《Immortal: Lord of Health》 Chapter 1 Kan! Kan! Kan! A hammer and iron struck, and then a sound rang out in the studio. Kang Joo-ho laughed at the clear sound that came to his ears. He loved this sound. He felt like he was training not only iron but also his mind. There were beads and torrents of perspiration all over Kang Joo-ho¡¯s body, and his work clothes were soaked from it because of the heat coming off from the hot flames in the furnace and numerous hammerings he engaged his energy with. Nevertheless, without wavering his smile, Kang Joo-ho continued to swing his hammer. Right then. ¡°-Piyiyiyiyi kia-ang!¡± The sound came from a large speaker in the corner. Kang Joo-ho stopped hammering when he heard the sound, He put down the hammer with a wide grin. ¡°finally¡­¡± Kang Joo-ho murmured, wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, and then left for the studio. ¡°Are you coming out, Master?¡± When he left the workshop, the deacon Yang Seok-hyun, who was waiting outside the door, slightly bowed. ¡°Don¡¯t wait.¡± Kang Joo-ho said to Yang Seok-hyun with a contrite expression. ¡°No. It¡¯s my job.¡± Yang Seok-hyun replied. A warm smile lit Kang Joo-ho¡¯s face at his words. ¡°I will prepare a meal right away.¡± ¡°No. Please prepare it in 2 hours. I have something to do.¡± At the end of Yang Seok-hyun¡¯s words, Kang Joo-ho shook his head. There was a reason to quit Mezzil earlier than usual. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll see you in two hours.¡± Yang Seok-hyun bowed his head and greeted Kang Joo-ho and then left for the 2nd-floor study. There were numerous bookshelves in the study occupied by various books. But the reason Kang Joo-ho came to the study was not to read the book. He¡¯d bought the bookshelves and the books for decoration. He was never interested in whatever value the books held inside them. He sat on the desk and muttered as he looked at the monitor¡¯s black screen, which was turned off on the desk. ¡°I wish you success.¡± PC game ¡®Earth¡¯ was the best MMORPG game of all time that once exceeded 70% of the market share. Earth, which formally beat all the other games, began to fall as the virtual reality game started to dominate. Nonetheless, Earth was particularly fun, and mainly because there was a considerable difference between playing on a monitor and having a seemingly real experience. The moment the market share of over 70% fell to 30%, Earth¡¯s virtual reality launch was announced. At the announcement of the launch of Earth¡¯s virtual reality, users started to drop at a very fast pace. And that was because Earth had no need to be played on a computer anymore if it came out in virtual reality. Most of the users began to fold the game and dispose of the items to recover the amount of money and time they had invested in it. A lot of time has passed, yet the number of users still reduced to the point where they can only contain a city. One of the few users was Kang Joo-ho. And Kang Joo-ho was also planning to play a virtual reality of Earth. He hasn¡¯t yet grounded the computer Earth because there was a goal that he wanted to achieve. It was the production of equipment. The items needed for the production were enormous enough that he has to invest for several months to save each one, such as ¡®Sign of God¡¯, ¡®Source of Spirit King¡¯, ¡®Sign of Devil¡¯, and ¡®Ailes¡¯ by attribute. And if the users had not given up, it would have taken years to get the equipment. No, it may not have been available after several years. Fortunately, many users have folded, and countless items have been abandoned. Among them were materials items that Kang Joo-ho needed. Kang Joo-ho met a family member that had it for sale. (Anything that didn¡¯t come out was obtained by moving it.) It took 180 days to collect all the equipment, a whopping six months. After collecting the materials, Kang Joo-ho immediately went into production. The production time was 72 hours. Of course, there was nothing very difficult because he only had to click the production button and wait. He liked the fact that the probability of its successful production was 50%. ¡°After¡­¡± Kang Joo-ho sighed deeply. When he turned on the monitor, he saw the results. He reached for the monitor¡¯s power. Tsuat! Ugh! As the monitor was turning on, Kang Joo-ho closed his eyes, turned his head slowly to face the monitor. Then he opened his eyes and looked at the monitor. -Production success- ¡°Nice!¡± Fortunately, the production was successful. He jumped up from his seat hysterically, his features washed with joy and excitement. Soon after, he managed to calm himself and confirmed the equipment¡¯s options. < Esran¡¯s Shield [God]> Limit: Level 1000 Durability: ¨C Physical Defense: 50000 Magic Defense: 50000 Physical Attack: 50000 All stats +1000 + 19% to all resistances The shield enshrined by Ezran¡¯s protection will not be destroyed by any attack. The item that Kang Joo-ho created was a new-grade item, ¡®Esran¡¯s Shield¡¯. Among the new ranks, Esran¡¯s Shield was located at the top. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kang Joo-ho confirmed the options and sighed. ¡°19%¡­¡± There was only one reason why Kang Joo-ho made the shield of Esran. ¡®Resistance¡¯. The Shield of Esran was created to increase resistance. ¡°Give me only 1% more¡­¡± However, Kang Joo-ho had spat out and sighed because of his resistance level. Esran¡¯s shield resistance ranged from a minimum of 15% to a maximum of 25%. Kang Joo-ho wanted 20% because 20% was what it took to achieve his true goal. ¡°I can¡¯t recreate.¡± There was no material to rebuild Esran¡¯s shield for more resistance. Kang Joo-ho wore the shield with a sad face. Then he opened the character window and clicked on the second page. Physical Resistance: 99% Fire resistance: 99% Water resistance: 99% Wind resistance: 99% Electric immunity: 99% Poison resistance: 99% Light resistance: 99% Dark tolerance: 99% . . On the second page, the status of resistance and evasion rate was listed. ¡°Ha!¡± Kang Joo-ho confirmed his resistance and sighed. All tolerances were 99%. 1% was too weak. When the resistance reached 100%, there was no need to worry about any attack. He ignored defense and immunity but got one damage from any fixed attack. Of course, there were debuff skills that cut resistance. But then Kang Joo-ho had several skills to eliminate debuff effects. In other words, the only thing to worry about was fixed damage. Earth¡¯s most serious fixed damage was 50,000. Kang Joo-ho¡¯s vitality was over 200,000. If he played well, he might never die in Earth. ¡°I should have made it before folding.¡± Kang Joo-ho was deeply disappointed. Demon Guild. The guild that always bumped into Kang Joo-ho¡¯s Immortality guild was the devil¡¯s guild. And if he¡¯d made Esran¡¯s shield when they were there, it would have been too bad to have mastered it thoroughly with 99% tolerance. ¡°I will definitely master you.¡± Soon after, he erased the regret. All of the devil guilds disposed of items for virtual reality and left. In addition to Kang Joo-ho, the guild members of the Infantry Division were also going to move to Earth¡¯s virtual reality. Fight without knots can be concluded in Earth¡¯s virtual reality. ¡°I¡¯m going to try it now.¡± Although not 100% resistance, it produced a staggering 99%. Now he can comfortably dispose of Earth¡¯s computer game. But before disposing of it, he wanted to feel the power of 99% resistance. ¡°How long will it endure?¡± Earth was already updated to the final story. Earth¡¯s final boss was the chaotic Greten. It was the worst and toughest boss attack. It attacked with all features such as light, darkness, fire, water, and wind. Kang Joo-ho intended to challenge Greten alone. Of course, he will not be defeated. The attack was insufficient to defeat him. Kang Joo-ho planned to see how long he could hold Greten alone. ¡°I¡¯m ready too!¡± After checking the inventory, Kang Joo-ho immediately warped to the entrance to the chaos by using the warp scroll. Then he talked to the NPC standing in front of the entrance and entered the chaos. As soon as he entered the chaos, a myriad of monsters appeared on the monitor. It was the Shadows of Greten that guarded Greten. Greten¡¯s shadow was a monster with light and dark features at level 950, and it was hard to withstand even a tanker if the resistance was not over 80%. Of course, Kang Joo-ho, who achieved 99% of the resistance, was not a big threat. ¡°Kya!