery Items in his arsenal. Moreover, at that moment, the Level Up Bonus was more important to him than any other time in this game. ¡®Restoration¡­.Ok.¡¯ When Hyrkan recovered his magical energy, he started mending his Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Knights.The fractured bones started to mend, and the Skeletons, who weren¡¯t able to move, could move again. [The Special Ability ¡®Undying¡¯ has activated.] Then he activated the Special Ability of the Death Knight.There were Skeletons that were too damaged that they would revert back into being Skeleton Fragments if left alone for several minutes.These Skeleton Warriors were quickly regaining their shape under the Undying skill of the Death Knight.They stood on their own two feet in an imposing manner. He retained 15 Skeleton Warriors, 3 Skeleton Knights and a Death Knight. These 19 Skeletons were veteran heroes.It took them only 1 minute to regain their imposing figures.They were letting out breathes full of frost. After the Skeleton army regained their dignified appearance, they created a perimeter around Anugas, and Hyrkan stood in the middle of this imposing group. ¡°Hoo-ooh!¡± Hyrkan let out a sigh.It contained many mixed emotions.After putting his sword into his sheath, he raised his left arm. Ggee-reek, ggee-reek. The short sound of the dial turning on his wristwatch was heard. ¡°Slot on.¡± After the sound ended, Hyrkan punctuated it with his low words.Accompanying his words, a striking silver armor with black spots started to surround Hyrkan¡¯s body.In 3 seconds, Hyrkan took on the form that was most familiar to the other Users.He changed into his strongest form. ¡®It take about 3 to 5 minutes for Anugas¡¯ eye to turn into its Ingredient form.¡¯ He had killed Anugas. ¡®I caught it, so I can¡¯t lose out on this.¡¯ Hyrkan prepared himself for battle.He was now going to protect the prey he had killed from theother Users. 2. ¨C Hahoe Mask was successful in his Raid. When Shir received the report, a sea of fire was unfurled in front of her.It reminded one of hell. Zzuh-juhk! The flames continued to burn, and the gigantic trees split open.They had been barely holding their shape against the heat.The trees let out dull sounds, which sounded like screams.No other sound could be heard. Shir swung her sword in a wide arc. Shweek! A crescent sword energy burning with intense flame was emitted when she swung her sword. Hwah-roo-roo! The sword energy pushed itself forward as if it was a flood.Devastation could be seen trailing behind the road made out of fire. She had combined the Crescent Cut and the Ancient Power of Flame.It looked flashy, and its power was terrifying.The large trees and boulders, which had been barely holding onto their original form, was cut down. This was a raging inferno. After creating the devastating sight in front of her, Shir turned her back against it.If the Users wanted to chase after her, they would have to go through the fiery hell she had created. When Shir took couple more steps, her subordinates gathered around her. The first one to speak was Hahui.She respected Shir more than anyone else here. ¡°The Poker team is quick to run away.Their talent for running away isn¡¯t normal.It is as if they had practiced running away before.If they had stuck around, I¡¯m sure I could have taken all of them down.¡± It seemed Hahui was feeling guilty.She hadn¡¯t been able succeed in the mission given to her.As always, Hahui brought up words that would deflect away from her actions. However, Shir just spoke briefly to Hahui. ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Hahui put on a bright smile. ¨C I¡¯ve caught around 70 of them.I think I took down around 50 magicians.They were all bunched together, so it was quite easy to kill them.Of course, this mission would have been impossible if it wasn¡¯t for me. Hatch butted in on the conversation.It wasn¡¯t a coincidence.Of course, he hadn¡¯t overheard the conversation through Voice Talk by accident, and his words were calculated. ¨C I was able to perform admirably unlike someone. Of course, he spoke his words to needle Hahui.Hahui¡¯s expression cooled.She didn¡¯t know about anything else, but she couldn¡¯t let Hatch get the better of her.However, she couldn¡¯t come up with any words. Hahui¡¯s body shook, and if Hatch was in front of her, her fist would already be planted in his face. The most galling part was the fact that she knew Hatch knew this, and this was why he was needling her from afar.In many ways, Hatch was the most cautious member of the Stormhunters. ¡°Good job.¡± Shir also spoke plainly to Hatch. ¨C Yes. Instead of coming up with more words to make fun of Hahui, Hatch gave a short answer. ¡°We¡¯ll head towards the Ravine.¡± Their mission hadn¡¯t ended yet. The battle had ended. However, the game hadn¡¯t ended yet. 3. ¨C What should we do? ¨C What happened to the Diamond unit? ¨C We lost three. The rest escaped towards the back.What should we do?Should we meet up with additional troops for a head on confrontation with the Stormhunters? ¨C Where¡¯s our support troops? ¨C We are on the move.Give us 20 minutes. ¨C I think it¡¯ll take us longer to get there. ¨C The damage to the normal Users was much larger than the damage to the Diamond unit.Ballista¡¯s magic took out close to 50 Magicians.This is a loss that can¡¯t be glossed over. ¨C We couldn¡¯t even track down Ballista.That man basically became untouchable once he learned the Blizzard Shooting Star. ¨C So what?We should do nothing? Sinclair frowned when endless chatter poured out of the Voice Talk. ¡®Shit!¡¯ He had crumpled his face so much that it seemed impossible to frown any further.However, he did just that. His face looked deformed.Sinclair made a face that he dared not show anyone else as he let out his annoyance. ¡®I¡¯ve never seen a mess of this scale.¡¯ Sinclair decided not to worry over it.It wasn¡¯t a problem that could be solve by him worrying over it.This problem had ballooned beyond his capability. The problem they faced was simple. Hahoe Mask had attempted the Anugas Raid, and the Stormhunters guild had helped the Hahoe Mask.This meant their opponents were pretty sure they could succeed in the Anugas Raid, and these two forces had allied themselves. ¡®I put in one redundancy after another, yet none of them are working.What more could be done?¡¯ The problem was the fact that they had already formulated an answer to this problem.This was why a thousand of their troops were sent to the Heard Fortress.They were sent to interfere.They also put in contingency plan that dealt with either the Stormhunters guild or the Hahoe Mask.They had prepared a mobile unit called the Diamond unit to deal with them. ¡®Instead of the Diamond unit, we should have brought the entire Poker team.Every member of the Hands guild should have been gathered here.¡¯ However, their contingency plan had failed.The Storm Queen had gathered her elite members, and she had turned the table on them.She had hunted down the Diamond unit.The Diamond unit was supposed to delay any groups they met for 10 minutes, yet they weren¡¯t even able to pull that off.The Storm Queen was also a possessor of the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword, and she possessed the Ancient Power of Flame. Basically, they had a problem, and they had put forth an answer.However, the answer wasn¡¯t working. This was it. There was no point in them agonizing over the solution.The wise thing to do was to wash their hands of this debacle ¡®If this was the previous Hands guild, we could have taken out our enemies no matter what the cost.In the past, a single order was enough to gather everyone.¡¯ Sinclair¡¯s annoyance started from this fact. Hands guild. The Hands guild operated under the notice of the world, and death in battle used to be an acceptable option.If needed, everyone would die to further their agenda.No one would have been averse to it.Even in death, they would have dragged down the enemies by their ankles.There would have been reward and benefit that would drive the Hands guild Users to make this sacrifice. If everything operated like the past, they would have considered a suicidal death with the Storm Queen to be a great opportunity.The forces needed to take down the Storm Queen would have been gathered without any fuss.If the Hands guild needed them, they would have gathered in a single location to become a chess piece on the board. However, things weren¡¯t like that any more. The members, who had originated from the Hands guild, were starting to enjoy the spotlight.They had too much to lose if they weren¡¯t able to enter the game for 48 hours.One couldn¡¯t lose something, one didn¡¯t have.However, they now had something to lose, and it was a bitter feeling to lose what they possessed.This was why they weren¡¯t able to mobilize on command.Power and rank had become shackles. ¡®This will allow the Hahoe Mask and the Stormhunters to take a step forward further away from us.¡¯ Their body was getting bigger. They were becoming more powerful. Their opulence was getting larger. However, they were becoming slow and sluggish. ¡®If we want to block them, we have to put our life on the line.We have to be prepared to take them down with us.¡¯ At that moment, Sinclair clicked his tongue from the bitterness he felt. ¡°It¡¯s all right.Let¡¯s just take a step back.¡± He couldn¡¯t keep his bitterness out of his voice.He spat out his words. ¨C What are you saying? ¡°Let¡¯s leave a portion of our forces behind.They can follow behind the Stormhunters guild, and they could monitor the Heard Fortress.Even if we stake everything on this single die cast, it isn¡¯t as if we¡¯ll gain a solution.What happens if the Stormhunters guild runs away?¡± ¨C We¡¯ll just drive them towards the Heard Fortress¡­. ¨C No.Sinclair is correct.If the Hahoe Mask has caught Anugas, there is a high probability of the Block Field beyond the Heard Fortress dissolving.Then there would be no point in driving them towards the Heard Fortress. ¨C Then we should just overlook our losses?If we end this business here, we¡¯ll look like idiots. ¨C Do we have a viable plan? ¨C We have to find a way! The Voice Talk channel showed signs of becoming loud again.Sinclair became annoyed again.This was why he deliberately took a breath to calm himself down. He used his acting skill to make his voice sound calm. ¡°The only thing we can do now is to sacrifice several members to grab the ankles of the Stormhunters or the Hahoe Mask.We don¡¯t have any other answers beyond that option.If we have volunteers, who are willing to become sacrifices, I¡¯ll gladly help with the plan.For your information, it¡¯ll take me 3 hours to arrive there.¡± No one had an answer to those words. No one wanted to become the sacrifice.At that moment, Sinclair spoke into the Voice Talk channel. He couldn¡¯t hold back his bitter words anymore. ¡°In the past, we fought through fire and water.Now we are all busy worrying about our own hides.¡± He spat out the bitter words. ¡°Fuck¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± He was also guilty of doing this. 4. It was a world where a news originating from New York could be spread in 10 seconds around the world. ¨C Something big is happening at the Black Continent! ¨C ? What¡¯s going on? ¨C ? Don¡¯t give us bullshit. ¨C ? The Hahoe Mask and the Five Stars are fighting each other! Of course, the incident in the Black Continent attracted the fans of Warlord. Everyone interested in Warlord was now focused on the Black Continent.The enormous guild alliance called Five Stars was acting with high-handedness in this region.The Black Continent was overflowing with monsters above level 200.The Stormhunters guild and the Hahoe Mask was also there.Then there was the mysterious existence called Anugas.All of these factors attracted attention to the Black Continent. It was pretty much impossible to hide events occurring in the Black Continent when everyone¡¯s focus was on this region.Of course, this was why no one tried to hide what was going on. ¨C Hahoe Mask is conducting the Anugas Raid! ¨C ? What the hell is an Anugas? ¨C ? Anugas is a magic-eating monster.When it appears, all Class Skills become unusable. ¨C ? Wasn¡¯t that a false rumor?There has been no footage released corroborating this fact. ¨C ? I have a friend in the V&V guild.He said it is true. The situation was updated in real time online as information was relayed to others. ¨C It seems the Stormhunter guild is helping out the Hahoe Mask.My friend is in the Blossoms guild.They went to interfere with the Hahoe Mask, and they are now fighting the Stormhunters guild! ¨C ? My friend is in the V&V guild.He never mentioned anything about this. ¨C ? I¡¯m in the V&V guild.OP is right. ¨C ? My friend is in the Big Smiles guild.He said the Storm Queen and the Hahoe Mask is conducting a Raid, and the Five Stars is helping them. ¨C ? I¡¯m affiliated with the Sweepers guild.We are just hunting right now. ¨C ? I guess all the busy people are on here including the Five Stars and the Stormhunters.If so, I¡¯m the Hahoe Mask, you retards! Of course, in the beginning, false stories came out.It took people time to filter out the false rumors.As time passed, the stories that were coming out was getting closer to the truth. ¨C Hahoe Mask attempted the Anugas Raid.Five Stars tried to interfere, but they failed.The Stormhunters guild blocked them, and the Five Stars are retreating.It seems the Hahoe Mask has succeeded in the Anugas Raid.FYI, I¡¯m affiliated with the Stormhunters guild. ¨C ? Proof? ¨C ? You should click on the Instagram account linked to my profile. ¨C ? Wow!He is the real deal!Wow! Now the stories didn¡¯t have any falsehood mixed in with it.It was as close to the truth as it could get. While this was going on¡­ Hahoe Mask¡¯s Youtube page was uploaded with a battle footage.It was his fight with the Skull Collector at the the Voodook¡¯s Tunnel. Chapter 163 – Anugas’ Necklace (2) Chapter 163 ¨C Anugas¡¯ Necklace (2) 5. It was a house that had a great night view.The house had a wine cellar, so one could enjoy this night scene with wine.The wine cellar looked quite expensive, and it was filled with expensive wines.There wasn¡¯t much space to move within it. ¨C It is a really nice house. ¨C Yes.I decided to indulge myself by moving into this place.When I used to be a baseball player, I always wanted to live in a place like this. The interview was being conducted with the fancy house as the background. The interviewee was Jameis Jones.He was more famously known as BigK in Warlord. During the Warlord¡¯s second Main Scenario Quest, BigK entered the ranks of the 1st team Raid member after he distinguished himself in the great battle event.Afterwards, he participated in Red Bull¡¯s core quests and Raids.He showed off his surprising Skill, and now he was considered to be one of the top Magicians of the Red Bulls. ¨C When I failed to break into the Major League, I thought my dream was crushed.I never expected to achieve my dream through this game. His life had changed after the second Main Scenario Quest. The most clear-cut evidence of the change was his residence. He was now the owner of a house that anyone would envy.Moreover, a regular person would never be given a chance to be featured in such an interview. ¨C This is the age we are living in.Riches and fame can be had for people, who are good at playing games. ¨C This might be a bit of a rude question.It hasn¡¯t been too long since BigK-nim¡¯s career has taken off.However, you are already making a good deal of money.Could you guess at how much the most famous Users of Warlord make?I¡¯m talking about the Users that even people unfamiliar with Warlord knows.This is the most burning question amongst our viewers. ¨C I¡¯m not them, so I can¡¯t be sure.However, if I had to guess¡­.Currently, the two most famous Users in Warlord is the Storm Queen and the Hahoe Mask.The Storm Queen is already famous for being an heiress, so we should exclude her.The Hahoe Mask¡­.The house I live in right now is probably the size of his wine cellar. ¨C That is incredible. ¨C Of course, the Hahoe Mask¡¯s identity is still a mystery, but there is wide consensus that he is incredibly rich. Ahn-jaehyun was too flabbergasted by the video he was watching.The half-eaten Chocobar fell to the floor. Chul-puhk! The Chocobar was mushy, because it had melted.The Chocobar was in rough shape when it fell to the floor.Ahn-jaehyun picked up the Chocobar, and he checked if there was anything stuck to it.When he didn¡¯t see anything, he put the Chocobar back into his mouth. Moreover, he continued to look at the video with a flabbergasted expression.Ahn-jaehyun had been wordlessly watching the video, but he spoke without meaning to. ¡°Have these bastards lost their collective minds?¡± Gulp. Ahn-jaehyun chewed and swallowed the Chocobar.After tapping his Tablet PC several times, he switched the content on the screen. ¡®So this is how they are going to trouble me?¡¯ He had started watching this video, since he had heard about the recent news regarding the Red Bulls guild. The Red Bulls guild¡¯s 1st team members had been conspicuously absent from the spotlight in recent days.Numerous guilds were trying very hard to get across the Urugal mountain range, yet he hadn¡¯t heard a single rumor regarding the Red Bulls guild being nearby. This meant the Red Bulls guild was progressing on a secret big project in a different region.This was why he had been collecting information on them, and he had come across BigK¡¯s recent interview. Still, he never expected things to progress in this fashion. Ahn-jaehyun looked at the screen of the Tablet PC with annoyed eyes, and he kept swiping at the screen.His temperamental actions came to a pause when Ahn-jaehyun came upon the page where he had uploaded the most recent video regarding the Skull Collector. He had already seen this page over several dozen times, yet the sight in front of him never failed to transform his bitterness into sweetness. ¡®The timing of the release was spot on.¡¯ He had caught the Skull Collector a while ago.He had left the production of the Skull Collector Hunt video to the Romani films, and the final video was sent to him four days ago. However, Ahn-jaehyun hadn¡¯t immediately uploaded the video. This was the footage showing the Death Knight¡¯s first appearance.This video was monumental for several reasons, but he held back uploading the video.He waited for the right time. Moreover, he came up with a plan when Anugas appeared. He decided to put the video up on his Youtube page when he completed the Anugas Raid. His aim was simple.When the Anugas Raid starts, everyone¡¯s attention would be focused on the Black Continent.When the Anugas Raid ended, everyone¡¯s attention would be shifted towards the Hahoe Mask. What would happen if he uploaded the video at that moment? ¡®I¡¯ll easily get 100 million views.¡¯ His aim was right on target. In just a single day, he recorded 40 million views.He wouldn¡¯t have problem getting 100 million views.He could probably double that number. The reaction was also quite good.His 6 sponsors were full of praise regarding the video. His bank account was beyond being in a good state as his sponsorship funds came in.It was rather impressive. This pretty much washed away all the unpleasant feelings he had earlier. Ahn-jaehyun considered the interview to be unpleasant, but now he had the foundation needed to turn BigK¡¯s words into reality. ¡®Anguas¡¯ Necklace, Token of the Secret Society, Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword¡­..Basically, I¡¯ve reached the endgame in regards to Items.¡¯ Basically, he had gathered all the arsenal he would need. ¡®I really reached this point.¡¯ This feeling was sudden and unexpected. He had continued forward in the face of all kinds of hardship and suffering.He had finally reached this point, and he took an assessment of himself. ¡®I¡¯m really here.¡¯ He was proud of himself. Everyone including Ahn-jaehyun himself thought this was impossible to do.The task he set out to do was considered to be beyond impossible.It was idiotic.He was given an unprecedented second opportunity, and it had felt as if he was wasting this opportunity by pursuing the unachievable.It was so stupid that Ahn-jaehyun had yelled at himself before. However, he had finally achieved this idiotic task. He was pleased. A happy smile formed when he saw the figure within his bank account. Hue hue hue! He was so happy that a silly laugh automatically came out of his mouth. He was surprised, proud, pleased and happy. The fact that made him happy above all else was the reality that his enemies were frightened and scared of him. ¡®The only thing left is to crush them.¡¯ Thirty great guilds. The beings he hated the most couldn¡¯t rashly move against him.Every time they harbored hatred for the Hahoe Mask, he would extract a fair cost. Moreover, they would feel a much steeper penalty for messing with him than before. Ahn-jaehyun started drawing within his head.He drew out the future he wanted to see. He first drew the scene where the Hahoe Mask put his foot down on the 30 great guilds. ¡®Yes.I¡¯ll grind them up into¡­.¡¯ He would step on them, and he envisioned himself standing above them. ¡®I¡¯ll become the best, and it¡¯ll all be mine¡­.¡¯ They would be his stepping stone, and he imagined what would happen after he stood above all of them. ¡®I¡¯ll become the best, and¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ He¡¯ll rise above them, and¡­.. ¡°Hmm.¡± 6. As he was drawing the picture within his mind, he glanced at the capsule coffee machine. When Hyrkan succeeded in the Anugas Raid, the Black Continent started to go through a significant amount of change. [The Ruins of the Heard Fortress was released!] [Black Continent¡¯s First Rest Area has Appeared!] [Challenge the Black Continent!] The biggest change was the appearance of the Heard Fortress. When Anugas was deposed, the captured souls of the Ruined Kingdom¡¯s warriors were freed.They started circulating around the ruins, and the Subjugation Association sent NPCs to research the phenomena. This was how a town was created near the ruins of the Heard fortress, and at the same time, the NPCs started giving out various quests. The Quests were like road signs.Up until now, the Users were milling about without having any definite tasks to accomplish.Therefore, the Quests were like finding sweet water that ended their thirst. On top of all of that, a cube capable of Item Production was installed in the town, and a Item Storage facility also came into being. ¡°I use the Wyverns to haul my Items.This is why my wares are expensive.¡± A new NPC accompanied by five enormous Wyverns appeared, and the Users rejoiced at its appearance.Then the Ingredient Coins and Gems obtained from the Black Continent finally hit the market. The Items above level 200 were produced quickly, and these Items started filling up the market. In many ways, the Users that had been most daring in this environment had been the Stormhunters guild, and they were also the first ones to push forward. [The Stormhunters guild was the first to enter the Ravine!] [Stormhunters guild has released the footage of battles conducted within the Ravine!] [The Stormhunters guild has revealed their Quests.¡®Our next destination is the Balos ruins, and the Olbrid forest.It is our main goal to push past these locations.We¡¯ll be the main protagonist instead of the Hahoe Mask.¡¯] When the Anugas Raid ended, the Stormhunters unexpectedly threw themselves towards the Ravine. After the Anugas Raid came to an end, the Hahoe Mask had to take a break to relieve his exhaustion.Then Hyrkan had to secretly go meet the Blacksmith Olf for the production of the Anugas¡¯ necklace.He received the production Quest, and he had to move to various regions to gather all the Quest ingredients.The Stormhunters guild once again took the lead position. As if they abhorred the idea of falling behind the Stormhunters guild, the other members of the Big 3 started to release news about their gains and achievements. [The Red Bulls Guild found the Lost Island in the south!] [Hydra Guild has started exploration of the Hell Cave in the west!] It was the Red Bulls and Hydra guild. After the Immoral Prince episode ended, there was no events that could be pointed out as being a signature achievement for the two guilds.However, while everyone¡¯s attention was focused on the Black Continent located on the other side of the Urugal mountain, they headed towards a location far from the interests of the other Users.One headed south, and the other headed west. The Stormhunters guild conquered the Urugal mountain range in the north.The Hahoe Mask conquered the Frozen Kingdom in the East.The two guild wanted to achieve something similar, so they headed south and west.They wanted to conquer something unknown.This was a gamble made by these two guilds, and now it was proving to be the winning move. Of course, the world was surprised by their news. Hyrkan was taken aback by the news. ¡°Lost Island?Hell Cave?¡± ¡®This is nuts.Those regions are supposed to be released in the latter half of the Ruined Kingdom?Why now?¡¯ Lost Island and the Hell Cave. From Hyrkan¡¯s memories, the two locations appeared near the end of the Ruined Kingdom episode.It was the stages that set up the 4th Main Scenario Quest called the Dragon¡¯s Army. ¡®Will these places also give Mythos rank Ancient Power?Will it?¡¯ At the same time, he dug through his memories.He remembered that the Ancient Power of Darkness and Light could be earned at those locations. ¡®No, it¡¯s a guarantee that it¡¯ll show up there.It came out in the Frozen Kingdom and the Urugal mountain range, so it should¡­.¡¯ The world was changing by the hour. ¡®This game has gone nuts.Why would it make sense to pour out all the Mythos Rank Ancient Power at once?¡¯ When the Item he wanted the most was completed, Hyrkan started running full tilt on a stage that was completely different from what he remembered. 7. ¡°The power of the gem is dangerous.Please use it with discretion.If you aren¡¯t careful, you might push the world towards its ruin.¡± Hyrkan was now familiar with the face in front of him.The Blacksmith Olf spoke as he passed over a necklace embedded with a thumbnail-sized diamond.Hyrkan carefully took the necklace. [You¡¯ve gained the Anugas¡¯ Necklace.] When Hyrkan fondled the necklace, the Item Option popped up on top as a holographic window. [Anugas¡¯ Necklace] *Main Properties ¨C Epic Rank Item ¨C All Stats +188 ¨C Class related Stats +222 ¨C Required Level : level 200 *Sub-properties ¨C When equipped, 10% increase in health ¨C When equipped, 10% increase in magic ¨C When equipped, 10% increase in movement speed ¨C When equipped, 10% increase in all damage ¨C When equipped, damage received is decreased by 10% ¨C When equipped, cool time is decreased by 10% ¨C The magic and stamina consumed when using a Skill is decreased by 35% ¨C This Item cannot be damaged. *Miscellaneous This necklace holds the power of the Ancient Weapon Anguas.It holds the power of its eye. It¡¯ll allow the wearer¡¯s ability to be brought out to a fearsome level. The necklace had a filthy amount of Options, and these were the most desired Options.Hyrkan let out a sigh of satisfaction as he looked at the Anugas¡¯ Necklace. ¡°Hooo.¡± After catching Anugas, it took him 5 days to complete the Anugas¡¯ Necklace production Quest. The tasks he had accomplished flashed before his eyes.Then he started to think about the memories from his distant past. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve obtained it.¡¯ Hyrkan thought about the first time he came up with the ridiculous idea of making an All Strength Necromancer.He had to come up with with a way to make up the much needed magical energy.He remembered going around in ridiculous getups. Hyrkan had come up with the idea during that time.If he had an Item similar to Anugas¡¯ Necklace, he wouldn¡¯t have worried about lacking magical energy. However, at the time, he never even considered the fact that he would be able to obtain such an Item.This was why he never made plans assuming that he¡¯ll have such an Item. However, he now had the Anugas¡¯ necklace.Hyrkan had considered it to be a unreachable star in the sky.He had thought it was something he would never be able to catch, yet this star was shining brightly within Hyrkan¡¯s grasp. ¡®How much will I be able to get if I sell this?¡¯ Afterwards, he thought about it in terms of materialistic value. It was inevitable.Anugas¡¯ Necklace wasn¡¯t a bound Item.It could be traded, and the required level was only level 200.If one considered the Options, it could be used even when one became level 300 or even 400. Then there was the fact that Warlord contained rich Users willingly to pay ridiculous amounts of money for Items.These people were so rich that they didn¡¯t know what to do with all their money. Currently, there was the original owner of the name Rich Lich named Himala playing this game.Then there was the original owner of Anugas¡¯ Necklace named Mateo Walker.He wasn¡¯t as rich as Himala, but he would gladly pay any price for this Item.They would easily spend several hundred thousand dollars for it. It would be able to turn anyone¡¯s life around.Basically, one could easily buy a building by selling this Item. Of course, Hyrkan¡¯s thoughts didn¡¯t end there. ¡®If I equip the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword, Anugas¡¯ Necklace and the Secret Society Ring¡­¡¯ If he used the Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword, and the Anugas¡¯ necklace, he could reduce his magical energy consumption of his Skills by 60%.What if he put on the Token of the Secret Society, which increased magical recovery by 20%?This would be combined with the 10% increase in magic by the Anugas¡¯ Necklace. ¡®In reality, the combined effect will reduce my magic consumption by 70%.¡¯ It was well over half! With those Options as background, he could once again eat expensive consumable Items like he was chewing gum. He would no longer feel the lack of magical energy he felt after he gained the Power of Frost. Instead, he had magical energy to spare. Now he just had to invest in Skills that he couldn¡¯t purchase, because he didn¡¯t have enough magical energy to spare. ¡®I¡¯ll have to burn through Skill Books to obtain the [Conductor] skill.Then the page of Ancient Power I have¡­.It¡¯ll be fine if I use it on the [Skeleton Knight] rather than the [Golem Summon].¡¯ Hyrkan decided to invest in his Skeleton Knight. Chapter 164 – Anugas’ Necklace (3) Chapter 164 ¨C Anugas¡¯ Necklace (3) 8. The maximum number of Skeleton Warriors able to be summoned through [Skeleton Fragment(A)] was six.This number increased to 12 when the Necromancer became a Lich as one passed through the 1st and 2nd Advancement.If one used the Transcendent rank Ancient power at this point, one would be able to summon 18 Skeleton Warriors. Similarly, this number could be grown by learning Skills that would allow the increase thenumber of Skeletons that could be summoned.The [Skeleton Magician(A)] allowed one to summon four more Skeletons, the [Skeleton Knight (A)] allowed for an additional six, and the [Chivalry (C)] allowed for four more. In the case of the [Skeleton Science(A)], it allowed six more Skeletons, and the maximum number of Skeletons grew to 12 when the Transcendent rank Ancient Power was applied. That was a total of 44 Skeleton Warriors. Then he could summon the Death Knight, and the Special Skill named [Leader] would allow a total of 12 Skeleton Warriors or Magician to be summoned, and this didn¡¯t include the additional Skeleton Knight.If he included the Death Knight and the two additional Skeleton Knights he could summon, his Skeleton army was up to 59. It was the number of forces he used when Hyrkan fought Anugas. However, he was overtaxing his abilities when he summoned all of them.Moreover, if he had the Power of Frost activated as he used the Bone Explosives, Bone Spears, Bone Armor, Madness Helm and any other Curse related Skills, there was no chance for him to recover his magical energy.He could drink expensive recovery Items continuously, yet he wouldn¡¯t be able to do it. This was why Hyrkan had excluded his Golem from the fight with Anugas.He didn¡¯t have the luxury to operate the Golem. At the same time, this was also the reason why he had left one of the Scrolls unused.Hyrkan had thought over it. At the time, he had thought about using the Skill Reinforcement on the Golem Summon or the Skeleton Knights, which would further drained his magical energy.He hadn¡¯t had the Anugas¡¯ Necklace yet, so he had worried if he could endure the Spec Up. Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have to worry about those details anymore. Hyrkan looked at the sight in front of him.He forgot about his worries as he looked at the battlefield.It wasn¡¯t just his recent worries.The worries he had accumulated over time was all forgotten. The sight in front of him was awesome. ¡®As expected of the king of the endgame.¡¯ The Death Knight was the focus of the battlefield.It rode a Skeleton Steed, which was as big as a tree.It was an enormous beast, yet it could lightly jump over anything.There was no one on the battlefield that could catch the Death Knight on its steed. Basically, the Death Knight was the main star, since it could adapt to any stage. The Horned Wolves were the owners of the Olbrid Forest.They were known for their powerful skills, and they had an annoying characteristic of traveling in packs.However, the 5 meter long beasts couldn¡¯t do anything in front of the Death Knight¡¯s tainted sword. Koo-oohng, koo-oohng! The Skeleton Steed jumped over its enemies, and the Death Knight stabbed and cut at them.The Horned Wolves had no way of fighting back.They showed a bit of their intelligence as they surrounded the Death Knight, but a single leap could destroy their perimeter. ¡®I¡¯ve gathered five Skeleton Knights.How frightening.¡¯ Then there was the sword swinging Skeleton Knights, who charged into the battle with the Death Knight.The Skeleton Knights were like the Death Knight¡¯s backup dancers.They didn¡¯t received the full spotlight, but they were able to take stage with the main star. The Horned Wolves exposed their sides or tails as they chased after the Death Knight.The Skeleton Knights ran towards the Horned Wolves, and they put all of their momentum at the tip of their swords to pierce the bodies of the Horned Wolves. It wasn¡¯t as if the Skeleton Knights were lacking in their ability to engage frontal assaults from the Horned Wolves.It was a given that the Skeleton Knights could block the frightening headbutt by the monsters with their shields.They were able to use their swords to deflect the unique attack of the horns being used like knives. The Skeleton Knights were also quite skilled at evading blows. The Death Knight cut down its enemy with its overwhelming power.On the other hand, the Skeleton Knights cut down their enemies with technical skill. This was especially true as the last scroll of the Ancient Power was used to strengthen the Skeleton Knight Skill. He had gained the Leader Skill by burning through the 31 No Name Skill books, so he was able to summon 5 Skeleton Knights.The battles fought by the Skeleton Knights were completely changed at this point.In the past, the Skeleton Knights had to fight against numerically superior opponents.However, in most cases, the Skeleton Knights held the numerical superiority now. It was a nightmare for the monsters, who had to face them. ¡®The Skeleton Warriors are having a lot of fun.¡¯ The Skeleton Warriors looked like excited fans cheering on the star and the backup dancers.They didn¡¯t spare their bodies to help out the Death Knight and the Skeleton Knights.They were very thorough in killing the remnants of the Horned Wolves. There was only a single wounded Horned Wolf left, and 15 Skeleton Warriors swarmed it like bees.If the Horned Wolf tried to get close to the Death Knight or the Skeleton Knights, the Skeleton Warriors stopped it even if they had to sacrifice their lives. As the battle continued, the surrounding started to be taken over by white frost.It was as if the stage was being decorated by ice as the field started to freeze.The vegetation started to struggle from the cold air. The pack of 13 Horned Wolves had already taken down a large number of Users over level 200.These were Users skilled enough to treat the Black Continent as their hunting ground.However, it didn¡¯t take long for these monsters to become corpses by the Skeletons. When all the Horned Wolves were killed, Hyrkan held back a smile. ¡®My magical energy¡­Ok.I¡¯ll be able to maintain a force of this size now.¡¯ He looked at his magical energy status.It had decreased significantly, but it hadn¡¯t bottomed out yet.Hyrkan smiled after checking the status of his magical energy. ¡®Perfect.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t as if he was overflowing with magical energy. He couldn¡¯t maintain this enormous army. For this one battle, Hyrkan had to rack up an incredible amount of expense.The cost of this battle was akin to the total Consumable Items used by level 150 Users in a Boss Monster Raid. He had lost money. However, the only thing Hyrkan needed right now was to Level Up through EXP gained through battle. If it was a conventional battle, he would have gained financially, but it was impossible to gain money through this battle style. If it was the past, Hyrkan would have shuddered at this fact. ¡®This is too perfect.¡¯ However, Hyrkan felt satisfied now. ¡®It is as Lich Rich had said.It¡¯ll be possible for me to buy EXP with money.¡¯ He was beyond being satisfied.Hyrkan was in a good mood.He put the magic recovery candy, which he had bought at a higher than market price, into his mouth, and he chewed it into pieces. Afterwards, Hyrkan took out a gem from his pocket, and he squeezed it.The gem melted, and a flame started to pour out from his clenched fist. When the flame spread out on the floor, the Fire Golem took the shape of the Black Hound. Hyrkan gestured towards the Black Hound Fire Golem.He pointed towards a dense patch of the forest. Go! This was the meaning behind the gesture.At his gesture, the Black Hound Fire Golem displayed the nature of the Black Hound.It showed its true nature as a tracker, and it moved faster than any being within the forest. The Fire Golem ran through the Olbrid Forest. Hwah-roo-roo-roo! A trail of fire started to burn behind it, and the fire grew uncontrollably. Ah-ooooooooh! The fire agitated the Horned Wolves that were filling up the Olbrid Forest.As they used Howling, the Horned Wolves started to pop out as if they were threatened by the flames.Hyrkan smiled as he watched the sight. ¡®If I had this much power to use in the Olbrid forest in the past¡­.¡¯ His smile suddenly disappeared.As his smile disappeared, he remembered a certain memory. He had goosebumps when he thought about it.He thought about the worst point in his life as annoyance swept over him.No matter how much happiness he felt, the memory of that day made him brood over the despair he had felt. However, as he thought about it, Hyrkan once again smiled. 9. These words were spoken by the original Rich Lich. ¡°I chose to be a Necromancer, because it was the only Class that allowed me to buy EXP with money.¡± As one increased in level, the money needed to stay in the top echelon of Users in Warlord increased exponentially.This was why the Users in the top one percent used money to buy EXP to stay on the top. However, Rich Lich¡¯s words hadn¡¯t been pointing out this fact. ¡°This isn¡¯t about efficiency.The Necromancer can level up the fastest if you pour money into it.¡± This was one of the legendary advice left behind by Rich Lich. When he soloed the Queen Fire Ant, many Users followed behind Rich Lich¡¯s steps, and they became Necromancers. Of course, they attempted to follow his footsteps,but it wasn¡¯t possible without the vast money spent by Rich Lich.The desire to mimic him died down. However, Rich Lich hadn¡¯t lied. It was as he had said.f one compared a Necromancer to a Class of a similar level, it showed an overwhelmingly higher Level Up pace.However, one needed to spend a stupid amount of money. This was why Rich Lich had started a fad, yet there weren¡¯t that many Users, who chose to be a Necromancer in the same vein as Rich Lich. The Users that were currently following after the Hahoe Mask was probably feeling the same emotions as the Users that had followed Rich Lich. ¨C Didn¡¯t the Hahoe Mask just eat the Blue Sapphire candy? ¨C ? No way.The market price on that thing is 490 gold. ¨C ? Isn¡¯t that something only one eats during a Raid? ¨C ? Who the hell eats that even in a Raid?Even the Users of the 30 great guilds and the Underfoot guilds only eat it during life and death situations. ¨C ? FYI, that candy taste terrible.I¡¯ve eaten it before, and it has a strange taste.There is a bitter taste.It is like licking rubber. ¨C It is worth 490 gold, yet he is eating it like regular candy.If he has that much money, wouldn¡¯t it be better to buy steak in real life? After the Skull Collector hunt video, the Hahoe Mask released his paid video.When he released the Anugas Raid video, a million copies was sold on the first day of its release.He had achieved consecutive hits after the Frozen Kingdom episode. Now the brand called the Hahoe Mask had proven itself to be a trustworthy brand in terms of selling paid videos. Afterwards, Hahoe Mask surprised everyone by suddenly uploading the battle at the Olbrid Forest as a free video. Currently, many new hunting grounds were being unlocked, and the Olbrid Forest was the most difficult location.However, the Hahoe Mask had been able to traverse the Olbrid Forest by himself, and he was able to sweep away the monsters with overwhelming power.The Hahoe Mask¡¯s presence was beyond electrifying.His mere presence gave everyone the goosebumps. This was what Ahn-jaehyun was aiming for. He had worked hard to upload these videos, and he read the reactions in the comment section.Ahn-jaehyun smiled as he repositioned his glasses. ¡®Yes.I have to bring this matter to a head.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun drew a picture.If he followed the layout in his picture, he¡¯ll have enough power to step on the 30 great guilds.However, if he stepped on the heads of the 30 great guilds, these guilds wouldn¡¯t just stay still. He had to step a guild so hard that the other guilds would wish for him to step over them.He had to create such a situation. He had to show them the different. He had to show them that he was in a different league as them! He couldn¡¯t express this truth with words.He had to show it with his skill and results. He had to do it now. The Hahoe Mask couldn¡¯t just show off his outstanding battle capability.He had to show everyone that he could progress through this game at overwhelming speed. This was a game. He wasn¡¯t going to conduct a lame war.In the end, he couldn¡¯t overcome the numerical advantage of the guilds.However, it was possible for him to gain the highest level.He could overtake all of them. ¡®I have to learn the [Steel Golem] at level 220, [Ice Golem] at level 230 and the [Skeleton Exhibition[ at level 240.I¡¯ll basically have an army of a hundred.Wasn¡¯t Rich Lich¡¯s fighting power at that level when he caught the Queen Fire Ant?¡¯ When he reached that point, no one would be able to compete with the Hahoe Mask on the same stage. ¡®Of course, I¡¯m much stronger than Rich Lich when he caught the Queen Fire Ant.¡¯ Eventually they will self-destruct on their own.When the Hahoe Mask appeared in a region, he didn¡¯t want them to get mad.They would avoid him as if they had stepped on shit. If he wanted such result, he needed only one more thing.Ahn-jaehyun touched the Tablet PC.He didn¡¯t have to touch it multiple times.He just had to touch it once, and Ahn-jaehyun was immediately moved towards a bookmarked page.He was moved to a Youtube page. The title of the page was the FirstOne¡¯s Diary. ¡®If I catch him, it¡¯ll be the end game.¡¯ He was the last prey Ahn-jaehyun had to catch. 10. ¡°Mmmm.¡± He was called the leader of the Virtual Reality era.He was the founder of Tobot Soft, Tobi Gwynn. He usually displayed a boyish temperament in everything he did, yet he looked different from his normal self. The lights, which was always turned to its highest setting, was dimmed.Tobi Gwynn sat beneath the dimmed light, andhe looked far different from energetic self.He had gathered his two hands in front of his mouth as if he was praying. One could see him breathing into his hands as if he was trying to warm them. His acquaintances wouldn¡¯t believe this was Tobi Gwynn even after seeing him like this. The only one, who was able to see him like this,was Chen.He had the unique title of being the leader of the Planning and General Affairs team. Tobi Gwynn spoke to Chen. ¡°How many months did we lose?¡± ¡°It is impossible to quantify it right now.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t calculate it at all?¡± ¡°We can no longer use the expression that we are losing time.¡± Instead of an answer, Tobi Gwynn moved his hands near his mouth.He started to stroke his rough beard. Buffering. Chen knew Tobi Gwynn well, and he had named this habit as buffering. This meant that Tobi Gwynn was stuck on a problem. Chen spoke as he looked at him. ¡°It seems the new project backfired.It was my mistake.I should have conducted a more proper investigation¡­¡± ¡°I signed off on it.¡± Tobi Gwynn stopped stroking his chin, and he waved his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for that.In the end, the buck stops with me.I¡¯m the one, who made the decision.The new project backfired, and the important thing to do right now is to recover what can be salvaged.Do you have anything readied for me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve readied several projects.¡± Instead of answering, Tobi Gwynn look at Chen¡¯s expression.The room was darker than usual, so Chen¡¯s emotionless face looked more rigid today.Tobi Gwynn furrowed his brows. Chen interpreted it as a sign for him to speak, so he gave his answer. ¡°All the projects up until now hasn¡¯t worked at all.I don¡¯t think any of the project I¡¯ve prepared will work.¡± ¡°What is the FirstOne¡¯s level?¡± It was a sudden question, yet Chen didn¡¯t hesitate to answer the question.It was obvious that he knew the answer. ¡°He is level 245.¡± ¡°The estimated time¡­.Yes¡­The report said 155 days, 22 hours and, 11 minutes.¡± Tobi Gwynn had asked the question, yet he answered it.He found the answer inside his head.Afterwards, he stopped stroking his beard. The area around his mouth twitched, but that was it. He opened his mouth. ¡°The name of the Hydra guild¡¯s leader¡­Eric Gomes.Yes, his name was Eric Gomes.He worked at Wall Street, and he mainly traded in regards to startups in the Silicon Valley.I¡¯m pretty sure I saw this number before¡­.¡± As he mumbled to himself, Tobi Gwynn started poking at his desk.A hologram shaped as a phone appeared in front of Tobi Gwynn¡¯s eyes. The holographic phone started to ring. Tobi Gwynn spoke in a low voice as the ring continued. ¡°I hope I correctly remembered his number.¡± ¨C This is Eric Gomes.Who is this? The conversation was about to start, so Chen quietly exited the room. Tobi Gwynn opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m Tobi Gwynn. ¡± ¨C Tobi Gwynn?Tobi, Tobi, Tobi¡­.My god. ¡°We¡¯ve met once before.I remembered the number from that time.¡± ¨C I remember the meeting.It was 6 years ago.It was a party where 500 people gathered. ¡°I would like to speak to you.¡± ¨C Please wait a moment.I¡¯m in the midst of a hunt¡­I¡¯ll need a little bit more time. ¡°I understand.I understand that the game you are playing is a bit difficult and annoying.I fully understand.¡± Tobi Gwynn was joking, but his expression had hardened. Chapter 165 – Trace of Bokan (1) Chapter 165 ¨C Trace of Bokan (1) 1. Koo-oohng! The Frost Golem Snake, which boasted an enormous body length of 8 meters, appeared.The monsters had been stumbling backwards, but now they quickly turned their gazes towards the Golem in fright. The shaggy Orangutans weren¡¯t small.They were 2 meters tall, and every one of them had crude instruments for weapons.Moreover, they wore a very crude wooden mask.This was why one couldn¡¯t see their expressions, but their actions clearly showed what emotion they were feeling. Confusion. Ooh-ggi-ggi!Ggi-ggi! It was as if they weren¡¯t satisfied with expressing their confusion with their actions.The 10 masked monsters let out a sharp cry.Their cries intermingled with each other to make a very unpleasant sound. As if angered by this sound, the Frost Golem Snake opened its mouth wide towards the source of the sounds.White Frost exited from the Frost Golem Snake¡¯s mouth, and it brushed past the monsters.The cold terror made the Masked Monster Orangutans shake in fear. However, the Frost Golem weren¡¯t the ones to defeat the source of the noises.It was the Skeleton Knights and the Skeleton Warriors.The monsters were blocked off by the Frost Golem Snake, so they really were like mices trapped in a jar.The Skeleton Knights and Warriors ruthlessly cut down the monsters as Frost swirled around them. Kah-ahng! In the beginning, it sounded like steel clashing on steel. Poohk! However, it quickly turned into the sound of swords cutting through flesh.Winter arrived in the green forest, which was occupied by the Masked Monster Orangutans. Suddenly, flame erupted from one side. Hwah-roo-roo! It was a Griffin.It had the body of a lion.It also possessed the head and wings of an eagle.The Fire Golem had changed into the Griffin, and it flapped its wing to fly in the air.It let out an enormous flame from its mouth as the forest was turned into a sea of flame. Ggi-ee!Ggi-ee! While the forest was burning up, the masked monsters shot spears and arrows toward the Griffin Fire Golem flying above their heads.The arrows and spears left clear wounds on the Golem¡¯s body, but fire quickly filled in the wounds. The anger expressed by the monsters were egregiously futile. While the monsters were focused on the Griffin Fire Golem, the Mini Ogre Skeleton Warriors quickly infiltrated the burning forest.They were small, but in certain aspects, they were as scary as the Skeleton Knights. The burning forest completely erased their presence. They moved towards the Masked Monster Orangutans like assassins, and the Mini Ogre Skeleton Warriors targeted the lower half of the monsters. Thighs were stabbed.Their knees were cut and their calves were severed. When their legs were attacked, the Masked Monster Orangutans fell in place.Two or three Mini Ogre equipped with level 190 Unique weapons fell on the monsters.These weapons were too expensive for most normal Users to purchase.These weapons started hacking the fallen monsters into pieces. Ggi-ee! Ggi-ee! The sharp cries that had filled the forest was disappearing one by one. However, in this battle, the largest curse wasn¡¯t the winter or the flames.It was the black fog that was filling this stage. [The King Orangutan fell into lethargy.] This monster was the king of the Masked Monster Orangutans.The King Orangutan was a level 240 middle boss. In truth, no Users had any informations regarding this monster.This was the only stage where the King Orangutan appeared.Moreover, it had been only four days since this Orangutan¡¯s Forest was found by a User. When it became cursed, it started to pound its chest with its two hands like a gorilla. [The King Orangutan¡¯s Shout has chased the Curse away.] It had nullified all Debuff type Skills, and this was also the first time this setting was revealed. After gaining confidence, the monster unfurled its crouched body.It was also the first time anyone saw the 6 meter tall monster stand at full height. ¡®Ok.¡¯ Everything he was seeing now was new.However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t flustered. ¡®I think I have a rough idea on what is going on.¡¯ It seemed he had figured out something.Hyrkan immediately gave the command for an attack to the waiting Death Knight.It was as if the Death Knight had been eagerly waiting for the signal.The Skeleton Steed let out its joy as it charged towards the King Orangutan. Hyrkan was watching from 300 meters away, and he grabbed a Bone Spear.As he grabbed the Bone Spear, he immediately put a recovery Item within his mouth.It was very sour, and his tongue tingled.It was like the candy one ate on a dare. Hyrkan furrowed his brow. It was sour, but the effect was indisputable.His magical energy quickly climbed, and Hyrkan used the magical power to imbue a Curse on the Bone Spear. On top of everything, this Bone Spear wasn¡¯t made out a common Bone Ingredient.It was a Bone Spear made using a level 190 Boss Monster as ingredient. It was incredibly powerful, and it was expensive. He was burning money. There was no other way to describe what he was doing, but he didn¡¯t worry about the monetary part of the game. He didn¡¯t let it linger in his mind. He only focused on the battle. ¡®There is no cool time to the Dispel skill, and it can be used in an unlimited fashion.However, it has to pound its chest every time it wants to use the Skill.¡¯ King Orangutan. As mentioned before, this monster had never been revealed to the world yet.Hyrkan was the first to discover this monster. Even if Hyrkan combined his current experience with his past memories, he had never seen this monster in Warlord. This was a natural course of events.From now on, Hyrkan would experience things he had never experienced before. However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t flustered by it.There was no reason to be flustered. ¡®I just have to stop it from pounding its chest.¡¯ Hyrkan had experienced too much to be taken aback by anything. He proved that his determined attitude wasn¡¯t a bluff when the Death Knight and the King Orangutan started to fight.Hyrkan took the situation into his own hands. The battlefield was loud.It was like trying to make a phone call in a very noisy rock concert.It was an annoying environment, yet Hyrkan¡¯s concentration allowed him to hit the bullseye.It hadn¡¯t been a short distance.Hyrkan¡¯s spear flew 300 meters before it was embedded in the King Orangutan¡¯s body. [King Orangutan was hit with the Sloth Curse.] [Curse Infection was activated on the King Orangutan.The curse has spread to the surrounding.] As predicted, the King Orangutan couldn¡¯t dispel the curse.The Death Knight didn¡¯t give it time to pound its chest. At that moment¡­ [Your Level has increased.] The Level Announcement that notified Hyrkan reaching a higher level of 220 was heard. 2. [Hyrkan] ¨C Level : 220 ¨C Class : Lich ¨C Title : 227 ¨C Stats : Strength(2855)/Stamina(1855)/Intelligence(1952)/Magic Power(2222) ¨C In possession of the Ancient Power of ¡®Frost¡¯ ¡°Ah.¡± Level 220. Even he thought his Level Up pace was ridiculous, yet Hyrkan had an unsatisfied expression on his face. There was an expression filled with worry behind the Hahoe Mask.He wasn¡¯t worried about his Levels, Stats, Item setting and the current hunting speed.There was no way these issues would worry him.Instead, he was thrilled about those aspects of the game.Before he had returned to the past, he had dreamed about hunting this way. ¡®Do I really have to go back?¡¯ If looked in a certain way, his progress was the root of his worry. ¡®Ah.This is driving me crazy.¡¯ He was doing too well. Hyrkan wanted to maintain his Level Up pace.Most Users dreamed about hunting like him.He had the best Item setting, and he didn¡¯t need to hold back in using recovery Items.Moreover, he didn¡¯t have to worry about gathering crap items, since he was financially well off.He was basically monopolizing a hunting ground, and his Level Up pace matched what he experienced when his level was in double figures. If he hated this, he shouldn¡¯t be playing this game. However, he had reached a point where he had to clean up the loose threads.He was already level 220.After passing the level 200 mark, he had never visited the Class Tower yet. ¡®I have to receive the Quests, and I have to learn new Skills¡­.At the very least, I have to visit the Class Tower¡­.¡¯ The problem was the fact that he had to cross over the Urugal mountain range to consolidate these loose ends. Currently, the only rest place in the Black Continent was the town near the Heard Fortress ruin.The Heard Fortress town was getting bigger by the day, but it would take a long time for a Class Tower to be erected. He had already anticipated the problem.In the past, the most annoying part of operating in the Black Continent was the travel. This was why he had refused to go back at level 210.He promised himself that he would go to the Class Tower when he was level 220. ¡®Still, the [Steel Golem] will surely be of help to me.I¡¯ve also gained enough Skill Rank to acquire [Curse Shower].¡¯ It was time for him to make good on his promise.If he kept pushing back a promise he had made to himself, he might die later on, because he lacked certain Skills.It would be better for him to go than regretting his inaction in death. Moreover, there was no actual downside in going to the Class Tower for Hyrkan.Instead, he would gain a lot by going there. There was only upsides to obtaining the [Steel Golem] Skill.There was no way he would suffer a loss. The Skill allowed him to summon an Iron Golem, and its usefulness was beyond description.Its best attribute was defense.Its defense couldn¡¯t be compared to the defense of the Earth Golem and the Frost Golem. If he used the Clay Play skill to borrow the Spec of a monster with great defense, he could use Hardening to create a massive shield. Then there was the romantic in him, who wanted to obtain it. ¡®I want to mount Skeleton Magicians on the Iron Golem like Rich Lich¡­.¡¯ Rich Lich had used a combination of the Iron Golem and the Skeleton Magicians.The Iron Golem was like a moving castle wall, and it defended the Skeleton Magicians.The Skeleton Magicians let out a continuous barrage of magic behind this protection. On top of it all, the fact that he would have 3 Golems was incredible in itself. He¡¯ll be able to defend attacks from three sides. Currently, the Golem were mainly used in two ways.The Earth Golem was used to block the road, and the Fire Golem was used to gather the monsters. Since most monsters couldn¡¯t outnumber him anymore, Hyrkan was able to use this method. This method was even effective against the Boss Monsters. In such a situation, what would happen if the Iron Golem appeared to close the third side? It would create a stage.It was a perfect stage where the Death Knight could go nuts! Moreover, the [Curse Shower] was a very good skill.The Skill allowed a shower to fall, which could give Curse Effect to his enemies.It was an AOE Curse Skill.Recently, his Curse Skill proficiency reached a point where he would be able to learn this skill. If he gained these Skills, he would basically achieve another Spec Up. Moreover, the enemies he had to fight weren¡¯t merely monsters. ¡®There¡¯s the Five Star bastards.Moreover, the Stormhunters have gone through a significant Spec Up.¡¯ The Five Stars and the Stormhunters were also operating out of the Black Continent.They weren¡¯t as fast as Hyrkan, but they were quickly increasing their Specs.They were quickly handing out Unique and Rare Rank level 200 Items to their members. On the other hand, Hyrkan¡¯s Item setting had remained the same.He couldn¡¯t Spec Up.There were no Items better than the ones he was wearing right now.This was the price of being one of the leaders in this race. In such a situation, there was no better way to Spec Up than to learn a free Skill from the Class Tower. ¡®Recently, the traffic around the Voodook¡¯s tunnel has lessened, but¡­.If it comes to it, I could join a party as a third wheel.¡¯ The current situation at the Voodook¡¯s Tunnel was added to his list of worries. ¡®I have no choice.¡¯ 3. ¡®Maybe I should have crossed over by dying?It took me 2 days to get here, and it¡¯ll take me two days to¡­Shit.If I could fly over the Urugal mountain range using the Wyvern Golem, I could do a round trip in one day.I have a mount I could ride, but the game mechanic won¡¯t allow me to fly it.Fuck this game.¡¯ After obtaining his Skills from the Class Tower, he quickly moved his feet as he looked at the Skill descriptions. Every second felt wasteful to him.Hyrkan didn¡¯t bother hiding his identity as he descended the Class Tower. When he exited, there was a significant amount of attention directed towards him, but he was indifferent to it.Even if a User came up to him to ask for a screenshot, he planned on tripping the User and running away. However, the one to stop his hurried steps wasn¡¯t a User.It was a NPC. ¡°I have a letter for the disciple of Ahimbree-nim.It is addressed to Hyrkan-nim.¡± He had received a letter. If the NPC had said it was just a letter, it wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop Hyrkan¡¯s steps. The problem was the person, who had sent it. ¡®Ahimbree?¡¯ Aside from the nickname of Rich Lich attributed to Hyrkan by the Users, he had a lot of Titles within this game.Arbiter of Corruption, Hero of the Hiban Kingdom¡­.If this was really a fantasy world, he would have a hard time hearing his name mentioned, because he had too many titles. The title mentioned right now was Disciple of Ahimbree.It was a Title he had earned a long time ago, and it had almost faded into his memories.Hyrkan tilted his head in confusion, then he became delighted by the news. ¡®I¡¯m sure Ahimbree gave Skill Book Quests after lvl 200.Could it be?¡¯ This morsel was delicious enough to stop him in his tracks. ¡°Who sent me this letter?¡± Hyrkan immediately became courteous, and he treated the NPC with more respect. ¡°It is from Ahimbree-nim.He personally left it here.He left instructions for me to deliver it when I see his disciples.¡± Hyrkan smiled. ¡®I keep hitting the jackpot.¡¯ 4. ¡°Did you hear the news?¡± Sohank shrugged his shoulders at Natal¡¯s question. It was a gesture that said, ¡®What the hell are you talking about?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m talking about our take over.¡± ¡°Ah.You mean the Fighters guild?¡± Sohank continued to speak as if the news wasn¡¯t noteworthy. ¡°It¡¯s a good move.They have a lot of User good at fighting.Ah.I¡¯m not saying our guys aren¡¯t good at fighting¡­.¡± ¡°I understand why we are taking over the Fighters guild.Still, I don¡¯t get the reason why we have to be in such a rush.The First Head usually never fails to give us a heads up, and he almost never rushes any business dealings¡­.¡± Sohank patted Natal¡¯s worried shoulders. ¡°At the very least, he isn¡¯t messing up the deals.Don¡¯t worry too much about it.Above all, we have another opportunity thanks to the First Head.As he had said before, we would have never gotten this opportunity if we hadn¡¯t gambled everything in coming west.¡± When he mentioned the opportunity, Natal nodded his head.However, his expression refused to relax. ¡°In truth, we had to do something if we want to go up against them.¡± At Sohank¡¯s words, the two of them turned towards the large mountain range in the distance. It happened at that moment. ¡°Sohank-nim!Let¡¯s fight once more!¡± A carefree voice was heard coming from somewhere.When the source of the voice was located, one could see a User with his sword out.It was as if the User had readied himself for a battle.The two Users, who had been looking at the mountain range, looked at each other when they saw the new User. Natal looked at this User with a very annoyed expression on his face. ¡°Kiyote!¡± ¡°Ah.It seems Natal-nim is here too.How are you doing?¡± ¡°Why do you keep making trouble for me.¡± Kiyote. He was a User, who had become incredibly famous through PVP.The love calls from the 30 great guilds had been sent his way for a long time.It was difficult to hit the jackpot through PVP, but at the very least, you could get one¡¯s basic needs through this content. This was why everyone was surprised when they heard Kiyote had entered the Hydra guild. First, Kiyote had ignored significant amount of contract fee in the past.He wasn¡¯t interested in money, and he hadn¡¯t been interested in the Hydra guild, since they didn¡¯t really deal with PVP contents.There was no common ground between the two parties. This was why everyone was curious.Why did Kiyote enter into the Hydra guild?What did the Hydra guild use to entice this User? ¡°I made it clear when I entered the Hydra guild.I¡¯m allowed to challenge anyone at any time for a PVP match unless there is an unavoidable engagement.¡± This was the reason why he had joined. The Hydra guild had drawn the line at not killing each other, but the Hydra guild agreed to let Kiyote challenge anyone to a PVP match if the situation allowed it. There was no stronger Users than the ones in the 30 great guilds.This guild was filled with skilled Users. His reputation took a bit of a hit when he was killed by the Killer Sinclair, but Sohank was still one of the top Strikers in Warlord. From Kiyote¡¯s point of view, this was the most enticing reason that made him join this guild. It was rare to be able to do PVP match with a skilled User, who represented one of the 30 great guilds. In truth, Natal put up the most ferocious opposition to this deal.Natal had expressed his discontent regarding the deal when the Nine Heads had a meeting. Sohank was their most important fighting power, and he didn¡¯t want Sohank to waste his time and effort in humoring Kiyote.Natal wouldn¡¯t stand for it. However, in the end, the Hydra guild accepted Kiyote into their folds.It was passed through a vote of majority as 8 Heads agreed with the decision.When it was such a decisive vote, Natal had no choice, but to accept it. ¡°A deal is a deal.¡± Unlike Natal, Sohank welcomed the addition of Kiyote. ¡°What conditions?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s fight with no Skills.You possess the power of Darkness, so how could I win against you in terms of Skills?¡± ¡°What about Items?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll go with what we have on right now.A handicap of that level would spice up this fight.¡± Sohank let out a smile.He actually welcomed Kiyote¡¯s challenges.He was satisfied with Kiyote¡¯s presence. Natal shook his head from side to side as he looked at Sohank.The one, who welcomed Kiyote the most, was none other than Sohank.Sohank was called the most important fighting power amongst the 9 Heads, but it was probably hard being the only skilled User of his level in the guild. In such a situation, it was imperative for them to add Users that didn¡¯t fall below their expectations. This made Natal think about another User. ¡®If we are taking over the Fighters guild¡­.Will Whistling Pitbull be added to our ranks?¡¯ Even the Fighters guild had a hard time dealing with the Whistling Pitbull.It boggled Natal¡¯s mind that it would be his job to handle the Whistling Pitbull now. Chapter 166 – Trace of Bokan (2) Chapter 166 ¨C Trace of Bokan (2) 5. [Quest ¡®Trace of Bokan¡¯ has started.] When he read the entirety of the letter sent by Ahimbree, Hyrkan heard the System Announcement in his ears.A new Quest was added to his Quest List.Hyrkan immediately checked the content of the Quest. [Trace of Bokan] ¨C Quest Rank : Unique ¨C Quest Level Range : 200 ¨C Quest Content : The Archmage Bokan¡¯s trace has been discovered.Currently, the evidence is being kept by NPC Diung at the current Heard Fortress Ruin town.Please go find and investigate the trace of Bokan. ¨C Quest Reward : Skill Book. ¡®Bokan¡­.¡¯ The letter from Ahimbree was very long-winded. Blah blah. There were so many words that it almost made him feel annoyed. However, the content behind the words were very simple. Archmage Bokan was Ahimbree¡¯s teacher, and his trace was discovered in the Black Continent.Ahimbree wanted Hyrkan to find clues regarding Archmage Bokan on his behalf. The reward was a Skill Book. At this point in the game, obtaining a Skill Book containing a level 200 and above Skill was like a pipe dream.It was something one couldn¡¯t acquire even if one had money.Of course, his eyes spun from the implications.If it hadn¡¯t been for Bokan¡¯s name, he would have committed to this Quest as if his life was depended on it. Basically, the name Bokan made him mull over his decision. ¡®¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤what was his role again?¡¯ Archmage Bokan. This NPC had seven disciples including Ahimbree.When one progressed in the Main Scenario Quest, one could hear his name mentioned occasionally. If one put together all the information regarding Bokan, one could deduce that Bokan was someone, who had predicted the grave danger being faced by the world of Warlord right now.One could also surmise that he was someone, who had actively fought against this threat. This theory was confirmed when his name appeared in the Immoral Prince storyline. If one looked at the background lore, Archmage Bokan was the one, who had named the Immoral Prince.Bokan had hoped the prince would drive out the coming nightmares with the faithfuls, so Bokan had named him Dean. An information of this level wasn¡¯t a secret.It basically put a big importance on Bokan¡¯s existence. Hyrkan was well aware of this fact. ¡®Did Bokan ever appear in the Ruined Kingdom episode?¡¯ To his knowledge, Archmage Bokan had never appeared in the Ruined Kingdom episode. Before he returned to the past, Hyrkan hadn¡¯t been able to influence how the Main Scenario Quest developed.He only had enough potential and power to carry out an already developed Main Scenario Quest.The trajectory of the Main Scenario Quest had been set, yet he had led the Hahoe Mask guild into attempting a fair amount of Main Scenario Quests. This was also why he had been more attentive regarding the current Main Scenario Quest than the previous two Episodes.He had read all the Quest related guides.It was so well researched that these text were basically like dissertation papers.He memorized the important words, terminologies and english terms related to this episode.He also watched the Main Scenario Quest related videos broadcasted by the 30 great guilds.He had watched it as if was watching lectures over the internet. However, there had been no mention of the Archmage Bokan within Hyrkan¡¯s memories.This character hadn¡¯t been present in the Ruined Kingdom episode. ¡®There were several Quests given by Ahimbree, which was linked to the Ruined Kingdom episode.Those Quests also gave Skill Books, but I don¡¯t remember a Quest that directly dealt with Bokan.¡¯ Of course, the Quest Routes had already changed.Events that should have happened in the Ruined Kingdom episode occurred prior to the start of the episode.The Mythos Rank Ancient Powers and Anugas had already appeared. Simply, the Quest timeline had been accelerated.The Rewards that should be appearing later in the game was coming out now. The problem was the fact that Archmage Bokan hadn¡¯t appeared even at the end of the Ruined Kingdom episode.This meant that this content was from much further down in the story line. ¡®It can¡¯t be.Will the Dragons come out at this point in the game?¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s expression hardened a little bit more as he stared at the Quest Window. 6. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You were awesome.¡± ¡°Yes.Yes.¡± ¡°It was my privilege to have met you!¡± ¡°Yes.Yes.Yes.¡± A party exited the Voodook¡¯s Tunnel exit, and there was a restless atmosphere around them. At this point in the game, it was a given the Users would be coming out of the Voodook¡¯s Tunnel.It was a boring and common occurrence.This was why the Users resting nearby or the Users waiting for their party members barely paid attention to who came out of the tunnel.They would glance sideways at the exit, but that was the extent to their interest. However, this party was different.There was an excited atmosphere being permeated by the group, and their restless nature drew the eyes of the surrounding Users. The interested Users quickly saw the reason behind the hubbub. ¡°Hahoe Mask?¡± ¡°Is that the Hahoe Mask?¡± It was the Hahoe Mask. If one made a list ranking the Users, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say the Hahoe Mask was the strongest and the best User in Warlord. The party¡¯s atmosphere started to infect the atmosphere as the Users in the surrounding became excited. When the Users, who travelled across the Voodook¡¯s Tunnel with Hyrkan, asked for a favor, he agreed to it. ¡°Excuse me.Do you think I can take a screenshot with you?¡± ¡°I would like to ask you for one too.¡± ¡°All right.Just don¡¯t put your hands on my shoulders.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m playing with you. Shall I give you a kimchi or a cheese?¡± ¡°Please say cheese.¡± ¡°I hope you won¡¯t cuss me out or say I don¡¯t have any manners after uploading the picture.¡± ¡°I would never do that.¡± ¡°I heard your manners are excellent!¡± At Hyrkan¡¯s assent, the six Users squeezed in together, and each of them took a screenshot.In the process, Hyrkan rewarded them by making the peace sign. Several Users thought it was ridiculous, but the others looked on with jealousy. Hyrkan had to cross the Urugal great mountain range as soon as possible, so he chose to become a third wheel.He inserted himself into a party that was getting ready to go into the Voodook¡¯s Tunnel. It hadn¡¯t been hard.It would have been impossible if he had been some other User. However, wasn¡¯t he THE Hahoe Mask? The EXP the party would get would be the same, and they would gain a memory they would be able to look back on.Moreover, they were getting the sweet side of the deal, so no party would turn down an opportunity to add the Hahoe Mask to their party. After his follow-up service, Hyrkan immediately headed towards the top of the Urugal mountain range. There were a good number of Users on the road he was on, and when they discovered Hyrkan, an unsettled atmosphere developed.There looked to be enemies amongst the Users, but no one acted against him. Hyrkan was satisfied with the situation. ¡®This is no downside in being popular.¡¯ There were people, who hated being famous.He wasn¡¯t like that.Hyrkan was the opposite.If he hated being popular, he wouldn¡¯t be playing this game for a living. Hyrkan liked being famous. He also enjoyed the benefit of being a popular public figure. Hyrkan had a refreshing smile on his face as he crossed the Urugal mountain range. He once again came face to face with the Black Continent.When he saw the endless stretch of land, his smile was erased from his face. While Hyrkan traveled to the Class Tower to earn his Skills, the situation on the Black Continent continued to move in a fluid manner. This was especially true after the Heard Fortress town was formed.The Users were less cautious in their actions.The results created by Users, who were willing to put themselves at risk, was terrifying.It would give game developers nightmares. At times, these kinds of Users were able to create unimaginable progress. It was like that right now. With the Urugal mountain as the starting point, the Users were expanding to the east, north and south. The traces of the Ruined Kingdom was found, and the Users were combing through the Ruins.The secret behind the fall of the Ruined Kingdom was revealed, and the Users dreamed about becoming strong by finding the power left behind the Ruined Kingdom. ¡®The Stormhunters are going east.¡¯ Amongst all of them, the ones with the most eye popping results was the Stormhunters guild. East Rush! The Stormhunters guild had gathered all their resources, and they were on an endless rush to the east. He had characterized it as a rush, but in reality, the more apt description was a runaway train. ¡®I was right.Che-sulyun is a crazy bitch.¡¯ Even amongst the Stormhunters guild, there was a hint of madness in Che-sulyun¡¯s exploits.Che-sulyun had perfected the use of the power of fire. Would she be able to continue using the nickname Storm Queen?It made people ponder over the subject. Moreover, the Stormhunters guild were the most reckless with their lives amongst the Users in the Black Continent.Every live broadcast had two to three Users dying. They died, but at the same time, they achieved results that were well worth their lost lives.After finding the Balos ruins inside the Olbrid Forest, the Stormhunters guild had already found 2 additional Ruins.They were the first ones to find three Ruins. When one found a normal Ruin for the first time, one could gain around three to five Transcendent Ancient Power.At the very least, one Mythos Rank power should have appeared. The Mythos rank Ancient Power was suddenly unleashed, because of Hyrkan.However, even the Legendary Rank Ancient Power was incredibly useful. Basically, if they were able to be the first ones to find the Ruins, they would be able rapidly increase the power of the entire guild.This was the most surefire way. ¡®The Five Star bastards are going north and south.¡¯ The Five Stars weren¡¯t also playing around. Their reputation had bottomed out when they got punched by the Hahoe Mask and the Stormhunters guild.However, they had the ability to recover from such damage.In the end, the fact that they were the biggest force within the Black Continent hadn¡¯t changed. The Five star were using their forces to expand their territories to the north and south.Their moves were validated when they eventually found four ruins. ¡®The Poker teams are extraordinary.¡¯ Of course, their activities centered around the Poker teams.The Poker teams were exposed as being very powerful when they faced down powerful monsters without much problem. ¡®No matter where I go I¡¯ll be treated like an uninvited guest.¡¯ From now on, Hyrkan had to commit himself to a direction. If he learned the evidence about Archmage Bokan at the Heard Fortress ruin, he¡¯ll probably be sent to one of three directions. ¡®All right.¡¯ For a moment, Hyrkan¡¯s expression relaxed a little bit.He relaxed it by force.The ones that would weep would be the ones that would have to face him.He tried to make his thoughts into reality. 7. When the Users saw the Hahoe Mask, they had two types of reaction. ¡°Uh?It¡¯s the Hahoe Mask!¡± The first reaction was surprise. ¡°Is it really the Hahoe Mask?¡± The other reaction was suspicion. However, this was the Heard Fortress.The Users, who reached the neutral zone inside the Black Continent, felt surprise more so than suspicion. These Users had finished their 2nd Advancement.There was no reason why they would feel the need to pull pranks by wearing a Hahoe Mask in the Black Continent. This was the reasoning behind their reactions. ¡°Wow.The mood is quite serious.¡± ¡°Are they going to fight¡± ¡°What reason do they have to fight?¡± ¡°Still, you never know.It isn¡¯t as if the Hahoe Mask has officially allied himself with the 30 great guilds.¡± When Hyrkan appeared at the Heard Fortress Ruin town, the Users assumed he was the real deal. This was why they were looking forward to the meeting in front of them. ¡®I never expected the Hydra guild to be here.¡¯ Hydra guild members had surprised the Users by arriving at the Heard Fortress Ruin town.They had arrived a little bit earlier than the Hahoe Mask. The Users in the surrounding wanted to see what kind of chemical reaction would occur when the two sides met! Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t really want to meet the Hydra guild.He had maintained a neutral relationship with the Hydra guild after the Immoral Prince episode, but it wasn¡¯t as if they had a cordial relationship.Moreover, Hyrkan considered the relationship to be closer to being bad after what happened at the Frozen land. On the other hand, the Hydra guild had sought Hyrkan out. ¡°This is our first meeting since we met at the Frozen land.¡± It was Sohank and Natal.The two of them had taken off their helmets, and they had approached the Hahoe Mask.There was only one additional User alongside these two.The rest of the Hydra guild members were out of sight. It was a silent gesture, which indicated that they didn¡¯t want to fight with the Hahoe Mask. ¡°What do you want with me?¡± Hyrkan didn¡¯t show any signs of being happy at their appearance. ¡®Huh?¡¯ His eyes narrowed behind the Hahoe Mask.It was the familiar faces of Natal and Sohank. Moreover, the User between them also looked familiar. Hyrkan eventually figured it out. ¡°Kiyote?¡± ¡°Wow.You remembered me.¡± Kiyote reacted as if he had been waiting to hear those words.Kiyote stepped forward.He left behind Natal and Sohank to stand in front of Hyrkan. ¡°Yes.I¡¯m Kiyote.¡± ¡°You are affiliated with the Hydra guild now?¡± ¡°Yes.That isn¡¯t important.Do you remember that I still possess the right to challenge you once more?¡± Instead of answering him, Hyrkan smirked.Of course, he remembered it.At the time, he had received the really expensive Orc Hero¡¯s Sword from him. That sword had been a great deal of help to him. ¡°So you want to use your challenge rights right now?¡± ¡°No.There is an opponent I have to beat before I can fight you.Ah.I wanted to say I¡¯m making great use of the tactic I learned from you.¡± As he spoke, Kiyote moved his arms.He made a gesture as if he was throwing something grasped in his hand. Sand Toss. Recently, he hadn¡¯t felt the need to use such tactics.In the past, it was a tactic he used to great effect in PKs and PVPs. If one fell for such a trick, it usually became a stuff of nightmare.It was rare for someone to bite that very same move for one¡¯s own use. Hyrkan thought Kiyote was refreshing in many ways. Sohank had a merry smile as he looked at Kiyote.Kiyote was acting as he liked.His courage and single mindedness was something that couldn¡¯t be learned over time by working on it. On the other hand, Natal¡¯s face was distorted by anger. The Hahoe Mask had to be treated with special care.One had to be very careful when speaking to him, yet Kiyote talked about challenging him? What nonsense. It would be the end of them if the Hahoe Mask used the challenge as a pretext to declare a war on their guild. In the end, Natal pulled at Kiyote¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Mr. Kiyote.I want you to keep to the promise you made.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Kiyote finally backed off. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.I really never expected the Hahoe Mask to remember my name.¡± Originally, Kiyote hadn¡¯t been scheduled to come with them.It had been decided that only Natal and Sohank would go to speak with the Hahoe Mask.However, Kiyote had decided to butt in.Kiyote said that he had met the Hahoe Mask before, and he had an abnormal relationship with the Hahoe Mask. Kiyote had said that he suffered a loss to the Hahoe Mask, and he would be able to challenge the Hahoe Mask once. This was why Natal had made Kiyote make a promise with him.If the Hahoe Mask didn¡¯t recognize him, he had to shut his mouth.Even if he was recognized, he was instructed to speak briefly.Natal had told him to keep the conversation to a short greeting. Kiyote retreated, and Natal stood in front of the Hahoe Mask. Hyrkan spoke to Natal first. ¡°I know we didn¡¯t have any direct confrontations on Frozen land.Still, if you harbor ill will towards me, shall we resolve our grievances right now?¡± ¡°Let us make a gentleman¡¯s agreement.¡± Natal spoke immediately after Hyrkan¡¯s words ended. ¡°I have no plans on allying myself with you.¡± ¡°We feel the same way.However, there is no reason why we should maul each other.That will only make our competitors happy.¡± Instead of answering, Hyrkan looked at Sohank.Sohank didn¡¯t look away from Hyrkan¡¯s gaze. Come at me if you dare! ¡®It is as the rumor said.He must have earned the Ancient Power of Darkness.¡¯ Sohank¡¯s confidence was not rooted in his Items or Level.He was also much inferior in terms of skills. This meant he possessed some other power. ¡®The game is really pouring out all the Mythos Rank Ancient Power.Originally, it was a power given, so one could fight against the Dragon¡¯s army.However, every tom, dick and harry has it now¡­¡¯ Hyrkan made invidious remarks inside, and he quickly weighed the possibilities. A gentleman¡¯s agreement was something he had wanted.Hyrkan also didn¡¯t want to make enemy of a User with a Mythos Rank Ancient Power. However, he couldn¡¯t show any weakness here.If he did, he would be entering into a losing proposition. ¡°All right.We don¡¯t have to get into unnecessary dog fights.So which way are you going?Are you going north, east or south?¡± Natal steadily looked at Hyrkan when Natal heard his words. ¡®If our paths coincide, is he saying he¡¯ll ignore the gentleman¡¯s agreement?Is that what he is trying to say?¡¯ Natal considered Hyrkan¡¯s words to be a warning.It was a warning that said the Hyrdra guild would have to pay the cost if they really wanted this deal. If one considered the Hydra guild¡¯s reputation, those terms were a nonstarter. ¡°Which way are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll know after I get my Quest.If you don¡¯t want to tell me, you don¡¯t have to.¡± Chul-kuhk! He said it was fine with his words, but Hyrkan touched the sword sheathe on his waist.Of course, it was a threat.The threat implied that they¡¯ll hear the sound of his sword if they refused to give him an answer. Normally, such tactics were Useless against the Hydra guild, but it was an entirely different story with the Hahoe Mask. ¡®Shit.He is domineering.If I could do such feats by myself¡­I would also act like that.¡¯ Natal became troubled. ¡°He is in a difficult spot.He cannot tell you our secrets.¡± Sohank, who hadn¡¯t spoke until now,resolved Natal¡¯s dilemma. ¡°Please be understanding.You should consider what the Hydra guild specializes in.We have no choice.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell me, then you don¡¯t have to.Someone might think I had threatened you judging by your words.¡± When Sohank stepped forward, the Hahoe Mask shrugged his shoulders, and he turned his back towards them.There was no reason to continue this conversation. When the Hahoe Mask left, Natal spoke to Sohank. ¡°Thanks to you I was able to gain some breathing room.¡± ¡°That is my role.Anyways, we were able to confirm something.The Hahoe Mask has no allies in the Black Continent.¡± Natal nodded his head. There were two reasons why they had sought out the Hahoe Mask. The first reason was straightforward.They wanted a gentleman¡¯s agreement where they¡¯ll be able to avoid unnecessary fights.The other reason was to assess Hahoe Mask¡¯s current condition. There was a hidden benefactor behind the Hahoe Mask.If the Hahoe Mask¡¯s benefactor had the means to actively help the Hahoe Mask through troops, the Hahoe Mask wouldn¡¯t have backed off right now. However, in the recent days, he had been helped by the Stormhunters guild when facing the Five Stars.If one looked at his recent activities, it seemed he wanted to solve his own problems instead of waiting for some other power to come in and help him. Of course, the brief conversation today didn¡¯t make them 100 percent confident in their theory.However, one needed a suspicion before one could come up with a hypothesis.Afterwards, evidence had to be gathered to prove the hypothesis.Then one would be able to prove that the suspicion was right. After hearing the conversation between the two, Kiyote spoke up. ¡°What will happen if I challenge and win against the Hahoe Mask?What would be my rank? Will I be able to become the 10th Head?¡± Sohank and Natal had been having a serious conversation, but the cat got their tongue when they heard Kiyote¡¯s words. Chapter 167 – Trace of Bokan (3) Chapter 167 ¨C Trace of Bokan (3) 8. The Heard Fortress Ruin town grew by the day.A castle wall grew taller each day as if it was a bamboo tree in growth.Of course, houses made out of logs and brick were erected beyond the castle walls. They sprung up everywhere. Amongst all of them, the most eye-catching building was the one built out of bricks.The construction of the building was almost completed.It was the Heard Fortress Ruin branch of the Subjugation Association.It was 5 stories high, andit was also the largest building in terms of width. Moreover, it had the most Users within the building. ¡°Move it!Let me get some Quests!¡± ¡°Is there anyone willing to hunt with me?I¡¯m looking for a Striker!¡± ¡°Hey!Over here!Look here!Over here!¡± This was the only way station in the Black Continent, so of course, it had a lot of people.Moreover, when people gathered, a marketplace always popped up. The Users here had all gone through their 2nd Advancement.Their Levels and Items would have brought admiring gazes to themselves if it was anywhere else, but here.It didn¡¯t work like that over here.There were too many monsters here with high levels and great items to be boastful. Moreover, a real monster had appeared inside the town. ¡®It¡¯s the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ ¡®The Hahoe Mask really came.¡¯ ¡®Since he came here, I¡¯m guessing he is here for a Quest.I heard he crossed the Urugal mountain range again.¡¯ ¡®If he suffered a Game Over, he would have been summoned here.There¡¯s no other reason why he would have crossed the Urugal mountain range.¡¯ ¡®It was the same with the Immoral Prince episode, and the the Frozen Kingdom episode.We have to follow after the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ Hahoe Mask. The fact that he had arrived at the Heard Fortress Ruin town wasn¡¯t just spread to the Users.It was spread so far that people, who didn¡¯t play Warlord, was aware of this fact. Moreover, the fact that the Hahoe Mask sought out the branch of the Subjugation Association meant that the he had business here. The Hahoe Mask wasn¡¯t just a skilled User.He was like a magnet that pulled along the flow of Warlord. The Subjugation Association was where one could receive a Quest.His appearance at this location meant that the Hahoe Mask was on a Quest.Of course, there was no way it was a normal Quest.When the Hahoe Mask entered the branch office of the Subjugation Association, he didn¡¯t stay on the first floor where the normal Quests were processed.A guard guided the Hahoe Mask upstairs, and the rumor of this incident started to spread.The expressions on the Users near the Subjugation Association changed. 9. NPC Diung was a young man with a face full of scars.The NPC was young yet he had scars.These two elements usually didn¡¯t go hand in hand with each other. The NPC took out a pouch made out of rags. ¡°This is the Item I found recently.¡± NPC Diung handed over the pouch to the User wearing the Hahoe Mask. Hyrkan immediately opened the pouch, and he took out the item. ¡®As expected, it is a Conch.¡¯ The pouch held a Conch, which gave off a yellow gleam.It was metallic, and it was similar in size to the Wooden Conch he had found in the Ruins.Its shape was also similar.Therefore, it was easy to figure out how to operate the Golden Conch. Hyrkan immediately pressed the Golden Conch to his ears. Instead of the relaxing sounds of waves, a voice could be heard. ¨C My name is Bokan.I¡¯m at a tomb.It is the grave of some unknown person, and I was able to witness the Power of Corruption here.This is why I¡¯m leaving behind a record. The voice sounded dry.It was hard to determine the age of the speaker by listening to its voice, and there were static included with the message.If he didn¡¯t concentrate, he wouldn¡¯t be able to differentiate between the voice and the background static. At the same time, the message was short. Hyrkan waited to hear more of story, but there was no followup message. ¡®This game is really too much.¡¯ Basically, that was all the information he would get. It had introduced itself as Bokan.It had revealed where it was at by saying it was at a grave.Then it spoke about the result of its action by mentioning its sighting of the Power of Corruption. ¡®I have to find the location using just this information?¡¯ Hyrkan would have to find the trace of Bokan using this clue.When he arrived at a predetermined destination, the Golden Conch would give him a new clue.This was the most common way the Users progressed in a Quest within the Ruined Kingdom Episode. ¡®So stingy.Couldn¡¯t they have been a little bit more free in giving out information?¡¯ Hyrkan harbored a brief feeling of discontent, but he didn¡¯t let it progress any further.Nothing would change if he dwelled on his frustration.Hyrkan was well aware of this fact. ¡°So where did you find it?¡± Anyways, the starting point would always be where the Item was found.He just had to find the next path from there. ¡°I found it at the Balos ruins.¡± Balos ruins was the location discovered by the Stormhunters guild. ¡®In the end, I have to head east?¡¯ It seemed Hyrkan¡¯s fate was closely intertwined with the Stormhunters guild. ¡®A tomb¡­..¡¯ Hyrkan knew that the word, ¡®tomb¡¯, appeared a lot in the Ruined Kingdom.There were a lot of locations that started or ended with tomb.As the word indicated, the Ruined Kingdom had been a nation.During the kingdom¡¯s era of prosperity, kings and other important figures were buried in tombs, and these tombs were usually filled with Items. Wouldn¡¯t a tomb be called a ruin if it was big enough? ¡®East¡­.It would be a jackpot if I find the King¡¯s Tomb.¡¯ Of course, if the King¡¯s Tomb was found, it would be a jackpot for him.At the very least, he would be able to gain two scrolls of Legendary Rank Ancient Power.If he was lucky, he would be able obtain an amazing Item.Even if it was a lesser tomb, there should be multiple Items within it. Of course, these tombs were difficult.If one found the tomb of a famous king, one would have to fight a monster that was as strong as the Boss Monster guarding the peak of the Urugal mountain range.An exciting clash against the guardians of the tombs would be waiting for the Users. ¡®Let¡¯s look at this in a positive light.¡¯ Hyrkan systematically listed the important facts.East would be preferable than going to the north or the south.Hyrkan and the Stormhunters guild could fight until their faces were red if they wanted to, but an excuse would be needed to start the feud.However, the Five Stars guild didn¡¯t need any pretext.They would try to kill Hyrkan on sight. ¡°Was there any other clues left behind.¡± ¡°None. This item was by itself in the middle of a room.¡± ¡°All right.Good job.¡± Hyrkan was about to leave.Since he had nothing to gain here, why should he stay any longer? ¡°Ah.Also¡­¡± Hyrkan was about to walk away when NPC Diung stopped him. ¡°In the near future, the Hiban kingdom will dispatch an order of knights here. I believe you deserve to know this, Hyrkan-nim.It¡¯ll happen in secret, so please don¡¯t tell anyone else about this.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Hyrkan tilted his head. The word, ¡®order of knights¡¯, wasn¡¯t a bad thing in itself. The problem arose in Hyrkan¡¯s memories regarding the order of knights and the Ruined Kingdom.He knew what came out when these two elements were mixed. ¡°Which order of knights¡­.¡± ¡°I cannot tell you any more than that.However, the Hiban kingdom decided this fallen kingdom needed a closer examination.They will be here on orders.¡± ¡°Thank you for informing me.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll pray for your success.Please find the whereabouts of our Archmage.¡± After nodding his head, Hyrkan exited the room.However, Hyrkan¡¯s thoughts weren¡¯t filled with information regarding the Archmage Bokan. ¡®Are the Steel Lion Knights heading this way?Was the Barbarian King event already triggered?¡¯ Black Continent¡­.Before Hyrkan returned to the past, the Ruined Kingdom was called the Lost World, and several troops of knights had appeared there.Of course, they appeared for Quests and events.They would never appear randomly to take down a monster. Moreover, the appearance of the Steel Lion Knights and the Barbarian King event was an integral part of the Ruined Kingdom episode. It was akin to the great battle. The Steel Lion Knights would start to operate within the Black Continent with great success, and they would eventually awaken the Barbarian King.From that point on, the Users would have to fight against the Barbarian King.The Barbarian King had a special characteristic of being able use all monsters as vassals.Its power was selected to be akin to the Power of Corruption. If things ended there, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.The problem was the regions surrounding the Barbarian King.In the regions near the Boss monster, the Regeneration time and number changed. Basically, the Barbarian King made all monsters its subordinates.To satisfy this setting, the nearby hunting grounds became empty as they gathered beneath the Barbarian King. Basically, the Users, who frequently hunted in the Black Continent, would be forced to take down the Barbarian King. At the time, Tobot Soft took a lot of heat as swear words automatically came out of the Users. However, the developers hid behind the excuse that they didn¡¯t have the ability to arbitrarily change the game.The AI made the decision on how the events developed in Warlord, and they no longer interfered with the system on the development side. ¡®No way.The Barbarian King is suppose to come out at the latter stages of the Ruined Kingdom episode.¡¯ When the Barbarian King was taken down, the Users find out why the Ruined Kingdom collapsed.Then there was the power left behind by the Ruined Kingdom.It was made, so the Users could avenge the Ruined Kingdom by fighting the beings that caused their collapse.This was when the beings that drove the Kingdom to ruins was revealed. This was the starting point of the Dragon¡¯s Army episode. ¡®There is no way that¡¯ll occur.¡¯ The Ruined Kingdom episode had just started, so there was no way the signs regarding the Dragon¡¯s Army would show up. Hyrkan let out a bitter laugh as he lightly shook his head from side to side. ¡®There is no way the high and mighty AI could made such a mistake.¡¯ After descending the stairway, Hyrkan left the Subjugation Association. 10. A person didn¡¯t change.It didn¡¯t matter if a User was level 1, level 100 or level 200.In the end, Users were humans.In the end, the bad apple will continue to be a bad apple, and the cheaters will always cheat. Of course, the schemers will continue to scheme. When one continue to scheme, there would always be a day of reckoning. ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± Five Users were about to pay the price for playing games. ¡°I purposefully moved in a circuitous route, and I passed by this location not too long ago.Look here.I clearly left behind this scratch when I walked past this tree.¡± He looked at the Users, who would be forced to pay a price. ¡°We¡­.¡± ¡°So you are trying to say you guys were coincidentally taking the same route as me.Stop lying.¡± The User¡¯s name was Hyrkan, and his nickname was the Hahoe Mask. We was the most famous User in Warlord, and one must never make an enemy out of him. ¡°What is your affiliation?V&V?Big Smiles?¡± These five Users had been tailing after the Hahoe Mask. It happened quite often.When a User received an important Quest from the Subjugation Association, one basically had the spoon half way up to one¡¯s mouth.The one raising the spoon was the target, and if the owner of the Quest could be eliminated, the Quest Reward could be taken by someone else. Then there were the Users, who interfered with the progress of an opponent¡¯s Quest. Of course, the User suffering these kinds of schemes had the right to lash out. The Hahoe Mask would be in the right even if he killed the five Users tailing him. ¡°Run!¡± The five Users made the wise choice.If their opponent wasn¡¯t Hyrkan, this plan would have worked. Chul-kuhk, chul-kuhk! However, this was the Hahoe Mask.He controlled over 60 Skeletons, and a loose retreat wasn¡¯t a wise choice. Before the five Users had been aware of it, the Skeleton Warriors had already created a perimeter around them.They blocked the Users from escaping. The five Users had planned on simultaneously running in different directions.The five Users once again looked at Hyrkan. Hyrkan met their gazes as he spoke. ¡°The five of you can fight against each other, and I¡¯ll let the last surviving User live.¡± At his words, two of the five Users sneered at him.The other three members flipped their middle fingers towards Hyrkan. Hyrkan smiled as he flicked his finger. 11. [The Hydra guild merged with the Fighters guild!] [Hydra guild:¡°The Fighters guild is the strongest in terms of battle capability amongst the Underfoot guilds.We need them.They will supplement the part where the Hydra guild is weakest.¡±] [Fighters guild:¡°We agreed to it the moment we received an offer from the Hyrdra guild.Our merge will create the best synergistic effect.¡±] [This is the first instance where an Underfoot guild merged with one of the 30 great guilds.Is this the start of a new reorganization of the power structure?] Many articles were being written with titles saying the Hydra guild had merged with the Fighters guild.The news was being spread fast. While the news was spreading, Eric Gomes had turned off his smartphone and every other forms of communication he possessed.He was listening to music. It was a habit he developed long ago when he worked on Wall Street.If he succeeded, he would hit the jackpot.If he failed, he would go bankrupt. He had made irrevocable decisions that could have led to either outcome, and when he made the decision, Eric Gomes cut himself off from the outside world.He realized that he could do nothing once he had the irrevocable decision. It meant that the decision he had made recently was a decision in the same vein. He always had thought about acquiring the Fighters guild.In truth, there wasn¡¯t much downside to the merge.The Fighters guild possessed Users with high combat ability.They would be able to fill Hyrdra¡¯s biggest need in one fell swoop. Of course, the problem always came down to money.The Hyrdra guild wasn¡¯t the only ones, who had coveted the Fighters guild.In such a situation, there was no reason why the Fighters guild would lower their market value. Basically, the acquisition had been an unreasonable bet.The Hydra guild had paid a heavy price. ¡®Life is a funny thing.I can¡¯t believe I made a decision like this, because of the Hungry man.¡¯ The impetus behind such a bold bet was the Hungry man, Toby Gwynn. He had suddenly contacted Eric Gomes, and he divulged information that hadn¡¯t been released to the public. When he heard the information, Eric Gomes understood the reasoning behind the actions taken by the Tobot Soft. ¡®As always, success comes to those, who are prepared.The great success is reaped by those that are lucky.¡¯ At the same time, Eric Gomes realized that he had no choice, but to stand with Toby Gwynn.The gains wanted by Toby Gwynn was in a similar direction to the gains wanted by Eric Gomes. When he heard Toby Gwynn¡¯s story, he immediately purchased the Fighters guild.He needed to take the initiative. ¡®I have to see the big picture especially in times like this.¡¯ This was a lesson he had learned while working at Wall Street for 10 years.The further you were away from where money was being traded, the opportunity to make money also disappeared.The funny part was the fact even if one distanced oneself from the market where money flowed back and forth, this didn¡¯t mean the opportunity to lose money went away too. ¡®So the problem becomes the Hahoe Mask again?¡¯ According to the information given to him by Toby Gwynn, the biggest problem right now was the Hahoe Mask. A person working outside the standard structure would eventually wreck the structure. ¡®He told me such precious information, because he expects me to block people like the Hahoe Mask and the Stormhunters guild from rocking the boat too much.¡¯ Toby Gwynn had given the Hyrdra guild information, because it would be profitable for the Hydra guild to keep the Hahoe Mask in check. It was a really hard task. However, Eric Gomes thought of it in simple terms. ¡®If I look at the most recent events¡­There is a good possibility that the Hahoe Mask doesn¡¯t have a backer.Even if he had one, it isn¡¯t a big organization.¡¯ In the past, he had thought the Hahoe Mask was backed by an organization that rivaled the 30 great guilds in power. However, Eric Gomes recently started to have doubts about this assumption.If the Hahoe Mask had backers, the forces behind him should have started their operation already unless they were stupid.Moreover, if they refused to reveal their identity up to now, they probably would refuse toreveal their identity in the future. Basically, Hahoe Mask was by himself.He was a Solo Player.He played this game by himself. Eric Gomes calibrated his thoughts based on this assumption. ¡®Warlord isn¡¯t a game one can solo.Up until now, the Hahoe Mask reaped the rewards by taking over tables that had already been set.¡¯ In the Immoral Prince episode, it seemed as if the Hahoe Mask did everything by himself, but he had walked a road paved by countless number of dead Users.He only planted a flag on top of the peak. Would the Hahoe Mask been able to stop the great battle by himself? Even in the Argardo raid, could he have done it without the help from the Red Bulls guild? In the recent Raid, he would have failed without the help of the Stormhunters guild.The Five Stars would have shut him down if he hadn¡¯t had help. This was the key point. ¡®We tried to use the Hahoe Mask, and the Hahoe Mask used us instead.I have to give up on the idea of using the Hahoe Mask. If I do so, only the disrupters would be left around the Hahoe Mask.In the end, the Hahoe Mask will come against a wall.¡¯ The Hahoe Mask wouldn¡¯t be able to do this alone. ¡®If the Hahoe Mask is able to monopolize the content by himself¡­¡¯ If he could do it without the help of others¡­ ¡®Then his destiny was already set in stone by god.¡¯ At that point, a destiny like that couldn¡¯t be dodged. Chapter 168 – King’s Tomb (1) Chapter 168 ¨C King¡¯s Tomb (1) 1. The news of the the Hydra guild acquiring the Fighters guild was spread in an instant.It also created a big ripple in Warlord. ¨C Why did the Hydra guild suddenly merge with the Fighters guild? ¨C ? They made the acquisition, because they needed the forces of the Fighters guild. ¨C Why does the Hydra guild suddenly need the Fighters guild¡¯s forces?What are they trying to do? In the midst of the unrest, people started to figure out the reasons behind the merge.They deduced the reason why the Hydra guild had purchased the Fighters guild even at the expense of overpaying for the acquisition. ¨C They are basically signalling their intent on entering the Black Continent. ¨C ? The original Hydra guild had enough firepower to enter the Black Continent.So why make this move? ¨C ? Monsters aren¡¯t the only foes one has to face within the Black Continent. In a short amount of time, a majority of the people came to a consensus in regards to the reasoning behind the merge. ¨C The Black Continent is already occupied by the Five Stars guild and the Stormhunters guild.They are basically saying that they won¡¯t back down. ¨C ? Will this be a start to a guild war? ¨C ? Didn¡¯t they already fight with the Big Smiles guild in the Frozen Lands?They¡¯ve already fought once, so there is no reason why they won¡¯t fight again. ¨C ? However, the Big Smiles is part of the Five Stars now.Will the Hydra guild really try to start something with the Big Smiles? ¨C ? This is why they acquired the Fighters guild! ¨C ? Still, would the acquisition of the Fighters guild be enough?In my opinion, it would have been better to create an alliance with another guild. ¨C ? The Hydra guild has a decent relationship with the Red Bulls.If they allied with each other on top of acquiring the Fighters guild¡­It might be possible. Guild war. This wasn¡¯t simply a fight between Users affiliated with a guild.It was a life-and-death fight where the guild¡¯s profit was put on the line as prize.Of course, when the Hydra guild enters the Black Continent, many predicted that it would signal the start of a guild war.It would be a battle between 30 great guilds that¡¯ll determine each guild¡¯s fate.Since the fate of a guild was on the line, it was predicted that it would be a battle amongst the most skilled Users, who represented the guilds.It would be like the fight between Sohank and Sinclair at the Frozen lands.The real pros would be fighting for their fame. People expected it, and at the same time, they were looking forward to seeing it. However, unlike the expectations held by the public, no full scale battles occurred. When people realized that there wouldn¡¯t be any real clashes, everyone became disappointed.Ahn-jaehyun was one of the people, who was disappointed. ¡®There¡¯s no special news today either.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun busily tapped at his Tablet PC, and he had on a sullen expression on his face. ¡®In the end, did they decide to work with each other?From what I saw, the Hydra guild and the Five Stars overlapped in their area of operation¡­Did they come to some kind of agreement?¡¯ When the Hydra guild acquired the Fighters guild, Ahn-jaehyun had thought his opportunity had finally come. From Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s perspective, it hadn¡¯t been great to share the Black Continent with the Five Stars and the Stormhunters guild. On the other hand, if the field got messy, the story would change.As the competition amongst the 30 great guilds intensified, he would be able to operate more freely in the Black Continent. ¡®These bastards might attack me to screw me over¡­Something smells off.¡¯ If the 30 great guilds worked with each other, it wouldn¡¯t have a positive effect on the Hahoe Mask.The Hahoe Mask wasn¡¯t some friendly and handsome oppa next door.If the 30 great guilds had the chance to eliminate the Hahoe Mask, they would gladly get rid of him immediately. ¡®Still, it is great to see a great volume of Items being released.¡¯ One of the positives of the 30 great guilds operating in the Black Continent was the fact the Black Continent was stabilizing as each faction kept each other in check.This had the effect of more Unique Items and Skill Books being put on the market. Warlord had an Item Crafting system, and if one was lucky, one could produce a Unique Rank Item, while trying to make a normal Rank Item. At the same time, the Black Continent had a lot of locations, where one could acquire Skill Books.There was the Dungeons called Ruins, and the Dungeon Rewards frequently gave No Name Skill Books as reward. Level 190 No Name Skill Books were being put on the market intermittently. Ahn-jaehyun tapped his Tablet PC to go into Warlord¡¯s auction house.There were 3 level 190 No Name Skill Book up for sale.The price was 1 million gold.All three of them were priced the same at 1 million gold. ¡®Crazy bastards.¡¯ Of course, the sellers weren¡¯t serious about selling it for gold.If they were really going to sell it for 1 million gold, one would be better off allowing the option of trading it for an Item of similar price instead of gold. The sellers had put it up with a YOLO mentality.If it did sell, it would be a huge windfall for the seller.Even if it was a very slim possibility, there was a a bit of hope behind their actions. ¡®If it was a 100 thousand gold then maybe¡­.¡¯ Warlord had a fair number of wealthy individuals, who had too much money. ¡®100,000 gold.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun clicked his tongue when he realized what he had just thought about. ¡®I¡¯m so far down this road.I¡¯m actually thinking about buying a Skill book for 100 thousand gold¡­¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun shook his head from side to side, and his gaze naturally landed on the V-Gear lying on top of the mattress.It was the most expensive V-Gear model a civilian could buy.He felt a weight press down on his chest. 2. There were two mountains surrounded by a red forest.From afar, it looked as if the mountains were burning at its base.These mountains were so tall that it was hard to even look up at the peak of the mountains. Red Forest. It was one of the top 5 most difficult hunting ground found on the Black Continent. One had to be level 240 to have access to the hunting ground! The Stormhunters guild had found this place first, but they had given up any rights to it.It was still too difficult to claim this location as a hunting ground.It was a hellish location for the Users. There was a fearsome monster that had made this place into hell. Koo-uh-uh-uhng! It was 3 meters tall, and it had human arms and legs like a werewolf.However, it possessed incredible offense, defense and combat ability that couldn¡¯t be compared to a humanoid monster. The Werebear was first found by the Storm Princess Hahui, and the monster was famous for knocking her down with a single strike. To be precise, Hahui thought the Werebear was cute, so she approached it to give it a hug.As she attempted the hug, she hadn¡¯t been able to dodge the Werebear¡¯s attack, and she was sent flying through the air.Hatch had recorded this scene, and he had uploaded it to his personal youtube page. In just five days, the video received 30 million views.It was a very popular video. Currently, the Werebear was letting out a rough cry. Koo-uh-uh-uhng! To be precise, it let out a scream. Two Skeleton Knights easily turned away the arms swung by the Werebear, and the small Mini Ogre Skeleton Warriors continuously stabbed at the Werebear¡¯s legs.When the Werebear tried to catch the Mini Ogre Skeleton Warriors, the Skeleton Knights immediately brought down their swords to make wounds on its thick hide. In such a situation, the cry let out by the Werebear could be interpreted as a scream. ¡°Ah.It is so noisy..¡± Hyrkan expressed his annoyance at hearing such a noise.The other Users would be startled by the sight in front of him, but it was something he saw everyday. Moreover, Hyrkan was busy pressing the Golden Conch to his ear. ¨C To the east¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. The Golden Conch let out a low voice.The voice came out at really low volume.If one wasn¡¯t paying full attention to it, one wouldn¡¯t be able to make out the words.This was the reason why Hyrkan had become annoyed at the Werebear¡¯s cry. ¡®Shit.¡¯ Of course, this wasn¡¯t the real source of his annoyance. ¡®I have to go east again?¡¯ It was the 20th day. It had been 20 days, since Hyrkan had received the Quest from the Heard Fortress Ruin town. Hyrkan had relied on the low voice of the Golden Conch for directions.It kept sending him towards the east, and he was once again sent towards the same direction. ¡®How far does it want me to go?Is it a bug?¡¯ Moreover, he hadn¡¯t traveled a short distance in the past 20 days.He had traveled a large distance.Despite this fact, he had nothing to show for it.He hadn¡¯t been able to find any more traces regarding the Archmage Bokan, and he hadn¡¯t found any Ruins either. ¡®This Bokan bastard is worse than Abrahim.What kind of a Quest has no end like this?¡¯ In truth, it was the worst part about this Quest. ¡°Hoo-ooh.¡± ¡®After the Heard Fortress Ruin, I haven¡¯t been able to earn any more Ancient Powers.¡¯ The fastest way to gain the Ancient Power was to find the Ruins.The other way was the Quest Rewards. Moreover, if one wanted to earn a Transcendent Rank Ancient Power, one needed Quests that took at least 10 days to complete them. This was also the reason why he had thought he would at the very least find two Ruins during this Quest. He had thought the appearance of Ruins was a given.In the Ruined Kingdom episode, the Ruins acted as the stepping stones to progress in one¡¯s Quest. This was the Quest to find the Archmage Bokan, so shouldn¡¯t this Quest have more extraordinary stepping stones? However, for the past 20 days, Hyrkan had been busily fighting monsters. ¡®If the Quest Reward wasn¡¯t a Skill Book, I would have given up on this much earlier.¡¯ Hyrkan shook his head from side to side as he once again looked at the battlefield.The Skeleton Knights and Skeleton Warriors made up a group of seven, and they were facing a Werebear.The monster was riddled with wounds. However, it wasn¡¯t as if the Werebear was the only one to take wounds.The Skeleton Knights and Skeleton Warriors had taken significant damage at the Werebear¡¯s counterattacks.In fact, three Skeleton Warriors had already reverted themselves to Skeleton Fragments.The Werebear had been fighting 10 foes, and it had taken down three. ¡®I can understand why the Storm Princess was sent flying by this monster.¡¯ The Werebears were really strong. From Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, it was one of the strongest mid-sized normal monster he had encountered. Moreover, the Werebears were absent from his memories. ¡°Tsk!¡± Hyrkan clicked his tongue.At that moment, the Werebear suddenly looked at Hyrkan.When it met Hyrkan¡¯s eyes, the light within its eyes changed.It used to have a black gleam in its eyes, but now it had turned red. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t taken aback.This was the first time he had seen the monster do this, and when the monster stared at him with those eyes, Hyrkan knew something was up. Hyrkan was already running at that point. The Werebear threw its body towards Hyrkan.The Skeleton Knights raised their shields in front of them to block it, but the Werebear was much stronger than before.The Skeleton Knights were thrown to the ground by the Body Slam. Koo-uh-uhng! The Wearbear let out a roar, and it got onto all four feet for the first time.It started running after Hyrkan. The Skeleton Knights rolled across the ground before they immediately righted themselves. The Skeleton Knights looked at the Werebear¡¯s rear with a blue light in their eyes. Dduhl-goo-ruhk, dduhl-goo-ruhk! The Mini Ogre Skeleton Warriors were geniuses at tracking down foes, so they quickly followed right behind the Werebear.In a single breath, a single Mini Ogre Skeleton Warrior climbed atop the Werebear, and it started to stab down at the Werebear. Hyrkan, who had been running, suddenly changed direction, and he started to run in a circuitous route.After a brief moment, he came to a stop.When Hyrkan stopped running, the Werebear rushed towards Hyrkan. Koo-uhng! The Werebear was about to pounce on him when Hyrkan lowered his body.the Werebear flew over Hyrkan as if it was jumping over an obstacle.After landing on the floor, the Werebear quickly turned its body. Chul-kuhk, chul-kuhk, chul-kuhk! In a flash, the Skeleton Knights and Skeleton Warriors surrounded the Werebear.They maintained the perimeter as they charged towards the monster. He had run away using the Whirlpool escape plan.He had run away in the shape of a whirlpool, and in the end, the bait would become surrounded. Hyrkan looked at the sight in a calm manner, and he once again put the Golden Conch to his ear. ¨C To the north¡­. ¡®Uh?¡¯ At that moment, a new word appeared for the first time. Hyrkan turned his head towards the north. 3. Hyrkan raised his head. It was a large mountain, and everything about it was grand.Within this mountain, there was a cave that had a slightly different grandeur than a naturally made cave.On the exterior walls, there were realistic large knights carved into it, and it looked as if they would come to life at any moment.However, the sight that stole Hyrkan¡¯s gaze wasn¡¯t the knight sculptures. ¡®No way.¡¯ There was a 10 meter tall cave entrance located between the large knight sculptures.On top of the cave entrance, the image of a crown was carved into it. ¡®Can it be?¡¯ Moreover, there were gems embedded into the crown.The gems were massive.Each of the gems decorating the crown was easily bigger than a man¡¯s fist. Hyrkan looked at the cave entrance, and he put his treasured Golden Conch to his ear. ¨C Go in¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. Hyrkan followed the Golden Conch¡¯s words, and he entered the cave.Darkness greeted him. There was no way anyone would smile happily when looking at this darkness.It was as if all the ills of the world was gathered within this darkness. However, a smile formed on Hyrkan¡¯s lips as he looked at the darkness. ¡®Thank you, my teacher¡¯s teacher.¡¯ Hyrkan finally found his first stepping stone on the 20th day. Chapter 169 – King’s Tomb (2) Chapter 169 ¨C King¡¯s Tomb (2) 4. The corridor was so well made that it was hard to call it a tunnel within a cave.There were checkered tiles on the ground akin to go boards.There was not a single tile out of place, and the surface of the walls in the semicircular tunnel was decorated with beautiful patterns. It was a tunnel befitting a tomb of a king. This was the last path traveled by a king.This was why this tunnel possessed extravagance, and it gave off a feeling of stately dignity. [The Guardians, who guard the King¡¯s Tomb, is approaching you.] The King¡¯s Tomb didn¡¯t allow anyone to enter it except for the king.It didn¡¯t look kindly to intruders. Accompanying the System Announcement, soldiers made out of clay started to appear from the other side of the tunnel.They kept in formation as they marched forward. Chu-buhk, chubuhk! The sounds of their feet moving in sync was heard.They marched towards the intruder, who had decided to interfere with the king¡¯s eternal sleep. There were a lot of them.As expected of a road made for a king, the tunnel was large enough for 10 people to stand abreast of each other with their hands extended..However, the clay soldiers made this tunnel feel cramped. Twelves soldiers stood abreast of each other.Moreover, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t see the end of the line. The only thing he was sure about was the fact that they numbered in the hundreds. It was an incredibly large army. Just imagining such a large army marching against oneself was enough to make anyone feel faint.Moreover, it was hard to even come up with a strategy to deal with such a large army.However, in such a situation, the User decided to charge forward. Chuh-buhk! Chuh-buhk! One could hear steps that were out of sync with the sound of footsteps made by several hundred clay soldiers marching together. Pah-aht, pah-aht! The sound of nimble footsteps could be heard. The sound of the running footsteps and the slow marching footsteps alternated with each other. Shweek! In the middle of the alternating sounds, the sound of the air being split was heard. Ssssk! Then the sound of something solid being cut was heard. Shweek, sssssk! These sounds were heard in succession, and afterwards, the sound of something hard being hit was heard. Ggah-ahng! It was the start to the battle. The battle started out in a noble fashion.A User threw his body towards a tunnel filled with several hundred Clay Soldiers. Wasn¡¯t this something that couldn¡¯t be done unless one had guts and a gallant spirit? However, the result of such a gallant move wasn¡¯t that great.He was like a bulldozer.He sliced through the Clay Soldiers in front of him like tofu.He cut through everything without hesitation. However, at some point, his gallant spirit couldn¡¯t overcome everything.He had charged straight into ranks of the endless Clay Soldiers, and now he was surrounded. The User was surrounded, and his headlong charge had come to a stop.Sharp swords were flying towards him at all sides, and the User displayed his ability. The User had been in a desperately dangerous situation, and he could expect no outside help.The User had to solve the problem through his own power. Che-ehng, cheng! The unceasing sounds of swords clashing was heard, and at that moment, the User stabbed a sword into the ground. The sword planted into the ground melted as it fountained forth liquid steel.The amount of liquid steel was much more than the amount making up the sword.It was an incredible amount. Kwahl, kwahl! The liquid steel, which poured out from the sword, didn¡¯t merely wet the floor.It started to overflow. [Iron Golem was summoned.] The overflowing liquid steel quickly formed into a 4 meter tall body.It turned into an enormous Golem made out of steel. The Iron Golem appeared, and it immediately clogged the tunnel. ¡°Hardening!¡± The Iron Golem hardened in place as it became a wall blocking the tunnel. Ggah-ahng, Ggah-ahng! From the other side of the Iron Golem, one could hear the sound of swords being brought down in an attempt to destroy the Iron Golem.However, they could only attempt it.The Iron Golem didn¡¯t even let out a cry, and it didn¡¯t allow the monsters to wound its body easily. The Users, who had been fighting solo, put his back against the Iron Golem. ¡°Hoo-ooh!¡± He was finally able to let out a sigh.As the User let out a sight, the corner of Hyrkan¡¯s mouth lifted. Dahk dahk! Hyrkan immediately flicked his fingers.From where Hyrkan had come from, a group suddenly appeared. The Death Knight stood in front of the group.It was followed by two Skeleton Knights and 10 Skeleton Warriors! When the enemies appeared in the rear, a portion of the Clay Soldiers stopped pointing their swords toward Hyrkan, and they quickly turned towards the new group. When he saw this sight, he regripped his Deposed Prince¡¯s Sword as he got ready to attack again. ¡®I¡¯ve been reaping only the benefits for awhile now.I guess I¡¯ll have to cough up some of it back now.¡¯ King¡¯s Tomb. When he entered the King¡¯s Tomb,he had waited for the guardians called the Clay Soldiers to show up. Clay Soldiers. It was a monster that appeared in the Ruined Kingdom episode.They were quite similar in nature to the Skeleton Warriors under his command.A fixed amount of damage was recovered as time progressed, and they didn¡¯t have a particular weakness that could be exploited.One had to give cumulative damage to kill it.It also had a pretty good Battle AI, and most importantly, they moved in a group numbering in the hundreds. When he saw that the Clay Soldiers were his opponents, Hyrkan immediately came up with a battle scenario. The plan he was carrying out right now was that exact scenario. Hyrkan had waded into the unknown number of Clay Soldiers, and he had summoned the Iron Golem to make a wall.Then the Iron Golem was used to eliminate the divided forces of his enemies! However, it was too inefficient to leave everything to his Skeleton underlings and the Golem. Moreover, his Skeleton underlings were too unreserved in their attacks.His Skeleton underlings resembled Hyrkan, who had charged headlong into the ranks of the enemies. At first, the Skeleton Warriors would be able to crush their enemies.However, the problem occurred afterwards.The Clay Soldiers would regain their original form in short order just like the Skeleton underlings! If they weren¡¯t careful, the Skeleton underlings would be surrounded by the Clay Soldiers. After being surrounded, his Skeleton underlings would put up a good fight.However, his magical energy would be the cost of letting such a frantic struggle occur. He didn¡¯t know when this battle would end.However, if his magical energy bottomed out, it would be Hyrkan¡¯s defeat. ¡°Hoo-ooh!¡± This was why he chose this method.He wanted a more efficient, logical and wise battle tactic. Of course, this would be hard.The Clay Soldier¡¯s combat ability didn¡¯t reflect their crude appearance.The swords were swung in a powerful and an intelligent manner.They didn¡¯t mindlessly hack and slash their opponents.When one stabbed, the others predicted how the enemy would respond.Then the other Clay Soldiers in line would stab their swords towards this predicted location with a bit of a time lag. Usually, the prospect of being surrounded by the group of Clay Soldiers as a Striker would give one chills and nausea. However, at that moment, Hyrkan had a smile on his face. ¡®This fucking game.¡¯ It was difficult.It was arduous.It was annoying. ¡®Well, it is very Warlord-like.¡¯ This was why it was fun. It had always been like this.This was the reason why Hyrkan found Warlord fun, and this was also the reason why he kept playing it.If he couldn¡¯t feel such enjoyment from playing it, Hyrkan wouldn¡¯t have even bothered to start playing Warlord. ¡°Stand tall.¡± Kahng kahng! Hyrkan patted the Iron Golem¡¯s body, which had become the strongest wall.Then he charged towards the Clay Soldiers. 5. The very extravagant and clean tunnel leading to the tomb was filled with dirt.It was quite dirty. It was the remains leftover when one thousand Clay Soldiers were killed. Hyrkan looked unsightly as he had just finished fighting a thousand Clay Soldiers.The Argardo¡¯s armor named the Dark Spot set boasted incredible defense, yet there were clear scratches on the armor.Some parts were broken, and other parts were smashed.It was evidence showing how fierce this battle had been. [You are short on magical energy.The ¡®Undying¡¯ Skill¡¯s effect is gone.] When he stopped taking the consumable Items, his magic immediately bottomed out.He had been barely able to maintain his magical energy thanks to the recovery Items.This was a battle where he had reached his limit. ¡®This is the first time, since the Anugas Raid, where I might have died.¡¯ Hyrkan had several near death experiences as he faced powerful monsters.Argardo, Immoral Prince, Frost Knight, Anugas¡­. These were unfathomable existences, and it wouldn¡¯t have been strange to see Hyrkan die at any of their hands. However, he had almost experienced death by the sheer number of his enemies right now.It had been a while since he experienced such a thing. ¡®The difficulty of the game is higher than expected.¡¯ In truth, Hyrkan hadn¡¯t realized the King¡¯s Tomb had such a high difficulty setting. ¡°Whew..¡± The difficulty was higher than expected, and he had bled more than expected. ¡®I used up the consumable Items at twice the expected rate.¡¯ When Hyrkan talked about bleeding, he was referring to his consumption of the consumable Items.Moreover, he had been in constant battle was 20 days, so he had a low stock of good consumable Items. ¡®No matter what, I have to go back after this.¡¯ With the amount of consumable Items left, he would be able to conduct one more battle such as this one. Still, Hyrkan could calculate the use of his consumable Items as a bleed rather than a critical wound. ¡®This was possible, because it was me.A decent partyof 10 to 20 members would have never been able to break through this place.¡¯ If it was a party of normal Users, over half their numbers would have experienced Game Over. Hyrkan was astonished by the difficulty of the game. At the same time, he was satisfied with it. ¡®Yes.It is possible, because I¡¯m me.¡¯ From Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, the King¡¯s Tomb had been one of most difficult locations in terms of difficulty.The crux of the difficulty was the fact that this stage was meant to be overcome with the cooperation of numerous Users.On the other hand, the reward should reflect this difficulty. Since he had cleared this place by himself, Hyrkan was well qualified to take the rewards for himself. ¡®Yes.I¡¯ll monopolize this place.¡¯ He was qualified to be able to reap the numerous rewards by himself. ¡®This is a King¡¯s Tomb. Of course, there will be more here.At the very least, it should have a Unique Rank Item set.Moreover, there should be two to three scrolls of Ancient Power.They are making the User go through such hardship.There is no way a single Skill Book would be given as a Quest Reward.¡¯ Hyrkan smiled as he put the Golden Conch to his ear.At that moment, the Golden Conch started speaking again. ¨C Forward¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. The Golden Conch gave the direction, and Hyrkan moved with a Skeleton Warrior in front of him.The Death Knight followed behind Hyrkan, and the rest of the Skeleton Underlings followed the Death Knight as if it was the mother duck. How long did they walk for? The tunnel came to an end, and a large space was revealed.In the large space, there was a single altar.Moreover, there were 4 entrances with the altar at its center, and Hyrkan had exited from one of these entrances. [You¡¯ve completed ¡®Trace of Bokan¡¯ Quest.] At that moment, he heard the Announcement telling him he had completed the Quest. The Quest had come to an end, and he had to go back to report what he had found.If he went back to Ahimbree, he would be able to get the reward. However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t satisfied with such a result. Wasn¡¯t this the King¡¯s Tomb?This incredible tomb was made for a king.The king wouldn¡¯t have been sent to his grave empty handed.At the very least, they would have filled the tomb with gold and gems as a sign of respect. No, he was sure of this fact. ¡®This can¡¯t be the end.There has to be something more to this.¡¯ Hyrkan once again put the Golden Conch to his ear. ¨C I¡¯ve discovered the tomb of a king.I don¡¯t know which king is buried here, but there are signs that indicate that this king had fought against the Dragon¡¯s Army. At that moment, the Golden Conch started to tell a long story unlike before. ¡®Yes.There is no way this could be the end.¡¯ Hyrkan listened carefully. ¨C This was why I believed everything within this place would be of help in facing the Dragon¡¯s Army.I sent everything within this place to the great Blacksmith Olf. ¡®Uh?¡¯ As he heard the story, Hyrkan¡¯s expression crumpled. ¨C New heroes will emerge, and I tasked him to make equipments for those that will fill face the Dragon¡¯s Army in the future.I also gave him a key I found here for safekeeping. The story ended there. Hyrkan detached the Golden Conch from his ear, then he shook it couple times before putting it next to his ear again. ¨C I¡¯ve discovered the tomb¡­. When the same message started to flow out, Hyrkan let out a shout. ¡°For real?Fuck!¡± According to Bokan¡¯s story, the King¡¯s Tomb had been filled with incredible Items as expected of a resting place for a king.However, Archmage Bokan had decided to send all the Items here, so it could be converted into Items that¡¯ll be used to fight the Dragon¡¯s Army.It was all sent to the Blacksmith Olf.This was the gist of the story. Basically, there was nothing to be gained here.Everything worth having here had been given to the care of the Blacksmith Olf. ¡°Wow!Wow!¡± At that moment, Hyrkan was so mad that he was having a hard time expressing his anger. At that moment, Hyrkan heard a new System Announcement in his ears. [Quest ¡®Ancient King¡¯s Artifact¡¯ is starting.] [Quest ¡®Ancient King¡¯s Test¡¯ has started.] [The king¡¯s Guardian Knights are starting to move.] Koo-koo-koo! As if it had been waiting for the Announcement, the King¡¯s Tomb rumbled as if it was about to collapse.At that moment, Hyrkan remembered the large statue of knights decorating the entrance of cave. ¡°Shit!¡± Moreover, the scene of him fighting these enormous sculptures of knights popped up within his head. ¡®It seems all my bad imaginations comes to pass.¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s instinct regarding this point was quite good. 6. ¡°Thank you for your hard work..¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work.!¡± ¡°Good job, everyone!¡± The words of encouragement was heard coming out from various sources.These messages were also the signal that notified the battle had come to an end.It also told the other Users that they could relax and they could take a break. However, not all members could relax and rest.It was the opposite.Some Users ramped up their activities. ¡°Did you see the mural?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve recorded everything.¡± ¡°What about the hidden room?¡± ¡°We are exhausting all methods to research it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t miss a single clue.Even if you have to work overtime, I want you to be thorough.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Natal had participated in the battle, and he had performed very well.It wouldn¡¯t be shocking if he fell over from exhaustion, yet he was also bustling into action. This place was a ruin called the Tomb of the Heroes, and he was looking over the footage regarding the mural. ¡®We¡¯ve finally found a clue that¡¯ll give us the big picture regarding this Main Scenario Quest.¡¯ Usually, the Hydra guild moved faster through the Main Scenario Quest compared to the other guilds. However, this wasn¡¯t true in the third Main Scenario Quest.They had a very late start.This was why they didn¡¯t have the time to rest, and they couldn¡¯t afford any mistakes. ¡®We need to see the big picture.That¡¯s important.¡¯ Most Users would have ignored the murals, but Natal would put his brain to work to find clues. ¨C Natal-nim!There is a mural on the ceiling.You should have a look at it. One of the Users investigating the Ruin called out to Natal.Natal immediately headed towards the User.Natal arrived at a room. There was a memorial stone in the middle of the room. ¡°Over there.