¡± Kang Joo-ho admired and smiled. Despite being attacked by numerous shadows, his vitality did not reduce. He could endure enough with his skills and potions. ¡°This is it!¡± Kang Joo-ho smiled and started attacking the shadows. But he had invested more in defense than attack. Therefore Shadows did not die easily. ¡°In Virtual Earth, we need to pay attention to the attack.¡± In the virtual reality of Earth, many things changed. It was said that the number of equipment that could be worn increased, and many things such as skills and stat effects change. In the virtual reality of Earth, Kang Joo-ho decided to invest a little in the attack and silently captured the shadows. After catching all the shadows and arriving at the place where ¡®Greten¡¯ was, Kang Joo-ho clicked on Greten. Then his character ran toward Greten. [Greten woke up.] With the message, Greten also moved. Soon after, Kang Joo-ho¡¯s character met Greten. Kang Joo-ho¡¯s character shook the hammer constantly. Greten attacked with a variety of claw, breath, and magic. Five minutes passed. They attacked each other without rest for 5 minutes. However, Greten¡¯s vitality was 99%, Kang Joo-ho¡¯s character was only 50%, and only half was remaining. If he went this way, the victory of the battle would eventually go to Greten. ¡°Wow, five minutes have passed.¡± Kang Joo-ho was supposed to be disappointed, but instead, admiration was what came out from his mouth. Greten came out as the final boss. He did not evade the attack for 5 minutes, and he struck every attack, but half of his life remained and without a healer. Kang Joo-ho, who was expected to die, smiled. ¡°99% is a scam too.¡± Even if not 100%, 99% was enormous. ¡°I have achieved almost immortality.¡± It could be said that although it was not a perfectly attained immortality, it was well-nigh. Nothing was stronger than the final boss, Greten. It was safe to say that if he had endured this much with Greten, he has achieved immortality. Kang Joo-ho opened the inventory and used a return stone. Now that he has confirmed the power of resistance, it was time to go back. Kang Joo-ho returned to the city and finally checked the character window before closing the connection. Looking at 99% of resistance, Kang Joo-ho thought. ¡°In Virtual Earth¡­¡± Chapter 2 2. He could not achieve 100% resistance on the PC version of Earth. But Kang Joo-ho decided to make it happen in the virtual reality version. Soon Joo-ho ended the connection. Then he called Yang Seok-hyun, a deacon. ¡°-Yes, Master.¡± ¡°It ended earlier than I thought. I will take a shower and go down.¡± ¡°-I¡¯ll prepare right away.¡± After the call, Kang Joo-ho got up from his seat. Then he thought to head to the shower. ¡°One week!¡± It was a week before the release of the virtual reality version of Earth. He was so excited about a week later. * * * Three days before the launch of the virtual Earth version Kang Joo-ho was hammering away in his workshop. Kan! Kan! Kan! A clear sound that resonated whenever the hammer landed. Terrible! The sound of a bell interfered and mingled between the crushing sound of the hammer and diffused. Kang Joo-ho put down the hammer and checked his phone. ¡°Oh, our youngest!¡± The person calling on the phone was Kim Seok-joo, the youngest member of the guild-The Immortals. ¡°-brother! Did you see that?¡± ¡°What?¡± Curious Kang Joo-ho asked Kim Seok-joo. ¡°-Then it is! Is it your studio again?¡± ¡°Yes, is that it? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°-Virtual Earth¡¯s Instruction Manual has been posted on the internet now!¡± Kang Joo-ho was surprised by what Kim Seok-joo had just said. ¡°-Go check it out!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± He thanked Kim Seok-joo curtly and ended the call. He approached the computer installed in the corner of his workshop. The booting was over 3 seconds after he had pressed the power button. He immediately entered Earth¡¯s official website. As Seok-Ju Kim said, there was a post. It was an article with an attachment to the manual of the virtual Earth. Kang Joo-ho immediately downloaded and executed the manual. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± When he opened the manual, his mouth parted in admiration. Kang Joo-ho checked the table of contents and pages. ¡°It¡¯s very long.¡± The instruction manual was so long that one could predict how long it would take. And it would take about 5 hours to read. Of course, he did not intend to read that awful long. It was the virtual reality version of Earth, and many things have changed. But couldn¡¯t afford to not read it thoroughly. He saw a big defeat while acting on his existing knowledge. The time left until the release date was three days. That was plenty of time. He went through the table of contents and began reading the manual cautiously. ¡°-Philenian Empire¡± Capital: Villenis . . The first to come was the virtual Earth countries. ¡°You have a lot.¡± In the PC version of Earth, there were only five countries, including the Billenian Empire. However, the number has greatly increased in the virtual version of Earth. It has including fifteen empires, six kingdoms, three principalities, and three city-states. It was a whopping three times larger. ¡°Each country has a starting city.¡± And unlike the PC version, where the beginning city was decided as one, it was possible to choose where to start. ¡°Two empires?¡± Each of the three empires had two starting cities, and the kingdom and principality had one starting city. ¡°Is that because it is not a city-state.¡± However, it was impossible to start in the city-state of Esran Holy Empire, Mercenary City Falcos, and the wizard¡¯s holy land, Martab. The asylum was full. ¡°It is possible to meet the conditions.¡± Kang Joo-ho nodded when he learned how to escape as an urban nation. In the case of the Holy Empire, it was possible to go whenever a priesthood or paladin profession was acquired. And Falcos, a mercenary city, was accessible if the guild headquarters was in Falcos, and Marthab could be unlocked by obtaining wizardry. ¡°This will have new fun!¡± Kang Joo-ho smiled after read all of the country¡¯s information. Not all countries were friendly. Some countries were trouble because they couldn¡¯t feed their denizens. The typical Vilnius Empire and the Keville Empire, which faced the borders, were at the worst of war. ¡°I was only following the story.¡± In the PC version of Earth, the war was between guilds. However, in the virtual version, it was estimated that there would be a war between nations. No, it was. ¡°I need to discuss where to start.¡± Kang Joo-ho was not alone. Most of the guild members of the Immortal division were also going for the virtual version of Earth. Kang Joo-ho decided to talk about which country to start and then continued reading the manual. ¡°Ho, six more equipment?¡± It was the equipment that came after the country¡¯s information. In the PC version, ten pieces of equipment could be worn. And there were: helmet, top, bottom, weapon, shield, gloves, shoes, cloak, and ring. However, in the virtual version, the equipment were bracelets, necklaces, earrings, leggings, face ornaments, and tattoos were added, allowing a total of sixteen devices to be worn. ¡°I thought it would increase by one or two.¡± He was told that extra equipment was added. He thought it would be added at most, though. ¡°It would be easier to take offense than I thought.¡± The options he got on one piece of equipment varied from attack power to defense and then stats, resistance, and or skill. It was alright to wear one more, but six? Six seemed to be a lot easier to take other things along, such as attack power, resistance, and defense. After the description of the equipment was over, Kang Joo-ho moved on to the next. The following was a story about the stats and evasion rates that Kang Joo-ho was curious about. What was written in it was about tolerance. Kang Joo-ho was forced to read the instruction. He was surprised. ¡°The limit is gone?¡± On the PC version, he couldn¡¯t pass 100% of resistance but never fell below 0%. However, the limit of tolerance disappeared in the virtual version. It can go over 100% or fall below 0%. It was more damaging if the tolerance fell below 0%. On the contrary, it wasn¡¯t that his health would be restored if he exceeded 100%. But it could defend against reduced debuffs. For example, if there was a skill or item that reduced the opponent¡¯s physical resistance by 30%, the resistance was 100%. 