¡± The User, who called Natal over, pointed towards the ceiling over the memorial stone. As he had indicated, there was a mural on the ceiling. The mural¡¯s content was quite simple. The mural was divided in half. On one side, there was an enormous Dragon, and there were all kinds of monsters in front of the Dragon. The monsters were staring towards the other half of the mural where a castle was present.There were numerous humans gathered in front of the castle with their weapons raised .Moreover, five warriors, who were letting out various Aurae, stood in front of the army. When he saw the content of the mural, Natal spoke in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯m not sure on anything else, but I¡¯m sure our final enemy will be the Dragon¡¯s Army.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.I was talking to myself.First, let¡¯s take footage of the mural then the memorial stone¡­Could you try lifting it?¡± ¡°Ah.I¡¯m a Priest.My Strength stat is¡­.¡± ¡°Hurry up and call in a Striker.After we finish our work¡­.Let¡¯s destroy all the murals as a precaution.¡± ¡°Yes.Understood.¡± After the conversation, a bitter laugh came out of Natal. ¡®It seems it won¡¯t be long before Warlord reverts into being a normal game like all the other games on the market.¡¯ Chapter 170 – King’s Tomb (3) Chapter 170 ¨C King¡¯s Tomb (3) 7. [Ancient King¡¯s Artifact] ¨C Quest Rank : Epic ¨C Quest Level Range : 230 ¨C Quest Content : Go to the Blacksmith Olf.Please ask him about the Ancient King¡¯s Artifact. ¨C Quest Reward : Conch made out of a Dragon¡¯s Horn. [Ancient King¡¯s Test] ¨C Quest Level Range : Unique ¨C Quest Level Range : 220 ¨C Quest Content : You¡¯ve entered the King¡¯s Tomb.The King will test if you are worthy.If you pass the test, the king will overlook your transgression.If not, you will receive an appropriate punishment. ¨C Quest Reward : King¡¯s Treasure. Hyrkan¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t great as he looked over the two new Quests. ¡®An Ancient King¡¯s Test¡­¡¯ This was the Ancient King¡¯s Test. They dressed it up with pretty words like transgression and punishment, but the main point of these Quests were simple. We prepared a really hard monster to kill, so we want you suffer more! ¡®Of course.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan realized he would be meeting the proctor of the King¡¯s test soon, and he could guess at the identity of this being. As expected, he saw the reality of his situation as he walked through the dark tunnel to reach the light. In front of the King¡¯s Tomb, there were two large statues on the either side of the entrance.The statues were knights.They were stone knights equipped with stone swords and stone armor! ¡®Yes, it is as I thought.¡¯ They were placed at the entrance to the King¡¯s Tomb.These statues were guarding the entrance, and they would awaken to test the intruders within the King¡¯s Tomb. [The Guardian Knights of the King¡¯s Tomb is glaring down at you.] The examiners of the test located the intruder. Koo koo koo! The two statues let out a heavy sound as they lowered their heads.They stared at Hyrkan, who stood behind the threshold of the entrance. Their faces were carved from stone, so they didn¡¯t have functioning eyes.They couldn¡¯t make expressions, yet Hyrkan felt the glare coming from the statues.It was as if they wanted squash him like a bug. However, they didn¡¯t immediately attack Hyrkan.They just looked at Hyrkan. Hyrkan was still within the King¡¯s Tomb. They couldn¡¯t point or swing their swords towards the King¡¯s Tomb. Hyrkan had already realized this fact, so he let out a bitter laugh. Maybe, this was a mercy.Currently, the Guardian Knights were showing their own form of mercy towards Hyrkan. Hyrkan didn¡¯t feel good about receiving such leniency from them.Monsters were looking down on him, so there was no reason why he would feel good about it. ¡®All right.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan came to a decision. ¡®Let¡¯s try this.¡¯ He¡¯ll kill them. He¡¯ll willingly pass the test. No, he¡¯ll punish those, who look down on him. ¡®I¡¯ll make you pay for allowing me to make preparations.¡¯ He started his summons. The Guardian Knight wouldn¡¯t attack Hyrkan until he exited the the King¡¯s Tomb.Basically, Hyrkan had the luxury to summon all the underlings he wanted. Hyrkan planted a sword in the ground.It immediately gushed out black steel liquid. While the black steel liquid was rushing outwards, Hyrkan took out two gems, and he gripped them in each hand. Ddook dook! The gem in his right hand became liquefied, and it fell to the floor. Hwah-roo-roo! The gem in his left hand was clenched as fire poured out from his fist. [Iron Golem was summoned.] A black Iron Golem had appeared. [You¡¯ve summoned a Golem.] The gem allowed him to form an Earth Golem in the shape of an Ogre. [The Fire Golemwas summoned.] When he unclenched his fists, a griffin appeared from the surging flames.The Fire Golem had made its appearance. The three Golems took form,yet the Guardian Knights refused to move.They continued to stare down at Hyrkan. Hyrkan mocked the statues as he took out a thumb sized blue gem from the pouch on his waist.He held the gem inside his mouth using his teeth. He was just biting on the gem, yet his magical energy was quickly being replenished. While it replenished, Hyrkan unfastened his wristwatch.When he grasped his unbound wristwatch, the empty air started to split open.From the rip in space, the undying Knight slowly appeared from within this crack. [The Death Knight was summoned.] The Death Knight riding its Skeleton Steed, and it looked imposing. Kwah-jeek! At that moment, he crushed the blue gem being held in place by his teeth. When he crushed the gem, a strong taste of mint filled the inside of Hyrkan¡¯s mouth.The mint taste was so strong that it was spicy.Hyrkan endured the minty taste. Patience was bitter, but the result was sweet. The Death Knight¡¯s summoning had bottomed out his magical energy, yet it was quickly filling up now.The speed couldn¡¯t be compared to before. ¡°Open the Power of Frost.¡± Then he sacrificed his full magical energy to activate the Ancient Power of Frost. Finally, Hyrkan stepped out out of the King¡¯s Tomb. [The Guardian Knights will test you!] The test began. 8. The earth Golem borrowed the form of an Ogre using the Clay Play Skill, and it was almost 8 meters tall.This was why the Ogre Golem was able to look eye to eye with the Guardian Knights, and it would be able to fight the statues for supremacy. On the other hand, the small size of the Griffin Fire Golem was a moot point.It had wings, and it had the ability to fly.The Griffin Fire Golem was already flapping its wings, and the Guardian Knights was beneath its flying form. The only one to appear in its original form was the Iron Golem, and it was quite lacking compared to the other two Golems.It was stocky, yet it was only 4 meters tall.It looked small in a battlefield where the giants fought.While its body was small, it was made out of steel.It had a dignified air to it. In this battle of the giants, the last to join was the Death Knight.It appeared riding the Skeleton Steed, and it also looked very small amongst these giants.However, the Death Knight didn¡¯t back away.Instead, it sat on the Skeleton Steed as it refused to pull out its sword.It was as if the Death Knight was allowing the Guardian Knights to make the first move.The Death Knight was looking down on the Guardian Knights, and its manner was dignified and imposing. These six being closed the distance.None were in a hurry.It would be enough to act with urgency after the battle had started. Then the battle started. Hoo-oohng! The first move was taken by the Guardian Knights.One took a swing at the Iron Golem, and the other swung its sword at the Ogre Golem. The Guardian Knights held swords carved out of stone.Basically, it was a chunk of rock.It was fascinating to see such a heavy weapon part the winds.Moreover, it wasn¡¯t simply parting the air.It was swiftly cutting through the air. It was terrifying. Instead of dodging the terrifying sword strike of the Guardian Knight, the Ogre Golem swung the stone axe in its hand. It blocked an attack with its own attack! It was a very ogre-like act. Ggwah-ah-ahng! A thunderous sounded exploded forth as two pieces of rock clashed against each other.Accompanying the thunderous sound, the head of the Ogre Golem¡¯s stone axe was chipped.On the other hand, a crack appeared on the Guardian Knight¡¯s sword, and a golden light was emitted by the sword.The true weapon was hidden underneath a layer of rock.The sword showed its true self.If the Ogre Golem was able to speak, it would have called the Guardian Knight a cheater. Wah-roo-roo-roohk! As if to avenge the Ogre Golem, the Griffin Fire Golem let out a stream of fire towards the head of the Guardian Knight. At the same time, there was another fierce battle occurring nearby.This battle also started with the Guardian Knight swinging its sword.While one Guardian Knight swung its sword towards the Ogre Golem, the other Guardian Knight swung its sword toward the Iron Golem. Hoo-oohng! As expected, it was a terrifying attack.However, the Iron Golem couldn¡¯t dodge the attack, and it had no plans to do so.It decided to take on the Guardian Knight¡¯s sword with its head and body. Ggwahhhhng! A loud sound exploded forth once again.It wasn¡¯t simply a loud noise.It was a thunderous roar that could be heard nowhere else.Moreover, the result of this sound was horrifying.There was a big divot in the head of the Iron Golem¡¯s hard head.If it was a living creature, it would have died instantly. Moreover, when the Guardian Knight¡¯s sword impacted on the Iron Golem, it also revealed a gold light. Puhl-jjuhk! The one to avenge the Iron Golem was the Death Knight.The Skeleton Steed leapt into the air.Thanks to the Skeleton Steed¡¯s leap, the Death Knight was able to take a swing at the Guardian Knight¡¯s neck. Puh-uhk! The Death Knight¡¯s sword cut at the left side of the Guardian Knight¡¯s neck.A deep cut appeared on the Guardian Knight¡¯s armor, which was made from stone. This was how the battle between two Guardian Knights, three Golems and a Death Knight started. This terrifying battle was filled with fearsome sounds. Hoo-oohng! It was the sound of the Guardian Knights swinging its heavy sword. Ggwah-ahng! There was the Ogre Golem¡¯s stone axe hitting the body of the Guardian Knights. Ggahhng! This was the sound of the Iron Golem resisting the fearsome attack of the Guardian Knight. Hwah-roo-roo! Then there was the sound of an enormous flame emanating from the Griffin Fire Golem. Shweek!Shweek! On top of it all, the sharp sounds of the sword being swung by the Death Knight was heard. Various sounds filled the battlefield, and small sounds were drowned out. In truth, the Skeleton Warriors and the Skeleton Knight summoned with the Death Knight wasn¡¯t able to do much.They were like dogs at the feet of fighting elephants.They could struggle to not be stomped on by the elephant¡¯s feet, but that was all they could do. Hyrkan threw his body in the battlefield. Hyrkan was the smallest combatant, and he looked like a shrimp entering into a fight between whales. Of course, there was no hesitation to Hyrkan¡¯s movements. Koong koong! Hyrkan deftly avoided the footsteps of the Golems and the Guardian Knights.Each of their steps were filled with enormous power, and their footsteps shook the ground. In a flash, Hyrkan stuck to the leg of a Guardian Knight. ¡°Hoo-ooh!¡± Hyrkan took in short breaths as he climbed up the leg of the Guardian Knight as if it was a cliff. Koo-oohng, koo-oohng! He continuously climbed this shaking cliff.It was impossible to do such a feat with just pure strength. However, this task was easy for Hyrkan.He had learned climbing in the virtual space, and it was something he was better than anyone in the world. It really was as if Hyrkan was walking across a flat ground.He quickly went up the leg of the Guardian Knight. Ggoohk! As he climbed, he stuck a Skeleton Fragment in any cracks he came across.Hyrkan continued to climb up after placing these Skeleton Fragments, and they took shape as Skeleton Warriors.They looked like ticks that lived parasitically on one¡¯s skin.Moreover, these Skeleton Warriors were letting out white breath from their mouth. The Skeleton Warriors showed the path Hyrkan had taken.Hyrkan climbed atop the Guardian Knight¡¯s back, and he moved towards the right shoulder.Seven Skeleton Warriors had taken form behind him, and they attempted to injure the body of the Guardian Knight. However, from the perspective of the Guardian Knight, it was as if it was being attacked by mosquitoes.Still, this was also the reason why it couldn¡¯t leave them alone.They were poking at its body, so how could it leave them be? The Guardian Knight tried to dislodge the Frost Skeleton Warriors when it had the luxury to do so. When it did, the Ogre Golem and the Griffin Fire Golem used this opportunity to attack the Guardian Knight. In such a situation, the Guardian Knight didn¡¯t have the luxury to pay attention to Hyrkan, who had climbed up to its right shoulder. ¡®I¡¯ll start with the shoulder.¡¯ Hyrkan planted his sword in the Guardian Knight¡¯s right shoulder. Kwah-jeek! His sword was able to pierce 10 centimeters.However, his sword was having a hard time penetrating deeper. Ggahng! Instead, he felt an increased resistance. ¡®There is something underneath it.¡¯ At that moment, the Guardian Knight¡¯s left hand came flying in toward Hyrkan, who was on its shoulder. ¡®Tsk.¡¯ Hyrkan dodged the hand, and he moved to the nape of the Guardian Knight¡¯s neck.Then he immediately climbed down towards its back.Of course, the Guardian Knight¡¯s hand couldn¡¯t easily reach that spot. Ggwah-ahng! While the Guardian Knight was distracted, the Ogre Golem¡¯s stone axe impacted on the Guardian Knight¡¯s body. As usual, a large boom rang out, and the Guardian Knight¡¯s body was rocked.The Guardian Knight ignored Hyrkan again, and it looked at the Ogre Golem.It swung its sword towards the Ogre Golem. Hyrkan quickly climbed to the shoulder region again. ¡®If I can¡¯t stab it¡­¡¯ He planted a Bone Explosive within the wound he created. ¡®I¡¯ll just blow it up.¡¯ Kwahng! The Bone Explosive exploded immediately. However, he wasn¡¯t satisfied with just detonating the Bone Explosives.The region affected by the explosion became frozen.At that moment, the Guardian Knight tried to move its left arm. Zzuh-juhk, zzuh-juhk! The ice stuck to the right shoulder couldn¡¯t take the rough movements of the Guardian Knight.It started to crack. Of course, the ice also made the Guardian Knight move slower. This wasn¡¯t the end of the attack. The Skeleton Knights stuck to the body of the Guardian Knight, and their added power of Frost was slowly making the Guardian Knight heavier and unresponsive. When he saw this, Hyrkan took out a new Bone Explosive. 9. Koo-oohnng! When the Guardian Knight took a knee, the ground shook. The kneeling Guardian Knight was full of wounds. The indomitable body was damaged to a point where one couldn¡¯t tell what it looked like originally.The stone surrounding its body were mostly broken away, and the Guardian Knight revealed the golden layer beneath.The exposed golden layer was also in rough shape. However, the most damning part was the fact that it was on its knee.When a knight was on its knee, it was a declaration of defeat.In a knight¡¯s battle, defeat meant death. The Guardian Knight no longer got up.It didn¡¯t move an inch.It had lost, and subsequently, it accepted its death. [The Fire Golem Skill Rank has increased to Rank B.] [The Iron Golem Skill Rank has increased to Rank D.] [Death Knight Skill Rank has increased to Rank C.] [You¡¯ve earned the title ¡®Being who took down the Guardian Knights¡¯.] [You¡¯ve earned the title ¡®Being who Passed the King¡¯s Test¡¯] [You¡¯ve completed the Quest ¡®Ancient King¡¯s Test¡¯. Please find the King¡¯s Treasure within the body of the Guardian Knight.] There was nothing that assured the defeat of the Guardian Knights more than the consecutive System Announcement heard in Hyrkan¡¯s ears. Instead of a cheer of happiness, Hyrkan let out a deep sigh. ¡®It was harder than I thought.¡¯ Hyrkan stood on top of the kneeling Guardian Knight¡¯s shoulder, and he looked at his surrounding. The first thing he saw was his Iron Golem.It was dented so much that it looked pitiful.It was miraculous that it was still moving. Then there was the remains of the earth Golem.In the end, it couldn¡¯t stand up against the repeated attacks from the Guardian Knight, so it had returned to being a pile of dirt. The fire Golem was also in the same boat as the earth Golem.At a certain point, Hyrkan¡¯s magic consumption outstripped the recovery speed.When Hyrkan¡¯s magical energy became zero, the Fire Golem was snuffed out like a candle blown out by the wind. The Death Knight and its Skeleton Steed still stood in an imposing manner, but its armor was full of wounds.The pristine appearance from when it was first summoned was no longer to be seen.It looked like a straggler. Since it could no longer use its Undying skill, most of the summoned Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Knight didn¡¯t regenerate.Only two Skeleton Warriors remained. It had been an arduous victory. Moreover, Hyrkan had used all of his consumable Items in this battle. ¡®This fucking game.¡¯ At that moment, he had a thought. ¡®I worked like a dog.If the reward isn¡¯t anything special¡­I would flip this game on its head.¡¯ He had worked so hard, yet if his reward was subpar, he would never accept it! Hyrkan made this resolution, and he turned the dial of his wristwatch.He switched his Item. Choo-roong, choo-rong! Hyrkan was holding the Crying Sword instead of the Deposed Prince¡¯s sword.Hyrkan used the tip of the Crying Sword to destroy the Guardian Knight¡¯s golden body, which had been beneath a layer of stone. Choo-roong, choo-roong! The Crying Sword let out a sorrowful cry as it was used like a pickaxe. How long had he been working on this task? ¡°Uh?¡± He was able to split open the Guardian Knight¡¯s golden body, and the King¡¯s Treasure saw the light of day. ¡®Black b¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤No, is it a red box?¡¯ It was the King¡¯s Treasure.It was a Legendary Rank Ancient power. 10. ¡°In the end, we came back here again.¡± Hatch swiveled his head as he spoke.He looked at the large ridge that blocked his line of sight.This large mountain range¡¯s size was comparable to the Urugal mountain range.The ridge was covered with black trees.It was imposing, and it gave off an ominous feeling. The name of the mountain was Black Comb. It was a name meant to describe the dark peak of the mountain. ¡°It really is a Block Field.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already well aware of that!You don¡¯t have to tell me!¡± Hahui shot her words toward Hatch.They had worked hard to find a path with no Block Field yet they had returned to the starting point.Hahui¡¯s mood was already at its worst. This was also true for Hatch. ¡°Yes, I see.You are so knowledgeable that you tried to hug a Werebear, because it was cute?Is that why you almost died?¡± It seemed Hatch didn¡¯t want to lose.He fought words with words. ¡°Hey!You want to die?¡± Their war of words continued on.There was only one person, who could stop these two from fighting, and Shir wasn¡¯t here right now.Since Shir wasn¡¯t here, the guild members didn¡¯t plan on stopping such an entertaining sight.They also didn¡¯t have the energy to intervene. Several guild members even started a betting pool as they watched Hatch and Hahui fight. ¡°This time I¡¯ll bet 10 gold on Hatch.¡± ¡°I still think Hahui will win.I¡¯ll put 10 gold on Hahui¡¯s victory.¡± The guild members started up a conversation with the fight as a background. ¡°The Barbarian King Quest is more complicated than expected.We haven¡¯t been able to find any clues regarding the quest.¡± ¡°The Golden Conch wants us to go east, and it wants us to cross the mountain.However, the Block Field prevents us from crossing it, and we keep being sent back to the starting point¡­.¡± ¡°This means the Block Field has to be dismissed before we can follow the direction of the Golden Conch.This Quest is troublesome.¡± Hatch, who had been fighting Hahui with words, raised his hand towards her. ¡°How dare you!¡± Hahui reacted negatively to the gesture. ¡°Yes, Queen.¡± Hatch ignored Hahui¡¯s words, and he answered the call. Hahui immediately shut her mouth. The power of Shir¡¯s call didn¡¯t ended there.When the call started, all the conversations in the surrounding stopped.They all tried to hear the conversation between Hatch and Shir. ¡°Yes.We weren¡¯t able to cross the Black Comb again.The cause was the Block field, and we haven¡¯t encountered any special Quest or Boss Monster.The only sure instruction we have is from the Golden Conch.It wants us to keep heading east, yet we can¡¯t¡­It means there is another Quest that we¡¯ll have to complete.This is separate from the Barbarian King Quest.¡± As he was giving his report, a weird expression blossomed on his face. Hatch quickly covered his mouth. He activated the Mute mode.It was a gesture that allowed a private conversation with the person on the other end of the Voice Talk. ¡°So you want me to talk to the First Head?Yes, I understand.Ifyou want me to, I¡¯ll do it.I¡¯ll immediately go make preparations.¡± Chapter 171 – Bone Dragon (1) Chapter 171 ¨C Bone Dragon (1) 1. ¡°All right.I¡¯ll do that.I¡¯ll trade you a full Blood Ogre set and the Ingredients needed to make 3 Werebear Items.Do you want me to go to a different seller?Wait a moment.How much are you trying to get for that Item?If we are close, let¡¯s consummate this trade. The Werebear drop Items haven¡¯t been released on the market yet.¡± Ahn-jaehyun used his index finger to reposition his glasses as he spoke.He lightly pushed up the nose pad of the glass, which had fallen to the bridge of his nose.As if a switch had been pressed, a furrow appeared on Ahn-jaheyun¡¯s forehead. ¡°Please stop playing around.I called you to make a trade, yet you have the audacity to change the terms mid-call.That isn¡¯t good manners.¡± A sharp voice, which went well with his frowning face, came out his mouth. ¡°How about the Black Kobold King¡¯s sword?It¡¯s price has dropped recently, but you should know it can¡¯t be purchased with a small sum.Anyways, that is my final offer for it..¡± In the end, the earphone equipped on Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s left ear buzzed. ¡°Ok.Let¡¯s do this trade.¡± After finishing the trade, Ahn-jaehyun immediately took off the earphone, and he threw it towards the mattress in anger. ¡°Fucking asshole!¡± Accompanying the profane language, Ahn-jaehyun seethed within. ¡®He is really acting high and mighty just from owning a level 190 No Name Skill Book.He is trying to take me to the cleaners!Fucking asshole!¡¯ The level 190 No Name Skill Books were starting to trickle out in the market.Even the ridiculous price on the auction board was starting to fall drastically.In such a situation, Ahn-jaehyun had a good idea what the market price was for a level 190 No Name Skill book.This was why he suggested an Item exchange to the seller. Ahn-jaehyun had decided to get rid of the Items not needed by the Skeleton Warriors.His Skeleton Warriors didn¡¯t need it, but these Items were still popular amongst the Users.It was good enough to be used as bartering chips. ¡®The Item Option dropped by the Werebear is pretty atrocious compared to the hunting difficulty, yet it is a level 220 Item¡­.¡¯ He had planned on using only the Items he didn¡¯t need as bartering chips, but once the negotiation started, he had to include the Item Ingredients dropped by the Werebears. Ahn-jaehyun grinded his teeth. ¡®I¡¯m not talented at trading Items. It should have been equal value¡­It¡¯s all right.It¡¯s fine.¡¯ It was an unexpected trade, but he didn¡¯t need any of the Items that was used as bartering chips.The only problem was the gold he could have gotten by selling these Items. ¡®I must have lost my mind.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun became astonished as he balanced his account. ¡®It is only a single Skill, yet I spent so much¡­.I¡¯ve lost my mind.I¡¯m sure of it.¡¯ It was only a single skill.Moreover, he had no idea which Skill might come out of it, yet he had bought it for an incredible amount of money.It was something the original Rich Lich, Subrata Duta, would have done.It was something only an incredibly rich man would do. ¡®Or maybe this game is crazy.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun looked at the V-Gear on the mattress. ¡®This game is really nuts.Warlord is a well made game, but the other games don¡¯t ramp up like this.¡¯ After Warlord¡¯s great success, many games were released to take over the throne held by Warlord, and there were several games vying for that spot. There had to be a basic sense of completeness for one to enjoy these kinds of games, and there were several games that were able to compete with Warlord by fulfilling this prerequisite.Moreover, there were some aspects of these games that were superior to Warlord. These games weren¡¯t able to increase their base population as quickly as Warlord, but they were successful in getting a large following.However, none of these games could reach a point where ridiculous money was being exchanged within.There weren¡¯t any games where people went crazy over it. Moreover, there will be none that would be able to capture the heart of the people in the future.Before Ahn-jaehyun came back to the past, Warlord had been considered a special game.It reigned over all games as the special one.There was an indescribable quality that existed within Warlord. When he thought about the past, he couldn¡¯t help, but sneer at himself. ¡®The craziness right now is to my advantage.¡¯ Before he returned to the past, this specialness of Warlord had been a pain for him.However, it was the opposite now. Warlord was special, and the Hahoe Mask was special within Warlord.Ahn-jaehyun was doing unimaginable feats now. Moreover, he would achieve greater feats in the future. Ahn-jaehyun lay dowy down on his mattress, and he immediately put on his V-Gear. 2. It took over 20 days for Hyrkan to finish his Quest.When he returned to the Heard Fortress ruin town, it had developed a decent amount.It was hard to call it a town now.It was starting to resemble a castle. ¡®It looks similar to the Cursed Castle.¡¯ The transformation of the Heard Fortress ruin town was something he had seen before at the Cursed Castle.It was like the Cursed Castle regaining its name of Hiban castle, and the dignity that came with the process.Of course, there were several differences one could point out. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t they be making a statue of me here?¡¯ However, the most important difference in Hyrkan¡¯s mind was the absence of a statue. When the Cursed Statue transformed into the Hiban castle, the game erected a statue for the Noopi Family.The Heard Fortress ruin town was able to be established when Azell had defeated Anugas.However, the game was showing no signs of erecting a statue for the Hahoe Mask. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t get any monetary gain from the formation of a statue.However, if they insisted on building one, he wouldn¡¯t turn down the opportunity.There was no reason why he would hate the idea. ¡°Tsk.¡± He actually welcomed such gestures.He really liked the idea of leaving behind a permanent presence in this game. Since he liked the idea, he felt a sense of disappointment. ¡®They should have made me a park.How great would it have been if they erected a statue of me fighting Anugas?It would have looked cool and awesome.¡¯ The Users, who were focused on Hyrkan¡¯s presence in the town, would have fainted if they found out about his inner thoughts. ¡°Hahoe Mask!Isn¡¯t that the Hahoe Mask.¡± ¡°Of course, it is the Hahoe Mask.No one would pretend to be the Hahoe Mask in the Black Continent.It would be the end for those, who were caught.¡± ¡°I heard five Users spying on him had their wrists cut off.I heard the hands were fed to the Skeletons.¡± ¡°How gruesome.¡± ¡°Is that the famous Watchman style?It is scary.¡± The Hahoe Mask was the symbol of fear on the stage of Warlord.The Hahoe Mask didn¡¯t stand for hope and dream. Hahoe mask was known for taking out monsters and Users, who annoyed him.Even if it was a normal User, he was know to be ruthless if you mess with him. The terrifying Hahoe Mask was mumbling about why the Warlord System wasn¡¯t building him a statue. Who would have imagined such a thing? ¡®Ah, I want a statue of myself.¡¯ Hyrkan left behind the nervous crowd as he headed towards the Subjugation Association. 3. In the Subjugation Association within the Heard Fortress ruin town, there was a stairway leading connecting the 3rd floor to the 4th floor.This was a stairway rarely used by Users and NPC, yet someone was using this stairway as a chair.He had a book open in his hands, and another book was placed next to him. The identity of the User was Hyrkan, and the book was a Skill Book. [The Skill Book has revealed itself.] [Will you like to learn the Piercing Pocket Skill?] Hyrkan had spent a significant capital in buy this level 190 No Name Skill Book, and the Skill turned out to be the Piercing Pocket. ¡®Oh!¡¯ Hyrkan was satisfied with the result. In many ways, this Skill suited Hyrkan the most. [You¡¯ve learned the Piercing Pocket Skill.] [Piercing Pocket] ¨C Proficiency N/A ¨C Skill Description : You will be able to make space in your body.The only storage space once cannot open is at the head and chest. It was as the Skill description said.The Piercing Pocket Skill¡¯s effect allowed him to use his body as a pocket or a bag.He¡¯ll be able to carry much more Items than before, and he didn¡¯t have to worry about losing them. ¡®Oh right.I¡¯m a Lich now.¡¯ He was only able to learn this Skill, because he was a Lich. His body was set up as that of a Lich. When he learned the Life Vessel skill, he had basically become an Undead.He was immune to Abnormal Status like bleeding.On the other hand, Healing type Skills couldn¡¯t be used on him. Moreover, the attacks that work against Undead monsters were effective against him too.He was treated like an Undead monster in the game. His naked body was also different from the normal Users. Like the normal Users, he always had his armor on, so no one knew about it.However, Hyrkan¡¯s Skin color was patchy since he had used the Skin Sewing Skill.A hairy hide was sewn onto his left arm, and his right arm was covered with scale-like skin he took from a reptile.He couldn¡¯t display his Steel Bones, but his bones were also different from the normal Users.Then there were the black tattoos placed all over his body. He had such an abnormal body, yet it was about to become something akin to a drawer.Users would think him crazy for doing this. Even for people who pierced and tattooed their entire body would think he was abnormal. However, Hyrkan was satisfied with this fact. ¡®If I peel back the skin over my stomach to reveal a slot full of magic recovery candy¡­Wouldn¡¯t I be like Doraemon?It¡¯ll be awesome.Wait a sec.Will my belly button be used as a handle?What should I do about the handle?¡¯ All these Skills made his outer appearance look unsightly, but they were the proof of his strength. The passive effects that arose from the Skin Sewing and the Black Tattoos allowed him to be as strong as the Swordsman Class.Moreover, Skills like Steel Bones allowed him to have strong defense. Since he would never hunt with a Priest, these Skills were a boon to him. ¡®Well, I should now¡­.¡¯ Hyrkan immediately took the second Skill Book into his hands.This was the Skill Book he received as a reward for the Archmage Bokan Quest.He didn¡¯t know the level of the Skill Book, and he also didn¡¯t know what Skill it would give. It was time for him to find out. Depending on what came out of the Skill Book, he would have to resolve his next dilemma. ¡®I have to decide if I should use the Legendary Rank Ancient Power to reinforce this new Skill.¡¯ After passing the Ancient King¡¯s test, he had opened up the body of the fallen Guardian Knights.Their bodies were like vaults, and he had found two boxes within.One was a black box, and the other was a red box.The black box had a black scroll for the Transcendent Rank Ancient Power. The red box held a red scroll for the Legendary Rank Ancient Power. His dilemma started there. The Transcendent Rank Ancient Power increased the performance of a Skill.He didn¡¯t really have to worry about where to use this one. However, the Legendary Rank Ancient Power changed the nature of a Skill.For example, if one used the Transcendent Rank Ancient Power on the Skeleton Fragment Skill, the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s stats and the number of Skeletons able to be summoned would be increased.On the other hand, if one used the Legendary Rank Ancient Power, a monster¡¯s bone could be used to summon non-bipedal Skeleton Warriors.Therefore, one could use a wolf¡¯s bone instead of a werewolf¡¯s bone to summon the Skeleton Warriors. This was why he was struggling over the decision. The Legendary Rank Ancient Power was incredibly hard to acquire.One had to put in 10 times the effort of acquiring a Transcendent Rank Ancient Power to gain the Legendary Rank Ancient Power. However, the use of the Skill Enhancement didn¡¯t always end as a net positive. To put it simply, it was good to reinforce a skill that was used as often as the Skeleton Fragment Skill.However, the result of the reinforcement could bring out surprising results. He would be able to use Skeleton Wolf, Skeleton Bear, and Skeleton Snake as underlings.It would amazing. However, there was no other benefit to be gained from it. Why was a Skeleton Warrior so strong? In truth, the biggest reason why was the Armament Skill.Hyrkan was able to equip the Skeleton Warriors with Items that normal Users couldn¡¯t even dream about owning. However, the Skeleton Wolf, Skeleton Bear, and Skeleton Snake couldn¡¯t benefit from effects of the Armament Skill.In conclusion, they wouldn¡¯t be able to use weapons. It wasn¡¯t as if the Skeleton Wolf or the Skeleton Snake could swing a sword by carrying it in its mouth. Instead, it would be more useful to use it on the Bone Explosives.If one used the Legendary Rank Ancient Power on the Bone Explosive Skill, one gained the Timer function.He had much more use for a timed bomb than a regular bomb. ¡®I planned on using it on the Skeleton Knights¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ Of course, the Skeleton Knight Skill was on top of his list.If one used the Legendary Rank Ancient power to reinforce the Skeleton Knight Skill, the Skeleton Knights would learn the Riding Skill.Moreover, they would gain Skeleton Steeds.They would be able to fight on a mount like the Death Knight. This was why his heart was leaning towards reinforcing the Skeleton Knight Skill. However, he didn¡¯t have to make the decision right now.It wouldn¡¯t be too late to decide after seeing what appears from this Skill Book. ¡®Shall I open it?¡¯ Hyrkan placed his palm on top of the Skill Book. [The Skill Book has revealed itself.] [Would you like to learn the Bone Dragon summon skill?] ¡®Huh?¡¯ Something ridiculous made its appearance. 4. ¨C It has been a while. Hatch answered in an indifferent manner when he heard the tired voice of a man. ¡°It has been a while, but I¡¯m not thrilled by this meeting.My back still hurts from the time when you stabbed it.You asked for our help, yet you used us as bait. ¨C We all acted in the name of our own interests. ¡°Do you realize how I was treated after being revealed as the traitor?If you knew what I went through, you wouldn¡¯t be saying those words.¡± ¨C Do you want my apology? ¡°I¡¯m not speaking to you, because I want to. I don¡¯t care if you apologize or not.If you do give me one, I¡¯m listening.¡± ¨C I¡¯m sorry. ¡°All right.Let¡¯s get down to business.Why did you, the First Head, want to talk specifically with me?¡± At Hatch¡¯s question, the Hydra guild¡¯s first head hesitated before speaking. ¨C Hatch.Your former occupation¡­ ¡°It seems you want to talk about the Game System.However, our Queen is a bit weak on that subject. I guess I¡¯m the right person for this conversation.¡± ¨C How knowledgeable are you about the M.I. that manufactures and maintains Warlord? At his question, Hatch couldn¡¯t help, but let out a mocking laugh. ¡°I probably know more than you?¡± ¨C Before Tobot Soft produced the M.I., the base A.I¡­¡­ ¡°I also know more than you about that.I¡¯ll stop you there.I¡¯m sure you were about to talk about the Pacman Program, but Pacman isn¡¯t the M.I.¡¯s base.The M.I. was originally a management A.I. used in various field.The M.I. produced by the Tobo Soft used hybrid techniques from various field to test the performance of the M.I.The game we are enjoying right now arose from the Package Game Production software, and the Pacman Program was grafted onto the M.I. to make the final result.I guess I could describe it as a game production and management speciality M.I.If you want to continue listening to this explanation press 1.If you don¡¯t want to hear it, press 2.If you want to listen to it again, press #.¡± ¨C As expected, you are well versed on this subject. Hatch hesitated when he heard Citrus¡¯ words. After hesitating, he spoke. ¡°So what do you want to speak to me about?¡± ¨C Warlord is a very well made game.It also has a Main Scenario Quest that evolves based on the User¡¯s actions and the progress of the game.It was the first time such a system was attempted, and the product was surprisingly close to perfection.Do you know why this was possible? ¡°The developers refused to intervene and add in variables.Basically, it was the result of not ordering the A.I. around.This is also the reason why a proper event never appears in this game.¡± At that moment, Hatch was going through his past memories.It wasn¡¯t a great memory.He went to work in the morning and he came back at night.He used to spend more time at his company than his home, and he hadn¡¯t been perverted enough to have enjoyed such a life. ¡°The M.I. would go crazy if it had to do events unrelated to the game story.It also won¡¯t add Event-only monsters or a party hat that celebrate the 3 year anniversary of the Warlord.It was the right move to stop any outside variables from being introduced into the game.However, the M.I. governing Warlordis only an early product.This was why they have the leeway for outside intervention and accidents.Did you call me to listen to this explanation?Really? ¨C According to our Quest information, the third Main Scenario Quest or the Quest after this one will be the last to the Main Scenario Quest. ¡°Uh whew. Thank you for letting me know such amazing news.¡± Hatch wasn¡¯t surprised by Citrus¡¯ earnest words. He acted as if his information was a given. ¨C When the Main Scenario Quest come to an end, this game will start its service like any otherordinary game. ¡°Aigo.You surprised me again.¡± ¨C It will no longer be a game where the game progress would be determined by the Users and the progress of the game.The production team would have to add new episodes and new stages.At that point, it¡¯ll merely be a game trying to extend its length of life. However, Hatch didn¡¯t act disingenuous any more.There was no fun in making the same joke over and over again. ¡°You probably know this better than anyone else.So what do you really want to talk to me about?¡± ¨C I want us to slow down the progress of the Main Scenario Quest.Even if the popularity of Warlord would be maintained after the Main Scenario Quest ends, it wouldn¡¯t be like before.The biggest harm will come to the 30 great guilds, who has to operate a live channel.In truth, the speculative funds that were injected into the 30 great guilds have created a bubble. ¡°This isn¡¯t true for our guild.We have a sturdy backer. ¨C It is as I have said.Let us make an agreement not to progress in the Main Scenario Quest at a breakneck speed.At the very least, you understand the reason behind why we should do this.It is also why I¡¯m speaking to you.If I made this offer to the Storm Queen, it wouldn¡¯t take hold. ¡°That is true.¡± For the first time in this meeting, Hatch decided to accept Citrus¡¯ words. ¡°So what do you want us to do?¡± ¨C I want you guys to ignore the Hahoe Mask. Hahoe Mask. When he heard that word, Hatch put on a serious expression for the first place.The smile on his lips was erased, and the his facial muscles stiffened. ¨C If you want to drag down the Hahoe Mask by his ankles, I welcome it.However, don¡¯t even think about using him as a piece on the chess board.We shouldn¡¯t fight and compete with each other for the prize with the Hahoe Mask nearby.That is all I want to say. The call came to an end. After the call ended, Hatch let out a long sigh. ¡®The Hahoe Mask¡­This is driving me nuts.She is completely obsessed with him¡­ It seem the Main Scenario Quest will come to an end soon.I should sell my Tobot Soft stocks.¡¯ Chapter 172 – Bone Dragon (2) Chapter 172 ¨C Bone Dragon (2) 5. [Bone Dragon] ¨C Proficiency : Rank F ¨C Use : A Dragon Type monster has to be sacrificed for the Bone Dragon to be summoned. ¨C Miscellaneous : If you want a more detailed description of the skill, please open the Skill. The description was very short, but it was enough to shock Hyrkan to no end. ¡®This Skill really exists.¡¯ Bone Dragon. The Death Knight Summon Skill was akin to a blooming flower for a Necromancer.On the other hand, the Bone Dragon Skill was akin to a fruit.The Bone Dragon was a dream-like Skill. It was described as dream-like, because there was no substance to it.No one had definite proof that the Bone Dragon Skill existed or not.Even the Rich Lich from before didn¡¯t have this information. Of course, at the time, Hyrkan had been so desperate for money that he had bought lottery tickets for a chance to return to the game.During this period of time, level 300 and above Users had appeared.Moreover, the 3rd Advancement had appeared.The Bone Dragon Skill could have made its appearance then, but Hyrkan didn¡¯t have the interest or the luxury to pay attention to such information.Anyways, the Bone Dragon Skill wasn¡¯t present in Hyrkan¡¯s memories. Yet, it had appeared right now. ¡®The Skill Level is 230? Why is it so low?¡¯ Moreover, he thought the Bone Dragon Skill was supposed to be a 3rd Advancement Skill.It was supposed to be a level 300 Skill, yet it had a level 230 requirement.It meant it was a 2nd Advancement Skill. ¡®Was it always at this level?¡¯ There were a good number of Skills that Warlord Users bypassed without realizing it.This was especially true with the unpopular Classes. There was a level 230 Bone Dragon Skill in existence, yet it wasn¡¯t strange that no one knew about the Skill. The Necromancer Class had gotten popular thanks to Hyrkan.Now 2 out of 10 Users picked the Necromancer Class.It was seen as a promising Class, but this hadn¡¯t been true in the past.In the past, 1 out of 10 Users picked the Necromancer Class.Moreover, the Class was mostly chosen out of mistake or curiosity. ¡®Well, since I received it, I should be thankful.¡¯ Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t have to worry too deeply about the minute details of the Skill. The most important part was that an amazing Skill had made its appearance. Hyrkan immediately looked at the subsection.Unlike the other Skills, the Bone Dragon Skill¡¯s subsection was more substantive. Moreover, several characteristics listed caught his eyes. ¡®The Bone Dragon¡¯s Level is equal to the Monster¡¯s Level.¡¯ One had to use Dragon type monster bones to summon the Bone Dragon, and when it was summoned, it would have identical Stats to the monster.Moreover, the Special Ability of the original monster couldn¡¯t be used.As expected, there would be a penalty for having a low Rank, but the Stats would go up as the Skill increased in Rank. ¡®If I use the Boss Monster as Ingredient, the cost will be immense.¡¯ Of course, if a Dragon type Boss Monster would be used as ingredient, the penalized basic Stats would still be immense.The best class of monster to summon was the Boss Monsters. ¡®The Blaze Slime Dragon¡­It doesn¡¯t have any bones.¡¯ The Bone Dragon couldn¡¯t use the Special Skills of the sacrificed monster, but it possessed its own Special Skills. The most eye-catching feature was the Riding Skill. ¡®I¡¯ll finally be able to travel on a decent ride.¡¯ In truth, the Riding Function was available on the Golem.Hyrkan had the Clay Play Skill ranked up to Rank A, so he could fly into the sky by using monsters like Wyverns as sacrifice. ¡®That isn¡¯t flight.It is just moving along the ground.¡¯ The problem was the altitude! The Wyvern Golem couldn¡¯t fly high into the sky.At the same time, the process in getting it to fly and changing direction was unilaterally against the rider.It would allow one to move at the speed of a car on a highway at an altitude of 100 meters.However, if a problem occurs during the flight like being attacked by someone, one would free fall towards the ground.Since the Golem¡¯s body was made out of stone, its ability to recover its balance and altitude was the worst. If one wanted to use it, one could use it.However, it was more dangerous to use it in the hunting grounds than one would think.There would be some monster attacks, but the biggest danger were the Users.When most Users saw a flying Golem flying at low altitude, they would attack first and ask questions later.From Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, he would go nuts if he kept being attacked in such a manner. It would be better to use a four-legged beast as ingredient.It was a more efficient and safer mode of travel.In truth, there wasn¡¯t much difference in using a Wyvern Golem and a Wolf Golem.The difference in arrival time wasn¡¯t that large. ¡®There is no way this one has that stupid altitude restriction, right?¡¯ Of course, there was a chance that Bone Dragon¡¯s Riding Skill was similar in nature as the Golem¡¯s Riding Skill.Maybe, the Warlord System itself put a restriction on all flight by Users.This was a likely scenario. ¡®Acid Breath¡­It¡¯ll be able to use it at Rank B.¡¯ Aside from the Riding Skill, the Bone Dragon had several skills it could use as its Rank increased.At Rank C, the Stats penalty was lifted.At Rank B, it gained the Acid Breath.At Rank A, it could use the Dragon¡¯s Fear. ¡®There might also be two other additional skills.¡¯ The two Special Skill for the Skeleton Knight like the Chivalry and Commander was gained through Skill Books.There was a good chance that he¡¯ll be able to increase the Bone Dragon¡¯s Skills through the same method. ¡®There is still a lot of places where I have to spend money on.¡¯ Hyrkan clicked his tongue in dismay when he thought about the money he had to invest to get the Chivalry and Commander skill. ¡°Huh?¡± However, the worry for money was cleanly blown out of the water when he saw the fourth line in the subsection. ¡®Wait a moment.What the hell is this?¡¯ ¨CBone ingredients equal to a whole Dragon is needed to be able to summon the Bone Dragon. ¡®What the hell?¡¯ The most expensive Skill in Warlord had made its appearance. 6. Ggoo-oh-oh! The Bone Wyvern, which was only made out of bones, let out a cry.The forest was full of tall and thick trees, which was reminiscent of buildings.The Bone Wyvern started dropping towards the forest. Shweeee! It was like an arrow descending towards the ground after reaching its peak.Moreover, it was solely made out of bones, so the Bone Wyvern was angular.It led with its beak as it dived in a terrifying manner. Poo-hwaht! The leaves of the large trees were covering the ground like a roof, and the Bone Wyvern broke through as if it was breaking under the surface of the water.The target of the Wyvern¡¯s beak was the monster named Wood Devil.It was fighting a fierce battle with the Death Knight, Skeleton Knights, and the Skeleton Warriors. The monster was 7 meters tall, and it was massive.It had the legs of a goat, and the body and head of an Orc.Moreover, it was made out of a mixture of dirt, rock and trees.The Wood Devil was a powerful monster. It was only a mid-sized monster, but its difficulty rivaled the large monsters.Moreover, it also gave similar EXP as the large monsters. The Bone Wyvern unhesitatingly drilled its beak towards the Wood Devil. Puh-uhk! Both the penetrator and the penetrated suffered a brutal cost from the collision. The Wood Devil¡¯s head blew up like a watermelon.The Bone Wyvern¡¯s beak pierced through the head to lodge itself on top of the Wood Devil¡¯s shoulder. The Wyvern was stuck, and it was in rough shape. It was akin to throwing a boiled egg at a rock. It became increasingly more bizarre when the two, who had suffered massive damages, displayed signs of life. The Wood Devil didn¡¯t have anything that could be called a head, yet it plucked out the Bone Wyvern stuck on its body with its left hand. Kwah-jeek! It used its incredible grip strength to break the Bone Wyvern in half, and it threw the Bone Wyvern to the floor as if it was throwing away trash. Poo-hwaht! The Bone Wyvern had already been in rough shape, but now one couldn¡¯t even tell what it originally looked like.Amongst the wrecked body, the bones were showing signs of activity.The Bone Wyvern was trying hard to keep its body together, while it struggled in vain.It attempted to fix each bone one at a time. As if it wanted to avenge its comrade, the Death Knight¡¯s Skeleton Steed rammed its head into the Wood Devil¡¯s body.The Death Knight swung down towards the headless Wood Devil as if it was splitting wood. ¡°Ah, really?What the hell!¡± There was someone stuck to the back of the Wood Devil and this being was busily stuffing Bone Explosives into the monster¡¯s body.Hyrkan shouted in an annoyed voice. ¡®Do you realize how much I paid for that!¡¯ The Highwood Forest was located on the northern parts of the Black Continent. It was a forest located on the outskirts of the Red Desert, and it was considered to be the most effective hunting ground to level up for Users over level 230. The difficulty in hunting the Wood Devil was high, but the EXP gained was high too. However, Hyrkan was visiting the Highwood Forest, because of a quest. ¡®Shit.The Bone Explosives, and the offerings for the Bone Dragon¡­.This is driving me nuts.¡¯ When he found the trace left behind by the Archmage Bokan in the Ancient King¡¯s Tomb, he immediately received the quest called ¡®Ancient King¡¯s Artifact¡¯. He had to meet the Blacksmith Olf to progress in the Quest. Of course, he had no idea where the Blacksmith Olf was located at.This particular NPC never stayed in a single location.He had questioned everyone at the Subjugation Association, and he was able to locate a hint that said the Blacksmith Olf had crossed over to the Black Continent.He was told that the Blacksmith Olf was currently journeying towards the Red Desert. Naturally, the Red Desert became Hyrkan¡¯s destination, and the Highwood Forest was on the path towards the Red Desert.Of course, he would hunt earnestly as he traveled there. The hunt was very good.The Wood Devils were as advertised.They guaranteed he would gain a really good amount of EXP.Moreover, the Ingredients dropped by the Wood Devils could be used in producing Unique Rank Items.The monster had good EXP, and it was a money maker.His profit steadily rose as he caught this monster. However, his profit was smashed into pieces as the Bone Dragon broke apart. ¡®Shit!¡¯ Bone Dragon. It was a good Skill.The Bone Dragon allowed one to summon Wyverns and other miscellaneous Dragons.All these Dragon type monsters had excellent offensive capabilities. However, problem arose from the fact that the summoned Bone Dragon was too reckless, and its Skill Rank was too low.Moreover, the level gap between the monster he sacrificed, and the monster he fought was too large. ¡®I¡¯m only catching a Wood Devil, so I can¡¯t use the Bone Ingredients of a level 200 Boss Monster¡­¡¯ For his first summon, he had used a level 170 monster called Gray Wyvern to summon the Bone Wyvern. It wasn¡¯t a low level monster. The Gray Wyvern was still considered to be hard monster to kill in Warlord. However, Hyrkan was currently hunting the Wood Devils, which were at level 240. It was a 70 level gap.Moreover, since the Skill¡¯s Rank was F, his Bone Wyvern had received a Stat reduction penalty. It all culminated to bring about the moment from a moment ago. The Bone Wyvern had worked hard in its own way, and at times, it was quite effective.However, the Bone Wyvern had paid a price for its action. This part of the equation was easy to accept, and it was understandable.He had used a level 170 monster as Ingredient, so it would have been strange if it was capable of taking down a level 240 monster. The problem was the price. ¡®Still, it cost me 1,000 gold to summon a Bone Wyvern.This is too much.¡¯ This was the cost of summoning a Bone Wyvern. In the case of the Gray Wyvern, it dropped 8 Ingredients where one could make decent Items.If one added up the Bone Ingredients used in this venture, it was around 1,000 gold. Actually, it wasn¡¯t that expensive.If one divided the 8 pieces, the Bone Ingredient needed to produce an Item came out to be around 120 gold. It was a pretty low price for an Ingredient that was used to make an Item used by many level 170 Users. However, it was a different story for Hyrkan.He had to buy a large quantity of the Ingredient, and it could only be used once. ¡®So one summon was worth a supply of 100 Bone Explosives¡­¡¯ It was worth 100 Bone Explosives. Moreover, the Bone Dragon wasn¡¯t too compatible with the Death Knight¡¯s Undying skill. It wasn¡¯t as if the Skill didn¡¯t work on the Bone Dragon.The sticking point was the special characteristic of the Undying Skill.The Undying Skill only worked if the Skeleton was near the Death Knight.However, the Bone Dragon regularly moved away from the effective range of the Undying skill. This was the case right now. The Wood Devil had extracted the Bone Wyvern, and it had thrown it outside of the range of the Death Knight¡¯s Undying Skill. [Bone Wyvern has returned to earth.] In the end, the Bone Wyvern failed to regenerate and recover.It returned to being dirt. ¡°Fuck this shit¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± At that moment, his one thousand gold had turned into dirt. The part that made his insides hurt more was the fact that he would have to repeat doing this.He had to invest a ridiculous amount of gold in order to increase the Bone Dragon Skill¡¯s Rank. ¡®I never expected to lose money in this fashion.¡¯ On the other hand, it strengthened his resolve. ¡®I have to quickly take these bastards down, so I can make up for my loss.¡¯ It flamed Hyrkan¡¯s desire to hunt down the Wood Devils. It was reminiscent of the time he started this game for the first time. 7. V&V, Big Smiles, Blossom, Sweepers and Moonlight guilds were the 5 guilds within the Five Stars guild.They had used their overwhelming number to extend a great deal of influence towards north and south of the Black Continent. Their expansion was unlike the Stormhunters, who were simply using regions as hunting ground before they moved on.The Five Stars were now occupying and controlling the good hunting grounds they ran across.In recent days, the high level Users had gone past level 230, and the Highwood Forest was a very attractive hunting ground for Users, who were getting close to the higher level Users.It was a hunting ground worthy of controlling as one of the main hunting grounds. The Highwood Forest was under the control of the Big Smiles guild. Of course, it was practically impossible to govern a high level hunting ground with brute force.If the guild wanted to catch level 230 and above monsters, the guild¡¯s highest level Users had to be mobilized.Their main forces had to be brought forth.This was why the weak guild members couldn¡¯t be permanently stationed there to observe and control this region.The monitoring and management of the hunting ground was out of the question.The lower level Users were more likely be sent back through a special delivery called Game Over to the Heard Fortress ruin town by a passing Wood Devil. In truth, this wasn¡¯t a location that was suitable for being managed.This wasn¡¯t a stage meant for the low level Users.The Users, who were able to frequent this place, had skills and a certain degree of fame.It was hard to talk or come to an arrangement with these Users.The guild would have to use a very big stick to be able to deliver a big punishment to those, who intruded in the forest. ¨C How long are we going to let the Hahoe Mask operate in the Highwood Forest? However, there was a User where none of the normal conventions worked. He was a high level User, and words didn¡¯t work on him.Moreover, he wouldn¡¯t consider cutting any deals, and the big stick approach also didn¡¯t work on him.He didn¡¯t have a guild that could be pressured, and no forms of pressure seems to work on him. ¡°We¡¯ve already decided internally not to mess with the Hahoe Mask¡­Didn¡¯t you agree about that part, Mr. Heh-bibin? ¨C Still, there should be a limit to our patience.The Highwood Forest is our main hunting ground under our management!¡® Hahoe Mask. He ignored all authority as he hunted in the Highwood forest.Moreover, he wasn¡¯t just hunting there. ¨C Moreover, the Hahoe Mask is flaunting the fact that he is hunting at the Highwood Forest! He is hunting out in the open! It was as if he was advertising himself! ¨C The video he uploaded, in regards to the Highwood Forest, just went past 10 million views.It just took a single day! To make things worse, the Hahoe Mask had uploaded a video of himself hunting inside the Highwood Forest.He had uploaded it the next day with minimal editing. The Hahoe Mask was a youtube star that could gain millions of views just from uploading a simple video of Skeletons dancing inside the game.We was the mega star of Warlord. He was such a figure, so there was no way his Wood Devil hunting video would have a low view count.It was popular enough to breeze past 10 million views in a single day. Moreover, as the Hahoe Mask¡¯s success continued, the Big Smiles guild looked more and more inept.They had touted the Highwood Forest as being under the strict control of the Big Smiles, so of course, they came out looking ridiculous from this situation. ¨C You have to look at the comments below the Hahoe Mask¡¯s recent Highwood Forest hunting video.About half of the comments are ridiculing the Big Smiles. As a sub-guild master of the Big Smiles, this was the reason why he was angry. In truth, Heh-bibin didn¡¯t want to pay attention to the Hahoe Mask anymore. Didn¡¯t he always take a loss every time he messed with the Hahoe Mask? This was why he hadn¡¯t disagreed when the guild made an internal policy not to interfere with the Hahoe Mask. However, the current situation was a whole different matter. ¨C We are one of the 30 great guilds.We are China¡¯s greatest guild.If we allow the Hahoe Mask to treat us like this, we¡¯ll suffer incalculable damage. He didn¡¯t care if a crazy dog barked out in the yard.He didn¡¯t care if the crazy dog was ignored.However, if the crazy dog entered the house to make a mess, it was a completely different story. Heh-bibin¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong.When Sinclair heard his words, he agreed with Heh-bibin¡¯s words. ¡°I understand.However, the risk is too high.If we want to catch the Hahoe Mask right now, we would have to shift a significant portion of our troops present here on the Black Continent.¡± It wasn¡¯t as if they couldn¡¯t catch the Hahoe Mask.The Hahoe Mask was amazing, but in the end, he was alone.If they wanted to, they would be able to kill him. ¨C Sinclair.You¡­ ¡°So you want me to go out and fight the Hahoe Mask?Is that what you are trying to say to me?¡± In the end that was the sticking point.It was the price one needed to pay to kill the Hahoe Mask.A frightening cost had to be paid to catch a terrifying genius of Solo Play.Even if one was willing to pay the price, it would be a problem.If one paid the price, someone had to sign the receipt.If the receipt printed out a loss, the one that signed the receipt would have to be responsible for that loss. ¡°Policy is policy.I won¡¯t mess with the Hahoe Mask.¡± ¨C I can¡¯t believe those words came out of your mouth, Killer. ¡°The Five Stars agreed to it, and the Hyrdra guild also agreed to it.We don¡¯t touch the Hahoe Mask.¡± ¨C Sinclair.While you were with the Hands guild, you were a User on par with the Matador Chev and the Storm Queen Shir.If there was an obstacle, you broke through it.You used your Skill in the shadow, and many lamented this fact.This was why many guilds had sent you love calls. Sinclair could clearly see this venture would come out at a loss, so he didn¡¯t want to sign the receipt. No, to be precise, he couldn¡¯t do it. His employer, who had hired him, wouldn¡¯t allow it. ¨C This is why I¡¯m curious.What decision would the Matador or the Storm Queen make right now? ¡°I¡¯ll accept your words as a compliment.¡± Sinclair ended the call with Heh-bibin after he got in the last word. ¡®Heh-bibin¡¯s real aim is for me to fall at the hands of the Hahoe Mask. He want my influence to lessen.; After ending the call, Sinclair let out a bitter laugh. Sinclair could guess why Heh-bibin had tried to bait him.Heh-bibin wasn¡¯t really trying to punish the Hahoe Mask.When the Big Smiles reformed with Sinclair as the centerpiece, Heh-bibin had become isolated within the guild.He needed a plan that will reverse his fortune.Sinclair was well aware of this fact. ¡®Shit.¡¯ This was why he had turned down the request. ¡°Shit.¡± Currently, Sinclair tried to convince himself that this was why he had turned down the request. Chapter 173 – Bone Dragon (3) Chapter 173 ¨C Bone Dragon (3) 8. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun, who had been looking at his Tablet PC, repositioned the glasses on his face.Then he started flicking his finger on the Tablet PC. ¡°I spent 3,223 gold for magic recovery Items, 2,550 gold for health recovery Items, and 10,000 gold for Bone Ingredients¡­.¡± He already had a rough estimate on how much he had spent, but the calculation was concluded faster than expected.The final total hadn¡¯t come out yet, but Ahn-jaehyun stopped moving his finger. ¡°Ah.¡± In the end a very soft and spiritless sigh came out of his mouth.It was a wretched sound. ¡®This is driving me nuts.¡¯ He was having a hard time letting out a sigh.Afterwards, the words he was about to say got stuck in the back of his throat.Ahn-jaehyun could only complain and moan about his problems with a small voice inside his head. In the end, his fermenting discontent led to annoyance. ¡®Bone Dragon¡­How can they only made such expensive Skills?¡¯ It had been 10 days since the Hahoe Mask hunted inside the Highwood Forest, which was under Big Smiles¡¯ management. ¡®It isn¡¯t as if I could abstain from using it, since I have to increase the Skill Rank¡­I caught so many Wood Devils, yet I came out at a loss.¡¯ For the past 10 days, the Hahoe Mask¡¯s hunt to level up had proceeded very smoothly.It wasn¡¯t just smooth.He had worked at peak efficiency.In 10 days, he had raised 4 levels, and he had reached Level 235.Before he returned to the past, Hyrkan had worked with the Hahoe Mask guild to level up.It took them 31 days for him to go from Level 230 to Level 240.His current Level Up speed was ridiculous. However, the drain on his money was as fast as his Level Up speed. ¡°Shit.Was this Skill really made with the intention of Users using it?¡± Of course, the main culprit of his loss was the Bone Dragon Skill. In their own ways, the Skeletons under the Hahoe Mask was great at eating money, but the Bone Dragon Skill was on a whole different level compared to the Skeletons.He had to dress, decorate and feed the Skeletons. It felt like pouring water into a jug with a hole at the bottom.The Bone Dragon Skill made him feel as if he was pouring the water straight onto the floor. The scarier part was the fact that he hadn¡¯t really even started using this Skill yet. ¡®The current level 200 Dragon Type Boss Monster is called the Crypt Dragon.If I wanted Bone Ingredients equal to a whole Dragon¡­Seventy thousand gold.¡¯ This was the real deal. When one went over Level 200 mark to find a large Dragon Type Boss Monster, the price jumped up to a whole different level.This was especially true for the Dragon Type Boss Monsters that were in the large category. On the high side, the Skill could require around 100 Bone Ingredients.Of course, the price to gather such a high number of Ingredient Coins was exorbitant. Moreover, the Bone Ingredients one paid for an exorbitant price dissipated when the battle ended.When he thought about it, his body shook. After his body stopped shaking, Ahn-jaehyun decided to stop worrying about it. ¡®First, let me worry about increasing the Skill Rank.The terrifying problem of¡­.Let¡¯s ignore it for now.¡¯ If he worried about it right now, it would only lead to a stomach ulcer. Ahn-jaehyun once again started to tap at the Tablet PC¡¯s screen.He restarted the calculation he had stopped a moment ago. ¡®If I want to buy additional Consumable Items, and the Ingredients for the Bone Dragon¡­.I¡¯ll have topurchase around 100,000 gold.I¡¯m spending my gold much faster than expected.I purchased 100,000 gold not too long ago.¡¯ Then he started to worry once again. ¡®The transaction fee involved in swapping 100,000 gold¡­It¡¯ll be higher than what I spend on food each month.¡¯ ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤Uh-whew.¡± At that moment, Ahn-jaehyun gave up on his calculations. 9. The Bone Wyvern flapped its wing as it landed at the Heard Fortress ruin town¡¯s main square.Its wings was made out of bones, so it didn¡¯t cause the winds to stir.The Bone Wyvern was pretty large, but the landing process was quieter than expected.However, the commotion it caused in its surrounding wasn¡¯t quiet at all. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± ¡°Is it a NPC?¡± ¡°The Wyvern Delivery NPC possesses a Bone Dragon too?Doesn¡¯t it normally use 5 normal Wyverns?¡± The Users in the square caused a large commotion, and it caused the other Users to gather.They came to see what the fuss was about.When the Users were about to converge into a mass resembling a cloud, a User on descended from the back of the Bone Wyvern. This user used the Bone Wyvern¡¯s bones as handholds.The User was wearing pouches and bags, which were filled to bursting, like clothes. When the crowd recognized the User¡¯s face, it created a ripple within the crowd. ¡°Hahoe Mask?¡± The restless energy within the crowd was akin to when a celebrity exited an expensive sports car.As the crowd became excited, Hyrkan¡¯s shoulders were pulled back in pride. ¡®Yes, this is what it is all about.¡¯ In a short amount of time, Hyrkan had used the Bone Wyvern¡¯s Riding Skill to fly from the Highwood Forest to the Heard Fortress ruin town.Moreover, this was the first time the crowd had seen a User use a Bone Wyvern as a mode of transportation. This was obvious, but Hyrkan had expected such a reaction. ¡®As expected, a man is all about the car.¡¯ He had worried about the Riding Skill, but the Bone Dragon flew pretty well in the air.It was impossible to do any tricks in the air, but it was much better than the Wyvern Golem made using the Clay Play Skill.It could fly much higher, and it was a much safer ride. Of course, it was a great mode of transportation, but a high cost came with this convenience. [The Bone Wyvern has returned to the earth.] Accompanying the System Announcement, the Bone Dragon collapsed into a white pile of dust.The dust from the bone was so fine that a small breeze, which couldn¡¯t be felt by the Users, scattered it into the surrounding. The strength that had kept Hyrkan¡¯s shoulder and neck tense also dissipated. ¡®Ah, my 200 gold¡­¡¯ When the Riding Skill was used to travel a long distance, the Bone Dragon disappeared as soon as one arrived at the destination.Basically, it meant the long distance travel using the Bone Dragon Skill was a one-off Skill.It wasn¡¯t even a round trip.It travelled only one way. Thankfully, he could use the lowest flight-capable Dragon Type monster.It was a level 90 normal Wyvern.This was why he only burned 200 golds on this flight. Of course, he said it was merely 200 gold, but if he converted to real money, it was the price of an airplane ticket. This was why his back look strangely bleak as he head towards the Item Storage center. 10. At the Item Storage center, a room was provided, so a User could always change one¡¯s Item Setting in privacy.It was there as a considerate gesture for the Users.It allowed one to put Items into the Slots, and when one yelled for the Slot On of the Items, one could see how one looked liked.Of course, one would look silly if one kept yelling out Slot On deep within a forest just to check how one looked in an equipment.This was why this room was provided. Hyrkan was within such a room with his equipments off.He was standing inside wearing only his underwear, and the his body looked bizarre. It was reminiscent of the Frankenstein.His arms and legs looked like it was patched together, and tattoos covered his whole body. Hyrkan grabbed the flesh of his left side like a handle.When he pulled on his skin, the flesh around his stomach opened up like a door.It revealed a six-sided space that was akin to the inside of a safe. ¡®I¡¯ll put the health recovery Items and Buff Items inside my stomach¡­..¡¯ Hyrkan stacked the consumables he had bought into his stomach.He kept putting in Itemsuntil there was no available space. Then he moved on to his thighs. ¡®The left will hold the Skeleton Fragments, Bone Explosives, Bone Spear¡­The other side will hold the offerings for the Bone Dragon.¡¯ He opened his right thigh first then he opened the left.He put Items into the available space.Afterwards, he meticulously put in Items into his arms and even his palms. It was as if he was replacing his bones with Items. After finishing his work, he manipulated his wristwatch.It took only 2 seconds for his bare body to be equipped with heavy armor. Hyrkan¡¯s work wasn¡¯t done yet.There were Item storage pouches placed in various location of the Dark Spot set, and he started filling them with consumable Items. He also filled his bag and pockets. ¡°Hoo-ooh.¡± Hyrkan could breathe easily only after he had finished his work¡­This task had taken him 20 minutes. After he let out a sigh, a bitter smile hung around Hyrkan¡¯s lips. ¡®I paved the road in front of me with money.¡¯ Every User thoroughly prepared for a hunt and quest by purchasing consumable Items.However, there was no other Users that was as thorough in his preparation in regards to consumable Items like Hyrkan.Hyrkan¡¯s preparation was meticulous, and the consumable Items he used were overly expensive. ¡®Currently, I¡¯m probably the most expensive being walking inside Warlord.¡¯ Just the cost of the Items on his body could be measured in the hundred thousands. It didn¡¯t end there.None of Hyrkan¡¯s Items present in his slots were cheap Items. Moreover, He possessed Unique Items that most of Warlord didn¡¯t have like the Circlet of Purification and Anugas¡¯ Necklace.On top of it all, a good number of his main Items were bound, and he wouldn¡¯t lose any of them if he had his wristwatch stolen.On the other hand, this meant that if someone did manage to steal Hyrkan¡¯s wristwatch, the probability of the Circlet of Purification and the Anugas¡¯ Necklace dropping was high. It was as Hyrkan had said.It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the most valuable character one could catch in Warlord was Hyrkan. ¡®I¡¯m such a tempting target, yet the Big Smiles is leaving me alone.It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡¯ The Big Smiles guild had left Hyrkan alone. From time he started hunting inside the Highwood Forest, he had been curious about their absence. In truth, Hyrkan hadn¡¯t planned on hunting for 10 days within the Highwood Forest.If he could do it, it would have been great.However, he had thought the Big Smiles guild wouldn¡¯t allow him to hunt in an important region under their control.He had been sure that the Big Smiles wouldhave mobilized their forces to interfere with Hyrkan¡¯s hunt. This was why he had been bold and visible in the beginning.He started earnestly hunting down the monsters in plain sight. The Hahoe Mask displayed his full might as if he was advertising himself, and from the Big Smiles guild¡¯s perspective, they would have to make thorough preparations to hunt down the Hahoe Mask.Naturally, this preparation would take time, and it would have given the Hahoe Mask the time to hunt a little bit longer. This was why he allocated 3 days for his hunt. He would hunt for 3 days within the Highwood Forest, and when the Big Smiles guild interferes within him, he would give up the hunt.He would have crossed over into the Red Desert. However, the opposite of his expectation occurred.The Big Smiles guild didn¡¯t even sniff near Hyrkan.They didn¡¯t show any indication that they will attempt to catch him.As time passed, Hahoe Mask¡¯s exploits and activities increased.The ridicule and criticism against the Big Smiles were getting louder.However, they treated Hyrkan as if he didn¡¯t exist. ¡®This course of action worries me more.¡¯ If it came to it, he was ready to fight the Big Smiles guild.However, when the Big Smiles guild stayed silent, it frightened him. However, it was also the reason why he had firmed his resolve. ¡®These guys aren¡¯t the kinds of bastards that would stay put doing nothing.¡¯ When the calm before the storm was long, the destructive power of the storm was stronger. There was no need for him to overstay his welcome at the Highwood Forest.There was no reason why he should stay until he triggered a trap laid out by the vindictive Users of the Big Smiles guild. ¡®Well, if I go into the Red Desert, I don¡¯t have to worry about facing the Big Smiles for a while¡­..¡¯ Since he had tweaked the nose of the Big Smiles guild, he had to go to the Red Desert as soon as possible. The Red Desert was north of the Highwood forest, and it was a region officially given up by the Big Smiles guild.They didn¡¯t hunt, manage, and search inside the Red Desert.It wasn¡¯t just the Big Smiles guild.All of the Five Stars guild had given up searching the Red Desert. It was a highly dangerous region.It wasn¡¯t even known what types of monsters appeared inside this region.There were no information on what characteristics these monsters possessed. The only thing confirmed was the fact that it was more difficult than the Highwood Forest!It was assumed to be a level 250 hunting ground. Of course, the Red Desert was filled with more dangerous beings than the mediocre members of the Big Smiles guild. Moreover, Hyrkan would have to meet a Warlord NPC known to be very unfriendly towards theUsers.The Blacksmith Olf did whatever the hell it wanted, and he had no clues on its location.He just knew the NPC was somewhere inside the Red Desert.He had to find the NPC with just this information. ¡®If I could end this game, I really would just end it.¡¯ It was a pipe dream, so Hyrkan¡¯s mind boggled at the thought.He fixed the Hahoe Mask on his face. 11. ¡°If things continue this way, wouldn¡¯t we become a laughing stock?¡± At Heh-bibin¡¯s words, Apollo didn¡¯t move his pouting lips.Heh-bibin spoke to him again. ¡°In all fairness, you are the master of this sub-guild now.The only thing holding me back from moving on is the big picture for this guild.The Big Smiles guild is basically your guild now.Moreover, don¡¯t you want revenge on the Hahoe Mask?¡± ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤Sinclair didn¡¯t budge.How are we going to kill the Hahoe Mask?¡± Apollo finally broke his silence, and Heh-bibin looked at Apollo with a hardened expression instead of answering the question. There was a brief silence, and Heh-bibin didn¡¯t show any signs of wanting to talk. ¡°I want to catch the Hahoe Mask.I want to kill that bastard.¡± As if he couldn¡¯t take the silence, Apollo spoke with anger in his voice. Heh-bibin took a peek at Apollo.Several thoughts flitted through his mind. ¡®As I thought, the answer was to poke Apollo.¡¯ When this thought went through his mind, Heh-bibin tried hard to push down the smile that was trying to break out on his face. ¡°We are of like mind.If the Big Smiles guild allows the Hahoe Mask to act with impunity, it¡¯ll damage us greatly. At the very least, you and I should stand together.¡± ¡°However, we don¡¯t have a plan ! If it isn¡¯t Sinclair, who¡¯ll be able to go toe-to-toe with the Hahoe Mask?¡± Apollo reacted in a very temperamental manner.If one considered Apollo¡¯s personality and his past relationship with the Hahoe Mask, it was a predictable reaction.There was no reason why Apollo would be happy about this topic. ¡°Even if we don¡¯t have a User of the same caliber to confront him, there is no reason why we can¡¯t kill him if we go in large numbers.If we decide to catch him, we¡¯ll be able to.¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t catch him after sending 1,000 of our Users.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t it, because the Stormhunters guild interfered with us?If we think about it logically, even the Hahoe Mask can¡¯t fight a force of 1,000 Users.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard those words before.¡± ¡°We have to hunt him in a way where we¡¯ll turn a profit.Even if we send 100 or a 1,000 Users, we¡¯ll turn a profit.The Hahoe Mask is basically the most expensive monster in Warlord.¡± ¡°If we send a thousand User, he¡¯ll avoid them.Hahoe Mask isn¡¯t dumb.This is how he handles such situations.¡± Heh-bibin shut his mouth again. ¡°Moreover, the bastard doesn¡¯t have a guild, party, team or even a family!It is impossible to threaten him by kidnapping someone near him.So how are we supposed to pin him down?In recent rumors, it is said he travels by riding a Bone Wyvern.He can fly now, so how can we catch him?¡± At that moment¡­ ¡°Ah.¡± Apollo had an idea.When he had this idea, he had a dazed expression on his face. ¡°Now that I think about it, there is one User, who¡¯s close to the Hahoe Mask.¡± Apollo¡¯s dazed expression turned into a bloody smile. Chapter 174 – Red Desert (1) Chapter 174 ¨C Red Desert (1) [This place is north of the Highwood Forest where the Wood Devils appear.It is called the Red Desert.Until now, no one has able to approach this unknown region.] A User appeared within the footage.After he gave a brief explanation, the User turned to look at the Red Desert spread behind him.Then he pointed towards what he was seeing. [It feels like I¡¯m on mars.However, this place has a characteristic that is more interesting than its appearance.Please look over here.] The view was tilted downwards towards the floor.One could see the feet of the man standing atop the red sands.The man stomped with his foot as if he was knocking on the floor. When one watched the footage, one would expected the desert or the sand box to let out a soft sound when the foot came down. Tahng tahng! However, the red sand beneath the User¡¯s foot made a sound akin to what a steel would make. The man didn¡¯t end his actions there.He quickly unsheathed his sword from his waist, and he stabbed his sword towards the ground.The sword descended fast, and after letting out a violent sound, only the tip of the sword penetrated between the grains of sand. [As you can see, this place is a desert.However, when you operate in this region, you should treat this place as a world made out of concrete.This holds true for the rest of the Red Desert you can see right now.These sands look like they are flowing like river water, but in truth, it could be treated as a very light layer of sand moving atop a material akin to concrete.This is a game.It is an awesome setting for one to experience in a virtual reality.] The User finally appeared in full inside the footage, and the man started to move.The screen started to move with the man.The man walked towards something large, and he stopped in front of it. There was a snake in front of the man.It was an enormous snake, and the snake looked bizarre in several ways.Snakes usually had scales that looked slick with oil, but this snake¡¯s skin looked very hard.It looked like a bug¡¯s carapace, and the glossy sheen made it look like an exoskeleton.However, the most surprising part was the fact that the snake¡¯s body was half buried in the sand. The User opened his mouth again. [However, if you decide to hunt here, the awesome setting I described earlier is actually a very horrific setting.Wait until this guy comes out or please run away.If you are pulled below the ground, prepare yourself for a vacation. The Tankers have to on alert.] In a flash, the mood within the footage changed.The screen started to shake as if it was really being filmed by a handheld camera. [Shit!It appeared again!] [Prepare for battle!Prepare for battle!] [Don¡¯t get dragged in!The Tankers have to be especially vigilant!] Within the shaking footage, desperate voices could be heard.After a while, the footage stabilized, and the User spoke directly to the viewers watching the video. [I¡¯ll end it here.This is Big Smiles guild¡¯s Sinclair.] The video ended. Hyrkan, who had been caught up by the video, was finally able to freely move his gaze.Hyrkan moved his gaze as he lifted his head to look in front of him. Hyrkan saw the same monster from the video right in front of his eyes.The Sand Snake¡¯s corpse had been dismantled, and it was in the process of slowly melting away. Ddul-goo-ruhk, ddul-goo-ruhk¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. There were two Skeleton Knights on Skeleton Steeds around the Sand Snake. They looked forbidding as they moved slowly.It looked as if they were on guard.Both of the Skeleton Knights were showing a bold front, yet Hyrkan didn¡¯t feel good looking at them.His foul mood was inevitable. ¡®The Skeleton Knight was taken down in a single¡­¡¯ When he arrived at the Red Desert, it was as if the Sand Snake had been waiting for Hyrkan.He immediately came across the most famous monster inside the Red Desert. Hyrkan decided to answer the Sand Snake¡¯s welcome.He gave it Skeleton Fragments as gifts for coming into its house. The battle itself wasn¡¯t too bad.The Sand Snake¡¯s exoskeleton was hard as it looked.On the other hand, the monster didn¡¯t have any Special Abilities.The Skeleton Warriors were trained well enough to fight in a melee with the Sand Snake.Then there were the Skeleton Knights strengthened using the Legendary Rank Ancient Power.With the help of the Skeleton Knights on their Skeleton Steeds, the Sand Snake wasn¡¯t a difficult opponent. Moreover, the [Corrosive Ghost] Skill effect worked very well on this monster.Hyrkan had a Transcendent Rank Ancient Power leftover inside his storage, so he had used it on the [Skeleton Science] Skill.The [Corrosive Ghost] Skill had become much stronger, and it quickly weakened the exoskeleton of the Sand Snake.Thanks to the recently purchased [Cursed Doll] Skill, it was easy to inflict the Curse. The early portion of the battle was so easy that it made Hyrkan surprised. ¡®Of course, there is nothing easy inside this game.¡¯ In a flash, the Sand Snake suddenly grabbed onto the Skeleton Knight.After biting the Skeleton Knight, who was wailing away at the Sand Snake, the ground sunk inwards.The Skeleton Knight was killed. Instantaneous Death. Results that usually never happened to his Skeleton underlings occurred. Afterwards, he entered into another battle with a Sand Snake.In the process, two Skeleton Warriors suffered the same fate as the Skeleton Knight. ¡®I get what they were trying to do.Still, the Skeleton Knight atop the Skeleton Steed is immense.How does it make any sense that it could be dragged underground like that?¡¯ After assessing the battle again, Hyrkan clicked his tongue in dismay. This wasn¡¯t an insignificant loss that could be glossed over. Hyrkan couldn¡¯t summon the Skeleton Knights indefinitely.The Skeleton Knight suffering an instantaneous death was a very big loss for him. ¡®I think the Golems might be the only ones that can tank the Sand Snake.¡¯ Of course, he had to change his tactics from the norm.He couldn¡¯t use the Skeleton Knights as hybrid Tankers and Strikers.For tanking, he would have to send out a big Golem. ¡®My magical consumption would be too large.¡¯ In the end, that was the problem. Hyrkan didn¡¯t use the Golems as his main troops not, because they were weak.The Golems were strong.However, the cost of summoning was too large to use them against normal monsters.Basically, if one took out a Golem in a fight where one Skeleton Knight would suffice, one was killing a chicken with a butcher¡¯s knife meant for a cow. Moreover, everything Hyrkan did here was costing money.It wasn¡¯t as if there was an infinite number of consumables he could use.If his consumption was too fast, it would restrict the number of hours he could operate here. Hyrkan looked up at the sky. ¡®I can¡¯t fly around¡­.¡¯ The best option would be to fly on the Bone Wyvern without getting into any battles as he looked for his destination.However, Warlord didn¡¯t permit such an easy method. The Riding Skill could be used only if one had a destination in mind.The destination had to be a colonized region like the Heard Fortress ruin town. Of course, it was ok to mount it.However, it was impossible to control it.In the case of the Bone Wyvern, it just stood on the ground during non-combat situations.It only moved when the battle started.Moreover, it was suicide to ride a Bone Wyvern into a battle. This was why he had to walk around this place. ¡®Shit.¡¯ Of course, he would have to continue to walk.He would have to leave behind his footprints on this hell-like Red Desert. Hyrkan, who had been looking up at the sky, lowered his head. ¡®Yes.Let¡¯s see who wins.¡¯ 2. [Your level has increased.] [The Skill Proficiency for the Iron Golem Skill has risen to Rank D.] [The Skill Proficiency for the Bone Dragon Skill has risen to Rank D.] The Level Up Announcement was heard, but the Announcement didn¡¯t register in Hyrkan¡¯s ears. ¡®Battle Completed!¡¯ Hyrkan ignored the Red Scorpion he had just caught.He turned his head, then he started to run. He just ran. ¡°Fucking hell!¡± As Hyrkan ran, harsh cuss words flowed out his mouth.A forest was seen far into the distance. ¡®I¡¯ve finally found it!¡¯ It was a forest filled with trees that rivaled ones seen in the Highwood Forest.This forest was beyond being silent.It felt dreary.It welcomed the visitors with an atmosphere that was quite different from the Red Desert. ¡®If I hadn¡¯t found this today, it would have driven me nuts.¡¯ He had spent 10 days within the Red Desert, and he spent to extra days in locating this place.This was his first success on this trip. The hardship endured by Hyrkan for the past 12 days was beyond imagination.The environment tested the Users in a different way.It didn¡¯t allow for breaks, and one had to be always vigilant.The time spent inside the Red Desert felt longer.A 10 minute span spent inside the Red Desert felt twice as long as any other region. Moreover, he had found his target destination only when the Consumable Items stored in his body was almost all gone. If he hadn¡¯t found the location today, he had no choice, but to head back.Of course, Hyrkan¡¯s eyes were about to flip over at his current situation. ¡®All right.I don¡¯t care what comes out.Even if it is a Zombie, I¡¯ll kiss it!¡¯ Hyrkan approached the forest with a happy heart, and Hyrkan was able to have his long awaited encounter. ¡°Do not approach this place dead human.I¡¯ll forgive your trespass only once.If you return to this place again, even your corpse won¡¯t survive the encounter.¡± It was an Elf with red colored skin. [You¡¯ve gained the title ¡®The First to Encounter the Red Elf Tribe¡¯.] [Quest ¡®Elf¡¯s Artifact¡¯ has started.] ¡®Fucking hell!¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s headlong charge, which even Anugas wasn¡¯t able to stop, came to a full stop at this moment. 3. Poohk! A sword was lodged within the Voodoo Lizardman¡¯s neck like an axe embedded in wood.The Voodoo Lizardman¡¯s body shook. However, the only ally of the Voodoo Lizardman couldn¡¯t give any help. ¡°We¡¯ve cleared the Zombies!¡± ¡°You just have to kill that one now.¡± There were two other Users.A man and a woman cleared the Zombies.Surprisingly, all 10 Zombies had been summoned.The last Zombie was killed, and none of the Zombies were able to repair itself. The User kept his sword lodged inside the Voodoo Lizardman, but when he heard their words, he retrieved his sword.He stopped prolonging the fight. Poo-hwaht! Blood sprayed out from the Voodoo Lizardman¡¯s neck. Goo-roo!Goo-roo! The sound of its dying breaths could be heard. Puhk! As the User retrieved his sword, he kicked the ankle of the Voodoo Lizardman with his foot.It fell in an instant.Before the fallen Voodoo Lizardman could let out a cry through its opened mouth, the tip of the sword fell. Poohk! This strike allowed the ragged Voodoo Lizardman to meet its death. When the short death cry ended, the three Users all heard the same Announcement. [You¡¯ve killed the 100th Voodoo Lizardman.] [You¡¯ve fulfilled the requirement for the Quest ¡®Barley Tribe¡¯s Request¡¯.] The two Users raised both their hands into the air when they heard the Announcement. ¡°We¡¯ve finally caught 100 of them!¡± ¡°I really thought this Quest was ridiculous, but we¡¯ve finally finished it!Ooh-ha-ha!¡± The two Users looked very happy.Whistling, who had killed the Voodoo Lizardman, let out a happy smile.His face was harsh, so even his smile looked very scary. He looked at the two with the smile on his face.It wouldn¡¯t have been rude to flinch backwards, since his smile was terrifying.However, the two had seen his smile before, so they were unsurprised. ¡°Shall we go immediately?¡± ¡°We should go immediately!¡± The two Users were like dogs running over to Whistling to beg for a walk. Whistling spoke to the two. ¡°Let¡¯s rest a little bit.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll butcher our kills.¡± ¡°You dismantle the Zombies.I¡¯ll dismantle the Lizardman.¡± ¡°Hey.Why do I have to be stuck with such an unpleasant task?¡± ¡°Did you forget I¡¯m a Crusader?The Undead monsters melt at my touch.¡± ¡°That reason is valid only during our hunts.It has no effect during the dismantling.¡± ¡°Eh-ee.Let me live out my character.If I was in a fantasy novel, the zombies would melt at my touch, and the loot would disappear.¡± ¡°You¡¯re nuts.¡± The two ignored Whistling, who was in front of them.They bickered with each other then they turned their heads away as they dismantled the corpses. Whistling had a light smile on his face as he watched them. ¡®They are an interesting duo.¡¯ Whistling thought about the day when he met those two for the first time. ¡®I never expected to find people like me inside the Hydra guild.¡¯ The memory started when the Fighters guild were purchased by the Hydra guild.At that time, the mood within the Fighters guild was celebratory.Most of the Fighters guild members would be immediately inducted into one of the 30 great guilds, so very few Users had complaints. Whistling was one of the few, who was troubled by the move.He started to think about whether he should leave the Hydra guild or not. He didn¡¯t have any negative feelings towards the Hydra guild.However, their policy was the problem.Whistling had been given a very long leash inside the Fighters guild, but he didn¡¯t think the Hydra guild would give him the same type of freedom. Moreover, he didn¡¯t think the Hydra guild would leave an asset like him alone. However, the Hydra guild gave a proposal to Whistling before he could speak to them. The Hydra guild had Quest Task Forces within its rank.If Whistling wanted to, he could pursue the Quests of his choice.Moreover, they would give him full cooperation at a guild level, which will allow him to quickly progress in his Quests. Whistling thought over it, and he gave his answer. He decided to try it out! If he didn¡¯t like it, he could always leave the guild at a later time! This was when he met the two Users in front of him.One was a Monk, who had gone through 2nd Advancement, to become a Crusader.His name was Yojori.Then there was Joba.After going through her 2nd Advancement, she had chosen the Class of Magic Swordsman.It was a Class that was as rare as the Lich. These two Users were in the same category as Whistling. The were skilled weirdoes.They weren¡¯t playing this game to achieve endless Spec ups.They were here to enjoy the game. Moreover¡­ ¡°Anyways, if we finish this Elf tribe¡¯s Quest, will we finally be able to meet the Red Elves?¡± ¡°Of course.That¡¯s what the hint said.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait for it.What will the Red Elves look like?I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯ll have red skin, so their presence would feel different from others.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be pretty.¡± ¡°You only care about beauty?¡± ¡°How about you?I bet you only care about how handsome they are.¡± ¡°Hmmph.Handsomeness by itself isn¡¯t that important.One to be handsome in a solemn manner like the Chieftain of Drah.¡± ¡°Your tastes seems really perverted.¡± ¡°How about you?Last time, I saw your gaze linger on the young Elves.¡± ¡°N¡­No way!Bitch!Are you trying to get me locked up!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t your reaction a bit weird?¡± ¡°I said no!How about you?When you went to the Frozen Lands, you took several hundred pictures of Bagle!¡± ¡°All women would understand my action.Our basic tastes run the same.¡± They really liked Elves. Whistling laughed when he heard their conversation. Unlike him, these two had always had the pleasure of playing with each other.Whistling had fun playing this game, but at times, he did feel lonely.Their presence was a big boost to his game play. ¡®It makes me think of that guy.¡¯ At that moment, he received a message. ¡®Huh?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t strange for him to receive a message, but Whistling became surprised when he saw who had sent it. He immediately read the message, and he put on a serious expression. ¡®How interesting.So this is how¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ Whistling spoke towards the still bickering Yojori and Joba. ¡°Let me ask you guys a question..¡± The two immediately stopped their war of words. ¡°You can ask me two questions.¡± ¡°Then you can ask me three.¡± ¡°Does anyone here have a bad relationship with the Hahoe Mask?¡± ¡°What?¡± For the first time, the two noisy Users shut their mouths. Chapter 175 – Red Desert (2) Chapter 175 ¨C Red Desert (2) 4. [Elven Artifact] ¨C Quest Rank : Unique ¨C Quest Level Range : 200 ¨C Quest Content : The Red Elf tribe ostracizes all beings that approaches them.If you want to be accepted by them, you have to find the Artifact left behind by the Elves.Please find the Artifact. ¨C Quest Reward : Grave Keeper¡¯s Key. When he looked at the newly gained Quest Content, his visage froze as it set in a heavy expression. ¡®Does Warlord really hate me?Why does it keep giving me such Quests?¡¯ The Quest Content looked easy at a glance.He just have to find and return an artifact. However, if one was a User of Warlord, one knew how bottomless such a Quest could be.He clicked his tongue in dismay.Any Quests related to the Elves made him feel irritated from the start.If one wanted a relationship with the Elves, then one had to find the tribes.It wasn¡¯t an easy task. Moreover, it just said find the Elven Artifact. It didn¡¯t specify which Elven Artifact.There were no other clues. ¡®I would rather kill Anugas¡­.¡¯ At that moment, he thought it would be easier to face a monster like Anugas.He would rather face a monster where he didn¡¯t know the method to kill it. Of course, this was also a special characteristic of the Main Scenario Quest.It was the same starting from the first Main Scenario Quest.In the Corrupted Cout Episode, it hadn¡¯t been just about killing strong monsters. The stages provided by Warlord had a variety of contents, and one had to finish Quests all across the board.It required the Users to go through a lot of these contents to progress in the game.This was to be expected. However, up until now, the Main Scenario Quest was powered through by brute force.This was true of Hyrkan, Stormhunters guild, Red Bulls guild and more. It was an unnatural and a not so clever method. These Users didn¡¯t take the time to enjoy the game. From that perspective, he finally arrived at that point.A wall had appeared and it couldn¡¯t be jumped over by power. This was why Hyrkan gave up on attempting this Quest early on, and he had contacted Whistling. ¡®I didn¡¯t want to get him involved if possible¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t have a favorable view on his current situation. ¡°Tsk.¡± First, it made it seem like he contacted Whistling only when Hyrkan needed him.He didn¡¯t like the optic of it.How rotten was it to look for a friend only when one needed something? On the other hand, this was a privilege of being friends. Even if one ignored such feelings, Whistling was now a member of the Hydra guild.It wouldn¡¯tlook good to others if Whistling met up with Hyrkan. No one would welcome the meeting of Whistling and Hyrkan at the best of times.This meeting would be viewed very unfavorably if it became known. No one would see it as a meeting between friends. Hyrkan¡¯s current location was the the evidence of his reticence. ¡°Here you are.¡± Hyrkan was pleased when a face that resembled a hunting dog appeared from between the overgrown trees. ¡°Uh.You are here?¡± Hyrkan looked like the awkward friend one meets in an uncomfortable location. On the other hand, Whistling didn¡¯t look out of sorts at all. ¡°Your accomplishments up until now has been tremendous.¡± ¡°It¡¯s adequate.¡± They were in a hunting ground.It was a very remote hunting ground where one would rarely come across a User.There were no monsters or Users here.It was a very nice place to meet someone. However, Whistling wasn¡¯t the only User, who had arrived at this place of meeting. ¡°Ooh-wahhhh¡­.It really is the Hahoe Mask.¡± ¡°H¡­Hahoe Mask.I am a fan.¡± There were two additional Users. The two Users had expressions filled with surprise.Hyrkan looked hard at the two. ¡®Yojori and Joba.¡¯ Whistling had given him a heads up.Whistling told Hyrkan that he had to move around with two others.If Hyrkan hadn¡¯t like the idea of meeting the two, the meeting would have been called off. Whistling also added that these two skilled Users were trustworthy. Hyrkan trusted Pitbull¡¯s words, so he invited the other two Users too. ¡®Yojori¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡¯ Hyrkan somewhat knew of the User named Yojori. She looked kinda like a slightly pudgy cat, and Yojori hadn¡¯t become famous until the Ruined Kingdom episode.In the Ruined Kingdom episode, her fame skyrocketed. As the Hydra guild progressed in the Ruined Kingdom episode, Yojori worked under a Quest taskforce, and the guild had made a program centered around her.Her program was a hit, so she was quite famous. Of course, if one analyzed her a little deeper, Yojori was different from most Users.Moreover, her uniqueness was well received by the public. ¡®She was a bit of a nut case.¡¯ If one was nice about it, she lived in the 4th dimension.If one gave a rough description, she was a weirdo.If one wanted to disparage her, she was crazy. A User like Yojori couldn¡¯t be understood by others.In truth, her program was popular, but she herself was only moderately popular. Hyrkan hadn¡¯t been interested in her, so his memories were a bit fuzzy.However, he did remember the scene where she ranked every single NPC by their appearance. ¡®I don¡¯t know this guy.¡¯ On the other hand, Hyrkan had no recollection of Joba. However, Hyrkan just had to sift through Joba¡¯s background information.Hyrkan could sufficiently guess at what made this User a bit unique. ¡®He is a level 210 Magic Swordsman type¡­He¡¯s a bit twisted.¡¯ There were a lot of Magicians, who had finished their 2nd Advancement.However, there were only a handful of Magic Swordsman type in existence, and level 210 was fairly high. On top of it all, Magic Swordsman types focused on Raids in Warlord.They were developed with the thought of helping out the guild in mind.Magic Swordsman were the best at managing aggros of monsters. However, Joba was part of the Quest Exploration team instead of a Raid team.At the very least, he couldn¡¯t be seen as a normal User. These factors weren¡¯t enough to soften Hyrkan¡¯s expression. Hyrkan wasn¡¯t looking at the two with a friendly expression, and even though he was wearing a Hahoe Mask, his emotion was transmitted to the two. Yojori and Joba flinched in surprise. ¡®Why is he being liking this? Is there some kind of a problem?¡¯ ¡®Did I wrong the Hahoe Mask in the past?Did he somehow found out about my weird comments beneath his youtube videos?I¡¯m pretty sure I didn¡¯t cuss at him.¡¯ Every User in Warlord knew about the Hahoe Mask, but Yojori and Joba were self-proclaimed Hahoe Mask fans.They were very well informed about his tendencies, so they knew he was very temperamental.He was ruthless against anyone, who got on his nerves.Moreover, he had no compunction about using cheap and dirty methods from time to time.They knew he was the real deal.He was a veteran expert. Of course, the two would be nervous standing in front of him. After staring at the two, Hyrkan turned his gaze towards Whistling. ¡°Are they original members of the Hydra guild?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t say we are one of the original members, but we¡¯ve been in the Hydra guild long enough that we could be seen as original members.¡± ¡°Will you guys be ok?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind receiving help from the Hydra guild, but wouldn¡¯t it be a problem for you guys?It isn¡¯t as if you guys received permission from the guild to come here.¡± Hyrkan only needed Whistling¡¯s help.However, there was a troublesome barrier between the two called the Hydra guild. From Hyrkan¡¯s perspective, he didn¡¯t want the Hydra guild to get hold of information regarding the Main Scenario Quest.Of course, we wouldn¡¯t mind a give and take relationship. However, he needed something worthwhile to break through his reluctance. On the contrary, Whistling was in a tough situation.If he helped the Hahoe Masked without informing the Hydra guild, Whistling and the two other Users here would be taking on a huge risk. However, Whistling gave a clear answer regarding this perceived problem. ¡°I don¡¯t need the guild¡¯s permission.If they have a problem with me, I can just leave.Anyways, I¡¯ve never received help from the Hydra guild.It is the same for these two.We just need to give the Hydra guild information about the Quests we are on, and nothing else.¡± Whistling was very clear with his answer.It was easily given, because Whistling viewed Warlord as only a game, and nothing more. ¡°This is why the consent of these two is more important than getting permission from the guild.I share a common destiny with these two.Maybe it is more apt to say that we all share the same Quests.Moreover, I¡¯ve received a lot of help from them.¡± ¡°No.We received much more help from you than we gave.¡± ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Whistling oppa, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to get this far in the Elven Quests!¡± They spoke at the same time in an embarrassed fashion, but the two glared at each other when their words overlapped. While the two were glaring at each other, Whistling finished speaking. ¡°This is why if those two didn¡¯t agree to it, I couldn¡¯t have helped you on your Quest.¡± Help. Hyrkan was barely able to suppress his bitter laugh at the choice of word. ¡®He is still the romantic.¡¯ He¡¯ll help. It was a phrase that was easy on the ears, but Hyrkan had heard those word only a few times in Warlord.It had always been a give and take.It had always been a deal. In Hyrkan¡¯s vocabulary, help meant that he would have to pay back this gesture down the line. He had expected Whistling to demand an arrangement with him. ¡°The final reason is the fact that your Quest and our Quest may be intertwined in some way.This is also why I cannot make this decision by myself.My Quest is our Quest.¡± At that point, Hyrkan was about to indulge himself in his sentimental feelings.He pulled himself back from that hole of emotion. He was thankful. He was thankful for the offer of help, and he appreciated the offer of leaving the Hydra guild to help him. Unfortunately, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t view Warlord as just a game like Whistling. ¡°All right.Let¡¯s draw a clear line here.I need to be able to get into the town of the Red Elves.Let us cooperate until that point.¡± Hyrkan decided to make this into a deal. For a brief moment, a bitter smile crossed Whistling mouth before it was erased. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll give the formal introduction.Yojori and Joba.I think it¡¯ll be enough to describe them as a Crusader and a Magic Swordsman.Joba has the highest level at 210.I¡¯m at level 207, and Yojori is level 206.This is the Hahoe Mask.He is famous, so do I need to speak any further?¡± At those words, the two Users opened their mouths as if they had been waiting for it. ¡°Of course not.¡± ¡°It is an honor to be meeting you.I know this might be out of bounds on a first meeting, but do you think I could get a selfie with you?¡± ¡°Ah!Please I would like one too.Of course, I decline being in the same picture as him.¡± ¡°I also don¡¯t want to be in the same frame as her.¡± ¡°You should ignore him.¡± ¡°No, he should ignore you.Damn Crusader!Hahoe Mask-nim is an exalted Lich!You are the polar opposite of him, you perverted bitch!¡± ¡°Did I say to the contrary?Isn¡¯t he a bit too noisy?¡± Mumble mumble. Hyrkan took his eyes off the two to look at Whistling.Whistling¡¯s eyebrows and shoulders shrugged. There was no way his future would be quiet. 5. ¡°The storyline for the Red Elves was present before anyone came to the Black Continent.¡± When Hyrkan and Whistling¡¯s Family decided to ally with each other, they conducted a briefing where they exchanged information regarding the Quests. ¡°I first came across it on a level 160 Quest called the Heir of the Barley Kingdom.It happened a long time ago in the Barley Kingdom¡­.If we put it in terms of the current outlook on the world, it is another ruined kingdom.Anyways, this was an Elven Kingdom, and all the Elves on this continent were once citizens of this Kingdom.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll expand on my explanation a little bit.When I finished the Heir of the Barley Kingdom episode, I immediately gained maximum Intimacy Level with the Yoomoo tribe.As a benefit, I was able entered the protected Record Trees.The Record Trees are amazing.Once something was recorded within the tree, it eventually creates a seed.This seed could be planted elsewhere, and whatever that was recorded before would come out as leaves in the new tree.It was like a living library.When I saw it, I was moved.¡± ¡°The Black Dwarves will create the spears and shield that will be able to harm them.The Red Fae will hide these weapons.In the distant future, the humans equipped with these spears and shields will be able to pierce through the Curse.Their hearts will be pierced by the spear!¡± ¡°Huh? You memorized it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m smarter than you.¡± ¡°You probably read it off of a picture you took before. You are being pretentious.¡± In a flash, the briefing strayed from the main topic, so it was up to Whistling to tie the end. ¡°In summary, the Red Elf tribe had been tasked to store these weapons.They held this role before the Ruined Kingdom was ruined.This is where your Quest comes in.You received the Elven Artifact Quest, and it is talking about the Artifacts left behind by the Barley Kingdom.¡± Hyrkan felt faint as he heard the briefing. ¡®If I did this by myself, I wouldn¡¯t have known about this hint.¡¯ It was an Artifact of the Barley Kingdom? Hyrkan didn¡¯t know about this storyline. ¡°This is troublesome.That means I have to find the Quest that deals with the Barley Kingdom¡¯s Artifacts, then progress through it¡­..¡± He was fortunate to have been able to find a hint like this.If he hadn¡¯t, it would have been like pressing the reset button during a game. ¡°Fortunately, we are progressing in the Quest to find the Barley Kingdom¡¯s Artifacts.Moreover, we found a clue.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hyrkan became startled at Whistling¡¯s words. ¡°Really?¡± He never expected for his dilemma to be resolved like this. ¡°We have to go north.¡± After speaking, Whistling turned to look at Yojori. She took out an Item, and this Item was a Conch made out of gem. The light in Hyrkan¡¯s eyes changed. ¡®The Gem Conch has already made its appearance?¡¯ Conches were crucial Items needed for one to be guided through the Ruined Kingdom Episode. Moreover, the worth of a Conch differed depending on what it was made out of.The most common one was the Wooden Conch.If one was progressing through Quests, it was common to see a User carrying around two to three Wooden Conches.In the extreme end, some Users carried around a dozen Wooden Conches.Then there were the Golden Conches, which were a tier above.The last type was the Gem Conches.There was no tier above the Gem conches. ¡®This is driving me nuts.¡¯ Hyrkan once again felt a weird sense of dissonance.He knew the game was progressing at a rapid pace, but the speed differed too much from his knowledge.It wasn¡¯t just the speed that had changed.The distance one had to travel had shortened too. Of course, Hyrkan didn¡¯t question this truth for long. ¡®The all mighty AI will do its job.¡¯ The fact that he had those questions didn¡¯t mean he¡¯ll find the answers to it.Hyrkan was far from being a curious man. The most important thing for him was to eat the preys that were right in front of him. ¡°The problem is the fact that we can¡¯t go north.First, it isn¡¯t Hydra guild¡¯s territory.Moreover, everyone has pretty much given up exploring north past the Highwood Forest.¡± Hyrkan nodded his head at Whistling¡¯s words. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the other things, but I can guarantee a comfortable passage through the Red Desert.You¡¯ll ride a bus that normally you won¡¯t be able to ride even with money.¡± He finally established the give and take relationship at that moment. 6. Heh-bibin was watching a video. Puh-uhng, puh-uhng! Inside the video, the rare Boss Monster Black Tree was being lit up by explosions like aChristmas Tree. This was the Hahoe Mask¡¯s debut pay-per-view video called Christmas Tree¡¯s Nightmare.It sold over 2 million videos, and it was considered to be one of the classic masterpieces by the fans of Warlord.An year¡¯s time was forever in terms of online time. Heh-bibin also remembered several things about this footage¡­ It was hard to call it a good memory, yet several harsh events were etched into his memory. ¡®I¡¯m sure of it.Pitbull is the one that shows up briefly within the footage.¡¯ While this footage was being filmed, the Big Smiles guild had been gearing up for a war with the Fighters guild.They tried to hunt down Pitbull to provoke a war, and Apollo had been in charge of that mission.Moreover, Heh-bibin was one of the figures that had sponsored the mission. ¡®After this video, we tried to hunt down Pitbull¡­We failed. During the hunt, a problem occurred.There was a disrupter called the Hahoe Mask.No one expected him to show up. ¡®If I think back on it, it is hard to see it as an random act of violence.¡¯ At the time, he had thought the Hahoe Mask was trying to kick Big Smiles, while they were down.The Hahoe Mask, Apollo and Big Smiles didn¡¯t have a good relationship.If one took their relationship in context, it wouldn¡¯t be strange to see it as a random act of violence perpetrated towards the other party. However, now he saw that the Hahoe Mask had no reason to save Pitbull¡¯s life.Of course, this was assuming there was no connection between Pitbull and the Hahoe Mask. When his thoughts arrived at that point, Heh-bibin earnestly did his research.He wanted to see if Pitbull and the Hahoe Mask had travelled together before.Unexpectedly, he found a lot of information in regards to their closeness. ¡®The Hahoe Mask has no ties with the Hydra guild.These two guys¡¯ relationship started during the Fighters guild¡¯s days, where Whistling Pitbull was a token guild member.Moreover, the Hahoe Mask had no relationship to the Fighters guild either.If they did, they would have already risen to being one of the 30 great guilds.¡¯ Heh-bibin went through various scenarios to come up with this conclusion. They were personal acquaintances.The personal relationship was between the Hahoe Mask and the Pitbull. ¡®If I poke Pitbull, the Hahoe Mask will come out.¡¯ Of course, if the Big Smiles guild attacked Pitbull, he¡¯ll monitor to see how the Hahoe Mask responded. ¡®¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤that sounds too one-dimensional.¡¯ However, Heh-bibin wasn¡¯t aiming for that reaction. ¡®If I poke Pitbull, the first to respond would be the Hydra guild.¡¯ The Hydra guild would mobilize before the Hahoe Mask, because Pitbull was now a member of the Hydra guild. ¡®This is great. ¡¯ This was what he was aiming for. Heh-bibin was a sub-guild master of the Big Smiles guild.It was a pretty high position.It was a higher position than the rank of officer in the previous iteration of the Big Smiles guild.However, the actual power he had was much lower than before.He didn¡¯t even have the right to speak in regards to the state of affairs of the Big Smiles guild. In truth, the Big Smiles guild was held by the hands of Sinclair and Brooks. The sub-guild master Apollo was their sycophant. The Big Smiles guild was geared towards appeasing Sinclair.Sinclair held more power than the Guild Master Brooks. It was so bad that Apollo contacted Sinclair first rather than the Guild Master Brooks. Moreover, Heh-bibin hadn¡¯t been given the position of sub-guild master, because they favored him.In the reorganization of the Big Smiles guild, Brooks and Heh-bibin had been against each other.When Heh-bibin lost the power struggle, he was given a high position, so the guild wouldn¡¯t implode.If Brooks had just excised him out of the guild, Heh-bibin would have nothing to lose.He would have come at them as if it was a matter of life or death. Of course, now the three members had established their power base, and they were slowly eating away at Heh-bibin¡¯s power. Now the opinions of the Five Stars were more important than the Big Smiles guild.Decisions had to be agreed by the five guilds, and Heh-bibin was just an insignificant part of one of the guilds.He could do nothing. ¡®I never expected such a good excuse to show up.This is the best.¡¯ This was why he started making preparations. Heh-bibin was going to reverse his fortune. If he wanted to turn the tide, he needed to shake up the game board. The current game board didn¡¯t allow him to anything. He had to create an imbalance, and he¡¯ll able to flip the fractured parts. ¡®I just have to use Apollo.We just have to kill Pitbull.I don¡¯t care if it is the Hydra guild or the Hahoe Mask.They¡¯ll fight us.¡¯ The Hydra guild and the Hahoe Mask was sufficient enough of an adversary.Of course, in the process, the Big Smiles guild would suffer big damages.However, that didn¡¯t matter to Heh-bibin.In the end, the responsibility will fall on the people above him, who held all the power. The only thing he was certain was the fact that his situation couldn¡¯t get any worse from doing this.Heh-bibin was already at rock bottom. ¡®I¡¯ll make you all pay for ignoring me.¡¯ After finishing this thought, Heh-bibin contacted Apollo. Chapter 176 – Red Desert (3) Chapter 176 ¨C Red Desert (3) 7. The Wood Devil¡¯s body was made out of rocks, trees and dirt.It was starting to disintegrate.At first, the heaviest stones fell to the floor, and from where the stones were dislodged, soil started to flow out like blood. On the surface of the Wood Devil¡¯s body, armored Skeleton Warriors were stuck to it. They held onto the thick wooden branches protruding from the Wood Devil¡¯s body with their left hand, and they tirelessly stabbed with the blade in their right hand.The Skeleton Warriors¡¯ work made the Wood Devil¡¯s body looked ragged, and it was being turned into a mess. The one to launch the strongest offensive attacks was the Death Knight, who faced the Wood Devil head on. Koong, koong, koong! Each headbutt of the Skeleton Steed made the Wood Devil lose its balance, and the Death Knight used this opportunity to stab its sharp blade into the body of the Wood Devil. The Death Knight¡¯s attack was very precise, and it attacked the whole body. The Death Knight used decisive swings to attack the neck, chest and waist of the Wood Devil.The attacks varied, but the damage it caused was consistent.It kept stabbing and slashing at the same locations.The Death Knight looked like a skilled lumberjack using an axe to take down a large tree. Koong! In the end, the large body of the Wood Devil fell to the ground from the continuous assault. The fallen Wooden Devil didn¡¯t even twitch.Its devil-like visage was gone.The Wood Devil¡¯s corpse looked as if it had been impacted by a typhoon.The stones, woods and soil was spread around everywhere as if it had faced the teeth of the wind. Two Users were staring at the sight with a blank expression.It looked as if their souls had been sucked out.They yelled out at the same time. ¡°My level just increased!¡± ¡°My level went up.¡± The battlefield had been filled with the sound of swords, roars, and the unique bone clacking of the Skeletons.Now the battlefield started to be filled with the voices of people. ¡°This is incredible.¡± ¡°I heard the Wood Devil gave out a lot of EXP, but I never expected it to be this much¡­.It is only a mid-sized monster, but it has the EXP of a large monster.¡± ¡°It just took 2 days to increase one level.If we maintain this speed, maybe we will be able to catch up to the First One?¡± ¡°I thought the Wood Devils aren¡¯t supposed to be this easy to take down?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have eyes?Numerous Skeletons continuously attacked it, yet it lasted for over 10 minutes.It was this short, because we are talking about the Hahoe Mask-nim.I bet over a dozen ordinary Users would have to attack to defeat it!¡± ¡°It is what it is.So why are you getting angry at me?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t get angry at you?¡± ¡°What the hell was that bullshit from before?Was it some kind of a hysterical fit?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°What?¡± The noise around him was quite loud.It was funny, but when he heard the bickering, he understood how a certain woman felt. ¡®Che-sulyun always has Hatch and Hahui in front of her.I think I can understand a little bit as to what she has to go through.¡¯ Yojori and Joba was similar to the Hahui and Hatch, who represented the Stormhunters guild. They continuously fought with words, but when the battle started, they showed teamwork that was better than what most Users could pull off.It wasn¡¯t just the fact that they were individually talented.The two of them had experienced fighting alongside each other for a long time. ¡®This game has a lot of interesting people.¡¯ The Crusader was a Striker type occupation under the Priest Class.The Magic Swordsman type was under the Magician Class.Their ability to cooperate with each other was the secret reason why they were able to reach level 200 with such difficult occupations. Hyrkan also had someone, who had filled such a role. ¡®There are a lot of shitty humans too¡¯ He had a comrade whom he had thought he could entrust his back to. ¡°You did well.¡± Whistling stared at the two Users.After Hyrkan started the battle, Whistling hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to unsheath his sword for two days.It was a very novel experience, and he gave a word of encouragement to Hyrkan.Whistling had a peculiar expression his face. He was apologetic and surprised.Several complex emotions arose within him anew. In the past, he had searched for the Elven Forest, and Hyrkan had leveled up quickly thanks to Whistling¡¯s help.Now Hyrkan was helping Whistling in the same way.He just watched as his level went up, and it was great¡­However, such a short sentence was inadequate to describe what he was feeling. Hyrkan shrugged his shoulder. ¡°The Skeletons are doing the heavy lifting, not me.¡± Accompanying those words, Hyrkan put a candy in his mouth.It was as Hyrkan had said.The fighting was all done by his Skeletons.He didn¡¯t even need to summon his Golems for the Wood Devils.He had a Death Knight and two Skeleton Knights out.Then there were the 20 Skeleton Warriors and three Skeleton Magicians.Hyrkan maintained this exact number. It was a figure he came up with through experimentation as he had hunted inside the Highwood Forest for 10 days. Of course, nothing was free.Hyrkan repeatedly ate expensive magic recovery Items as he continued his battles. Hyrkan quickly crunched and grinded the Item into small pieces as he tried to recover his magical energy as soon as possible.Hyrkan looked grim as he did so, and this was when he looked the most combative. ¡°You really eat an endless supply of those Items.¡± ¡°My brand of fighting always puts me at a loss in terms of profit.If I don¡¯t bring in so much profit through my videos, this would be too unprofitable to continue.Of course, I¡¯m leveling up, so after calculating all factors, I can say I come out ahead.That damn levels.¡± At Hyrkan¡¯s words, Whistling¡¯s mouth cracked open a little bit.It seemed he was about to say something, but in the end, he shut his mouth.He even swallowed most of what he had been about to say. ¡°¡­you are enduring hardships.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not enduring any hardship.As I said before, my Skeletons are doing all the heavy lifting.¡± Hyrkan smiled as he looked at his Skeletons. Whistling lightly nodded his head when he saw this. ¡°Well, let¡¯s dismantle the Wood Devils.¡± At Hyrkan¡¯s words, the argument between Yojori and Joba ended like magic.At the same time, the two of them shouted towards Hyrkan. ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± ¡°I want to do it!¡± They were freakishly in sync in whatever they did.However, this was also the cause of their arguments. Anyways, they were working hard to repay the generosity shown by the him. Hyrkan shrugged his shoulders, and Whistling opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Hyrkan turned around to look at Whistling, and Whistling shrugged his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m riding such a great bus for free.I should at least pick up the trash rolling around in the bus.¡± 8. ¡°The Hahoe Mask is back again?¡± Currently, all the Users using the Highwood Forest as their main hunting ground were from the same guild. Big Smiles guild. When the members of the Big Smiles guild heard that the Hahoe Mask had appeared once again, they tsked and hemmed. ¡°That son of a bitch is treating this place as if it is his front yard.¡± ¡°It would have been better if it was his front yard.This is our house.He is in our front yard, and the Hahoe Mask is a thief.¡± ¡°We are the retarded ones.We spotted a thief, yet we are making it easier for the thief.¡± Their average level was 228.It wasn¡¯t low at all.Even if they searched the entirety of Warlord, not many people have yet to achieve this level.Of course, these were the core members of Big Smiles.They were the big guns of the guild. The guild had wholeheartedly supported them, so they could level up.They had personal Level Up support teams, and they fought against anything that would impede them from leveling up even in real life.These Users ran on treadmills, and they worked out to train their bodies. They weren¡¯t playing this game for fun.This was their occupation. From their perspective, they had been running full tilt on track when a monster like King Kong or a dinosaur had appeared.Of course, they wouldn¡¯t look kindly towards such an impediment. ¡°Maybe sub-guildmaster Heh-bibin is right.This is ridiculous.Why do they think we won¡¯t be able to kill the Hahoe Mask if we go out in force?Why do we have to leave that bastard alone?¡± Antipathy always brought out bitter words. ¡°Still, why should we unnecessarily bother the Hahoe Mask?This is something decided by the Five Stars.They decided to leave the Hahoe Mask alone.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t the Five Star.It was a decision made by the V&V guild.In the end, the Five Stars are servants of the V&V guild.¡± ¡°You words are a bit¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Moreover, bitter words always took hold easily. ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong.In truth, we have to settle a quarrel with the Hahoe Mask.I can¡¯t even go around telling people I¡¯m with the Big Smiles guild, because of that bastard.If I tell people I¡¯m from the Big Smiles guild, the first thing they do is to ridicule me.¡± ¡°Guild master Brooks is basically a puppet of Sinclair, and Sinclair sides with the V&V guild.In the first place, didn¡¯t V&V hire him as a mercenary?Sub-guild master Heh-bibin is right.If things remain the same, we¡¯ll just be used.¡± ¡°Hey, what are you talking about?If Sinclair-nim didn¡¯t join us, we would be in a worse situation right now.¡± ¡°This is this and that is that¡± ¡°Let¡¯s be honest.Wouldn¡¯t it be worth it to kill the Hahoe Mask?If we do manage to kill him, the sale of the footage would be astronomical.Moreover, no one would disparage us for trying to kill the Hahoe Mask with a lot of Users.It isn¡¯t as if we did anything wrong this time around.Hahoe Mask wronged us first.¡± ¡°We are clearly on the moral high ground here.¡± As the conversation continued, someone spoke up. ¡°In a situation like this, isn¡¯t the Killer supposed to fight the Hahoe Mask?I know we¡¯ve had success recently thanks to the Killer, but why do we have to admit defeat before the fight?¡± ¡°You guys are taking this way too seriously.¡± ¡°These are harsh words, but we aren¡¯t wrong.¡± ¡°Of course, you guys are in the wrong!What if Killer loses?It¡¯ll be the end of us!¡± ¡°Does losing to the Hahoe Mask actually hurt us?If so, Sohank would have never recovered from his prior loss.¡± ¡°I would be more understanding if we had lost a PVP match to the Hahoe Mask.However, this isn¡¯t the case.There is a difference between losing and cowardice.¡± ¡°No.Our situation right now¡­..¡± The debate wasn¡¯t showing any signs of dying down. Some Users stopped participating in the discussion, and they just observed what was said. ¨CWe are luring a Wood Devil.Please get ready for battle. When the Users received a message from the Level Up support team, they put a pause to their conversation for now. 9. They went past the Highwood Forest, and they arrived at the Red Desert. Hyrkan no longer hunted any monsters. He ran. He ran full tilt. The others also ran. Shweeek!Shweeek! A Sand Snake was closing the distance at incredible speed as the four Users ran. At that moment, Hyrkan threw two Skeleton Fragments. They were running too fast, so the Skeleton Warriors formed after the Sand Snake had slithered past the Skeleton Fragments.However, the Skeleton Warriors immediately caught up to the Sand Snake, and they attacked the hard body of the monster. Kyahhh! The Sand Snake stopped its pursuit.It took one of the Skeleton Warrior in its mouth, and it burrowed into the ground. The remaining Skeleton Warrior looked around as its comrade and enemy disappeared. ¡®This is ridiculous..¡¯ Hyrkan had used the Skeleton Warriors as bait.Hyrkan and the three others in his party was able to put a significant amount of distance from the Sand Snake using this method. However, they didn¡¯t stop running. They kept running as if nothing had happened, and they talked as they ran. ¡°It seems even Hahoe Mask-nim has a hard time driving the bus in the Red Desert.¡± ¡°Hey.You should keep that kind of talk to yourself.Why do you have to say that out loud?¡± ¡°Ah.I¡¯m sorry.My mouth gets away from me sometimes¡­¡¤.¡± Hyrkan let out a bitter laugh at their words. The current situation was unfolding as he had expected.When they entered the Red Desert, he gave up on hunting the monsters.He focused on heading towards the directions pointed out by the Gem Conch. It wasn¡¯t impossible for Hyrkan to take down all the Sand Snakes.However, problems would arise if one of his three party members were taken below the sand.At that point, Hyrkan couldn¡¯t save them.Also, it was true that Sand Snake was much harder to catch than the Wood Devils. ¡°Do you know this trivia?Originally, the Sand Snake monster wasn¡¯t a monster.¡± Joba didn¡¯t want Hyrkan¡¯s mood to sour from his previous remark.Joba changed the topic. ¡°Is there a story behind it?¡± Hyrkan showed a little bit of interest.Even if they were running full tilt, no one was out of breath.In such a boring marathon, talking was a great way to pass the time. Moreover, Yojori and Joba told entertaining stories, and there were a lot of substance behind their stories.In regards to certain topics, they knew more than Hyrkan. ¡°The Sand Snake was a mode of transportation used by Elves and Dwarves, who lived in the Red Desert.They used the Sand Snakes to travel through the underground tunnels.¡± ¡°What a weird transportation method.¡± ¡°Before the Barley Kingdom became eradicated by the Dragon¡¯s Curse, a passage was handed down.The exact words were¡­¡± ¡°To avoid the Dragon¡¯s Curse, the ground snake was used to make an underground world.The power will allow one to fight it.One¡¯s will to fight and the path to the future will be placed there.¡± ¡°Ah. That¡¯s it.It was that phrase.¡± ¡°You should memorize the information sometimes.¡± ¡°The interesting part was the specific terms used in the passage.It said the power will allow one to fight it.It means there is a high chance that there will be only a single opponent one would have to face later.¡± ¡°Just one?¡± Hyrkan titled his head in puzzlement. Joba immediately gave an explanation. ¡°Currently, four Dragons had appeared in regards to the Main Scenario Quest.The north held the Frost Dragon¡¯s Curse.The east held the Fire Dragon¡¯s Curse at the Urugal mountain range.The south has the Light Dragon¡¯s Curse.The blinding light had kept an island hidden from plain sight.The last one was located in the west at the Hell¡¯s Cave.It holds the Darkness Dragon¡¯s Curse.¡± ¡°Then there was the story of an almighty being giving a divine punishments using thunder!The writings regarding this subject was found.If one puts all this information together, there are five of them.If one looks at the account left behind in the Record Tree, it often refers to the Dragons in plural terms.¡± Hyrkan couldn¡¯t help, but laugh after hearing their story. ¡®They really are more informed about the game compared to me.¡¯ They were talking about the five powers related to the Mythos Rank Ancient Power.Of course, Hyrkan knew about it. However, Hyrkan knew it, because he had come back to the past. How much effort did these people have to expend to acquire such knowledge? There was no way their effort would have been poor. ¡°You are very well informed.Incredible.¡± Hyrkan knew the difficulties, so his compliments were genuine.He was really impressed. The fact that they were acknowledged by the Hahoe Mask put smiles on Yojori and Joba¡¯s face. In truth, they were part of the fringe element. Even if they put in a lot of effort into their type of work, not many people acknowledged their excellence. The Hahoe Mask was the most mainstream User in Warlord.The fact that they received a simple compliment from him was a treat ¡°This is a secret.Aside from the Hydra guild, we sometimes exchange ideas and opinion withother like minded friends.¡± ¡°Quest Man has especially been a big help to us.¡± They had the opportunity to talk about a subject they had kept hidden from others.This was why they were excited. ¡°Quest Man?¡± ¡°He is called Zeet.He is pretty low leveled, but he is a User, who really digs into Quests in Warlord.¡± Hyrkan tilted his head. ¡®Zeet?Isn¡¯t he¡­ No way.¡¯ A name he knew had come up, but Hyrkan dismissed the idea. At the very least, the Zeet he knew would not associate himself with these noisy pair.He couldn¡¯t imagine them finding enough common ground to keep in contact with each other. ¡°The Quest Man is really incredible.Amongst the regular Users, he probably knows the most about the setting, and the outlook of Warlord.Ah.Please don¡¯t tell the Hydra guild about this¡­This is our secret¡­.¡± Even though they were affiliated with a large guild, these two had pursued their own goals.They pursued the romanticism inside the game. Both the current Hyrkan and the Hyrkan before he came to the past would never have thought about doing such activities. This was why Hyrkan unconsciously spoke the truth.. ¡°You guys make the game fun.¡± ¡°What?¡± The two of them looked stupefied at the words spoken by Hyrkan. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why we play the game? If the game isn¡¯t fun, why would we play this game?¡± ¡°Whatever.Aren¡¯t you here to drool at the Elves?¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°At the very least, I don¡¯t drool just from seeing the Elves.¡± ¡°Aigo.Of course.You drool every time you see a handsome NPC.¡± They started bickering again, and Hyrkan stayed out of it. In truth, they weren¡¯t really fighting with words.Hyrkan was well aware of this fact now.They just liked bouncing ideas and words off of each other.This was a routine they performed.It was like the daily routines performed by a couple. However, Whistling was the one to stop their conversation. ¡°East!The direction changed to the east!¡± Whistling had placed the Gem Conch to his ear, and the instruction had changed to point them towards the east. Once again, they were running full tilt towards their destination.Hyrkan returned to being himself as he shut away everything that bothered him. Chapter 177 – Red Desert (4) Chapter 177 ¨C Red Desert (4) 10 There was a big hole.The big hole had a diameter of 20 meters.It was inadequate to simply call it a hole.It was big enough to call it a chasm. The four Users were speechless as they looked at the entrance. ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡± Hyrkan, who had the experience of going through all sorts of hardships, was first to open his mouth after he came to his senses. ¡°So shall we head in?¡± ¡°Both the Quest Content and the Gem Conch is telling us to go in.¡± Whistling answered Hyrkan.At that moment, Yojori and Joba was still unable to come to their senses.They vacantly looked at the hole.Yojori, who always chirped aloud, had her mouth shut as she stared at the intimidating hole. Of course, the size wasn¡¯t the only reason why they were awed and intimidated. ¡°Crazy.You saw what happened earlier!¡± Hyrkan¡¯s party hadn¡¯t become intimidated by the hole.It had to do with the being that had made the hole. ¡°Mmmm.¡± At Hyrkan¡¯s words, the four of them thought about what happened earlier¡­.It was around three minutes ago. While everyone was clicking their tongue in amazement, Hyrkan spoke out loud to organize his memories.. ¡°The snake from earlier¡­.It sounds like a misnomer to call it a snake.Anyways, you guys all saw the 10 stories long monster?¡± They had arrived at their destination by following the Gem Conch, and a stone monument was waiting for Hyrkan¡¯s party.Of course, the stone monument was weathered, so there was nothing on it.The four of them stood on top of the stone monument with a vacant expression on their faces.Whistling put the Gem Conch to his ear, and it said to head downwards. Everyone let out some choice words at this direction. Did they have to dig up the ground? However, the Red Desert couldn¡¯t be dug out. They couldn¡¯t do it¡­. Their complaints were along that line. Koo koo koo! At that moment, a large sound was heard, and an earthquake could be felt.The ground started to crack, so everyone decided to retreat for now.The ground cracked as it sunk.An enormous snake erupted out of the ground when everyone was clear of the stone monument. Hyrkan, who had pretty much experienced everything within this game, dumbly stared at the majestic mammoth of a snake. The snake quickly disappeared back into the ground as soon as it appeared. Since then, the situation remained the same. ¡°I¡¯m sure of it.The Gem Conch wants us to go in there.¡± Everyone wanted Whistling to listen to the Gem Conch again.For reference, this was the seventh time they had asked him to do this.Still, Whistling hadn¡¯t kept count, but he continued to put the Gem Conch to his ear.Whistling was also dazed at what had just happened. ¡°Uh whew.