100% would be 70% and much more damage than 1. But if it was 130%, one comes in because 100% is maintained. ¡°I like this one.¡± Kang Joo-ho laughed. It was difficult to react immediately to the debuff of the other party in Earth¡¯s PC version. However, there was a way to ignore the debuff by raising the resistance by more than 100% in the virtual version. ¡°I don¡¯t know how difficult it is to upload.¡± He didn¡¯t know how hard it was to increase tolerance. It could be harder than it was on a PC. And the debuff may have increased significantly compared to the PC. But, Kang Joo-ho was confident. Confident that he would have more resistance than anyone else could. Soon after, the next story came out with a crit. It was a story. ¡°Hooh?¡± Kang Joo-ho was forced to spit out elasticity. ¡°Is the story changing?¡± The reason he had spat out elasticity was because of the story change. He thought the story of the PC version of Earth and the virtual version would be the same. But contrary to the thought, the instruction manual said that the story of the virtual version would be quite different from the PC version. ¡°However, it is not fun if it is too much.¡± Kang Joo-ho nodded as if he understood and muttered. The PC version was so famous. Many knew how the story would flow and how to move on to the next story. ¡°Then, the final boss is not Greten.¡± Chaos Greten, the final boss of the PC version, although it was not specifically written, was very likely that the final boss¡¯s story also went to other beings. ¡°If it¡¯s stronger than Greten.¡± Kang Joo-ho imagined being stronger than the chaotic Greten. ¡°Is it possible to catch?¡± There was no information available yet, but it was estimated to be much stronger than Greten. ¡°I think it will be tanking.¡± Kang Joo-ho knew that he must have to increase his resistance by whatever means. If he could exceed 100%, he will not die. It was enough to endure, but he wondered if it was possible to conquer. ¡°Hey, what are you thinking about? I don¡¯t know how different it would be.¡± Kang Joo-ho ended his train of imagination. It was funny to think about the end of the virtual Earth version that has not been opened yet. Kang Joo-ho began reading the manual again. The story wasn¡¯t long, and soon Joo-ho Kang could move on to the next story. ¡°Oh, job!¡± The next story was ¡®Occupation¡¯. But as soon as he read the story about his job, Kang Joo-ho¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°Special job?¡± It was about a special job. The PC version had no special job attached. However, unlike the PC version, the virtual version has many special jobs. ¡°What can I do with Earth?¡± In most of the virtual reality games released earlier, special jobs existed. And it got a lot of attention because of its special job. No matter how high the market share was, it was only in the past. As the release was late, it was necessary to add a special job to attract attention. ¡°Because they are not the ones who can¡¯t get the balance.¡± Kang Joo-ho relaxed his strong expression. The PC version was famous for its golden balance. Even if a special job was added, it would not cause colossal imbalance or collapse. ¡°Everyone will be eager to find it.¡± It was only the presence of special jobs that were in this part of the manual book, and it wasn¡¯t mentioned what special jobs were available or how to get them. Surely many users would seek to find the special jobs. ¡°It will help you run out.¡± Kang Joo-ho was not interested in special jobs. Kang Joo-ho thought it would help to grow into a general job rather than find a special job. ¡°Do you like the Guardian Warrior and the Blacksmith Tree again?¡± In the PC version, Kang Joo-ho chose a blacksmith as the main warrior and a non-worker. This was because when the main job as a Guardian Warrior, was selected from the blacksmith non-job, the resistance increased by 10% as a job union bonus. In the virtual Earth version, he was curious about which job combination would give the most resistance. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Guardian Warrior and Blacksmith¡¯s job combination bonus was 10% introspection like the PC version. After he took note, Kang Joo-ho began looking for job combinations that would increase his tolerance. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He spat out his silence. The number of general jobs, as well as special jobs, had increased, and the number of unions increased, too. Few combinations enhanced resistance. Most of the jobs, such as assassins and seamstresses, do not have much efficiency even when the resistance increased. ¡°Blacksmith should be the guardian warrior.¡± Major warriors and non-working blacksmiths increased tolerance by 10%. However, if the main job was a blacksmith and a non-job as a guardian, the resistance was increased by 20%. The difference of 10% was enormous. That¡¯s why Kang Joo-ho was worried. Chapter 3 3. ¡°The top skill is the problem.¡± It was because of the difference between the main and non-professional jobs. Non-vocational jobs were not immediately available. It was only the non-professional that could be obtained at level 200. The level of the virtual Earth version was over 1000, just like the PC version. In other words, the non-professional job starting at 200 could only acquire skills up to level 800. Non-professionals could not learn the top-level skills they could learn after 800. He wanted to give up 10% more resistance and give up the top skill of the Guardian Warrior. ¡°The blacksmith¡¯s top skill is not bad.¡± Instead, the guardian warriors were able to learn the top skills of blacksmiths. However, the person who chose the blacksmith as the main job was extremely small in the PC version, and there was not much known about the top skill. Moreover, in the virtual version, the skill changed slightly, and the top skill was also added. It was a little uneasy about choosing a blacksmith as the main job. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s 10%!¡± After the distress, Kang Joo-ho made a decision. As long as there were no tolerance limits, 10% will show a huge difference in the second half. ¡°The blacksmith is not weak in battle.¡± Also, the blacksmith was a job that was excellent in combat among a lot of professions selected as non-jobs, such as seamstresses, poets, and cooks. Some users were named as battle blacksmiths and NPCs. ¡°If you think about the final items, your main job will not be bad either.¡± If he was not a blacksmith, he could make equipment. However, not all equipment could be manufactured. High-level items were impossible to craft without being a blacksmith. Besides, in the case of the main job, the probability of success was higher than in the case of the minor job, and additional abilities were better attached to make better equipment. If the blacksmith in the PC version was not a non-professional job, but the main job, he would have just crossed the 20% tolerance. For the production of the final equipment, it seemed not bad to choose a blacksmith as the main job. Kang Joo-ho chose a job and continued to read the explanation book. ¡°The item level is the same.¡± Following the description of the item that came out, like the PC version, the item grade of the virtual version was divided into six¡ªordinary, special, artifact, hero, legend, and god. Within a few hours, Kang Joo-ho, who read the entire manual, woke up. ¡°Okay¡­¡± After a simple stretch, Kang Joo-ho sat down again and then entered a guild chat room. -Kim Seok-joo: Joo-ho¡¯s high! -Hwang Chul-ho: Joo-ho is here! Have you read it all? -Kimrina: Come on, Gilma! The chat room was busy. Kang Joo-ho chatted with the guild members about the manual book. * * * ¡°-Then I¡¯ll call you in 5 minutes!¡± ¡°Yeah, see you then.¡± Kang Joo-ho ended the call with Kim Seok-joo and confirmed the time. ¡°It would be perfect to check and sleep.¡± After confirming the time, Kim Seok-joo opened Earth¡¯s manual book with a murmur. He talked about the base with the guild members. Each wanted a different starting point. After the long talk, he finally decided. The final stronghold was Falcos, a city-state of mercenaries. The reason he chose Falcos was simple. It was because there was less interference than in other places. There were kings and nobles in empire, kingdom, and principality. No matter how strong the guild was, it was a burden to ignore the words of the king and nobles. But if there was a base in Falcos? It can be ignored. There were few things to bump into, and the breath was weak in the first place. However, there was one problem. It was impossible to start at Falcos. The asylum was possible only when the guild headquarters was in Falcos. So, all guild members, including Kang Joo-ho, decided to start at their favorite place and meet later at Falcos. Kang Joo-ho and Kim Seok-joo, the youngest, decided to start in the Paraville Kingdom. The reason for choosing the Paraville kingdom was that the difficulty of early nurturing was greater than that of other countries. First, the Paraville kingdom had few hunting grounds. And in the enemy hunting ground, monsters that were difficult to deal with beginners such as Dolgoblin and Slime were inhabited. In other words, there will be fewer users starting in the kingdom of Paraville, which has great nurturing difficulty, and users can avoid competition among users. To start at a good place by looking at the hunting grounds and monsters, he has to compete with numerous users. Instead, it would be better to take the time to catch the monster; he did not want to spend time competing with users. Of course, this was also gambling. Users who thought like Kang Joo-ho and Kim Seok-joo would be driven into the Paraville kingdom. The key was how many users there were. ¡°If you pass 20 reps, you can easily go.¡± Kang Joo-ho laughed while looking at the hunting spots in the manual book. Kim Seok-joo¡¯s main job to play with Kang Joo-ho was Enchanter. Enchanter was a job that gave buffs to allies and debuffs to enemies. Blacksmith and Enchanter. At first glance, the combination was so strange that the sound was weak, but in the Paraville kingdom, the synergistic combination was the blacksmith and the enchanter. Blacksmiths learned the passive skills of hammering and handling stones at level 20. Besides, the enchanter can learn attribute property at level 20. Hammering was a passive that increased the damage of the blacksmith¡¯s weapon hammer by 10%, and a passive that increased the damage done with stones by 20%. If he assigned weakness attributed through assignment, Dolgoblin was as easy as hunting. ¡°You can hunt like this until 40, and after that, you will have to decide on the situation.¡± Kang Joo-ho set the hunting route and got up with the instruction manual closed. As he walked out of the studio, he muttered with a smile. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s time!¡± * * * ¡°Hyung, have you seen the article?¡± ¡°What story?¡± Hwang Kyun-hyun replied with a strange expression when asked suddenly. ¡°I¡¯m coming over the cubs!¡± ¡°Alas!¡± Hwang Kyun-hyun nodded his head as if he knew it from the words of Kim Byung-sam, and spat out elasticity. ¡°Now, there is no motion, but you don¡¯t understand what kind of can the kid come to you. Do you? Hwang Kyun-hyun was silent to the utterance of Kim Byung-sam. He just had to smile. The reason was simple. ¡°Motion is not important.¡± The bitch that Kim Byung-sam was outraged about, The baby it was really strong. It was a monster in the PK world, so it was nicknamed the god of damage avoidance only by looking at the skill. The problem was that Kim Byung-sam¡¯s thinking was wrong. Evasion was not a problem for the cub. ¡°How high¡¯s my resistance and defense.¡± The guild master of the Immortals¡¯ was Kang Joo-ho. And it was a problem if he hit Kang Joo-ho in an attack. Vitality was not worn out. Kang Joo-ho was the one who could not be killed even if he wanted to kill him. ¡°I will pay you back this time!¡± The reason why Kim Byung-sam was infuriated by the guild ¡®The Immortals¡¯ was simple. Guild Hwang, Kyun-Hyun, and Kim Byeong-Sam led the Earth guild overwhelmingly defeated in the guild¡¯s battle. The number of people was more than double, but it was applied desperately. Due to the defeat, he was robbed of the castle and was mocked by numerous users. It was natural that Kim Byeong-sam, who was usually angry with the body, was outraged by the Buddhist corps. ¡°Yeah, please pay me back.¡± It wasn¡¯t as good as Kim Byeong-sam, but Hwang Kyun-hyun also didn¡¯t like the Buddhist guild. As the castle was stolen, wages fell to a third. Thanks to this, he had to fold the business that was underway and suffered tremendous losses. ¡°It won¡¯t be as strong as the PC version.¡± This battlefield was not a PC. They will not have the immunity and defenses that were impossible to measure. He could win enough. * * * ¡°-Then, if you can¡¯t meet, on an hourly basis?¡± ¡°Yeah, one hour was enough time to do something.¡± ¡°-I see. Then see you later!¡± ¡°Yeah, see you later!¡± Kang Joo-ho ended the call with Kim Seok-joo. Then he put down his cell phone and headed for the capsule. Kang Joo-ho came into the capsule, sat on a chair, wore gloves, and put on a headgear. Siaak! Soon the darkness disappeared, and the menu appeared. Kang Joo-ho, who had already downloaded Earth, waited for some time to look at Earth¡¯s icon. Yum! Soon after, the alarm rang, and as if Kang Joo-ho was waiting, he clicked on Earth¡¯s icon. Siaak! Then the darkness came. As it has always been, darkness did not last long. Siaak! The darkness disappeared. Kang Joo-ho looked around. A dense tree and a temple 10m ahead came into view. ¡°It is also neat.¡± Kang Joo-ho looked around, muttered, and smiled. It was no different from reality. It wasn¡¯t the first time in Hagi, it was Earth, released late, but it was strange that there was a problem with the graphics. Kang Joo-ho moved to the temple. The moment he arrived at the temple, a deep voice resonated. ¡°-There is no character created.¡± ¡°-Go up on the scaffold and create a character.¡± Kang Joo-ho, who already knew how to create a character, climbed the foothold in the center of the temple. Then the light came out from the scaffolding. Once again, the deep voice resonated. ¡°-Scanning is complete.¡± Kang Ju-ho¡¯s character appeared on the other side. It wasn¡¯t just the characters that appeared. Oops! A keyboard and mouse appeared in the air. ¡°-Please enter the character name.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Kang Joo-ho immediately hit the keyboard to enter the character¡¯s name, and then moved the mouse to set the starting country. After he completed all the settings and pressed ¡®OK¡¯, the deep voice rang out again. ¡°-A character has been created.¡± Kang Joo-ho came down from the springboard. Then he went up again. ¡°-Connect.¡± Siaak! The moment he went up again, the surroundings illuminated with light. The light disappeared exactly three seconds later, and a new landscape came into view. Kang Joo-ho immediately checked the mini-map. ¡°One square.¡± After confirming the location, Kang Joo-ho looked around. It was busy. Kim Seok-joo was not seen. ¡°I was summoned elsewhere.¡± At the beginning of the Paraville kingdom, Villeme had a total of five squares, from square 1 to square 5. Already Kim Seok-joo would have made a character and connected. The invisible was obvious because it was summoned to another square. If he couldn¡¯t meet at the first square, he was told to meet at the 3rd square on an hourly basis. Kang Joo-ho pledged an hour later and looked at the message window. [Welcome to Earth!] [Quest ¡®Tutorial!¡¯ Has been created.] [Quest¡¯ Open inventory¡¯ has been created.] [Quest ¡®Character window open¡¯ has been created.] Several messages appeared. Kang Joo-ho immediately opened the quest window. Go to the guard ¡®Calam¡¯ guarding the northern gates! Quest reward: old iron sword After confirming the first quest ¡®Tutorial!¡¯, Kang Joo-ho started moving to the north. Oops! Oops! Oops! As soon as the steps were taken, the users began to be summoned one after another. ¡°I must go quickly.