¡± Hyrkan let out a long sigh. ¡®This is nuts.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t as if the situation was totally unbelievable.This was a game.The large snake had appeared, and it had made a hole.The hole led to some other location.This wasn¡¯t out of the realm of possibility of what one would face in a game.It was actually a very cool setting. ¡®If that snake is the boss monster¡­.Will I be able to kill it?¡¯ The problem arose if they would have to kill the large snake from earlier.This particular game was sadistic enough to make them confront and kill the snake.At that point, this would turn from being a cool setting to being a horrible setting. Even Hyrkan couldn¡¯t imagine himself fighting this snake. This was why everyone had a vacant expression on their faces. ¡°I¡¯ll go in first.¡± Whistling was able to somewhat pull himself together, so he volunteered to be the sacrificial lamb.Hyrkan turned to look at Whistling. ¡°This hole isn¡¯t an Instance Dungeon. One person can go scout and come back.If there is a problem, one could run back here.¡± ¡°Ah.Then I¡¯ll go in first.¡± ¡°No way.I should go in.A Crusader has a higher chance of surviving.¡± Yojori and Joba was finally able to open their mouths, and they each offered to be the sacrificial lamb.They spoke about it as if it was their duty. On the other hand, the Hahoe Mask acted different from them.He became surprised at their words, and at the same time, he fell into a dilemma. He was afraid. He calculated the cost associated with his Game Over.He used simplified figures for his calculations.When he arrived at a figure, he clamped his mouth shut. He didn¡¯t like the number he had arrived at,and at the same time, he didn¡¯t like the fact that he was weighing only his own interests. ¡®When did I¡­..¡¯ The Hero Slaughterer didn¡¯t use to make such calculations.The only thing the Hero Slaughterercared about was whether he was going to kill an opponent or not.His calculations revolved around the methods needed to kill the ones that deserved to be killed.That was it. ¡°Hoo-ooh.¡± Hyrkan let out a long sigh. ¡°If we are set on this plan, I¡¯ll go in.¡± The three of them reacted to his words.Before they could speak, Hyrkan gave an explanation. ¡°Even if a lesser monster comes out, the only one that could defeat it would be me.¡± Hyrkan was right.If it wasn¡¯t for him, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to reach this location.The Red Desert was a burdensome stage even for Hyrkan.If a goblin appeared here, the three of them would be hard pressed to kill it.This game was like that. At his words, the three Users nodded their heads. ¡°Then we can all go in together.¡± ¡°Yeah.We can do that.¡± Instead of giving an answer, Whistling turned to look at Hyrkan.Hyrkan was still thinking over the decision. ¡®It isn¡¯t an Instant Dungeon¡­If things go sideway, we can run away.Yes, that¡¯s what we¡¯ll do.I¡¯ll just use the Golems to buy time.If we keep a sharp mind, we¡¯ll be able to survive even if we all go into the tiger¡¯s cave.¡¯ Whistling looked at Hyrkan as his eyes became bleary. 11. [You¡¯ve enter the Den of the Rebels.] [You¡¯ve acquired the title ¡®Visitor of the Den of Rebels¡¯.] [You¡¯ve acquired the title ¡®Inheritor of the Ruined Kingdom¡¯s Will.]] [You¡¯ve acquired the title ¡®One who saw the Mirage Snake¡¯.] The Mirage Snake had made this large hole, and the four Users slid down the tunnel like a water slide.They were instantly greeted with three presents.Three out of the four Users immediately marvelled at what they had received. ¡°Rebels¡­.It sounds nice.¡± ¡°If this is the Den of the Rebel, then the Quest Man was correct.This scenario is set up as he had predicted.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about that.I just want Elves to come out and greet me.¡± ¡°Crazy son of a bitch.¡± ¡°Even I think my words were a little bit too much.Anyways, the Mirage Snake¡­Wasn¡¯t it awesome?¡± ¡°I agree.A large snake made this tunnel.It was very cool.¡± On the other hand, the remaining User was unlatching his wristwatch instead of looking over his presents. [Item Slot Change Mode is unavailable now.] He gripped the wrist watch, which he had slipped off.A darkness flowed out from the wristwatch to make a door. [Death Knight was Summoned.] A Death Knight appeared within the dark tunnel. [Special Skill ¡®Commander¡¯ was activated.] Nine Skeleton Warriors, two Skeleton Magicians and a Skeleton Knight appeared alongside the Death Knight. [Bone Armor was summoned.] [Madness Helm was summoned.] As if the summoning wasn¡¯t enough, all kinds of Skills armed the Skeleton unit again. The Bone Armor surrounded the Skeletons, and a horn grew on their heads.Moreover, all kinds of Curses was added on to their weapons. [Life Vessel was activated.] At the end, Hyrkan activated the Life Vessel Skill. He optimized himself for survival, and when he finished all his preparations, he was prepared to slip into his fighting mode at any moment. ¡°Hoo-ooh.¡± His sigh came out as if to harden his resolve. ¡°All right.Let¡¯s move.¡± 12. The Death Knight rode the Skeleton Steed as it took the lead.The Skeleton Knight, Warriors. and Magicians followed behind it.Hyrkan¡¯s group was in the rear.It was an exaggeration to say that they were in the rear.Hyrkan¡¯s party was as far as they could be with the Death Knight and its cohort. The distance between the two groups was quite large. However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t satisfied even after putting that much distance with the advance group.He kept vigilant of his surrounding. He was actually too vigilant. ¡°We¡¯ll lead from the front.¡± It was so bad that Yojori and Joba stepped forward to intervene. ¡°It is too dangerous.¡± ¡°At worst, we¡¯ll die.We can live with that.¡± From their perspective, Hyrkan was being overly cautious. They didn¡¯t enjoy a Game Over, but from their perspective, they were willing to risk a Game Over if needed.It was an option they were willing to choose. On the other hand, Hyrkan valued survival over everything else, and he acted accordingly. However, Hyrkan¡¯s vigilance was eating away at their time.Up until now, Hyrkan had moved at break speed when he committed to fighting.However, Hyrkan was now moving at the slowest speed setting that could be travelled by the Skeleton army. This was why they moved only 3 kilometers, yet it took them an hour. Moreover, the tunnel made one feel ashamed for being so vigilant.It was called the Den of the Rebels, but until they found the ruined underground city, they hadn¡¯t run across anything dangerous.Not a single battle was fought.. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°This is amazing.¡± ¡°What is it?Where is the light coming from?¡± ¡°There.I think something is over there.The ceiling is really high.Isn¡¯t this as big as a domed baseball stadium?¡± ¡°Unexpectedly, this place is pretty clean.I have a hard time calling it a ruin.I don¡¯t think this place suffered any attacks.It was just abandoned.¡± When the underground city was found, Yojori and Joba couldn¡¯t hold themselves back.They started running around to satisfy their curiosity. On the other hand, Hyrkan was still tense. ¡®Where is it?¡¯ They had basically followed a path left behind by the snake.He got ready to fight a battle with the snake.It might occur at any moment. ¡®Where did it go?¡¯ Whistling intruded into the feeling of tenseness felt by Hyrkan. ¡°Maybe, this is because I haven¡¯t seen you in awhile.However, you are really make this game boring.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hyrkan replied reflexively.Hyrkan¡¯s question held a sharp edge to it.However, Whistling wasn¡¯t someone, who would back down, because he heard some sharp words. ¡°When we met last time, you grumbled a lot, but you seemed to be enjoying yourself playing this game.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Instead of giving an immediate answer, Whistling thought over his answer.He organized his thoughts and feelings he had, since he met up with Hyrkan for this Quest.After he thought through everything, he gave his answer. ¡°Each person has their own reason for playing this game, and I don¡¯t care what that reason is.However, one¡¯s action should match one¡¯s motivation to play this game.¡± This was a bit of an exaggeration, but Whistling had seen the Hahoe Mask as a gamer sent by the gods.He was a warrior sent by the gods to see if he could reach the end of Warlord. He was akin to a warrior of a god! In reality, Hyrkan created results that far exceeded his talents.He didn¡¯t give up when confronted with difficulties.If there was a dead end, he used all methods available to him to pave a path forward.Even if it was a battle considered to be impossible, he put his life on the line to drag himself to victory. Hahoe Mask was that kind of a User.The battle footages that was popular on youtube was the evidence.He could just order his powerful Skeleton Underlings to do everything, yet he didn¡¯t hesitate to throw himself into the mix even at the risk to himself.He led from the front to bring about victory. Even though he was the Hahoe Mask, he hadn¡¯t shown any aversion for the possibility of a Game Over.He hadn¡¯t shown fear of the risk that came with a Game Over.If one looked at the footages of the Hahoe Mask, he had always believed what he did was worth the risk of a Game Over.He fought despite the risks. However, the current Hahoe Mask was different from the one from before. There was a difference¡­.Others couldn¡¯t tell the difference.However, Whistling had the closest seat in viewing Hyrkan from before and after the change.Moreover, he considered himself to be a friend of Hyrkan, so Whistling was aware of this change. ¡°If your aim is to earn money, you should act as if this is a business.You should play as if you are playing for the audiences that¡¯ll give you money.¡± Since Whistling thought of Hyrkan as a friend, he brought up this subject. ¡°If your goal is to achieve the highest level, you should play the game more efficiently.You shouldn¡¯t be here.You should kill Wood Devils or monsters of that ilk to give it your all in leveling up.If you want to become famous, you should do something controversial.You can challenge one of the 30 great guilds.¡± Whistling thought of Hyrkan as a friend.He had thought he had made an amazing friend in an amazing world within a game! ¡°If you are aiming to complete the Main Scenario Quest, you should adjust your attitude accordingly.¡± If he didn¡¯t think of Hyrkan as a friend, Whistling wouldn¡¯t have spoken this many words. Hyrkan didn¡¯t even let out a sigh at Whistling¡¯s words. Hyrkan felt conflicted.Whistling left Hyrkan alone.He didn¡¯t want to pile on more stuff on top of an already conflicted Hyrkan. The thoughts that weighed upon Hyrkan¡¯s mind deepened. 13. There had been no battles. There had been no enemies inside the Den of Rebels.There were no allies either.It was just a remnant left behind by the distant past.Hyrkan¡¯s party used the Gem Conch to find the Artifacts left behind by the owner of the Den of Rebels. ¡°I¡¯ve located the boxes.There are three of them.¡± There was a grave made out of rocks within the underground city.Underneath the stone grave, three boxes were found.They found a red, black and green colored boxes. The red box had one scroll, and the black box held three scrolls.The green box couldn¡¯t be opened. ¡°So this is it?¡± ¡°Yes.I¡¯ve seen it before.¡± Whistling¡¯s party immediately guessed what was within the green box. ¡°It probably holds a Record Tree seed.I¡¯ve seen similar boxes near the Record Tree.¡± ¡°It is an amazing Artifact.¡± When Whistling took the green box, Whistling and his party heard a Quest Announcement.Their Quest Content had just changed.They had to deliver the green box to the Red Elves. On the other hand, Hyrkan¡¯s Quest Content didn¡¯t change at all.There were no new System Announcement.Unlike his expectation, his Elven Kingdom¡¯s Artifact was elsewhere. However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t get discouraged.He didn¡¯t throw a tantrum.He just looked at his surrounding. ¡®It¡¯s clean.¡¯ He looked at the unblemished Bone Armor on his Skeletons.When he saw this sight, he felt silly for being worried, tense, and wary.These emotions had been sucking his blood dry. His actions up until now looked ridiculous in hindsight. ¡®I was a scaredy-cat.¡¯ He had flopped around like a scared coward. Whistling was right. When he returned to the past, he had prior knowledge, which allowed him to gain rewards.These rewards were set in stone, and he had nothing to lose.This certainty was the reason why he had thrown himself at every obstacles he encountered. However, this wasn¡¯t true any more.Everything he faced was shrouded by the unknown, and he had a lot to lose now. In the past, he always walked on that fine line where a slip up would result in a Game Over.He had enjoyed walking this fine line within this game.Now he was avoiding such situations at all cost.He was only filled with wariness now. ¡®I thought it was bullshit when people said a person¡¯s position maketh the man.Jeez¡­.¡¯ He had been in self-denial. Why did Hyrkan become a Necromancer?Did he become one, because he wanted to order around the Skeletons for his convenience? No.He wanted to make a stage where the Hero Slaughterer would thrive.Skeletons were merely distractions to draw the aggro.They were supposed to be used to set up a stage where Hyrkan would be able take on the most difficult opponent.He never wanted the Skeletons and Golems to make this game easy. ¡®What I wanted to do¡­At the very least, this isn¡¯t it.¡¯ Hyrkan gritted his teeth.The tail end of his lips drooped. ¡°What is the status of your Quest?¡± Whistling queried Hyrkan. ¡°My Quest hasn¡¯t changed at all.¡± ¡°You should come with us just in case.Why don¡¯t you visit the town of the Red Elves with us to deliver the Record Tree seed?¡± ¡°No.You guys should complete your Quest.There is only one of that Item.If you lose it, you¡¯ll never be unable to finish this Quest.¡± ¡°Still¡­..¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure our Quests are related.If you progress in your Quest to the next stage, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll receive a clue for my Quest too.You should take care of your own business first.I can confirm it afterwards.¡± Hyrkan continued to speak. ¡°Moreover, I have something I have to do.I have to cross the Urugal mountain range.I¡¯m not ina hurry.You go do your thing.¡± Hyrkan cleanly gave up on the idea of traveling with them.Yojori and Joba looked at him with anxious eyes.They were truly worried for him. Hyrkan had put a lot of effort into this venture for them, yet Hyrkan basically had to kick an empty can down the road. Instead of speaking unnecessary words, Whistling lightly kicked the red box towards Hyrkan. Toohk! The red box came to a stop next to Hyrkan¡¯s foot. ¡°I can¡¯t send you back with empty hands. You should keep the Legendary Rank Ancient Power.¡± At those words, Hyrkan nodded his head. ¡°All right.We have enough where everyone will get something.There are three Transcendent Rank Ancient Power scrolls, so you guys should divvy it up amongst yourselves.Or do you want to sell it to me?¡± ¡°What price do you have in mind?¡± ¡°How about 100,000 gold each?¡± When the 100,000 gold was mentioned, Yojori and Joba¡¯s face was filled with surprise.Whistling¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°You are basically wanting it for free.¡± ¡°Instead, I¡¯ll kill all the Sand Snakes we encounter on the way back.I¡¯ll help you guys level up, and you guys can keep the Ingredient Coins as souvenirs.Since we are friends, you should give me a discount.¡± Finally, Whistling expression finally softened. ¡°Since we are friends, we have to make sure the deal is fair.I want 200,000 gold.¡± On the other hand, Hyrkan¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°Hey.Do you think 200,000 gold is¡­.¡± ¡°Circlet of Purification.¡± ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤I guess I can do that.What about you two?What do you guys want to do?¡± Chapter 178 – Hero Slaughterer (1) Chapter 178 ¨C Hero Slaughterer (1) 1. ¡°Will you guys really be ok here?¡± They were at the entrance of the Highwood Forest.For the past 5 days, they had a pleasant hunt in the Red Desert and the Highwood Forest.They had been walking in the same direction for a long time.Now Hyrkan and Whistling¡¯s party was facing each other.When they came to a stop, there was only one reason why they would face each other. It was time for them to part. Hyrkan directed his question towards the three, and they immediately gave their answer. ¡°We aren¡¯t children.If it is just the three of us, it¡¯ll be hard to overcome these monsters, but it won¡¯t be a problem if we run away.We can go by ourselves from this point.Also, this has been a lot of fun.¡± ¡°You should go take care of your own business.We have to part ways here anyways.If you want to cross the Urugual mountain range, you¡¯ll have to head west.We have to head east.Also, this has been a lot of fun.¡± Yojori and Joba didn¡¯t speak one after another.They spoke at the same time.Their words overlapped, and they even spoke the last sentence at the same time.Their two voices weirdly complemented each other. It was similar to how they overlapped their words.They glared at each other at the same time.It seemed even their thought patterns were similar. Each thought the other was intruding on their words, and it made them annoyed. During all of this, Whistling and Hyrkan spoke to each other. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m more thankful.If it wasn¡¯t for you, I would have been floundering to find a clue.¡± ¡°The Sand Snake Ice Cream tasted pretty good.¡± ¡°Yeah.It had a butter vanilla ice cream taste.This game is overflowing with such delicious food, but I have no idea why all the expensive recovery Items were made to taste so bad.¡± ¡°You expend a lot to play this game.¡± ¡°It is driving me nuts.It is too expensive.I have to grow these expensive Skeletons.I might have to fight more to lower the cost of labor.¡± Whistling shrugged his shoulders. Hyrkan spoke to Whistling. ¡°I¡¯ll see you next time.Ah.If someone bothers you, you can contact me.I¡¯ll completely destroy them.In truth, that is my specialty.I mow down bastards, who act arrogant, because they have a little bit of power. Whistling let out snort at Hyrkan¡¯s unexpected words. When Whistling let out a smirk of disbelief, Hyrkan kept speaking. ¡°I¡¯m not kidding.I¡­.In the past¡­Yes, in my last game, I was nicknamed the Hero Slaughterer.I took down arrogant Rankers like a demon.¡± ¡°It is a great nickname.¡± ¡°It was a great nickname.¡± After those words ended, the conversation came to a brief pause. What else was there to talk about? It will leave much to be desired if they just parted ways right now.They tried to come up with a topic they could talk about. Still, they would have to part in the end. ¡°I¡¯ll see you¡­¡­.¡± It was unknown as to when they¡¯ll meet again, but there was no need to forcefully prolong a conversation. ¡°Let¡¯s have a beer sometime.¡± ¡°You want to meet in real life?Wouldn¡¯t that be a little bit too hard?¡± At Hyrkan¡¯s question, Whistling spoke calmly. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be too hard for me to go to Korea.It isn¡¯t as if I¡¯m barred from going there.If you are in North Korea, it might be hard.¡± Hyrkan slightly reacted to the word Korea. ¡°How did you know I¡¯m Korean?Ah.I guess my Hahoe Mask gave it away.¡± Even as Hyrkan spoke the words, he laughed.Even the youtube page managed by Hyrkan was littered with images of the Hahoe Mask, and he always wore one.It was an overwhelming evidence that indicated Hyrkan was Korean. ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t have the Hahoe Mask, it isn¡¯t too hard to figure out that you are a Korean.¡± However, the surest evidence that labeled Hyrkan as a Korean was elsewhere. ¡°Whenever a game comes out, nine out of the ten Users, who rush to the end of the game, are Koreans.¡± Hyrkan¡¯s game style was the prototypical game style of a Korean. ¡°Isn¡¯t that to be expected?You start a game to reach the end.¡± Whistling closed both his eyes, and he nodded his head.Whistling finally confirmed what the Hahoe Mask was pursuingin this game. Moreover, Hyrkan also came to an understanding too. ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon.¡± ¡°If someone messes with you, just contact me.¡± They parted ways. This was when the others moved in. 2. Over 10 Users stepped forward.At a glance, one could tell they were equipped with sturdy-looking armors and helmets.They even had their swords unsheathed, and they looked as if they were prepared to cut down any enemies that got in their way. The members of the Big Smiles appeared to surround them.This should have surprised Whistling, but he snorted instead. ¡°Hoong.¡± He snorted as he sized up his opponents. ¡®Are they from the Big Smile guild?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just Whistling.This should have been a surprising situation, yet Yojori and Joba wasn¡¯t acting surprised at all. ¡°It has been awhile, since we¡¯ve fought like this.¡± ¡°Give me a buff.¡± ¡°Give me one first.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so shameful.¡± ¡°Shameful?Maybe I shouldn¡¯t give you a buff if you act that way.¡± Yojori and Joba looked very relaxed as they got ready for battle.Yojori put a buff on herself, and Joba immediately activated the [Body Revolution] Skill.It was a skill that flipped the the Intelligence Stat with the Strength Stat. While the two bickered with each other, Whistling held a conversation as his opponent spoke first. ¡°You are Whistling of the Hydra Guild?¡± Whistling smirked at the question. ¡°You don¡¯t recognize my face?I never expected someone to check my identity twice.I guess my face is more common than I realized.¡± ¡°We are from the Big Smiles guild.¡± Their opponents didn¡¯t hide their guild affiliation.Even if they wanted to hide it, they couldn¡¯t.This was the entrance to the Highwood Forest, and the nearby region was the territory of the Big Smiles guild.If a large group of Users were able to move through this region, it pretty much labeled them as members of the Big Smiles guild.The only other User that could pass through this region with impunity was the Hahoe Mask. ¡°Also, the Highwood Forest is under our control.This has been confirmed by the 30 great guilds.Your guild hadn¡¯t asked for permission to hunt here.You¡¯ve participated in an illegal hunt inside the Highwood Forest, so what is your excuse?¡± They revealed their intention. ¡°Hoong.¡± Whistling once again snorted. ¡®How laughable.¡¯ Their words were disingenuous.They just wanted Whistling to say something they could use as a pretext to an attack.If he made an excuse, he would be admitting he had done something wrong.They wanted to exact a pound of flesh from Whistling. In such a situation, Whistling wasn¡¯t going to make any excuses.He didn¡¯t plan on debasing himself like that.He decided to cleanly settle the account.If they wanted to exact a price, he¡¯ll pay. ¡°First, I am part of the Hydra guild.I¡¯ll apologize for hunting in a hunting ground recognized officially to be under the control of the Big Smiles guild.Next, what if I give back an equal compensation?What if we do it through our guild?¡± Even as he spoke, Whistling was already aware of what they wanted. If they really wanted a monetary compensation or an official apology, they would merely have to send the footage of Whistling¡¯s party hunting inside the Highwood Forest to the Hydra guild.Then the guilds would negotiate to bring this issue to a conclusion.This was the normal procedure.It was clean, and the trouble ended right there. There was no reason for the 10 Users of high level showing signs of wanting to fight him.Moreover, they had waited for Whistling to come out.They wasted time by waiting for him.This basically meant they didn¡¯t want monetary compensation or an apology from the guild. They wanted the opposite. ¡°Are the Hydra guild looking down on the Big Smiles guild?Huh?Or is this an attempt at a revenge?Are you trying to avenge your 2nd Head, who was killed by Killer?¡± It seemed they didn¡¯t want to bring the guilds into this.They wanted to resolve this as a personal issue. In Warlord, a personal problem like this was very simple to resolve. ¡°We don¡¯t look down on the Big Smiles guild.However, you brought a dozen Users, who are higher in level than us, to catch the three of us.I think that is funny.¡± ¡°Ooh-ha-ha¡± Joba let out a big laugh.It was a true laugh.It was a laugh full of ridicule, and it was very effective. ¡°Are you trying to pick a fight with us?¡± ¡°Did you really think we would beg for our lives?Is that what you want to hear?¡± ¡°It seems words will be useless.¡± ¡°Run!¡± It happened in a flash. While they were having a conversation, Whistling let out a short command, and he launched himself towards the User, who he was having conversation with. Kwahg! Whistling used Body Slam to make the other User fall. Pah-aht! In a flash, Yojori and Joba stepped on Whistling¡¯s body to launch themselves forward.They used the gap opened by Whistling to quickly run away. ¡°We¡¯ll go there first!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll complete the Quest!¡± Their footsteps were as rapid as their spoken words.They were experienced in running for an extended amount of time for the sake of completing a Quest.It wouldn¡¯t be a misnomer to say their running away speed was on the level of the Hahoe Mask. Still, their trackers weren¡¯t average Users.The rest of the group reacted immediately to such a sudden change in the situation.They immediately prepared to run after Yojori and Joba.Three Users had already ran forward to track them. While this was going on, Whistling stood back up, and he turned to look at the Users, who had stayed behind. The already scary face of Whistling crumpled, and he looked more menacing.Just his appearance made one clench one¡¯s teeth. While looking like this this, Whistling barked out like an angry fighting dog. ¡°Come at me!¡± 3. [Hyrkan] ¨C Level : 240 -Class : Lich -Title : 245 ¨C Stats : Strength(3219)/Stamina(2009)/Intelligence(2101)/Magic Power(2373) ¨C In possession of the Ancient Power of ¡®Frost¡¯. Hyrkan checked his Stats on the Bone Wyvern as he flew towards the Heard Fortress ruin. ¡®I gained a lot from this hunt.¡¯ His battles always caused him to suffer losses, but he had gained a lot on this venture.First, he had reached level 240.He was able to acquire the level 230 Skills called [Ice Golem] and [Skeleton Exhibition].The highlight of this venture was the [Skeleton Exhibition]. The [Skeleton Exhibition] was a similar to the Death Knight¡¯s [Commander] Skill. The [Skeleton Exhibition] was akin to the default ability of the Death Knight in being able to summon 12 Skeleton underlings.The Skill allowed all Skeleton Fragments stored in the Skeleton Exhibition to be summoned all at once.This was why it was called an Exhibition.He had to store the Skeleton Fragments as exhibits.Of course, there was a quota on how many Skeleton Fragments one could put in. The Skeletons summoned through this method was separate from him normal Skeleton summons.When he reached Rank A in the [Skeleton Exhibition] Skill, he would be able to handle nearly 100 Skeletons at the same time. The level 230 Skill called [Ice Golem] was something he could learn at a later date.In truth, he didn¡¯t need the Skill right now.In Hyrkan¡¯s case, the Earth Golem had similar powers to the Ice Golem if he activated the power of Frost.Still, there was no downside in having the skill. He also earned 4 scrolls containing the Ancient Power.He had three Transcendent Rank scrolls, and the high price he paid for them was as expensive as the Item¡¯s name implied.However, Hyrkan didn¡¯t think it was expensive.Moreover, his greatest gain was the Legendary Rank scroll. He was in a happy spot again. He had found the clue, and he now knew what methods were used to hide the ruins within the Red Desert.Moreover, he also found the identity of the Elven Artifact.If things turn out well, he¡¯ll receive help from Whistling, and he¡¯ll be able to progress in his Quest more easily.At the very least, he won¡¯t be digging a bottomless hole. On top of everything, he had gained a friend named Whistling. ¡®A friend¡­¡­.¡¯ Hyrkan let out a bitter laugh. He never thought he would get close to someone within this game ever again.He had avoided developing any deep relationships.He never wanted to suffer that bitter sense of betrayal ever again.He never wanted to buck under the misery he had felt before.He had tried his best to avoid such a relationship, yet his current situation made Hyrkan smile. ¡®¡­¡­..I wonder what Dongsoo hyung is doing right now?Is he playing this game?¡¯ If he continued playing Warlord, he knew this was something he would inevitably have to confront.Hyrkan¡¯s life had changed a lot, because of Warlord.He would continue this way of life, and he wouldn¡¯t be free of his past until he reached the end of Warlord. He had no intentions of becoming free from Warlord right now. ¡®Yes.Since things have progress this far, I have to see this to the end.¡¯ Hyrkan arrived at the Heard Fortress ruin town on his Bone Wyvern, and the news about Whistling greeted him. 4. Ahn-jaehyun was looking through the the articles.He focused on searching for the words Hydra and Big Smiles.However, there weren¡¯t many articles of substance compared to the effort he was putting into this search. Ahn-jaehyun stopped searching for the articles for a moment.He took off his glasses with one hand, and he massaged his eyes with the other. ¡®Did the 30 great guilds have some kind of grudge against me in the past life¡­ Nevermind.I guess they were always my mortal enemy.¡¯ Whistling had been killed by the Big Smiles guild. When he heard the news, Ahn-jaehyun immediately exited the game.Then he brooded over his anger.He was having a hard time coping with his anger, but he didn¡¯t throw anything towards the wall. ¡®Before I returned to the past, it was the Stormhunters.Will it be the Big Smiles now?¡¯ In some ways, this might have been inevitable. ¡®Yes, it is time for me to bring this to a head.¡¯ The Big Smiles had put out a statement saying Whistling had hunted in the Highwood Forest without permission, and his death had been a fair punishment. They weren¡¯t wrong.Most would accept the the substance behind the Big Smiles guild¡¯s announcement. ¡®They could have tried to kill us when I was with them.They killed him after I left¡­.¡¯ The problem was the fact that they didn¡¯t attack them when the Hahoe Mask and Whistling was together.They targeted Whistling after the Hahoe Mask left. It was a clear provocation.Since they couldn¡¯t take on the Hahoe Mask right now, they decided to punish those close to the Hahoe Mask.This was the substance behind the provocation. ¡®They were not aiming for me.They were aiming for my friend¡­.¡¯ This was an obvious provocation, and he was sure it would be exploited again in the future. ¡®These bastards are coming at me in interesting ways.¡¯ There were only two choices he could choose. He could respond to the provocation or he could just endure this. If he looked at it in a logical manner, it would be harmful for the Hahoe Mask to respond to this provocation.The Hahoe Mask couldn¡¯t erased Big Smiles guild from Warlord.Even if they got into a straight fight, it would be a battle of attrition.Moreover, even if the Hahoe Mask attacked the Big Smiles guild and won, he wouldn¡¯t be able to steal their Live Channel. ¡®I can just trivialize this by saying Whistling only suffered a death¡­.¡¯ Whistling didn¡¯t consider his death to be a loss.He had lost a single Item, and he could take a break for 48 hours.That was the extent of his damage, so Whistling didn¡¯t ask anything of the Hahoe Mask.He hadn¡¯t even notified Hyrkan of his plight.He decided to keep it as a personal matter. He didn¡¯t want to unnecessarily put his friend in an awkward situation. ¡®Still, the mighty Hahoe Mask can¡¯t hide behind his mask.A friend had suffered.¡± In other words, his friend was killed, and if he thought only about calculating profits, he was being unfaithful to his friend. ¡®Moreover, if I show weakness here, it¡¯ll be the end.¡¯ Above everything else, it was time. He had to step on the 30 great guilds at some point in time.If he wanted to reach his goal, he had to use the 30 great guilds as his stepping stone.He had to climb upwards by stepping on them.Moreover, he had numerous methods he could use to conduct this war. When he suffered under the Stormhunters guild, he had come up with a lot of methods for his revenge.The tactics, strategies and tricks he came up with was etched clearly inside his head. At the time, it was impossible to pull off these methods.However, he now had the Level, Items and money he could use unsparingly. ¡®The title of the video¡­¡­. I think I¡¯ll call it Giant Killer.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s face was reflected on the Tablet PC, and one could see a smile on his lips. Chapter 179 – Hero Slaughterer (2) Chapter 179 ¨C Hero Slaughterer (2) 5. Heaven helps those who helps themselves. ¡®As expected, the surest way to accomplish something is to have the heavens on my side.¡¯ This idiom was like an immutable truth to Heh-bibin, and he felt the meaning of the words in his bones. ¡®I never expected this to work out so well.¡¯ The Big Smiles guild members attacked and killed Whistling, who had been hunting inside the Highwood Forest. It was done openly, so no one could deny it had happened.They were very thorough in eliminating the Pitbull. If one looked at it form a gains and losses perspective, one would have a hard time saying the Big Smiles guild had gained anything from this. The immediate concern for the guild was to come up with a method to deal with the Hydra guild.It would be great if it ended in a war of words, but if the problem worsened, they might have to prepare for a war.The act of killing Pitbull had angered the Hydra guild.Nothing profitable would come from facing a red-faced opponent. However, a significant number of Big Smiles guild members were supportive of the Users, who had cost the bottomline of Big Smiles guild.They had cheered at learning the decision, action and the execution that had went into killing Pitbull. Moreover, the ones that participated in the hunt of Pitbull didn¡¯t hide their actions.They wereunapologetic. ¡°Whistling hunted in a Big Smiles guild territory without our permission.He is basically a thief.I just chased out a thief from my house.¡± ¡°We¡¯d rather have people curse at Big Smiles guild rather than the guild being the butt of everyone¡¯s joke.¡± ¡°We willingly accept any punishment from the guild.However, we don¡¯t think we did anything wrong.¡± There had been 11 of them. Eleven members had participated in the Pitbull hunt, and they had achieved hero status for their actions amongst the normal Big Smiles guild members. ¡®Still, I never expected the discontent amongst the members to be this high.¡¯ Basically, the discontent within the guild had reached a boiling point. After Sinclair¡¯s exploits, the Big Smiles guild¡¯s standing kept increasing.When they started out at the Black Continent, the Five Stars threatened the name of Top Three.The Big Smiles guild was one of the pillars of this organization. At the time, Big Smiles¡¯ live channel increased in viewership, and they had reached new highs in terms of profits from the sponsors.It was the proof of their success. However, after Hahoe Mask¡¯s Anugas Raid, Big Smiles guild¡¯s standing started to drop.Now their standings wasn¡¯t so different from what it was before they joined the Five Stars guild. This damaging result accelerated when the Highwood Forest, which was the main hunting ground of the Big Smiles guild, was allowed to become the playground of the Hahoe Mask. There had been side effects to the Hahoe Mask¡¯s actions.It was getting harder to control their hunting ground.Other Users were starting to follow after the Hahoe Mask¡¯s actions.The Big Smiles guild started becoming an entity no one feared. ¡®The only thing left is to see what the Hydra guild chooses to do.¡¯ The discontent was simmering to a boiling point. Depending on what the Hydra guild chose to do, this could be an explosive situation.It¡¯ll come to a head at some point. If the situation becomes explosive, the ones in charge of the guild would suffer heavy damages.In recent days, Heh-bibin didn¡¯t have a voice in how the guild was being run. Of course, this situation wouldn¡¯t cause Heh-bibin any headaches. ¡®This is the best.¡¯ Of course, he was forgetting about the irresistible force called the Hahoe Mask¡­. 6. Normally, a 10 man party was formed for a Wood Devil hunt.There was an odd quirk to these parties.Over half of the 10 man party was either a Striker or a Swordsman. At the lowest, there were five Swordsman in the 10 man party.At most, one could see seven Swordsman in a party. There were two big reasons why this was the case. It was impossible for Tankers to block the Wood Devil. The Wood Devil¡¯s attack pattern was simple.It swung its arm like a whip or it brought down it arm like a hammer.The attack pattern was simple, yet the power behind the attacks was terrifying.Even if the highest level Tanker with decent equipments and buffs tried to block the attack, one wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand a direct hit from the Wood Devil. The Tankers wouldn¡¯t be able to use their usual methods to block the attacks. So what could one do against the Wood Devil? One had to defeat the Wood Devil at its own game.The only thing a Tanker could do was to lure and dodge attacks in front of the Wood Devil. ¡°Chen is down£¡¡± ¡°Shit!I¡¯ll pull the Aggro.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll save Chen.¡± Accidents always happened, so the party had to have a contingency plan. The Tanker was needed as a pinch-hitter. This was the Tanker¡¯s only role.This was why there were so many Swordsman or Strikers compared to the other classes. ¡°Stop attacking!Stop the attack Cicadas!¡± The other reason for having so many Strikers was the method in which damage was given to the Wood Devil. The Wood Devil had a high magical defence.If one wanted to lower the magical defense, Armor Breaking was needed.The Wood Devil did not wear any defensive gear.It also didn¡¯t have any skin or bark, which could act as an armor.The Wood Devil¡¯s enormous body was just a mixture of rocks, dirt and trees. This was why the Strikers were needed to dislodge these rocks, and this was akin to Armor Breaking work.Since one needed a lot of work to pull off this Armor Break, one needed more Users working on the project.This was why Strikers were more desired than the Magicians or Tankers.These Strikers were nicknamed as the Cicadas. The singing of the Cicadas came to an end.They couldn¡¯t attack until the Aggro landed on the Tanker. Koohng! The Cicadas started to move once again when the Wood Devil was lured by the new Tanker.The Wood Devil was bring down both its arm in an attempt to crush the Tanker with one blow. ¡°All right.The pinch-hitter was successful.¡± ¡°Start it up again, Cicadas!¡± The Strikers once again latched onto the Wood Devil¡¯s body, and they started excavating the stones. During all of this, the Priests healed anyone at death¡¯s door with Healing Skill.At the same time, the Users with their Buffs expired came to get a full tank of gas again.The Priests worked to restore the Buffs. Everything was somewhat going to plan when an unexpected variable butted in. ¡°Do you mind if I ask you a question?¡± The question came out of nowhere towards the Priest, who was calculating his Buff Skill Cooldown.The Priest turned his head.There wasn¡¯t a single ounce of suspicion inside the Priest¡¯s head. ¡°What question?Speak.¡± The Priest thought the question had been asked by a comrade.It would be strange if it was someone other than his comrade especially in this situation.Anyone in his shoes would have made the same assumption. ¡°Ah.It isn¡¯t a difficult question.¡± When the Priest turned his head, he became frightened at what he saw. ¡®Huhk£¡¡¯ He was so surprised that sound refused to come out of this throat. The User, who had asked him a question, wore a Hahoe Mask.It was the scariest mask in Warlord, and the User in armor spoke in a friendly manner. ¡°My friend was PKed here by fucking assholes.I¡¯m here for revenge, and I¡¯m looking for the culprits.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ha¡­Hahoe¡­.¡± The Priest was so shocked that words weren¡¯t coming out of his mouth.Hyrkan continued to speak. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for interfering with your hunt, but I¡¯m in a hurry.Anyways, let me show you what my friend looks like.He¡¯s the one who was PKed.¡± As he spoke, Hyrkan took out a sheet of paper, and he raised it in front of the Priest¡¯s nose.It wasn¡¯t a drawing of a person.It was a picture of a famous fighting dog called a Pitbull Terrier. ¡°He¡¯s not the type to be pushed around.However, in a bout of bad luck, he was beaten and killed.He couldn¡¯t do anything, since his opponents roamed in a party that numberedaround ten Users.This is why I¡¯m trying to hunt them down with my group.¡± Hyrkan turned to look backwards.There were 30 Skeleton Warriors a good distance away.They looked like they were ready to rush their enemies.Hyrkan turned back to look at the Priest. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m looking for the bastards, who attacked my friend.I don¡¯t know their identities nor do I know what they look like.My friend is prideful, so he won¡¯t tell me what I want to know.Ah!!¡± At that moment, Hyrkan acted as if he had an epiphany.He lightly poked at the Priest¡¯s left chest with his finger.The Priest backed up in fright. Hyrkan spoke to the Priest as he laughed. ¡°For your information, those bastards had the same emblem as the one on your chest.They had that ridiculous smiley face on them.So do you think will be able to tell me their identities?You look like someone, who might know the answer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Hahoe Mask!¡± At that moment, the name Hahoe Mask swept through the battlefield.The name was spoken not by the Priest in front of Hyrkan.It was the other Priest.When his name was spoken, everyone turned their gazes towards him. ¡°Hahoe Mask?¡± ¡°Crazy¡­¡­!¡± The ones, who had the luxury of being able to turn their attention away from the battle, focused on the Hahoe Mask. ¡°What? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Did you say it was the Hahoe Mask?We are being attacked by him right now?¡± The Users, who couldn¡¯t afford to look away, asked questions as they felt a bout of anxiety. Moreover, they weren¡¯t the only ones, who reacted to the name of the Hahoe Mask. ¨C Hahoe Mask? Hahoe Mask made an appearance there? ¨C Support! Send support! ¨C Where? The Level Up support team was helping this party, so they were receiving a live update.When the Level Up support team received the information, they were taken aback. He kept looking at the frozen Priest as he spoke. ¡°I just wanted to question you in a quiet manner.I¡¯m sorry for intruding on your hunt.I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Of course, there wasn¡¯t an ounce of contrition behind his words.Hyrkan¡¯s words sounded playful, but his lips didn¡¯t even twitch upwards. ¡°I guess you are too busy with the hunt to talk.I¡¯ll return after you finish your hunt.¡± Even now the guild members didn¡¯t dare to surround Hyrkan.They didn¡¯t even attempt it. Hyrkan turned his head to look at the battlefield.The Wood Devil was causing a big ruckus, but the Big Smiles guild members just stared at him.When he turned to look at them again, they flinched in surprise. Hyrkan held the piece of paper in his hand, and he showed them the drawing of a Pitbull Terrier. ¡°This is my friend.If you know, who PKed my friend, you should tell me¡­.¡± Koo-oohng, kooh-oohng! ¡°Ooh-ahk.Shit!¡± At that moment, a Tanker fell.The User was nailed to the ground by the Wood Devil¡¯s fist.The User let out a scream for help. However, his guild mates ignored his cry for help as they kept staring at Hyrkan. Hyrkan spoke to them. ¡°You can give those bastards a message.I¡¯ll put all of you guys into the slaughter house.¡± It was a declaration of war. Four Golems appeared.They were of Earth, Fire, Ice and Steel.They were imposing, and they were sent towards the 10 Big Smiles guild members. As if he wasn¡¯t satisfied with this, the Skeleton Warriors appeared from between the enormous legs of the Golems.They attacked the Users. Of course, the Users fought back. ¡°Mega Flare!¡± The Magician attacked the Golem with a powerful magical spell. ¡°Shield Crush£¡¡± Gwah-ahng! The Tankers used their Shields to send the Skeleton Warriors flying. Kah-ahng, kah-ahng! The Strikers fought a fierce battle with the Skeleton Warriors.Weapons clashed, and damage started to appear on armors on both sides. ¡°Buff!Buff!¡± ¡°Wait a minute!¡± The Priest¡¯s desperately tried to douse the fire. It was a bedlam.Outside of this pandemonium, a private battle was occurring. A manwas wearing a tattered armor with the Big Smiles guild logo.He had lost his helmet, and his face was revealed.His face was marked with wounds from a sword. The User looked to be in rough shape as he lay spread eagle on the floor.A pillar-like leg was pressing down on the User¡¯s chest, so he was unable to get up.He was completely subdued. ¡°Cheap bastard.You threw sand in a one on one battle!¡± The User¡¯s mouth was the only thing he was able to flap. ¡°When did I say I won¡¯t spray sand?I said I won¡¯t use any Skills.Anyways, aren¡¯t you going to force a logout??¡± At the User¡¯s words, Hyrkan replied in a composed manner. ¡°You son of a bitch.We wouldn¡¯t have killed Pitbull if we weren¡¯t prepared to face you.¡± Hyrkan smiled instead of getting mad. ¡°So why didn¡¯t you guys attack me?Huh?Were you guys scared of me?Did you guys attack Pitbull because he was less scary?¡± ¡°You provoked us first!¡± ¡°If someone heard you, one would think our relationship soured only recently.¡± Hyrkan spoke as he stabbed at the User¡¯s chest with his sword.The sword slipped in deep between the already crumbling armor.The User didn¡¯t scream, since he felt no pain. ¡°Weren¡¯t we on bad terms even before we crossed the Urugal mountain range?Now that I think about it, you guys tried fuck me over in the Anugas Raid.Did you participate in that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get my revenge soon.We¡¯ll do to you what we did to Pitbull.¡± At those words, Hyrkan pull out the sword, and he stabbed down again.The repeated stab made the User¡¯s HP drop to zero.After finishing his work, he turned to look at his Golems, Skeleton Warriors and the Big Smiles guild members. At that moment, Hyrkan gave an order.The Golems and the Skeleton Warriors, who were relentlessly attacking, stopped. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± A clap needed two palms to strike each other.When the Skeleton Warriors and Golems stopped their attack, the Big Smiles guild members also stopped their attack. When this sudden peace arrived, Hyrkan walked as he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for interrupting your hunt.A User, who was in your hunting party, was killed by me.It was a personal matter.The rest of you can continue your hunt.Please enjoy yourselves, and I wish you luck on gaining good drops.¡± As he spoke, Hyrkan spoke with the most contemptible and nasty smile full of ridicule on his face. Hyrkan had started his work to catch the big giant. Chapter 180 – Hero Slaughterer (3) Chapter 180 ¨C Hero Slaughterer (3) 8. -Did you guys hear about the news from the Highwood Forest? -L. Isn¡¯t that the location of Hahoe Mask¡¯s recent hunt? -L. He is still hunting inside the Highwood Forest. -L. Of course, everyone is aware of that fact.It had been only couple weeks, since the Hahoe Mask uploaded the footage of him soloing the Wood Devil! -L. No, he isn¡¯t hunting monsters anymore.He is hunting down Big Smiles guild members. These people enjoyed watching Warlord.They were also interested in the User named the Hahoe Mask.He made their hearts flutter from excitement.They were very interested in the activities of the Hahoe Mask, since he attempted tasks that was considered to be impossible to solo.They cheered when he overcame the odds. He was able to solo Boss Monster Raids, and he was doing the Main Scenario Quest by himself. Moreover, he was able to oppose the 30 great guilds.These exalted organizations were almost untouchable as if they were placed high in the sky, and even the influential Underfoot guilds could do nothing against them. This made people become more fanatical about the Hahoe Mask. These people were romantics. Everyone could imagine themselves doing what the Hahoe Mask did.While anyone could imagine doing it, the Hahoe Mask actually took action to make these ideas into reality. This inflamed the romanticism inside the hearts of people. -Did he declare war against the Big Smiles guild? -L No.He says he is out for revenge. -L- Revenge? Against whom? -L. Pitbull and the Hahoe Mask are friends.Recently, the Big Smiles guild killed Pitbull.He is avenging Pitbull. -L. From what I heard, the Hahoe Mask didn¡¯t touch anyone except the 10 guild members, who hunted down Pitbull.He even apologized to the unrelated party members for intruding on the hunt. This was the most important part of his plan.Ahn-jaehyun had to sidestep the trappings of the romanticism his actions might evoke. ¡®I like where the public opinions are heading.¡¯ He sipped his coffee, and he looked at the reaction caused by his actions.Ahn-jaehyun was satisfied. ¡®Yes, this is the correct answer.¡¯ The act of fighting the 30 great guilds had a quality of romanticism.Everyone could imagine doing it, yet no one could do it.Of course, even the Hahoe Mask couldn¡¯t fight the 30 great guilds in a fair fight. Before he had returned to the past, he had felt this truth deep within his bones.He had made enemies of the Stormhunters guild, and this had turned the entirety of the 30 great guilds against him.He had fought them like a crazed dog.However, he now realized how illogical and pointless such an act was. This was especially true for Ahn-jaehyun, since it didn¡¯t make sense to cause a Game Over to all of his opponents, because they were wearing the same uniforms.It was a dangerous way to play this game, and it was also stupid. ¡®Nothing good will come from messing with the normal guild members.¡¯ Before he returned to the past, he had been very radical in his actions as the Hero Slaughterer.He cut down anyone that got in his way.This was why he was nicknamed the Slaughterer.He never hesitated, and he had no mercy. If he looked backed on it, he knew it had been a mistake.It didn¡¯t matter how or why he killed the Users, but in the end, they were revived from their Game Over after 48 hours.They would be made whole again, and their animosity towards him would grow. Basically, the hatred mounted and the number of Users he wronged increased to a point where they took action by attacking the Hero Slaughterer.. In truth, when the Stormhunters guild announced their war against the Hero Slaughterer Hyrkan, not everyone was willing to follow their lead.The normal guild members hated being dragged into such conflicts.There was no reason why they would enjoy it.It wasn¡¯t as if killing a single User allowed them to gain treasures.Moreover, if they weren¡¯t careful, there was a high risk that they would suffer a Game Over.The normal guild members were basically being forced into the hunt, so why would they like such a scenario? However, once those normal guild members died at the hands of the Hero Slaughterer, their eyes flipped over from anger.Even if they weren¡¯t told to catch Hyrkan, they threw their bodies towards him. It would be difficult to convince the first wave of Users to throw their bodies against him.However, it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to convince the second and third wave of Users. Ahn-jaehyun applied the lesson he had learned to his current actions. ¡®It is unnecessary to galvanize the regular guild members.¡¯ His targets had to precise. The Hahoe Mask left alone the Users, who had nothing to do with the attack on Pibtbull.He only attacked the guilty, since they wouldn¡¯t be able to complain even if they were killed. Of course, none of the Big Smiles guild members would clap their hands at the Hahoe Mask¡¯s actions.They wouldn¡¯t be happy, but it would make them think.It would make them wonder if it was worth messing with the Hahoe Mask. This was why¡­. ¡®The Big Smiles guild officers will now gather to come up with a plan.¡¯ The normal guild members will now want the higher ups to take care of the problem! The normal guild members would choose to remain as spectators. This was why the Hahoe Mask expressed to the normal guild members that he wasn¡¯t the enemy.He even saved some, who were in trouble. He used numerous methods.He sometimes killed his target, and he retreated quickly.He purposefully approached a Big Smiles guild party without any of his targets included within the group, and he struck up amicable conversations with them.He even gave them permission to contact him, and he gave encouraging words to the hunt parties.From the perspective of the guild members, the Hahoe Mask¡¯s words were far from sounding friendly, but they felt relieved from not being PKed.There were even times when the Hahoe Mask had saved a Big Smiles guild member in trouble during a hunt.He also gave them tips on how to more effectively hunt down the Wood Devils. Everyone knew he wasn¡¯t doing this out of pure kindness, but they were thoroughly convinced that the Hahoe Mask would only attack his targets. ¡®In the past, this method wouldn¡¯t have worked.¡¯ Of course, if the Hahoe Mask was someone insignificant, this would be a different story.Every one of them would have attacked him on sight.However, the Hahoe Mask was no longer a User that could be taken down by a single party. This was the difference between the prior Hero Slaughterer Hyrkan, and the current Hahoe Mask. He needed the current level of power to pull off this plan. ¡°Hmmm.¡± He had enough power now.He was able to leisurely smell the coffee as he hummed a tune even as he faced an enemy called the 30 great guilds. ¡®If I chase their tail like this, the Big Smile guild¡¯s reputation will suffer.They¡¯ll try to catch me¡­I would be very grateful if they chose to catch me using a bait and a small force.¡¯ The power he possessed gave him the luxury to be able to think a move ahead. This required power, and the current Ahn-jaehyun possessed that power. 9. ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve received information saying the Hahoe Mask had appeared within the Highwood Forest again.I think it would be best to take a break today.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? You want to take a break?¡± ¡°The current situation is a bit muddled right now.¡± The speaker, Jigwan, was a Level 235 member of the Big Smiles guild.He was a Ranked User, who operated while maintaining the very high level.This was why he was flabbergasted by his comrade¡¯s words. As he maintained this dumbfounded look, he lightly swiveled his head to look at the atmosphere of his surrounding.His party members had finished getting ready for the battle with the Wood Devil.Some refused to meet his eyes, but others boldly met his eyes.However, all of them were in disagreement with him. This was why he quickly realized what was going on, so Jigwan gritted his teeth. ¡°You guys¡­.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t saying you did anything wrong.You did good.We are almost thankful that you took the initiative.You went through with it.At the very least, we won¡¯t be called cowards by others before we go into battle thanks to you.¡± Jigwan had been about to erupt in rage, but his comrade shut him up by talking over him. ¡°No¡­¡­¡± ¡°However, if a problem arises here, it¡¯ll be a detriment to you.¡± It seemed his comrade was determined to speak his mind.It was as if he had prepared a speech for this eventuality, so he poured out his words towards Jigwan. ¡°It isn¡¯t as if the high ranking people will do anything for you.It isn¡¯t as if they are ordering us to form a hunting party to catch the Hahoe Mask.If you act too hastily, you are the only one, who will suffer.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The power of his rapid-fire words were very effective.Jigwan was made momentarily speechless. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± At the short phrase, Jigwan shut his mouth as if a key had been turned. Jigwan could no longer raise his voice.His party member¡¯s words made Jigwan realize the underlying reasons behind the other User¡¯s words. ¡®Shit.¡¯ This made Jigwan more angry. It was so clear that he would have to accept the current reality. ¡®What did I do wrong!¡¯ His anger turned towards the Hahoe Mask. ¡®That damn bastard.It is all the Hahoe Mask¡¯s fault¡­.¡¯ At the same time, his anger moved on from the Hahoe Mask to a different existence. ¡®Why are we so afraid of a single person?Why do I have to suffer like this, because of their cowardice?¡¯ He focused his anger on the executive officers, who lead the Big Smiles guild. ¡®I¡¯ve worked my butt off for the Big Smiles.¡¯ From the birth of the game of Warlord, he had gotten close to the members of this guild.They were so close that they called each other hyung and dongsaeng.His relationship with the other guild members spanned across a good amount of time, and this was why the betrayal hurt so much. Jigwan wasn¡¯t someone that would stand being treated so poorly. This was especially true, since his actions were all for the benefit of the Big Smiles guild. At that moment, he thought about the last time he was treated right. ¡®This would have never happened when Heh-bibin was in charge of the guild.¡¯ In the past, their guild didn¡¯t have a guild master.The executive officers ran the guild.At the time, Heh-bibin had wielded a considerable amount of power within the guild. During that time, Jigwan had been treated very well.He was always given full support, and the small problems were taken care of by the guild.The guild didn¡¯t even ask any questions when taking care of the problem. Heh-bibin also gave breaks to Users tired from leveling up by purposefully putting them in youtube videos or a live broadcast.This resulted in them gaining some spending money from the appearance fee. At the very least, he wouldn¡¯t have been treated like a leper, because he had done something that needed to be done. He wasn¡¯t the only one,who felt this way.There was a significant number of members, who shared his view. This was the reason why they supported Heh-bibin. ¡®Heh-bibin is right.He is right about all of this.¡¯ This was the reason why they put their power behind Heh-bibin¡¯s ideas. 10. When he heard Pitbull had been killed, Sinclair contacted the Hydra guild first.If things went sideways here, he knew his life would get very complicated. This was why Sinclair sent the Hydra guild a proposal. He wanted to resolve the current situation through war of words.They could argue over who was in the wrong through words.He suggested that they shouldn¡¯t worsen the current atmosphere by settling this through armed conflicts. At the time, the tone of the conversation hadn¡¯t been too bad.Unlike Sinclair¡¯s worries, the Hydra guild didn¡¯t seem inclined to fight them head on.They were about to bury this incident in a quiet manner. Sinclair was sure this had all been quietly resolved.. ¡®Hahoe Mask.That damn bastard¡­.: Everything turned into a mess when the Hahoe Mask made his appearance. The Hahoe Mask started to avenge his friend¡¯s death. ¡®That little bastard.I never expected him to act this way.¡¯ The Hahoe Mask used a method he had never used before.He only eliminated his targets.He worked in an arrogant manner, and he avenged his friend in a way that was only possible for the Hahoe Mask. The method used by the Hahoe Mask turned out to be more troublesome than expected.If the Hahoe Mask waged a war against the entirety of the Big Smiles guild, Sinclair would have used this opportunity to declare war on the Hahoe Mask. Sinclair had always wanted to kill the Hahoe Mask.If he attacked out of his own volition, Sinclair would have been thankful. However, he hadn¡¯t done that.The Hahoe Mask made this into a personal revenge play. This was now a private matter between Users.If a 30 great guild stepped forward to interfere, the fallout would be huge.This was the biggest problem they would face.If they were to kill the Hahoe Mask, they would have to put up with the big fall out.When the potential for loss was this large, no one dared to act in a rash manner. This was why the meeting of the officers was called into order. However, another problem arose at this point in time. Sinclair was excluded from the meeting of the officers. ¡®Heh-bibin¡­¡­I¡¯m sure that bastard planned this.¡¯ First, Sinclair wasn¡¯t officially an executive officer.It was true that he was the best ace inside the Big Smiles guild.However, by definition, the guild master, and the two sub-guild masters were considered to be the executive officers. Right now Sinclair had no choice, but to wake up to what was going on.This incident had the fingerprints of Heh-bibin all over it. Heh-bibin had been treated like a useless sack of wheat until now, but it seemed Heh-bibin had found a way to amplify his voice. Heh-bibin¡¯s voice was strengthened by the opinions of the regular guild members.Heh-bibin hadn¡¯t been overt about his actions.He had been a huge advocate for those guild members, who had killed the Pitbull.Heh-bibin spoke numerous times about the guild needing to protect these guild members. Everyone, who hunted Pitbull, probably stood on Heh-bibin¡¯s side.On top of it all, the users operating within the Highwood Forest would also side with Heh-bibin.These were high level Users, who were over level 230.They were the main fighting power of the Big Smiles guild. ¡®The machination being played by Heh-bibin is no joke.¡¯ If one thought about it, Heh-bibin¡¯s actions were chilling, amazing and a bit ridiculous. This was only a game. Why would he do such an act over a game? This thought brushed by Sinclair¡¯s mind.Of course, Sinclair immediately rejected such notions. ¡®This game wasn¡¯t a joke from the start.¡¯ Warlord wasn¡¯t a simple game.The makers of this game and the people, who played this game, invested excessive amount of assets into Warlord.Too many things were shoved into this game. This game was supposed to be run and managed by the AI, but now it had become a completely different game. ¡°Tsk.¡± He clicked his tongue, and Sinclair organized the complicated thoughts inside his head.He simplified the situation. ¡®If we choose to catch the Hahoe Mask, we have to go all in.If we decide not to catch him, we have to be bold in our negotiations with him.If we put together a half-assed team of 100 guild members to hunt him down¡­.¡¯ He hoped the meeting of officers would avoid choosing the worst option. The meeting of the officers came to an end. 11. ¡°Brooks.Why are you agreeing to such a ridiculous proposal?¡± When the results of the meeting was declared, Sinclair spoke in an accusatory tone towards Brooks. -Both Apollo and Heh-bibin made a fuss, so what can I do? ¡°Apollo?What are you talking about?¡± -Apollo is supporting Heh-bibin¡¯s decision.If I have to oppose two sub-guildmasters, I need a good reason. ¡°The reason¡­¡­ -Are you saying we should accept the death of the eleven members, who participated in the Pitbull hunt?We can¡¯t give everything to the Hahoe Mask.What would happen to my name?The normal guild members are treating the Users, who attacked Pitbull, like heroes. At the mention of heroes, Sinclair snorted. ¡°They aren¡¯t heroes.Does that mean the Hahoe Mask is the Hero Slaughterer, since he killed them? ¨C Heh-bibin maneuvered to bring this about.In truth, I can¡¯t do anything about it now.We have to put this to rest by killing the Hahoe mask. Sinclair barely kept himself from snorting again. ¡°We are going to kill the Hahoe Mask?How are we going to do that?Do you really think you¡¯ll be able to kill him with only 100 Users?¡± -This is different.We have 11 surefire baits that will net the Hahoe Mask. Sinclair had a thought when he heard those words. ¡®They succeeded in convincing Brooks.¡¯ Brooks was trying to convince him, and Sinclair knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to talk Brooks out of this. In the end, Heh-bibin had been successful in his plot.He pulled Apollo to his side, and he had convinced Brooks. What would happen next? Heh-bibin will push himself to the fore again. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll have nothing to do with this venture.¡± -If the Killer doesn¡¯t join, there will be a lot of talk. ¡°It would be worse to fail with me included in the hunt.You should leave me out, so there will be an excuse if you guys fail.¡± -Do you really think we will fail? Sinclair knew Heh-bibin wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with his victory.When one succeeds in turning the table, one wants something more than just turning the tables.Heh-bibin will try to create a situation where others cannot turn the tables against him. Then what? ¡°From Heh-bibin¡¯s perspective, he has nothing to gain from the plan succeeding.Please use your head, Brooks.¡± In the end, the buck stopped with the guild master.Brooks would bear the responsibility of all actions taken by the guild. -You really think of me as an idiot.I brought about a war with Triple Wings alongside the Hands guild, yet you treat me like this. ¡°I spoke too harshly.I apologize.¡± -No, you don¡¯t have to apologize. The conversation ended there. Eleven Users were facing a Wood Devil.It was quite common to come across the sight of a party hunting down a Wood Devil.However, this party¡¯s composition was very unique.Seven of the 11 Users were Strikers. Of course, a Wood Devil Raid needed a high number of Swordsman class Users, but seven Strikers was most definitely a unique composition. Maybe this was the reason why the Wood Devil hunt wasn¡¯t going well. Moreover, a good number of Users were having a hard time focusing on the Wood Devil hunt. ¡°What about the Hahoe Mask?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see him yet.¡± ¡°Be on your guard, but let¡¯s focus on the hunt.¡± ¡°Be careful!If we are killed by the Wood Devil, this was all for naught!¡± Their conversations was the proof. In reality, they weren¡¯t gathered here to hunt the Wood Devil. They were bait. After the meeting of the officers, the decision was handed down to the troops.They had decided to hunt down the Hahoe Mask.This was why this hunting team was formed.This team would simultaneously be a bait and a weapon pointed towards the Hahoe Mask. The plan was simple.If the bait was taken, the Hahoe Mask hunting team would move in.If the bait was left alone, they¡¯ll announce that the Hahoe Mask¡¯s absence meant he was conceding defeat. ¡°I hope the Hahoe Mask shows up today¡­.¡± The seven Users, who were placed into the party as bait, waited for the appearance of the Hahoe Mask.They were confident in this plan.If there had been no preparations, it would be very difficult to kill the Hahoe Mask.However, they had made thorough preparations for the appearance of the Hahoe Mask, and they really believed they would be able to take him down. Shweee! Two Wyverns appeared above their heads. Hwah-roo-roo! One Wyvern was made out of flame, and the other was made out of bones.It was the Wyvern Fire Golem and the Bone Wyvern.The two Wyverns dove downwards, and it was a scary sight.However, the eleven Users welcomed the appearance of the two Wyverns. ¡°It¡¯s the Hahoe Mask!¡± ¡°He is finally here!¡± ¡°Be careful£¡¡± ¡°If needed, just disengage and run away from the Wood Devil!¡± Two Wyverns landed on the ground.However, that was all they did.The two Wyverns justlooked at the eleven Users, who were battling the Wood Devil. ¡®Huh?¡¯ ¡®What the hell?¡¯ They had expected a terrifying offensive attacks, and this unexpected situation made the eleven Users flustered. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Should we run away?¡± They were still battling the Wood Devil, and the Users were unable to assess the situation.They were asking for an answer. However, the one to give the answer wasn¡¯t one of their comrades. ¡°Ah.You guys are all gathered here.Hello.¡± Hahoe Mask made his appearance as he gave his greeting.He cleared his throat then he paused before taking out a paper.The paper held the drawing of a Pitbull Terrier¡¯s face. ¡°This is my friend.He said my act of revenge serves no purpose.He said he forgives you all.I came here to tell you that.Have fun with your hunt.I hope you received a good drop.¡± Hyrkan turned his back after speaking, and he left the battlefield with the Bone Wyvern and the Fire Golem in tow.He headed towards the north. ¡°W¡­What the fuck?¡± This was too unexpected.In such a situation, the announcement from the Voice Talk broke them out from their stupor. -Hahoe Mask is going north. -The bait team will retreat to the back. -The Hahoe Mask hunt team has to take down the Hahoe Mask at all cost.Use all methods available to you. The Hahoe Mask hunt team started to move. ¡®Ah, wait a moment.¡¯ ¡®Hahoe Mask is¡­¡­: In such an urgent and unexpected situation, none in the bait team was able to comprehend what had just happened. Chapter 181 – Hero Slaughterer (4) Chapter 181 ¨C Hero Slaughterer (4) 13. Hyrkan ran full tilt as he ran away towards the northern region of the Highwood Forest.At times, he saw Users passing by him at high speed. ¡®By the look of their Setting, they went all out for speed.It seems they are dead set on catching me.¡¯ These Users had put all their Stat Points into Strength.They had Item Settings geared towards speed, and they had received all kinds of Speed Buffs.They even had consumable Items that could boost their speed.Moreover, they were experienced in running quickly through difficult terrains. ¡®How many¡­..If I combine the number of Strikers and the rear support team, will they number between 100 to 200?Will it be around 150 of them?¡¯ They would be blocking Hyrkan¡¯s path shortly. When he saw what they were about to do, Hyrkan smiled. ¡®This is the best outcome I could have hoped for.¡¯ He was being put into a desperately dangerous situation. They were on the Hahoe Mask¡¯s tail, and eventually the body would be caught. When they caught up to the body of the Hahoe Mask, it was obvious what the Big Smiles guild planned to do. However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t flustered.Of course, this was going as planned, and he wanted this to play out like this. All work was like this.If one wanted good result, one had to go through a step by step process. This venture was no different. Giant Killing. It was as the word implied.He would be taking down one of the 30 great guilds, which was akin to taking down a giant.He couldn¡¯t do it with only with viciousness and balls. First, he had to fight within his weight class. This was why he had carried out this ridiculous revenge plot. It was suicide for a Flyweight boxer to fight a Heavyweight boxer on the Heavyweight boxer¡¯s term. The next problem was something he had learned in the past after fighting a war with the 30 great guilds. The act of slaying the giant was much easier than dealing with the aftermath. If he had killed all eleven Users, the Pitbull revenge play would have come to an end.He would have to drop his vendetta.Hyrkan wouldn¡¯t have been able to use revenge as a cover in attacking the Big Smiles guild.If he attacked after completing his revenge,he would basically be openly announcing his hostility towards the Big Smiles guild.On the flip side, this implication also held true for the Big Smiles guild.Since the revenge play had come to an end, they would have to try to hide their conduct.They would have to catch the Hahoe Mask in secret. ¡®I forgave them.¡¯ He had forgiven them. He had brought the issue to a clean end. Hahoe Mask had appeared in front of the Users, who had hunted down Pitbull, and he made it clear that he had forgiven them.He also apologized to them, and he gave them a sincere blessing.He wished them luck in getting good drops. So what would happen if the Big Smiles guild moved immediately to kill the Hahoe Mask? Who will be blamed for starting the war? From that moment on, it would no longer be a revenge play. ¡®People always root for the underdog.¡¯ The giant would be attacking a small private individual.They would attack him in an one-sided and indiscriminate manner. ¡®From now on, no matter what I do to fuck them over they won¡¯t be able to complain.They¡¯ll just have to take it.¡¯ If this small individual suffered in such a manner, it didn¡¯t matter what he did.He could use whatever methods or tricks in his arsenal.His actions would be forgiven by the public.Moreover, people will actually cheer him on. From now on, no one would point a finger in admonishment when they witness what he had planned.They¡¯ll give him a standing ovation. 14. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That is¡­..The Hahoe Mask didn¡¯t harm the bait team.¡± The Hahoe Mask hunting plan had been approved in the meeting of the executive officers.The next topic was to decide, who would be in command of the operation, and Apollo was given the baton. ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± ¡°That is¡­..The bait team is in a state of confusion right now, so I¡¯ll have to listen to them a little bit more.However, from what I gather, it seems the Hahoe Mask had forgiven them.No, he didn¡¯t forgive the bait team, but he forgave the Users, who hunted down Pitbull.¡± No one had complained when Apollo was handed the command. Apollo thought this was a great opportunity for him. When he killed the Hahoe Mask, Apollo¡¯s power within the Big Smiles would increase significantly.This will allow Apollo to fix his weakness. Apollo had basically bought his way into power.He was also placed in the sub-guild master chair, because he was perceived to be easier to control by Brooks.Moreover, unlike Heh-bibin, he didn¡¯t have the ability, awareness or the patience to build up his own power base.He would never be a threat to Brooks. Of course, none of the Big Smiles guild members had unconditionally accepted his promotion.In such a situation, he had the chance to bring about the killing of the Hahoe Mask.All the guild members wanted the Hahoe Mask taken down, and he would have the support of the normal guild members if he succeeded.This task represented a symbolism he could use to gain power. Of course, there was a catch.The catch was that he had to put his voice behind Heh-bibin.Furthermore, in return, Heh-bibin promised to support Apollo from now on. If such a deal wasn¡¯t in place, he wouldn¡¯t have risked stabbing Brooks in the back.Brooks was the one, who had placed him within the Big Smiles guild. ¡°So what?¡± The fact that the Hahoe Mask hadn¡¯t bothered with the bait team didn¡¯t change anything for Apollo. ¡°What are you trying to say? What¡¯s going on with the Hahoe Mask hunt?¡± He didn¡¯t care about the status of the bait team.The only thing important was the fact that Apollo had the chance to kill the Hahoe Mask.He had the chance to break the Hahoe Mask¡¯s wrists. ¡°We are in pursuit.We are also intermittently engaging him in battle.¡± ¡°What is the current situation?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be able to corner him.Our hunting team is faster than him.¡± They had made a lot of preparations.The Highwood forest was a difficult stage, so the elites of the guild were all gathered there.It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that any Big Smiles guild member with a modicum of skill was gathered there. ¡°Then catch him for me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At Apollo¡¯s words, there wasn¡¯t much more to say.The one giving the report didn¡¯t give any advices to Apollo. It wasn¡¯t as if Apollo was the only one, who wanted to kill the Hahoe Mask.There wasn¡¯t a single guild member within the Big Smiles guild, who looked favorably at the Hahoe Mask.Moreover, the bait team was bait.When a fish bites the bait, one doesn¡¯t worry if the bait was fine or damaged.No fisherman would worry about whether a bait was intact when one had to reel in the fish. ¡°Anyways, he is about to reach the border between the Red Desert and the Highwood Forest.¡± ¡°Red Desert?¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll be able to surround him there.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Everyone¡¯s favorite prey was heading north. The Red Desert was acknowledged to be dangerous by the Big Smiles guild.It was a place where they forbid their guild members from hunting, yet they were heading there. 15. The Hahoe Mask was surrounded. ¡®There are quite a lot of them.¡¯ If one stood atop the large trees filling up the Highwood forest, one could catch sight of the Red Desert.One could see about thirty Strikers surrounding the Hahoe Mask to the north. ¡®They made pretty extensive preparations.¡¯ The encircling net was tight. At any point in time, the encircling net could let fly their swords towards Hyrkan.They were prepared to sacrifice their lives for the Hahoe Mask Hunt. At the same time, they were waiting for something. ¡®The Hahoe Mask¡¯s Skeletons hasn¡¯t made their appearance yet.¡¯ ¡®We have to eliminate whatever the Hahoe Mask brings to bear before we can eliminate him.¡¯ ¡®This might turn into a prolonged battle.¡¯ There were two ways to hunt the Hahoe Mask. The first method was to kill the Hahoe Mask before he could bring out all his cards.The other method was to force the Hahoe Mask to bring out all his cards then kill him. The former method seemed easy, but the Hahoe Mask had a frightening amount of skill in battle even if he didn¡¯t have his Skeletons and Golems.In the Argardo Raid, Immoral Prince Raid and the Anugas raid, he showed such proficiency that all Strikers praised the Hahoe Mask¡¯s peerless skills. This was why the second option was preferable. It was to force the Hahoe Mask to bring out all his cards! It wasn¡¯t easy, but it wasn¡¯t impossible.The Hahoe Mask could not summon an unlimited number of Skeletons and Golems. They have over 50 Strikers, and twice the number of magicians and priests¡­. There were close to 150 Users gathered here, and these weren¡¯t the normal Users of Big Smiles guild.These were the best of the best of the Big Smiles guild, so the task of eliminating the Hahoe Mask¡¯s familiars shouldn¡¯t be too difficult for them.These Users thought of Big Smiles as being the best, so they considered themselves to be the best. This was why they were forcing this confrontation. However, even in this harsh atmosphere, Hyrkan was able to speak up. ¡°Why are you guys attacking me?¡± Hyrkan used this lull to ask a question.The voice asking the question was very loud. Of course, all the Users were focused on Hyrkan¡¯s every movement, so they were all able to hear his words. They were taken aback by the question. ¡®What?¡¯ They would have preferred if the Hahoe Mask was overbearing.They would have had an easier time accepting swear words from the Hahoe Mask than what they were getting right now. Instead, he had ask them a question. Why were they attacking him? No one could answer that question. Hyrkan once again asked them a question. ¡°Didn¡¯t I forgive the Users, who hunted down Pitbull?¡± Hyrkan didn¡¯t even bother to unsheathe his weapon as he spoke.He had his arms crossed as if he was lecturing them. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve expressed my intentions not too long ago.I will no longer pursue my revenge.I haven¡¯t attacked the remaining eight Users.Moreover, I didn¡¯t mess with the Big Smiles guild members hunting within the Highwood Forest.¡± This was obvious, but the Hahoe Mask hunt team hadn¡¯t known about this fact.They had just chased after Hyrkan. After receiving a report from the bait team, there was no way Apollo would have informed the Hahoe Mask hunt team of these facts. ¡°So why is the Big Smiles guild keep trying to attack me?Are you guys trying to punish me as a guild?¡± The continuous questions created a disordered atmosphere amongst the Big Smiles guild members. ¡®What the hell is he talking about?¡¯ ¡®He forgave them? That actually happened?¡¯ In the end, someone had to step forward to rile up the troops.The User, who was leading the Hahoe Mask hunt team, had the level, experience and the ability to realize this fact.He quickly stepped forward. ¡°It is as you said, Hahoe Mask.This is a punishment.As you probably know, the relationship between the Big Smiles guild and you is bad enough where we don¡¯t need to explain ourselves in eliminating each other.¡± These were the words spoken previously by Hyrkan towards the Big Smiles guild. This was why Hyrkan nodded his head. ¡°So it is a punishment.Therefore, I can use whatever methods and tricks to survive this assault?¡± ¡°You can try.We aren¡¯t weak.We¡¯ll be able to catch a prey like you, who is right in front of our eyes.¡± After speaking those words, the leader of the hunt team used the Voice Talk to give orders to the Strikers surrounding the Hahoe Mask. ¨C You guys attack the Hahoe Mask first, then he¡¯ll start using the his cards. ¨C When I give the signal, the 1st team will move.The 2nd team will be ready to counteract any changes.The 3rd team will act as support. ¨C If you are in trouble, I want you guys to retreat to the backline, so you can receive healing from the Priests. ¨C The Magicians should look out for the signal to start the magical bombardment. There was no reason why they should give Hyrkan more time.If he wouldn¡¯t pull out his cards, they would have to force it out of him. Now everyone was tense as they waited for a signal.The leader of the hunt team was mulling over when to give out the signal. Hyrkan still didn¡¯t show any signs of fighting.He continued to speak with his arms folded.It was as if he wanted to buy some time. ¡°Are any of you subscribed to my youtube page?Raise your hands.¡± Of course, no one raised their hands.No one was flustered by his words. ¡®My intuition say they¡¯ll be attacking soon.Their timing is impeccable.¡¯ As Hyrkan looked at them, he forcefully stopped himself from smiling.He maintained a neutral expression as he continued to speak. ¡°There¡¯s a video over there explaining the special characteristics of the my Skills.The description of the Skill I¡¯m about to use will be uploaded there soon.¡± ¡®The countdown has started¡¯ At the same time, Hyrkan started to count inside.He started to countdown from the initial number he chose. ¡°It¡¯s a Skill that was reinforced by the Ancient Power I recently gained.It was a Legendary Rank Ancient power, and I used it to reinforce the Bone Explosive Skill.I don¡¯t think you guys have a high level Necromancer within your guild, so you probably don¡¯t know about the effects of reinforcing this Skill.Do you guys at least know about the Bone Explosive Skill?¡± At that moment, Hyrkan unfurled his arms.Then he took out a small bomb from a pouch attached to his waist.The Bone Explosive looked like a skull, and there was a thumb-length wick attached to it. ¡°The Bone Explosive skill causes this to explode.Once I reinforced this Skill, it gained the time bomb option.At most, I can set the bomb to explode after 6 hours.¡± At that moment, Hyrkan unfurled his hand.He straightened all five fingers. ¡°Five, four, three¡­¡­¡± He folded his fingers as he spoke.He started with his thumb, and he kept moving onto the next finger.He finally arrived at the pinky finger. When it folded, the number zero was spoken by Hyrkan. Kwah-kwahng, kwahng, kwah-ahng! It started from beneath the feet of the Strikers surrounding Hyrkan.It occurred from all direction, and it was several dozen¡­.No, over 200 area started to explode in succession. ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an attack!¡± The bombs went off like dominoes falling. In other words, it was quite the sight.It was as if fireworks were being detonated. The spectators could only look on and focus on the spectacular, powerful and unique attack.Most of those not involved in the explosion looked at the sight. ¡®Ok.¡¯ During all of this, Hyrkan ran towards the north. ¨C Maintain the perimeter! When the Big Smiles guilds became distracted, Hyrkan immediately broke through the perimeter. He faced the User that was blocking the path in front of him.The User had been busy looking at the explosions, and when he became aware of the Hahoe Mask, it was too late.The Hahoe Mask was within weapon range. ¡®Attack!¡¯ At that moment, the User reacted reflexively.However, this was insufficient to beat an opponent like the Hahoe Mask. The User needed his comrades to help him, but they wouldn¡¯t reach him in time.It took the Hahoe Mask less than three seconds to dispatch the User. The User swung his sword like lightning.He brought it down from up high. Shweek! Hyrkan looked as if he was attempting a wrestling tackle, and the User¡¯s sword was brought down on Hyrkan¡¯s back. Kah-ahng! The sounds of steel hitting steel was heard. However, that was the only effect it produced.Hyrkan was wearing the Black Spot set, and it was still considered to be the set with the most defense. A scar formed on the armor, yet Hyrkan didn¡¯t receive any damage. Hweeek! Hyrkan grabbed his opponent by the waist, and it was as if he was pulling a tree out of its roots.Hyrkan threw his opponent backwards. In a flash, a path was formed, and Hyrkan charged through the newly opened path. ¡°Block him!¡± Hyrkan hadn¡¯t even bothered to engage the User in a fight.No one expected him to just throw his opponent. What kind of User would think of such a method, and actually follow through with it? Of course, there was no plan put in place to deal with such a scenario.One could order people to stop Hyrkan, but it was fruitless. ¡°I want you guys to run past him, and cordon him off!¡± In the end, they could only attempt the same plan as before. They ran past the Hahoe Mask to form a line, and the line turned into a encircling net again. The Big Smiles guild¡¯s efforts brought them into the Red Desert, but they were already committed to carrying this out. The stage had changed, but the encircling net surrounded the Hahoe Mask once again. ¡°I¡¯ll follow you to the depth of hell.¡± Someone growled those words at the Hahoe Mask. As if to answer those words, Hyrkan flicked his finger twice. It was a signal. It was like the Anugas raid.He had summoned the Skeletons beforehand, and he had put them in Defensive mode. Now the Skeletons would come towards the Hahoe Mask.In the process, they would kill anything that was in their way. ¨C It¡¯s the Skeletons! ¨C Shit.He summoned and stashed it beforehand! ¨C Support!Support!It¡¯ll be too tough for the Magicians and Priests to block the Skeletons! The Skeletons encountered the Magicians and Priests first, who were on standby in the rear. Of course, this was also the proof they needed. ¨C Attack him! ¨C The Hahoe Mask is out of cards now! It was proof that Hyrkan had already taken out most of his cards. They could now attack with the knowledge that Hyrkan was pretty much defenseless. Both sides signaled at the same time.The leader of the hunt party sent a signal ordering an attack on the Hahoe Mask. ¡°Kill!¡± Everyone ran towards the Hahoe Mask.A portion of the group stopped to used their Crescent Moon Cut Skill.They sent their sword energy towards Hyrkan. Several dozen sword energies split the air as it headed towards the Hahoe Mask. Hahoe Mask didn¡¯t try to avoid the sword energies. ¡®I¡¯ll block it.¡¯ He used the time he would have used to dodge to summon his Golem.He summoning as fast as he was able to, so he summoned a Golem, while not using the Clay Play Skill.Then he started to summon all the Golems he was able to summon. Poohk! First, he quickly stabbed a sword in the sands.He used it to initiate his summoning of the Iron Golem.Only the tip of the sword sunk into the sands, and it started to pour out liquid steel. [You¡¯ve summoned the Golem.] The next one to take shape was the Earth Golem. The Earth Golem rose out of the red sand, and it took form. [You¡¯ve summoned the Fire Golem..] Hwah-roo-roo! The next one was the Fire Golem.Fire streamed out of Hyrkan¡¯s right hand, and the Fire Golem took shape. [You¡¯ve summoned the Ice Golem..] A shard of ice grew for Hyrkan¡¯s left hand like a tree.In a flash, it grew larger, and it sprouted limbs.This was the first time the Ice Golem made its appearance in Warlord. The Iron Golem was the first to be initiated, but it also the slowest to form. ¡°Bring in the Golem elimination team!¡± ¡°Ranged attacks!¡± ¡°Get close to them, and try the Armor Breaking!¡± ¡°I¡¯m requesting a long ranged bombardment!¡± The three Golems had already taken form.The fourth Golem continued to take sword energy strikes and various sword Skills from the Strikers.The Iron Golem formed after taking multiple deep wounds.The Iron Golem appeared in its tough form. The four Golems were all assembled now. While this was occurring, Hyrkan started to battle with the four Users, who were approaching him. He faced the foremost User, who was bring his sword down. Kah-ahng! Hyrkan didn¡¯t even unsheathe his sword.He raised his left arm to block the descending sword. Shweek! The two other Users came at Hyrkan from both sides as they used their swords like spears.They charged to close the distance. Before they could reach him, Hyrkan grabbed the sword arm of his opponent.Then he used a judo throw. Kwah-ahng! ¡°Uh?¡± The User was suddenly thrown to the floor, and the User had a dumbfounded expression within his helmet.He had never experienced a judo throw within Warlord, and he also never experienced falling this easily. Hyrkan squatted down in place to dodge the attack coming from both sides.The two swords passed above Hyrkan¡¯s head as they intersected. Koo-oohng! Then the two Users crashed into each other. ¡°Ooh-ahk!¡± ¡°Below!Below!¡± The two Users, who crashed into each other, quickly righted themselves.They tried to attack Hyrkan again, but Hyrkan already moved behind one of the Users.After he moved behind the User, Hyrkan grabbed his opponent¡¯s waist. Shoohk! Hyrkan easily lifted the User, and Hyrkan threw him into the other User. The User was flying towards his comrade, and the comrade raised both hands to catch him.The comrade fell on his butt as he caught him. ¡°Uhk!¡± ¡°W¡­what the hell?¡± Three Users were defeated in a flash, and they had a dumbfounded expression on their faces.In terms of HP, they hadn¡¯t suffered any damage,However, this experience gave them psychological damage instead of the damage to their bodies. The remaining User decided not to attack the Hahoe Mask. Instead, he started yelling out. ¡°Support! Support!¡± He had seen the Hahoe Mask¡¯s method of fighting, and the User knew he had no chance in defeating the Hahoe Mask by himself. Unfortunately, the ones to react to the shout for support wasn¡¯t his comrades or the support team.. Pooh-hwaht! These were large snakes with hardened scales that reminded one of bugs. ¡°It¡¯s the Sand Snakes!¡± The snakes had reacted to the large amounts of landmines, and the ruckus going on above the surface of the Red Desert. 16. Pandemonium. This was the only apt description of this stage. Koohng koohng! There were four enormous Golems running amok above the Red Desert.The Golems were full of wounds, and a loud sound emanated every time a damanged part of the Golems fell to the floor.This added more confusion to this already ridiculous battlefield. Pooh-hwaht! Six Sand Snakes were moving below and above the sand for their hunt.They were akinto fireworks detonating above an already chaotic situation.They further pushed a chaotic situation into an absolute mess. There were only six or seven Strikers from the Big Smiles guild, who were able to properly engage the Hahoe mask in battle.The number was very lacking if one wanted to kill the Hahoe Mask. In such a shit show, the support team was supposed to stabilize the situation, but not a single member of the support team was in sight.They were in a battle against the group of Skeletons. Of course, deaths started to blossom inside this pandemonium. [The Skeleton Warrior has reverted to being a Fragment.] [The Skeleton Knight has reverted to being a Fragment.] The Skeletons were falling. ¡°Shit!¡± ¡°Recovery Item!Give me some Recovery Items!¡± ¡°I¡¯m out!¡± ¡°What about the Priests?¡± ¡°They are battling the Skeletons.¡± The Users died. [Golem has returned to the earth.] [Ice Golem is starting to melt.] The Golems had taken too much damage, and they were starting to fall apart. ¡°We¡¯ve killed a Sand Snake!¡± ¡°There are four Sand Snakes left.Be careful!¡± The Sand Snake couldn¡¯t avoid death either in this pandemonium. Moreover, the Hahoe Mask hadn¡¯t remained unscathed. The continous battle ruined his Black Spot set.The parts that were least damaged were dented, and there were even parts where the armor itself had broken off.One could see flesh beneath the armor. His left arm was especially in a bad state.His armor and glove had fallen off, so his bare arm could be seen.His wristwatch on his left wrist was exposed.It was undefended, since there were no armor over his arm. The Users facing Hyrkan took this as a source of comfort. ¡°Look!We just have to cut off his wrist now.¡± ¡°Be strong! The Hahoe Mask has run out of quivers!¡± They just had to cut off his wristwatch.They¡¯ll gain everything when the Hahoe Mask was caught. The User in front of their eyes was the most valuable prey in Warlord, and the prey was at death¡¯s door. This fact made everyone¡¯s eyes gleam. When their gaze was focused on him, Hyrkan smiled. ¡°You guys did well, so I¡¯m sorry to have to tell you this.However, my Cool Time has ended.¡± Accompanying his words, Hyrkan opened up his forearm. ¡®Uh?¡¯ ¡®What the hell?¡¯ Hyrkan¡¯s left forearm opened like a box, and Hyrkan took out Skeleton Fragments from within. In truth, he could have summoned additional Skeletons at any point in time.His Cool Time had already ended. However, he had held himself back. He had been waiting for this moment. He wanted his opponents to lose their cool from the surprise they felt, and he wanted to buy several seconds using this tactic. Hyrkan scattered the Skeleton Fragments to summon a Skeleton Knight and four Skeleton Warriors. ¡°S¡­shit!¡± Someone let out a sound of despair when he saw the Skeletons. No one had expected him to hide the Skeleton Fragments inside his forearm, and the Skeleton Fragments were used to summon additional Skeletons. ¡°Endure!The support team has almost wrapped up their side.We still have over 80 members still alive!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t lose the Hahoe mask.¡± In the face of despair, some of the Users tried to act wisely. ¡°It is only a Skeleton Knight and Skeleton Warriors.We just have to kill them.¡± ¡°This is his last card.¡± The despair they felt was shallow.Since it was shallow, the sense of despair started to dissipate. As the Big Smiles guild members looked at the Skeleton Knight and Skeleton Warriors, their expression made it clear that they were anticipating their victory. Maybe it was because of this fact? They wanted to survive and taste the victory.This was why they didn¡¯t escalate the situation.They waited for the support team, so they could bring about a surefire finale that resulted in their victory. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ Hyrkan expressed his thanks inside, then he summoned another of his Skeleton underling. [You¡¯ve summoned the Bone Wyvern.] He summoned his Bone Wyvern. Hyrkan looked at the Users in front of him.The Skeleton Knight and the Skeleton Warriors were creating a fence, and he immediately got on the Bone Wyvern¡¯s body. Then he spoke. ¡°Riding Mode.¡± [The Riding Skill has been activated.] ¡°My destination is the Heard Fortress ruin town.¡± [Your destination is the Heard Fortress ruin town.Your flight will commence.] In a flash, the Bone Wyvern started flapping its wings.It was a useless gesture, but nonetheless it started to ascend into the air with the beat of its wings. ¡°Uh?Uh?¡± Everyone looked at this sight with dumbfounded expression on their face.As if to taunt his master¡¯s enemies, the Wyvern flew over the battlefield as it flew towards its destination. ¡°Ooh-ha-ha!¡± Hyrkan raised both his hands atop the Wyvern. ¡®This day¡­.I¡¯ve been dreaming of this day.¡¯ The winner was decided. Chapter 182 – Golden Conch (1) Chapter 182 ¨C Golden Conch (1) 1. This enormous typhoon couldn¡¯t be compared to anything that came before it. ¨C The Hahoe Mask took down the Big Smiles guild! It was too big.When the typhoon made its appearance, the first reaction that arose was to confirm the validity of this event. ¨C What are you talking about?The Hahoe Mask took down the Big Smiles guild? ¨C Are you talking about a guild war?Didn¡¯t that happen at the Frozen Land? ¨C ? However, didn¡¯t the most recent clash occur at the Highwood Forest?Isn¡¯t the situation within the Highwood Forest completely different from the one that occurred at the Frozen Land? People were only discussing the validity of this particular news, and all other discussions were swept away by this typhoon. The V&V guild¡¯s Poker team had found a new ruin, and they had caught the Cerberus guarding the ruin.Tobo Soft¡¯s next project after Warlord was leaked.The Red Bulls guild had headed west after crossing the Black Continent.There was a rumor saying the First One turned down an exclusive sponsor contract that would have paid him one million dollars. However, all these news became past stories in front of the enormous typhoon created by the Hahoe Mask. Then the truth started to trickle out. ¨C The Big Smiles formed a hunting team to kill the Hahoe Mask.These Users were all over level 220, and they were the elites of the Big Smiles guild. ¨C They tried to use the Hahoe Mask¡¯s revenge play for the Pitbull against him.They used the Users, who hunted down the Pitbull, as bait. ¨C The Hahoe Mask bit the bait. The shape, size and the power of the typhoon was immense! ¨C The Hahoe Mask won. Three days had passed since the typhoon had occurred, and a single video was uploaded regarding this incident.The video was uploaded on the Hahoe Mask¡¯s youtube page, and it was a free video. The first scene of the video was the Hahoe Mask¡¯s monologue. ¨C Before I explain my side of the story regarding the affair that had occurred recently, I would like to put out a statement.I forgive the Big Smiles guild.Let us end our feud here.I won¡¯t attack or threaten the Big Smiles in regards to this incident. After his monologue ended, Hahoe Mask¡¯s ¡®Giant Killing¡¯ video started.It climbed over a million views after two days. 2. ¡°This isn¡¯t funny.¡± ¡°Are you watching it again?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you.This isn¡¯t funny.¡± Hyrkan had a sullen expression at Whistling¡¯s words.Of course, one couldn¡¯t see his expression, because the Hahoe Mask was covering his face. ¡°If it isn¡¯t funny, why do you keep watching it?¡± Hyrkan finally expressed how he felt through his own mouth.Instead of answering, Whistlingput on a pleased smile as an answer. ¡°Over there!He¡¯s over there!¡± ¡°Wow. My heart is beating faster.¡± ¡°You heartbeat can¡¯t beat faster inside this game.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying.¡± A man and a woman was running full tilt towards the two. Yojori and Joba was like a freight train.They were charging forward as if they weren¡¯t going to stop, but they stopped on a dime in front of Hyrkan. When they came to a stop, they started shouting towards Hyrkan. ¡°I¡­I saw your video.Giant Killing!It was really incredible!¡± ¡°H¡­how was that possible?I¡¯ve seen it over a hundred times, yet I¡¯m having a hard time believing it.¡± ¡°Hundred?Stop lying.If you saw it hundred times, then I saw it 200 times.¡± ¡°What? How do you know if I lied or not!I really saw it a hundred times!¡± They were making a big fuss. However, Hyrkan was satisfied by their reaction. Hyrkan had wanted to elicit the reaction he was seeing from the two of them. Hyrkan turned to look at Whistling as the two continued their antic. Hyrkan looked at Whistling as if to say, ¡®This is the reaction you should be having instead of snorting!¡¯ When Whistling read Hyrkan¡¯s countenance and message, he shook his head from side to side before he looked away. ¡®What an amazing guy.¡¯ Whistling turned his gaze away, and he forced down his exclamation.He shoved it down his throat. He held it in. ¡®I never expected him to really win against the Big Smiles guild¡­.¡¯ The Hahoe Mask and the Big Smiles guild had collided.The public decided to copy the Hahoe Mask¡¯s title for his video, and the incident was now called the Giant Killing.A week had passed since the incident.However, the people of Warlord was still having a trouble digesting the reality of the incident.This was how shocking this incident was. Hahoe Mask always took on impossible challenges, and he brought the impossible into reality.This was why people were fanatical about him. However, this incident was on a whole different dimension compared to anything the Hahoe Mask had pulled off before. A tectonic shift had occurred. Accompanying the tectonic shift in a land where the 30 great guilds existed, a 31st power had appeared. Of course, in the past, the Hahoe Mask and the 30 great guilds¡­. Their relationship could only be described as an ill-fated relationship.However, Hyrkan had been able to declare a war against the Big Smiles guild, and he had won. He had achieved victory when he had crossed the Terube castle wall to gain the rights to explore the Northland.He was also the first one to find the Frozen Kingdom. However, all his previous victories were the result of a spontaneous battles.At the time, the Northland Exploration team of the Big Smiles weren¡¯t part of the main force.Killer Sinclair was part of the main force, but he had been ambushed by the Hahoe Mask after fighting a fierce battle with the Second Head Sohank.So this event hadn¡¯t been taken seriously. What about the most recent event? The Hahoe Mask had gone after the heart of the Big Smiles guild.The Big Smiles guild had gathered most of their elite Users, and they had even set up their own stage.They had used a bait to lure the Hahoe Mask, and they had had put their best foot forward in this attempt. However, they hadn¡¯t been able to catch the Hahoe Mask, and they had suffered a loss to more than half their forces in trying to catch a single User. Of course, there was a portion of the population that had rejected this narrative. The Hahoe Mask had run away, so wouldn¡¯t the winner be the Big Smiles guild? However, the answer to that question was quite simple. If one wanted to know the result of the war, one just have to look at the status of the winner and the loser. The winner would receive acclamation, and the loser had no words to say in excuse. The Hahoe Mask¡¯s acclamation came in the form of views.The Giant Killing video had already recorded 300 million views.On the other hand, the Big Smiles guild refused to respond or give an official statement regarding the issue.They kept their mouths shut. It was ridiculous for a third party to discuss as to who was the winner and the loser. The Hahoe Mask had done something incredible. How was this possible? Even after watching the video released by Hyrkan, people were having a hard time believing it. Moreover, when they started accepting as truth, the next logical question was posed. ¡®¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤so why did this occur?¡¯ The Users slowly started to pose the question. Why did the Hahoe Mask and the Big Smiles guild go to war? The aftereffect created by the war with Hyrkan was now being felt by the Big Smiles guild and the other 30 great guilds. None of the 30 great guilds were able to give an official statement regarding the event.In such an unheard of situation, the mighty 30 great guilds were dismayed. Whistling didn¡¯t think the feeling of dismay would work in Hyrkan¡¯s favor.The 30 great guilds would now look at Hyrkan as a competitor. He wasn¡¯t just a loose nail one had to worry about stepping on.He would be viewed as a morningstar that could bludgeon them. They would try to keep him in check instead of cooperating with him. Of course, at the same time, the 30 great guilds couldn¡¯t rashly attack the Hahoe Mask either. He was now a peer of the 30 great guilds, and they would have to treat him accordingly. ¡®What is he pursuing?¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t have to travel this road.This road was very far from guaranteeing wealth and fame. Whistling knew this better than anyone.The Hahoe Mask had been untroubled when they had parted before.The Hahoe Mask had already set his course.It meant everything up to now had been planned by him, and he had been pursuing this result. So why did Hyrkan choose to walk on this particular path? Whistling pushed down the mounting questions. In the previous exchange, he had snorted towards Hyrkan as he pushed downed his exclamation. Hyrkan was his friend. Of course, he could ask questions about Hyrkan¡¯s motivations, but it wasn¡¯t the time to do so.This was a conversation that should happen over a beer. For now, he just had to keep his mouth shut, and help his friend in any way he could. Moreover, this was also the reason why this meeting was scheduled.He was here to help Hyrkan. ¡°Anyways, I heard you earned the Quest Reward for Elven Kingdom Relic Quest.¡± ¡°When we received the Seed of the Record Tree from the Den of the Rebels, we immediately exchanged it for the reward.We brought it back with us.¡± However, their Quest didn¡¯t match up with Hyrkan¡¯s Quest. Hyrkan would have to go to the Red Desert again to meet the Red Elf tribe.If he wanted to do so, he needed the Artifact.It was an Artifact from the Barley Kingdom. Fortunately, Yojori and Joba had received the Artifact of the Barley Kingdom as a reward for their Quest. This was why this meeting had been set up.They wanted to help Hyrkan progress in his Quest. ¡°So you are saying you will travel with me¡­.Will that be ok?¡± At that point, Hyrkan gave up on asking the reason behind their actions. Unless Hydra guild was dumb, they would have already figured out why Whistling was killed in the Highwood Forest by the Big Smiles guild. They probably knew Whistling had met with the Hahoe Mask. If Hyrkan was in the Hydra guild¡¯s shoes, he would have given the order barring any contact with the Hahoe Mask. He would have asked them to leave the guild if this order wasn¡¯t followed. Of course, Whistling, Yojori and Joba hadsimilar personalities.They could easily choose to leave the guild, yet Hyrkan didn¡¯t want them to suffer so much. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we won¡¯t be able to travel with you.We are under orders from our guild.¡± It was as he guessed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sorry.¡± Hyrkan nodded his head as if this was the preferable course of action.Since he had gained a hint for his Quest, he had gained a lot in this venture.If needed, he could follow the line of Quests being progressed by the Whistling Family. This would naturally allow him to received the Artifact of the Barley Kingdom as a reward. ¡°As for the Quest information¡­.¡± Hyrkan had planned on purchasing the Quest Information from them.He wanted this to be a clean transaction. ¡°This is why we had a discussion amongst ourselves.This Item is unbound.We¡¯ll just give this to you.¡± ¡®Huh?¡¯ Hyrkan stopped speaking, and before Hyrkan could react in surprise, Joba brought out an Item from a pouch on his waist.It was a lump of gold.He took out a Gold Bar that was as big as his hand. Hyrkan became surprised at the appearance of the Gold Bar, and he became much more surprised when he heard this Item would be given to him. ¡°This¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± ¡°This is the Artifact.If you activate the Item Info Window, it will identify itself as the Artifact of the Barley Kingdom.¡± ¡°No, wait a moment.You are just giving this to me?¡± Hyrkan rephrased his words as he continued to speak. ¡°Are you sure you can just give this to me?What about your next Quest?I¡¯m pretty sure you guys need this Item.¡± This was a Quest Reward. This was needed to progress into the next Quest. If they wanted to meet the Red Elf tribe, they would need this Item, yet they were just going to give it to him? ¡°Anyways, we don¡¯t have the strength needed to go meet the Red Elf tribe.¡± ¡°We can go do another Quest.There are many more Elves out there.¡± After looking at the two, Hyrkan turned to look at Whistling. Whistling spoke to Hyrkan. ¡°Thank you for avenging me.¡± Whistling¡¯s words were short.Hyrkan struggled with his thoughts for a moment before he grabbed the Gold Bar. ¡°All right.If someone messes with you guys again, tell me about it.As I¡¯ve said before, I¡¯m really good at what I do.¡± This wasn¡¯t a trade.They had helped him. Hyrkan accepted it. 3. After the incident, the Big Smiles guild didn¡¯t talk about the incident. Even the normal guild members of the Big Smiles guild didn¡¯t know the details of what had occurred.However, stories started to spread through word of mouth.Moreover, the word of their defeated started to spread too. ¡°Did we really lose?¡± ¡°This makes no sense.There were over 50 Users with an average of level 220, and we even used a bait yet we lost¡­..¡± ¡°Moreover, this happened at the Highwood Forest.That region is ours!I can understand being defeated in the Red Desert, but how could we not kill the Hahoe Mask inside the Highwood Forest?Even if we had caught him immediately, wouldn¡¯t we have come out at a loss?¡± However, there was no clear evidence that they had lost.Even if the defeat was likely, the Big Smiles guild members started to push back on the idea that they had lost. ¡°That damn Hahoe Mask bitch ass.¡± ¡°How many times do we have to go through this because of that bastard?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he used some ridiculous trick.That bastard is cheap and cowardly.¡± The source of the push back was the hate and anger they felt towards the Hahoe Mask.A loss was a loss, but some decided to use the defeat as fertilizer for an even bigger revenge. ¡°Who cares if we lost?We should use this opportunity to designate the Hahoe Mask as an enemy, and the whole guild should hunt him down.¡± ¡°Yes, we should do this.Let us see who will come out on top.How long will that bastard last after picking a fight with the Big Smiles guild?¡± ¡°Even if we have to fight him ten times, we just have to win once.When he loses, his personal hell will start.¡± A stumble could determine if one won or lost. Some guild members clung to this old saying.They were determined to get their revenge. However, all their will were crushed when the video was released. Giant Killing. The video was a period placed at the end of a sentence.The will for revenge and the anger they felt towards the Hahoe Mask came to a full stop. There was no ambiguity to the story anymore. The Hahoe Mask had won.However, it wasn¡¯t as if the Hahoe Mask had asked for money or their territory for his victory.He had taken ownership of the situation.He didn¡¯t even ask the Big Smiles for an apology.He had forgiven them. In such a situation, how could the Big Smiles guild express their hostility towards the Hahoe Mask? They could do it. However, the public and even the fans of the Big Smiles guild wouldn¡¯t support their vendetta against the Hahoe Mask. ¡°This is it.¡± For the second time, the meeting of the officers occurred.When Sinclair heard about it, he couldn¡¯t help, but sneer in disdain.He shook his head from side to side. This time he was invited to participate in the meeting of the officers, but Sinclair had turned it down. ¡®This has come to a complete end.¡¯ They only looked for him when they needed him.There was no reason why he should move when they clapped.Sinclair just waited for the summary report that¡¯ll come out after the meeting of the officers.Sinclair played the Hahoe Mask¡¯s video again. ¡®This war¡­.It feels as if the Hahoe Mask had been preparing for it for a long time.If not, how could he deal with the aftermath so cleanly¡­..¡¯ The Hahoe Mask¡¯s strategy in the battle was surprising, but the more surprising part was how he navigated through consequences of the battle. The war had started out as a petty revenge plot, yet after becoming victorious, he brought everything to a full stop by forgiving his opponents.In reality, wars within games didn¡¯t end so cleanly.It was a messy affair, so this was a rare occasion. Revenge begets revenge.The war usually continued in a vicious cycle of violence. Moreover, no one had ever gone up against the mighty power of the 30 great guilds like the Hahoe Mask.One couldn¡¯t even find an analogous incident in other games.There were no reference cases.This was a first. Even though this was a first, the Hahoe Mask was able to bring about this result. ¡®I¡¯m really curious about his identity.¡¯ Sinclair received a call. ¨C Sinclair. ¡°Horus.¡± ¨C What a fucking mess. Horus was the one contacting him.Horus was Sinclair¡¯s comrade, who had agreed with his plan to bring the Hands guild out from the shadow into the sun.Currently, Horus did not represent the Hands guild.He was operating under the Sweepers guild. It wasn¡¯t as prestigious as being in the Poker team, but Horus was achieving victory after victory.Sinclair didn¡¯t feel too good about it. ¡°Did you call me to make fun of me?¡± ¨C No way. It was your plan for us to come out from the background.If you fail, then I fail.Why would I make fun of your failure?We are basically tied at the hips. ¡°Then are you planning on helping me out?¡± ¨C I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t know how I¡¯ll be able to help you.Just think of it as you unwittingly stepping on shit.Fortunately, you didn¡¯t participate in this disaster, so the damage was somewhat blunted.At the very least, you saved your face. He had saved his face. Sinclair nodded his head at those words. The atmosphere around the Big Smiles guild was a mess, but in the end, the only positive news was the fact that Sinclair hadn¡¯t participated in the Hahoe Mask hunt. Some were saying that Sinclair had opposed to hunting down the Hahoe Mask.Some in the guild built upon this narrative, and they said Sinclair had wanted a fair fight with the Hahoe Mask.This was the rumor being spread. ¡®I was right in not dipping my toe into this water.¡¯ This was also the reason why he was the Big Smiles¡¯ only hope.If the Killer was able to win against the Hahoe Mask in a 1 on 1 battle, all the humiliation and the losses they suffered could be settled. If they didn¡¯t have this sense of expectation, the Big Smiles guild would have suffered losses several magnitude larger. ¨C It is quite funny.You have basically taken over the Big Smiles guild through this.In truth, I¡¯m not sure if I should be consoling your right now.In the end, this is your gain. ¡°You can look at it that way.Still, this doesn¡¯t feel great.¡± This sense of expectation was why Sinclair¡¯s position was impregnable now.In the end, this incident had to be owned by the guild master and the sub-guild masters, who had signed off on it. Even if he wasn¡¯t in a top management position, his voice would be loudest within the guild. ¡°Still, what is the point of becoming an owner of a tiger with no teeth and claws?¡± ¨C Still, it is much better than taking care of the tiger from the shadow. Better? After speaking those words, Sinclair thought on it for a moment. He compared the time he spent in the Hands guild as a Helper, and the period of time he operated as the Killer. Which period of time did he prefer? Was his current situation better for him? Of course, he preferred the latter time period.The amount of money he was making wasn¡¯t too different, yet his brand recognition had changed drastically.When he was a Helper, no one even knew his name was Sinclair.Now he was one of the skilled Users, who represented Warlord. ¡®Mmmm.¡¯ At that moment, Sinclair was torn.If was an obvious question with an obvious answer to it, yet he had to think about it. It basically meant that the answer wasn¡¯t obvious anymore. ¡°¡­yes.The current situation is preferable.¡± ¨C Let¡¯s end the idle chatter here.In truth, our biggest problem isn¡¯t the Hahoe Mask. Horus changed the topic. ¨C The Stormhunters guild is progressing through the game too fast.They are moving faster than the Hahoe Mask. Sinclair nodded his head.Hahoe Mask was very fast in progressing through the game, but the the fastest one was the Stormhunters guild.They had focused their entire guild¡¯s resources in progressing through the Quest, and the Hahoe Mask had wasted several days fighting the Big Smiles guild.The Stormhunters guild had used that time to significantly progress in their goal to head towards the end of the game. ¨C Also¡­It is only a rumor, but I¡¯ve heard that the Stormhunters guild and the Red Bulls guild might form an alliance. Horus¡¯ rumor made Sinclair tense.He shifted his position. ¡°Those two guilds?¡± ¨C Those two guilds also know a good deal about the Warlord¡¯s System.If the game is coming to an end, they want to be the first and last conqueror of Warlord.This had always been their goal from the start. ¡°What about our upper management?¡± -The Five Star Project will have to be implemented in earnest. Five Star Project. At those words, Sinclair gritted his teeth. ¨C If we aren¡¯t careful¡­..It¡¯ll be war.This won¡¯t be like this small war between a User and a guild.This will be Guilds vs Guilds.It¡¯ll be a Guild War. Chapter 183 – Golden Conch (2) Chapter 183 ¨C Golden Conch (2) 4. The Highwood Forest was quiet.This place used to have battles occurring for twenty-four hours seven days a week.However, it was different now.The Wood Devils were standing still as if they were statues, because they couldn¡¯t find any enemies.They stood patiently like old trees as they waited for a battle. A User wearing a hood was running through this tranquil stage.The User moved at high speeds to avoid the monsters.The User wearing the hood skillfully avoided moving within the Wood Devil¡¯s awareness range and aggro range.He was blazing through the Highwood Forest at high speeds. In a flash, the User escaped the confines of the Highwood forest to arrive at a landscape filled with red sand.When he stepped onto the Red Desert, he immediately modified the wristwatch. ¡°Slot on.¡± After the short command word, imposing pieces of spotted metal started to encase the hooded User like snakes.It started with the helm.Then it moved to the chest and limbs.In the end, the gleaming armor took form on the User, and he pushed up his face guard. His face was uncovered.One could see the sight of the Hahoe Mask. Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. Currently, Warlord was gripped with shock, fear and fanaticism.The one to put Warlord in such a state returned to the eye of the storm.He appeared at the place where the earthquake originated. ¡°Uh-whew.¡± After catching his breath for a short moment, Hyrkan turned his head to look at the Highwood Forest.He had participated in an incredible battle here.The war waged here so intense, and the implications were immense.Even now he could bring up the memories of the battle at will.The memories and the feelings he had felt in the war was clear inside his mind. ¡®I did it.¡¯ Of course, at the end, he had mounted the Bone Wyvern, and he had yelled out his destination.The Bone Wyvern split the winds and they had flown past the Highwood Forest.The feeling he felt from the air was also clear inside his mind.As he vividly recalled the sensation he felt, Hyrkan¡¯s body felt an electric charge run up his body. Whether it was before he had returned to the past or after he had returned to the past, he had always wanted to accomplish this task, and he had done it. He ruthlessly stomped and crushed a 30 great guild.Now he didn¡¯t have to to run away.He was able to hold his head up high with pride and aloofness.He was able to look down on their heads, and he could dictate their response. ¡®Yes.This is me.This is the person I am within Warlord.¡¯ He had wanted to show them all.Hyrkan wasn¡¯t someone they could step on. Before he returned to the past, he had been crushed before he could even struggle.It had been a one-sided affair, but this didn¡¯t mean he was inferior to them.Hyrkan had suffered not because he had been pitifully weak. He wanted to improve himself to prove a point. ¡®¡­.if I hadn¡¯t been betrayed, I would have seen this sight before I returned to the past.¡¯ This was a sight that could only be seen after stepping over people. He had really wanted to see it, and he had been sure he would be able to see it. He had thought he would be able to step above the 30 great guilds if he stayed together with the Hahoe Mask guild.He had been able to see a sight that he always wanted to see with the Hahoe Mask guild. Now he had elevated by stepping on the great guilds by himself, and he could admire the scenery. He was still short in achieving his dream, but he was in the process of bringing it to bear. Hyrkan turned his head to look at the endless Red Desert. This was only the bottom of the scenery he wanted to see. Hyrkan walked towards his vision. 5. [Your Level has increased.] When he heard the Level Up announcement, Hyrkan slid down the Sand Snake¡¯s body as if he was on a slide. Then he turned his head to look at the status of the Sand Snake. The Sand Snakes were called the assassins of the Red Desert.However, it was in such a pitiful state that it felt shameful to attach such a notorious nickname to the Sand Snake. A Sand Snake was tangled up with the body of another Sand Snake.It was a sight akin to thick ropes tangled in a mess. The Ingredient Gem of a Sand Snake had a very low drop rate, yet Hyrkan had used the Clay Play skill to create a Sand Snake Earth Golem.This was the first time he had tried this strategy, and it was very effective. ¡®An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.Should that be the title of my next video?¡¯ Hyrkan looked at the wretched sight of the monster, and he had a satisfied expression on his face. His plan had panned out, so he felt satisfied. Of course, this wasn¡¯t a cheap plan either. The Sand Snake¡¯s Ingredient Gem was currently being traded for a very high price.Moreover, this result couldn¡¯t be achieved with a normal Golem.A Golem had to be reinforced by the Transcendent Rank Ancient Power to replicate this sight. Currently, the only one able to use this method in Warlord was Hyrkan. ¡®This was clean.¡¯ It was a key point. Hyrkan knew the Big Smiles guild wouldn¡¯t continue to leave him alone. They¡¯ll attack Hyrkan when the opportunity presents itself.No, they¡¯ll try to create the opportunity by using all kinds of tricks. Moreover, this was no longer only about the Big Smiles guild.Most of the 30 great guilds would consider the Hahoe Mask as an enemy. It had been so in the past, and there was no reason that would lead him to believe that things would change this time around. However, he didn¡¯t plan on avoiding a fight.He¡¯ll fight. As an exchange, it wouldn¡¯t be on a stage where it gave them the advantage.Hyrkan will fight them on a stage where he¡¯ll have the advantage. ¡®I have to go deeper.¡¯ He had to move deeper into locations where powerful monsters were populated.He had to be at locations where there were a lot of obstacles and strife. The 30 great guild¡¯s era of prosperity would burst like a bubble.Everything Hyrkan possessed would become effective weapons against them. The war that had started would end there.It¡¯ll end when he reached the deepest location in this game. Hyrkan raised his head, and he looked at the large forest that looked like a mirage. ¡®Let¡¯s see this through to the end.¡¯ He¡¯ll go to the deepest point inside this game.He¡¯ll reach the end of this game, and it¡¯ll be the final stage for his war. 6. The Elves with red skin was aiming their arrows towards Hyrkan.The arrowheads were frighteningly sharp. However, Hyrkan was relaxed as he faced the arrowheads, and he folded his arms as he took everything in. There was a warrior of the Red Elf tribe in front of Hyrkan.The NPC named Hing was looking over the lump of gold.It had red skin and black eyes.It was also wearing an armor made out of ingredients gathered from the Sand Snake.The Red Elf was beautiful,but the sense of alienness was larger than sense of mystery he felt. ¡®It would have been great if Whistling¡¯s Family saw this.¡¯ He could imagine what Whistling and his two comrades would say.The man and the woman would talk endlessly.Hyrkan had a faint smile as he shook his head a little bit. It seemed he would have to set a date to meet. Them.He would meet everyone over some beer. If he didn¡¯t, he realized he might regret not meeting them. At Hyrkan¡¯s movement, the arrowheads of the Red Elves moved too. It was a warning signal telling him not to move. Hyrkan stopped moving. Then Hing also came to a stop. Hwee hwee! Hing whistled a sound that resembled a chirping bird. Accompanying the whistle, the arrowheads pointing at Hyrkan was lowered towards the ground. [You¡¯ve gained the Title ¡®Guest of the Red Elf Tribe¡¯.] [You¡¯ve completed the Quest ¡®Artifact of the Elves¡¯.] After he heard the Announcement for acquiring a title, Hyrkan unfurled his arms. ¡°Where did you get this, human?¡± Hing approached Hyrkan, and it asked him the question.Its black eyes glared at Hyrkan, and Hyrkan spoke as he always did.He answered in a friendly manner. ¡°I acquired it from the Den of the Rebels located inside the Red Desert.¡± A User should always be friendly in front of an NPC! Even as many things changed, this was the golden rule that must be kept by Users of Warlord. ¡°How did you get in there?¡± ¡°An enormous snake created a path, and I followed it.¡± ¡°The Mirage Snake is still alive¡­..¡± As Hing spoke, it looked over Hyrkan once again.Hyrkan didn¡¯t avoid its gaze. Hyrkan also made observations about Hing. ¡®From what I know, the Red Elves didn¡¯t come out even when Warlord was pretty far down the road¡­..¡¯ He had never heard about the Red Elves before. This was the same for the large snake named Mirage Snake.He hadn¡¯t known about the existence of such a large monster.Moreover, he couldn¡¯t have have even imagined such a storyline. However, he could guess at what was going on by looking at these events. ¡®Hmmm.¡¯ A piece of a puzzle became clear inside Hyrkan¡¯s head.The puzzle was close to being completed, so Hyrkan had a pleased expression on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to our chief now.Please don¡¯t think about doing anything foolish.¡± Hyrkan¡¯s expression turned neutral when he received Hing¡¯s threatening words. It happened at that moment. ¡°As expected, it¡¯s you.¡± A short dwarf slowly appeared from between the group of Elves. When it made its appearance, the Elves parted to let it through. ¡°We meet again.¡± Blacksmith Olf. [You¡¯ve completed the ¡®Artifact of the Ancient King¡¯ Quest.] Hyrkan nodded his head when he saw the NPC he desperately wanted to encounter.He gave a short answer. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Your path would have been difficult, and you did well in getting here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to save the world.I can¡¯t avoid a task, because it is difficult.¡± Instead of answering Hyrkan, Olf looked towards Hing.Olf sent some kind of signal with his eyes.Hing once again let out a whistle. Before the whistle could come to an end, the Elves started to retreat. Olf waved his hand towards Hyrkan. ¡°Before you meet the chief, I have to talk to you.¡± ¡°What would you like to say to me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about the beings we have been fighting up until now.Moreover, I¡¯ll tell you about the beings we¡¯ll have to fight in the future.¡± When he heard those words, the puzzle inside his head was completed. 7. ¡°This occurred in the distant past¡­.There was a time when every living creature walked on the ground.It was a brilliant era.However, when this brilliance turned into arrogance, he appeared.¡± ¡°Who was it?¡± ¡°A Dragon.You can think of him as them or him.You can even think of him as multiple beings.¡± ¡°What did the Dragon do?¡± ¡°Judgement.He showed, who was the owner of this land.He gave judgement to the arrogant beings, who considered these lands to be theirs.¡± ¡°When you refer to it as a judgement¡­.¡± ¡°In the beginning, he used the Power of Corruption.It didn¡¯t matter if one traversed this land by ground or air, he corrupted them all.Then he started a war with the beings, who insisted on being the owners of this land.¡± ¡°Ah.That¡¯s the power used by the Immoral Prince¡­.¡± ¡°Bayan Dean Un¡­..No, I guess I should call him the Immoral Prince.That¡¯s right.His power was the same as the power from before.The Immoral Prince found the Power of Corruption, and he started researching ways to use this power.That was¡­.It was the same for the owners of the Ruined Kingdoms.They fought against the Power of Corruption.They used the power within the Power of Corruption.They used a power called the Ancient Power.They knew it was inevitable.They knew the judgement of the Dragon would arrive some day.They knew it, because it happened before in the distant past.¡± ¡°So what happened next? ¡± ¡°The Dragon raged.This was why he used his five Powers to curse the world.The north was cursed with Frost.The Urugal mountain range, which bisected the world, was cursed with Fire.The south¡­¡­¡± ¡°It all fell.I saw what happened.I saw the result.¡± ¡°Yes, the prosperous regions fell to the Curses.The Kingdoms of that time became ruins.However, not every Kingdom fell.While the Dragon was using its power to spread the Curses, an Ancient King, who was referred to as the War King, took up a shield and spear capable of defeating the Dragon.He confronted the Dragon.This king had used the world as bait, so the Dragon would turn his five Powers into Curses.He waited for the only opportunity he would be able to defeat the Dragon.¡± ¡°Did he kill the Dragon?¡± ¡°As the battle came to a close, the Dragon ran away.It had received a large wound, but it would be able to show itself once again in the future.However, all the Kingdom had already fallen by the five Powers of the Dragon.The world was already in ruins.The Dragon¡¯s Army and the Corrupt Army was still destroying the world.The Barbarian King was carrying out the Dragon¡¯s Judgement as proxy.He is now in a stasis.He could carry out his duty when needed.In front of such opposition, no new kingdoms could be built.This was why the rebels went underground as they prepared for the counterattack.Then they started leaving hints all over the world about this fact. They planted flags that¡¯ll be held up by the rebels in the future.¡± ¡°So it is possible to counterattack now?¡± ¡°The method had already been revealed before.You need Powers that¡¯ll counteract the Dragon¡¯s five Powers.You also need the War King¡¯s shield and spear.¡± ¡°The five Powers?¡± ¡°The four Powers has already been acquired.The only one left is the Power of Judgement. You have to acquire the Power of Storm from the Barbarian King.The Barbarian King is sleeping right now.He could wake up at any time.A small stimulus could awaken him from his sleep.This is why the Arch Mage¡¯s barrier was placed over the sleeping place of the Barbarian King.This was to make sure the Barbarian King couldn¡¯t be awoken easily.¡± ¡°So we just have to kill the Barbarian King.¡± ¡°¡­it isn¡¯t as easy as it sounds.The Barbarian King carries out the Dragon¡¯s Judgement.He controls the Power of Storm.He also keeps numerous number of monsters to act as his hands and feet.If you rashly awaken this being, you might mistakenly turned the world into ruins again.¡± ¡°However, we can¡¯t always avoid this.We can¡¯t wait for the Dragon to heal from its injury.We have to kill it before that happens.Isn¡¯t that the right answer?¡± ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤can you actually defeat the Barbarian King?¡± Hatch, who had been listening to the story, spoke in a confident manner. ¡°We are the Storm Hunters.I don¡¯t know about anything else, but we can control the Power of Storm.¡± ¡°Mmmm.¡± Ahimbree thought over Hatch¡¯s answer.After a brief moment, it brought out a Golden Conch. ¡°This is the key that will show you where the artifact of the War King is hidden.This will be enough to waken the Barbarian King from its sleep.You don¡¯t even have to dispel the barrier.You just have to move close to it, and the Barbarian King will break through the barrier.My teacher Bokan had created this barrier.It was meant to keep people out.It wasn¡¯t meant to cage the Barbarian King.I¡¯m afraid my teacher would be furious if he heard my words right now.¡± ¡°Please do not worry.I guarantee we¡¯ll defeat the Barbarian King.¡± ¡°It might not be possible with only your forces.You should request help from the Hiban Kingdom.Their elite knights are called the Order of the Steel Lion.They¡¯ll open up the path for you.When they arrive here, you can go with them.¡± ¡°Understood, teacher.¡± After his conversation, Hatch grasped the Golden Conch. He had an odd expression on his face. ¡®The M.I made an awesome game.Since it has made such an awesome game, it is the duty of the gamers to leave behind an awesome record for this amazing game.¡¯ Chapter 184 – Barbarian King (1) Chapter 184 ¨C Barbarian King (1) 1. ¡°Uh?¡± ¡®What the hell is that?¡¯ The very first User to see the sign was a User named Able. He had just reached level 200.After finishing his 2nd Advancement, he wanted to celebrate by heading across the Urugal mountain range to reach the Black Continent.However, the Voodook¡¯s Tunnel had a long line of Users in front of it.He clicked his tongue as he took in the sight, and he eventually descended the Urugal mountain range. When he was doing so, he saw a group piercing through the thick fog to head towards the top of the Urugal mountain range. ¡®What is that?¡¯ It was a very weird looking group.They were all wearing crudely designed helmets that looked similar to a lion¡¯s mane. In truth, Warlord allowed Users to customize their equipment.The Users could create ridiculous designs for armors if they were satisfied with the result.The game allowed Users to craft and wear almost any design. However, these beings were riding large lions, and such Users assuredly didn¡¯t exist in Warlord.Moreover, there were more than one of them.The fact that there were 30 of them pretty much confirmed that they weren¡¯t a group of Users. When Able¡¯s thought process reached this conclusion, his expression changed. ¡®Did I just stumble upon a jackpot?¡¯ Able started recording the sight.He chased after the knights climbing up the Urugal mountain range using the lions as mounts. However, they were too fast.The lions were running up steep inclines as if they were running across a flatland. Able was confident in his skills to climb a mountain, but the very idea that he would be able to catch up to them was absurd. In the end, Able lost sight of them.He came to a stop. Shit! A bitter sound came out his mouth. However, at that moment, Able realized something. ¡®Huh?¡¯ He had crossed the Urugal mountain using a different road.He hadn¡¯t used the Voodook¡¯s Tunnel. He had just found a new road leading into the Black Continent. At that moment, Able had found the Iron Lion Road, and it was the start of a new event. 2. ¡°This is crazy.¡± Ahn-jaehyun put the grape candy into the capsule coffee in an annoyed manner.Ahn-jaehyun was reading the torrent of information and breaking news coming out in regards to Warlord.He had a very annoyed expression on his face. ¡®What kind of a game doesn¡¯t allow the Users to catch their breaths like this?¡¯ He finally brought the coffee to his mouth, and his glasses fogged up. Ahn-jaehyun kept drinking the coffee, and he looked at the Tablet PC¡¯s screen when the fog cleared. [Barbarian King Event has started!] [The Stormhunter guild will prove once again that they are the best guild!] [Iron Lion Road!Everyone is heading towards the Black Continent!] The Stormhunters guild had triggered the Barbarian King Event. ¡®Anyways, a middle boss has made its appearance.¡¯ He had heard about the Barbarian King through the Blacksmith Olf. This information matched up with the prior knowledge he had.Of course, Ahn-jaehyun was well aware of the worth represented by the Barbarian King in the Main Scenario Quest. It was similar to the Great Battle in the Immoral Prince episode.The Immoral Prince episode had led to the Argardo Raid.It was a similar concept.After killing the Barbarian King, it would lead to the acquisition Quest for the War King¡¯s relics.Then one would have to fight the five Powers of the Dragon.Afterwards, the only thing left was the final battle. However, Ahn-jaehyun wasn¡¯t worried about that. ¡®The Stormhunters are faster than me.