¡± Kang Joo-ho started running while watching the users. There were not many users than he expected, but there were four more squares besides this. If he thought of a user who was summoned to another square, it seemed good to meet Calam quickly and proceed to the next quest. Chapter 4 While running to the north gate, Kang Joo-ho confirmed the other quests. Open your inventory! Quest rewards: 3 random potions Open the character window! Quest rewards: 3 random potions They were simple quests, as the name suggests. Kang Joo-ho first opened an inventory. [You have completed the quest ¡®Open Inventory¡¯.] [You have obtained three lower life potions.] Then a potion appeared in the inventory along with the message. After that, Kang Joo-ho closed the inventory and then opened a character window. Character Name: Kang Joo-ho Nationality: Paraville Kingdom Job: Beginner Level: 1 EXP: 0% Health: 500 Mana: 200 Satisfaction: 99% Power: 10 Agility: 10 Health: 10 Wisdom: 10 The beginning stats were no different from the PC version. The resistance was the same. All the resistance was 0% because he hasn¡¯t done anything yet. Kang Joo-ho closed the character window and opened the message window. [You have completed the quest ¡®Open the character window¡¯] [You have obtained three lower mana potions.] ¡°Nice!¡± He took a sigh of relief. He was worried he¡¯d been given a vitality potion, but luckily he got a mana one instead. Kang Joo-ho smiled while continuing to run and looking at the mini-map. He was about to reach the first gate. Fortunately, the northern gate was still quiet. I must have arrived first, he thought. Only soldiers were visible. It seemed he was the earliest to arrive. Kang Joo-ho approached the soldiers and looked over them. Above the soldier¡¯s heads were their names, such as ¡®Paisson¡¯ and ¡®Rovas¡¯ written in green. Looking up, Kang Joo-ho thought, Is it different for each user? Developers, you can¡¯t assign the first quest to a single guard. He kept looking around. Why are there only a few users? Isn¡¯t today the grand opening? Unlike in the PC version wherein you could just click on the guard from a distance, you now had to approach and get near the NPC to talk. So Kang Joo-ho approached the guard ¡®Calam¡¯ and greeted him, ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Hello!¡± Calam answered Kang Joo-ho¡¯s greeting with a gentle smile. ¡°I am called Calam.¡± [You have completed the quest ¡®Tutorial!¡¯] [You have obtained an old iron sword.] * * * Nema Soft, the company that created the virtual reality game ¡®Earth.¡¯ ¡°Are there any problems with the game?¡± asked Kim Yuri, general manager of Virtual Earth Operations. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± No one answered Kim Yuri¡¯s question. Tap, tap, click, tap. Only the sounds of the mouse and keyboards replied to her question. Kim Yuri smiled. Her expression was filled with satisfaction. She wanted nothing unusual to happen. Kim Yuri stepped forward and moved towards the seat of the vice-president, Yoo Jang-hyuk. Yoo Jang-hyuk, like the others, kept his eyes glued to the monitor. ¡°What do you think?¡± Kim Yuri asked, and looked at Yoo Jang-hyuk¡¯s monitor, where the screen was different. Yoo Jang-hyuk, who had a different role from the other spectators, was in charge of the ¡®special job.¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t have anything yet,¡± he answered. To date, no user has attained a special job. They were working hard but still hadn¡¯t achieved any significant breakthrough yet. ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been an hour since the game launched, it¡¯s like we¡¯re chasing our tails,¡± Kim Yuri nodded and said. ¡°But I was hoping with the player base in Korea I¡¯d be able to find an amazing player soon¡­¡± Special occupations were divided into two categories: low and high. And the standard was the difference from the general job. Compared to the general job, the reward system was based on the player¡¯s performance. The top-ranked special job was difficult to attain, and it was nearly impossible to change jobs because it was nearly impossible to collect the materials necessary for a job change. The only way possible to switch jobs was to wait for a special event to occur. Unlike the top-ranked jobs, the lower level jobs were readily available from the beginning.They weren¡¯t that different from a standard game objective, so they made them simple without any difficult conditions. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many people will play today,¡± said Yoo Jang-hyuk. Numerous users had started and were wandering around to find special jobs. At least they were seeing progress today. ¡°Please contact me as soon as a former user comes out.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Upon hearing Yoo Jang-hyuk¡¯s answer, Kim Yuri left and returned to her seat. Yoo Jang-hyuk, who was left alone, looked at the monitor again and moved the keyboard and mouse. There are about five things that players could discover today. They were the following: the blacksmith of the battlefield, the sorcerer of the fire, the wind magician, the degree of the fuse of the street, and the conditions of the job change. But what will be known first? Yoo Jang-hyuk looked at the monitor with a smile full of anticipation. * * * Swoosh! Kang Joo-ho swung an old iron sword towards the rabbit. Swoosh! The rabbits grazing in the grass could not avoid his iron swords. Cling! Bam! He had slain the rabbit. Kang Joo-ho then received the message. [Critical Hit!] You have slain the rabbit with the old iron sword. Kang Joo-ho opened the quest window and clicked on the quest ¡®Rabbit Hunt¡¯ he received from Calam, the guard he met earlier. Rabbits have bred too much. The number of rabbits has increased to the point that it interferes with the guard¡¯s work, so guard Calam has ordered you to slay them. Kill the rabbit and go to the guard headquarters in ¡®Job Square,¡¯ meet ¡®Doen¡¯ and deliver Calam¡¯s letter! [Rabbit: 29 / 30] [Letter of Column: 1 / 1] Quest reward: leather armor ¡°If I catch one more¡­.¡± 29 out of 30 were caught. Only one left now! he thought, confident that he could do it. Kang Joo-ho turned his head and looked around. Dozens of users were already hunting rabbits. And users were continually flowing through the gates. If this keeps up, there will be more users than rabbits. If so, the users will compete with each other for resources, slowing down everyone¡¯s progress toward the next quest. It was then. Ding! In front of Kang Joo-ho, the rabbit regenerated and continued to graze in the grass. He lifted his sword and hit it. Swoosh! This time it was not a critical hit, so the rabbit began to flee from Kang Joo-ho. However, the injured rabbi was remarkably slow, and Joo-ho could predict where it was going. He chased the rabbit and once again swung his sword. Swoosh! Cling! Thud. He collected the rabbit¡¯s body and returned to the gate. * * * ¡°Wow, is this a rabbit field? Can we pet the rabbits?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll quickly finish this quest!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take our time and look around, and it¡¯s not like we can get special jobs right away.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s catch a rabbit.¡± Kang Joo-ho, who arrived in front of the castle gate, entered the city while listening to the other users¡¯ conversations. Then he headed straight to the job fair. Soon after getting to the job fair, Kang Joo-ho was able to find the security headquarters immediately without getting lost thanks to the mini-map. The Guard Headquarters was a five-story building with numerous guards coming and going. The name of the NPC that he had to meet was ¡®Doen.¡¯ ¡°Doen, Doen¡­¡± Kang Joo-ho, who entered the guard headquarters, started muttering Doen¡¯s name while looking for him. Kang Joo-ho, who walked around the first floor, frowned slightly. Are you on the second floor? The name Doen could not be seen. Can¡¯t I ask an NPC for directions? Kang Joo-ho felt annoyed. None of the green text above the help NPC¡¯s heads had Doen written on them. Then a thought came to his mind. What if Doen isn¡¯t a help NPC? Eventually, Kang Joo-ho decided to ask a nearby soldier. It was faster to ask an NPC for help than to look for Doen alone. ¡°Good morning. I¡¯ve been looking for someone called Doen. Do you know where he is?¡± ¡°Doen?¡± The guard said, then nodded, ¡°Do you mean our team leader? You can find his office on the second floor.¡± Luckily the soldier knew who he was looking for. ¡°Thank you.¡± Kang Joo-ho thanked the guard then proceeded directly to the second floor. And upon arrival, Kang Joo-ho was able to find Doen. Doen was sitting in front of the table reading documents. He looks strict. Kang Joo-ho approached Doen. ¡°Good morning. Here¡­¡± After greeting him, Kang Joo-ho took out a letter from Calam and gave it to him. ¡°¡­ ?¡± Doen took the letter with a puzzled look. [You have completed the quest ¡®Rabbit Hunt¡¯.] And at that moment, the quest was completed. Doen started reading the letter. Shortly after, he said with a smile, ¡°I planned to deal with the rabbit soon by myself, so I must thank you.