¡¯ Currently, Ahn-jaehyun had received two things from the Blacksmith Olf. The Gold Bar he had acquired was melted by the Blacksmith Olf, and it created a hybrid Item.It was a cross between a Golden Conch and a Dragon¡¯s Horn.It was the Dragon Horn Conch. ¡®I¡¯m not doing so well with the Golden Conch Quests right now¡­.¡¯ He had two threads of evidence he could follow, but he wasn¡¯t able to fully take advantage of them. The problem was the level restriction. One needed to be level 250 to be able to progress in the War King¡¯s Artifact Quest. In the case of the Dragon Horn Conch, it was impossible to progress in the Quest right now. This was the reason why the Hahoe Mask was burning money as he continued to hunt. While he was still hunting, the Stormhunters guild had triggered the Barbarian King Event.It basically meant that they were couple steps in front of the Hahoe Mask. ¡®Those monsters¡­¡¯ The surprising part was that they deserved to be called monsters.Ahn-jaehyun had no choice, but to acknowledge this fact. The Stormhunters guild was putting their guild¡¯s full capacity and ability to breaking through to the east.In the process, they had suffered considerably.Their progress had to be kept secret, so they couldn¡¯t broadcast their achievements.Moreover, the skilled Users, who represented the guild, were all devoted to progressing in the Main Scenario Quest. The biggest money earner on a live channel were the Raid footages.This meant their profit took a deep dive. In truth, after the Stormhunters arrived at the Black Continent, the Stormhunters guild¡¯s live chanel was the least profitable channel amongst the 30 great guilds. A guild with such clout had decided to invest in the Main Scenario Quest, and the result matched their efforts. ¡®Yes, it was like this during that time.They were always monsters.Che-sulyun was the monster queen.¡¯ He still detested the Stormhunters guild.His hate had eroded away significantly compared to the time when Kim-dongsoo betrayed him with the Stormhunters guild.Still, he didn¡¯t like the Stormhunters guild. This didn¡¯t mean Ahn-jaehyun would disparage the skill level of the Stormhunters guild. If he wanted to crush them, he had to be cold in how he assessed them.He had to be cold.He had to leave behind his personal feelings and private affairs.When he looked at the Stormhunters with an objective eye, they were an awesome guild. They were playing this game properly. While the other guilds were focusing on personal gains, profits and popularity, they were focused on the game itself. ¡®This damned ill-fated relationship.Damn it to hell.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun sipped his coffee.As he sipped his coffee, he spoke towards his own pride. ¡®You are an expensive bastard.¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun complained about it. He complained about it, but he didn¡¯t regret his actions. ¡®Which position shall I take?What¡¯s my best option?¡¯ Ahn-jaehyun continued to coldly assess the situation. ¡®Since the Barbarian King has made its appearance, the Black Continent will become a mess.¡¯ Since the Barbarian King Event had already been triggered, the Barbarian King would start to run amok across the Black Continent. ¡®This is an impossible task.¡¯ Obviously, the regular Users and the Underfoot guilds wouldn¡¯t be able to take down the Barbarian King.In the first place, the game¡¯s pace was overclocked.There was no way the normal Users would be able to follow the pace of the high rank Users.How would they be able to face a monster that wouldbe troublesome for these high rank Users? ¡®The problem isn¡¯t when they¡¯ll beat it.There is a good chance that they¡¯ll get pushed back.¡¯ If the 30 great guilds as a whole didn¡¯t control this event, the Black Continent will be lost. In reality, there was only a single checkpoint inside the Black Continent.It was the Heard Fortress ruin town. What would happen if the Heard Fortress ruin town was overrun? The Iron Lion Road was discovered, but it¡¯ll become very troublesome to cross the Urugal mountain range after every death. ¡®From the Main Scenario Quest Info, this Barbarian King has the Power of Storm at its disposal.¡¯ The Power of Storm was an additional feature. From Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s memories, the Barbarian King had been a terrifying monster even without the Power of Storm. What would happen if this monster was now capable of using the Power of Storm? In truth, Ahn-jaehyun couldn¡¯t even imagine a clear method that could be used against the Barbarian King. If he couldn¡¯t imagine it, how could any other User in Warlord come up with one? There was no way they¡¯ll be able to come up with one. ¡®Is this the season 2 of the Great Battle?¡¯ In the end, the ones holding the key was the 30 great guild. It was akin to the time during the great battle.They held the fate of the Black Continent, and there was a chance that the Black Continent could revert back to its previous state.The level 220 and up hunting grounds were all located within the Black Continent.If the Black Continent became a region inaccessible by Users, the Level Up pace would drop significantly. Of course, Hahoe Mask would be able to hunt there.It would be more arduous, but it was possible for him. ¡®Hmmm.¡¯ This was why his course of action was clear this time around. ¡®The answer is to not even attempt this. He¡¯ll sit this one out. First, the 30 great guilds held the key to this event.If the Hahoe Mask participated in the event, the Big Smiles guild and others wouldn¡¯t look kindly at his actions.Their eyes would focus on him.They¡¯ll make a big fuss about catching the Hahoe Mask. Moreover, even if the Barbarian King took down the entirety of the Black Continent, the Hahoe Mask could still hunt in any location he wanted. He was an independent.Hahoe Mask could travel anywhere, and he could solo anything.He had matured as a Necromancer, and it gave him the power to solo.He was an All-Strength Necromancer. If the Black Continent turned into being the true Black Continent, Hahoe Mask¡¯s competitors would be weeded out through natural selection.This would be the best case scenario for him. Moreover, the cream of the Barbarian King Event was the Barbarian King.He could just show up when the Barbarian King Raid started.He could just show up to eat the kernel by bypassing the outer shell. The most logical choice he could make was to not attend this event.He could weigh the advantages and disadvantages several hundred to several thousand times.However, this course of action always came out as being the most profitable.It wasn¡¯t close. There was only one factor that interfered with him taking the wise choice. ¡®I have to take a backseat in such a large event¡­.This doesn¡¯t feel too great.¡¯ He didn¡¯t like the choice he would have to make. ¡®If the Hahoe Mask did something the 30 great guilds couldn¡¯t do¡­It would make for a killer narrative. As he had these thoughts, Ahn-jaehyun drank his coffee.He once again spoke towards his pride. ¡®You are a really expensive bastard.¡¯ 3. ¡°Please call me Horus.¡± ¡°You can call me Hatch.¡± Horus and Hatch. They only knew each other by name.They both raised their hand, and they naturally shook each other¡¯s hand.They pumped their hands twice, but after the handshake ended, they continued to clasp hands. Hatch had relaxed his hand, but Horus continued to grip Hatch¡¯s hand tightly. Hatch patiently looked at Horus.Horus smiled as he spoke to Hatch. ¡°I¡¯m speaking to you assuming that you already know what¡¯s going on.Of course, our conversation today is off the record.¡± ¡°If I planned to publicize this, it would have already been done.If I had any plans of running my mouth, I wouldn¡¯t have shown up here.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Horus finally let go of Hatch¡¯s hand.Hatch lightly moved his hand, which had participated in the handshake.He checked if his hand was damaged. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about you.You are someone like a father to Warlord.¡± The words were just put out there, and Hatch answered in a calm manner. ¡°If that is true, there are about 100 fathers and 100 mothers.I don¡¯t think it is prudent to call me the father.I only designed what is considered to be akin to the pinky nail of Warlord.¡± ¡°Then you know the worth of Warlord.Of course, you know about it.¡± ¡°When the Main Scenario Quest lifespan is extended by a year, Tobi Gwynn¡¯s personal wealth increases by 16%.I¡¯m well aware of the fact that Tobot Soft¡¯s stock also increases by 23%.¡± Hatch finally lost interest in inspecting his hand.He looked at Horus. ¡°I know the next project needs about 2 years to complete.I know you guys have a contract with the Tobot Soft, and the contract will give you stock options.However, there was a condition that had to be fulfilled before you can exercise your stock option.¡± Horus nodded his head instead of answering Hatch.It was hard to tell if he was agreeing or disagreeing with Hatch.It was hard to decipher the meaning behind the gesture. Horus stopped nodding his head, and he changed the topic of the conversation. ¡°It seems you know about everything.All right. Let¡¯s talk.We want to extend the shelf life of this game.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the shelf life of Warlord be fine as long as Tobot Soft doesn¡¯t pull its service?When the Main Scenario Quest ends, it¡¯ll turn into normal mode.From that point, the game developers can work on the game.Wouldn¡¯t that be preferable?They could set up events that they couldn¡¯t set up before.¡± ¡°Do you really think that is true?¡± ¡°I guess if such a thing happens, there are other new games with great reviews that one could try.There is a recently released game called Play the World¡­.I looked at it once, and I thought it was pretty well made.¡± ¡°That game has a bad naming sense.¡± ¡°This game is named Warlord, so a name like that could be forgiven.Moreover, that game doesn¡¯t have monsters like the Hahoe Mask playing it.¡± Horus shut his mouth at the talk of the Hahoe Mask.One could see his brows slightly furrow. Unlike before, Hatch could read his emotions through his expression. That damned Hahoe Mask bastard! Hatch understood what Horus¡¯ expression was saying. If it wasn¡¯t for the Hahoe Mask, Horus wouldn¡¯t have to be a tool for the Tobot Soft.He wouldn¡¯t have to do perform such ridiculous tasks.He would have been able to live out his life in comfort.He would have had so much money that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to spend it in his lifetime. On top of that, Tobo Soft¡¯s next project would have received the popularity of Warlord.The next project would have achieved a bigger success than Warlord.For helping out Tobot Soft, the Hands guild members would have also received complete support in their next game. However, all of this fell into pieces when a single User named the Hahoe Mask appeared out of nowhere. If Hatch was in Horus¡¯ shoes, he would have use every method and tricks to eliminate the Hahoe Mask. This was also one of the reason why Horus had come out to meet Hatch.Currently, Horus and Tobo Soft decided to use every methods and tricks available to them. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s frustrating.If you could intervene in the game, you could immediately limit his effectiveness.However, you can only intervene if the Main Scenario Quest is done¡­.However, who could have have predicted this?This was a game made to test the performance of the M.I.When the game gained investors, they pushed for the game to be released.This was why it was packaged roughly before it was put out as a product.No one expected this level of success. Thanks to this success, Tobo Soft¡¯s market value rose to almost rival to Peach company.Of course, this was possible because of a stock bubble.¡± ¡°Let us form a common front.In this Barbarian King Event, let us leave the Barbarian King alone to run amok across the Black Continent.It will be a similar situation as the great battle.The 30 great guilds will announce our plan to not participate in this event.I¡¯m sure your side wouldn¡¯t gain much if Warlord ended too quickly.I heard you aren¡¯t making much profit through the live channel.¡± ¡°You want the 30 great guilds to collude with each other?¡± ¡°Let me be clear about this.If you don¡¯t form a common front with us, you¡¯ll have to be prepared for a guild war.A significant amount of money is flowing within this game.Warlord isn¡¯t a simple game.The people are enjoying Warlord, because it is an unknown world being created by the A.I.When the unknown world turns into a man-made content, the appeal for this game would disappear.¡± At Horus¡¯ words, Hatch¡¯s mouth twitched.It seemed he wanted to express an emotion, yet he was holding himself back. ¡°What about the Hahoe Mask?¡± ¡°If we can¡¯t control him, then we¡¯ll have to crush him.It would be great if someone from the 30 great guild took control of the Hahoe Mask.If he participates in the Barbarian King Event, we¡¯ll send out a special force to thwart him.We¡¯ll keep killing him until he quits this game.Unless Hahoe Mask is an idiot, he won¡¯t try to get in our way.¡± Hatch raised his hand.Horus closed his mouth when he saw the raised hand. ¡°All right.Let¡¯s work together.¡± Horus smiled as he nodded his head. ¡°You made the wise choice. Also, I heard you guys are working with the Red Bulls guild.Is it true?¡± ¡°It is a strategic alliance.¡± ¡°So the Red Bulls will have the same views as the Stormhunters.¡± Hatch gave a bright smile, and he laughed with his eyes.He hadn¡¯t given an answer, but his expression gave a clear answer. ¡°Anyways, our meeting and the matters we discussed never happened.This is off the record.Since we¡¯ve made an agreement, let us not keep any records.¡± At Hatch¡¯s words, Horus quickly replied. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Let us use a classic method to contact each other.Any message should be passed between Users.Since our goal is not to achieve a goal, so I guess our goal is to do nothing.¡± After finishing his words, Hatch pushed his hand forward. Horus once again grasped his hand. After several hours had passed, breaking news started to pop up. [Sixteen guilds have announced their non-participation in the Barbarian King event.They¡¯ll leave the event for the normal Users!] [The Non-participation announcement includes the Five Star and the Big Three.This will start a trend within the 30 great guilds.] [Barbarian King event.Who will become the second Hahoe Mask?] Chapter 185 – Barbarian King (2) Chapter 185 ¨C Barbarian King (2) 4. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.We can¡¯t abandon the forest.We can¡¯t run away.¡± The voice was light, and it was filled with sorrow.Still, the voice was very beautiful, and it tickled one¡¯s ears.A man, who looked like a fighting dog, silently looked at the character, who spoke.He gritted his teeth. ¡°Whistling hyung-nim!It is almost right in front of our noses!¡± ¡°Whistling oppa!It would be best if we leave right now!¡± A man and a woman yelled to the rough looking man from afar. Yojori and Joba were comrades of Whistling, but they had also become his dongsaengs.However, he didn¡¯t answer them. He looked at a pointy eared elf with pink short hair.She had on a hairpin made out of cherry blossoms clipped to her hair. ¡°Please go.¡± The Elf let out a bright smile towards Whistling, and she lightly put her hands on his chest. ¡°We won¡¯t forget the effort you exerted for us.We¡¯ll even imprint your story in the Record Fruit. When the Record Seed sprouts and grows, it will remember you.It¡¯ll will be seen by our descendents.¡± The Elf, who had put her hand on Whistling¡¯s chest, turned, and she started to run towards an unknown destination.It wasn¡¯t just a single Elf.Numerous Elves, who looked similar to a pink colored buds of a cherry blossom, was running through the forest. [You have acquired the title ¡®The Great Benefactor of the Elves¡¯.] [You have acquired the title ¡®One who received the Blessing of the Elves¡¯.] [The effect of the title, ¡®One who received the Blessing of the Elves¡¯, will allow your movement speed to increase by 10% at locations where trees are present.] Even during such a ruckus, Whistling heard the System Announcement regarding the acquisition of his Titles. The Announcement would have given goosebumps to most Users.This might be one of handful of Titles coveted the most in terms of worth.The eyes of most Users would have flipped around from jealousy.It was a valuable Title. However, the value of the Title didn¡¯t register in Whistling¡¯s ears or eyes. ¡®Shit.¡¯ They were at a half-moon shaped lake located in the southeast region of the Black Continent.It was called the Ohokal. The lake was a stage with a forest filled with cherry blossom trees next to it.The region was always fragrant, and it always gave off a fresh feeling. The Simia tribe was an Elven tribe, who decided to reside in this region.They wore outfits that went very well with their surrounding.The Elves of the Simia tribe always had on accessories that reminded one of a cherry blossom. On the surface, this region looked very beautiful, but it was crawling with monsters over Level 220. However, even amongst such difficulties, the Simia tribe protected and maintained their way of life. However, a being that the Elves wouldn¡¯t be able to win against was coming towards their lands. Barbarian King! The Stormhunters guild had awakened this monster about a month ago, and it was roaming around the Black Continent.Every region it passed through turned into hell. At that moment, the Barbarian King had brought several thousand monsters, and they were getting ready to cross the Ohokal Lake. However, the Simia tribe decided to fight back against the Barbarian King.They decided to mount a defense for their land by the lake. They would meet their end here. ¡°Hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Oppa!¡± They¡¯ll fall. At that moment, Whistling didn¡¯t want to make such guarantees, but the Simia tribe wouldn¡¯t be able to defend their land from the Barbarian King.The System called Warlord wouldn¡¯t allow it. The Warlord¡¯s System would only allow Users to defeat the Barbarian King. This truth was revealed by the Steel Lion Knights, who crossed the Urugal mountain range.They cut through the wall of Level 240 monsters like butter to reach the Barbarian King, but they were crushed in a horrible manner.The Barbarian King hadn¡¯t received even a scratch in the fight, and it gave credence to this truth. This was a game. ¡°Shit!¡± However, Whistling couldn¡¯t accept the excuse that this was merely a game.He wouldn¡¯t take this situation lying down. ¡°Yojori!Joba!You guys get out of here!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fight here.I¡¯ll stop the Barbarian King here.¡± After hearing his words, Yojori and Joba had the same expression on their faces.They were dumbfounded. Whistling wanted to stop the Barbarian King? There had already been many attempts to pull off such a feat. Numerous Raid teams were formed for the purpose of killing the Barbarian King.These were raid attempts with a good deal of preparation and forethought behind it. All of them failed miserably. The reason why the Barbarian King was coming to this place was the fact that all previous Raid Teams had failed. Yet he wanted to stop the Barbarian King? This was an absolutely absurd statement. ¡°Ok.Let¡¯s do this.¡± ¡°The worst that can happen is a Game Over.Let us fight together.Anyways, our Quest is gone, because of the Barbarian King.¡± ¡°The act of walking back to the Heard Fortress ruin town will be arduous.Let¡¯s just die and get sent there at once.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t turn back now.We have to try something.Absolutely!¡± However, Yojori and Joba had already evaluated the situation that¡¯ll unfold soon.Their faces relaxed, and they put on bright expressions. Whistling gritted his teeth at their words.The two of them were choosing to suffer through a Game Over for him.He was thankful, and he was sorry. However, at that moment, Whistling didn¡¯t express those two feelings. ¡°All right.Let us become heroes for once.¡± They would show their will.Their will was inelegant and worthless, but they would express their will. However, there was no way they would become heroes. 5. [You Level has increased.] [Bone Dragon Skill Rank has increased to Rank C.] [Iron Golem Skill Rank has increased to Rank C.] [Death Knight Skill Rank has increased to Rank B.] [Skeleton Exhibition Skill Rank has increased to Rank D.] [You¡¯ve acquired the Title ¡®Slaughterer of the Tattoo Scorpions¡¯.] There were so many consecutive System Announcement that it was almost tiring to hear it. Each accumulation of these Announcements was good news, but Hyrkan¡¯s ears didn¡¯t pay attention to the sound. He raised his head, and he looked at the monster he was stepping on. His foot was on the Tattoo Scorpion¡¯s tail.It was a 7 meters long monster with tattoos all over its body. Doohk ddoohk! Big drops of poison was falling from the tip of the Tattoo Scorpion¡¯s tail.It was the size of a man¡¯s head. Hyrkan¡¯s HP slowly fell as the poison dripped.Hrykan bit down on the red candy inside his mouth. Accompanying a taste akin to a spicy garlic, his HP started to rise. Since he had a time for a breather, Hyrkan looked at his defensive set. It wasn¡¯t invincible, but the spotted armor had more defense than any other defensive set in Warlord.However, the Dark Spot set had holes in various locations right now, and the holes were the size of the stinger on the Tattoo Scorpion¡¯s tail. ¡®It is time for me to change it.¡¯ Dark Spot set. He had used it for a very long time, and it was finally time to say goodbye to this Item. It was a late goodbye.Even if it was a very good Item, it was only a level 180 set, yet it was being used in a level 260 hunting ground.If one expected one to be fine using such an Item here, one would be expecting too much. This was also the reason why he was killing the Tattoo Scorpions. ¡®Well, I¡¯ll have to use this opportunity to switch out everything.¡¯ Tattoo Scorpion. It was a mid-sized Level 260 Monster.When one went deeper into the Red Desert, one would arrive at the Red Wasteland.One could encounter this monster there, and it was the highest Level monster encountered by Users in Warlord as of now.Moreover, it had the best Option amongst Rare Rank Items that could be crafted from normal monsters over Level 240. The best feature activated when one wore all 5 parts.The effect of the Tattoo Scorpion¡¯s Tattoo Pattern was quite good. When one attacked, it could impose a Poison Status on one¡¯s opponent.Moreover, the poison was quite powerful. Hyrkan decided to use this opportunity to equip all his Skeletons with the Tattoo Scorpion Set. It had been about a month, since the Barbarian King had appeared, and this was why Hyrkan had stuck to hunting only the Tattoo Scorpions. Now he was reaping the benefit of staying in this location for a month. He had reached Level 253. One could find Hyrkan¡¯s name in the Level Rankings now.There was only a 12 level gap between him and the First One. Moreover, he had gathered a lot of Items.He had obtained enough Items to equip 30 Skeletons with a full set.Thirty sounded small, but each set had five parts.Basically, he had acquired 150 Rare Items.Normal Users wouldn¡¯t even be able to imagine the process involved in killing so many Tattoo Scorpions. This was why Hyrkan was able to earn a profit through the footage.Hyrkan poured his money into this hunt. He wasn¡¯t as rich as the old Rich Lich, but it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Hyrkan was spending as much as him. Despite this fact, Hyrkan¡¯s account was in the surplus.Even as he went nuts in spending his money, there was always money left in Hyrkan¡¯s Wallet. This was the best. His incredible Level Up pace had him in spitting distance to First One, who was 1st in the rankings.His free-handed investments allowed him to quickly raise the Skill Ranks, and he hadacquired Level 250 Rare Items by killing powerful monsters.All of this process was being consumed by voracious viewers.His viewers didn¡¯t hesitate to pay for his content.They wanted to see everything he did. While he was doing all of this, the Black Continent was slowly descending into hell thanks to the efforts of the Barbarian King.All of Hahoe Mask¡¯s competitors were being killed under the tyrannical rule of the Barbarian King. Hahoe Mask was leaving everyone in the dust. This situation was unbelievably great for him. When he realized he had returned to the past, he had been really glad that he would be able to play this game again.At the time, he could have never imagined that he would reach such an optimal situation, yet Hyrkan had climbed to the top. So why was he feeling this way? ¡®¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤this is boring.¡¯ A yawn came out of his mouth. He had achieved the goal he had always pined for.Riches and fame was within his grasp, and it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say he was the best in this game. However, the recent Tattoo Scorpion Hunt was the most boring period of time he had experienced since he started Warlord. ¡®I was never bored when I fought against the Stormhunters guild¡­.¡¯ This was a first. While Hyrkan played Warlord, the game sometimes made him annoyed and angry.There were many instances where he swore at the game.However, he never thought that the game of Warlord was boring. Even when he was warring with the Stormhunters guild,he cussed them out in anger.He was sick and tired of them.However, he never thought the game was boring. When he killed five to six guild members of the Stormhunters guild, he felt joy.He felt happy when he broke through the tribulation in the style of the Hero Slaughterer.He had enjoyed Warlord in those moments. Hyrkan turned his head.His surrounding was filled Skeleton Warriors, who had been brilliant in their fight against the Tattoo Scorpions.The Skeleton Warriors were staring back at him.They were waiting for their master to give a new order. ¡®Now that I think about it, they fight intelligently even without my training.¡¯ He thought about a fond memory of his. In the beginning, he had ruthlessly pushed the Skeleton Warriors to train them.However, they no longer needed his training.The Skeleton¡¯s Combat AI was a finished product.It was splendid.The repeated training and battles allowed them to become extraordinary warriors.At the very least, they would be able to hold their own weight in any fight. The Skeletons were better than most Users, and he had 100 Skeletons under his command.In the near future, he¡¯ll also use the Transcendent Ancient Power on the Death Knight when it became Rank A. Who¡¯ll be able to rival him at that point? Royal Road! The road of an emperor could be seen in front of him right now.If he followed this road, he¡¯ll surely become the best. However, Hyrkan wasn¡¯t interested in what was waiting at the end of the road. Hyrkan lowered his head. It was as if he was trying to avoid the gazes of his Skeleton Warriors. ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤fuck.¡± In the end, a swear word came out of his mouth. The one to break his dull and boring day was a call from his friend. 6. ¨C I want to borrow your name, Hahoe Mask. Whistling had contacted Hyrkan out of nowhere, and the request was quite sudden. Before Hyrkan could reply to his request, Whistling quickly explained his situation.He sounded desperate as if he was being chased by something. ¨C You don¡¯t have to do anything.I know this is asking a lot from you.I just¡­.I need your name.Please let me borrow your name. Hyrkan calmed him down before asking for an explanation.Afterwards, Whistling calmly explained the plan he came up with. ¨C I¡¯m planning on killing the Barbarian King.However, as you probably know, the 30 great guilds won¡¯t participate in the Barbarian King Raid.In the end, the regular Users have to be gathered to form a Raid Team¡­.I plan on using the Hahoe Mask name to gather the normal Users.If it becomes known that you¡¯ll step forward forward for the Barbarian King raid, many Users will participate. At the end, he gave his apologies. ¨C I know this request is a bit much.This is why if the Raid fails¡­.I¡¯ll tell them I made it all up.I¡¯ll tell them I sold you out.Still, there might be some backlash towards you¡­.I¡¯m asking for a favor.I can¡¯t leave the Barbarian King alone.Even if this is only a game, I can¡¯t just stand by and watch this unfold.I don¡¯t want to wait as I pray for the 30 great guilds to move. Finally, the meat of the conversation started. ¡°So you want to kill the Barbarian King?¡± ¨C The Users are pretty much fed up.They are very unsatisfied with the Barbarian King.If it becomes known that you want to catch the Barbarian King, there are a lot of Users, who would want to help you.No, you don¡¯t have to do anything.I¡¯ll say this again.All I need is¡­. ¡°What clear method will you use to take down the Barbarian King?You have to destroy the Protection Gem at Phase 1.That wouldn¡¯t be too difficult.However, you don¡¯t have any method at your disposal that will allow you to damage it once it enters the 2nd phase called Storm Judgement Mode.¡± ¨C I researched the Main Scenario Quest, and I found a clue.Moreover¡­The next attempt at the Barbarian King Raid would be the 31st attempt.I plan on using the clue as the basis for the next clear method. ¡°What is that method?¡± ¨C The method is¡­¡­ Whistling first told him about the clue he was able to find in the Main Scenario quest.Then he started explaining his clear method. ¡°Ooh-hahaha.¡± As he listened to Whistling¡¯s words, laughter suddenly erupted from Hyrkan¡¯s mouth.The excessive amount of laughter indicated that Hyrkan was delighted.He was having a hard time stopping his laughter. ¡°Sorry.Ah.I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Hyrkan was barely able to suppress his laughter, and he gave his apology. ¨C Were you in the middle of something?If so, I¡¯ll call a bit later¡­. Whistling couldn¡¯t understand why Hyrkan gave an apology.He also couldn¡¯t comprehend Hyrkan¡¯s laughter. All he could do was apologize. Did he perhaps interrupt Hyrkan, when he was doing something very important? When he had this thought, Whistling wanted to immediately end the call.He was too embarrassed about his own actions.He was trying to use his friend in such a manner. ¡®As expected, this suits my constitution.¡¯ Hyrkan unburdened Whistling¡¯s heart. ¡°Yes.The Hahoe Mask should do this.This isn¡¯t something a knock-off Hahoe Mask can do.This is something the real Hahoe Mask should take on.¡± The game had been boring.For over a month, he plowed through the game as he yawned.This incident had suddenly made Hyrkan¡¯s heart beat faster. Hyrkan didn¡¯t want to avoid feeling such a thrill.No, palpitation of his heart was like the sound of an engine that was a must for Hyrkan when he played Warlord. ¡°You set it up.I¡¯ll go catch that bastard.I¡¯ll kill the Barbarian King.¡± As he spoke, Hyrkan stood up.When he started to move, the Skeletons followed Hyrkan with their gazes. ¡°Ah.I¡¯ll catch the Barbarian King by myself.From what you have told me, it¡¯ll be more troublesome if there are too many Users there.¡± ¨C You want to do it alone, Hyrkan? Even if it is you, you won¡¯t be able to solo the Barbarian King¡­ Hyrkan gave a command to his Skeletons. ¡°I have t solo it.If not, I won¡¯t be able to eat all the benefits by myself.Of course, I¡¯m not by myself.¡± He gave his instructions!His next target was the Barbarian King! 7. Kooohng! It was a giant. It had massive legs that made one think about pillars.Its legs were massive, but its large body made its legs look puny.It was a giant with long and thick arms. Koohng! The giant was wearing a golden armor.The armor was very flashy, and the armor was decorated with numerous adornments.The ornaments that stood out the most were the gems of various colors. There were 31 gems and each of them were bigger than a person¡¯s head.They were so bright that they were radiant. Koohng! The most striking feature was the head of the giant.It had large fan-like ears like an elephant.It had a long nose and it also possessed ivory tusks.However, the gleam in its eyes wasn¡¯t like that of an elephant. The sclera of the eye was black, and the pupil was yellow.It looked like the eyes of a dragon.No, it was probably Dragon Eyes. Koohng! The 7 meters tall giant wore golden armor.Moreover, it possessed Dragon Eyes and the head of an elephant. Every step it took caused the ground to shake. It possessed enormous strength, and it possessed an incredible presence! Its name was Nesha. Barbarian King Nesha! This being had carried out the Dragon¡¯s Judgement.It had made ruins of strong and prosperous Kingdoms, who had fought against the Dragon early on. It possessed the authority of the Dragon, and it was able to command any uncivilized beings, who were barbaric.It was able to command all beings, who lived by following their instincts. The monsters stepped forward for the sake of building up the king¡¯s dignity. The forest looked endless, but each step taken by the king eliminated the trees. Shweek, shweek! The monsters, who possessed sharp tools, were cutting down the trees. Poo-hwaht! Those with no weapons pulled the trees and boulders by its roots.A large road formed, and it was wide enough for the Barbarian King to walk on it. Koohng! The Barbarian King took the next step only when the path was clear. This was the regality of a king. The king was overflowing with majesty, and several hundred Users looked on from afar. As if they had all agreed to do this, the Users started to sneer as they disparaged the Barbarian King.They started making invidious remarks. ¡°Bitch.We¡¯ll kill you this time.¡± ¡°We now know the clear method for the 2nd Phase.We know it works.We¡¯ll catch you this time around.¡± When the invidious remarks ended, the leader in charge of the group spoke. ¡°Ready the Fire Storm!¡± ¨C We¡¯re ready! ¡°Fire!¡± The answer was immediate. Accompanying the replies, clouds started to form atop the monsters, who were making the road for the king.The clouds were tinted red, and the clouds started to let out the contents they held within. Hwah-roo-roohk, hwah-roo-roohk! Fire started to rain down. Fire Storm! Amongst the AOE magic, it boasted the biggest range.This wasn¡¯t just a single spell being used.Several dozen Fire Storms were activated at once.In a flash, a region as large as 5 or 6 soccer fields were being impacted by showers made out of fire. Hwah-rooo-roo! The rain was making the trees into torches, and the vegetations were turned into a wild fire. In a flash, a sea made of fire came into being. This was only the beginning. ¡°Fireball Toss!¡± ¨C Toss! ¨C Toss! The monsters were making a big commotion as they felt the heat from the sea of fire.They started to run towards the source of the fire. Several hundred monsters were running towards the Users, and enormous balls of fire started to roll towards them. Deh-gool, deh-gool! The balls of fire were rolling across field ablaze from fire.It was like akin to a snowball rolling down the snowbank.The balls became larger as they rolled. When the balls of fire came close to the monsters, they were big enough to swallow the monsters. Puh-uhng, puh-uhng! The monsters were sent flying as if they were bowling pins.They were crushed and broken. Kwah-kwah-kwah! The balls of fire showed no signs of stopping, yet they were blocked by monsters, who boasted big bodies.The medium and large sized monsters stood near the Barbarian King.The Ogres, Trolls, Minotaurs and other large monsters blocked the balls of fire with their bodies. Ooh-uh-uh! These monsters had no choice, but to block the fireballs with their bodies, and cries erupted from their mouths. Still, the monsters did all they could to stop the balls of fire. They didn¡¯t dare to let it reach the vicinity of the king! This was the will being expressed by the monsters, who were blocking the balls of fire. They were most definitely showing intent of blocking any danger directed towards the king. Koo-uh-uh-uh! When the fireballs were blocked, the monsters with loud voices started to bellow as they faced towards their enemies. They were giving orders. Koong, koong, koong, koong! It was an order for all monsters to charge towards the enemies in the front! At the command, the monsters started running as if they were competing against each other.They ran forward with the intent of killing every living being in front of them. ¡°The Barbarian King team is on the move.¡± There was another group, who was running with a similar intent. Two hundred Users ran along the road made by cutting the tree and uprooting the stones.The monsters had moved away, and the Users ran down this wide open road. The battle started. Then several dozen minutes passed. Goo-roong, goo-roong! Dark clouds started to gather in the sky as thunder rumbled. Chapter 186 – Barbarian King (3) Chapter 186 ¨C Barbarian King (3) 8. [The 31st Barbarian Raid attempt has failed!] [Barbarian King Event.Will things turn out fine?] [The 31st Barbarian King Raid team gave a team briefing.¡®We know the clear method.However, we couldn¡¯t execute it.¡¯] When the Barbarian King appeared for the first time, the Users had welcomed it.They thought the existence of the Barbarian King would bring life into Warlord, which had started to become a bit boring.This view was shared by many. Sixteen of the 30 great guilds had pulled out from the Barbarian King Event, and the Users had welcomed the news. Recently, there had been historic events that had unfolded in Warlord.This included the Frozen Kingdom episode, Blaze Slime Dragon Raid and the Anugas Raid.However, most normal Users hadn¡¯t been able to enjoy these contents.They were playing the same game, yet it felt as if they were a world apart. This was why the normal Users hadn¡¯t been worried when the 30 great guilds announced their non-participation.They didn¡¯t question the actions of the 30 great guilds. ¡°Finally, we get to enjoy something.¡± ¡°This is a completely different scenario from the Immoral Prince raid.There are no restrictions.Everyone can participate in it!¡± ¡°This is different from the great battle.All Users can fight.This will be easy.The ones to benefit will be the people, who kill it first!¡± This was why everyone thought it was their chance to shine.They wanted to become the protagonists of this enormous event ¡°If I catch the Barbarian King, I¡¯ll become the second coming of the Hahoe Mask!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll guarantee it.The killing of the Barbarian King would bring in more money than winning a lottery ticket.¡± The Hahoe Mask had gained money and fame through playing Warlord. This was a chance for someone to become the next Hahoe Mask. This was what people thought, and they started acting accordingly. Then they realized something. They realized how foolish they had been.The Barbarian King ruthlessly crushed the expectations and hopes of the Users. ¨C Isn¡¯t the difficulty for the Barbarian King Raid too high? ¨C The average level of the monsters nearby are over Level 220¡­.They number in the thousands.If we grade this as if it was a hunting ground, this might be considered to be a level 270 hunting ground. The Barbarian King was powerful.It had several thousand monsters under its command, and they had an average level of 220. ¨C How about the method used during the great battle?What about the Eat the Tail method? ¨C ? It doesn¡¯t work. The underlings of the Barbarian King was different from the Corrupted monsters from the great battle.They were smarter.They also possessed their original battle instincts, yet they were able to move in perfect order as a group. ¨C No, the problem isn¡¯t really about killing the miscellaneous monsters.We can take care of them through large scale magical bombardment.However, the problem is the Barbarian King! ¨C The 1st Phase isn¡¯t easy. ¨C ? Isn¡¯t it just destroying the Protection Gems? ¨C ? Two to three Strikers are killed when destroying just one Gem. However, the biggest conundrum was the Barbarian King itself. The Barbarian King was strong.While the Gems on its armor was active, magical and physical attacks had no effect. Basically, the first button that had to be opened was to destroy the 31 Gems embedded on the Barbarian King¡¯s armor.The destruction of the Gem couldn¡¯t be done through magic.It had to be done through physical attacks. Moreover, it couldn¡¯t be destroyed with one powerful blow. Twice! It didn¡¯t matter how strong one¡¯s attack was.It took two powerful attacks to destroy a single Gem. ¨C The Barbarian King¡¯s battle capability is too high.Aggro management with this bastard is useless. ¨C ? This is the crux of the problem.The Barbarian King¡¯s difficulty level is out of our league. ¨C ? The skilled Strikers can¡¯t last against the Barbarian King. When a User stuck close to the Barbarian King¡¯s body, it reacted immediately.If a User tried to stick to the body, it immediately reacted by stepping on the Users with its enormous feet.It also used its long arms to dislodge the Users. When caught by the hands of the Barbarian King, the Users were crushed. In the past 31 attempts at the Barbarian King Raid, no Users had survived being caught by the Barbarian King¡¯s hands! ¨C The destruction of the Protection Gem is at least doable.The problem is the 2nd Phase. ¨C The Storm Judgement Mode is messed up. However, the worst and the most ridiculous part occurred when it entered into the 2nd Phase. When all the Protection Gems were destroyed, the Barbarian King¡¯s golden armor lost its power.It was possible to stab the Barbarian King, and magical spells could harm it.However, at the same time, the Barbarian King carried out the Dragon¡¯s Judgement. Dark clouds started to fill the sky,and a random User nearby was struck down by the Judgement.The Judgement was so powerful that a Tanker fully equipped with Lightning Resistant set suffered a Game Over by being hit once.Even if one was able to survive it, the Stun Effect would last for 10 minutes, so one would basically be a living corpse.No Skill could undo the Stun. ¨C Its healing ability is more messed up than the Storm Judgement Mode. ¨C ? This is the biggest problem.Who cares if magical and physical attack works?It just recovers from everything. As the Users faced these tribulations, the Barbarian King displayed an almost unlimited healing ability.It was a monster amongst monsters.The idea of facing such a Boss monster was almost unimaginable. At a certain point, the Users gave up. Everyone now wanted someone else to catch the Barbarian King.They left it alone as they harbored such expectations. However, the tyranny of the Barbarian King didn¡¯t end there. [The monsters are moving with the Barbarian King?] [Please investigate the regen rate by comparing the region before and after the Barbarian King appears.] [It¡¯s confirmed.The regen rate of the monster decreases sharply after the Barbarian King passes by!] The the Barbarian King passed by a region, and it pulled the nearby monsters.No monsters were left behind. In some ways, this was the biggest blow to the Users. When the Iron Lion Road was discovered, the Users no longer had to be stalled by the Voodook¡¯s Tunnel.They started crossing the Urugal mountain range using a wide road. This was why a significant number of Users over level 200 had stepped onto the Black Continent.Naturally, there was a shortage of monsters. While this shortage was ongoing, the appearance of the Barbarian King dropped the regen rate. To top it off, a half a dozen Users had to compete with each other for a single monster.It was a scene that reminded one of the early days of Warlord.The situation now repeated with Users over level 200. To make things worse, the Five Stars and the 30 great guilds had already taken over the decent hunting grounds.They had taken advantage of their early arrival at the Black Continent. Of course, they didn¡¯t allow the normal Users to hunt in their hunting grounds. The normal Users couldn¡¯t even properly express their dissatisfaction.The normal Users weren¡¯t the Hahoe Mask. ¨C Shouldn¡¯t the 30 great guilds step forward? ¨C Didn¡¯t they announce their nonparticipation? ¨C ? Isn¡¯t this a dereliction of duty if they do nothing? ¨C ? Didn¡¯t the normal Users commend them for not participating? ¨C ? Still, this is too much!We can¡¯t even play the game! We can¡¯t even hunt!It has been 5 hours, since I¡¯ve logged on.I only caught nine monster! ¨C The hamsters of Tobot Soft¡­. Please spread the monsters! In the end, the key to the start and end of the event was being held by the 30 great guilds. The normal Users wanted them to use this key to end the Barbarian King event. However, the 30 guilds didn¡¯t move. Several guilds tried to move, but they were interfered by other guilds. However, the silence by the Five Stars and the Stormhunters guild hurt the most, since they possessed the most influence on the Black Continent. In the end, the Users gave up.A portion of the Users returned to the other side of the Urugal mountain range.The Black Continent was slowly reverting back to what it was before it was found. ¨C The Hahoe Mask wants to catch the Barbarian King? In such turbulent times, a hero started to move. The Hahoe Mask had kept his silence up until that point.He was north of the Red Desert.He had been catching the Tattoo Scorpions in the Red Wildland, but now a rumor started to gain traction. ¨C Even the Hahoe Mask wouldn¡¯t be able to catch the Barbarian King by himself. ¨C ? I agree. ¨C ? Even the Hahoe Mask can¡¯t do this. The Users were pessimistic about the rumor.The Hahoe Mask was an extraordinary gamer, but the Barbarian King was too big to taken down by himself. ¨C That is why the Hahoe Mask is gathering Users to fight with him. ¨CHe is gathering Users? ¨C ? From what I hear, he¡¯ll take a screenshot with everyone, who participates. ¨C ? Really? ¨C ? He will also give out Hahoe Masks made by him! In such a situation, a new rumor gained steam. Afterwards, Hahoe Mask spoke through a youtube video.He addressed the rumor. ¡°I¡¯ll battle the Barbarian King.Please open a way for me.If you set up the stage and occupy the monsters, I¡¯ll defeat the Barbarian King.The stage will be at the Bizma Plains.I¡¯ll battle the Barbarian King there.Please I need all your help.¡± It was no longer a rumor.Hahoe Mask started his recruitment pitch. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, who you are.Everyone is welcome to join.Moreover, I¡¯ll be handing out a Hahoe Mask to anyone who joins.¡± The Event started for real. 9. ¡°Please don¡¯t get too close to me.It¡¯ll look too friendly.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m kidding.Please get closer to me.¡± There was a long line.At the front of the line, a User wearing a shoddy Hahoe Mask was taking a picture with the Hahoe Mask.Every User in line either had a Hahoe Mask on their face or they were holding one in their hand. While the Users were waiting, 50 Skeletons were dancing off to the side.The group of Skeletons were doing a dance from Michael Jackson¡¯s Thriller music video.They were dancing without music, and it caused the Users to burst out in laughter instead of clapping. ¡°The Skeletons are cute.I want to keep one as a pet.¡± ¡°You want to make it your pet?I bet it is stronger than you.¡± ¡°If the Hahoe Mask flicks his fingers twice, this place will turn into hell.¡± Then there was a large Bone Dragon, which was 20 meters in length, lying off to the side.Users climbed atop it to start taking pictures.Some even got on the back to make it look like they were riding the Dragon. ¡°I¡¯m a Dragon Rider!¡± ¡°Hey.I want you to take a good picture of me!¡± In a different corner, a 10 meter tall Earth Golem was standing still.The Users were conducting a climbing competition. It was an event set up for Strikers, who wanted to show off their climbing skill.In a flash, the Strikers climbed to the the head of Golem. Some Users clapped their hands when they saw this. On the other hand, no Users were climbing up the Iron Golem.The Iron Golem was too slick to climb.Instead, the Iron Golem was being used as a surface where the Users could graffitti on it. This was the Hahoe Mask theme park! Couple days ago, this place was where the Users fought desperately against the monsters.However, the Bizma Plain held a festive atmosphere right now. ¡®Whatever.¡¯ Of course, Hyrkan had to do all of this for free, so it was driving him nuts. Hyrkan gritted his teeth when he couldn¡¯t see the end of the line. ¡°Hahoe Mask-nim.Cheese!Cheese!¡± At Hyrkan¡¯s expression, the User demanded a smile for his screenshot. ¡°Cheese.¡± Hyrkan yelled out cheese. The User seemed satisfied by the result, so the User distanced himself from the Hahoe Mask to check the screenshot.Then a new User sidled up next to Hyrkan. ¡°Say cheese.¡± The User immediately asked for him to say cheese, and Hyrkan couldn¡¯t turn down the request. ¡®Yes, I¡¯ll laugh.¡¯ Tomorrow these Users, who were demanding him to say cheese, would fight the Barbarian King¡¯s underlings with their lives on the line. At that moment, Hyrkan thought about what happened couple days ago. Whistling told Hyrkan of his plan to spread the rumor that the Hahoe Mask would be participating in the Barbarian King Raid. First, the rumor was disseminated.When the rumor became ripe, Hahoe Mask used his youtube page to gather the Users.Afterwards, Hahoe Mask made a theme park at the Bizma Plain.This was where the battle would take place. In truth, they hadn¡¯t planned on putting up the Hahoe Mask theme park.Hyrkan had planned on giving a speech to the gathered Users. He would have said they were the only ones that could stop the Barbarian King.He would have warned them about the consequences that would result if they failed.The Black Continent would be turned into an inhospitable land.He had wanted to warn the Users about the dangers again. He wanted to make an resistance army. However, everyone had ignored his idea. ¡°Who¡¯ll come if you do that?¡± ¡°I agree.No one wants to play the game under such a heavy cloud.We are playing to have fun.¡± Who would want to come if he did that? Most Users just wanted to enjoy this game.They didn¡¯t want to play under such a heavy atmosphere.Not many people wanted to play as if they were under a gun. This was why Users avoided such desperate struggles. No one wanted to throw their bodies into a dangerous battle under such circumstances especially when it was almost a given that they¡¯ll suffer a 48 hour break. On the other hand, the Users wouldn¡¯t mind giving up 48 hours if the task turned out to be interesting and fun.They would invest their time if it was a task they liked. ¡°How about we make a theme park?It¡¯ll be a theme park where Users will be able touch Hahoe Mask-nim¡¯s familiars!¡± ¡°That sounds great.What has gotten into you?How could you come up with this plan?¡± ¡°Yes.Of course, you would never be able to come up with such an idea.¡± ¡°What? Are you trying to pick a fight with me?¡± This was how the plan for a Hahoe Mask theme park came into being.They had expected a strong resistance from the Hyrkan, but he was receptive to the idea.This surprised everyone.Whistling became the representative of the surprised group, and he asked the question in everyone¡¯s mind. ¡°Are you really fine with this?¡± At the question, Hyrkan gave an answer. ¡°They are willing to die for me, so at the very least, I should do this for them.Moreover, Yojori is right.People play this game to have fun.If it isn¡¯t fun, who would want to play this game?¡± Hyrkan recalled the answer he had given before. ¡®Yes.They are here to die for me, so I should smile for them.¡¯ ¡°Cheese.¡± 10. From the beginning, Warlord¡¯s days were numbered.To be precise, an order was given to the M.I. by the Tobot Soft after the M.I. created Warlord. It was told to create a Quest that could be carried out by the Users.Three Main Scenario Quests were made, and the game¡¯s setting could be changed as it progressed.Each Main Scenario Quest had to have contents that would last a year.The wanted a game they could produce and run for 3 years. The command they had given was a test parameter. It was a test to see if the M.I. could produce and run the game correctly. Then Tobot Soft wanted to check how well their orders was being completed. This was why they picked capable and competent testers to check out the Virtual Reality. If thing went according to plan, this test would last for two years. However, two variables occurred afterwards. The first variable was the fact the Warlord¡¯s degree of completion was beyond imagination. The second variable occurred when Tobot Soft ran into financial troubles.They were developing various project simultaneously using artificial intelligence.They were producing virtual reality content, yet they didn¡¯t have a business model to gain revenue.The investors started to hound them. In the end, they had to make revenue any way they could.They had to satisfy the investors, so Warlord was immediately put into service.This immediately turned Tobot Soft in the new leader of the VR contents market. At that time, Toby Gwynn had made calculations.He figured out how much money they would rake in from delaying the Main Scenario Quest by one year.Then he calculated the time he would need to come up with another content that would put them on the top again.At that moment, Tobi Gwynn gathered the original testers, and he offered them a new contract. This was when the Hands guild was formed. At first, the Hands guild directed events from the shadows.They slowed down the consumption of the game content.It wasn¡¯t too hard.The content called the Main Scenario quest was consumed the fastest by the 30 great guilds.So they just had to control the 30 great guilds. However, a User had appeared one day, and he was better than the 30 great guilds.Moreover, it was impossible to bargain with or recruit this User.All the tactics used by the Hands guild didn¡¯t work on him.In the end, they had to send out a member named Horus as an agent.He was sent out to dominate the 30 great guilds, and he would forcefully change the flow of events in Warlord.Of course, this plan also failed. However, the important point here was the fact that not all the members of the Hands guild were exposed to the sun. They formed a powerful group within the shadows as preparation.These skilled Users would be able to do the dirty work, since the faces of these Users wasn¡¯t known. ¡°It is finally our turn.¡± ¡°I never expected the Hahoe Mask to move.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve waited for this day, and we even have the chance to become the victors of this game.¡± They had been waiting for this day. ¡°Let¡¯s go over our plan again.Our goal is to interfere with the Hahoe Mask, who is trying to hunt down the Barbarian King.When the Hahoe Mask suffers a Game Over, he has no choice, but to be summoned back to the Heard Fortress ruin town.Once he is revived there, the Five Stars will get in his way.We¡¯ll kill the Hahoe Mask every time he respawns.¡± They would permanently erase the source of their troubles. ¡°I want you guys to infiltrate the crowd that¡¯ll help him.We¡¯ll help the Hahoe Mask.However, when he enters the 2nd Phase after he successfully destroys the Gems¡­..We¡¯ll interrupt the Hahoe Mask at that moment.Any questions?¡± ¡°None.¡± ¡°I have none.¡± ¡°All right.It is time for our revenge.We have to make sure our stock options kick in.¡± This desire caused them to move. Chapter 187 – Barbarian King (4) Chapter 187 ¨C Barbarian King (4) 11. ¡°Good job.¡± Hyrkan felt drained as he had to meet and greet with several thousand Users for the past couple hours.Whistling spoke to him.Hyrkan looked at Whistling as he shook his head from side to side.Then he let out his complaint in a low voice. ¡°Why do Elves matter so much¡­¡­¡± Of course, Hyrkan knew why Whistling had moved against the Barbarian King.Whistling didn¡¯t want the Elven tribes to become exterminated by the Barbarian King.In turn, Whistling was the reason why Hyrkan had moved.Basically, the Elven tribes had caused a shift inside Warlord.This was the behind the scene story for this war. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Whistling let out a bitter laugh, and he gave his apology. ¡°I¡¯m not doing this for nothing.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take you out for a big night out later.¡± At Whistling¡¯s answer, he no longer spoke.Instead, Hyrkan turned his head. Bizma Plain. The Skeletons, Golems, and Bone Dragon decorating the place was no longer present.However, the Users hadn¡¯t left.They were guarding their spot.At times, the bored Users hunted the monsters nearby, and this was another diversion they could watch. Their continued presence was an evidence of longing they were feeling.They had just experienced something uniquely fun inside the game of Warlord, and this was proof that the Users wanted to enjoy it for a little bit longer. This also meant the Users had fully enjoyed what Hyrkan had to offer. However, at this time tomorrow, this place would become a desperate battlefield. ¡®This is a game.¡¯ The world had changed in just a single day, and it should have been a frightening sight.However, this wasn¡¯t reality.Since this was happening within a game, this wasn¡¯t out of the ordinary. ¡®Since it¡¯s a game¡­¡­¡¯ Hyrkan chewed over this truth. It was a game. He chewed over the new feeling he was starting to dimly feel.It was something he had never felt before.Hyrkan fell into his thoughts as he tried to identify this vague feeling. ¡°First, 6322 people have signed up to participate in the Raid.¡± Whistling¡¯s words pulled Hyrkan back into reality. The goal for the Hahoe Mask theme park was to gather allied forces, who will join him in this Raid.However, Hyrkan hadn¡¯t said cheese for free.He couldn¡¯t force these Users to participate, but he obtained signatures from the Users, who were going to participate in the Barbarian King Raid. The number was 6,322. ¡°The ratio isn¡¯t too bad.The important fact is that 2,551 Tankers signed up.It is a pretty high number.¡± The Tanker was the most important position in pulling off this plan, and the number of Tankers, who signed up, was higher than expected. ¡°They are all over level 200, and they finished their 2nd Advancement.This means it is a force big enough to rival three or four 30 great guilds.Moreover, these are Users, who stayed behind in the Black Continent even with this event going on.Their skills are above average.¡± They hadn¡¯t tested the quality of the Users, but these Users were all above average by default.Even with the appearance of the Iron Lion Road, it was tough to operate within the Black Continent. The deciding factor was the fact that the Black Continent was filled with nightmare right now.However, these Users refused to leave, and their will to fight was burning.Aside from skills and extrinsic factors¡­.. In terms of mental toughness, they were also above average. ¡°If half the number shows up, I will have no complaint.¡± At Hyrkan¡¯s words, Whistling didn¡¯t feel too good about the situation, but he nodded his head. In terms of gathering people, it was beyond his expectation. As expected of the Hahoe Mask! It almost made Whistling sigh in admiration.If Whistling had used the Hahoe Mask¡¯s reputation to gather the Users, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to gather 6,000 Users.He might not have been able to gather even 3,000 Users. Still, there was no way everyone gathered here would participate in the battle.They would be fortunate if half of them stepped forward.That would still amount to 3,000 Users. ¡°They¡¯ll come.You said so many cheeses for them.¡± After hearing his reply, Hyrkan started a simulation of the battle that¡¯ll occur tomorrow on the Bizma Plain. ¡°They have to hold out for one hour.¡± Barbarian King. It was a monster amongst monsters, who had beaten back numerous challengers and attackers.It was the most ruthless Boss Monster to appear in Warlord.It boasted special characteristics, skills and difficulty level that made people curse. However, for the past month, the Users hadn¡¯t been playing around.They had attempted it 31 times.It wasn¡¯t a small number.Tens of thousand of Users had thrown their bodies towards the Barbarian King. It happened slowly, but they compiled a clear method for the Barbarian King.Then they threw their bodies into the Raid to see if the methods they devised actually worked. It was like a blind man feeling the leg of an elephant to confirm that it was an elephant.This task was akin to that. Then there was Whistling¡¯s new comrades¡­.One of them was named the Questman, and he came up with a conjecture using all the information he gathered regarding the Main Scenario Quest. It had to be done during the 2nd Phase called the Storm Judgement mode. What would happen if one could lure the Barbarian King into the path of the Storme Judgement? It would be like the scene in a movie where a missile was lured into the path of an enemy. Storm Judgement was the Dragon¡¯s Judgement. Would the Barbarian King be fine from being hit by it? Even if it survived the strike, would an abnormal status go into effect? This hypothesis was put into action, and it was tried 31 times in the Barbarian King Raid.All of the Raids failed, but they acquired useful results.This was how they found the method to clear the 2nd Phase.When a thunder strike falls on top of one¡¯s head, it was suicide to charge towards the currently strongest monster in Warlord. However, this was also the most important part in taking down the Barbarian King. Sacrifice. Numerous sacrifices were needed to be able to latch onto the Barbarian King, and more sacrifices were needed to ensure the success of the Armor Breaking.The Judgement would inevitably fall, and in the end, Users had to put up with being sacrificed. From start to finish, the Barbarian King required sacrifices from the challenging Users. ¡°Are you really planning on killing it onyour own?¡± However, Hyrkan planned on killing such a foe by himself. ¡°Just block the others from interfering with me.¡± It was a preposterous task.One couldn¡¯t even say it was dumb, because it was absurd. However, Hyrkan insisted on choosing this path.Hyrkan wasn¡¯t doing this, because he was trying to uphold the name of the Hahoe Mask. ¡°The Barbarian King¡¯s attack pattern, route, clear method and speed is all in my mind.The only thing I can¡¯t predict are the disrupters.¡± There were two reasons why he was doing this. First, there was the existence of disrupters. There were countless number of people, who thought poorly of Hyrkan.They wouldn¡¯t just sit back, while eating popcorn. Moreover, the six thousand Users weren¡¯t all hiding behind trees as they attempted to hide their identities.No, his enemies didn¡¯t even need to hide.The disrupters just had to come to the Bizma plain in the morning, and they could just join the fight.Who would turn them away? This was a problem with a festival.You can¡¯t stop people from joining. ¡°Moreover, I¡¯m more comfortable fighting by myself.¡± There were two steps to clearing the Barbarian King Raid. When one wanted to kill the Barbarian King in its 2nd Phase, one had to bait its special ability called Storm Judgement.This attack targeted a single User within its range.This was why the targeted individual had to approached the Barbarian King within 3 seconds.This was also the reason why everyone said this method was impossible to pull off. However, Hyrkan thought differently.What would happen if there was only one User within range of the Storm Judgement? The act of finding the targeted User would be irrelevant.It would be clear, who was the target. This was why Hyrkan chose to solo this. ¡°Ah.It¡¯ll be more convenient for me, but I¡¯m not saying it¡¯ll easy.¡± At Hyrkan¡¯s words, everyone swallowed their words, and they just agreed with him. ¡°This game is hard.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t just hard.It is damn hard.¡± As they expressed their annoyance, Hyrkan once again looked at the Bizma Plain.He¡¯ll be dancing with the Barbarian King tomorrow.It¡¯ll be a fierce dance as thunder descended towards him.He¡¯ll be dancing around the Barbarian King until the Announcement notified him that he was the target of the Storm Judgement.He¡¯ll clash, retreat and clash again with joy. ¡°Still, it¡¯ll be pretty easy to name the video.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already chosen a title?¡± ¡°Of course.If I don¡¯t receive income from my videos, I can¡¯t play this game.The title will be Ballroom.¡± ¡°Ballroom?¡± ¡°Welcome to the Ballroom.¡± ¡°Why would you name it¡­.?¡± He¡¯ll do a dance that can only be done by the Hahoe Mask on this stage. ¡°I¡¯ll really liven it up with a dance.¡± 12. ¡°Currently, there are around five thousand Users gathered at the Bizma Plain.¡± ¡°The Hahoe Mask team is getting ready for the Raid.The 30 great guilds haven¡¯t shown up yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to join this historical event, which won¡¯t be broadcasted through the live channels.¡± Bizma Plain. Numerous Users of all types could be seen on the vast field. The most busy Users were the ones trying to recordevery step of this process.They wanted to document it, so they can sell the Barbarian King Raid footage.Hahoe Mask had given up claiming sole rights in regards to using the Raid footage for profit.He would allow anyone to record and use footage of him. Of course, this was a small present he was giving to those, who chose to fight with him.The people, who fought with him, could record the entire process.Moreover, they could do whatever they wanted with the footage. However, greedy Users had also gathered here like a swarm of mosquitoes.When one smiled in thanks in front of such generosity, another let out a devious smile.These Users only wanted to make money, and they weren¡¯t going to help out in the raid. These Users continuously moved around the Bizma Plain, and one could always hear the sound of their interviews in the air.It really sounded like the low buzzing of mosquitoes.The Interview Program allowed one to dampen the sound, so outsiders couldn¡¯t hear the User¡¯s voice.One could just hear a buzz. On the other hand, the Users, who came here for the Hahoe Mask, was making preparations. ¡°I¡¯ll explain the plan.The plan will unfold like this.A large scale magical bombardment will be used to decrease the number of monsters around the Barbarian King.Afterwards, the monsters will naturally be pulled by the aggro, and the Tankers will block them.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll form the first battle line, and we¡¯ll open a path in one location.¡± ¡°After establishing the first battle line, The Striker teams will come from eight directions to open up more paths.The Priests, Magicians and Tankers will enter through these paths.Then we have to block monsters from turning back to help the Barbarian King.Our role is to provide a stage where the Hahoe Mask can focus on battling the Barbarian King.¡± These Users had enjoyed the festive atmosphere yesterday, but the tactic made them feel faint.They had to hear it again.They weren¡¯t just listening to the tactic.They opened their holographic window, and they started drawing out the battle simulation.The prediction was drawn using dots. ¡°So they want the monsters between the Tankers?This is going to cause a lot of Tankers to die.¡± ¡°We have no choice.We need to form a wall on both sides, so the Hahoe Mask can go one on one with the Barbarian King.¡± ¡°I took a rough estimate, and I think there are around 2,000 Tankers here.I think about half will be be sent back to the Heard Fortress.¡± ¡°If only half dies, we¡¯ll be fortunate.If the Hahoe Mask fails, we¡¯ll probably have to run away with a do-or-die attitude.¡± The prediction didn¡¯t look too rosy.Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be great.In the first place, the Barbarian King Raid was designed in such a way where sacrifices were baked into the design.This Raid would need more sacrifices compared to any other Boss Monster Raids.Warlord¡¯s System had settled on this setting.There were Users gathered here, who had experience all of this multiple time.There were also Users, who had participated in all 31 Barbarian King Raids. ¡°Ah.I think I¡¯m going to die today.¡± This was why worried words emanated from the Users. ¡°Shit.I don¡¯t know why I voluntarily undergo hardship like this.¡± Words of complaint was also heard. ¡°I should quit this game.Eh-whew.¡± Everyone let out a sigh, but this was to be expected. However, they were thorough in their preparations even as they spoke those words. ¡°Let us all connect to the Voice Talk.Ah ah.Voice Talk test.Ah ah.Voice Talk test.I want members of my team to raise their hands!¡± ¡°Our team members should say fighting!After getting in position, please go over your roles once again.¡± ¡°This is a battle where 5,000 people will participate.It is very important that everyone hold their position.Please don¡¯t stray outside of your designated position!¡± They were experts. ¡°Don¡¯t try to spare your body too much!¡± ¡°If we lose the Black Continent, we¡¯ll lose our only hunting ground.Just close your eyes and take the bullet this one time.¡± ¡°It takes about the same amount of time to walk back to the Heard Fortress compared to starting again at the town after death.It is only death.It isn¡¯t as if we haven¡¯t experienced it before.¡± These were Users, who had reached Level 200 and the 2nd Advancement.They were qualified to be able to step onto the Black Continent.It wasn¡¯t an achievement and result that could be reached by just playing the game of Warlord for a long time. One had to be diligent, and one had to be better than others at the game.Moreover, one had to have love for this game. Since this was only a game, family members and friends berated them for playing this game too much. When will you come to your senses? How long will you play this game? Does oppa like this game better than me? The game of Warlord had become part of their lives, so these Users had heard similar questions. One had to accept these pitfalls to achieve these results. Casual gamers? They were definitely not that. ¡°All right.Let¡¯s ready the Magicians.¡± ¡°The order of attack will be fire, thunder, wind then ice.Please remember that.¡± ¡°The Barbarian King is approaching us!Fire Sea team!Get ready!¡± In reality, they were called game couch-potatoes.However, in Warlord, they were proud game experts.They were combat veterans of hundreds of battles.They were experts at turning the tide of the game. These were the types of people gathered here. They made their resolves. They would go out in a blaze of glory in this battle.They wanted a memory that they would remember at the end of their gamer lives. ¡°Holy crap.They are like a swarm of ants charging forward.¡± ¡°Well, haven¡¯t we gathered enough Users to resemble a swarm of ants right now?I think this is the first time I¡¯ve seen over 5,000 Users gathered in one place.¡± This was how the highlight that would long remain in the history of Warlord started. 13. It started with the rain of fire. It was the Fire Storm. Goo-roo-roo! ¡°Wow.Look at those clouds.¡± The red tinged clouds started to gather atop the heads of the Barbarian King and its subordinates. The monsters, who were quick on the uptake, quickly looked up at the clouds.The monsters expressed their wariness. Joo-roohk! Then the clouds started to spit out rain of fire.The range of the rain was massive.It was hard to calculate the area by using a soccer field as a reference.It felt as if the storm was coming down on a region big enough to be called a small city. Moreover, the rain used the vegetations in the Bizma Plain as fuel, and the fire started to spread more fiercely. It was as if the rain had caused a flooding.It created a sea of fire. ¡°Roll the fireballs£¡¡± ¨C We are rolling the fireballs! Large fireballs rolled across the sea of fire. Kwah-kwah-kwah! The fireballs were letting out a rough sound as it rolled onward like a runaway train.The fireballs grew in size as they rolled atop the sea of fire.They grew into enormous sizes, and the small monsters were basically bowling pins in front of them. Kuh-hyung, kuh-hyung! However, the monsters refused to be defeated like helpless bowling pins. The monsters, who had suffered the attack, went on the offensive.They started to select their target through aggro.When the selection ended, they started to move to destroy their targets.The ones that were the quickest were the four-legged monsters.The monsters that looked like wolves, lions and other animals separated from the horde of monsters.They led the charge. ¡°They are coming.¡± ¡°Are the Buffs complete?¡± ¡°Ok.It¡¯s all done!Team 29 complete!¡± ¡°Team 33 is complete!¡± The eyes of the running monsters rolled around as they let out horrible cries.When the monsters were about to reach them, the Tankers moved.They held a shield in the left hand, and the right hand held the weapon.The Tankers slowly marched towards the monsters. After getting into position, the Tankers stood firm.They became a large wall. -The battle has started! -L Uh? Where are you seeing the Raid from? -L My friend is playing the game, and he is streaming it live for me. -L Please share the stream! -L I want a link too! At that moment, the online world was restless. In many ways, this was a historical event.This event was not being led by the 30 great guilds.The Barbarian Raid was occurring through the participation of normal Users, so the fans of Warlords were very interested.The interest had peaked. However, there was no official live broadcast of this event. -Shit.Why aren¡¯t they broadcasting this on the live channels? -L If they have a sense of honor, they won¡¯t do it. -L They had taken a backseat until now, while they harvested honey inside their hunting grounds.It wouldn¡¯t be a good look if they broadcasted this. -L I¡¯d rather watch the Hahoe Mask¡¯s video later.Live channel?What a farce. -L Let¡¯s just give the Hahoe Mask a live channel! -LL I agree. -LL I agree (2). The 30 great guilds, who possessed the live channels, had no rights to broadcast this event. They had purposefully allowed the tyranny of the Barbarian King to continue, and most of the 30 great guilds had enjoyed playing the game inside the hunting grounds they owned. Hahoe Mask and the regular Users were making history, yet the 30 great guilds didn¡¯t have the right to profit off of it. The battle on the stage of the Bizma Plain was for the regular Users.It was for Users, who looked beyond profit.It was a stage where their dreams, hopes and will was gathered. In many ways, they were purely here to play the game. Was this the reason why? ¡®It is a grand spectacle.¡¯ Hyrkan watched the stage as he kept his breathing steady.He waited for his upcoming battle.In Hyrkan¡¯s eyes, this battle shone more brightly than any other battle. Grand Spectacle. This was true whether it was before he came to the past or after. He had participated in countless battles, yet he never saw a stage that shone as brightly as this one. ¡®This is a grand spectacle.¡¯ There were over five thousand Users gathered here.They were throwing magic, swinging swords, raising shields and praying for a single User. Moreover, this was only the beginning. They would continue to fight, and the battle wouldn¡¯t even allow them to take a breather.At the very least, they would have to fight for an hour. Of course, there would be some Users, who would log out, after giving up on this painful battle.There would also be some Users, who ran away. On the other hand, a significant amount of Users had already accepted the risk of a Game Over.They would fight until death. Most of the Users, who died here, would suffer losses.No one would acknowledge their deaths.They would record a Game Over, and they would have to suffer the consequences in real life by being barred from the game for 48 hours. The 30 great guilds compensated the Users, who died in a Raid, and the Hahoe Mask style of battle was a high risk, high reward method.The regular Users were different.Their motivations were purer ¡®Yes, I always wanted to fight on a stage like this.¡¯ Hyrkan had dreamed about this sight. He had dreamed about this stage. He had wanted to be the main character where the Users created the stage for him.They would cheer him on as they sacrificed their lives for no cost. ¡®This type of stage¡­¡­¡¯ It had been the same even before he returned to the past.He had wanted to be on the brightest stage with the Hahoe Mask guild.He wanted to stand here with the people, who had suffered with him.Moreover, he wanted to leave behind a legacy with those people on a stage like this. This was why the sense of betrayal he had felt had cut much deeper.He had wanted to watch this sight with them, yet they had betrayed him.Maybe this was why he violently rebelled against everyone. ¡®Hnng.¡¯ Of course, the memory from back then would not be put into the collection of memories he wanted to reminisce.No, he would no longer be beholden to those memories.Today will be the last day he¡¯ll feel regret and anger from that memory. ¡®Yes, my choice wasn¡¯t wrong.¡¯ He had no reason to regret now. Hyrkan put a Timer Bone Explosive within the Bone Dragon¡¯s body.Afterwards, he looked behind at the Skeleton Warriors, who were line up with their Bone Armors equipped. The moment where Hyrkan would have to perform was approaching. Chapter 188 – Barbarian King (5) Chapter 188 ¨C Barbarian King (5) 14. ¡°We broke through!¡± ¨C The path is open! The battle began, and the confrontation opened up with the magical bombardment sent by the Magicians.Then the Tankers made a line to stop the monsters from reaching the Magicians. While both sides battled to whittle down the number of each side, eight teams started boring holes through the horde of monsters. ¡°Drill through!Drill through!¡± ¡°Strikers carry the Priests and Magicians in!¡± ¡°Hurry up and get in there!¡± A large amount of the force started to be sucked through the holes.Then the Users started to build another wall as they stood with their backs towards the Barbarian King.It looked as if they were protecting the Barbarian King. ¡°We are in place!¡± -After solidifying your position, I want the Healers to stick close to the Tankers! -You guys take charge of columns that break away! ¡°If the situation is desperate, the Magicians should use magic to regain the Aggro!¡± -This is for the Magician Team.Please hold back from using AOE magic.It has to be Target Magic.I will say this again.Please hold back from using AOE Magic.We have to make a ring.You guys have to fight the battle through Target Magic. This was called the Donut Plan. It was a plan devised to stop the monsters, who had come out to protect the Barbarian King, from returning to the Barbarian King.The Tankers would block off the route back.A wall had to be formed.The Barbarian King would be at the center.The Users and monsters would form a donut shape around it. This was the crux of the plan. ¨C The Hahoe Mask is getting ready. The empty hole in the middle of the donut would be the stage where the Hahoe Mask and the Barbarian King would fight. The start was announced by the Bone Dragon. The Bone Dragon flew high in the sky, and it was the first to attack the Barbarian King.It was 20 meters long, and the enormous Bone Dragon was terrifying. It was made using a level 220 Dragon type boss monster, so it was well worth its cost.The Ingredients cost tens of thousand of gold. The Bone Dragon landed in front of the Barbarian King, and the remaining monsters near the Barbarian King charged forward.All the large monsters stuck to the enormous body of the Bone Dragon. After several seconds¡­. Kwah-gwah-gwah-gwahng! There was thousand Bone Explosives planted inside the Dragon¡¯s body, and in a flash, all the monster sticking near the Bone Dragon was swept up in the explosion. This was the signal. ¨C The Hahoe Mask is on the move! When the signal was given, Hahoe Mask started running.He started to run towards the wall that was paved with the lives of Users.The Skeleton Warriors was close behind Hyrkan. In a flash, the group jumped over the wall made by the Users. ¡°Oh oh oh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Hahoe Mask!Hahoe Mask-nim looked at me!¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t look at you.He looked at the monster in front of you!¡± ¡°You are the only one we trust, Hahoe Mask!Please kill the Barbarian King!¡± Hahoe Mask and the Skeletons flew over their heads like sparrows in flight.The Tankers, Priests, Strikers and Magicians gave him words of encouragement. Hahoe Mask left the cheering Users behind as he ran towards the Barbarian King.The number of monsters charging towards the Hahoe Mask was few in number. The Bone Dragon had been used as bait, and its suicide bombing had taken out most of themiscellaneous monsters. The Skeleton Warriors were in charge of taking care of the leftover monsters.While Hyrkan reduced his speed, the Skeleton Warriors charged past Hyrkan to kill the monsters. Several Skeletons unhesitatingly charged towards their master¡¯s biggest enemy.They fearlessly charged towards the Barbarian King. The Barbarian King had done nothing up until now, but it moved in reaction to the Skeletons. Hoo-ooh-oong! The long nose of the Barbarian King was swung like a whip.In just a single swing, two Skeleton Warriors approaching the Barbarian King was broken into pieces.However, one was able to dodge, and it approached the feet of the Barbarian King.The Skeleton Warrior stabbed the Gem embedded in the Barbarian King¡¯s armor. It was able to hit the Gem only once. After the Skeleton Warrior finished its single attack, it was immediately grabbed by the Barbarian King¡¯s hand. Kwah-jeek, kwah-jeek! The Skeleton had been equipped with the Bone Armor and the Tattoo Scorpion set.However, it was crushed in an instant. The Skeleton Warriors were impregnable against most monsters here, yet they were easily broken.They were like toys in the hands of the Barbarian King. The Skeleton Warriors exploded as they let out the poison of the Tattoo Scorpion, yet it had no effect on the Barbarian King. However¡­. Gwah-ahng! The explosion, which had erupted in the Barbarian King¡¯s hand, was somewhat effective. The Barbarian King¡¯s hand was frozen.The Bone Explosive held the Transcendent Rank Ancient Power, Legendary Rank Ancient Power, Mythos Rank Ancient Power and the Power of Frost.It froze the Barbarian King for 3 seconds. The 3 seconds was a golden opportunity.Hyrkan threw his Bone Spear. The Bone Spear flew towards the shoulder armor, and it embedded itself in a red-colored gem. It was surprisingly accurate! However, there was no time to marvel at Hyrkan¡¯s accuracy. This was a fight against time. The Users wouldn¡¯t be able to last too long against the monsters.Moreover, the Skeletons and other summonable familiars wouldn¡¯t be able to last long against the Barbarian King. He had to destroy 31 Protection Gems in a short amount of time. At the very least, the Protection Gem needed two hits to break it.This meant he needed to attack it 62 times to destroy all the Gems.If each attack took a minute, one had to spend an hour in destroying the Gems. This was why Hyrkan stayed in place.He knew what he wanted to do.He¡¯ll let out an all-out attack on the Gems.In a flash, he would strike the Gems with his Bone Spears. He was Hyrkan. He was a genius. On the stage of the virtual reality game, his skill and talent was unparalleled.He was an extraordinary genius, who defied all common sense. If he was a Magician, Ballista would probably have to give up his nickname to Hyrkan. Hyrkan¡¯s spear flew in a tight arc.It was once again embedded in the armor¡¯s Gem. Poo-hwaht! [The first Protection Gem was destroyed.] A Gem had been destroyed. Boo-oh-oh! At that moment, the Barbarian King let out a cry that could only be made by a beast with the nose of an elephant.The sound went on for a long time as if it was a boat horn. Hyrkan unconsciously spoke towards it. ¡°Come at me!Let¡¯s end this!¡± 15. -He made his move. On the fierce battlefield, the Strikers attempted Armor Breaking, while the Tankers held the monsters at bay.When the Armor Breaking was done, the Magicians sent their magical spells against these monsters.The Priests busily moved around to save as many lives as they could. In such a battle, the members of the Hands guild had been calmly killing the monsters.The order came to the nine Users, who had hidden themselves amongst the crowd. They had given a reasonable effort at killing the monsters. They abandoned their spots. They started walking. They moved towards the ring being maintained by the Users, who were sacrificing their lives. ¡°Hey!¡± Someone called after them, but they acted as if they couldn¡¯t hear the person.They redoubled their efforts to reach the stage. Of course, they couldn¡¯t do as they pleased.There were Users tasked with dealing with changing variables, and these Users blocked the paths of the Hands guild. ¡°Hey.This place is off limits.¡± ¡°At, that is¡­¡­ The members of the Hands guild paused as they looked at the Users in front of them. They weren¡¯t thinking about whether they should fight or not. They were think of a way that¡¯ll allow them to kill the Users in front of them as soon as possible. As they were pondering such thoughts, they looked closer at the opponents barring their way. There was a flicker of recognition. ¡°Red Bulls?¡± ¡°Stormhunters?¡± They finally realized, who was blocking their path. 17. There were over 200 Users gathered in the Bizma Plain.This large group was hidden as they looked at the battle.A User wearing red robes also looked at the battlefield. ¡°Ah.¡± As he watched the battlefield, a phone call arrived. ¡°Hello?¡± -Hatch! As soon as he picked up the phone, he heard an angry shout.However, he didn¡¯t frown or sulk when he heard the angry shout.Instead, he put on a smile as he spoke. ¡°Ah.Who is this?¡± ¨C Are you planning on breaking the contract of nonparticipation! The caller was Horus. Of course, Hatch knew who was calling.He had answered the call knowing Horus had called him. ¡°Ah.What are you talking about?¡± -You dare¡­¡­How dare you double cross us like this? ¡°Double cross?Do you know who I am?¡± -Hatch! ¡°Are we on friendly terms?Did we actually form a contract?¡± -You son of a bitch!Do you think you¡¯ll be able to get away with this? ¡°I¡¯m asking, because I really don¡¯t know what you are talking about.What did I do wrong?You said I did something wrong, yet you don¡¯t have a contract.Do you have any evidence that¡¯ll stand in the court of law? -You bastard. ¡°Ah.If you want to talk in more details, you can call up our guild¡¯s lawyer.We have a really expensive lawyer on retainer, so you shouldn¡¯t do anything rash against us.Ah.I¡¯m recording our current conversation.You might be called to court some day, so you should be careful.¡± When he ended the call, Hahui approached Hatch. ¡°Who called you?¡± ¡°Ah.It was my girlfriend.¡± Hatch answered in a flippant manner. ¡°What?¡± Hahui had a horrified expression on her face.It was beyond description.Hatch was taken aback when he saw her expression.Her expression was filled with shock, and she looked as if the world was about to fall all around her. ¡°No, it was someone I know.It was a joke.¡± Normally, he would tease her, but Hahui¡¯s expression was too incredible.Hatch unconsciously stopped himself. ¡°You surprised me!¡± At Hatch¡¯s explanation, Hahui¡¯s expression changed instantly. She put on a murderous expression again. Hahui had on her usual expression, and Hatch was able to come to his senses.He responded in his usual manner. ¡°Why were you surprised when I said I had a girlfriend?This is strange. Are you interested in me?Do you like me?¡± Instead of answering, Hahui glared at Hatch.The one to end this weird spectacle was Shir. ¡°Was it the Hands guild?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As soon as he answered the question, a User quickly approached them.It was a User wearing an imposing helmet with horns.It was none other than the guild master of the Red Bulls.It was Matador Chev. ¡°We¡¯ve engaged with the Helpers of the Hands guild.¡± Shir immediately asked a question. ¡°What¡¯s the result?¡± ¡°They are still in battle¡­¡­They are a tough opponent.¡° ¡°I want you to show them your skill.If you can¡¯t do this, there was no point in me paying an exorbitant amount of money to purchase your guild.¡± Chev let out an awkward smile instead of answering her.He was in a spot now where he had to follow her every order.He couldn¡¯t just ignore her words. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± At Chev¡¯s answer, Shir turned her head instead of answering him. They were at the Bizma Plain. She looked at the Hahoe Mask, who was dancing with the Barbarian King on a stage made by the Users. Hatch carefully spoke to her. ¡°What will you do if the Hahoe Mask turns down the offer?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll go with our other plan.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡­ It¡¯ll be war with the Hahoe Mask¡­¡± Shir didn¡¯t answer him.She looked at the battlefield with an expressionless face. 16. Hyrkan hadn¡¯t used all his cards yet.Every time he was put in danger, he took out a card.When the 50 Skeleton Warriors he brought initially was turned back into Skeleton Fragments, Hyrkan summoned the Skeleton Knights. The Skeleton Knights were on their Skeleton Steeds, and they fearlessly fought against the Barbarian King. Hit and run! The Skeleton Knights used the mobility of the Skeleton Steed as they performed at optimal level.A less knowledgeable person would probably mistake the Skeleton Knights as Death Knights.In other words, it was evidence that Hyrkan¡¯s Skeleton Knights had gone through countless high level battles. If it wasn¡¯t for Hyrkan, the Skeleton Warriors and Knights wouldn¡¯t have such excellent battle AI. He was deeply moved. It was as if he was a parent looking at his children excel in a brilliant manner. However, at a certain point, he stopped himself from being impressed.In the end, the Skeleton Knights could only stall for time. Eventually the Skeleton Knights exited the field, and the Golems started to appear in order. The four Golems borrowed the appearance of Ogres using the Clay Play Skill.The Golems were large enough to rival the size of the Barbarian King. However, the Golems couldn¡¯t hold out as long as the Skeleton Knights.The Barbarian King¡¯s trunk was powerful enough to destroy the Earth Golem andIce Golem with a single blow.The demonic spirit of the Barbarian King ate away and crushed the Iron Golem.The Fire Golem was the most pitiful out of the bunch.The Barbarian King ignored the flames created by the Fire Golem.The Fire Golem¡¯s fire was like a flame atop a birthday candle to the Barbarian King. However, the time bought by the Golems was precious.Hyrkan was able to summon the Death Knight thanks to their sacrifices. After appearing, the Death Knight fought the Barbarian King as if to avenge the Golems. The Death Knight was the only one that was able to fight on equal grounds with the Barbarian King.The Death Knight didn¡¯t retreat. When the Death Knight appeared, the [Undying] Skill was immediately activated, and it awoke more Skeleton Warriors and Knight. The Skeleton underlings took form again, and they expressed their undying will towards the Barbarian King. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ Hyrkan was deeply moved by their efforts. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ Hyrkan was thankful of the exploits of his Skeletons. [The 31st Protection Gem was destroyed.] Hyrkan was able to destroy the 31st Protection Gem.It was 48 minutes into the battle. At that moment, Hyrkan opened his mouth for the first time. ¡°The 2nd Phase is starting.¡± Hyrkan¡¯s voice had been low.A person next to him wouldn¡¯t have been able to hear it. ¨C The 2nd Phase is starting! However, he had spoken through his Voice Talk program. ¡°The 2nd Phase is starting!¡± ¡°The 2nd Phase in starting! -The 2nd Phase is starting.! It was like an echo.The same phrase filled the battlefield in seconds. Hyrkan manipulated his watch.He set his watch on the second slot, and he immediately yelled out. ¡°Slot On!¡± Goo-roo-roohng! At the same time, the heavens let out a sound of warning. Chapter 189 – Barbarian King (6) Chapter 189 ¨C Barbarian King (6) 18. Ggoo-roong, ggoo-roong! Dark clouds appeared in the sky.The dark clouds looked to be thunderclouds as it overtly displayed its might. Gulp! At this sight, everyone gulped. ¡°Wow.The Hahoe Mask really reached the 2nd Phase by himself.¡± ¡°The other teams were only able to do it after losing 300 Users¡­.¡± At that moment¡­. Zzuh-juh-juhk! There was no warning. A bolt of thunder fell towards the ground.Everything stopped when the sound of the thunder was heard.It was as if someone had pressed the pause button.All the several thousand small battles going on in the battlefield stopped for a brief moment. Then the battle started again. ¡®What happened?¡¯ ¡®Was the Hahoe Mask able to dodge it?¡¯ ¡®Did he succeed?¡¯ However, at that moment, the Users in battle only had one thought. Did the Hahoe Mask dodge the Storm Judgement? If it had occurred as planned, he would have dodged the Judgement. At the same time, was he able to plant the Storm Judgement on the Barbarian King? The answer came. ¨C Hahoe Mask succeeded on the first one! It came out through Voice Talk. ¡°Hell yeah!¡± ¡°Wow.I got goosebumps right now.¡± ¡°Bullshit.You don¡¯t have goosebumps.We are within the game.¡± ¡°It is a figure of speech.¡± ¡°Ok.Let¡¯s do this! ¡° ¡°The Hahoe Mask succeeded!¡± A shout akin to a thunder exploded forth from the battlefield.Everyone started shouting for the Hahoe Mask. At that moment, Hyrkan had barely avoided the thunder, and he walked near the Barbarian King¡¯s heel.Hyrkan swallowed the sigh of relief from coming out of his mouth. ¡®¡­¡­wow.¡¯ When the alert announcing him being the target of the Storm Judgement popped up, the three second countdown had started. Three seconds. It was a short amount of time where one could let out a long sigh once, and the time would be up.He had only a brief amount of time.The enemy could stomp him, beat him to death with its trunk or squeeze him to death with its grip.However, he had to charge forward towards his enemy despite the danger. No explanation was needed.Even if one was able to give a detailed explanation, it was something that wouldn¡¯t be believed unless one saw it. The bolt of thunder fell, and at that moment, the thunder struck the Barbarian King.Hyrkan slipped to the side, and for a moment, the world became yellow and white. He had goosebumps. His body shuddered. ¡®This is awesome.¡¯ Moreover, he had a smile on his face. ¡®If my timing was off by one second¡­No, if it was off by .5 second, I would have been sent to heaven.It wouldn¡¯t have matter what setting I had on.¡¯ At that moment, Hahoe Mask was wearing fabric clothes. The full set was worth 500,000 gold, and it was called the Thunder Mage set.Moreover, he was wearing the Circlet of Purification. He had ignored physical defense.This setting was solely put on to increase his resistance against the thunder as much as possible.The Circlet of Purification was chosen to sidestep the inevitable Stun effect that would arise when hit with the Storm Judgement.He didn¡¯t know if it¡¯ll work against the Storm Judgement, but he decided to equip it. His combined outfit was incredibly pricey, and this set would give him one chance. Theoretically, It meant he could survive one hit from the Storm Judgement. However, when he witnessed the Storm Judgement, Hyrkan¡¯s intuition gave a different assessment. ¡®There won¡¯t be a next time.¡¯ He had spent an enormous amount of money as a precaution, yet he realized it wouldn¡¯t play a role in this battle. He couldn¡¯t rely on it. He had to think of it as him fighting the battle with his bare body. He had to think of this as his last and only chance at this. ¡®Storm¡­¡­I really have a bad relationship with anything that starts with Storm.¡¯ The funny part was the fact that useless thoughts filled his mind at his most desperate situation. The Barbarian King extended its hands towards Hyrkan.Hyrkan dodged a hand.Then he kept dodging. Hweek hweek! The Barbarian King¡¯s attack was akin to a boxer jabbing with his fists. Hyrkan dodged them all. The Barbarian King became frustrated at the nimble Hyrkan, so it brought up its trunk up high before it swung the trunk downward like a whip. Gwah-ahng! Hyrkan threw his body to avoid the Barbarian King¡¯s elephant-like trunk.It had come down like a bolt of lightning. However, he didn¡¯t run away too far.He had to maintain a certain distance.If he was too far away, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get close to the Barbarian King when the Judgement starts. [The Storm Judgement is heading towards you.] 1 When the Announcement popped up, Hyrkan dove between the Barbarian King¡¯s legs. Jjuh-juh-juhk! The thunderbolt impacted on the Barbarian King¡¯s body.At that moment, Hyrkan could feel it. ¡®It is a lightning rod.If a thunder strikes near the Barbarian King, the Barbarian King will absorb everything.¡¯ He realized he didn¡¯t need to be too fine with the timing. As expected, this was the method that had to be used to defeat this monster.Moreover, this leniency was a little bit of courtesy given by Warlord to the User, who carried out this method. ¡®Fuck.I¡¯m so thankful that tears are coming out.¡¯ Hyrkan was serious.The courtesy almost brought him to tears, and as if to pay back this courtesy, Hyrkan once again engaged the Barbarian King.While Hyrkan confronted it, he looked at the status of the Barbarian King. The Barbarian King¡¯s body looked a bit charred, but it was still imposing.He didn¡¯t know how many times he would have to repeat this action.The 31st Raid team had succeeded in this method thrice before they gave up on the Raid. It could be three, ten or twenty times.It could also be 31 times to mirror the number of Protection Gems possessed by the Barbarian King. Hyrkan gritted his teeth. ¡®There¡¯s no tree that won¡¯t fall if you strike it 10 times.It would be great if Warlord¡¯s AI knew this adage¡­. Zzuh-juhk! This was the 11th Storm Judgement.It let out a fierce thunderclap as it fell. It was as if this sound had been the signal.The two groups on standby moved at that moment.They had been far away, but in short order, they came close to the wall of Users protecting the Hahoe Mask. When the Users saw the two groups approaching, they looked at them with suspicion.Their glares turned into a look of shock. ¡°It¡¯s the Stormhunters!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Red Bulls!¡± These were two enormous guilds. The Red Bulls had been the dragon hidden under the water until now.The Stormhunters guild had been at the forefront of leading this era. The two guilds didn¡¯t hide their emblems as they charged towards the stage where the Barbarian King was present. Whistling had been going around taking down Users and monsters trying to approach the Hahoe Mask.The news was quickly delivered to Whistling¡¯s ears. ¡®Of all the¡­.¡¯ He knew disrupters would come.In truth, there had been couple disrupters here already.However, he would have never imagined that the Red Bulls and the Stormhunters fell into the same category.He didn¡¯t know about the other guilds, but he had thought these two guilds had the pride and self respect that came with their position in the 30 great guilds. ¡®As expected, they are putting profits above all else?¡¯ Of course, he understood why they were doing this. The 30 great guilds of Warlord were organizations that were mostly driven by profit.They were basically companies.Their goal was to make money through this game. To them, the Barbarian King Raid was worth¡­. At the very least, it would be a figure normal people would balk at.It was probably an enormous amount of money. Anyways, the worst case scenario had just occurred. ¡®How long will they be able to last?¡¯ He was sure of it.It was impossible to stop them. However, could they draw out the fight? The fact that he was having such thoughts was the height of arrogance.Whistling, Yojori, Joba and all the regular Users could only buy some time.That was the only thing they could do. The only thing up in the air was how long they would be able to drag this out. Gulp! Whistling unconsciously gulped.In truth, he didn¡¯t know how to deal with this situation. ¡®Shit.¡¯ He felt an indescribable sense of despair.Then the despair immediately changed in sorriness towards Hyrkan. In the end, Whistling had precipitated this. Hyrkan didn¡¯t need this stage.He could prove his worth, and be treated well elsewhere.However, Whistling had brought him to this abyss.The only thing that could comfort Hyrkan was a victory and success.That was it. However, everything was about to be ruined.They were treading water to stay above the abyss. ¡°Excuse me.Shouldn¡¯t we tell him?¡± Yojori asked the question.Hahoe Mask still didn¡¯t know about the appearance of the two large guilds. ¡°No.¡± Whistling asked Yojori to keep silent. He couldn¡¯t tell Hyrkan about this situation.Hyrkan was currently fighting a life and death battle with the Barbarian King, and his words might cause him to die.Hyrkan was fighting a battle where 1 second determined his fate.It was a battle with a razor thin margin. As a friend, Whistling wanted to help in anyway he could.He wanted Hyrkan to be left alone, so he could carry out the battle.This was the only way he could repay his friend. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to block them.¡± Whistling gritted his teeth. He had already been prepared for death. Moreover, at that moment, Whistling was thinking of different ways he could threaten the two guilds. Was there anyway he could file a lawsuit against the Stormhunters and Redbulls for using such tactics? Could he use this threat to scare them off? His mind mulled over the problem. However, he didn¡¯t have much time to ponder over this problem. Whistling could see the Stormhunters guild close the distance with the Hahoe Mask and the Barbarian King.They were turning aside the wall of Users easily.Moreover, Whistling could see, who was in the front. ¡®My god.¡¯ Storm Queen Shir! She was leading from the front.Aside from the Hahoe Mask, she was called the strongest in Warlord.Moreover, it would be useless to bring lawyers, the justice system and a lawsuit against her.It wouldn¡¯t work on her. Whistling was about to lose his fighting spirit.His face looked like the face of a fighting dog, but the fight was about drain out of him. ¡®Wow.It¡¯s the Storm Queen.¡¯ ¡°Even if I die here, I can boast about this to everyone.¡± Everyone else pretty much assumed they were all going to die early on.At that moment, Whistling sheathed his sword. ¡°You shall not pass!¡± Then he yelled out. He used all his strength to do so. In his lifetime, Whistling had never yelled this loud before.It was as if he was barfing out everything within him into this shout. At the shout, the Stormhunters and the Storm Queen came to a stop. ¡°If you have pride in yourself as the 30 great guilds, you should leave this to the Hahoe Mask.You should think about the etiquette within Warlord!¡± They stopped, but Whistling kept shouting. ¡°At the very least, you should keep the gamer¡¯s code of conduct!¡± At Whistling¡¯s shout, Shirt glared at Whistling.Shir, who was looking straight at Whistling, was beautiful.However, her expression was indescribably cold.Whistling didn¡¯t avoid her gaze.He glared at her like a fighting dog. While this terrifying war of gazes was occurring, a third person spoke up. ¡°We are here to make a deal with the Hahoe Mask.¡± Ballista Hatch. He had been at the back of the group.He ran forward as he shouted. ¡°We started the Barbarian King event.Of course, we also possess the key that will allow us to finish off the Barbarian King.If we let things be, the Barbarian King will start up its activities again.¡± Hatch gave an explanation. When he ended the explanation, Shir added her words. ¡°Even if I do fight with the Hahoe Mask, there is no way I¡¯ll fight him here.So get out of my way.¡± Whistling gritted his teeth. 19. When the thunder fell another 10 times, the Barbarian King froze in place. He stood erect. It was like a statue. However, the Barbarian King was still alive. ¡®Ah£¡¡¯ Hyrkan watched this sight, and for the first time, he let out a sigh of relief inside his head. The clear method was effective. [The Barbarian King Nesha has fallen asleep.] [The Barbarian King Nesha will awaken in 24 hours.] However, the next System Announcement knocked down all his achievements in one fell swoop. ¡®This fucking game!¡¯ It was the worst possible situation. He was well aware of the possibility of a 3rd Phase.He had expected the Barbarian King to go nuts, so he had prepared accordingly.However, he hadn¡¯t been prepared for this scenario. At the same time, he had no idea how he should deal with this scenario. [Barbarian King Nessa will awaken from his sleep in 23 hours 50 seconds.] In front of Hyrkan, the Warlord started its cold, heartless and cruel countdown. ¡®I¡­¡­ I have to kill this bastard.¡¯ At that moment, Hyrkan thought about all the Users, who had given up their lives for him. Losses? That didn¡¯t matter. It hadn¡¯t been important in the first place.He didn¡¯t play this game for the money.He had needed the money to become the best in Warlord. He was afraid of the disappointment. These Users had put their lives on the line for him.They had fought for his victory, and even the dead Users were cheering from outside the game.He was afraid of the sense of disappointment that¡¯ll be felt by those people. ¡°I have to kill it!¡± Eventually, he shouted at the top of his lungs towards the Barbarian King Nessa. -Hyrkan.The Stormhunters guild and Red Bulls guild is heading your way. At that moment, he heard Whistling¡¯s voice. -They want to propose a deal. Hyrkan turned his head.He could see a large group heading towards the center of the plain. He could see her. Storm Queen Shir! She wasn¡¯t wearing her helmet, and her hair was whipping around her.She brought her group towards him. Hyrkan looked at them. As time passed, Shir and Hyrkan stared at each other. ¡°This will be my final proposal.¡± Shir opened her mouth. 1. .. 2¡­ Chapter 190 – Chapter 190 ¨C Emperor of Solo Play 1. In historic events, there are times when an inexplicable gap in the story occurs.There was a sense that something had gone on, but no one knows the details.It is never recorded, and the people, who participated in these events, carry the information to their graves. The conversation that was about to start right now happened within this gap. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but your conversation partner will suddenly shift from a beauty to a man. As you probably know, our Queen really likes you.This is why she always took on deals that were harmful to us when dealing with you. This is why I feel obliged to step forward.¡± Hatch spoke as he looked at the User in front of him. Hyrkan was wearing a Hahoe Mask, and he wore a yellow robe, which was reminiscent of a flash of thunder. Hatch felt as if he was staring at a monster. ¡®I never expected him to get this far.¡¯ No, he really was a monster.He used his own power to put the Barbarian King to sleep.He made the impossible into reality.He succeeded in a task that one would have a hard time believing it happened even if one saw it. ¡®Either we can ally with him or we can crush him.If not, the Hahoe Mask¡­There are no other choice left for him.¡¯ Hatch calmed his emotions in front of the monster.He forced himself to smile as he spoke. ¡°Since we serve the same teacher, let¡¯s de-escalate this situation.Aren¡¯t you also a student of Ahimbree?If we consider the order in which we became students, I am your senior.Of course, I¡¯m not asking you to treat me like a senior¡­¡± He was trying his best to de-escalate the tense atmosphere, yet it had no effect. Hyrkan didn¡¯t respond. In truth, this wasn¡¯t the place for idle chatter.This meeting was put together to give an explanation. ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m sorry.I¡¯ll immediately give you an explanation.I¡¯ll tell you about the meaning behind the Queen¡¯s proposal.¡± Hoo-ooh. Hatch took in deep breaths as he organized his words inside his head. ¡°Normally, the people making the game wants the people playing the game to like playing their game.This might be a lengthy explanation¡­Please be patient.We still have a lot of time left.¡± The atmosphere settled after Hatch spoke his words.It was akin to an exhale. ¡°Anyways, the people, who make games for a living, have a hard time enjoying their own game.You know how it is, right?If you make something yourself, you only see the flaws.You also know which part is fun, and you know how to clear everything¡­Moreover, if you run into difficulty, you have cheats built-in for convenience.This naturally led to the game developers to think about wanting to play a game full of mystery.Even if the content obvious, they wanted to play a game where they didn¡¯t know the content.¡± For a brief moment, he was lost in his old memories.However, he quickly stopped his reminiscence. ¡°This was how Warlord was born.Of course, it was made using an AI in an attempt to decrease the personnel expenditure.This was why investment after investment was sunk into it¡­.The creators of Warlord made it with such thoughts in mind.This was also why Warlord was able to differentiate itself from other similar games.It became the special one.¡± Hyrkan still didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Let me expand on my explanation.In the distant past, the world¡¯s best Go players played Go against an AI.At the time, people, who didn¡¯t even know how to play Go, were excited over the match.This is an analogous situation.The AI is an unknown variable.It is also a match between AI and humanity.A victorious outcome would prove the worthiness of humanity.Warlord was made using the same premise.From one to ten, the AI would create and be in charge of everything!This would stoke the interest of the people, who usually didn¡¯t play games. They unhesitatingly invested money into creating this criteria, which would drive the interest of the masses.In other words, if this criteria was lost, Warlord loses its worth.Moreover, we aren¡¯t at a point in our AI technologywhere an AI can manage Warlord indefinitely.¡± At this point, Hatch no longer cared how Hyrkan reacted. ¡°The world made by Warlord is about to come to an end.This is the last Main Scenario Quest.The only thing left after killing the Barbarian King is to acquire the artifact of the War King to fight the Dragon.After the battle with the Dragon, this game will become a normal game.¡± ¡°So what?¡± For the first time, Hyrkan reacted.Hatch couldn¡¯t help, but laugh at his reaction. ¡°Once Warlord becomes a normal game, you won¡¯t be able to accrue the same amount of fame and wealth.You won¡¯t be able to earn several hundred thousand dollars just from posting a single hunting video.No company in this world would pay you exorbitant amount of money to sponsor you.Of course, you¡¯ll be able to make money.However, it wouldn¡¯t be at the current level.In other words, if you monkey around with the current situation, you¡¯ll be able to earn more fame and money over a longer period of time.If you can play this game for one more year, you¡¯ll even be able to own a building worth several millions of dollars.This is why I¡¯m going to ask you these questions.Will you be able to kill this game knowing this?Are you willing to give up everything in the process?¡± At his words, Hyrkan thought over the words that had been spoken. Shir spoke. ¡°This is my last proposal.¡± It was her last proposal. ¡°You can either finish this game with me, or you can go to war with me.¡± He could share the glory of ending Warlord with her or he could extend the life-cycle of Warlord by fighting against her. He had to choose one of those options. After she put forth her short proposal, Hatch stepped forward to block off Shir.Shir¡¯s proposal was abrupt, and Hatch had to interpret and explain her words. Thanks to his efforts, Hyrkan was able to understand everything. He now knew what was going on around him. He now understood what was going on in this world called Warlord. Moreover, he had an idea on what he should do from now on. ¡°Were you perhaps a programmer?¡± At Hyrkan¡¯s question, Hatch nodded his head. ¡°Yes, it was my past occupation.¡± ¡°Did you participate in creating Warlord?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t directly involved.If Warlord was a person, I pretty much made the pinky toe.¡± ¡°Before I give you guys an answer, I¡¯ll say couple things.¡± Hatch nodded his head in agreement. ¡°First, I¡¯ll complete this game.I¡¯ll do it even if you guys interfere with me.Even if all of the 30 great guilds interfere with me, I¡¯m going to end this game.¡± As if Hatch understood Hyrkan¡¯s position, he nodded his head. ¡°Moreover, I¡¯m not afraid of starting a war with the Stormhunters.I¡¯m not saying this as a bluff.I¡¯m telling the truth.I don¡¯t care if I win or lose.If the Stormhunters guild starts a war with me, I won¡¯t avoid it.In other words, even if I do pick one of the two options, I¡¯m not making it out of fear of the Stormhunters.¡± ¡°Ha ha¡­¡­¡± Hatch let out a short laugh.At his laugh, Hyrkan laughed. There were many emotions mixed in with that laugh. ¡°Lastly, I will never wear that in this game.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hatch stopped his laughter in surprise.Hyrkan was pointing at his chest. It was the emblem of the Stormhunters. At that moment, Hatch was curious to hear his answer, so he asked Hyrkan a question. ¡°Why do you keep refusing to join our guild?In truth, it isn¡¯t as if we are treating you badly.If how I was treated was used as a baseline, you were¡­.¡± At Hatch¡¯s objection, Hyrkan put his index finger over his lips to shush him. Hatch closed his mouth. When silence descended, Hyrkan opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll turn down the proposal.However, I¡¯m willing to make a deal.¡± 2. The gap ended, and history once again moved along. [Barbarian King Nesha was sealed.] ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Really?¡± The Users crowding the Bizma Plain, and all the Users connected to the game heard the Announcement. The news was immediately spread outside.It was the version of the story with a gap in it. All the people ranging from having little to do with Warlord to the ones where the game took center in their lives became aware of the news. -My god. -Wow. -The Hahoe Mask really¡­. He had done it. Hahoe Mask. He made the impossible possible, and he turned despair into hope.He turned a nightmare into a dream of good omen.Hyrkan turned himself into a legend. 3. ¡°Hyrkan!¡± Whistling ran towards Hyrkan.He looked as if he wanted to squeeze Hyrkan to death with a hug. However, Hyrkan was firm with his words when he saw Whistling running towards him. ¡°If you attempt to hug or kiss me, I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± Duhp-suhk! Whistling ignored Hyrkan¡¯s words, and he hugged Hyrkan. Hyrkan let out a yell. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After saying those words, Whistling hugged him harder.If this was happening in real life instead of the game, Whistling¡¯s tears would have made Hyrkan¡¯s shoulder wet. This was how much gratitude Whistling felt towards Hyrkan. Hyrkan pried Whistling off of him.Hyrkan¡¯s Strength stat was much higher, so he was able to easily escape from Whistling¡¯s hug. ¡°All right.Let¡¯s get ready to end this.Of course, since I caught it by myself, all the loot is mine.¡± Even at that moment, Hyrkan was making calculations.Whistling couldn¡¯t help, but laugh at this.Whistling knew this was Hyrkan¡¯s attempt at cheering himup.This had started out as a festival, and he wanted it to remain a festival.This was why Whistling didn¡¯t say any more unnecessary words.He didn¡¯t say thank you, sorry or great work to him. ¡°All right.You take everything.You should eat it all!¡± He agreed enthusiastically with Hyrkan. At that moment, he was being cordial, but many thoughts crowded Hyrkan¡¯s head. ¡®I never expected First One to be a program¡­.¡¯ He had made a deal with the Stormhunters guild. The Stormhunters guild carried out their part of the deal by telling Hyrkan how he could reach the end of this game. One of the requirement was for Hyrkan to jump past the level of First One Sulwoo. Hatch gave an explanation. ¡°First One Sulwoo is a program.In the first place, it is impossible for a person to play the game like the First One.The First One¡¯s role is to manage Warlord, and it is a M.I. that plans out the content.It measure the level difference between Users and the First One.It is a measuring stick of how far the game had progressed.Depending on how much distance the front-runners close with the First One, it controls the speed of progress in the game.¡± Hyrkan was baffled when he heard the explanation.However, it did explain why not much content was being made by First One Sulwoo compared to its fame and profile.The K media company created the videos, and this was why most of its hunting video was in diary format.This was also the reason why there was no footage of First One Sulwoo conducting a raid.. ¡°That really screws with the User in the number 2 Rank.I would have sued Tobot Soft if I was second in the Level Ranking.¡± At the same time, he felt sorry for the Users, who sacrificed their lives, to catch First One¡¯s level. ¡°What can we do about it?In the first place, Warlord was a game made to test the AI.They didn¡¯t plan for all of this, and they deserve to be sued.Anyways, let¡¯s get back to the main topic. If you pass the First One, you¡¯ll be taking away the pencil and eraser used by the M.I. It would no longer be able to solve problems in managing Warlord.Of course, this forces the M.I. to wrap everything up.It basically puts forth the final boss into this world.¡± He had to catch up to the First One. This was how he reached the epilogue. Moreover, Hyrkan planned on doing just that. If he wanted to do this, he had to kill the Barbarian King.Moreover, he needed the Chronicle Unique Item dropped by the Barbarian King. ¡®I¡¯ll catch up to it immediately.¡¯ Hyrkan didn¡¯t plan on wilting down the home stretch. He would burn bright until the end.He¡¯ll be a torch and a symbol that will decorate the end. On top of that, he planned on becoming the true emperor. ¡®Emperor of Solo Play.That sounds awesome.¡¯ ¡°No matter how I look at, this we are taking a loss on this deal.¡± They had left the Bizma Plain, and they were heading towards the Heard Fortress Ruin.After struggling with his thoughts, Hatch finally opened his mouth. ¡°Queen.This really is a preposterous deal.Why did we purchase the Red Bulls?Why did we ally with the Hydra guild?Didn¡¯t we do it, so we could put the name of the Stormhunters in the end credits?¡± At his words, Shir didn¡¯t say anything.Instead of an answer, one corner of her mouth kept twitching. ¡°Yet you are going to allow the Hahoe Mask to catch the Dragon by himself?Moreover, we are going to give him our full support?Why are we acting in this retarded manner?We did all the hard work, yet we are giving everything to the Hahoe Mask on a silver platter!It isn¡¯t as if the Hahoe Mask is fighting as a member of the Stormhunters guild!¡± Hatch shook his head from side to side.He realized his words were having no effect on Shir, so he immediately changed the target of his anger. ¡°How can the Hahoe Mask be so confident?He doesn¡¯t even know what the final boss is, yet he wants to face it alone?Does he realize how kind of opponent a Dragon is?That bastard is weird.I¡¯m pretty sure he has around half a dozen screws loose inside his head.¡± ¡°If the Hahoe Mask fails, it¡¯ll be our turn.I don¡¯t see the downside.¡± Chev, who had been silently listening to Hatch¡¯s rant, gave his opinion. Hatch couldn¡¯t help, but laugh at his words. ¡°Ah, is that so?Is that why you just gave Argardo to the Hahoe Mask?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°This is the Hahoe Mask¡¯s strategy.He tells others to catch it if he fails.However, that guy never fails.It was the same in the Anugas Raid.If the Hahoe Mask failed in the Anugas Raid, we would have been next.However, the Hahoe Mask killed Anugas.¡± Chev let out a bitter laugh. At that moment, Shir¡¯s twitching mouth opened. ¡°If the Hahoe Mask fails, the Dragon is ours.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­..¡± ¡°On the other hand, if the Hahoe Mask succeeds, he is mine.¡± Hatch was about to mutter something, but he gave up on it.He knew better than anyone. ¡®Shit. The Queen is totally head over heels for the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ Hahoe Mask had given a counter-proposal. He would kill the Dragon on his own. Moreover, if they helped him, he would put on the name of the Stormhunters in a different game. ¡®Uh-whew.This guild has no one, who is of sound mind.They are all crazy.Now the craziest one of them all will be joining us.Words don¡¯t even work on him.¡¯ Hatch thought about the Hahoe Mask, who would become his comrade at the conclusion of Warlord.He let out a sigh. Chapter 191 – Epilogue Chapter 191 ¨C Epilogue 1. [Hahoe Mask has reached 1st place in the Warlord¡¯s Level Ranking!] [Tobot Soft¡¯s Official Announcement: ¡®The Ruined King episode will be the last Main Scenario Quest.¡¯] [Tobot Soft¡¯s stock is on the decline.Is this a sign that Warlord¡¯s bubble is about to pop?] [Big Smiles guild has been disbanded.They gave up on the rights to a live channel.It is proof that the operating income for the live channels of the 30 great guilds have dried up.] [Hahoe Mask¡¯s Shocking Announcement: ¡®I will retire after the war with the Dragon.¡¯] [Warlord has become a setting sun.] [After Warlord, which VR game will succeed in becoming the special one?] [Hydra guild has set up a Player Care System for games.They have found the ¡®Hydra company.¡¯] [In an interview with the founder of the Hydra Company, Eric Gomes states, ¡®Our ability to support and progress in the game has been tested through Warlord.Now regular Users can receive the same care and support from us.¡¯] [Che-sulyun¡¯s interview:¡®I¡¯m establishing the Stormhunters team, who will play VR games professionally.It won¡¯t just be Warlord.Everyone will be able to see the brilliant exploit of the Stormhunters guild in other VR games.¡¯] [This is the era of VR eSports.Hahoe Mask is the eye of the storm.Will anyone be able to acquire him and dominate this era?] [It is the start of the final war between the Hahoe Mask and the Dragon.It will be broadcasted live using the Stormhunters guild¡¯s live channel!The advance sale of the live ticket has reached 20 million!] 2. One couldn¡¯t measure the length of the Dragon with one¡¯s eyes.The Dragon was unfathomably large, and it was flying through the darkened sky. ¡°Uh-whew¡­.¡± A User wearing a Hahoe Mask was looking at the Dragon from the ground.He let out a deep sigh. ¡®This game is really fucked up.¡¯ After letting out a sigh, Hyrkan raised his head again to look at the Dragon.It was one kilometer long.It was capable enough to bring calamity to the world.It was the final boss with an awesome presence. Its official name was Dragon. However, the Users added the ¡®of Calamity¡¯ to the short name.The title stuck. ¡®I¡¯ll have to climb from the tail to reach its body.Then I have to stab the War King¡¯s Spear into the wound on its neck.¡¯ In short order, Hyrkan would have to start his monster hunt against the ridiculous Dragon of Calamity. The hunting method was simple. When the one kilometer long Dragon approaches the ground, the Dragon¡¯s tail will touch the ground.As the tail scrapes across the ground, one would have to stick to the tail.This was the starting point.As the Dragon ascends into the sky, he would have to travel from the tail to the neck.He had to crawl up a distance of 1 kilometer, then he would have to find the wound on the neck.Then he just had to plant the crude looking spear into the wound. He had to be cautious of only one thing. Falling! The Dragon¡¯s body moved so roughly that a rodeo couldn¡¯t hold a candle to this.The only thing one had to worry about was falling off the Dragon. ¡°I really want to see what the bastard, who made this shitty game, looks like.¡± This was obvious, but everything about this was insane.Moreover, Hyrkan had to solo this craziness. Hyrkan already felt queasy. He didn¡¯t have a fear of heights, but he would probably develop one that day. ¨C Get ready, Hahoe Mask. At that moment, a clear and very beautiful voice rang out inside the Hahoe Mask¡¯s ears. ¨C The tail will reach the ground soon. Shir had a voice that was very easy on the ears.However, instead of smiling, Hyrkan frowned a little bit. ¡°I know.¡± He answered in a brusque voice. ¨C Bear this in mind.When you climb the Dragon¡¯s tail¡­.. ¡°I¡¯m more knowledgeable than about the process, so you don¡¯t have to explain it to me.¡± ¨C Also, when this game ends¡­.. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it when we get to that point.Stop treating me like your underling.I¡¯m unaffiliated right now.Stop telling me what to do.¡± ¨C I¡¯m sorry. At that moment, Shir apologized when she heard his brusque response.Hyrkan suddenly became speechless. ¡®¡­this is driving me nuts.¡¯ Shir responded in such a docile manner that Hyrkan had a hard time accepting the situation. ¡°You are going to do it even if I try to stop you.Don¡¯t worry about it.There¡¯s nothing I can¡®t do now.¡± In the end, Hyrkan caressed the situation instead of baring his teeth. ¨C Fighting. Shir gave a cheer for Hyrkan.He let out a deep sigh at her words. This was how the call came to an end. The Dragon, which had been circling the sky, was incrementally getting closer to the ground. At the same time, the Dragon¡¯s tail descended towards the ground.The lowered tail would reach Hyrkan in couple of minutes. Hyrkan clenched his two fists as he looked at the Dragon. ¡®This is it.¡¯ This was the final battle.It didn¡¯t matter if he won or lost.He would leave Warlord after this.He already gave his announcement to the public.If he won, he¡¯ll retire.Even if he lost, he¡¯ll give up on Warlord, and he would retire. ¡®I¡¯ll probably be too embarrassed to come back.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t go back on his words.Hyrkan had already given his announcement.He would feel too much shame if he went back on his words. Of course, he had no regrets. ¡®Yes.I have put an end to this long relationship.It isn¡¯t as if I can always devote my life to Warlord.¡¯ Hyrkan actually felt relieved. From the time before he came back to the past and afterwards, his life had been intertwined with Warlord.Thanks to Warlord, he had lived through difficult times.On the other hand, Warlord now allowed him to prosper in life. He had shared the good times and the bad times with Warlord.He had experienced all sorts of emotions.Now it was time to let it go.There was no game in this world that could be played forever.Everything in this world had a start and an end.An end was needed to start a new beginning. Hyrkan stood up from his seat. The Skeletons¡¯ gaze moved in sync with Hyrkan¡¯s movement. Until a moment ago, his Skeleton Warriors, Knights and Death Knight had fought against the warriors controlled by the Dragon.The signs of battle was all over their bodies. ¡®Ah.¡¯ Hyrkan hesitated for a brief moment as he looked at the wounds they received from the fight. ¡°Ah.¡± He stopped for a brief moment to look at them. Hyrkan unconsciously raised his hand towards the nearest Skeleton Warrior. Ssoo-oohk! The Skeleton Warrior quickly dodged the hand. Hyrkan let out a bitter laugh when he saw the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s action.Hyrkan once again extended his hand in a swift manner.The Skeleton Warrior tried hard to dodge the hand, but at a certain point, Hyrkan had grabbed the head of the Skeleton Warrior. After grabbing the head of the Skeleton Warrior, Hyrkan brought his head towards it. ¡°Thank you for everything.¡± Toohk¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ Toohk¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤. ¡°In many ways, you guys met a strange owner.Still, I was able to reach this point, because of you all.¡± Hyrkan lightly and gently knocked heads with the Skeleton Warrior¡¯s skull. ¡°This is goodbye.¡± After he spoke his words, Hyrkan took off his Hahoe Mask.He had revealed his face to the world. Soon, the world will know his face through the Stormhunter¡¯s live channel. ¡®Goodbye Skeletons and the Hahoe Mask.¡¯ The world would remember the Hahoe Mask Hyrkan.However, now they would remember Ahn-jaehyun, who was the Hahoe Mask Hyrkan. ¡°Let¡¯s end this.¡± Hyrkan put an end to the very long relationship he had with the Hahoe Mask. 3. ¡°I want 10 dollar worth of lottery ticket with random draw.¡± The part time worker had been watching a video on his tablet.He paused the video before he calculated the customer¡¯s order. As the customer ordered, he printed out a lottery ticket as he let the machine pick random numbers.Then he scanned the barcode of the customer¡¯s other item. ¡°Since this is a beef gimbap¡­.The total is 15 dollars.¡± ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Yes.Thank y¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± He saw a 50 dollar bill in front of his eyes, so the part time worker naturally raised his eyes to look at the customer.The customer was rail thin, and he was wearing thick glasses. Overall, he looked like a pushover.The customer looked like someone that will fall for any deceit. ¡®Huh?¡¯ At that moment, the convenience store¡¯s part timer felt as if he had seen this person before. This was why he asked a question. ¡°Have I met you before from somewhere?¡± Instead of answering, the customer¡¯s brows furrowed a little bit. The part timer thought he had overstepped his bounds, so he quickly gave the customer his change and the lottery ticket. The customer exited the convenience store, and the part timer started up the video on his tablet again. ¨C Uh?Hahoe Mask!The Hahoe Mask took off his Hahoe Mask! ¡°Ah!¡± At that moment, the part time worker stood up from his seat in shock.Then he looked out the window.He saw the customer get into a very sleek and new lamborghini.The part time worker yelled as he looked at the customer. ¡°My god.He¡¯s the Hahoe Mask Hyrkan, Ahn-jaehyun!This is crazy!I have to get his signature.A signature¡­.¡± The part timer tried to rush out, but the customer¡¯s car was already pulling out towards the road. ¡°Ah-oh!¡± In the end, the part time worker had to give up on getting the signature. ¡°This is nuts.How could I not recognize the Hahoe Mask?¡± He was an avid fan of the Hahoe Mask.He kicked himself for not recognizing the Hahoe Mask. After his despair came to an end, he had a question. ¡®Why did the Hahoe Mask buy a lottery ticket?He retired from Warlord, but didn¡¯t he make a lot of money?I thought he sold several million copies of his Frozen Kingdom episode.¡¯ 4. He had his hands on the sleek handle of the lamborghini.He wore a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist, and he was oozing with presence. What he wore and drove was much more expensive than a house. Ahn-jaehyun opened the beef kimbap he purchased earlier, and he started chewing on a piece. As he ate, he thought about the lottery numbers he had purchased. ¡®I should have memorized the winning lottery number.¡¯ ¡°Fuck the IRS!¡± At that moment, Ahn-jaehyun unconsciously let out a wail of despair. Ahn-jaehyun replayed the conversation he had with the agents of the IRS. ¡°Mr. Ahn-jaehyun.You have evaded paying a significant amount of tax.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t tax evasion¡­..¡± When he retired from Warlord, Ahn-jaehyun did everything he couldn¡¯t do before, because he had been playing Warlord.First, he bought and moved into the best penthouse apartment he could find.Then he bought a lamborghini in one lump sum.Afterwards, he slowly bought luxury items to fill up his newly purchased apartment. Those were his happy days.He was so happy that he sometimes forgot to eat! However, a dark cloud appeared above Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s happiness. Ahn-jaehyun had made an enormous amount of money through Warlord.Moreover, he participated in some shady practices to pay less tax, and he had been caught by the IRS.Of course, Ahn-jaehyun hadn¡¯t known he had participated in a shady practice.The accountant he hired said everyone did it, and he would be an idiot if he didn¡¯t take advantage of it. ¡°We don¡¯t care about your situation, Mr. Ahn-jaehyun.Our role is to take back the exact amount you owe us in taxes.¡± Anyways, this problem exploded in his face.He had never dealt with IRS agents before, so he was at a loss as to what to do. ¡°You have two choices.We can do this by force.Or you can cooperate with us, and we can come to an agreement.¡± ¡°I¡­I¡¯ll cooperate.¡± He decided to pay his taxes. However, there was a problem.Ahn-jaehyun didn¡¯t have enough liquid assets to pay off the taxes in its entirety.The tax bill wasn¡¯t small. In the end, the IRS took his cut of the profit in selling footages of Warlord.Moreover, they took his sponsorship money. This was the reason behind his purchase of the lottery ticket. ¡°Shit.¡± He purchased a lottery ticket every time Ahn-jaehyun ate beef kimbap and ramen.He prayed for a winning lottery ticket. ¡®Should I go to Che-sulyun, and ask her to buy me some meat?Shit.I acted so bold in front of Che-sulyun, so how would I look if I asked her to buy me some meat?Ah, this is driving me nuts.I should have just kept my money.Why did I have to buy¡­..¡¯ He wallowed in his pain and suffering as he chew on the beef kimbap. At that moment, a call arrived. ¡°Receive incoming call!¡± When Ahn-jaehyun yelled out, a hologram picture of a phone appeared in front of his eyes.The caller¡¯s name also appeared. The caller was Che-sulyun. ¨C Ahn-jaehyun.Tobot Soft officially announced their next project. ¨C There will be two version to the next project.One will be the light version where normal Users will be able to enjoy themselves.The other version is the Pro version.It is said that no one can beat it. As soon as her words ended, he heard the voice of Tobi Gwynn.His voice filled the interior of Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s car. ¨C Was the Pro Version an attempt to dominate the rapidly growing VR eSports market? ¨C It was the same during the days of Warlord.Tobot Soft always strives to make that one special game.We make unique products.Our next project is a challenge we are putting out to the VR pro-gamers.I¡¯ll guarantee it.This game will be more difficult than any other game in the market. ¨C How difficult is it? ¨C Do you remember the Hahoe Mask¡¯s Skeletons? ¨C Of course, They are still legendary. ¨C We took the battle AI possessed by the Hahoe Mask¡¯s Skeletons, and we strengthened it using the Deep Learning system.All the battle AI of monsters will be based on it.I¡¯ll guarantee it.This game will be burdensome even for the Hahoe Mask. Tobi Gwynn¡¯s voice came to an end there. ¨C Ahn-jaehyun. Che-sulyun¡¯s voice could be heard again. ¡°What?¡± ¨C The Stormhunter¡¯s next target is the sequel to Warlord.We¡¯ve picked out our members.Of course, this will be the stage where you¡¯ll debut as a member of the Stormhunters. At her words, Ahn-jaehyun had a smile on his face. ¡°Is that all you have to say to me?¡± ¨C That¡¯s all I have to say for now.However, I am curious about something. ¡°Speak.¡± ¨C You¡¯ll be meeting the Skeletons you grew and trained as an enemy.How do you feel about it?You¡¯ve never fought against your Skeletons before. At her question, the smile on his face was wiped away. ¡®Wait a moment.¡¯ After receiving the question, Ahn-jaehyun seriously mulled over it.As he thought more on it, Ahn-jaehyun¡¯s expression crumpled. ¡°It¡¯ll be a damn annoying game.A really damn annoying game¡­.Shit.Can¡¯t I just play a different game? ¨C You are the one, who signed the contract.Of course, you can pay the penalty to get out of the contract.Do you have that kind of money? At her words, Ahn-jaehyun let out a sigh as he spoke. ¡°Anyways, does our guild do any company dinners?Shouldn¡¯t we do a regular get-together in a barbeque restaurant?¡± However, there was no answer to his questions.She had already ended the call. Ahn-jaehyun, who had his hands on the handle, glanced at his Patek Philippe watch.