¡± Doen, who stood up to thank him, asked, ¡°Could you please wait?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Upon hearing Kang Joo-ho¡¯s answer, Doen entered the door behind him. It was apparent that he was going to get Kang Joo-ho¡¯s reward. As predicted, Doen returned with a piece of leather armor. ¡°It¡¯s a reward for helping hunt down the rabbits.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± [You have obtained the leather armor.] After receiving the armor and putting it in the inventory, Kang Joo-ho returned his attention to Doen, awaiting his next quest. ¡°And¡­¡± Doen dimmed, as he opened the desk drawer. It was the next quest. Doen, who pulled something out of the drawer, and handed it over. ¡°Here it is.¡± It was a scroll. Kang Joo-ho received the scroll. [You have obtained a job recommendation letter.] [Quest ¡®Finding a job¡¯ was created.] Doen wrote down his identification on the scroll. ¡°If you need a recommendation for a job, I can help. Have a good adventure,¡± Doen said with a smile. It¡¯s over¡­ Kang Joo-ho thought after Doen¡¯s greetings. I said I was gonna finish the tutorial quickly, but I may have gone too fast. It was said that the tutorial was short, but he expected it to last at least an hour. ¡°Good-bye.¡± After answering Doen¡¯s greeting, Kang Joo-ho headed to the first floor. Soon, users who have finished hunting rabbits will flock one after another. There is no time to delay. Kang Joo-ho, who came out of the security headquarters, confirmed the quest ¡®Find a job.¡¯ After reaching level 10, get a job with a recommendation letter! [Level: 6 / 10] [Job Recommendation: 1 / 1] Quest reward: ??? Chapter 5 ¡°I just need to raise my level,¡± Joo-ho planned ahead. It was not possible to immediately change jobs with such a low level. As with the PC version, a player had to be at level 10 to get a job. ¡°Where should I farm?¡± Kang Joo-ho, who just came out of the security headquarters, quickly looked around. His current level is 6. His starting equipment wasn¡¯t good and his stats weren¡¯t high yet. The number of monsters that can be hunted in the current situation was very limited. In addition, the kingdom of Paraville had very few hunting grounds. ¡°I think I should go to this quadrant.¡± The monsters that one can catch on the hunting ground were limited, so he was able to make a decision right away. Kang Joo-ho began to move towards the west gate. The blacksmith¡­ Taking steps, Kang Joo-ho looked at the mini-map to find the former blacksmith NPC. It would be nice if I could check the whole city, he thought. But the minimap could only see a radius of 1 km. In order to check the whole map, a separate map skill or item was required. It would be okay to see the whole map as a convenience, but it was a little disappointing. [You arrived at the Production Street.] Soon after, Kang Joo-ho was able to find a former blacksmith NPC. The one he found was located in the middle of the Production Street west of the job square. It was then. ¡°Brother!¡± A familiar voice came in Joo-ho¡¯s ears. He stopped and looked at where the voice came from. ¡°Seok-joo!¡± Joo-ho shouted in return. As he expected, the source of the voice was Kim Seok-joo, the deacon. Kim Seok-joo quickly approached Kang Joo-ho. ¡°Brother, I thought we decided to meet at the 3rd square! And you weren¡¯t planning on coming in the first place?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Kang Joo-ho had no choice but to blush at the words of Kim Seok-joo. ¡°Like we said, if we couldn¡¯t meet for the first time, we decided to meet at the 3rd square in an hour,¡± Seok-joo reiterated. However, Kang Joo-ho had no intention of going to the 3rd square after an hour. He thought that it would be all right if they met, but it¡¯s better if they didn¡¯t, because it was a waste of time and movement. ¡°I was going to go there later. Were you also going to go there, Kim Seok-joo?¡± Joo-ho asked back. ¡°In a minute¡­¡± Seok-joo scratched his head. Then, with a sudden thought, Kang Joo-ho asked with a slight frown at his forehead. ¡°So why are you here?¡± This time, Kim Seok-joo flinched. ¡°Haha, brother! Have you finished the tutorial?¡± He quickly switched topics. Kang Joo-ho responded with a smug smile to Kim Seok-joo¡¯s reaction. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve just finished it. How about you?¡± ¡°Me too! Add me as a friend first!¡± [Kim Seok-joo has been added as a friend.] After becoming friends, Kang Joo-ho asked Kim Seok-joo, ¡°What level are you now?¡± ¡°6! What about your brother?¡± ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°It looks like it.¡± Kang Joo-ho and Kim Seok-ju took a walk while talking. ¡°Are you going to catch a stone fox?¡± asked Kim Seok-joo. ¡°Uh, if there is no rabbit competition, I¡¯ll grab a rabbit.¡± Kang Joo-ho replied as he nodded. Stone fox was a monster that lived in the ¡®Stone Fox Forest¡¯. The forest comes a little further west from the Western gate. It was a monster at the level above the rabbit. Of course, the first step was the starting city, Billeme. In other countries, there were wild dogs next to rabbits. And next to the wild dogs was the foxes. There were no wild dogs in the kingdom of Paraville. In addition, the foxes of the Paraville Kingdom are not ordinary foxes. They weren¡¯t called stone foxes for no reason. In the bestiary, the stats of some monsters were revealed. And there was also the stone fox¡¯s stats. Compared to rabbits, its life was three times higher, and defense and attack power were twice as high. The problem was that it had a high ability, but had the characteristics of a hard skin, which reduced the damage received by 20%. It was rude to compare rabbits and regular foxes to stone foxes, because the stone fox has much more experience than the rabbit. And if there was no competition, catching rabbits would be a faster way to reach level 10. ¡°So you plan to catch a stone fox?¡± Kim Seok-joo asked with a smile. ¡°Yeah,¡± Joo-ho answered. ¡°Did you go west?¡± he also asked, for he wanted to know if there were many players in that part of the city. ¡°Yeah,¡± Kim Seok-joo nodded. ¡°That place was crowded.¡± Unlike Kang Joo-ho, who went to the north gate, Kim Seok-joo went to the west gate. And he knew how many users there were in that part of the city. ¡°Let¡¯s go party hunting!¡± Seok-joo suddenly suggested, accompanied with a fluttering look. ¡°Sure, let me invite you.¡± Kang Joo-ho created a party and sent an invitation to Kim Seok-joo. ¡°By the way, how did you distribute the stats?¡± Kang Joo-ho was going to become a blacksmith. So when he leveled up, he distributed the bonus stats he received to his strength and stamina. However, Kim Seok-joo was going to change his job as an enchanter. And the main stats of the enchanter was wisdom. So it seemed that his bonus stats were not invested in strength or agility. In other words, it is not very helpful in catching stone foxes. ¡°Hehe, I invested 5 in my stamina and left 20,¡± Seok-joo answered. It was as expected by Kang Joo-ho. Kim Seok-joo did not invest in strength or agility at all. That said, Kang Joo-ho did not intend to abandon Kim Seok-joo. Even if he didn¡¯t invest his stats, it didn¡¯t mean that he wasn¡¯t helpful anymore. There is a big difference between one-on-one and two-on-one in the way they fight. If a single player has to use 10% power alone when catching a stone fox, it doesn¡¯t even reach half of two players combined. ¡°After I change my job, I will definitely support you!¡± Kim Seok-joo shouted with a wide smile. ¡°But will you go to the training center first?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m thinking,¡± Kang Joo-ho replied. Training school. It was a place where a player could raise their main stats of their main job through training, such as hitting scarecrows and avoiding attacks. Of course, there was a limit to the stats that could be raised through training. For beginner training camps, the limit of stats you can raise is 10. For intermediate training centers, 50. For advanced training centers, 100. Lastly, in the case of a top-notch training center, it was possible to increase stats up to 200. It was impossible to post more than that. ¡°Because I have to raise my stats to at least 50,¡± Joo-ho added But that¡¯s not all. Each training center had a level limit. Beginners can enter from 10 to 50 levels. In addition, it was possible to enter from 51 to 200 for intermediate, from 201 to 500 for advanced, and from 501 to 1000 for the best. For example, if a player reaches level 51 without getting all 10 stats from the beginner training camp, they wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain it anymore, even from other training camps. ¡°What do you think?¡± Kang Joo-ho asked Kim Seok-joo. He wondered what kind of thoughts and plans Kim Seok-joo had for the later game. At the question of Kang Joo-ho, Seok-joo thought for a moment and then opened his mouth. ¡°I think it would be okay to just skip it over.¡± The stat you could get at the beginner training center was 10. It was more beneficial to devote that time to growth than to invest time in a training camp just to get 10 stats. ¡°Because it¡¯s just stats. You can take it later,¡± Seok-joo added. And a player can get stats not only at the training center. They could also get stats from certain actions, such as reading old books and running. ¡°Yes, then let¡¯s skip beginners.¡± Kang Joo-ho decided after hearing Kim Seok-joo¡¯s answer. He became relaxed because the burden of how to level up has gone. Soon after, Kang Joo-ho and Kim Seok-ju were able to reach the west gate. ¡°No, stop stealing my rabbit!¡± ¡°Hey! That rabbit is mine!¡± ¡°Ana, the rabbit is not here!¡± ¡°Shall we go the other way?¡± ¡°I only need 12 more, so let¡¯s do it here. I think there are many other places as well.¡± There were so many users in the west gate, as Kim Seok-joo said. When one rabbit was regenerated, three nuts ran into it. ¡°It was as if it¡¯s a big deal,¡± Seok-joo exclaimed, with his eyes wide open. ¡°Because it is. Even if I was a little late, I wanted to participate in the competition at first. Good thing I thought about the stone foxes.¡± Kang Joo-ho and Kim Seok-ju took a walk while talking. They walked straight past the other players, and were able to reach their destination in no time. [You have entered the Stone Fox Forest.] After arriving in the forest, Kim Seok-joo said with a surprised expression.¡°There are users who came earlier than us?¡± Joo-ho came right after the tutorial. He thought they would have arrived earlier than anyone, but there were already several users in the forest. At the end of Kim Seok-joo, Kang Joo-ho, who was watching the players just stand there for a while, opened his mouth. ¡°I think they just came to see it?¡± The players did not attack the stone fox. They just looked at it and watched it as if they were in a zoo. ¡°I think so,¡± Kim Seok-joo nodded. Soon after, Kang Joo-ho and Kim Seok-joo drew attention from users. We shouldn¡¯t keep standing around like this, Joo-ho thought. ¡°Let¡¯s catch that.¡± Kang Joo-ho told Kim Seok-joo. He took the lead toward the stone fox in front. There was another stone fox nearby, but it didn¡¯t matter. Even if there were other stone foxes, there was no need to worry. Soon after arriving in front of the stone fox, Kang Joo-ho said to Kim Seok-ju.¡°Cover me if it tries to attack or do anything.¡± ¡°Yeah! I will go in after it notices us!¡± Kim Seok-joo replied Kang Joo-ho swung his iron sword at the stone fox. Clang! Shing! The iron sword hit the fox. It let out a short scream, stepped back, and stared at Kang Joo-ho. Then it started running towards him. The stone fox jumped and swung its front paws. Scratch! Kang Joo-ho, who was already preparing for an attack, quickly fell back and swung his iron sword and struck the fox¡¯s forefoot. Splat! The stone fox once again screamed briefly and stepped back. My vision is narrower than I thought, it will be hard to avoid its attacks, Kang Joo-ho thought while facing a stone fox staring at him. On the PC version of Earth, the player was able to grasp the situation of the battlefield at a glance through the monitor. However, the VR version had a limited view. It was incomparable to the PC version. An attack could be avoided if the player could watch the movement of the stone fox, but it seemed that it could not be easily avoided in the VR version. The stone fox, who was watching Kang Joo-ho, jumped again. As before, Kang Joo-ho fell back and wielded an iron sword. Shing! Once again, the iron sword and the stone fox¡¯s paws met, and the stone fox screamed and stepped back and stared at Kang Joo-ho. And just then¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll go in now!¡± Kim Seok-joo participated in the battle. Two times at the front paws, and one at its back, a total of three attacks were successful. They could feel that they were starting to win. ¡°I¡¯ll take the left!¡± Kim Seok-joo moved to the left of the stone fox. The stone fox glanced at Kim Seok-joo, then it stared at Kang Joo-ho and jumped again. Unlike before, Kang Joo-ho didn¡¯t have the time to fall back. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t alone this time. Splat! Kim Seok-joo, who was waiting for the stone fox to jump, swung an iron sword and cut the stone fox¡¯s side. Shing! The stone fox, who only focused and attacked at Kang Joo-ho, could not avoid Kim Seok-joo¡¯s attack and began to fall. Splat! And at that moment, Kang Joo-ho¡¯s iron sword went into the back of the stone fox. Chapter 6 So, the joint attack between Kang Joo-ho and Kim Seok-joo began. They were two people who had been teaming up for a long time. Although it wasn¡¯t perfect because it was virtual reality, it was enough to make the stone fox stop whatever it¡¯s doing. Cling! Thud! Soon the stone fox fell down with a powerless scream. [Level up!] ¡°Wait. I leveled up.¡± Kang Joo-ho spoke to Kim Seok-joo as he saw the message. Then he opened the character window. Character name: Kang Joo-ho Nationality: Paraville Kingdom Occupation: Beginner Level: 7 EXP: 2% Health: 1000 Mana: 200 Satiety: 77% Power: 25 Agility: 10 Health: 20 Wisdom: 10 Bonus stats: 5 The bonus stat given when leveling up is 5. Currently, Kang Ju-ho was investing alternately in strength and stamina. And this turn was physical strength. ¡®Let¡¯s invest in strength.¡¯ However, Kang Joo-ho invested all his bonus stats in his strength. Not a single one was hit in the battle a while ago. And even if it was correct, it could withstand enough life if it was 1000. Investing in power and catching it quickly was a situation that helped the pace of growth. If you haven¡¯t invested now, you can invest later. Kang Joo-ho, who closed the character window, checked the drop window. +1 stone fox claw The dropped item was the material item ¡®Stone Fox¡¯s Claw¡¯, which was the most expensive item among the items dropped by the Stone Fox. When will it open? Kang Joo-ho, who finished looting by pressing OK, tried to remember if the auction house has already benn opened to the players. As far as he could recall, it has not been opened yet. In other words, it was impossible to trade yet. But it could be possible if one uses an external trading site. However, Kang Joo-ho had no intention of using the trading site. There were a lot of scams, and the transaction method was too cumbersome. Instead, one could use someone to make a purchase, but the auction house would open through an update two weeks later anyway. Money wouldn¡¯t be pouring in for two weeks, but Kang Joo-ho decided to wait. ¡°Hyung, should I stay still?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Joo-ho gave Seok-joo a puzzled look. ¡°They¡¯re all on the alert.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± He soon was able to understand Kim Seok-joo¡¯s words. If they stay still, they would be safe. However, that means they wouldn¡¯t be able to participate in battle; thus entering the ¡®watch¡¯ state. In the alert state, monsters take a turn only with an attack motion. Only magic could preempt the state of alert. The stone foxes in the vicinity were already on alert and staring at Kang Joo-ho and Kim Seok-joo. If they attack in the current situation, numerous stone foxes will rush to them. No matter how good and powerful they were, it was impossible to deal with such a large number of monsters simultaneously. ¡°Go.¡± Kang Joo-ho signaled to Seok-joo and took the lead. Fortunately, the defenses of the stone foxes were not high, and as they took a step closer, the critical hit chance became higher. After more steps, the defenses of all the stone foxes were decreased, and Kang Joo-ho stopped walking. ¡°Let¡¯s go like before.¡± Kang Joo-ho told Seok-joo. Then going unnoticed, he slowly approached a sleeping stone fox in front of him ¡°Yeah!¡± The moment he heard Kim Seok-joo¡¯s answer, Kang Joo-ho swung his iron sword. Shing! The stone fox, who was sleeping quietly, was amazed by the sudden attack and woke up. Splat! Meanwhile, the iron sword burst again. Waking up and realizing that it was being attacked, the stone fox quickly stepped back to understand the situation. And looking at Kang Joo-ho, it revealed its teeth. However, it did not attack with its teeth. The stone fox jumped and swung its front paws. Kang Joo-ho stepped back and swung his iron sword. Cling! The stone fox¡¯s attack was blocked by Kang Joo-ho¡¯s iron sword, and Kim Seok-joo joined in the battle, after waiting for the perfect time to jump in. Splat! Splat! Like the first stone fox, who died in a joint attack between the two, it also died without a hit on its enemies. * * * Character name: Kang Joo-ho Nationality: Paraville Kingdom Occupation: Beginner Level: 9 EXP: 97% Health: 1000 Mana: 200 Satiety: 51% Force: 40 Agility: 10 Health: 20 Wisdom: 10 ¡°If I catch it, I can finally level up to level 10!¡± Kang Joo-ho said, who was looking at the character window. He was referring to a stone fox he saw in front of Kim Seok-joo. Currently, Kang Joo-ho¡¯s experience is 97%, so if he could catch one more, he would be able to reach level 10 and change his job. ¡°Go.¡± Kang Joo-ho, who closed the character window, took the lead as he always did. Upon enough distance, he swung his iron sword at the stone fox. When Kang Joo-ho¡¯s attack hit three times, Kim Seok-joo, who was waiting, joined the battle. At first, there were little flaws in the joint venture, for they were playing in the VR version now. However, after several battles, the flaws gradually disappeared. They became a perfect duo. Cling! Thud! [Level up!] Soon, the stone fox fell and a level-up message appeared. ¡°That was kind of a hard time!¡± Kim Seok-joo exclaimed. ¡°Good job,¡± Kang Joo-ho answered the cry with a smile. Now it was the time to change jobs. Kang Joo-ho and Kim Seok-joo came out of the Stone Fox Forest and returned to the city of Billeme. * * * ¡°Ah, please! Stop stealing!¡± ¡°That bitch! I¡¯ll kill him!¡± ¡°Hey, be patient. You were almost killed by the guard. Did you forget that you can¡¯t log in 24 hours after you die?¡± ¡°Uh-oh!¡± The west gate was still crowded with numerous players. Watching players competing for rabbits, Kin Seok-joo said ¡°I think there are more players than before!¡± Earlier, an average of three players were unto one rabbit. But now, about five or six were trying to catch the same one. Kang Joo-ho replied, ¡°Because it¡¯s peak hours. A lot of players had just finished their work or school during these hours.¡± Joo-ho knew that if the number of players increases in the future, it will not increase or decrease, and ten people might run into one rabbit. If Paraville continues to be this crowded¡­ Kang Joo-ho thought while walking past the other players. Paraville Kingdom had a higher level of difficulty than others, and had fewer starting players. So why and how is it so crowded? Soon enough ten people would be trying to fight over one rabbit. I have to ask later. It was only two members who chose the kingdom of Paraville, Kang Joo-ho and Kim Seok-joo. Other members of the Immortal Guild began in the Vilenian Empire, the Keville Empire, and the Rera Kingdom. Who knows how many players are there right now. Kang Joo-ho and Kim Seok-joo, who entered the city, took a walk towards the Production street. ¡°You¡¯re going to catch a stone fox again by 20, right?¡± Kim Seok-joo asked. Kang Joo-ho nodded to Kim Seok-joo¡¯s question. ¡°That¡¯s right, because you need skills first.¡± The top monsters before the stone fox that are based on the area around Billeme were slimes and dolphins. But it was very inefficient to catch and hunt for now. Efficient hunting would be possible only when a player reaches level 20 when skills become available to learn. ¡°Before then, I need to change my job and then we¡¯ll meet at the Stone Fox Forest again!¡± Kang Joo-ho was able to change his job in the Production Street, but Kim Seok-joo, the enchanter, had to go to the Magic Street. It was time to part ways. ¡°So, see you later!¡± Joo-ho said. ¡°Yeah! Good bye!¡± Kim Seok-joo replied to Kang Joo-ho¡¯s farewell and ran away towards the magical street. After Kim Seok-joo disappeared, Kang Joo-ho began to follow the mini-map towards the smithy where the blacksmith NPC was located. After a while, Kang Joo-ho was able to reach his destination. [You entered Toven¡¯s Forge.] Whether there were no players who have yet to reach the required level to visit the forge, or there was no player who plans to change their job into a blacksmith, there was not even one player in the smithy. ¡°Hello.¡± Kang Joo-ho approached and said hello to the blacksmith NPC Toven, who was sleeping in a chair. ¡°¡­!¡± Toven flinched at Kang Joo-ho¡¯s voice, and then opened his mouth for a laugh. ¡°Huh huh, hello. You are an adventurer! Are you here to become a blacksmith?¡± ¡°Yes, here is a letter of recommendation.¡± Kang Joo-ho nodded to Toven¡¯s question and handed him a job recommendation letter from his inventory. Toven, who received the recommendation letter and confirmed it, smiled and opened his mouth. ¡°Congratulations on becoming a blacksmith. We sincerely welcome you.¡± And the moment Toven¡¯s words were over, a message appeared. [You have changed your job as a blacksmith.] [You have acquired the skill ¡®Blacksmith¡¯s Soul¡¯.] No required quests? Kang Joo-ho was surprised to see the message. In the PC version of Earth, there were different job quests for each job. So, of course, I thought there would be a job change quest, but he was surprised to be able to change jobs that quickly. Kang Joo-ho, who was thinking of investing an hour to two hours for his job quest, smiled wide at the thought of saving his time. ¡°This here is a little gift for you,¡± Toven said as he held out the hammer. ¡°Thank you, ¡± Kang Joo-ho expressed his gratitude and received the hammer. ¡°Would you like to refine some minerals?¡± Toven asked, ¡°I will prepare the forge.¡± In addition to hunting, the blacksmith could gain experience by refining minerals and making equipment. And immediately after the job change, the experience gained from mineral refining was much higher than the hunting experience, so refining minerals was good for growth. But he wasn¡¯t alone now. Kim Seok-joo was also likely to have no job quest, and it was better to grow up with a party hunt than to raise the level alone. ¡°Yes, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask away,¡± Toven informed Joo-ho, but Joo-ho just shook his head saying no. ¡°Ok, please come again!¡± Toven said goodbye. Kang Joo-ho came out of the smithy after his farewell. While walking to the west gate, he sent Kim Seok-joo a message. [Kang Joo-ho]: Seok-joo, the job change is over. There were job change quests [Kim Seok-joo]: Yes? Really? [Kang Joo-ho]: Yes, there were no other blacksmiths in the smithy. How about you? [Kim Seok-jo]: I just arrived, wait. Kang Joo-ho opened the skill window while waiting for Kim Seok-joo¡¯s message. He took a look at the skill ¡®Blacksmith¡¯s Soul¡¯ that he learned while changing his job as a blacksmith. Proficiency: 1 (0%) 1. Increases the probability of success when making equipment. 2. If production is successful, additional features are given to the equipment. He learned that the blacksmith¡¯s soul was a passive skill related to equipment production. Kang Joo-ho closed the skill window and checked the information of the hammer. Limits: Blacksmith, Level 10, Strength 30 Durability: 100% Physical Attack: 50 ¡°Better than an iron sword.¡± The old iron sword¡¯s attack power was 20. Its attack range was better, but considering the attack power, it would be better to hunt with a wire hammer. So Kang Joo-ho immediately opened the equipment window and replaced the iron sword with the hammer. Then he clicked the weapon button to summon the iron hammer and started swinging it back and forth. It was then. [Kim Seok-joo]: Hyung, my job change is over. [Kim Seok-joo]: Where are you? He received a message from Kim Seok-joo. Kang Joo-ho responded to it. [Kang Joo-ho]: I¡¯m going to the forest. [Kang Joo-ho]: I¡¯ll be there first. [Kim Seok-joo]: No, I¡¯ll be there first. *laugh emoji*